Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is my kryptonite. I have no problem watching what I eat, except when it comes to garlic bread. I don't know what it is, but I looove it. I didn't eat all of it tonight, but I ate most of it, which still isn't good. I did get a workout in, but I still ate too much.

Today at church of all places, I was reminded of Miami. All of the songs sung today were sung regularly at mass in Oxford. The Alleluja was exactly the same. When the choir introduced it, I couldn't help but smile. The people around me probably thought I was nuts, but once again, the little things. The little things mean the most.

The principal at Kellenberg Memorial High School on Long Island has cancelled prom due to the wild after-prom parties that take place. Last spring, 46 seniors put a $10,000 down payment on a $20,000 rental in the Hamptons. And if you're not familiar with the Hamptons, they're like the East Coast's version of the OC. So to try and put a stop to this, there will be no prom. Will that stop the partying? I don't think so. Trying to recreate Footloose in the 20th century is not a good idea.

In the world of pro football, Da Bears took care of the Vikings 28-3. The Vikings did more scoring on their boat venture last weekend than they did today, badabing! Despite 3 turnovers and only 192 yards of offense, Da Bears made the big plays. They forced 2 turnovers themselves and blocked a field goal, Thomas Jones put the game away with a 24 yard TD run, and Kyle Orton was steady throwing 2 TD passes. Da Bears host Baltimore next week. I think it'll be a low scoring game, just a hunch.

The Bengals are 5-1 after beating Tennessee, setting themselves up for their 1st date with Pittsburgh in the Jungle next week. Despite their strong start, Cincy still hasn't beaten a team with a winning record and still can't stop the run. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and the rest of the NFL realized how vital Ben Roethlisberger is to the Steelers. Jacksonville shut down the run game, forcing Tommy Maddox to make some plays. He did, but for the Jags, fumbling once and throwing 3 INTs. The fumble cost Pittsburgh a chance to win in overtime, and his 3rd INT was returned for the game winning TD. It looked like the early version of Tommy Maddox out there today, just wingin it around.

I realized after giving my Sweet 16, I included no "mid-majors". Coming from a "mid-major" school, I didn't intend to do this, so to make up for it, here are some "mid-majors" that could make a run at the Sweet 16:

Bucknell. Remember these guys. They beat Holy Cross on their home floor to win the Patriot League Tournament. Then, they knocked off Kansas in Oklahoma City in the 1st round of the NCAAs. Well, guess what. Everyone, and I mean everyone is back for the Bison. They won't be able to sneak up on people, but they're talented enough to overcome that.

Cal St. Fullerton. Last year, these young guns went 21-11 and made it to the 2nd round of the NIT. Now, with Utah St. leaving the Big West for the WAC and Pacific down, this school known more for its baseball has a chance to make a big splash in basketball.

Old Dominion. Colonial champs from a year ago, the Monarchs return 4 starters, including Conference Player of the Year Alex Loughton. The Colonial is quickly becoming one of the better "mid-major" leagues with Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra, Drexel, and newly added Northeastern all looking to be strong this year.

Northern Iowa. UNI is only one of nine "mid-majors" to make the NCAAs 2 straight years (although Miami should've taken their spot last year, but that's another story). UNI has all 5 starters back, making them preseason favorites to win The Valley, one of the strongest "mid-major" conferences. What makes UNI tough is their efficiency. They like to grind it out offensively (73 points, 48% shooting) and defensively (tough half-court man defense). And when the game gets into clutch time, they have a clutch player in Ben Jacobson, who plays big in big games.

Missouri State. No longer Southwest Missouri St. or SMS, the Bears are next to win The Valley if UNI falters. The Bears return 8 of their top 10 players from a team that, although 5th in the league, played everyone tough. They have quickness and guys who can shoot on the perimeter, and they can play physical inside. They like a game in the high 60s/low 70s, not too fast, but not too slow. Whoever wins The Valley is a legit Sweet 16 threat.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Panthers return 7 of their top 9 scorers from a team that beat Alabama and Boston College, before tiring against Illinois in last year's NCAAs. Leading scorer Ed McCants graduated, but Joah Tucker leads a group of players that believe they're as good as anybody. The one question mark is new head coach Rob Jeter. A former Bo Ryan assistant, he'll look to play more in the half-court, which could take some time for his players to adjust. But the players and the confidence are there for another Sweet 16 run.

Ohio. Oh, how it pains me to say Ohio and not Miami, but the Bobcats are good, very good in fact. They return their top 4 and 7 of their top 9 scorers from a team that came from behind in all of March, winning the MAC Tourney, then almost doing it again vs. Florida in the NCAAs. Leon Williams is a double-double guy inside, Jeremy Fears is a playmaker outside, Sonny Troutman is solid at both ends, and Mychal Green can fill it up. Sometimes, MAC preseason favorites have trouble living up to the hype because of the strength of the conference, and OU is still young enough where they might let it go to their head. But the talent is there for the Bobcats to make a run.

Finally tonight, in The Contender rematch, first up was Alfonso Gomez against some nobody from Mexico, Luciano Perez. Perez didn't belong in the same ring as Gomez, Gomez won by TKO in the 4th round.

Next up was the rematch between Jesse Brinkley and #1 Dad Anthony Bonsante. If you remember, Bonsante and Brinkley fought in the season's quarterfinals, where Bonsante dominated until Brinkley knocked him out in the last round. After being friends during the show, the 2 no longer talk. It appeared to everyone that Bonsante controlled the rematch last night, with Brinkley doing nothing. But as can be the case in boxing, Brinkley won a unaminous decision that left the crowd disgusted.

Finally, was the rematch between Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo Jr. This bout went 8 rounds, where as the previous two only went 5. Manfredo looked leaner and quicker than he did in the first bout, while Mora was his usual sleek self. Getting some added corner help, Manfredo did a better job boxing Mora, winning the first 4 rounds easily. But Mora came alive in the 2nd half of the bout, landing more punches and with more authority than Manfredo. Still, it appeared he hadn't done enough to win the fight. But, this is boxing, and Mora won a split decision. The last 2 decisions made no sense to me, but then again, I don't watch a lot of boxing. I can't wait for the new season starting in the spring.

Hope you had a good weekend, catch ya later.