The Final Four Chronicles: FAQ

 

So one week out from the National Championship game (and the Final Four Chronicles), and as always, your boys are being inundated with questions about the trip.  Here are some "important" questions from our readership that we think we should answer.

Q:  Who all went on the trip?  We suspect it is the four guys (Kev-O, Pepster, Sinickal, Tony), but in the Facebook prompts for the Chronicles, you always tag three of the ladies.  Are they present also?

A:  This question seems to come up every year.  Our respective wives (Susan, Racecar, Allison) are always invited, and welcome, but they seldom want to join us.  I suppose it depends upon the location, timing/schedules and teams.  In a pre-Kev-O trip, Allison and Racecar did join us in Indianapolis, and Racecar is still a little miffed at herself that she did not go last year to San Antonio, being University of Florida alumna, but none of the wives attended this year.

Q:    Why do you always tag us?  Stop doing that!  (From Racecar)

A:    Our bad.

Q:    How much planning goes into the trip beforehand?

A:    Well, we enter the NCAA ticket lottery as soon as it opens, which is generally the week after the tournament concludes (so now).  Then we book plane tickets and an AirBnB generally at the end of the year.  For individually planning of each day, we generally just wing it, except for one really good meal during the trip.  This year it was St. Elmo, which Pepster booked on the Wednesday after touching down back home from San Antonio in 2025.

Q:   Is St Elmo really that good?

A:    Quick Answer is YES!!!  Longer answer is ... it is pretty amazing, but it depends upon what you are looking for in a steakhouse.  They only have one appetizer on the menu because the shrimp cocktail is so legendary.  But, if you are looking for a lot of choices, this isn't the place.  The ambiance is steakhouse ambiance, but very busy, so if you want quiet, this isn't the place for you.  But, it IS amazing.

Q:    What one thing stood out to you about this trip?

A:    On the court it was the extremely poor basketball.  Off the court, it was Ithiyia, our waitress at The Fountain Room for brunch on Saturday, and no, this isn't a veiled post about looks.  She was absolutely amazing.  On top of everything we needed without being constantly at our table, jumping in with quick quips after she hears parts of our conversation as she delivered food, drinks, and more drinks, putting up with us staying longer than we wanted to because it started pouring rain outside, just really a great server.  The type we all wish we had at every meal.  And the food/drinks were great too.

 Q:    What was the most surprising thing that happened during this trip?

A:    On the court it was Michigan absolutely boatracing Arizona, the team most thought was the second-best team all year (behind Michigan).  Off the court was Kev-O being converted into supporting Southwestern Central (Stick 'em Scorpions!).  It was instinctive, and he almost didn't even know it was happening, as it was happening!  Soon he might become part of the administration!

Q:    What was the least surprising thing that happened during the trip?

A:    That we ended up running into and hanging with people we already knew outside of our Final Four trips.  Sinickal's friend Anne - who is "in the business" (they always are) - joined us for the Arrival Day.  [Ed. Note - In the business means in the engineering field with Sinickal and Tony].  Pepster's second-cousin-in-law Trey and his friend Tyler (we did not know Tyler beforehand) joined us for part of The Interregnum and dinner at St. Elmo!  Something akin to this ALWAYS happens.  And, we have peeps in Detroit, so we assume it will happen next year as well!

Q:    So the trip could not have been all roses.  Anything disappointing?

A:    Oh God yes.  During the weekend, we had been discussing the best starting five for each of the Final Four teams.  For example, Michigan's is Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Glen Rice, and then really any other guard - let's say Rumeal Robinson because of the title, but Trey Burke could work, or Lendeborg could join him.  [Ed. Note - we did not discuss Lendeborg in this group; just added him for this blog entry.]  UConn's team is Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Andre Drummond if you want to go big, or Clifford Robinson if you want a more standard team - with Kemba Walker at point, or Kemba and Shabazz Napier if you want to go small.  Illinois' team is Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Kendall Gill, Marcus Liberty and honestly, I don't remember the 5th - maybe Nick Anderson.  And, Arizona's team is Gilbert Arenas, Sean Elliott, Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, and Lauri Markkanen or DeAndre Ayton if we have to have a big, but really another guard here like Damon Stoudamire or Andre Iguodala work as well.

Q:    What is your point?

A:    Well, we decided to do this for our respective favorite teams.  Since Kev-O and Pepster are both fans of the University of Kentucky, and Kev-O is an alumnus, we tried to do Kentucky.  Point guard was a debate between John Wall and Rajon Rondo - which Kev-O eliminated by starting both of them in his backcourt.  Pepster went with Rondo and Rex Champman.  Some disagreement at the 3, with Kev-O going with Ron Mercer and Pepster selecting Jamal Mashburn.  No argument at the center position as it IS Anthony Davis.  Then came the power forward slot.  For Kev-O it is Oscar Tshiebwe, who matches well with Davis since Davis can roam inside and outside on offense and defense, and Tshiebwe can literally just grab every rebound.  Pepster couldn't think of his selection immediately and a discussion with him and Kev-O turned up KAT in a big lineup, or Jack Givens, or even Dan Issel.  And to answer the original question as we put this topic to Trey and Tyler, Tyler - a Louisville fan - suggested DeMarcus Cousins.  Who Kev-O and Pepster completely forgot about.  On the good side, Kentucky has so many stars that it is difficult to always remember them all.  On the bad side, a Louisville fan had to remind us of Boogie Cousins.  Just so disappointed in ourselves.

Q:    Reading the Chronicles, it looks like you all have a lot of fun.  What was the single most fun thing that occurred.

A:    Not sure we can accurately answer that question, but it is assuredly is NOT one of Pepster's jokes. 

Q:    What do you mean by pheromones?

A:    A really long, convoluted story which has a lot of inside reference/information/ramifications for friends outside of the trip.  So in order to keep that (somewhat) confidential, let's just say it isn't a bad thing in the context of the Chronicles.

Q:    Does Southwestern Central really have a merch store?  You guys are kidding, right?

A:    YES WE DO!  And no, we are not.

Q:    You all are just egotistical enough for this ... Are you taking credit for Viktor Orban's loss in Hungary since you watched the Last Week Tonight episode.

A:    Somehow, Yes we are.

Q:    Are all of your Holy Week references/puns (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday) intended?

A:    What do you think?

Q:    Did you all really notice drapes?  Seriously?

A:    Yes we did.  And you would have too, if you saw them!

Q:    Who IS Pam?

A;    Not sure we all really know.  She is basically a representation/manifestation of a conglomerate of people.  And no, she is not the Pam that regularly meets up with us when the Final Four is in Houston.

Q:    What and where is Kev-O's school?

A:    It is New Madrid College in New Madrid, Kentucky.

Q:    Why were you discussing hollers?

A:    Listen, in a span of four plus days, lots of unusual topics will arise in discussion.

Q:    Why did you mention the Illinoisivic shirts on the Illinois fans?

A:    Illinois has at least five Eastern Europeans on their squad, starters David Mirkovic, and Tomislav Ivisic, and rotational players Andrej Stojakovic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Mihailo Petrovic.

Q:    DV cannot be a real person, can she?

A:    Sadly, yes.

Q:    What has "filled-in nicely?"

A:    We will probably catch some flak for that one!

Q:    You guys made up Maguire University just so you wouldn't seem so bizarre for creating Southwestern Central, right?

A:    Nope.  It was a real thing.  And not only pre-dates Southwestern Central, it predates US!!!

Q:    Did you really schedule Maguire for a home-and-home?

A:    No, not yet.  But the conversations have started.  Seriously.

Q:    How do you know Bernie Mac has good taste in women?

A:    That is a story for another day/time, but trust us, he does.

Q:    What IS the ladies' equivalent of Drakkar Noir?

A:    This is a very good question.  Please let us know once you find out!  From our senses it is Clinique "Happy".  Any ladies have a different opinion?

Q:    Are you really going to Detroit?

