As we have all ventured home, we felt it appropriate to do some type of wrap-up regarding the first real Final Four since 2019 (2020 being canceled and the 2021 tournament being entirely held in Indianapolis in an NBA-type bubble). And, due to the tremendous outpouring from our readers, we bring to you the first ever Final Four Chronicles Question & Answer. The questions were posed to us by various readers of the Final Four Chronicles, who all had questions regarding our trip. Here we go.
Q: Is everything we read in the Chronicles real?
A: Absolutely. Everything we post in the Chronicles actually occurred or was said. Items might be edited for space or consolidated so as not to drag on too much, but everything is 100% real, down to the time stamp.
Q: Who writes the Chronicles?
A: We all contribute to the content and engage in the editorial process.
Q: To how many Final Fours have you been?
A: This was Kev-O's first. Sinickal has been to approximately 18 or so, whereas Pepster just hit his 11th. Each of Pepster's 11th has been with Sinickal, including his first in 2003 right here in New Orleans.
Q: What was the location of your house?
A: Basically, on the corner of Rampart Street and Governor Nicholl's Street. Rampart is one of the main boulevards that marks the French Quarter, and if taken to Bourbon Street, Governor Nicholl's would be the 13th street off Canal. So, close enough to the partying part of the French Quarter to walk, even for Pepster, and not so close as to hear all of the partiers late into the night.
Q: What is the actual name of the Stab-and-Slab?
A: Key's Food Store, and yes, it was directly across Governor Nicholl's from our house. Kev-O has a friend Paul whose family is from New Orleans, and he likes Key's. Apparently it is a known entity.
Q: Was the fried chicken at the Stab-and-Slab actually that good?
A: Absolutely. It is simply the best and most personally destructive friend chicken ever.
Q: Did Tony ever show up?
A: No, he did not. Although we traveled on April 1, this was not some elaborate April Fool's joke played by Tony upon us. Weather throughout the middle of the country delayed/canceled flights nationwide. You might remember Pepster and Kev-O had to sit on the runway for an hour due to congestion from flights evading weather, even though there was no weather in Fort Lauderdale.
Q: Did Allison and Racecar travel with you? The Arrival post said they did not, but the tags always included them.
A: No, Racecar and Allison did not attend this Final Four. We tagged them so they could see exactly what we were up to. They are always invited, though.
Q: Did you plan to run into Pepster's friend Matt Young from Florida?
A: Yes and No. Pepster did not plan to go to New Orleans with Matt, but they both knew each other were going to the games independently, so it was easy to meet up given modern technology, i.e. cell phone.
Q: How did Pepster know John and Kendrick?
A: Although 2 years ahead of Pepster in college, all 3 of them lived in Leverett House for one overlapping year, and all three of them played a lot of hoops together.
Q: Why did you not run into Will until Monday?
A: Will, who went to North Carolina, among other places, did not go to the games on Saturday, but once the Tar Heels made it to the finals, he found some friends with an extra ticket and came down to New Orleans from the DC area for the final game.
Q: In what club are Sinickal, Kev-O, and Will members?
A: National Golf Club, and yes they do have a hole-in-one service fee.
Q: For which team do you ordinarily cheer?
A: For Sinickal, it is Syracuse. For Kev-O and Pepster, it is Kentucky.
Q: For which team did you cheer in this year's Final Four?
A: For Sinickal, it was Syracuse. ("Let's go O-Range" is probably still echoing around Bourbon Street.) For Kev-O and Pepster, it is "Anybody but Duke!"
Q: Who hates Duke the most?
A: Sinickal hates Duke. But nowhere near as much as Pepster. It has to be Pepster. Or Kev-O. No, it is definitely Pepster. Nah, it has to be Kev-O. Pepster, Kev-O. Well, we aren't sure.
Q: Which Duke player do you hate the most?
A: We assume this question really means "besides Christian Laettner." So, in no particular order, Bobby Hurley, Steve Wojciekowski, Carlos Boozer, Grayson Allen, pre-Miami Heat Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, any and every Plumlee, Jason Williams (not that one), pre-Syracuse Greg Paulus, and a whole lot more. Basically, everyone except Grant Hill and Zion Williamson.
Q: Did Kev-O really buy a house?
A: Well, he put in an offer on a house. But, in this current housing market, who knows how that is going to turn out. [Ed. Note: We know how this turns out.] He did not buy a duplex, but we did keep razzing him every day by saying that his wife was making larger and larger purchases each day. Sinickal did buy a recycling bin.
