A Few Comments and a Classic Game

Almost two months have passed since my last post and I apologize for that. I teach underprivileged children and the prep work and grading are far more time consuming than anticipated. However, there are times, such as today, when I have some time to write or post something, so here are some quick comments:

• I'm already regretting not filling out my brackets for the NCAA Tournament, even though none of them would have been perfect. This is one of the better tournaments.
• The 9-63 Philadelphia 76ers are the NBA Kings of the Cellar and have all but locked the door to the beer. If they lose out, the 76ers will tie their own record of futility at 9-73.
• This year will be the 35th anniversary of the Louisiana Southernaires Drum and Bugle Corps' winning the 1981 Drum Corps International Class A Championship. The Southernaires are the only drum and bugle corps from Louisiana to have ever won a Drum Corps International World Championship at any level.
• Sooner or later, I'll publish my 5th book, Second Chance. The story has no relation to the TV series. Besides, I came up with the title first in 2010. I'm waiting on my last beta reader to finish. The story is about a middle-aged man who lives in the past and would give anything if he could go back to his youth and fix the biggest mistake of his life. He gets his second chance, but will he succeed?
• I've been watching (off and on) the NFL Network's Path to the Draft. I used to be more into this series, but since the NFL Draft is one big crapshoot anyway, none of the prognostication matters. It's pure entertainment.
• Speaking of football, I posted a YouTube video of an old New Orleans Saints game from 1977 on Facebook a while back, but when I talked to people about it, they said it never showed in their news feeds. I wanted to show younger people how good of a quarterback Archie Manning was, that he was better than both of his sons (Peyton and Eli have admitted this). In this game against the Dirty Birds, Archie was coming off an ankle injury that had not yet healed (which affected his speed) and he still shined. More on this in a bit.
• Back to March Madness. Kansas and Villanova have punched their tickets to the Final Four. Congrats to both teams. I'll predict that North Carolina and Wisconsin will make it in. Then the top two will be Kansas and North Carolina, with Kansas winning it all. Since it's one big crapshoot at this point anyway, let's see what happens.

Okay, let's see some historic football. This past season, New Orleans Saints fans have complained how bad the defense was and that the team isn't so good anymore. Here's a game from Week 10 in November of 1977. It's the Saints against the hated Atlanta Falcons. I do kind of miss the old Saints uniforms from that era. This is what Saints fans of old had to deal with, even though this was actually a very good game between the two teams. Gary Bender is the announcer and NFL HOFer Johnny Unitas is the color analyst in this game. Also, check out the commercials from then. You might recognize a few then unknown faces.  It's now time to click Publish and enhance my editing skills.

Enjoy the game and have a great Easter weekend!!!

National Champions

Congrats to the Louisville Cardinals for winning the NCAA Championship over a Michigan Wolverines team who were up to the challenge. The game had its share of controversy, but it was still an outstanding game. Also, congrats to new Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. Good run and great season, Michigan!!

   Louisville won its third national championship in three tries and the first since 1986. As everybody knows, Pitino became the first men's college basketball coach to win national championships at two different schools. His other national championship team was the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats.

   My Main Entry bracket finished in a tie for second place in The Virtual Beer Tent at 40-23 and 1,110 points. It is also my best performing bracket. In the First Take bracket, my best performing bracket in that group, Take 3, finished in 29,355th place with 660 points.

  The Louisville Lady Cardinals have a chance to do their part in something that hasn't been done since 2004: to have the men's and women's teams from the same university win the national championship in the same season. Chances are, UConn, the last men's and women's teams to do it, will win tonight. Good luck to both teams.

Have a great day!!!

Final Four

And the final Cinderella team goes down, but not without a fight. My lone surviving pick, the Louisville Cardinals move on to the national championship game on Monday by beating a Wichita Shockers team that almost shocked Cardinals fans. Great season and great run, Wichita State!

   Michigan took out Syracuse to advance as Louisville's opponent. This is the Wolverines' fifth trip to the national championship game, which they are 1-3. The last time Michigan was in the national championship game, Bill Clinton was president and they lost to North Carolina in 1993. The last time Michigan won the NCAA Championship was in 1989. In their other trips to the championship game, the Wolverines lost to UCLA in 1965 and to the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in 1976.