A:    Absolutely.  Well, we are certainly planning on it.  Of course, sometimes real life gets in the way, and it may for one or more of us next year, but it is on our respective calendars, and the plan is to attend one way or the other!!!

See you all in Detroit! 

The Final Four Chronicles: THE DEPARTURE

 

So the Michigan Wolverines are the champions, and we are EXHAUSTED!  That does not mean that we cannot get a few more shots up on the way out.  

07:45 - All are up.  It is still freakin' cold - 36 degrees Fahrenheit!!!  Isn't this April?

09:53 - AirBnB cleaned, and we are showered, packed and leaving for breakfast.

10:05 - Reacting to Trump's tweet today about destroying a civilization today, Sinickal notes that "We might actually be the terrorists."

10:08 - We enter Lincoln Square Pancake House.  As we sit down at our table we notice that Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean is playing.  Oh yeah, we picked the right place!

10:15 - After coffee, and while perusing the menu, we notice that they have Boston Creme pancakes - AS A SIDE to their egg entrees (skillets and omelets)!!!  Yes please (at least for Sinickal and Pepster)!

11:00 - I think it is important to note that this place is AMAZING!!!  Traditional diner with mostly traditional breakfasts, but some slight twists.  To quote our waitress Michelle, "Everything here is good.  Even the butter.  We make it in house!"

11:03 - Leave Lincoln Square Pancake House.  It has not warmed up one degree.  In fact, it feels colder!

11:21 - Drop off Pepster at IND.

11:42 - After Pepster clears security and is walking to his gate, he sees a police officer walking through the concourse with a sealed and clearly labeled evidence box.  

11:47 - As Pepster enters his concourse, he sees a police handler with a dog that is going ABSOLUTELY NUTS!!!  Nobody is around and neither is anything.  This can't be good.

12:17 - Pepster is posted up at the bar nearest his gate, several people who are not together but only started talking because the bartender admonished them for looking at their phones begin talking about Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman-winning, soon-to-be 1st overall draft pick from Indiana via California via Miami.  The bartender chimes in that he was just in the airport the other say sitting at her bar.  One of the guys - wearing Indiana gear - says that people look at him like Jesus around these parts.  Pepster reminds them his name is Mendoza, so they probably look at him like Hay-Zues.  Laughter ensues, but only after a two-second delay.

12:20 - On the drive to CVG, Sinickal remarks that "you know you are in the middle of nowhere when you see 4G on your phone." Tony replies that he knows because he is looking out the window. 

12:59 - Sinickal, Kev-O and Tony arrive at the CVG rental car return center, then head to the Delta Sky Club. Unfortunately, we have arrived more than 3 hours before our flight. Agent takes pity on us and lets us through.

13:10 - Sinickal and Kev-O realize that the long weekend requires a soft landing. To the bar for bourbon!

14:02 - While finishing the final work on the tournament squares, Sinickal reminds Tony how close he was to winning the final square (he needed Michigan to miss two free throws at the end of the game). He then is told how much the square was worth and says that "if I had known how much the square was worth last night, I would have shot the guy myself."

14:00 - 14:20 - A guy sitting two stools down at the bar is asked by another two people if he could move down one seat so they can sit together.  He obliges.  She starts talking to him and at first he is cordial answering her questions:  He is a famous criminal lawyer in DC, Maryland; he went to Morehouse; is an Alpha Phi Alpha, Incorporated (his words); he defends white-collar criminals - like drug dealers; and they know someone in common.  She starts to ask him incessantly how he knows this guy Tony, she says they should call him, and then just starts to cross-examine him about everything.  Finally the guy tells her that he used to bust Tony's ass, that is how he knows Tony.  Not taking the hint, she then starts to talk about everything else, including that Michigan won the championship (she is an alumna), and that Morehouse hasn't won anything.  He tells her he has won a lot of trials, then she tells him if she was a lawyer she would beat his ass.  Finally guy next to me looks to the other guy in the couple in a way that says, "Come get your girl."  Other guy, getting the hint just says, "She ain't my girl.  I mean, we traveled to the game together because we both went to Michigan, but she ain't my girl.  I don't control her like that."  And this was only part of the conversation for that 20 minute time period.  Pepster almost wishes he didn't have to leave to go board my flight.

14:41 - Pepster boards his flight behind a kid in his 20s wearing a Duke hoodie.  Fifty or 60-something guy in the aisle seat on the last row of first class asks Duke kid to lean down and tells him, "You guys played hard."  He said this, but sarcastically.  Duke kid keeps walking.  Women, who does not look like she is with UConn man but is sitting next to him says, "He thinks you're being an asshole."  He retorts, "So what if I am?"

14:59 - Pepster wheels up to CLT.

15:05 - Mike and Larissa Hanpeter enter the CVG Delta Sky Club and join us. They know Sinickal and Kev-O from their golf club in Washington DC and are on their way home from Oakland. We are all on the same flight back to DCA

16:24 - Pepster wheels down in CLT.

16:30 - Tony found our Uber driver with too much cologne's girlfriend on his flight.  Ladies, what is the ladies' perfume equivalent of Drakkar Noir?  Seriously, we need to add it to our repertoire of disses.

16:32 - Sinickal and Kev-O board flight. Mary Washington basketball team - the team that just won the Division III national championship, is on the flight.  One dude is still wearing a part of the net he cut down around his neck!  THAT is a flex! They walked past us in first class to their coach seats as we all said congratulations.

16:50 - Sinickal and Kev-O wheels up to DCA.

17:55 - Tony wheels up to LGA.

18:31 - Sinickal and Kev-O land in DCA. 

18:53 - Pepster wheels up to PBI.  After his Indianapolis bar experience he is happy for quiet in Charlotte.

19:30 - Tony lands in LGA!

20:43 - Pepster lands at PBI, maybe his last flight before it changes to DJT.

It has been another great tournament weekend, even if the basketball wasn't.  See everyone in a revamped and renewed, and apparently vibrant Detroit!!!  Might even bring the passports for a sojourn into Windsor!!!

Final Four Chronicles: THE FINALS

 

Can UConn win its third title in four seasons?  Will Michigan just continue what it started this season and maul the Huskies?  Let's find out!!!

08:00 - All up ... almost.

10:37 - Signs of life from Kev-O.

10:59 - Continuing a conversation from yesterday, Sinickal texts Allison to remind her that "funny is the point!"

11:19 - We have scheduled Maguire University for a home-and-home series next year.

11:38 - Off to lunch.

11:39 - So we messed up big time.  For the first time ever, the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, the National Invitational Tournament, and the Division II and III Championships were all here in the same location.  Since it was the first time ever, we did not expect or anticipate it.  There could have been A LOT more basketball this weekend.  We will rectify this next year.  [Ed. Note - This scheduling was changed because the NABC annual convention is always on-site of the Final Four.  With all the tournaments here, all of the coaches can also be in attendance.]

11:44 - We pass a building that is very obviously an old/former church.  It is now a dispensary.  The stained-glass windows framing the front door are of Bob Marley and Willie Nelson.

11:50 - Enter Fat Dan's Deli.  After walking around the block to find it.

11:51:30 - It is a Chicago-Style deli.  The Chicago Combo with is 1/2 sausage and 1/2 Italian Beef with peppers, dipped, is calling Sinickal's name.  Pepster orders the same.

11:56 - It arrives and is glorious.  Tony orders the Italian Beef, and Kev-O has one of the best Cuban Sandwiches he has ever had.

11:59 - The guy at the bar sitting next to Sinickal strikes up a conversation.   He ends up being the President of the Indy Eleven, a USL soccer team.

12:06 - A sign behind the bar of Champagne Velvet Brand Beer.  Apparently, Miller High Life ISN'T the champagne of beers!

12:07 - The bar does not carry Champagne Velvet.

12:21 - Kev-O notices this gem on one of the walls.

12:23 - OK, this place is just loaded with amazing signs.  One is from Burn Em Brewing, whose motto is "Comforting the Disturbed and Disturbing the Comfortable!"

