In no way do I condone the actions of Elizabeth Lambert, the University of New Mexico soccer player who was caught on video being violent toward BYU players during a Mountain West Conference tournament game.

Lambert nearly yanked a woman’s ponytail right out of her scalp, punched one girl in the back, another one in the head and did some over-the-top tackling in one game. She was obviously playing on tilt and should’ve been red-carded numerous times or removed from the game by her coach. Television cameras started watching her every move because she was that out of control. It was horrible.

But her Internet fame—videos of her acts had more than a million views on YouTube—came with jokes about women’s sports and the intensity that the BYU and New Mexico players were showing. That’s where I really shake my head.

ESPN.com’s Graham Hays said it best--women's sports aren't catfights. They're competitive. And it’s about time mainstream America accepts the fact that our female athletes aren’t worried about breaking a nail.

I was surprised by some people’s reaction, but perhaps my perspective is unique. My wife played Division I soccer, and I went to all of her games for four straight years. Big-time women's college soccer is a rough sport. Players are athletic, big, fast—and most of all, physical.

My wife was one of the smaller players out there, and she had to compensate by being tougher. She gruesomely broke her elbow in high school and still has problems with it, but kept playing. In college, she got a black eye in practice and a concussion during a game. She had trouble walking between many of her matches because of ankle and shin injuries caused by players kicking the daylights out of her while battling for the ball. I went to visit her at her apartment one day and she had an air cast on her right foot—and she played a full game two days later.

Funny thing is, my wife was relatively injury-free compared to some of her college teammates. One of them badly broke her leg in a game, another one tore up her ankle. Pretty much all of them spent their college days in a training room getting ice baths. Offseason knee surgeries were common.

After watching the Lambert video, I concluded that a red card should have been issued in four of the incidents. I then showed the video to my wife. She shrugged her shoulders at a couple of the tackles, acknowledged that the ponytail yank and the face punch should’ve been a red card, then deadpanned “they’re making too big a deal out of it.”

Probably so. While I view Lambert’s actions a little more negatively than my wife does, we agreed on this—if this was a men’s soccer game between BYU and New Mexico, the actions of one out-of-control defender playing rough with opponents wouldn’t have generated one million views on YouTube. It probably wouldn't have cracked 100,000.

Why do you think that is?

Maybe someday, we’ll figure out that female athletes are deeply invested in their sport, and they want to win just as bad as the boys do. Maybe someday, we’ll realize that competitiveness brings out physical play, and physical play can light a short fuse and unfortunate incidents will occur in the heat of battle--just like the boys.

And just maybe, we’ll get to a point where we're OK with the girls playing hard—and it won't be worthy of one million views on YouTube.

College basketball is back.

For the next six weeks or so, big-time college basketball teams will be gingerly dipping their toes into the pool, playing cupcakes and preparing to dive in come conference play. Then there's March Madness, perhaps the greatest stretch in the annual sports calendar, which looks to be another spectacular finish to the season.

Cinderellas and superstars always show up in March, but do yourself a favor and just recycle last year's tournament darling: Davidson guard Stephen Curry.

Yeah, you know him. He scored 128 points in four NCAA Tournament games last season, and almost had a Final Four ring if not for the phenomenal Kansas Jayhawks.

I covered Kansas last season for the local newspaper, so I got to to know Curry a little bit during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Detroit. His pump-fake three-pointer against Wisconsin was one of the most memorable plays I've witnessed. He scored 33 against Big Ten champs Wisconsin and 25 more against Kansas that weekend. Away from the court, he was a super nice kid, intelligent and charming, the kind of guy you always root for based on first impression. We recently published a piece about his off-court work that makes you like him even more.

The March spotlight is still months away from being occupied, but Stephen Curry will be around in the meantime. He's a junior at Davidson, a preseason All-America now playing point guard so he can work on creating his own shot rather than spotting up. NBA riches await him.

The seasonal Stephen Curry bandwagon filled up in March, and with good reason. But the permanent bandwagon needs passengers.

Do yourself a favor: Follow him all season long. You won't be nearly as surprised when he becomes the NCAA Tournament superstar one more time.

Photo: AP

A couple of weekends ago I went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to visit one of my best friends and watch the University of Michigan softball team take on Michigan State and Northwestern. I saw four games and quickly fell in love with the Michigan softball program.

They play amazing softball. They have one of the most legendary coaching staffs in the game. The Wolverines have a rich tradition that they revere and make a point to celebrate. This season they opened and dedicated one of the nicest softball stadiums in the nation. They have a loyal, fun fan base of which I am glad to now be a part.

The Wolverines crushed Michigan State in the two games I watched. Two grand slams, several home runs and a mercy-rule ending. It was one of the most potent offensive displays I have ever seen.