   This is Louisville's third trip to the national championship. They won the NCAA Championship in 1980 against UCLA and 1986 against Duke.

   My Main Entry bracket, the lone surviving bracket, moved up and is tied for 6th place in The Virtual Beer Tent with 790 points. I went 1-1. Of course, the Michigan/Syracuse game was an automatic loss. My total standing is 39-23.

   Regardless of what happens Monday, stumpmstr 1, who is in the lead will win The Virtual Beer Tent championship. Those of us with remaining picks all have Louisville winning. If Louisville wins, then the Main Entry bracket will finish in a tie for 2nd. If not, then the current standings will be the final standings.

  In the First Take group, my Take 3 bracket has just maxed out, finishing in 28,826th place with a total of 660 points.  My best performing bracket overall is the Take 2, but it just maxed out at 800 points. The Main Entry bracket is the only one that has Louisville winning it all.

  Will Michigan upset Louisville and win their first championship since 1989? Will Louisville get it together and finish the job by winning their first championship since 1986?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Elite 8 - Part II

And my lone surviving pick survives to play another day...but at a cost. As everyone already knows, Louisville guard Kevin Ware broke his leg in the Midwest regional final against Duke. Enough has been said about it. I saw enough replays of Joe Theismann's leg break back when it happened to last a lifetime, so it's good that CBS stopped showing the replay.

   The Final Four is now set. Louisville will face the Cinderella team of the tournament, the Wichita State Shockers and Michigan will play Syracuse. I went 1-1 and 80 points, bringing my Main Entry grand total to 38-22 and 630 points.

   In The Virtual  Beer Tent, the Main Entry is still in 8th place and the dead Really? bracket leads with 790 points. This is by no means over and the Really? bracket should drop in the standings this weekend. It is still my best performing bracket overall. In the  First Take group, my now dead Take 3 is the best performing bracket with a score of 660 points. If Louisville wins, then Take 2 will overtake Take 3.

  Can Louisville prevail minus Kevin Ware? Will Wichita State shock the Cardinals and go to the national championship game? Can Syracuse repeat what they did a decade earlier? Will this Michigan team do what the Fab Five couldn't?

Stay tuned.  Have a great day!!!

Elite 8 - Part 1

And the Wichita Shockers continue to earn their name and bring their Cinderella journey to the Final Four.

   The East and West regional brackets are complete and busted in the Main Entry bracket. Syracuse will represent the East and Wichita State will represent the West in the Final Four. I had Ohio State and Indiana going in those brackets, so I got one big goose egg, going 0-2. That keeps my score at 550, but my standings fall to 37-21.

   The Midwest and South play their regional finals today. The South is an automatic loss, but at least Florida and Michigan should make it exciting. I had Georgetown and VCU in the South regional final. Florida should win in a close one to make it to face Syracuse the Final Four.

   I saved the Midwest for last, because my last accurate pick is still there. I have Louisville over Duke (originally Michigan State). If Louisville falters, then my Main Entry bracket will be busted.

  I'm still in 8th place in The Virtual Beer Tent. My best performing bracket is my busted Really? bracket at 630 and in 2nd place. The reason it's still performing is that I chose Michigan and Louisville to make the Final Four. My best performing bracket in the First Take group is the busted Take 3 bracket, with a score of 580 and in 13,409th place. All but the Main Entry brackets have ultimately busted.

  Who will win? Who will fall? Will my Main Entry bracket survive? Help me, Obi-Wan Louisville. You're my only hope.

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!

Sweet 16 - Part II

And the Cinderella journey ends for one team and another #1 goes down. The Elite 8 are set.

Midwest

I went 1-1, scoring 40 points. Louisville moved on, but Duke beat Michigan State. That brings my total to 12-2 and 190 points. In the Elite 8, I picked Louisville over Michigan State, now Duke.

South

Busted, with a grand total 7-8 record and 90 points. The picks record up to this point is 7-7, since this round was 0-2. Alas, Florida ended Florida Gulf Coast's Cinderella journey and moved on to the Elite 8. Congrats Eagles. Record setting job well done! And we're not done. Michigan toppled #1 seed Kansas in overtime, to go to their first Elite 8 since 1994.

West

We covered this yesterday. I have Ohio State over Wisconsin, now Wichita State. Totals so far are 6-8 and 110 points.

East

Another busted regional bracket, with totals of 12-2 and 160 points.


I went 2-6 in this round, with a total of 80 points. Using picks through the Sweet 16, that brings my total to 37-19 and 550 points. Using the grand total numbers in the up to date standings confused things.

We have a new leader. Heat and Canes now has the lead in The Virtual Beer Tent. My Main Entry bracket dropped to 8th place. My best performing bracket in this group is the dead Really?, which is in 2nd place. However, I had Miami winning it all in that bracket. In the First Take group, my best performing bracket and my best bracket overall, is Take 3, which has a score of 580 points and is in 11,261st place.

Who will win? Who will fall? Will Wichita State continue its Cinderella run and surprise everybody?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Sweet 16 - Part I

The horror...the horror. An act of perfection dies a horrible death.

Okay, enough of the drama. Let's get started.

Midwest

These games will be played tonight. I picked Louisville over Oregon and Michigan State over Duke.

South

This bracket is dead. My score is as high as it will go, at 90 points and a record of 7-8.

West

No shock here. Wichita State took care of business against the LaSalle Explorers, but that was an automatic loss any, since I picked Wisconsin to make it to the Elite 8. In the other game, Ohio State beat Arizona in what is why March Madness is so great. This game, as with many others, could have gone either way. So my record for this round is 1-1 and 40 points.

East

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This is perfection no more. As I would state in the Last Place Update, I pulled an 0-fer. Both of my picks lost, thus officially killing this bracket. Marquette dominated Miami and Syracuse easily dispatched Indiana. I had Indiana playing and beating Miami to go to the Final 4. Oh well. I went 0-2, with 0 points. My final standing and score in this regional bracket is 12-2 and 160 points.


I went 1-3 overall  and 40 points today, bring my overall standing and score in the Main Entry bracket to 36-15 and 510 points. Hopefully, things will fare better tonight. This is still my best performing bracket. I'm still in the lead in The Virtual Beer Tent, but only by ten points. My best performing bracket in the First Take group is Take 3 at 500 points. That bracket is in 5,553rd place in that group.

ESPN reported that there are no more perfect brackets.

Who will prevail? Who will fall? Will Florida Gulf Coast beat Florida tonight and make it to the Elite 8?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Round of 32 - Part II

Finally, no surprising upsets. Other than the bad picks from the Round of 64, my picks fared better in this round.

Midwest

I went 1-0 yesterday, bringing the total for this round to 4-0 and a point total of 80. I'll gladly take it. My totals for this bracket are 11-1 and 150 points. In the Sweet 16 round, I picked Louisville over Oregon and Michigan State over Duke.

South

How about those Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast? Way to go!

I went 2-1 yesterday, bringing the total to 2-2 and a point total of 40. The Florida Gulf Coast vs San  Diego State is an automatic loss, since I picked Georgetown to beat both teams.My totals for this bracket are 7-5 and 90 points. In the next round, I chose VCU to beat Kansas and Georgetown to beat Florida. Since VCU and Georgetown have already been eliminated, the South bracket is officially dead and the final standings are 7-8 and 90 points. Although I thought Georgetown would make it to the Final Four, I picked against them there, so at least that pick still has hope.

So from here on, I'm pulling for Florida Gulf Coast in this bracket.

West

Once again, I went 1-1, bring the Round of 32 total to 2-2 and 40 points. As stated yesterday, the Ole Miss vs LaSalle game was an automatic loss. This bracket almost died, but Ohio State pulled out the win in the end. This bracket's totals are 5-7 and 70 points. In the Sweet 16 round, the Wichita State vs LaSalle game is an automatic loss, since I picked against both teams in the Round of 64. I chose Ohio State over Arizona and that's a pick 'em game.

