20060323

The Great American
March Madness
NCAA Basketball Pool

7:10 pm - #4 LSU vs #1 Duke

7:27 pm - #13 Bradley vs #1 Memphis

9:40 pm - #6 West Virginia vs #2 Texas

9:57 pm - #3 Gonzaga vs #2 UCLA

Like Vito Corleone after he got capped outside the fruit stand in Godfather I ... "He's still alive. They hit him with five shots, and he's still alive."

Yes, you're humble pool commissioner is still alive and I'm on a vendetta. Heading into tonight's Sweet 16, it seems that amazingly enough I still have a shot to win the whole thing this year. Granted, it's a long and winding road I've got to navigate in order to get there, and it makes about as much sense as the plot to "Ocean's 12", but it's still a possibility, and at this point I'll take it.

To get there, obviously I need my Villanova boys to beat Duke to win the championship (V is for "Victory" too). In the Elite Eight I will also need Duke to beat West Virginia, and either Memphis or Bradley to beat Gonzaga. If that happens, I *think* I win. Accent on "think". I also don't believe it matters what happens in the Washington Regional as everyone is probably in the same boat as me. I.E.: if you still have a team left, it's got to be U Conn ... so I don't *think* anybody can pick up points on me over there. Accent on "think" again.

If you want to do your own bracket analysis of your chances, you can go to the "standings" at CBS Sportsline and then click on the "champion" column. It will resort the standings by, you guessed it ... "champion." You can then see how you're faring against the other folks who picked the same champ as you.

In any event, the schedule for tonight's games shakes out as follows:

Before I forget, let me give a "shout out" to my daughter, Lauren, as well as my niece, Nora, (playing for the first time this year along with her brother, John aka "Johnny Boy"). Lauren and Nora both turn 12 next week, Lauren on the 28th and Nora on the 29th. Happy birthday, ladies. And yep, they were born a day apart. It's kinda like a whole Patty Duke Show thing ("They're cousins, identical cousins. ... "). To celebrate, Lauren has a bunch of her friends coming over tomorrow for a sleepover birthday party. As I highly doubt that there will be a significant amount of interest in watching the BC - Villanova game, I will probably barricade myself in my room that night. Some of you may also recall that Lauren had a sleepover birthday party last year as well. That one took place on April 1st though ... click (The finest hour of my practical joking career)

Ok, there's really no reason for including this picture other than the fact that it kills me. The Reilly brothers can consider it an olive branch if they'd like

Ah, crap. This thing won't end untiI midnight. I turned 40 last year. I can't be staying up this late

Bradley? Like Anna Nicole Smith at the Supreme Court, just another sign of the coming Apocalypse

Andy Marquart
Angela Gilbert
Bruce Stewart
Chris Reilly (1)
Chris Reilly (2)
Christopher Thomas
Dave Reitzel
Debra McGuigan
Debra Savoie
Don Goehring
Don Legare
Duane Pease (1)
Duane Pease (2)
Dylan McGuigan

Earlen Ritter
Gerilyn Ferguson
Glenn B (2)
Jim Reilly
John Martin
Judy Cosgrove
Kim Gleason
Laura Reilly
Loren Spears
Martin Chamberlin
Michael Lane
Michael Santoro (1)
Michael Santoro (2)
Patrick Sinnard

Peter Parsons
Rachelle Weimer
Rick Butera
Rick Pattavina (1)
Rick Pattavina (2)
Sarah Comerford
Sean Hayes (1)
Sean Hayes (2)
Sebastian
Sheryl Hemphill
Suzie Gallagher
Tim Clinton
Tony King (1)
Tony King (2)

Dog the Bounty Hunter

Please get your money in. Don't make me refer the matter to my new VP in charge of account receivables.

Hey, some folks still owe me money. At press time, a review of our records indicates the following accounts are still in arrears:

For those who wish to pay via "paypal" please click the link below: