He's investigated Tark's picks, and there's just no fixing them

The NCAA tournament basketball brackets are out, so I wanted some help before going to Las Vegas.

I called Jerry Tarkanian, living and retired in Vegas, to see if he knew how I could get in contact with Richie the Fixer.

Tark laughed, and again when I mentioned the words "hot tub," although I wouldn't be surprised to learn later he was chewing on the phone as we spoke.

I just love Tark, both the rebel and the NCAA punching bag for so many years who still had the spunk to win 78% of his games at Long Beach State, UNLV and Fresno State, sue the NCAA for harassment and settle for $2.5 million.

The guy's a character, a survivor under oppressive circumstances and, despite every roadblock, a huge success.

Of the top 30 all-time winningest Division I basketball coaches, only three have a better winning percentage, and yet Tark has never gained entrance to the Hall of Fame. If the NCAA wants to talk about crimes, it needn't go any further.

The NCAA, the monster that it was during those times, never did uncover any major rules violations while Tark was at UNLV, although a lasting memory for some is a photo of three players sitting in a hot tub with a bookie convicted in a Boston College point-shaving scandal.

I'd just like to know what kind of coach recruits players who would rather be sitting in a hot tub with a reputed Mafia figure than with Las Vegas showgirls?

When it comes to picking 'em, one has to wonder about Tark, who is choosing Boston College over USC. I'd expect that from Richie.

"Toughest decision I ever made was turning down the Lakers job," Tark says as we move on, although he stewed over the UCLA-VCU matchup as if it were Magic taking on Bird. He took UCLA but says his friends like VCU.

And no, the Fixer is not one of his friends, and never has been. In fact, he says, he knew him as Sam, working in commodities -- Sam never mentioning his name was Richie and he was connected to the Mafia. For all I know maybe Dwyre isn't his real name.

Hard to believe now, but with the NCAA hanging over Tark's shoulder, he still had UNLV beating Duke by 30 to win the national title and going 34-0 the next season before losing the championship game.

He knows how to win games, all right, but he's no Rick Neuheisel when it comes to nailing the office pool.

We disagree on the outcomes of 16 games -- nine in the first round, and who do you think knows more about these things?