East

The streak continues. Both of my picks struggled, but made it through, going 2-0 and 40 points. My round total is 4-0 and 80 points. The bracket total is 12-0 and 160 points. In the next round, I chose Indiana over Syracuse and Miami over Marquette.


I went 6-2 yesterday in the Round of 32, bring my total to 12-4 and 240 points. My overall standing is 35-13 and 470 points. That keeps me in a tie for first in The Virtual Beer Tent with my dead bracket, Really?.

The Main Entry bracket is still my best performing bracket so far. My Take 3 is the best performing bracket I have in the First Take group. It has 460 points and is in 1,964th place. My worst performing bracket that is not dead is my No #1. It has 430 points, placing 12,282.

Note: This week's Last Place Update will be posted later today.

Who will prevail? Who will fall? Will Wichita State and Florida Gulf Coast move on to the Elite 8?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!

Round of 32 - Part I

And the first #1 seed goes down. Gonzaga falls to a team that's earning their nickname, the Shockers. One of my brackets is dead. Let's see how the Main Entry is doing.

Midwest

I went 3-0 here, scoring 60 points. That brings my overall Midwest record to 10-1 and 130 points. Creighton plays Duke and my pick is the Blue Devils (kind of hard to say, if you're a Phantom Regiment alum). As long as Louisville and Michigan State continue to the Elite 8, this should be a solid bracket...

South

...unlike here. I went 0-1, picking VCU over Michigan. My overall South record is now 5-4 and a total of 50 points. There are three games on tap. I picked Kansas over North Carolina (originally Villanova), Florida over Minnesota (originally UCLA), and the Florida Gulf Coast vs San Diego State game is an automatic loss, since I picked Georgetown to win. As stated yesterday, I am pulling for Florida Gulf Coast, though the Aztecs should take care of business.

West

And a #1 falls early, officially killing my Really? bracket. Is Wichita State this year's Cinderella team? Could this be a home state NCAA Championship game, with Wichita State going up against Kansas? If they did, it would be the first time since 1962 that two teams from the same state played for the championship, when Cincinnati beat Ohio State for the NCAA Championship in 1961 and 1962. However, it probably won't happen here.

At least yesterday wasn't a disaster. I went 1-1, scoring 20 points. My West record is now 4-6, with 50 points. That's the best I can do today. The Ole Miss vs LaSalle game is an automatic loss, since I picked against both teams in the first round. I picked Ohio State over Iowa State (originally Notre Dame).

East

So far, so good. I went 2-0 here, scoring 40 points, and still sporting a perfect bracket at 10-0 and 120 points. In today's games, I chose Indiana over Temple, and Miami over Illinois.


A fellow Phantom Regiment alum brought up a good point that should be covered here. Although I've been talking about wins and losses, the point totals from those picks are more important and better reflect the accuracy AND impact of my picks, because they increase in value as the tournament progresses. The win/loss totals reflect the accuracy without the impact.

I went 6-2 so far in the Round of 32, bringing the total to 29-11. Here is why the point totals are more important. The Main Entry scored a 120, bringing my overall score to 350. That puts me in a tie for the lead in The Virtual Beer Tent with my Really? bracket. However. as previously stated, the Really? bracket is officially dead.

The Main Entry is also my best performing bracket right now. My worst performing bracket is the No #1, with an overall score of 310. In the First Take group, my Take 3 bracket has a score of 340, placing 3,450.

Who will stand? Who will fall? Will Wichita State or Florida Gulf Coast be this year's Cinderella team?

Stay tuned.

Round of 64 - Part II

Bracket killer? Again? Who in the world is Florida Gulf Coast? How many of us missed that pick? Oh well. Let's get this thing started.

Midwest

At least I fared better here. The rest of my picks won, making my total record for this bracket 7-1. I picked Missouri over Colorado State, but the Rams now have to face Louisville in the Round of 32. The Cardinals should prevail. The rest of them are pick 'em games. I chose Oregon over St. Louis, Michigan State over Memphis, and Duke over Creighton.

South

Oh, the horror of it all! The Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast just killed this bracket in one decisive, upsetting swoop by beating the team I picked to go to the Final Four, Georgetown. Congrats Florida Gulf Coast!! Job well done.

