Truly in a class by itself

Forget basket weaving. A group of sports management majors at Lynn University in South Florida are picking three easy, but pricey, credits this weekend as part of a course entitled, “The Final Four Experience.”

And students at Georgetown thought “Philosophy and Star Trek” was a gimme.

“We said to ourselves, ‘What’s the best way to teach our students?’ ” professor Theodore Curtis told the Associated Press. “We knew they needed to see something and experience it, rather than sit during a lecture and listen to us.”

Besides, the other choice was listening to Billy Packer lecture during the game. So off to Atlanta the group went, with planned side trips to a Georgia Tech baseball game and an Atlanta Thrashers’ hockey game. The cost? A mere $3,250 for the total package.

Still, the work will be excruciating. Students must actually keep a journal and take notes at the basketball games on security positioning, vendor and sponsorship setups, along with seating arrangements.

“This trip is a stepping stool for us,” senior Joaquin Smits said.

Sure, it’s good preparation for the next big event: The Spring Break Tan-Off in Ft. Lauderdale.

Trivia time

Which two active coaches have the most NCAA appearances without winning a title?

Popcorn not included

Lynn University students may be getting off cheap. One online ticket broker’s website was offering a pair of Final Four tickets behind the basket for $12,000.

A little research determined that the tuition at UCLA for a California resident was about $7,000 this year. So ask the question, “Do we send twins to college or go to Atlanta and do the eight clap?”

King James’ castle

Pitching coaches and realtors are always gabbing about the same thing: location, location, location.

So imagine the cha-ching that went off in one Bath Township, Ohio, neighborhood when the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James bought a home there. Still, there are downsides to the bump in property values.

Neighbor Tom Brader told the Akron Beacon Journal that while his kids are hoping to play some hoops at James’ house, he informed his wife, “don’t ever, ever invite LeBron over to our house to play ball because he’s going to twist his ankle and I will have my house eternally egged.’ ”

The upside? The neighborhood watch group will be from the Rolex collection.

A cozy place to call his own

James is doing a little remodeling, tearing down the original house to put up something that will make him feel at home -- a 35,440-square-foot home that will include, among other things, an outdoor limestone sculpture of his head.

Inside, there will be a recording studio, bowling alley, casino, theater, sports bar, aquarium and barbershop.

No word whether the basement will include a Nike sweatshop.

Tech support being outsourced

Texas Tech students looking for a little extra credit need only answer the ad in the student newspaper. Wanted: Punter.

The Red Raiders’ football team, it seems, is without a punter because of graduation and ineligibilities. So Coach Mike Leach placed an ad in the Daily Toreador.

“Oh, man, it’s unbelievable,” Leach told the Dallas Morning News. “It’s been going like crazy. We’ve got message machines filled up. This little project has kept a lot of folks busy.”

Leach, though, may be missing out on his best bet. Everyone has seen how far Bob Knight can kick a chair. Just imagine what the Red Raiders’ basketball coach could do with a football?

Trivia answer

Kansas State’s Bob Huggins and Texas’ Rick Barnes with 15 each.

Note: Briefing will use graduation rates as the tiebreaker.

And finally

The Chicago Sun-Times asked readers to weigh in with a bit entitled, “the People of Chicago vs. Tribune Co.” and 73.5% who responded said Tribune is guilty of gross negligence in its mismanagement of the Cubs.

It’s shocking to see a fine organization like the Tribune disparaged. The Los Angeles Times’ parent company is responsible for only 25 of the 98 years the Cubs have wandered without a World Series title.

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