What We Learned...Rd 1 & 2

Recap of the first two rounds of the NCAA's....Where we have been, Where we are going, and How we are gonna get there...

EAST

Pretty ho-hum first days of action, no real surprises... UNC scored over a 100 in every game played, not sure I would want anything to do with them. Washington St. is better than advertised, they play good D which usually leads to deep runs in the tournament. Tennessee, I am still not sold on them, I just don't think its their year.

Indiana fulfilled its destiny and ended its collapse in fine fashion. Nice work Hosiers, any team that threatens not to make a road trip because of a mid season coaching change has its priorities out of whack. Your coach cheated, AGAIN, he is gone, deal with it. Eric Gordon good player but he has alot to learn.

Better than expected:
Butler, I picked them to beat Tenn. but I will admit it was a suspect pick.
UNC, not sure you can be better than a number one seed but they are scary.
Washington St, D and rebounding go far in the tournament.
Louisville, still not sold but the way they handled Oklahoma, I will give them props, their zone is tough.

Who didn't show up:
Indiana, Should have just called the season after the coaching change.

Where we are going:
UNC wins the East. Tennessee and Louisville will be a great game, but I am not sure either can hang with the 'heels. Gotta be disciplined to beat the 'heels and both Louisville and Tennessee struggle in that department.

MIDWEST

This bracket is shot, My final four team is still alive but that's about it. KU is playing good enough to win, but I like my pick of Wisconsin. Davidson is the surprise of the tournament, Curry is a baller, but I don't think the match up with Wisconsin is a good one for him.

Better than expected:
Davidson, the game against G-Town, wow, I did not think they could do it, but there they are in the sweet 16.
'Nova, Granted there second round opponent was Sienna, but they played their way into the sweet 16. Too bad they win the right to get run out of the gym by KU, losing your starting center is not a good start to this week for 'Nova

Who didn't show up:
Clemson, thanks, nice ACC tournament run only to crap the bed when the real lights are on
Vandy, Wow, Way to lay an egg in the opening round that 4 seed might have been a little high huh?
G-Town, Don't even know what to say
USC, what happened to all the athletes that they were supposed to have?

Where are we going:
I would love to see a KU v. Wisconsin game, I think that would be a good match up of fast v. slow, I picked Wisconsin mostly because I don't trust KU. Look for Wisconsin to represent the Midwest.

SOUTH

Not alot of seeding upset but I had a few picks that didn't pan out. I hate the Lopez brothers, and still don't understand why at the end of Overtime, Marquette didn't double. Blows my mind. I hate Memphis, I don't care how good you are if you cannot hit over half your free throws you will not win, they pretty much gave the game back to Mississippi St.

Better than expected:
Stanford, I hate them, and refuse to comment
Miami, who according to some had no business being in the tournament, gave Texas a run for their money.
Michigan St., The Big 10 is better than previously thought, Defense and Rebounding win. The game against a very good Pittsburgh team sold me on that.

Who didn't show up:
I think this was a pretty sound bracket, but maybe Pittsburgh, to only score 54 points is not gonna cut it
Memphis free throws, yeah sub 50% is not showing up. Just waiting for that to bite them hard.

Where are we going:
I have Texas advancing, I would love to see Memphis lose to Michigan St. and all because of free throws, I don't think I will be that lucky. Texas will represent the South, an elite 8 game in Houston spells trouble for the Tigers.

WEST

Kind of a Cluster, UCLA survived, Duke lost, and Xavier went about business as usual.

Better than expected:
Western Ky, Played their way into the sweet 16 by beating Drake at the buzzer, congrats, here's your pounding by UCLA
San Diego, I am not sure if they are that good or if UCONN is that bad
West Virginia, Any time you beat Duke its a good thing.

Who didn't show up:
Drake, the lights came on and they were blinded by them. Deer in the headlights, they made a game of it but still, this shouldn't have been a game.
UCONN, I don't feel bad for overrated teams
Duke, should have never been a 2 seed, but they way they lost just made me hate them even more. Starting 5 shooters who weigh an average of 135 is not a good way to win ball games. Live and Die by the three.

