The Southwestern Central Scorpions Merch Store is Here!

You have asked about it. 

We have answered. 

There is a Merch Store for the Southwestern Central Scorpions Basketball Team! Yes. After years of chronicling the travels of the coaching staff at the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention (or as you know it, the Final Four), the coaching staff and administration are ready to share our college with you. 

We are still building our our inventory, but you can visit us at this link and shop from a variety of items. Polos, hats, hoodies, long and short sleeve t-shirts all with that signature SWC Scorpion logo. 

Please visit the merch site. We think you will like the apparel. Also, please let us know what else you would like to see in store. 

As always, Stick 'Em Scorpions!

Sinickal

The Southwestern Central Scorpions: An Origin Story

There is a lot going on in the blog right now with two tournament pools and a chronical of our trip to San Antonio to attend the Final Four. If you are reading the Chronicles, you have probably noticed that the Southwestern Central University Scorpions have a prominent role in the proceedings. 

I have been asked. So, let's go ahead and answer some frequently asked questions

Who are the Southwestern Central Scorpions?

Southwestern Central University is the brainchild of this blogs founders. We represent as a small National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school approximately located near the Northeastern Panhandle of Oklahoma. The Fighting Scorpions don the red and black as primary colors and boast a proud basketball tradition dating back nearly 20 years.

Is Southwestern Central is a fake college?

That depends. While we do not play a traditional schedule of games, or maintain academic facilities and a paid faculty, our administration is serious about our status as a premier, small school basketball power.

How was Southwestern Central founded?

Glad you asked! In 2007, Sinickal, Pepster and Hopps were at the Final Four in Atlanta GA. During an unplanned social event at a bar called Jack's and Jill's, your blog team was having an animated debate about the future professional prospects of University of Kansas freshman center Cole Aldrich. After a Final Four debut with 7 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in a win against Tyler Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tarheels, this is exactly the debate you are supposed to have. Anyway, some assistant coaches overhear our conversation and ask us where we coach. An idea was born.

Did the Southwestern Central coaching staff really attend the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention?

Well, sort of. In 2015, the Southwestern Central coaches did arrive in Indianapolis IN with the intention of crashing the convention. We were able to get into the convention center and wandered by a conference session on Managing Player Social Media Use. We ultimately decided to go a different direction with our time at the final four.

Do you really hold an annual coaches meeting?

Of course we do! Generally in conjunction with the Final Four. The planning meeting occurs on the Sunday of the weekend and involves good food and drink. It is a great way for us to understand evolution in the game such as the intricacies of working in the transfer portal as an NAIA school.

How many Final Fours have you been to as a coaching staff?

For Sinickal, this is the 17th Final Four attended in person. As you know this is my favorite event every year. As for Southwestern Central, the staff has attended nine Final Fours together since 2015. The staff has changed over the years as we have added and lost coaches, but Sinickal and Pepster have attended all of them.

Which was your favorite Final Four?

Hard to say all of them have been a lot of fun. If I had to pick one, I would say it was Indianapolis in 2015. The coaches planning meeting was at St Elmo Steakhouse. Shortly after the meetings, Southwestern Central was validated in its quest for recognition when a couple of assistants from Yale University engaged us in a long conversation about our school and staff. 

Pepster and Sinickal had arrived!

Does the University have gear, and is there a place for fans of the Scorpions to purchase?

Of course we have gear. In fact, below are some additional pictures from coaches meetings over the years. While our primary colors are red and black, we have several alternate uniforms. Those are in black, green and blue. Unfortunately, there is no team store yet, and we have not made gear available to the public.

What's next for the Scorpions?

We will continue to represent the university at upcoming Final Fours and we will continue to innovate in our look and feel as a basketball factory.

We look forward to the remaining chronicles here in San Antonio, then next year in Indianapolis IN!