13:11 - Pepster buys Tony a hug from the bartender.  They are actually listed on the menu.  Hugs are free, but kisses are $5.

13:50 - As Kev-O is on a call outside, the bartender catches Sinickal, Pepster, and Tony all looking at their phones.  She asks why everyone is so serious.  Sinickal said that it's bad as he was doom scrolling.  Pepster goes, "Serious? I was checking some gambling odds."  Tony, "I was just looking at porn!"  [Ed. Note - He wasn't.  We think.]

13:58 - We all started to notice the pheromones.

13:59 - Bartender asks Pepster if he would like another Old Style.  He says "No.  I would love another Old Style."  Bartender immediately yelled, "Woooooo!"   Out of nowhere from some other region of the deli a waitress yells, "Wooooooo!"

14:08 - Sinickal after returning from a bio break mentioned that there is a cuck chair (and a spare) in the bathroom.  Seriously, a chair sitting against the wall facing the toilet.  Kev-O says, "Yeah, I tied my shoes on it earlier!"

14:17 - Discussing the reasons for the chair being in the bathroom, the bartender says, "I have not heard of untoward things happening in that chair.  I have heard not a thing." Do we believe her, or is she hiding something?

14:35 - A local couple sits down next to us, although the guy is covered head-to-toe in Michigan gear.  She roots for Auburn, so she watched the NIT final last night.  He, obviously, is a Michigan fan.  Strike up one of many conversations, but when he says he is from Marysville, Ohio, where a Honda plant is, he notes, "I hope you don't drive a Honda, because it was likely made by my classmates.  That isn't good."

14:59 - Discussing Southwestern Central and our merch shop with this couple as Sinickal is going to text the link to the lady.  Kev-O tells him he should just get a QR code, followed by, "Damnit, why am I helping you."  He claims he has Stockholm Syndrome and will likely be the first recipient of the Southwestern Central Stockholm Syndrome Scholarship.  Pepster immediately starts to call him "Patty Hearst!"

15:18 - Having a discussion about extroverts and introverts.  Trying to convince everyone that he is an introvert, Sinickal explains that he set his mancave up so he can just be in his basement by himself, and that Allison doesn't even want to go down there.  Pepster remarks, "So introverts include people hiding from their spouses?  That's like 90% of the population!"

15:21 - Sinickal re-sent the text to the couple next to us because he messed up the area code the first time and mistakenly sent it to someone in Quebec.  Kev-O tells Pepster to start brushing up on international law because we are going to need help with all the tariff issues.

15:21:04 - Sinickal notices HE SAID WE!!!!

15:24 - While perusing the merch store, the lady says on her upcoming girls' golf trip her team is going to be the Scorpions and wear polos!!!!

15:25 - We tell her that every time one of them nails a putt, they have to yell, "Stick 'Em!"

15:44 - Tony notices that they have actual bleachers seats - two of them - outside of the bathroom door.  (This place loves it some Chicago!).  We immediately dub it "The On-Deck Circle."

15:56 - We leave Fat Dan's and notice we have received a parking ticket.  Sinickal goes, "But I paid!  Have we been here more than two hours?"

15:57 - We all stop laughing.

16:21 - Back at home after a stop at the store.

16:30 - Another 48 Hours is on!  We somehow always find an Eddie Murphy flick on these trips!

16:45 - Nice little power nap time.

17:50 - Uber ordered.

17:56 - In Uber to Tom's Watch Bar.

18:07 - At Tom's Watch Bar.  This line is way too long to wait in queue.  We are walking to the stadium until we find a place with a shorter line.

18:14 - Dick's Last Resort it is.  No line.

18:22 - Glancing at the television sets behind the bar, and the temperature is going to be a low of 32 tonight.  We thought it was April?!

18:51 - Unc is definitely trying to hit on the waitress that is 40+ years his junior.

19:47 - Guy on the other side of the bar is lifting his shirt and taking selfies of himself.

19:55 - One bartender asks the other if he has vehicular transportation.  Yes, those words exactly.

20:24 - We head to the stadium.

20:34 - Enter Lucas Oil Stadium.

20:42 - A whole lot of Michigan fans being incredibly disrespectful during the national anthem.  We don't think anybody will be protesting them.

20:48 - House DJ does a pre-game yell, and this place is about 90% Michigan fans.

20:50 - Tip-Off.  Radio Silence.

21:14 - We eschewed our seats and decided to stand in the standing room only area, which is close to three separate concessions, the largest men's room we have ever seen in a stadium, and the exit.  As we are standing, guy walking down the concourse just yelling at everybody, "This isn't football.  This isn't football."  Security actually came up to us to ask what he was saying, because they thought he might be trying to start something.

21:20 - We refer to this game as a "Rock Fight" because of how poorly both teams are shooting.

21:23 -We found Waldo.  Student in the Michigan section dressed up as Waldo and got pictured on the Jumbotron.

21:47 - Halftime.  Michigan up 33-29.

21:59 - UConn's "Spirit Program" performs.  Not cheerleaders.  Spirt Program.  We are doomed as a country.

22:00 - UConn's mascot is still a furry.

22:21 - They show Bruce Pearl on the Jumbotron.  Everybody, and we mean EVERYBODY, Boos.

22:45 - During a second-half break, they play Journey's Don't Stop Believing, which apparently won a fan poll over Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi and the Black-Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling.  Kev-O goes, "Yeah.  This one is on us."

23:03 - We call time of death.

23:19 - Michigan wins the national championship!  Hail to the Victors!  Wait a minute.  We have not heard Hail to the Victors all night.  That is odd.

23:28 - Elliott Cadeau is named MOP.  

23:34 - There it is.  Hail to the Victors is finally being played.

23:58 - ONE SHINING MOMENT!

00:02 - Leave Lucas Oil Stadium.

00:15 - Loughmillers is closed!  Huh?

00:20 - To Ten Hands at the Westin.

00:39 - We get our drinks and are sitting out in the lobby.  A group of 6 or so people in the couch/table area next to us is talking about the game.  They are all Michigan fans.  One of them says that if Lendeborg had two good legs this would have been a much different game.  The only woman in the group said, "He had 2 good legs.  He didn't have 3 good legs!"

00:40 - One of the guys at the same table jokes, "Such bad shooting.  We need to fire the coach!"

00:45 - Pepster starts talking to the Michigan people next to us when one of them shows a picture on his phone of himself guarding Magic Johnson in high school.

01:03 - Checking some news about the game and The Score Mobile app has the headline, "Michigan Thrives in Rock Fight."  Were they listening in on our conversation from earlier?

01:05 - Enter our Uber home.  Way too much Drakkar Noir going on.  Either the driver spilled some, or he dropped off some high school kids earlier in the evening.

01:11 - Home.

01:17 - The Rundown is on.

01:32 - Pepster and Tony turn in.  Sinickal and Kev-O not far behind!

Final Four Chronicles: THE INTERREGNUM

 

Low-key day today with no games, and everything pointed toward our favorite Saint on this Easter Sunday, St. Elmo.  We will get to that, but also, a HUGE REVELATION!!!!

07:30 - We are all up and awake.

07:45 - Speaking with Racecar who was just informed about our MERCH STORE for Southwestern Central.  Her first comment:  "I hope you didn't spend any money for that," followed by her second, "Where is the women's merch?".  She ended it with, "You know I am not buying anything from there!"  In short:  (1) No; (2) We just went live, we will be updating it with women specific merch; and (3) Yes, we knew.

09:06 - Sinickal telling us about his conversation with Allison this morning about trying to figure out how to put our meeting with Sue and her friends into the blog.  Allison: "What do you mean figure out?  You just told me what happened."  Sinickal:  "Yeah, but we have to tell it funny."  Allison:  "You're not funny.  The blog posts aren't funny.  You are a little clever ... sometimes."  We are taking shots left and right.  I feel bad for Kevin, he's probably up next.