I went 5-3 overall in this bracket. My picks in this bracket could bring me down in The Virtual Beer Tent. Since I picked Georgetown over San Diego State in the Round of 32, I'm pulling for Florida Gulf Coast. I also picked Kansas to beat North Carolina, even though I chose Villanova over the Tarheels. I picked VCU in an upset win over Michigan and Florida over Minnesota. My original pick was UCLA, who lost to the Gophers.

West

The train wreck continues. This is my worst bracket, at 3-5. In the Round of 32, I only have three games with correct picks. I have Gonzaga over Wichita State. I wrongly chose Pitt over the Shockers. Ole Miss plays LaSalle. I chose both of their opponents, so no win/loss credit here. I picked Arizona over New Mexico, who lost to Arizona's current opponent Harvard. The Wildcats should take care of business against the Crimson. Finally, I chose Ohio State over Iowa State, who beat my original pick to face the Buckeyes, Notre Dame. My picks should be easy wins, but then again, that's why they play the game.

East

There is a disaster on one coast and perfection on the other. I went 8-0 in the East. Whew! That brings my Round of 64 record to 23-9. That's pretty good, except for the Georgetown loss. Now to the picks. I have Indiana over Temple, Syracuse over Cal, Marquette over Butler, and Miami over Illinois. Let's hope this streak continues.


My Main Entry bracket has a score of 230 points and an overall ranking of 724,707. My worst performing bracket, where I chose all of the #1 seeds to go to the Final Four has a score of 210 points and an overall ranking of 3,411,395. My best performing bracket is my Take 3 bracket. It has a score of 240 points and an overall ranking of 238,732. Take 3 is in the First Take group.

Speaking of groups, I am currently in 3rd place among my fellow Phantom Regiment alums in The Virtual Beer Tent and 1,962 in the First Take Group. I'm ahead of Stephen A. Smith and Jemele Hill in that group.

Who's picks will prevail? Will there be another bracket killing upset win? Stay tuned. I will.

Have a great day!!!

Round of 64 - Part I

...And this is why they play the game. My perfect brackets are already gone. Thank you Harvard, you bracket killer. Oh well.

On my main pick sheet, two regions are still intact.

Midwest

I went 6-1 yesterday, picking Missouri over Colorado State. Today's upset special could be Creighton vs Cincinnati, which I picked Creighton to win.

South

This is one of the two intact brackets so far. There are a few games today that could go either way, such as North Carolina vs Villanova or San Diego State vs Oklahoma. Now how many brackets would be broken if the Hilltoppers of Western  Kentucky upset #1 seed  Kansas? Shouldn't  happen today.

West

Can you imagine the panic if Southern University would have upset Gonzaga? How many people picked Gonzaga to win it all? Congrats to Louisiana's own Southern Jaguars for making a game out of what should have been a total spanking. On to the picks.

This was my worst performing bracket of the day yesterday, going 2-2. I chose Pitt over Wichita State and picked against the perfect bracket killing Harvard Crimson. There are more pick' em games on tap. Wisconsin faces Ole Miss, Notre Dame goes against Iowa State. Will there be a stunning upset with the Iona vs Ohio State game, or even Kansas State vs LaSalle? Again, that's why they play the game.

East

This was the other intact bracket of the day yesterday. The two pick 'em games today in this bracket are Temple vs North Carolina State and Colorado vs Illinois. It would be nice if NC State made a Final Four run on the 20th anniversary of their historic national championship, but it won't  happen. Yes, I chose Temple.


On my main bracket, I have 130 points with an overall rank of 297,172. It's not my worst score, but also not my best. This bracket is also in the Virtual Beer Tent group, which is a group of alumni of the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. There, I'm tied for 2nd. A fellow alum I once marched with has one more correct pick than me.

My best performing bracket, although not in the Virtual Beer Tent, would have had me in a tie for first. However, it is in the First Take show group. It is ranked 259 with a score of 140.

Which pick 'em will be a spanking? Will another low seed upset a top seed?

As I will do, stay tuned.