--Sinickal

The Final Four Chronicles: The Arrival

Yes, it is that time of year again folks, where the good men of WeMakeItRain - well 2/3 of us - and the coaching staff of Southwestern Central - well 3/4 of us - and good friend head west to the promised land of the Final Four and the National Association of Baskebtall Coaches annual conference, this year held in Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale.  I know I have written this before, but the NCAA says the Final Four is in Phoenix, but it is actually in Glendale, but we are anchored in Scottsdale.  We will see all three of these cities, and also some guest appearances as well, especially since Sinickal's parents live in Scottsdale.  As always, all times are local and remain in the same time zone as previous entries until a change is noted.  If something occurs mid-flight, the entry will remain in the time zone in which the flight originated until landing in a different zone. [Ed. Note from Sinickal: Pepster is an attorney]

Thursday, April 4

20:30 E.D.T. - Tony Wheels up to Phoenix.

20:32 - Tony notes that his flight has a ton of UConn folks on it, and they are still the quietest fan base.  [Ed. note - last year's UConn fans didn't celebrate as we thought fitting of a championship team, and we were in the UConn host bar a lot.]

20:56 - Kev-O remarks that they have 5 titles this century, and they can't be bothered to be rowdy.

20:57 - Followed by "They don't deserve [Dan] Hurley as coach.

Friday, April 5

00:00 MDT - Tony lands in Phoenix.

04:28 EDT - Pepster departs for FLL.

05:20 - As Pepster enters the parking lot, Fat Joe featuring Li'l Wayne's We Make It Rain comes on Flex2K.  Our anthem coming on at this point in time, must be a sign.  To get yourself in the appropriate mood, give it a listen.  Fat Joe ft. Li'l Wayne

05:21 - Pepster sends the crew this photo.

04:57 - Sinickal spots Kev-O a few people ahead of him in the Clear line. Tries to get his attention, but he is both still asleep and in his phone.

05:22 - Kev-O and Sinickal meet up in DCA.  They are on the same first leg to MSP, but on different flights to PHX.

05:36 - Plane boarding and staff hierarchy is clear. Sinickal is in first class and a clearly annoyed Kev-O flips him off on his way to coach. 

05:48 - Pepster notes that the airport bars don't open until 8:00 in Fort Lauderdale.

05:50 - Sinickal - "I can't believe the State of Florida would ban the right of the people to drink at anytime though.  Not like them."

05:53 - Pepster, "Free State of Florida, my ass!"

05:54 - Kev-O joins in, "Thanks a lot DeSanctimonious!"

07:00 - Pepster sees that his flight is delayed until 7:52.

07:01 - Sinickal to Pepster, "You still can't drink though!"

04:04 MST - Tony says, "If your flight is delayed a little longer you might get one in!"

[Ed. Note - definitely too early to drink even if open, but still seems remarkable that an airport is full, and most places - not just bars - were closed.]

07:48 CDT - Sinickal and Kev-O arrive in Minneapolis and hustle to the Delta Sky Club. The drinking journey begins. Kev-O with vodka and Sinickal with bourbon. Sinickal notes that this ain't Florida.

08:50 - Sinickal and Kev-O are on different flights to Phoenix. Kev-O departs for his. 

10:33 EDT - Pepster's brother in Jersey City and sister in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, as well as Tony's brother in Queens, all text to say they were just in an earthquake.  Everyone is good though.

7:40 MST - Tony texts a graphic about the earthquake showing the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey.

10:43 EDT - Pepster responds, "Lebanon, huh?  Probably not the worst explosion that will happen in Lebanon this weekend.

7:45 MST - Tony replies, "Poor Lebanon.  First they come under attack due to crazy neighbors and then to be related to a location in New Jersey.  Tough week for them."

10:03 MDT - Pepster reads a group e-mail involving some friends primarily centered around college.  One of them says, "Not as bad as ones I felt when I lived in Cali. 4.8 out of 10.  Would quake again." 

10:04 - Pepster lands in Denver.

10:27 - Pepster sees a guy who is approximately 5'9" tall, and 285 pounds wearing a Colorado Buffaloes t-shirt that says "I'm not hard to find!"  

11:10 - Pepster wheels up to PHX.

10:53 MST - Kev-O lands in Phoenix.

13:08 CDT - Sinickal just got a notification that his golf clubs were put on Kev-O's earlier flight from Minneapolis.

11:48 MST - Kev-O enters Chelsea's Kitchen in the airport.

12:30 - Pepster arrives in Phoenix.

