Play Day

The Friday before the tournament starts just exudes hopefulness as the fans of all four teams still think they have a chance; we just think we are going to have fun.

6:30 Hopps wakes up - obviously still on Eastern Daylight Time.

6:42 Pepster wakes up - also still on Eastern Daylight Time.

7:25 Tony joins Hopps and Pepster.

8:10 Hopps contemplates running to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, as Sinickal is "dead to the world".

8:12 Sinickal wakes up.

9:15 Pepster reads the blog post from day 1 and arrogantly explains to Sinickal that we are not in "Pacific" time, but rather Mountain time - more specifically Mountain Standard Time (as Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time.

9:16 Sinickal explains that if we are 3 hours behind the Eastern Time Zone, we are in Pacific time, and he will not abide by any of Pepster's technicalities.

9:21 Hopps changes the television from the Dan Lebatard show to the LPGA tourney.  None of us have the will to make him change it back.

11:09 On the road to lunch. Sinickal asks if we have a food preference for lunch.  Hopps responds "televisions and beer".

11:11 Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers, because Pepster wants, well, Cold Beer AND cheeseburgers.  Interestingly, Pepster is the only one that actually orders a cheeseburger.

11:17 The bartender at Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers is discussing how cold it is with a couple of waitresses (it wasn't), and proclaims, "All I have is a flannel".  We know this doesn't sound funny in print, but trust us, it was.

11:21  Sinickal points out that one of the televisions is playing a girls high school basketball game.  While discussing whether we should be OK with that or not, the bartender, Ashley, yells "I am not OK with it.  I am sorry, women's sports are boring.  Throw an elbow or something".  I guess we know where she stands on Title IX.

11:37 While researching the official NCAA team bars, Sinickal finds that South Carolina is hosted by Seamus McCaffrey's, while pronouncing it See-mus.  Hopps and Pepster immediately jump on the mis-pronunciation.  Sinickal responds, "I don't speak Irish".

11:42 We are unhappy with the Muzak selection, so Sinickal inquires from the nearest waitress if the music was a touch tunes jukebox or programmed.  After asking him several times to repeat the query, waitress says, "Apparently I don't speak English".

11:44 Lunch!

12:41 Two girls walk into the bar that do not look like they are regulars.  Hopps immediately assumes they are South Carolina fans (they are not).  Turns out they are from South Dakota and pre-scouting for one of their bachelorette parties.  It was not the bachelorette party, but rather the scouting trip for a future bachelorette party.  In retrospect, we should have rewarded their industriousness with a beverage.

13:04 Leave Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers for a quick Safeway trip, to stock up the fridge.

13:31 Discover that the Safeway has a beer and wine bar, inside the store.

13:36 The two other guys at the bar tell us that the good thing about that particular bar is they can drink while their wives shop, and the bartenders are not allowed to take tips.  Neither of their wives are shopping.

13:37 Sinickal asks the two guys if they are regulars.  One of them is way too emphatic in responding "Yes".

13:42 While paying the tab, Sinickal asks the bartender if he can take tips, he responds, "Yes, and thank you for asking".

13:42:30  Other guy at the bar "Apparently we aren't as regular as we thought".

14:01 We hear something sliding around in the trunk.

14:04 Open the hatch in the back to bring in our groceries, the 6 pack of Grapefruit Shandy that Hopps purchased for breakfast - it is fruit after all - falls onto the driveway and breaks.  I guess we know what shifted 3 minutes ago.

14:07 Back to Safeway.

14:20  While ordering two Scottsdale Blonde Ales, the keg kicked after almost filling one glass.  While changing the keg, the bartender splits the beer into two mugs for Sinickal and Hopps to have.  Hopps responds, "It isn't the first time we have shared a beer".  OK, so this isn't really funny, but it also isn't exactly what Hopps said either.

14:51 Older lady (perhaps in her late 70s) orders 2 chardonnays.  We immediately decide that she is our type of person.

15:13 Sinickal is searching for a social media post from almost exactly 6 years ago.  Struggling to find it he proclaims, "I post a lot".  Hopps finishes the sentence "Said every high school girl".