10:36 - As it is Easter Sunday, we are having our serious conversation about the resurrection.  Tony, who had a little incident shaving his head, looks like he is wearing the Blood of Christ.  Kev-O remarks that it has filled in nicely.

10:56 - It has gotten really cold here in Indianapolis and none of us are properly prepared. Kev-O notes that he should have thought to bring a light jacket. Tony replies "but, it is not April 25th." Happy early Miss Congeniality Day.

11:00 - In Uber to go eat.

11:11 - Enter Ralston's Draft House.

12:00 - The bartender definitely undersold us on the quality of the food.  She previously said that it was, "a little elevated bar food."  This was good.  Pepster's trio of Waffle tacos was amazing, especially the chorizo with goat cheese.  Sinickal's Smashed Patty Melt was spectacular.  Tony's traditional breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes was spot on.  Kev-O's pesto chicken flatbread was way better than any bar food should be!  We picked well.

12:10 - We noticed that ESPN The Ocho is on today.  Up first, the Bullshooter Invitational Shootout of Darts.  Later followed by Omegaball, and Wiffle Ball.

12:16 - Find out the bartender went to Indiana University.   She says she isn't really into basketball, because they aren't very good.  "Maybe they will figure it out.  Probably not."

12:46 - On a trip for a bio break, Sinickal has to walk past a table of UConn fans.  He tells them to enjoy your run since 1999, it will be shortlived!

12:46 - 14:29 - There is not enough time to put in here all of the different topics that this woman sitting behind us has an opinion on.  I will say that her friend showed up for an impromptu birthday party, wondered how the lady and her husband were already at Ralston's.  Lady said, "When we got the texts to meet at Ralston at 1:30, we were already here.

14:29 - FA Cup Quarterfinal before West Ham and Leeds goes to PKs.  (Not on the Ocho!)

14:42 - Pepster notices that in the shadowbox in the bar announcing upcoming events, Ralston's is hosting a Drag Brunch next Sunday.  Somewhere Mike Pence's mother is rolling in her grave.

15:00 - AKC Agility contest on the Ocho!  The table behind us with the lady starts analyzing all of the dogs in the contest.  We start evaluating the handlers as if this is the AKC/NFL combine.  Hip movements, backpedal, footwork, hand signals, all on the table. The handlers did not serve the racers well. 

15:02 - I am not saying that Dexter came here in a Subaru, but Dexter came here in a Subaru.  [Ed. Note - Dexter is a dog in the agility competition and we are evaluating handlers.]

15:18 - Sinickal is trying to find out how to bet on the AKC Agility contest.

15:24 - We have figured out that the AKC Agility contest is broken into categories of dogs by size (height).  The 24" category comes out.  They stop timing the dogs with a stopwatch and start using a calendar.

15:30 - We missed the start of the women's championship game.  TVs turn to UCLA - South Carolina.

17:11 - Trey and Tyler arrive.  Trey is Pepe's cousin's husband, and Tyler is his friend.  They are joining us for most of the remainder of the evening.

17:49 - UCLA wins.  Lauren Betts won Tournament MOP, but that game was controlled by Gabriela Jacquez, causing Pepster to remark, she is Hispanic like I am Hispanic!

18:18 - J.J. Spaun wins the Valero.

18:48 - As we were preparing to leave Ralston's to head toward our dinner reservations, two guys wearing Maguire University shirts enter the bar and sit down.  Something is off.  Pepster jokes that he found another fake university.

18:48:30 - Kev-O shows us this start of the wikipedia page for Maguire University.

To quote Danny Hurley's mom after Brylon Mullins hit the buzzer-beater to defeat Duke, "Holy Fucking Shit!"

There is another fake school that predates - by a lot - Southwestern Central.  The most important thing is that we came up with Southwestern Central independently.  It is also important to note that somehow Pepster knew immediately that Maguire University had to be fake.  You know how they say "Real recognize Real?"  Well apparently "Fake recognize Fake!"  It is weird that we have never ran into anyone or anything related to Maguire University before today.  

19:02 - In an Uber to St. Elmo.

19:14 - We are checked in for our 19:30 rezzie at St. Elmo.  This place is packed - befitting one of the truly great steakhouses in the country, nay, world.  We head across the street to Tom's Watch bar.

19:37 - After ordering and receiving a round of drinks, the six of us find a standing room only ledge and post up.  We stand next to a couple in UConn garb, and Sinickal starts up a conversation with them about Syracuse - surprise, surprise - and the old Big East.  Delightful conversation which culminated in the guy's spot-on impersonation of Bill Raftery's call of Pitt's Jerome Lane breaking the backboard on a dunk back-in-the day.

19:47 - Pepster receives the text from St. Elmo that the table is ready.  Pepster and Sinickal bid adieu to the UConn couple in mid-conversation about Dan Hurley's, um exploits, toward referees, especially how he received no discipline for the head butt in the Duke game.  UConn couple calls it the "head nuzzle".  Pepster tells them they can soft play it all they want, but a coach shouldn't even be head nuzzling an official.  Guy asks, "Are you a lawyer?"

19:53 - At table in St. Elmo.  In the basement room.  Apparently Jalen Rose is upstairs.

20:01 - We order the first round of drinks. Pepster orders a high-end bourbon as asks if they have big rocks. Sinickal angrily asks why he thinks a classic midwestern steakhouse wouldn't have big rocks.

20:15 - Seriously, if you have never been to St. Elmo and you like steakhouses, GO!!!  They have one starter/appetizer on the menu, shrimp cocktail, with the hottest/tastiest cocktail sauce you will ever have!  You can see some of the remnants in this photo.

20:47 - A large table of like 16 or so next to us gets up to start going to the restroom and leave, and just general rustling after the end of their meal.  We notice that many of them have this somewhat now recognizable green, orange, and white pins, bracelets, and other accoutrement.  We ask them about it.  THEY ARE WITH MAGUIRE UNIVERSITY!!!  One of the guys goes through the story.  This thing is apparently huge.  They have their own website, a portion of which covers THE ORIGIN STORY.  The primary guy talking to us says that we actually just missed the founder as he left a couple of minutes before we started to engage with them.  They give us bracelets and pins.

22:22 - Time to leave St. Elmo after a ridiculously good bourbon butter cake.  Still flabbergasted by Maguire University, Tyler looks them up a bit and notices that several years ago, "To comply with Title IX," they send a contingent of fans to the Women's Final Four in addition to the Men's.

22:29 - Enter Le Meridien hotel bar.  Yes, the Mike Tyson/Desiree Washington hotel bar.  We tell Trey and Tyler the greatest bar argument of all time story.

22:35 - Tony's order of a Paloma has one of the bartenders scrambling to find someone else to make it.  Not because he didn't know how, but because he is allergic to grapefruit juice.  And yes, this is a thing (we looked).

22:27 - Sinickal compliments the bartender on her bunny ears. She remarks that she loves festive holidays and enjoys dressing up for them (except for Flag Day or Arbor Day). Sinickal responds that he also likes festive holidays, which is why he is wearing all black. The bartender says "I like black also." Sinickal replies with "thank you."

23:01 - Pepster and Sinickal start arguing over the reasons Mike Tyson and Desiree Washington were in Indianapolis back in 1991.  Pepster believes Tyson was in town for the Indy Black Expo.  Sinickal thinks he was judging the Miss Black America contest.  [Ed. note - Desiree Washington was a contestant, having won Miss Black Rhode Island.]

23:12 - Somebody looks it up.  The Miss Black America contest was sponsored and promoted by the Indy Black Expo.  They were both right, AGAIN, in this same bar.

23:45 - Out of context quotation, "This is how an economy gets ruined by AI."

00:15 - Begin actual discussion about AI.

00:43 - Discussions turns to all of the jobs AI is going to take away (or not).

