Bracket Free, WBC, My Shake (thing things have nothing in common)

I’m not hanging on to see if the 12 seed in the west beats the 5 seeed, and I don’t get pissed if Louisville (as a 1 seed) runs the table and wins (although as Debbie would put it...I should care!)

You see I don’t have a horse in this year’s Men’s NCAA tournament. I AM going to watch a lot of the games and I will root for a bunch of upsets (especially North Dakota State....go Bisons!) but this may be the first year in the last 20 or so that I have not filled out a tourney pool or bracket. I’ve been invited to do several and of course there are always the dot coms (ESPN, FOX, YAHOO, OPRAH, etc) but I just don’t feel the need to do so. I’m going to sit back and just enjoy the action.

With that said I have entered one single bracket contest. WFAN radio in New York has a contest sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wing Café where by you pick the radio personality that you think will have the best bracket. If your choice wins, you are entered into a drawing for a large TV. I have chosen the great STEVE SOMMERS, the schmoozer for those of you keeping score at home. If you’re interested you can find the contest link here.

Lately I’ve become enthralled with Major League Baseball’s answer to the World Cup (or at least the World Cricket Championships), the World Baseball Classic where teams from the US, Latin America, Asia, and even Australia (didn’t realize they even played baseball in the outback mate) are represented. Last night in the quarterfinal round the US came back in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat Puerto Rico (why do the US and their territories have different teams btw!!) Mrs. Bloggerman’s boy-toy, David Wright’s, two run single. What a moment, but I apologize to my dog and my mother (who was on the phone at the time) for the screaming and yelling in their ear as I was watching the action unfold on the screen in front of me. I really didn’t think I was going to get into all the action but this year has seen some great games and a US team that actually cares about winning and is trying. I am so ready for regular season baseball I’m shaking. Well that might have been my 3rd cup of coffee but who’s counting?

Finally, I tried to make the Guinness Milkshake mentioned in the post a few days ago. The taste wasn’t bad (I added some peppermint extract and some green food coloring) but after a huge (and delicious) dinner of corned beef and cabbage courtesy of Mrs. Bloggerman I really had no room and only got about half of it down my gullet before giving up (it might have also been the two Guinness I had with dinner that did it too). Here’s a pic.

Odds, Ends, and Milkshakes

Just a few brief odds and ends today:

1) Following up on yesterday’s Peachtree rant; about 30 minutes after posting that, I finally got through the application process and received a confirmation. But I wasn’t done there, as I went ahead and signed up Mrs. Bloggerman for the race as well. Even better then that, we found that by sister-in-law and mother-in-law also signed up so we’ll have a small army out on the race course. The race isn’t until July so I still have some time to figure out costume choices. I will say though that a fully body stocking (ala Costanza) is still in play.

2) Since tomorrow is the honoring of all things Irish (especially their wonder-livers) we are going to celebrate here at NBLJ by sharing a cool little St. Patty’s Day treat with you courtesy of Spirit Magazine (Southwest Airlines) and the good folks at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. I present to you the Guinness Milkshake

Guinness Milkshake
4 ounces Guinness
14 ounces super-premium vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream, for garnish
Green chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, for garnish

Combine ice cream and Guinness in a blender. Pour into a glass, then add a swirl of whipped cream and sunflower seeds to taste.

3) I had the pleasure of attending a meeting today in the Old Executive Office Building (next to the White House) and I happy to report that security was relatively easy to go through and not at all obtrusive (however it was thorough which is good to know). Why is it then when I walk into other Federal (and some private) buildings, I have to practice my striptease routine just so I can be scanned and gain access? Just a thought here: if it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for everybody!

4)Last week I promised you Spring Training pictures. Here they are. Enjoy.