Are You Ready For Some Football?!!!

It is that time of the year again, time for the start of college football.  And this time, WE START A WEEK EARLY!  Yes, a week 0 matchup between the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators live from the football mecca that is - Camping World Stadium?  Well, I should be there with tons of my peeps, but not going to be able to make it this year.  Still will not put a damper on the start of my season.  What would the start of college football be without a preseason All-American list? Once again, I am here to give you my preseason All-Americans. As usual, there will be more than 11 on each side, to account for the different types of formations (spread, three receiver set, 4-3, 3-4, etc). I explain some of my picks, while others I do not. Why? Because I can.  (Starters in capitals).

Offense

QB - TREVOR LAWRENCE, Clemson; Tua Tagavailoa, Alabama; Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma - This is mostly easy when the two of the three best quarterbacks from last year return to college.  Hurts makes it as the last two Heisman Trophy winners have been Oklahoma quarterbacks that transferred from elsewhere, plus, he has won a title already.  The highest rated pro-quarterback, Justin Herbert, doesn't make the cut.

RB - JONATHAN TAYLOR, Wisconsin; D'ANDRE SWIFT, Georgia; Travis Etienne, Clemson; A.J. Dillon, Boston College; Zack Moss, Utah - Taylor - with Lawrence - might be the Heisman favorite heading into the season.  It is Swift's turn to run behind the behemoths at Georgia.  Most pundits have Etienne as first team.  If you have not seen Dillon or Moss run - DO IT.

WR - JERRY JEUDY, Alabama; LAVISKA SHENAULT, JR., Colorado; Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State, Alabama; Justyn Ross, Clemson; CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma - Jeudy is the reigning Biletnikoff award winner, and Shenault is right there with him in terms of talent.  So much speed at this position.  So much speed.

TE - ALBERT OGWUEGBUNAM, Missouri; Jared Pickney, Vanderbilt - These two will prove invaluable to their respective quarterbacks in the defensive-speed-laden SEC. 

OL - ANDREW THOMSAS, Georgia (T); WALKER LITTLE, Stanford (T); SHANE LEMIUEX, Oregon (G);  SOLOMON KINDLEY, Georgia (G); TYLER BIADASZ, Wisconson; Mekhi Becton, Louisville (T); Ben Bredesen, Michigan (G): Nick Harris, Washington (C) - Two Georgia stalwarts start for this line which is sure to open huge holes for the running backs as well as keep the QBs protected.  Thomas might be the best player in college football.

Defense

DE - A.J. EPENESA, Iowa; CHASE YOUNG, Ohio State; Raekwon Davis, Alabama; Jonathan Garvin, Miami - Both starters had 10 1/2 sacks last year. The Chef returns after recording 24 solo tackles from the defensive line last year, and Garvin is poised for a monster breakout season - I predict double digit sacks.

DT - DERRICK BROWN, Auburn; KENNY WILLEKES, Michigan State; Leki Fotu, Utah - Brown can be as dominant as his position as anyone can be at theirs in college.  Fotu is 6'5 335 lbs, and is immovable.

LB - DYLAN MOSES, Alabama; PADDY FISHER, Northwestern; ISAIAH SIMMONS, Clemson; K'Lavon Chiasson, LSU; Shaquille Quarterman, Miami - This quintet will likely total about 14,000 tackles this year.

CB - C.J. Henderson, Florida; BRYCE HALL, Virginia; Andre Cisco, Syracuse - With the injuries at the other corner in Florida, Henderson may not even be tested all year.  Cisco finished last season with 10 interceptions, including 3 in the last 4 games.  Hall can cover AND tackle.

S - GRANT DELPIT, Louisiana State; XAVIER MCKINNEY, Alabama; Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame - Delpit continues LSU's run DBU (despite UF's protestations)  McKinney steps into a long-list of talented Alabama safeties.

Special Teams

K - ANDRE SZMYT, Syracuse; Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia - Szmyt, despite needing to buy a vowel, is the reigning Groza award winner, and could become only the second two time winner behind Sebastian Janikowski.  Blankenship is added because he is good, and looks funny kicking in the glasses.

P - BRADEN MANN, Texas A & M - The returning Ray Guy award winner is the best punter in the country.

RETURNER - ISAIAH WRIGHT, Temple; Rondale Moore, Purdue - Wright returned 5 kicks for touchdowns in his career.  Moore can do everything, as highlighted by his 252 total yards in Purdue's upset of Ohio State last year.

Final Four Chronicles - The Departure

April 9, 2019

So we got an overtime final championship, which is exciting to watch.  Virginia earned their victory this year after the debacle that was University of Maryland-Baltimore County last year.  Not sure what makes up for the Chaminade loss.

Nowhere near as many entries today, as we were travelling home, so we might just make some observations on the Final Four in Minneapolis overall at the completion.

04:30 - Dr. Pepper enters Uber; driver setting his mood by bumping On to the Next One by Jay-Z featuring Swizz Beatz.