Q: What is Southwestern Central?
A: It is a little NAIA school in Oklahoma. Its mascot is the Scorpions. Pepster and Sinickal, along with Hopps and Tony, have some type of loose affiliation with the school.
Q: Where is Southwestern Central?
A: Southwestern Central is in the northeastern panhandle of Oklahoma.
A: For Sinickal and Pepster, pretty easy. For Kev-O, damn near impossible! Funny thing is the northeastern corner of the panhandle is much like the Bermude triangle. Does it exist? Sure. Can you quantify exactly where it lies? No. There are no cities, towns, nor even a caution light there. Needless to say, Southwestern Central is more of a state of mind than it is a brick and mortar shop.
Q: How many basketball players does Southwestern Central have on its roster?
A: Southwestern Central currently has the exact same amount of scholarship players as LSU.
Q: Did those guys at Mulate's really get mad at you about Southwestern Central?
A: Yes. Even madder than Kev-O was about the entire concept of Southwestern Central!
Q: Was this the most exciting final game you ever saw?
A: Not even close. This final game only became exciting in the last ten minutes, coincidentally right after last call. The most exciting final game we ever saw was 2016 in Houston with Villanova defeating North Carolina 77-74 on the Kris Jenkins "Bang" shot.
Q: Is Bourbon Street back?
A: Three answers: Hell yes, kind of, and no. For the first, it is most definitely back in terms of crowds, partying, street "vendors" and just about everything that makes Bourbon Street the tourist mecca of the city. For the second, a lot of restaurants closed early, bars opened late, and come Tuesday, a lot of places were just closed to re-stock inventory and to give scheduled employees a break due to staffing issues. For the third, there is no longer any 3-for-1 Happy Hours, which used to be one of the best things about Bourbon Street.
Q: What did you do to get kicked out of Coyote Ugly?
A: Nothing. we did not get kicked out of Coyote Ugly. That was San Antonio in 2018, and again, the only thing we did to get kicked out was the manager, "thought we had been there too long."
Q: What types of traditional New Orleans food did you eat while there?
A: Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, Muffaletta, Po-Boys, Oysters, Crawfish, Alligator, Turtle Soup, Beignets, Boudin (although that is more central Louisiana cuisine.) We missed redfish, but pretty much hit the rest of them.
Q: What was the best place you ate?
A: Probably Cafe Sbisa for Sunday Jazz Brunch. Antoine's was great, but we just hit it for a quick burger since everywhere else was packed. Dickie Brennan's and Crescent City Steakhouse were great for steak. And, of course, the Stab-and-Slab.
Q: What was your favorite bar?
A: Who really knows. We hit Bourbon House a few times, but that is because it is one block off Canal, so easier access to walk toward the Caesar's Superdome. With a great bourbon menu (and good food!) Lafitte's is a classic.
Q: How much Bourbon did you drink?
A: A lot.
Q: Did you have any major revelations about the Final Four or New Orleans?
A: Cafe Sbisa was a revelation, with none of us having eaten there before. But, the biggest revelation was exactly how much fun watching and making fun of the entrants in the home run contest at FanFest was. We were there for way too long.
Q: I noticed that you three were constantly snapping, whether on each other or other people, do you miss anything?
A: Ordinarily no. And Papa Si even stated this exact quote in Scottsdale in 2017, "You all don't miss anything, do you?" But, we had one major miss this year. Walking to the Caesar's Superdome for the Finals on Monday, a person on the sidewalk was spouting religion and gets to his point, "Jesus is the Path," paraphrasing John 3:14, "I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through me." When the guy says, "Jesus is the path," our response of "The path is right here" pointing to the crosswalk, was adequate. Except, the Superdome was in our sight. "The path ends there," should have been our retort. We missed it, and we apologize to all of you that expect more from us.
Q: How long did the fact you missed that one sit with you?
A: It still hurts.
Q: What was the worst thing about the trip?
A: Well, that the Final Four did not fall on Easter weekend. That, and not having water for the better part of a day.
Q: Was it worth it?
A: What is the most emphatic version of yes?
Q: Where is it next year?
A: Houston, Texas.
Q: Will you be going?
A: That is a long way off, but yes, we plan on attending, and bringing the Final Four Chronicles with us.
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