00:44 - Pepster remarks that the only jobs AI took away were point guards in the Chinese Basketball League.  Kev-O, who just sits-and-waits for a bad Pepster joke so he can chastise him, gives a Chef's Kiss.  [Ed. Note - This was a pretty good joke, but Kev-O might also be drunk].  [Ed. Note - Probably not the only one].

00:48 - We pay our tab and as we are awaiting our Uber, bartender just casually mentions that her best friend's son is Desmond Bane.

00:50 - In Uber, and an automated voice tells us all to put on our seatbelts.  Kev-O in the back states how that is too much work.  Sinickal responds, "Already did.  Not too much work for me."  Kev-O's retort, "Shut up Shotgun!"

00:51 - One of us may have said, "No one should ever let me have this many Manhattans!"

00:51:15 - "Sundown, Sundown, Sundown!"

00:54 - Arrive home.  Tony calls it a night.

01:00 - Find that Mr. 3000 is on television.  Learn that Bernie Mac apparently has good taste in women.

01:39 - Mr. 3000 finishes, Sinickal and Pepster both head up to bed after trying to wake Kev-O from the couch.  "He'll figure it out eventually," says Sinickal.

Freaking Maguire University!

Final Four Chronicles: THE SEMI-FINALS

 

A super unexpected night of games (not the outcomes, necessarily, but the WAY things played out.  Wow.  But we will get to that in due course.  First, we have to start from the beginning, especially given the absolutely EPIC brunch we had.  Here is day 2!!!

08:30 - We are all now up, and just hanging out on the connected front porches, with coffee (for most). 

 

08:42 - We already notice that there are A LOT of dogs in this neighborhood.  Pretty good sign we are in a nice place.

09:01 - A lady is out on her porch just yelling.  We don't know if she is yelling at someone inside the house, or at the side of the house, or at her dog in her front yard.  She is just yelling.  Sinickal states, "Please tell me that she is white." She was.

09:13 - All catching up on some recent political/military news, especially discussing the downed pilot.  Kev-O asks if we saw that Secretary Hegseth lifted the ban on having weapons on military bases.  Pepster says that at least it would make a good country song.  Seeing the other three are perplexed, he continues, you know, Try That in a Small Military Base!

09:22 - Guy stops his car in the middle of the road right in front of our house.  he sits for a bit so that we assume he is an Uber or Lyft driver.  He is not.  He is just trying to figure out how to engage the auto-parallel park feature on his Tesla.  The space could fit a bus or two!!!  Kev-O yells out, "Be a man."  

10:40 - Off to brunch.

10:52 - Park outside our brunch location.  There is a big sign that says "Welcome to the Big Dance" with a basketball next to it just sitting on the adjacent corner.  People are taking pictures in front of it.  Sinickal looks, turns to Pepster and says, "brunch right next to a dance studio, nice!"  Pepster had to admit that he actually made the same mistake when he first saw the sign.  We assume it was because of the pair of thighs obscuring part of the sign when we arrived.

10:58 - Enter The Fountain Room.  As we await the hostess who is gathering menus and the like, we notice this little decoration, that was actually the active sound system playing music throughout the restaurant.  We already think this is going to be a cool place.

Kev-O notices other parts of the stereo system just sitting as decorations around the restaurant and remarks that we are listening to about $20K worth of equipment.

11:00 - Ithiyia is our server.  She asks us who we are rooting for in the Final Four.  Sinickal says, a Bloody Mary.  Right now I am cheering for your cocktail list.  Ithiyia says, "Good choice.  I think it is going all the way this year."

11:12 - Maybe a weird thing to notice, but the drapes in this place are amazing.

11:14 - As we are remarking about the drapes, we notice a guy outside of his car on the street trying to figure out how to close his trunk.  It took him about four tries to realize that something was covering the sensor.

11:15 - Ithiyia - in continuing the sports metaphors - noted that she hit for the cycle, as all four of us ordered the steak and eggs.  

11:17 - The skillet cinnamon buns as a brunch appetizer were amazing!

11:18 - Who is Pam?

11:20 - Sinickal receives this message from long-time friend and supporter of Southwestern Central, "I am reading the Final Four Chronicles from an Irish Pub in Budapest."  The fact that we posted about Viktor Orban in yesterday's chronicle is not lost on us!

11:24 - Kev-O, who in fact does NOT love Southwestern Central, is launching his own school.  In explaining the name, location, meaning, importance, and symbolism of his school - which includes an important Supreme Court decision from 1811 - Pepster makes a historical reference in a joke about Supreme Court decisions made around that time.  Sinickal notes, "I love that Kev-O has given Pepster the opportunity to make Supreme Court humor.

11:37 - What a great skirt steak!!!!

11:50 - We notice a woman sitting by herself at a nearby table as a cupcake with candle in it is delivered. We ask if we can sing happy birthday to her and Ithivia asks "Can you sing?" We sing happy birthday anyway.

11:55 - A way too animated discussion about chimichurri sauce.  

11:57 - Somehow transitioned our discussion from chimichurri to Costco.  Pepster hates Costco.  Not the store, or its products, but the parking lots, and the crazy people that are always at Costco.  Sinickal says, "In Pepster's words, all of these things are self-evident!"

12:03 - Discussion of sundials.

12:04 - 6:30 is a sundown town in Northern Virginia for Kev-O.

12:10 - We are talking about Julius Caesar (because of the calendar change), which leads to a comment about the fact that the first known autopsy was performed on Julius Caeser.  Not necessarily important in and of itself, but ...

12:11 - Katie the Manager stops by to talk to us about the brunch drink menu and to apologize to us because, apparently, we had an old one, and Sinickal had ordered a drink that they can no longer prepare.  Sinickal asks her if she wanted to go back into the kitchen and come back with a steak knife to stab him in the back.  Tony says that we were just talking about Julius Caesar.  Katie's response, "Et tu, Brute?"

12:12 - This latest round of drinks came courtesy of the weather.  It is pouring outside.  Can't walk to the car now.

12:22 - We now notice that Katie the Manager is putting in work, a very hands-on manager.  She is all over this restaurant.  In fact, she just went into the back walk-in cooler to get something for one of the other employees.

12:33 - Discussing hollers.  Sinickal has to explain to Tony what a holler is.  Kev-O notes that Sinickal is literally translating from Hillbilly to Northeast Italian, like some weird Rosetta Stone.

12:50 - Ithiyia arrives with another round of drinks.  She walks up right as Sinickal is saying, "That is why she is really annoying."  Ithiyia says, "I didn't think I was THAT bad!"  [Ed. Note - He was not talking about Ithiyia.]

13:18 - Leave Fountain Room.

13:19 - Reminiscing about the olden days, or as Sinickal called it, "The sweatshirt over the ass AIDS phase!"

13:26 - Stop into a convenience store to buy beer.  Whoops.  Can't do that in Indiana.

13:26:30 - The convenience store worker says, "Good ole Indiana," then directs us to the liquor store 3 blocks away.

13:29 - Enter liquor store.  

13:31 - Couple that entered the convenience store after us just entered the liquor store.  We all notice each other and know that the exact same thing just occurred to them that happened to us.

13:52 - Back home.  Kev-O opens up his Grippo's BBQ chips.  These are REALLY good.  Apparently, it is the one thing that Cincinnati is known for.

15:00 - We were going to head downtown, but How I Met Your Mother is on, and it is the Robin Doesn't Go to the Mall/Slap Bet episode.  We are here for another 30 minutes.

15:42 - Uber arrives and we are on our way to Whistle Stop, the closest bar to Lucas Oil Stadium.  We need to be close because it is still raining.

15:52 - There is a line outside of Whistle Stop.  Not that long a line - especially when compared to the other bars near us - and we can stand under an awning.

16:00 - See a group of four guys wearing an orange t-shirt that says "Illinoisivic".

16:19 - As we are standing in the bar talking, Pepster and Kev-O start talking a little baseball.  Guy in Illinois gear, who looks way too much like Dr. Hodgins on Bones, says to us, "I did not have hearing a Moises Alou reference on my Final Four bingo card for today."  [Ed. Note - seriously, this guy was a dead ringer for Dr. Hodgins.  Here is a picture for reference.]