12:39 - On the way to baggage claim, Pepster passes a step-and-repeat for the Final Four with a DJ spinning dance music.  This city seems prepared!

12:52 - Pepster meets up with Kev-O in Chelsea's Kitchen, as we await Sinickal's arrival. (Note: Pepster finally gets a drink.)

12:53 - Sinickal arrives in Phoenix.

13:12 - Sinickal is grabbing his bags and going to pick up the rental car, says it'll be about 30-40 minutes.  Kev-O and Pepster order another round.

13:42 - From Sinickal, "In the car, will be on north side in about 10 minutes."

13:48 - Sinickal asks us from what door did we exit.  We tell him we are at Door 27 north.  Sinickal is three minnutes out.

13:49 - Sinickal asks "Are you sure it is Door 27?"

13:58 - Sinickal driving the rental car pulls up to the curb to pick up Kev-O and Pepster, only when he gets out of the car, it isn't Sinickal.  The driver apologizes to us as if he did something wrong by vaguely looking like Sinickal behind tinted windows.  This posting is the first time Sinickal and Tony know this happened.

14:01 - Sinickal again, "Are you sure it's Door 27?"

14:05 - Sinickal continues, "That door doesn't exist."

14:10 - It certainly does!

14:11 - Yes, the door exists, but Kev-O realizes we were at Departures on Level 2, not Arrivals on Level 1.  We're idiots.

14:26 - Kev-O tells Pepster and Sinickal that he prepped for this Final Four by studying a map of the panhandle of Oklahoma, as he is still trying to figure out where Southwestern Central is located.  [Ed. Note - it's in the northeast corner of the panhandle.]

14:33 - Since we cannot get into the AirBnB until 3, a quick stop at Fate Brewing after we pass an establishment that Bob Lanier "turned Sinickal on to."

14:34 - Guy across the bar wearing a t-shirt that reads:

                                                                Jesus

                                                                Booger

                                                                Lonnie

                                                                Mance

                                                                & Sip 

Gotta love He Got Game.

14:56 - Tony heads to the AirBnB in a Waymo!!!  "This is wild," he says.

15:02 - Tony arrives safely at AirBnB.

15:04 - The rest arrive at the AirBnB.

15:33 - Heading to Albertsons for "supplies."

15:38 - Kev-O sees a distraught mother in the parking lot and remarks, "She definitely beats her kids!"  To be fair, they looked like they deserved it.

15:44 - Full liquor sold in the grocery store.  And we thought Florida was a "free" state.

16:12 - Pepster sees his first pedi-bar.  He hates those things.  And to those that say, but you can pedal and get to drink with your friends.  Pepster says, I can drink with my friends in a bar.

16:13 - Kev-O states that he lived in Nashville for 8 years and he is certainly with Pepster.

16:14 - Sinickal to Kev-O, "But your hatred is not as visceral.  You need more bass in your voice!"

16:20 - Enter Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.

16:28 - Order wings.

Mostly radio silence as the first women's Final Four game is on between NC State and South Carolina.  South Carolina rolls.

17:54 - DJ Burns' sister just checked in for NC State.

18:52 - Leave Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.

18:54 - While walking to the car, see a lot of bikers at the Mexican restaurant next to Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.  Kev-O notices one of them and says, "Can you really be a Harley-Davidson guy and wear Skechers?"

18:56 - Kev-O realizes that we all hobbled out of Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers.  Discuss whether it is age creeping up on us, or the fact that our bodies are three hours ahead.  We note it is the time change.

18:58 - Another f'in pedi bar.

19:00 - Enter Coach House.  See Danielle and Trey, Pepster's second cousin and second cousin-in-law [Ed. Note - her husband] from Seattle.  They are in town for - you guessed it - THE FINAL FOUR.  Trey is a proud alumnus of Purdue who wasn't around for their last Final Four appearance, so they made sure to come to this one!

19:01 - Sinickal and Kev-O commence the first of many games of Golden Tee.  [Ed. Note - This turned out to  be the only game of Golden Tee.]

19:02 - Before too many beers are consumed Pepster informs Danielle and Trey that they will be mentioned in the blog and asks if there is a preferred moniker other than their names.  They both agree they are just happy to be mentioned, so no alias necessary.

