Sorry to bring this up again. Hopefully this will put an end to the whole "not a dime back" saga:

University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun scores a slam dunk as Connecticut residents say 61 – 30 percent that he should keep all of his $1.6 million salary, rather than donate a portion to help with the state’s economic problems, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. (From March 3 – 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,335 Connecticut adults with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points).

By a 68 – 12 percent margin, Connecticut residents have a favorable opinion of Calhoun, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

His salary is “about right,” 48 percent say, while 43 percent say it is “too much.”

A total of 69 percent of Connecticut residents heard or read “a lot” or “some” about Calhoun’s response to a question about his salary asked at a recent press conference. Of that group, 51 percent approve of the way the coach answered the question, while 43 percent disapprove.

Those who know about the press conference say 80 – 16 percent that Calhoun should not be disciplined for the way he answered the question.

When asked if they are fans of UCONN’s men’s basketball team, 54 percent of Connecticut residents say yes.

Now, Nutmeg Staters (I just moved here about eight months ago, so I'm still new to this), you're going to have to explain this to me:

But in an open-ended question, where respondents can give any answer, Connecticut residents were asked: What is your favorite Connecticut-based sports team. Results are:
· 29 percent for UCONN’s women’s basketball team;
· 22 percent for UCONN’s men’s basketball team;
· 3 percent for UCONN football.

Men go with the men’s team over the women’s team 28 – 21 percent, while women back the women’s team 36 – 16 percent.

Gotta admit, I can't wrap my head around this one. I've never quite understood the attraction of women's basketball here in Connecticut ... or anywhere, for that matter. I know the team is as dominant as any women's team has ever been this year, but seriously ... women's basketball? Unwatchable, in my book. Why would I want to watch basketball played at a level no better than what I could watch in a decent local men's recreational league?

Seriously -- I hear women's basketball fans say thing like: "The men might dunk, but the 'girls' play the game the way it's supposed to be played. There's more teamwork, better passing, they hit their free throws," blah, blah, blah. Please.

Ever watch A.J. Price play? Levance Fields? Blake Griffin? Jonny Flynn? The skills at the men's level are so much better, it's not even worth discussing. And the athleticism ... come on. Do I need to see dunking? Well, yeah ... it's exciting to see Stanley Robinson throw down an alley-oop slam off a pinpoint pass from Price. It's nice to see the game played at a level I could never dream of playing at, rather than a level I used to play at in high school. (Yes, I'm of the opinion that a good high school boys basketball team could beat a good women's college team at least more times than it loses).

Ahh, had to get that off my chest. Sorry, the whole thing just boggles my mind. Bring on the hate mail.