15:30 Hopps is Facetiming with his kids.  Shows them, for some inane reason, the bathroom sink, toilet and shower.

15:58 Hopps is still Facetiming - tells his family that "Pepster is Cuban, so he is cleaning".

16:00 Big Wigg, a friend of Pepster's from Florida who now lives in Tucson, arrives for the festivities.

16:21 At All American Modern Sports Grill in Scottsdale to meet Don, a family friend of Sincikal. We will be here for a while having drinks and dinner.

17:51 Hopps witnessing Don speak to Big Wigg, remarks "Just an old black man giving an old black man a lesson.  Don was not teaching anyone a lesson, they were just having cigars.  I get the feeling Hopps was saving this one up to use.

18:51 My notes say "Chill means cold".  I have no idea what this means.

19:16 Big Si (Dad) texts Sinickal about what was going on.  Sinickal tells him where we were posted up.  Big Si's response, "You probably didn't know I lived in Scottsdale".

19:17  Big Si and Sinickal's mom stop in, as they were coincidentally having pizza next door.

19:18 Pepster meets Sinickal's mom and dad for the first time, ever.

19:53  Sinickal imparting some wisdom to the group, "If you hang out with high class women, you have to have high class game".

20:11  Head back home to drop the car off and Uber the rest of the evening.

20:33 Hopps stops at the convenience store for cigarettes and water.  We can't accurately explain exactly how delicious this water is.

20:44 Enter Tilted Kilt.  Sit at the bar for some food and drink and see that South Carolina women are up over UConn with only 5 minutes left.  Start to watch intently.

21:04 While the game is in overtime, dude comes up to us and starts talking about his track career in college.  Apparently he ran the 800m, 1500m and 3000m.

21:06 Pepster realizes that this dude is either lying or an idiot as he name drops that he went to college and was almost as good as "Olympian Jeremy Warner".  This dude does not realize that Pepster is an Olympic aficianado, and that the Olympian's name is pronounced War-i-ner (three syllables, not two).  Pepster immediately asks if he meant "War-i-ner" not "War-ner".  Dude says, "War-ner", there is no Jeremy "War-i-ner".  [Ed. Note - Pepster is right, as Jeremy Wariner has won 4 Olympic medals, including gold in the 800m in 2004].  Pepster tells dude that "If you are going to name drop you should at least get the name right".  Dude just turns and leaves.

21:15 UCONN goes down.  South Carolina's women's team defeats the mighty Huskies.

21:21  Hopps and Sinickal play Golden Tee.  Big Wigg gets hooked into the Golden Tee game as well and declares that it was "Time to fuck with some knobs".

21:51 A Pepset commences on Touch Tunes.  Of course it starts with Fat Joe's We Make it Rain.  No confirmation or denial about whether the set including anything by the Two Live Crew.

21:53 Big Wigg decides to play gracious host (as he lives in Arizona) and buys a round of tequila shots.

22:05 During the Pepset, It Feels Good by Tony Toni Tone' comes on, random guys playing darts next to us come over to high five Pepster.

22:49 We head to the next establishment.  As we are leaving half the bar asks us to stay so that they can keep hearing good music.  Apparently they don't realize how Touch Tunes works.

23:49 In an Uber XL to Bourbon and Bones, except we get a Chrysler 300. Hopps says that as an Uber driver himself, "this is not an XL."

23:51 Big Wigg asks the Uber driver if he and his partner broke up. We don't know how this conversation started, and we don't know if he is referring to a business personal partner.

23:53 Get to Bourbon and Bones and realize that our Uber driver (thick, white, nerdy) is in a pimped out Chrysler!

23:55  Bourbon and Bones, where they serve bacon automatically with your bourbon.  Sinickal becomes upset as his bacon "disappeared".  Only hours later did Pepster admit to eating Sinickal's bacon.

00:45 Arrive at Coachman House for a night cap...and another game of Golden Tee. Hopps is on to water.

01:30 Big Wigg departs for his hotel. I don't think he knew all of what he was getting into today.

01:43 Pepster announces that he will lay down and go to sleep on the floor of the bar.

01:55 Good night all