Where we are going:
My brackets want UCLA to win but my heart wants Xavier. If UCLA plays the way it did against A&M its possible. I think UCLA's bad game is out of their system. Look for UCLA to advance.

Over all thoughts:
The Big 10 is better than expected, Michigan St. is going to be a tough out, much like Wisconsin, they will slow the game down and beat you up on the other end.

The Big East is not overly impressive, many of the teams had all the hype, and I am still waiting to see a team that really impresses me from the Big East

The ACC, is what it is, one dominant team which is still alive. But, as always, they get all the hype.

Smaller schools teams are why I love this tournament, the first 4 days is what the madness is all about.

Higher Seeds should stay out of Tampa. I hope the people who bought tickets enjoyed the second round match ups.

18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have....

I read this in the most recent issue of Men's Health magazine and came to the realization that I am not a grown man quite yet... Take a look see where you stack up

1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You're smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose.

--Safe to say I have not been in a fight in quite sometime, I am not sure if its my witty charm, or the fact that I am twice the size of the average d-bag in the bar...either way it works well for me.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don't let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.

--Does "Love like you have never been hurt, Sing like no one is listening, and Dance like no ones watching" count? Because that is my life motto...Not changing that.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her...along with breakfast in bed.

--I have milk, OJ, Some Purple Stuff, and Pizza rolls, that along with condiments....I will not be aiming for a three course meal...I will be aiming to eat at her house.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they're relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you're assuredly missing out on life.

--I have not played PlayStation in awhile...I am not a big gamer, I will play with others, but not alone. Drink, that's another story.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don't know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork, this magazine.

--My bottle opener not only opens beers, it also burps when I open, or says some witty saying, "Down the hatch," or "Here comes a blackout!"

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he'll be.

--My Lucky shirt says "Please tell your boobs to stop staring at me," Its a good ice breaker for the ladies.

7. An unstamped passport.

--Does going to Emerson count? (but seriously my passport has seen more stamps than a post office.)

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.

--I like this one, every year I usually go curling about once, and involves beer...but I always leave saying man, this is my ticket to the Olympics, and then for the next week I get real serious about it. Flash forward a week, I again realize that its Curling, and no one cares about it.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.

--Only time I have cash is if I am going to Hub. If you get offended that I charge that .69 cent pack of gum, screw off, I get points. I only need 10,987 more till I can get a pair of cool Visa socks.

10. A name for his penis. Even if it's a really clever name.

--So Long 'Dick Tracy'

11. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.

--I like my beer cold, and cheap...I don't drink it for the taste I drink it for the bad decisions that come with it.

12. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own.

--Wow, Totally fail this one...but hey, at least I got that going for me, which is nice....

13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, "Take me on your futon."

--I have a futon, its a classy option for both a couch and a bed...And I know that Horp knows one girl who said "Take me on your futon," Then wouldn't leave for 3 hrs.

14. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.

--I don't get this one, code seemed to work well for the underground railroad. "The wind blows from the South today": A warning to Underground Railroad workers that fugitive slaves were in the area. I use code words because I love America and I am not racist, the question is why don't you use codes?

15. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else's office.

--Jim, this applies directly to you...



16. A secret handshake.

--Blow it UP!, Park It!, The Rocket!

17. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald's Hamburglar ones.

--Beer tastes better out of my 'House Cup,' Detroit Lake 4th of July 2007...Zorbas on the lake...

18. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop..."

--So I said to the cop, "I was coming here to meet a guy, and I dropped this box of ammo...."

Do I Smell Another ESPY?

Thank God for the Big 10 network, the Minnesota v. Indiana quarterfinal game was just to good for alot of people to watch. I am sure the 7 people in Minnesota who pay for the package, LOVED the game but as for the rest of us we had to watch the play by on the ESPN bottom line...Thanks Big 10 Network, you are what Championship week is all about.

Side note: I was with a bunch of Gopher fans this weekend, we got the play by play from a brother of a friend of mine who was listening to the game on the radio. Best comment of the night after someone asked where are they in bounding the ball, "yeah they got 94 ft to go." Said in the most dejected tone I have heard, also the play that the announcers wanted to draw up was to put Blake Hoffarbar at half court roll him the ball and have make a half courter from his butt...Watch the video, it will explain it all.

All that aside, the highlights from that game were outstanding, Blake Hoffarbar's miracle shot was amazing, but wait, Blake already has an ESPY. Watch the video and think about how lucky one kid can be.



I had a great weekend, Grand Am was this weekend, played with all my buddies from Minnesota. The dream of a Patriot dynasty was halted in the finals, as we ran into a buzz saw of a team from St. Cloud/St. John's. Good times were had by all, the pregame breathalyzers, shocking to say the least, when someone blows a .10 pregame and goes on to hit 3 three's its note worthy, but when someone blows a .03 post game at 1:30pm its legendary.

Happy brackets! MVC got screwed, Glad we have a BCS at large committee...I guess finishing 7th in the 2nd/3rd toughest league is better than finishing 2nd in the 5th toughest league, go figure.

Shooting In GF Police Department

Here is an article from the local news paper, must have been a slow day in news. I think we in the blogger world might know a person involved. This is a little slice of heaven.

Grand Forks Hearald Reports:

GF police release man who says his box of ammunition dropped in police lobby, one round went off
By Chuck Haga, Herald Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Grand Forks police have released a man held for questioning after police responded to what sounded like a gunshot in the lobby of the law enforcement building shortly before 10 this morning.


"We heard a shot go off in the hallway," said Capt. Kerwin Kjelstrom, one of about five officers who responded to the shot from the detectives' room.

"A number of us ran out and found sitting on the stairwell a gentleman who said he dropped a box of ammunition and one round went off," Kjelstrom said.


The man, identified by police as John Hammen of Grand Forks, was taken to an interviewing room.


Kjelstrom said police recovered a box of ammunition on the floor "with a corner blown off."


"At this point, that supports his story," Kjelstrom said.


Police also recovered a .45-caliber gun, which was returned to Hammen when he was released shortly before 11 a.m. Kjelstrom said Hammen told police he brought the weapon and ammunition to the police department and planned to meet someone who had authorized him to use the department's shooting range, located in the basement.


Kjelstrom and other officers said it is unusual for a round to go off if dropped, but something may have struck the firing cap.


Officers found the .45-caliber round behind seating by windows near the main entrance on the west side of the law enforcement building. It was undamaged and appeared not to have struck anything before settling behind the window seating. When a round goes off outside a chamber, the force behind the shell may be dissipated, officers said.


Still, the loud report -- Kjelstrom likened it to a clipboard falling hard onto the floor -- got hearts racing.


"This is a police department, and there are people who are not happy with us," Kjelstrom said, explaining the concern of officers who responded.


"You hear a round go off, and everybody wonders what are we going to find when we go out the door. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, there were no injuries."


Kjelstrom said he cannot recall anything like this morning's incident happening at the law enforcement center.


Police closed the lobby about 10:05 a.m. and used yellow tape to close off part of the lobby near the stairwell. Doors were locked at the main and Fifth Street entrances until about 11 a.m.


Kjelstrom said there will be "a review of how people come in (to the law enforcement building) and how weapons are secured and how they use our range."

Tripping Balls On Tylenol PM

I figured this would be a good post to end my long absence from blogger world.

So its spring break, finally, I need this break. I am worn down from school and other things. Unfortunatly I am not going to Cancun or anywhere nice, I am staying in ND for the majority of the break, though I might swing to EGF, just to say I left the state.

I have also come down with a flu/cold/shitty sickness. I have had a sore throat, cough to name a few symptoms. SO last night in order to get some sleep I took a dose of Tylenol PM sore throat + cough. MAN, that is som good stuff. I don't know if it was just me being sick or the medicine or what, but I started to trip out. I am not big into the drug scene, so this is my first real interaction with houlcinations.

It was a bad mix of the Big Lebowski, Clockwork Orange, and Roller Ball. I dont know how to describe it, but it was odd, I was laying in my bed and the walls started to change and move. I freaked myself out a bit, but I had the sense to know that its not real, and to just sit back and enjoy the show. IT was odd there is no doubt.

Stay tuned for a March Madness post, ITS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!