19:07 - Danielle is remiss that she didn't come wearing her school gear - Coastal Carolina - as everybody else had donned clothing from their respective alma mater, even those schools not in the Final Four.

Radio Silence as a lot of people are watching the Iowa-Connecticut women's final four game.  Apparently that Caitlyn Clark is popular.  Who knew?  [Ed. Note - we did.]

19:57 - Danielle and Trey start their inquiry of Sinickal - whose parents live in Scottsdale - as to where they could get something good to eat that is close.

20:31 - Very questionable illegal screen called against UConn.

20:42 - Danielle and Trey still probably in need of food, but have an other drink to hang out with us instead!

21:08 - Band at the Coach House breaks into Bust a Move, then tells the crowd that it was a song by Young MC. This would be funny if we had a picture of the band.

21:15 - Pepster notes that he is tired and says out loud that unlike us Danielle and Trey did not have to go through a time change to get to Scottsdale. Sinickal remarks that they probably aren't thirsty either. 

21:24 - We decide it is time for us to go home, but not before a picture to send to the Sosa/Perez family.  Please excuse the bad lighting, it was the bar's fault.

21:26 - We head home.

21:29 - Back home.  Commence eating potato chips bought earlier at Albertsons.  Wondering if Danielle and Trey ever found food ...

21:43 - Big Wigg - Pepster's friend from West Palm who now lives in Tucson texts to coordinate plans for the morning.  That's right, Big Wigg is joining!  Gonna be a crew!

21:46 - Pepster retires for the evening.

Final Four Chronicles - Q&A

 

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.

Q:  How hard is it to find Southwestern Central?

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.

Final Four Chronicles - The Semi-Finals

THE SEMI-FINALS

Day 3

Saturday, March 31, 2018

            We all wake up flummoxed on the events of yesterday, and a little tired as it was a long, long day.  But that is OK because today is all about the basketball.  We have semi-final action between Loyola and Michigan, followed by Kansas versus Villanova.  As much as this trip is about friendship, camaraderie, having fun and good cities – the purpose is basketball, and that starts today.

6:30 – Road to the Final Four 5K registration.

8:00 – Road to the Final Four 5K race begins.

7:30 – 8:40 – We all wake up.  Thus, once again we missed the Road to the Final Four 5K.  Congratulations to all participants who helped to raise money for the Coaches versus Cancer charity and other pediatric oncology servicing organizations.

8:51 – Hopps and Tony make a coffee/breakfast run.  Some days breakfast sandwiches just taste better.

9:41 – Sinickal and Tony just now receive the text that Hopps and Pepster ducked into the Republic of Texas last night.

9:47 – Hopps screams out Oh My God!  Nobody moves, turns around or in any way acknowledges Hopps.  Sinickal notes that we should be worried that nobody even flinches when he does that anymore.

10:13 – SportsCenter showing the Cleveland Cavaliers highlights, specifically about LeBron breaking the consecutive games record for scoring double digit points.  Hopps, at the dining room table behind everyone in the living room, exclaims that LeBron has three people above him.  After a brief pause, Pepster turns his head, rolls his eyes and says, “OK, I’ll bite.  Who are the three?”  Jordan (of course) Russell (Hopps is a Boston homer) and Magic (at least he didn’t say Bird).  [Ed. Note – Not a bad three, but if Chamberlain switches places with Russell, the Celtics probably have 15 or 16 championships in a row, and although Magic is great, he might not even be the best Laker.  See Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem.

11:00 – We turn on Thursdays episode of the Dan BeBatard Show just to hear his live call of Ian Happ’s home run on the first pitch of the entire MLB season against the Marlins.  The call consists of massive laughter, screaming, the phrase “Welcome Derek Jeter” and “That concludes our Marlins coverage for the season.

