Monday tidbits: Obama’s bracket life, the return of Pokey (?), and an overpaid AD

Obama’s bracket still alive, barely

President Obama’s bracket on ESPN is only half busted. Two of his teams are still in the mix, Connecticut and Stanford. However, his other Final Four choices, Tennessee and Nebraska, suffered losses this past weekend. He picked UConn to win it all.

Tonight on television

Baylor vs. Duke (7:04 pm ET) and Stanford vs. Xavier (9:07 pm ET) on ESPN/ESPN360.com.

The return of Pokey?

A few days ago WNBA Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn tweeted this nugget:

@pokeychatman ..some very good D1 jobs open..time for you to get one!..let me know if i can help you!

Chatman has had tremendous success coaching superstars overseas in Russia for Spartak Moscow Region since her infamous exit from LSU in 2007 due to allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship between her and a former player. While several players have defended Chatman and talk to her via Twitter, Dunn is one of the first (if not the first) high-profile coaches to have publicly shown support for her since the scandal.

He makes what?

Andrew Zimbalist, a respected sports economist from my alma mater and who I remember dearly (I minored in economics ) calls the salary of Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins “utterly outrageous.” Perkins made $4.4 million in 2009. According to the KansasCity.com article on the AD, that is the equivalent of the average yearly tuition payment of 10 Kansas Students or in another way — $85,000 per week.

Zimbalist continued:

I can’t believe he’s worth that kind of compensation in the marketplace. It strikes me as a hideous compensation level.

Perkins on his salary: “It is what it is.”

Anne Donovan bids adieu to the New York Liberty

Seton Hall confirmed last night that Anne Donovan will be the new head coach of its women’s basketball team.

Update: Seton Hall announced the new coach Monday afternoon.

Donovan’s statement in the press release:

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to come home to New Jersey and coach at Seton Hall,” said Donovan. “The outlook for the women’s basketball program is bright and I look forward to becoming a part of the university community.