16:44 - As we are standing in Whistle Stop, a lady at the table next to us notices Kev-O's Kentucky shirt and asks him where he was from.  Turns out, she owns a condo in Kev-O's hometown, and has been vacationing there for 25 years.  Sue was her name, and it turns out she was at the Final Four with 5 other of her friends, all in their late 50's.  This is their 12th consecutive Final Four, and in their words, "This is our girls trip.  Husbands not invited!"  They are basically us.  We keep telling you that this event is a must-see, every year.

17:55 - Leave Whistle Stop for Lucas Oil.

18:02 - Enter Lucas Oil Stadium.

18:09 - Tip-Off.  Radio Silence.

18:33 - Who are we kidding.  During a timeout, the jumbotron contains some information introducing us to the teams.  It lists Illinois as being in Champaign, Illinois.  Kev-O immediately notices that it does not say "Urbana-Champaign" as is usually the case.  Pepster notes that it is because under the current administration anything hyphenated is considered DEI, and they don't want to lose their federal funding.

19:08 - UConn's mascot is definitely a furry.  Kev-O surmises that the person wearing the costume has to sign a contract requiring him/her to remove the UConn logo before attending any furry conventions.

20:01 - We move to the standing room only section from our seats, and end up next to what we are pretty sure a couple that will engage in domestic violence later, especially since they - and their friends - are decked out head-to-toe in Illinois gear.  We feel bad for the guy.  [Ed. Note - she is a trainwreck, and will warrant several mentions in this post.  We will call her DV for reference.]

UConn wins and advances to the finals.

20:55 - Chainsmokers "concert" between the games.  They are not good.  Pepster explains that "Chainsmokers" is American for "Coldplay!"

21:06 - In between games, DV comes into the middle of Pepster and Sinickal's conversation.  Asks them their names, calls Pepster a liar because she doesn't believe anyone has that name, and then says, "Guess what my name is.  Guess what name a girl who grew up in a shed on a farm would have."  Pepster guesses, "Baaaa!"  She goes "So close.  It's Alexandra."  We look at the guy she is with.  He just shrugs his shoulders.

21:08 - DV starts attempting to breakdance, on the concrete floor of the concourse.  Emphasis on "trying".  She would have lost to Raygun in the Olympics.  Then she comes back up to Sinickal and starts playing Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles on air piano.

21:12 - Since we were in the standing room only section, we were sharing a table with a couple who attended Illinois, and their daughter - who is a Purdue alumna but wearing a Illinois shirt because her father "paid for her college" - and her fiance'.  Very nice people.  Good conversations.  The fiance' says that after meeting us he wants to start a guys' trip to the final four.  But anyway, the daughter and her parents want to go walk around a bit, and says to us to keep their half of the table.  Pepster says, "Of course.  Unless your Eastern European players come up and try to annex it."

21:14 - DV comes back and is being uncomfortably close to Sinickal.  Not only does Sinickal put his hands in his pockets, he turns to Kev-O and says, "I am putting my hands in my pockets.  There will not be any confusion about this situation.  DV's man once again just shrugs.

21:16 - Tip-Off.  More Radio Silence.

21:38 - Time of Death.

22:00 - So one of the people hanging out with DV starts a conversation with Sinickal because he is wearing his Syracuse orange colors.  He says Illinois is the only true orange.  Sinickal reminds him that his school name is the Syracuse Orange!  [Ed. Note - we heard this conversation 1,100 times today.]  But, Dave is wearing a Chicago Bears jacket, so when Sinickal says "Bear Down!", Dave came up and properly introduced himself.

As a side note - This town is 75% Illinois fans.  The Michigan presence is disappointing, as is Arizona.  UConn - after having won 2 of the last 3 titles - just doesn't care.  Here is Illinois student section versus UConn's. 

One section is full.  The other is not.  And pretty much every Illinois fan is from Chicago.  Although we all know that means the northern and western suburbs.  Their defeat means this stadium will be a ghost town Monday night.

22:45 - Michigan goes up 56-36.  Time to leave.

22:51 - JESUS is it cold!!!

22:58 - Enter Loughmillers.  We beat the rush.  Several tables for us to choose from.

00:14 - Finishing up at Loughmillers.  Decide to Door Dash to the house.  For some reason, Arby's makes sense.  Sinickal places an Order.

00:15 - Arby's is not available for Door Dash.  White Castle it is.

00:26 - Enter our Uber.  A valet at the Westin hotel - which is next to Loughmillers and the location we gave for pickup to the Uber - literally yells at our driver for trying to enter Westin's driveway.  Uber driver rolls down his window and says, "You didn't have to yell.  You could be nice."

00:28 - TV Off by Kendrick comes on the radio.  Kev-O asks the driver if he could please turn up the radio.

00:28:15 - The driver turned up the radio so loud, that the sound was distorted and we were all about 2 decibels shy of bursting our tympanic membranes.

00:40 - At home, and The A-Team is on.  Sinickal is quoting the movie verbatim.

01:10 - White Castle arrives.

01:22 - Pepster calls it.

01:37 - Tony calls it.

At the conclusion of the A-Team - Sinickal and Kev-O call it. 

Final Four Chronicles: THE ARRIVAL

 

The time is here for another Final Four, and not only are UConn, Illinois, Michigan and Arizona here, your boys from WeMakeItRain are here as well, for another Final Four adventure!  This is a Good Friday indeed!

03:50 - Pepster up and headed to the airport and OH MY GOD is it early, to paraphrase Adrian Cronauer.

06:06 - Pepster wheels up to Charlotte from PBI (and yes, that is the name for a couple of more months!)

07:44 - Tony wheels up to Cincinnati.  He texts us to say he will see us In The Annapolis!

07:49 - Pepster touches down in CLT.

07:51 - Tony complains about people, specifically the couple with 2 kids in the seats across form him that are completely blocking passengers from boarding.  The mother has a nasally voice that makes his eyes bleed and the dad is wiping every crevice of the row as if he is being paid top dollar to do so.

8:28 - Sinickal arrives at DCA. In line for TSA, allows a woman to race past him to get through the scanners and gets randomly selected for additional screening. Good Friday is off to a good start.

8:32 - Sinickal meets Kev-O in the Sky Club. Bartender comes over to greet Sinickal and Kev-O shakes head realizing that he spends way too much time here.

8:38 - Sinickal and Kev-O toast bourbons to begin the trip.

09:31 - Sinickal and Kev-O are wheels up to Cincinnati from DCA.

09:40 - Having upgraded, Kev-O thinks he is about to enjoy a free perk of the upgrade when the flight attendant says to him, "Here is your drink Mr. Nichols!"  [Ed. Note - Mr. Nichols is Sinickal, not Kev-O].

10:16 - Tony touches down in CVG.

10:34 - Pepster receives notification that his flight to Indy is delayed AND changed gates to a different terminal.

11:38 - Sinickal and Kev-O wheels down at CVG.

12:06 - Lots of UConn attire on this flight.  Pepster wheels up to Indy.

12:10 - Pepster is sitting next to 13-year old Ethan who is going to the final four.  Ethan is going to the Final Four, and his "G-Pa" is many rows back, so he is by himself in the row.  They talk the entire flight, mostly about basketball and baseball.

13:00 - Ethan drops this gem, "The best part of being friends with people is making fun of them!"

13:52 - Pepster touches down in Indy.

13:56 - Sinickal, Kev-O and Tony arrive at Loughmiller's Pub. Sinickal orders a Busch Light. Tony seems confused by this.

14:17 - Two gentlemen at baggage claim wearing Duke "We want 6" shirts.  Not this year pals!

1420 - Sinickal's friend Anne joins the group. She is an engineer with the Indiana DOT that Sinickal has known for years through work. She just keeps commenting that drinking with this friend group is "adding a lot of context."