11:10 – We decide to watch Friday’s episode of the Dan LeBatard Show because he is hilarious.  The highlights, Stugotz’s rant on Sister Jean which concludes by him saying, “If Loyola makes it to the Championship game, I guarantee she makes it into the Basketball Hall of Fame” (then under his breath “Mo Cheeks”) .  For those that don’t know, former Philadelphia Sixer Very Good (I cannot call him great) was just elected into the basketball Hall of Fame, along with such luminaries as Dino Radja and Charlie Scott.  Another highlight of the show is LeBatard’s interview with Ice-T, who admits that growing up he robbed banks.  When LeBatard tells him that he might want to disclaim that and say he was just joking on the air, Ice-T mentions that “We have a wonderful thing is this country called the Statute of Limitations.”

11:13 – In the entrances and exits of the Dan LeBatard Show, the camera pans out from a picture of the beach.  Today – or actually Friday’s show, we clearly see a red and blue flag hanging from the lifeguard tower, which Pepster points out generally means no swimming because of rough, or rip tides (red) and Portuguese Man-O-War (blue).  Tony the exclaims that he hopes President Trump doesn’t find out the Portuguese are getting into the country via the shore.  And this concludes the political portion of the show.

11:30 – Pepster and Sinickal struggle with which 30 for 30 to watch on demand.  Settle on something basketball related, and decide not to watch any of them because we don’t want to get stuck going down that rabbit hole and end up missing the games.

12:40 – Leave for downtown.

13:19 – Lost Hopps already.

13:21 – Strong Michigan entry into the Riverwalk

13:30 – Pop into the Thirsty Aztec.  Young college-aged kid wearing a Villanova Scottie Reynolds jersey exits the establishment saying loudly, “I didn’t realize until I just realized”.

13:42 – Walking down the Riverwalk and see a guy in a powder blue shirt that says simply “Duke sucks”.  Since we virtually have to walk single file on the RiverWalk, Sinickal sees it first and toasts him.  Tony toasts him.  Pepster toasts him.  Hopps toasts him.  Then other people we don’t know behind us toast him.

13:50 – Head into Tex’s Sports Bar for some food because it has a good punny name.  And an available table which is not the norm at the restaurants along the Riverwalk.  In fact, one restaurant even had a sign “We are no longer taking names for our Wait List”.

14:07 – Four guys settle in at the table next to us all wearing Villanova gear.  Start up a conversation with Sinickal since he is wearing his Syracuse shirt and the former Big East rivalry between to two clubs.  Guys assume we all went to Syracuse, not noticing Tony’s Texas shirt and Hopps’s BC pullover.  Sinickal tells them Pepster went to an Ivy-covered school near Boston.  Guys obviously missing Sinickal’s context cluse reply, “Which one?”

14:26 – Pepster and Sinickal engage in a conversation about the old Big East.  Noting that Villanova has a great history with the league, Pepster queries if anyone from Villanova even makes an All-Time Big East squad.  Without going into much discussion of the bench, Sinickal and Pepster, settle on a starting 5 of:  PG – Pearl Washington (Syracuse); SG – Ray Allen (Connecticut); SF – Chris Mullins (St. John’s); PF – Derrick Coleman (Syracuse); C – Patrick Ewing (Georgetown).  Others on the team would be: C - Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown); PF – Jerome Lane (Pittsburgh); PG – Allen Iverson (Georgetown) (who would start except his college career was only 2 years);  PG – Kemba Walker (Connecticut).  OK, I guess we did discuss the bench.

14:51 – Hopps is astounded at the number of people wearing Loyola gear.  Sinickal explains to him that Chicago is the third largest city in the country, and has no natural college affiliation like places we are used to, and that the City of Chicago is supporting Loyola as a city, regardless of college affiliation.  Hopps is struggling to believe him.  (By the way, if Northwestern ever makes a final four, that city will be inundated with purple).

14:54 – Young, twenty-something wearing Loyola gear asks if he can sit at the table recently vacated by the Villanova guys.  We tell him yes and then start discussing the Final Four.  Guy admits he did not go to Loyola, but knew someone who dated someone that knew someone who did.  Hopps becomes annoyed (well, even more annoyed than usual).

14:57 – We realize that our food has not arrived yet.   Hopps is even more annoyed (as are the rest of us).  This is a bit of foreshadowing on service for the day, only we didn’t know it at the time.

15:26 – Food FINALLY arrives.