The two games against Northwestern were quite the opposite. Low scoring, decided by one run and the teams split. Not only hard-fought duels between top-20 teams and conference rivals, but the outcome was to decide who took the Big Ten conference lead and, therefore, who would host the conference tournament. I took this video below of Michigan coming back in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the second game and maintain their share of the lead conference standings—it was intense:

Since the standings were still tied at the end of regular season and their respective run differentials were also equal, a coin toss would decide which co-conference champ would host the Big Ten tournament. Northwestern won the toss and is hosting the tournament that opens today.

I have a lot of respect for Northwestern’s program having competed against them several times in the cross-town rivalry at Loyola Chicago. But this weekend I’ll be pulling for No. 2 Michigan to pull out the win over top-seeded Northwestern. Go Blue!

The NCAA crowned the men’s basketball national champion last night when the University of Kansas overtook Memphis State in overtime. Memphis, ranked 339th of the country's 341 teams with 59 percent free-throw shooting, missed four of their last five shots from the stripe to allow Kansas to force overtime. The Jayhawks emerged victorious, 75-68, on the 20th anniversary of their last NCAA championship win.

I want to take a moment to display the highlights of one of the greatest single-elimination tournaments of all time. That’s right, here is One Shining Moment, where you can see the best of three weeks and 64 games’ worth of college basketball:

Quite possibly the best three minutes in sports.

(A special guest blog from Josh Centor’s NCAA blog, The Double A Zone)

Harvard’s Laura Brady talks about being part of a team - and some of the tradition that goes along with it:

I still remember like it was yesterday… the sound of my alarm clock going off at 8:45 a.m.… five-mile run at 10 a.m.

Should I eat breakfast? Which sneakers should I wear? How should I pace myself? The five freshmen, including myself, headed down to the rink that cold morning for a five-mile running test with the team.

The captains that year, Nicole Corriero, Kat Sweet and Julie Chu, along with the rest of the team, were stretching and warming up as we hustled to the locker room to get changed for our final preseason testing. We all joined together as Corriero spoke in a serious tone “Alright ladies, lets get this done as a team” and then we were off.

We left the athletic area at what seemed to be an unbearable pace with the upperclassman yelling at us to run faster and I thought to myself that there was no way I would be able to keep up for five miles. We crossed the bridge and took a right along the river. Then suddenly, not three minutes into the run, we turned into Leverett House and continued to sprint up the stairs to the senior’s room where food and snacks were waiting for all of us. There was no five-mile run, what a great surprise. I thought to myself, “This is Harvard hockey.”

Coming in as a freshman - not really knowing what to expect - can be a very scary thing.

I remember arriving on campus, moving into my freshman dorm, trying to meet as many people as possible and feeling completely lost. I wondered what my teammates would be like, whether I would get along with my roommates, what kind of classes I was going to be taking and how I was going to avoid getting lost around campus. All these thoughts were rushing through my mind as I unpacked my bags and awaited my roommate’s arrival.

Fortunately for me, although these are valid concerns, I soon realized that having a team to rely on made this transition much easier. I was excited to meet my teammates, especially those in my class as I would be spending the next four years with them. After meeting the other freshmen hockey players, Brenna McLean, Jessica Mackenzie, Adrienne Bernakevitch and Sarah Vaillancourt, I no longer felt alone or lost. The five of us would grow over the next four years and become best friends. We were all excited to meet our other teammates, but even more excited about embarking on a journey for the next four years.

The seniors on our team my freshman year went out of their way to take the five of us under their respective wings. We were always in their rooms, watching movies, hanging out and it was great to have a group of upperclassmen to ask about hockey, school, and other aspects of college life. Even though we spend most of our time during the week down at the rink or on the bus for road trips, I found that I still devoted the majority of my free time to hanging out with my teammates.

Having this core group of friends to rely on was the most helpful thing as a freshman, with my teammates constantly supporting me through tough times and pushing me to be the best person and teammate I could be.

After four years, and now moving into the role of a senior helping our team’s new members each year in the same fashion, I can sincerely say that although I have enjoyed many aspects of campus life, my experience at Harvard has been defined by our team culture.

I am sure that other teams have different team cultures but according to my experience, I have found that team traditions and team bonding such as the five-mile run prank discussed above, are just as important as our training both in terms of team success as well as maximizing the Harvard experience. Our team culture emphasizes the importance of every member of the team working for each other toward one common goal. It is just as important for a player on the first line or a player on the fourth line to take part in this effort.

Unfortunately, I am struggling with a serious back injury which has prevented me from participating on the ice so far this season. As difficult as it is for me to sit in the stands as a senior captain and watch practice and games, I still feel very lucky and fortunate to be a part of such a great team and be surrounded by my best friends.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learned at Harvard is the importance of being able to play as part of a team. It is a skill that requires a lot of work but the rewards are vast. Not only is it a skill that is necessary for future success but more importantly, many of the strongest friendships I have made over the past four years have been Harvard hockey players. I am so grateful to be a part of such a hardworking, funny, caring, inspiring group of people and I consider these girls my family. It is a weird feeling now looking down at the freshmen thinking that just three years ago, those inexperienced eyes used to be mine. Now I am responsible for keeping these traditions and to uphold the culture of Harvard hockey, so that one day, they too will make the freshmen wake up early for that five-mile run... or some other prank. We’ve got to keep new recruits on their toes!