14:41 - Pepster texts the group to tell them he is in his RideShare.

14:41:20 - Kev-O to Pepster, "Do you mean Uber?  So help me God if you took an Indrive!"

15:00 - Pepster enters Loughmillers, and WE ARE WHOLE!!!

15:15 - Kev-O to the rest, "You can come on this trip and not love the Scorpions!

15:34 - Tony, "This story is still going on"!

16:48 - If you turn them all sideways they look like plates!

17:54 - Off to our AirBnB!

Side note - this place is nice.  It is actually a duplex, and we have both sides.  Standup video game machines in each on the first floor - multiple bedrooms upstairs, good location close to downtown!  Good work Sinickal.

17:55 - Realize we forgot to hit the grocery store.  Well, that'll have to wait until tomorrow.

19:18 - Finish watching John Oliver's Last Week Tonight on Viktor Orban!  Pure genius!!!

20:02 - Exit Uber in downtown Indy in front of the Canterbury Le Meridian hotel and immediately see Roy Hibbert on the corner.

20:12 - Decide to head into Encanton Alebrije for some Mexican eatin!  (Thanks Sir Mix-a-Lot).

20:14 - Prime seat at the bar in front of the television with the UConn-South Carolina women's game on.

20:16 - Cadillac margaritas all around!

20:33 - Pepster receives a text from Rich Samuels, a friend and participant in the NCAA Tournament Pool, checking on Indy.  Frequent readers of the Final Four Chronicles might remember Rich from Houston in 2023, as his Hurricanes made the Final Four that year.

20:50 - Fajitas and Enchiladas arrive!

21:12 - Geno Auriemma is PISSED!!!

22:00 - A couple in head-to-toe Wisconsin gear sit next to Kev-O.  They are in town for the Final Four.

Wisconsin fans casually mention that their first Final Four was in 2015, when Wisconsin got Duked.  We all know what they mean.  [It turns out they have been to each Final Four since then.  We mean it when we say this is an experience.  You can't beat it!]

So, as this was the second Duke dig of the day, it is definitive that Duke got crucified today, and they won't likely rise until next season.

22:04 - She casually refers to her husband as a trash panda.

22:08 - We bid our Wisconsin friends adieu and head out of Encanton Alebrije. Walk around downtown for a bit.  It is busy!!!

22:22 - Enter Yardhouse.  this place is packed.  Standing room only in the bar area right now.  UCLA-Texas on the televisions.  It is definitely basketball-focused this weekend.

22:25 - Round of drinks includes a half-yard for Sinickal.

22:45 - Out of context quotation, "I was concerned about the integrity of the porcelain as a note!"

[Kev-O Editor's note: This was due to entering the bathroom as one of the largest men I have ever seen was emptying his bladder at a very concerning decibel level. I hope he finds a urologist soon.]

23:16 - Time to uber home.

23:27 - Arrive at home.  Pepster immediately calls it a night.  [Ed. Note, he has been done for about 45 minutes now.]

Time Unknown - Sinickal, Tony, and Kev-O call it.

Amtrak Basketball Classic - the Redux

 

Last year, as a preparatory trip to the Final Four, your boys Kev-O, Pepster, and Sinickal planned a trip to watch basketball centered around the two cathedrals of the sport:  Madison Square Garden and the Palestra.  MSG - the world's second most famous arena - should go without saying, but the Palestra, former home of the entire Big Five of Philadelphia basketball, and now current home of some of the Big Five, is a cozy cathedral that is a much-see location for all hoop headz.  Why do we call it the Amtrak Basketball Classic?  Because Sinikal and Kev-O live in the DMV, so Pepster flew into Reagan National to meet them, and the three of us Amtraked to NYC for the noon tip-off there, and then Amtraked to Philly for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off there (and then back to the DMV).  Let's just say the trip was so fantastic, that we had to do a redux, and was such a blast that others insisted on being included this time - a total of 10 people!!!  So, we (pseudo-live) blogged it!

Friday, February 20

11: 49 a.m. - Pepster and Bill arrive at PBI for their flight to Reagan National.

11:57 - TWISTED TRUNK at the airport!!!  Why is this even mentioned?  Because Twisted Trunk was a favorite Palm Beach watering hole of Pepster and Bill that closed a few months ago, and we had no idea one opened up in the airport!!!

12:00 p.m. - First drink; Bloody Maria for Bill and Double Down Hazy Double IPA for Pepster.

13:11 - Lady at the gate in a Florida Panthers "Tkachuk Around and Find Out" tee shirt.  She is obviously ready for the semi-final Olympic men's hockey game today!

13:14 - Announcement of no Wi-Fi on the plane!

15:40 - Pepster and Bill land.

16:38 - Arrive at Sinickal's house.

18:18 - Sinickal, Pepster and Bill arrive at Duffy's, a local establishment that has announced they are closing their doors at the end of shift February 28.  Women at the very first table wearing a "Chinga La Migra" shirt.   God do we love DC!

19:08 - Sinickal and Allison, who has just recently joined us at Duffy's, are talking to Rick, a bartender at Duffy's. Sinickal is leading an animated discussion about Rick being without his phone for quite sometime because he left it in a Lyft. Rick states that he just communicates through Instagram if he needs to speak to his kids, but he is mostly incommunicado.  Sinickal, "That is very 1992 of you.  I hope you don't die of dysentery!"

20:01 - Brandon, Pepster's brother who actually lives in Jersey City but is currently in Miami for work but was planning to join the festivities tomorrow, texts to say that his plane has been delayed multiple times out of Miami, and he can no longer get back into town until Sunday.  We are down to 9.

21:28 - Allison heads home while Sinickal, Pepster and Bill head to Trusty's.  GREAT dive bar, which only recently took a stray through its window, and with great homemade onion dip.  Yes, I typed what I typed.

Time Unknown - Back to the crib.

Saturday, February 21

6:00 a.m. - Pepster, Bill and Sinickal are all awake; boy is it early!  Gonna be a long day.

6:50 - The three of us head to Union Station with the wonderful Allison as our chaffeur.

6:58 - Enter Union Station.

7:00 - Run into Mick in line for breakfast at McDonald's.  We are now 4!

7:15 - Our 7:30 departure for the Vermonter is delayed.  They have to remove a car, making the trip more congested.  They also announce that because of this, time at tables in the Cafe Car will be limited to twenty (20) minutes.  Uh Oh!

7:20 - While in line for boarding, we see Brian make it into the line.  We are now 5!

7:45 - Begin boarding.

8:02 - Onboard in the car next to the Cafe Car.  The 5 of us are a bit spread out, but still close enough to annoy the rest of the passengers - if we wanted to do so.

8:10 - Cafe car is open.  We head back, take a table or 2, and order 2 Dogfish Head 90 minute IPAs, 6 Stella's and 2 Michelob Ultras.  Not apiece.

8:15 - Two ladies and 1 younger man join the cafe car and sit at a nearby table.  They are discussing their order.  The young man says he doesn't want anything because he is still drunk.  Sinickal then asks the other two, "Are you still drunk?"  One lady responds, "No, I am his mother!"  Sinickal retorts, "I didn't ask who you were.  I just asked if you were still drunk.

9:20 - Simcox - Sinickal's college roommate at Syracuse - joins us at the Baltimore stop.  We are now 6!

9:35 - After ordering 2 Stone IPAs, Simcox sits down while Pepster and Sinickal are re-telling the story of the greatest argument they ever had, which involves the Canterbury Hotel and Mike Tyson.  Simcox asks, why didn't you just look it [the answer to the argument] up?  Sinickal's response of "That isn't what we do. In 20 years, I hope to be sitting in the corner of a black barbershop having a similar argument with someone" prompts an immediate spit-take from Simcox.  Unfortunately for Pepster, Simcox was sitting right across the table from him!  It is only 9:30!

9:45 - Simcox realizes that the conductor walked by and did not ask for his ticket.

10:02 - Random out-of-context quotation, "If you can't fuck up a step kid, who can you?