15:58 – To the Alamodome.

16:17 – Pass by an NCAA Final Four employee carrying a sign with a question mark on it.  Sinickal asks him, “What does the sign mean?”  Employee answers “Information.”  Sinickal responds, thanks, I just was looking for that information”. 

16:18 – Sinickal to Pepster, “Those guys hate guys like us.  Just asking them purposefully dumb questions every two minutes”.

16:23 – After the off ramp from the walkover to the stadium, Army band is Playing Michael Jackson’s Rock With You.

16:28 – On the Alamodome campus.  The way they are funneling people here and there and splitting up the crowd entering the campus is logistically great.  Makes things a lot easier, and no long lines, even through security (which was set up well outside the perimeter of the stadium.)  Unfortunately the people and the signage that make for great entrance logistics ended up making horrible exit logistics.

16:32 – See a guy wearing a hoodie that says, “I DISAGREE.  But I respect your right to be stupid.”

16:33 – And Loyola takes the lead.

16:38 – Seeing two more Loyola fans, Hopps exclaims, “That’s Chicago”.  This we are sure will not come off anywhere near as funny as it was at the time.

16:47 – Settle into seats for the games.

16:59 – Great rendition of the national anthem as the NCAA did it right this time.  They had one student from each of the four participating institutions.  Each student sang two lines solo, then finished the song together.  Michigan’s grad student clearly studies opera and dominates the end of the song, but it was amazing.

17:09 – Tip-off to Game 1.

Radio Silence (mostly) during the game.

In the first half Michigan shoots 9/31 and Loyola shoots 10/25.  Not good basketball.  Second half is much, much better and played at a faster pace.

18:12 - The spirit teams for Michigan and Loyola are not very strong at all.  Not a whole lot of spirit going on.

19:45 – We head to the concourse for some nourishment between the games.  Concessions are out of almost everything meaningful.

Radio silence (mostly) during game 2.

Entire game:  Villanova is ON FIRE from three.  In fact, we see security running toward the extinguishers.

21:02 – If I ever have to answer the question “Do you remember the worst version of Jungle Boogie that you ever heard”, the answer is “Yes I do.  March 31, 2018 at 21:02 by the University of Kansas Pep Band.”

21:15 – Kansas band now butchers Cameo’s Word Up.  Hopps remarks, “The Kansas band has no soul”.

Villanova shows why they are easily the best team in the NCAA right now, and have been all year long.  They should be a heavy favorite for the championship game.

22:20 – After trying to coordinate a meet-up all afternoon, we run into Christy and her friend Kat to say hello after the game.

22:22 – Say goodbye to Christy and Kat as we go our respective ways for dinner.

22:41 – We have comfortably vacated the Alamodome vicinity and outside of the crowd.  There is NO chance we hit the Riverwalk tonight as it is hard to maneuver down there with just a light crowd.  We can only imagine what it will be like with 77,000 people vacating the game just blocks away.

22:56 – Hit La Gloria for dinner as we hear that San Antonio has pretty good Mexican food, or at least Tex-Mex.  That statement is accurate as our dinner is really good.  In a continuation of today’s lunch problems, service is really SLOW.  Unlike lunch, this place is staffed correctly for a big event as there are employees everywhere; ours is just slow.  Food comes up fairly quickly, so we don’t mind the rest of slowness too much.

00:09 – On the Lyft ride home we end up in a discussion in which Tony recounts some of the weirdest situations that he has ever been in, concluding with “In my past I have had some unsavory friends”.  Sinickal responds with, “I have too”.  Pepster adds that “some of them might be in this car”.   Hopps, “Come on guys, I am sitting right here!”

00:17 – Off to bed.  We have another tee time tomorrow.

Final Four Chronicles - Play Day

PLAY DAY

Day 2

Friday, March 30, 2018

We are well rested and ready to start our first full day in San Antonio.  No drive-bys in the neighborhood to keep us out, and in fact, no real outside noise to bother us at all.  We put Hopps in one of the isolated bedrooms so that his snoring wouldn’t keep us up, and that plan worked to perfection.  As you will see, all of our plans did not work out as well, starting with our failure to purchase coffee at the store.  Oh well, I am sure that we shall find some somewhere, hopefully …

6:04 – Pepster wakes.

6:54 – Sinickal wakes.

7:11 – Hopps wakes.

7:24 – Racecar calls Pepster to talk about their respective days.  Since she knows Pepster is going golfing she reminds him that since Sinickal and Hopps play a lot more than Pepster does,  “don’t bet any large money”.

7:34 – Tony wakes.

8:19 – During a discsussion with Hopps, Tony proclaims, “Oh, that is what hot yoga is”.

8:21 – A precursor, Hopps has 2 degrees from Boston College, but also has a love/hate relationship with his alma mater.  He comes out of his room wearing a Boston College golf shirt and a Boston College pullover.  Sinickal asks, “Did your wife tell you that you had to start liking BC again?”  Hopps just hangs his head.

9:05 – Off to the course by way of breakfast.

9:13 – Run into Café Blanco for coffee.  Parked outside is a 1972 Caprice station wagon!

9:17 – For some reason, Lil’ Wayne’s Mrs. Officer plays throughout Café Blanco.

9:27 – Tony runs over a speed bump at a higher rate of speed than he should have.  The speed bump was the same color as the asphalt of the street.  At least the “speed bump” sign was behind a tree.

9:31 – Arrive at Historic Brackenridge Park Golf Course – former home of the Texas Open and the Texas Golf Museum.  A statue of Harvey Penick welcomes us.

10:04 – At the first tee.  Since Tony isn’t playing, we are given a fourth, and are told that he “has a lot of course knowledge.  Mike joins us, and he can PLAY.

Radio Silence during the round as we play golf, tell jokes and generally just crucify each other.

So, this track is a really nice course.  It appears to be extremely narrow, but is actually pretty forgiving.  We had some birdies, a lot more birdie chances, but the hole placements were obnoxious; several were placed right on criss-crossing spines that dropped off in every direction.  Sinickal won, but didn’t play as well as he liked,  Hopps made a run on the back nine and Pepster stayed close through 12.  Tony enjoyed his time away from us.

14:46 – Off to Riverwalk.

14:56 – Park at the top floor of the parking garage.  We find the sign that tells us to “Take Stairs to Elevator.”  Probably not ADA compliant.

15:01 – In response to our request for a beer to go because we want to go get some food, the Beertender at the Hofbrau Bier Garten tells us that we should stay because “I will feed you beer”.

15:11 – Random guy yelling at the tour boats on the river, screaming some combination of, “You can’t even speak English, you come here and you can’t speak English, and I speak 100 languages.  We try to pass him as quickly as possible.

15:12 – Sinickal – to Hopps – “He [referencing the guy above] is not doing a lot for our race.

15:13 – A city worker apologizes to the group in front of us for having to put with that guy’s behavior.  Worker does not apologize to us.

15:15 – And Kansas takes the early lead.

15:20 – Hopps brings an outside beer. Into Rita’s on the River.

15:39 – County Line BarBQ.

15:40 – County Line’s specialty is 30 oz. margaritas.

15:41 – Hopps, Pepster and Sinickal order the specialty, Tony orders a Dos Equis because he is driving.

15:44 – The margaritas are served in a chilled mixing tin, to keep them extremely cold.  Pepster quotes Stuart Scott and exclaims, “And the Good Lord says you gots to rise up!”  Hopps – who has a Bachelors and a Masters in theology, asks, “Didn’t he go down today?”

15:47 – A little girl walks up to the bar to ask for the wifi.  Bartender tells her that they don’t have wifi.  Hopps tells the bartender, “You know that you just broke her heart.”  Bartender’s response, “I don’t care.”

15:54 – The bartender, not seemingly amused by our witty banter, reminds us that “You started with a dead Jesus joke.”  Sinickal’s retort “He’ll be back on Sunday”.

16:21 – A guy at the end of the bar left his wallet in his hotel room.  He leaves his phone as “collateral”.  He actually returns.  Sinickal noting his return says, “I just assumed it was a burner phone.”

16:22 – Bartender responds to a question posed by Sinickal with a “Yes sir”.  Sinickal, “Please say you called me sir as a sign of sexiness.”  Bartender’s response, “No!  I call my dad sir”.