(Check out http://www.thedoubleazone.com to stay up to date on what’s going on in collegiate athletics on and off the field. I’ve been a big fan of the blog for almost a year now—updated regularly and interesting material.)

Last weekend marked the 35th anniversary of Title IX, the legislation credited with increasing gender equity in sports. According to the Women���s Sports Foundation, since its enactment in 1972, female athletic participation has increased by a staggering 904 percent in high school and by 456 percent in college.

As someone who has benefited from Title IX, softball star Jennie Finch is quick to share her appreciation for those women that came before her. "I'm truly grateful for people who have paved the way, and have fought the fight," Finch said in the Daily Freeman. "I'm happy they broke down barriers to give women like myself the opportunity to be successful athletes and make a living playing a sport that I love."

I���m no softball star, but I am also thankful for the positive influence of Title IX in my life and the opportunity to play ball in college. Here are some other women who have enjoyed the effects of Title IX and are part of my favorite moments in sports history:

1996 | New Women's Olympic Sports. Women's softball and soccer made their Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Atlanta, and the U.S. dominated, winning the gold in both sports, as well as in basketball, gymnastics and synchronized swimming. The Atlanta Games made stars of Lisa Leslie, Mia Hamm and Lisa Fernandez, giving rise to professional softball and soccer leagues for women in the U.S.

1999 | Women's World Cup. A billion TV viewers and a stadium crowd of 90,000 witness the celebration as the U.S. wins the Women's World Cup in an overtime shoot-out against China. Brandi Chastain ripped off her jersey after scoring the winning goal, giving little girls someone besides a model to look at for a strong, beautiful body. And for the first time, a women's soccer team got as much attention a men's squad usually does.

2007 | Equal Pay at Wimbledon. After 123 years of awarding more prize money to men than women, Wimbledon yielded to public pressure and announced on Feb. 22, that it will offer equal pay through all rounds at this year's tournament.

2006 | Winningest Coach in NCAA History. Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball historymale or femaleearned her 900th career win as the Tennessee Lady Vols beat Vanderbilt, 80-68. That year, Summitt signed a $1.125 million deal for the 2006-07 season, making her the first women's basketball coach in history to be paid a million dollars or more.

2003 | Annika Plays a PGA Tour Event. Annika Sorenstam became the first woman since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to compete in a PGA Tour event. Sorenstam missed the cut at the Colonialin Fort Worth, Texasby four strokes, but walked off the course to a standing ovation.

1997 | The WNBA is Born. The WNBA kicked off its inaugural season with eight teams, but unlike the other women's pro basketball leagues before it, this one has enjoyed longevity, this year celebrating its 10th year of existence.

2001 | Increased Exposure for the Women's Tournament. The NCAA and ESPN announced an 11-year agreement for the cable outlet to televise every game of the women's national championship basketball tournament.

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Divison I softball* playoff format has the Sweet 16 teams meet in best-of-three super regionals. Those super regionals begin today. The eight survivors advance to the women's College World Series, which starts May 31, in Oklahoma City.

I read something a couple weeks ago that made me happy: ESPN and ESPN2 will have more NCAA softball championship coverage this year than ever before. They���ve covered three regional games already from the UCLA site, and will air every game of the women's College World Series game.

Softball may have gotten the boot as an Olympic sport, but it is certainly thriving here in the U.S. Gone are the days of waiting until midnight or later to watch a tape delay of a handful of College World Series games. I look forward to catching as many games as I can. As of now I���m rooting for the other Chicago teams: Northwestern and DePaul (which, I have to sneak in here, my alma mater defeated this year.)

Who do you want to win it all?

(Photo provided by Getty Images)

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Softball* season seemed never ending when in the middle of an eight-game stretch in the span of a week or less. However, it never failed to go by in the blink of an eye. Now that I take in the sport of softball via box scores and the occasional home game, this first season of being in the stands instead of on the field flew by. Certain players and teams have made the most of it ��� Tennessee���s Monica Abbott is one of them.

Abbott became the NCAA's career strikeouts leader Sunday, overtaking Olympian and former Texas star, Cat Osterman. Abbott tied Osterman last weekend at 2,265 strikeouts. She struck out 11 in a doubleheader Sunday against Alabama, giving her the all-division NCAA record of 2,276.

Abbott broke Osterman's record in a 9-2 win in the first game of the doubleheader, victories that helped Tennessee earn its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title.

I know and have seen elite softball pitchers toss a lot of innings during their collegiate careers, but 2,276 strikeouts? That���s just plain absurdity.

The senior from Salinas, Calif., also broke the NCAA career victory record this season in March when she won her 152nd game, passing the mark set by Southern Mississippi's Courtney Blades in 2000. With a 40-2 record this season, Abbott has 179 victories.

Congratulations to Monica on a phenomenal career at Tennessee.