By 8:30 - Everyone else is up.  Realizes Dr. Pepper is gone.

Pre-10:00 - Leave the AirBnB as the maid was set to arrive at 10:00.

10:13 - Dr. Pepper is wheels down in Logan (11:13 EDT).

10:17 - Pepster, Sinickal and Tony arrive at Hell's Kitchen.  We ask if they have a spot to place our luggage.  Lo and behold, behind the counter is already other people's luggage.  Apparently this has happened before.

10:45 - Our appetizer plate of sausage arrives.  It is maple bison sausage, so it is unique.  Food runner says that looks like the best appetizer plate ever.

10:59 - Breakfast entrees of Huevos Rancheros with Bison Sausage (for Sinickal and Tony - it's the house favorite) and Bison Benedict (for Pepster).  Breakfast is amazing.  Sinickal and Tony note that there will be breakfasts here when they come back for a conference in a few months.

11:55 - As we carry our luggage up the stairs and out of Hell's Kitchen, Tony says out loud, they should have an elevator.  Hostess hears him, points him to the other end of the restaurant.  He takes the elevator.

11:58 - Since the weather was reasonable, this is our first time in the Skyway this trip.

12:03 - Store our luggage at the Marriott.

12:17 - Enter the Target Center

12:23 - A really good view of Target Field and the plaza entering the baseball field.

12:26 - Kieran's Irish Pub.  We are mostly quiet as we are catching up on the news from the past few days.  Some work-related conversations.

13:45 - Walk back to the Marriott to procure our luggage.

14:00 - Uber to airport.  Pepster's flight is at 15:55 and Sinickal and Tony's are both after 17:00.  We need to recalibrate and catch up on some work for tomorrow.

22:24 - Tony's weekend officially ends as he arrives home.

23:12 - Pepster's enters the fast train from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach.  It is packed.  Oh, everyone is wearing Dwyane Wade Miami Heat jerseys.  Everyone going home from that game.

00:12 - Pepster arrives home.

Our general observations from the weekend.

1.  The weather was very reasonable.  A bit dreary, a bit chilly, but nothing outrageous.  Could have been A LOT worse.  The lakes were still frozen, piles of snow still in some parks and backyards, and a record setting spring storm to come through on Wednesday, April 10.  This could have been abysmal weather-wise.

2.  Had some issues with Uber/Lyft.  Nothing awful - still easy to summons, reasonable prices (except immediately after the games), but they always seemed to be slow and different drivers always took varying routes, even to the same locations.  More weird than bad - but certainly not optimal.

3.  Food is ridiculous.  Nothing stays open late - even on weekends.  With a big event in town that ends late (after 11 or 12 on Saturday and Monday), you would think it would be easier to find food places that were open.  Even diners were difficult to find, well, actually non-existent.

4.  Lots of establishments seemed to be under staffed.  A very similar problem as Houston had in 2016, but nowhere near as awful.  Houston not only was understaffed but also kept running out of food and closing earlier than the posted times for the establishment.  Minneapolis being understaffed just made things a bit slow, like the ride share.

5.  Our area of town was a very nice, pretty neighborhood.  Kudos to the owner of the house for placing this gem on AirBnB.  It was spacious, fairly close, and very safe.  No "Drive-By" room this year.

6.  The NCAA did a great job with security at this final four with getting people into the stadium.  No real bottlenecks, and we had no problems with ingress and egress at all.  Straight through the magnetometers and into the stadium both nights.  It was a breeze.

7.  On to Atlanta, which although not as good a "Final 4" city, since all of the events will be too spread out, it is still a tremendously fun city where we all have our contacts!

Final Four Chronicles - The Finals

April 8

We all awake and do work - it is Monday after all.  Plus, the finals do not start until 20:20 local time, thus we will still have all day to enjoy the festivities.

13:12 - Uber downton.  Country music blaring from the Uber.  Definitely not what we expected from this driver.

13:16 - We notice that this  Uber driver is driving us through every neighborhood in town.  Sinickal looks at the map on the driver's telephone and says, "Yeah, this is the route the other Uber driver says was useless.

13:29 - :Land at the Host Bar - Runyon's.  Order lunch.

13:55 - Wings are delivered and Dr. Pepper notes, "Properly sauced".  Tony looks at him and says, "You or the wings?"

14:29 - After hearing glass break for the second time of the day, we remark that this has happened every time we have been at Runyon's.  We ask our waitress if "Things just jump off ledges and shit".  Waitress responds that "We don't like cleaning dishes!"

14:37 - Also remarking about the improper staffing levels at most of the establishments around town, Sinickal asks our waitress if the owner can read a calendar.  She remarks after noting they had the same problem during the Super Bowl, "I don't know if he can."

15:20 - We pay the tab as we are finishing our drinks, and Sally the redhead waitress at Runyon's comes in to start her shift.  You may recall Sally as the waitress that refers to us as her bodyguards because we kept clearing the aisle for her to maneuver on Saturday, comes up to us, says hello, and asks, "What, no Jameson's today?"