16:27 – While discussing Southwestern Central’s chances to recruit some of the Montverde and Findlay Prep players from the game on tv, we find out that the bartender’s full time job is working compliance for the NCAA.  She tells us that she has never been to our school.  Hopps responds, “Well, no one has”.

16:37 – We ask the bartender her name.  She tells us “Amber”.  Somehow, Hopps hears “Cinnamon”.

16:38 – 17:00 – We keep calling Amber, “Cinnamon”.

17:01 – Already discussing our next meal and the topic turns to some of our favorite foods.  We naturally assume Hopps’ favorite is Asian fare.  He responds, “No, sometimes I eat Italian.”

17:05 – The bartenders are now calling each other cinnamon and brown sugar.

17:21 – Coyote Ugly.

17:47 – A couple walks into Coyote Ugly holding hands.  Tony asks Hopps if they were holding hands.  Hoppss replies, “Shhhhhh”.

17:48 – Bartender asks where we are all from.  SInickal points at Pepster and says, “Mar-a-Lago”.

18:04 – While trying to egg on the crowd, the bartender implores the crowd to scream.  She looks at Hopps and asks, “Don’t you know how to scream?”.  Sinickal retorts, “He just did!”

18:25 – See a sign that says “Fantexass”.

18:28 – First play of Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic.

18:30 – Bouncer has BMF on the back of his shirt.  There is only one thing that can mean.

18:32 – A Kansas fan jumps on the bar to dance with the bartenders.  Sinickal notes that “Kansas is no longer in the lead”.

18:54 – Sinickal inquires if we are “missing the women’s game”.  All answer, “Yes”.

Side note – as it turns out the women’s semifinals were phenomenal.  Two overtimes, one last second shot, one HUUUUUUUUGE upset.

19:01 – Bartender calls Tony “Mr. Clean”.

19:24 – An epic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors between Pepster and Sinickal for first draft rights, since Pepster and Sinickal always draft “something”.  Pepster emerges victorious after 9 straight ties.

19:36 – Sinickal asks, “When did San Antonio turn into Miami, after a 4^th straight Pitbull song.

19:42 – Mr. Clean does a double body shot.

19:42:30 – Trying desperately to ignore Tony’s body shot, Sinickal and Pepster both note that they bar is playing the radio edit version of Kid Rock’s Cowboy.

19:48 – Random girl sidles up next to us and proclaims to everyone that she isn’t a lesbian, but loves to ogle a women’s chest and smack ass.  She wasn’t as polite as this.

20:13 – Matt, after Sinickal took control of the Touch Tunes with Tony Toni Tone’s It Feels Good, “It also feels old”.

20:37 – SiSet continues with Wanna be your Lover by Prince.

20:38 – Fourth pick is 42.

20:47 – Two bouncers approach us and tell us the manager “Called them on their walkie talkie and told them that we needed to go”.  When we ask why, they respond, “I don’t know, our manager just said so.

We are completely flabbergasted.  We have no idea why they told us to leave.  We were current on our tab, minding our own business having some beers, talking with our friends and generally just being ourselves.  We are still trying to figure this out.  And don’t worry Arlene, Hopps didn’t do anything to embarrass the family.

We now cannot say that we have never been tossed out of a bar.  I guess this our is our cross to bear.

20:54 – Rio Rio

21:23 – Hopps just realizes that he has to explain to his wife that we were kicked out of Coyote Ugly.

21:51 – Hopps leads Pepster into Republic of Texas because Too Close by Next is playing.  Lose Sinickal and Tony who were up ahead.  Pepster texts them to let them know where we were.

22:45 – Lots of white people dancing to Camila Cabello’s Havana. 

23:01 – Tony heads home.

23:31 – Marlins defeat the Cubs 2-1 in 17 innings.

23:47 – Bar explodes when Notre Dame beats UConn.

23:51 – Sinickal heads home.  Pepster stays to babysit Hopps.

00:57 – Waiting for Uber, Hopps looks at Pepster and proclaims, “I am so glad you’re smart!”

01:15 – Off to bed.  Tomorrow is game day.