Now that CBS Sports has taken over the day-to-day operations of CSTV, what used to be known as CSTV (or whatever new acronym they come up with) will look a lot more like CBS in terms of graphics, production, etc. That’s a good thing for Memphis fans, who have constantly complained about CSTV broadcasts.

One other change is that some CBS talent will be on CSTV. Billy Packer, the sometimes abrasive lead analyst for CBS, will call the Memphis vs. Tulsa game on CSTV on March 27. He’ll work with Carter Blackburn, who does a lot of Memphis games as the play-by-play voice for CSTV. From what I understand, Packer volunteered for that assignment because he wanted to see Memphis in person before the NCAA Tournament.

After three days of the National Championship for Field Trialing Bird Dogs, one thing is certain: There will be no repeat champion.

As you may have read in today’s paper, defending champion Funseeker’s Rebel had kind of a tough run in frigid conditions Wednesday morning at Ames Plantation.

The dog had one quick find, causing some to wonder if another great run might be in the cards. But he followed with two quick unproductives, and was picked up after just 32 minutes.

I kind of feel bad for Rebel’s owners, Frank and Mercy Fonseca. I’ve gotten to know them a little bit lately, and they’re awfully nice people.

When the storms hit the Memphis area last week, Frank was actually nice enough to call and make sure I was OK. It’s a shame they won’t be able to repeat as champion owners. But they own more than 20 dogs, so I’m sure they’ll be back to Ames in the future.

On another note, it would be nice to see Dr. Jack Huffman and Terry Terlep claim this year’s championship - and they’re certainly in the driver’s seat after Monday’s great run by Whippoorwill Wild Agin (10 finds in three hours).

They’re also good people, and Dr. Huffman, an Ohio native, was once good friends with Ohio State football coaching legend Woody Hayes. As you can imagine, he’s got some great stories to tell.

Larry Huffman, who serves as handler for Whippoorwill Wild Agin, is a good, old soft-spoken Southern country boy. He and his wife, Piper, were absolutely glowing after Wild Agin’s performance.

If they hold on to win, they’ll do a great job of representing the field trial community as champions for the next year.

I talked yesterday with Memphis fisherman Bill Nelson, and he said the white bass are already on fire at Sardis Lake.

Bill is one of the best multi-species anglers I’ve ever known. So when he gives me a good report, I always listen.

Last year when he told me the whites were biting on Sardis, I went four times during the next two weeks. I never caught fewer than 67, and I had one trip with my dad when we caught 111.

When the fish are sluggish, I like to use light-colored Jiffy Jigs or Marabou Jigs. When they’re really aggressive, I prefer a Strike King Series 3 crankbait or a Bandit 200 Series crankbait. The crankbaits usually produce the bigger fish.

When the white bass are really running strong, they are wonderfully predictable. Just look for slack-water eddies in the current, and you should have no trouble getting bit.

One word of caution, though: The launch at Wyatt’s Crossing can be a little trecherous, especially for larger boats. Be careful putting your boat in, and don’t get in a big hurry running up and down the river.

Some of my best trips have come when I never cranked the outboard motor. I just launch the boat, drop the trolling motor and follow the current downstream.

It’s good, easy fishing - and when the white bass are right, they’ll wear you out.

The box score came off the copy machine, and it said that Memphis shot 32 free throws last night, while Houston only shot 2. Immediately, the whining began, which was about as predictable as the outcome of this game. Look, any time there’s that kind of free-throw disparity, the loser is going to complain. But there are two things you have to consider:

1) The idea that free throws are supposed to be even in a basketball game is completely insane. I saw several missed calls on Memphis last night. I saw several missed calls on Houston, including some traveling calls and push-offs that were overlooked by the crew. At the end of the day, the referees didn’t call much in the paint unless people were grabbing with two hands. Memphis was more aggressive and should have shot more free throws. Houston probably should have shot 10 or 11 free throws, but that’s part of being on the road.

2) You could have given Houston any number of free throws last night, and the Cougars still wouldn’t have beaten Memphis. Houston doesn’t beat Memphis. Houston is a very nice club; probably better than several teams that will make the NCAA Tournament. I like the way they play, and I like their guards, and I like the way they get up and down the court. But the Tigers get up for Houston because they respect Houston. And Memphis simply has better people in the post, which translates to second-chance points and defensive rebounds to spark fast-break opportunities. So when you have those two things, Houston is simply out-classed, and I’m not sure what confluence of events at this point would cause the Tigers to lose a potential third meeting in the C-USA championship game.