15:23 - First round of Jameson's.

15:58 - Leave Runyon's to head to Nicollet Mall.  Nicollet Mall is not a shopping mall, but rather a boulevard that has been shut down for the tournament.  It houses ESPN and CBS Sports, concerts and all types of games, etc.  The establishments along the boulevard love this, I am sure as they have all been packed.

16:23 - While walking along Nicollet Mall, Sinickal wonders if Texas Tech wins tonight, then Lubbock might turn into a shit show.  Tony and Dr. Pepper state simultaneously, "It already is!"

16:27 - Texas Tech cheerleader parade, excuse the pom team.  "Guns Up!"

16:40 - Pop into 8th Street Grill.  Get into a discussion with the security guy as we sit on the porch, asking about possible late night locations to eat after the game.  He explains to us all of the issues with Minneapolis regarding staffing and food, as well as the differences between Super Bowl week and this weekend.  We find out he is a former cop.  Without knowing anything about him personally or why he is no longer a cop, we conclude based upon our interaction and conversation with him that he is exactly the type of person who we - as a public - still needs to be in law enforcement.

17:23 - First time the sun has been out all day.  We are all remiss that we did not bring our sunglasses.  Nah - won't need them in about 5 more minutes.

17:26 - Pop into Brit's Pub.  Apparently patterned pants are in.

17:45 - Christian, Pepster's friend from North Palm Beach arrives with his boys for a drop in.  Christian and his peeps are UVA alumni, so they head over to the free UVA party.  We don't blame them.

18:35 - Alan - Tony and Dr. Pepper's friend from Providence whose birthday dinner was last night - joins us.

18:44 - See the news report about Nike possibly paying Zion's mom.  Pepster remarks that it is a shame, "He might have to go pro now!"

19:37 - Table next to us - obviously sisters - starts comparing pictures of dogs with us.  We note that one picture of both her dogs standing facing away from the camera.  The other sister responds, "She likes ass!"

19:38 - After celebratory Jameson's with Alan, Dr. Pepper yells, "We ain't going to the game!"

19:43 - Brit's manager while changing the televisions to CBS asks if we were watching the current channel (we weren't).  Tony asks, "Do you have Skinemax?"  Sinickal remarks, "He said that out loud!"

19:44 - CBS is showing a repeat of the Katy Perry concert from the night before.  Alan asks if that "Is Ivan Drago's wife?"

20:05 - Head to the stadium.

20:20 - Dr. Pepper, Tony and Alan and talking about an old acquaintance from Providence, Dr. Pepper tells us "That is the smallest racist in the state!"

20:31 - Hit our "seats", which we have once again just chosen a railing on the concourse as it is lower than our seats, has good sight-line, and is closer to the rest room and concessions.  Mostly the same people around us as on Saturday.  We are a bit late.  Score is 3-2.

20:34 - The University of Virginia student section is a bit less than half filled.  Sinickal remarks, their must be tests on campus.

20:35 - Mostly radio silence during the game.

22:30 - Free basketball.  Overtime!

22:47 - University of Virginia wins.  Note from twitter, "Finally a Cavaliers championship that did not involve Draymond Green being suspended!"  Twitter is awesome.

22:50 - Head down for a better view of the championship trophy presentations and the cutting down of the net.  Who are we kidding, a better spot for One Shining Moment!

22:52 - Alan takes leave.  Before One Shining Moment - ridiculous!

23:14 - Sinickal is worried that Syracuse will not have a presence in One Shining Moment!

23:17  - ONE SHINING MOMENT!!!  [Ed. Note - The Syracuse Orange was in the opening montage].

23:22 - Sinickal notes that everything is better with Luther.  Pepster concurs - but especially with Big Luther.  Not Little Luther, Big Luther.

23:23 - Leave the stadium.  We need to find somewhere to wait for the ride share prices to fall.

23:39 - Enter the AC Marriott bar.  We can do the above, and they have clean facilities.  Perfect.

23:55 - We say goodbye to Dr. Pepper.  He has an early flight in the morning so that he can make the home opener/championship presentation for the Red Sox.  The rest of us will not be waking up to see him off.

00:05 - Pop into Runyon's to led the ride share surge pricing dissipate further.  For the first time we sit at a bar and not a table.  Sally tells the bartender, these are my Jameson's guys.  Not tonight we aren't.

00:10 - We are informed the kitchen is closed, which we knew based upon the fact that we are in Minneapolis.  We get into a discussion of things, and we find out the kitchen and bar closed early Saturday evening because somebody threw a chair through one of the front glass windows.  Glad we weren't there for that one.

00:46 - Uber home.  No use galavanting around to find a last meal in this town.  Even the 24 hour diners are not 24 hours Sunday through Thursday.  There will always be breakfast tomorrow.

Time Unknown - Arrive back at the house.