10:39 - As we approach Newark, New Jersey, we have officially drank the cafe car out of Stella Artois.

10:42 - The conductor walks by us, points at his watch and says, "Your 15 minutes in the Cafe Car is almost up.  It has been 2 1/2 hours.

10:49 - Random discussion about arson.

10:50 - Kev-O arrives at Bourbon and Branch, followed shortly by Tony and Pete.  Tells the rest of us he is posted up at the back of the bar.

11:15 - Tony orders cheesesteak egg rolls and other assorted appetizers to be waiting for us when we arrive.

11:18 - Arrive at NY Penn Station (under MSG), and head to Bourbon and Branch (one block away).

11:38 - Pepster, Sinickal, Bill, Mick, Brian, and Simcox arrive at Bourbon and Branch.  We are now officially 9.  Bourbons all around.  No chance of drinking this place out of Bourbon - especially for a noon tip-off.

12:01 p.m. - Guy in the MSG concourse wearing a Colorado "Prime" Hoodie.

12:21 - In our seats for the St. John's - Creighton game.  Creighton isn't at their best, but they did just beat UConn earlier in the week in a game that featured a brawl and ejections for both teams.

12:34 - Woman sitting behind us proclaims, "We didn't get tickets for Wicked so we ended up here!

13:51 - With 8:00 left in the game, Pepster calls "Time of Death" for Creighton.  Head back to Penn Station for group drinks and maybe some food.

14:07 - Post up at "Irish Exit" in Moynihan Hall.

14:14 - As Pepster saunters up to the counter of the pizza place in the food hall, Pete methodically approaches Pepster and says to follow him.  They exit the station, cross the street, and go to another pizza place.  "Best slices in the city," says Pete.  They were.

14:54 - Board the Amtrak train to Philly sans Kev-O, who had to stay in New York.  We are now 8!

15:17 - Random discussion around us in which the phrase, "I threw the olive in there to confuse you" is heard.  Sinickal - "That's what she said!"

15:29 - I like pictures.

15:32 - Our group is now arguing with National Park Service volunteers who have commandeered a single table in the Cafe Car, leaving Pepster to have to stand in the aisle.  At least they start inundating us with National Park trivia.  They are angry as we are questioning everything they ask (and rightfully so - poorly worded questions).  For example, they ask how many Americans were killed at a specific battle in the Civil War.  We ask if they are counting the Confederate soldiers, and if certain of the killed are only counted as 3/5ths of a person.  They hate us.  Oh, and we are also answering almost every question correctly.  This continues through Philly.

15:33 - We have to text Kev-O about the trivia arguments so he feels a part of the remainder of the trip.

15:40 - Kev-O is pissed that he just went to the restroom and discovered his fly was down.  I think he is pissed that none of us told him, but none of us really checked to be honest.

15:40:28 - Brian does a "safety" check of his own.

15:45 - "We call it Amtrak but some call it the train!"

15:58 - Brian is the first to fall asleep.

16:02 - Kev-O arrives at Long Room in the theater district for a dinner by himself, as he waits to meet up with his wife for a show this evening.

16:33 - A Pediatrician is giving out candy.  What is a better cover than that?  Also, someone was talking about their friend being a JetBlue flight attendant and asking, "What is better than that?"  We immediately reply, "A Delta flight attendant!"

16:35 - Uber to Live Casino.  Takes longer than it should.  We immediately take a free shuttle to XFinity arena.  In short, we paid $25 to take a free shuttle.

17:27 - Enter Xfinity Arena.

17:30 until 19:48 - Not really good basketball.  All told, we saw 23 minutes of good basketball in two games.

18:15 - Kev-O texts asking for Proof of Life in Philly.

18:28 - Kev-O texts that he is getting some very discerning looks from a bartender who may or may not serve him another drink.

18:29 - Sinickal's response to Kev-O, "You should have just gotten on the train."

19:22 - Leave Xfinity arena.  Heading to the SEPTA to go to The Post downtown near 30th Street Station.

19:25 - Kev-O texting asking if their is a Norwegian form of seppuku.  Turns out he is watching the 50km freestyle cross-country skiing race and a Norwegian athlete - who will win the bronze medal as the third best in the world and is 2 minutes faster than 4th place - is still only the third best in his country.  Pepster calls this the "Evgeni Malkin," who was easily a top 5 hockey player of his generation, but never the best on his club (Sidney Crosby) or in his country (Alex Ovechkin).

19:45 - Kev-O, again referencing the Cross-Country race, "I hope Klaebo is Norwegian for punching cervixes in the Olympic village!"

19:53 - Brian - "I think Kev-O is the drunkest out of all of us, and he still has to make that show!"

20:00 - Kev-O made the show!!!

20:20 - Enter The Post.  For a University of Pennsylvania/Drexel University sports bar, this place is deserted.

21:45 - Hop on the train heading south to DC.  This train is packed.  NO space in the Cafe Car.  We have to spread out in one car after Sinickal purchased 12 Stellas.  There are only 2 left.  Tony and Pete head back to NYC.  We are now 6 again!

22:00 - People leave the train at various stops, and we start to consolidate into adjacent rows.

22:09 - Now in a row by himself, Bill becomes the second to fall asleep.

Time Unknown (forgot to look at our watches/phones) - Simcox exits in Baltimore.  We are back to being 5.

23:21 - Brian goes to the cafe car to get one last round of beers in New Carrolton before we have to exit.  They won't sell anything to him as the bar is closed.

23:40 - Exit at Union Station.  Bid adieu to Mick.  The remaining 4 (Sinickal, Bill, Brian and Pepster) head to Union Pub.

23:46 - Enter Union Pub.  I swear there must have been a Heritage Foundation mixer (its offices are across the street.)

Time Unknown - Say goodbye to Brian, as Pepster, Sinckal and Bill head back to Silas' home.

Sunday, February 22

4:05 a.m. - Sinickal is out of bed to ride with Allison and Bill to the airport. Allison rolls over and is clearly not going to the airport.

4:20 - Bill and Sinickal leave for DCA. Sinickal and Allison's dog Dobber loudly expresses his disapproval of the noise on the lower level of the house. Pepster is unaware that any of this is going on.

6:00 - Bill's flight to PBI takes off.  OMG it's early.

8:08 - Kev-O at the train station in NYC to complete his weekend trip.  Mentally ill person screaming, "Tiger up your butt; prostitutes cost $100!"

8:10 - Puck drop for the Men's Olympic gold medal hockey game!

8:51 - Kev-O remarks on the Naloxone ads at Newark Penn Station.

9:05 - Brian wants to know what the Over/Under was on the mentions of the Miracle on Ice game during the gold medal match.  Notes they are at 9 already midway through the second period.

9:12 - Wayne Gretzky is shown on the television as being in the audience with the announcer stating "The Greatest Canadian of All-Time."

9:12:11 - Pete textually exclaims, "That's John Candy you dumbass!"

10:34 - Heading to OVERTIME!  FREE HOCKEY!

10:55 - JACK HUGHES!!!

11:40 - Sinickal, Pepster, and Allison enter Bar Chinois for bottomless brunch.

11:47 - Brian joins.

11:49 - Brad, Pepster's law school roommate, joins.

GREAT BRUNCH!  HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

13:59 p.m. - Enter Irish Times. Chosen because it is a really convenient to drive Pepster to the airport and it is super nostalgic for Pepster and Brad.

16:06 - Pepster through security at DCA.

16:11 - Pepster at cafe near his gate, they sell Cafe Cubano!!!  Feels compelled to buy one!

20:20 - Pepster arrives at home.

All - Already contemplating next year's trip.  The Palestra has to be included in Philly instead of the Xfinity Center, as its proximity to downtown and the train station allows for less wasted time in travelling to the arena.  Unless the Brightline allows for some combination of UCF (Orlando), FAU (Boca Raton), and University of Miami (Coral Gables).  Stay tuned!