One Exciting NCAA Filled Weekend

Practice for the Women's NCAA Basketball tournament could not have been better! We were able to see Texas Tech, Tennessee, Rutgers, and Ohio State. Although I do admit that we left just as Ohio State was taking the floor. It was a l-o-n-g afternoon and I would not have had it any other way. I was able to get some Tennessee players to sign my t-shirt, but the most rewarding and thrilling thing was that I was able to get Pat Summitt, the head coach of Tennessee to sign the t-shirt!!! I was like a kid at Christmas time opening my gifts when she came over and signed the shirt. She is very personable and takes time to listen to what people are saying to her as she is signing. I think I have more respect for her (if that's at all possible by me)after seeing her over the weekend.
Another great thing about going to the practice was seeing Rutgers and C.Vivian Stringer. She is another class-act. She acknowleged the fans when she entered the arena and again when she was exiting. She took time to sign each and every autograph and you could tell that she was happy to be amongst the fans. I don't think a smile ever left her face. Well, that is until they were practicing...it was all business then. And so it should be. I was able to sit in the front row for the entire afternoon and oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I was the first person in the arena when the doors opened!
We were able to get tickets to the semi-final games and also to tonight's final game. Tennessee looked strong against Texas Tech and was able to win with ease. Rutgers had a close game against Ohio State, but was able to prevail in the end. This brings us to tonight's final with Rutgers taking on Tennessee. These are the two teams that I like the most. I will be torn watching this game. I will not wear orange or red to the game because I just cannot pick sides. May the best team win. Although I know I will be sharing the disappointment of the team that loses.
Note: I had picked Ohio State to be in the Final Four, but since Rutgers beat them, that will not happen. Yes, Rutgers is one of my favorite teams, but I must admit that I did not think that they would get past Ohio State. Good thing I'm not a betting girl!
Another Note: My Father and sister enjoyed the practice sessions just as much as I did. :0)

It's Just Practice

I am so excited because tomorrow I will be able to see Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Vols run an open practice session! This is great since I was unable to get tickets to the games. I will also be able to see C. Vivian Stringer and her Scarlet Knights practice. Practice is from 12-4 at the Liacouras Center on Temple University's campus. I had been trying to find out if there were open practices. I was asking my Dad all week to check the papers and let me know if he sees anything. All week long he kept saying that he did not see anything in the papers. I believed him because my Dad reads the sports pages like he is inspecting each and every story with a fine-tooth comb. So, two days ago he brings me the sports section because there was a nice article in there about Rutgers beating Temple and how C. Vivian Stringer and Dawn Staley are both mentored by John Chaney.
I was getting chills reading the story because it was fascinating. Little did I know that by the time I got to the end of the story, my whole upper body would be experiencing the chills. Why, you ask? Well, at the end of the article, there it was, the announcement for the open practices!!!! "Dad", I said, "why didn't you tell me about the practices?" He nonchalantly says, "Oh, I didn't read that story." What?! I mean, come on, not the same man that reads the sports pages before he reads the rest of the paper....not my Dad, the man who, in my opinion, knows any and everything about sports. How could he have missed this?
All I could do was scream and holler about how I was going to practice!!!! My sister looked at me and said, "Come on, it's just practice." Maybe to them, but to me, its like winning the lottery. And, by the way, guess who's going to practice with me? Yep, my sister and my Dad! I'll keep you posted on my exciting experience. Stay tuned.

4 States In 4 Days

Boy am I exhausted! I have been to 4 different states in the span of 4 days. I have been to Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. Why so many? Well, I live in DE and I have family in PA. I went to Maryland with a friend and spent my time at the Inner Harbor at the bookstore while my friend was attending an Information Session about a career opportunity. We arrived early and its a good thing. We, or should I say, I made us miss the exit off of the highway. I do not know what I was thinking because its not like I had never been to the Harbor before. My friend was saying that we should take the exit and I said, no, I don't think its the right one. Well, before I could speak up, I noticed that we were bypassing downtown Baltimore and the Harbor. Oh no! I just looked at her and said, "Don't listen to me when it comes to directions, please!" She laughed and thought it was a good opportunity to learn an alternate route. Not me! Lets just get to our destination....is what I was thinking.
Anyway, we found our way, but that was after we were stuck in a MASSIVE traffic jam. At first, we were both calm, cool, and collected. Then we started getting the RAGE...you know, ROAD RAGE!!! We were yelling at the people in front of us for not pulling up enough, yelling at the lady trying to get in front of us, because clearly she did not know how to drive, and then I just about had enough...I had to put down the window and put my hand out so that we could cross over two lanes of traffic. Hmmm, do you think someone was yelling at us at that point? LOL!!! We made it to our destination in tact and all went well.
I went to New Jersey, Atlantic City to be exact, so that my Mom could shop at the new outlets. Now, let me tell you, I don't know why I even bother to go shopping with her and my sister. I hardly ever go into the stores and I rarely buy anything. Well, that is, unless its sneakers or some other athletic apparel. Good thing it was a gorgeous day because while they went into the stores, I just stayed outside and soaked up the sun and did my usual people-watching routine. We then went into the casino and played a little slots...nothing major and no major winnings to speak of. Besides, if we had won big do you think that I would be sitting here writing about this trip? I think not! I'd be on an island in the British West Indies somewhere enjoying my drinks by the beautiful blue ocean. Ok, I'm back from my daydream. Where was I? Oh yeah, the casino...we went to the Tropicana because they also have these new shops. It reminded me of being in Vegas....the ceiling was painted to look like the sky, the shops were ritzy and over-priced, and there was a significant selection of eateries. We ate at an Italian deli and then it was time to make the journey back home. All-in-all it was a great day.
So, my mini vacation days were packed with fun. Now its time to get some rest and get ready for more March Madness!!!!

Division I Basketball History Is Made

Congratulations to Pat Summitt for becoming the winningest coach last night in Div I Basketball. The Tennessee Lady Vols defeated Purdue 75-54 to give Pat her 880th victory(and a Sweet 16 spot in the Tournament)! I was so happy and proud to see such a deserving person gain such a prominent piece of history. Pat Summitt is the consumate leader and teacher. She has her critics, but no one can take away the fact that she knows her sport and knows how to win games. Last night the school named the basketball floor after her. So now when games are played at Thompson-Boling Arena, they will be played on the "Summitt". Isn't that great! I think so.
In other basketball news:
Rutgers beat Temple 61-54 to end Temple's 25-game winning streak, the longest in the country. This is not what I expected. Surely I thought that Temple would win. Rutgers was in the zone and Temple just never got it going. Rutgers was able to shutdown Candice Dupree, holding her to only 11 pts in 39 minutes. Cappie Pondexter just may have been the missing piece to Rutgers' puzzle. See, she didn't play in the first meeting of these two teams in which Temple won. Last night she was just unstoppable...she was hitting 3's, making no-look passes, draining the short-range jumpers, and just plain playing her heart out. She finished with 25 points and 5 steals to give her team a Sweet 16 spot in the Philadelphia region.
Other results:

(1)LSU 76
(9)Arizona 43

(13)Liberty 88
(5)Depaul 79

(3)UConn 70
(6)Fla St 52

(2)OSU 75
(7)Maryland 65

Temple vs Rutgers

I said it, Temple would be playing Rutgers. I just knew it. I knew that both teams would win their opening round games. Temple beat Louisiana Tech 66-61 and Rutgers beat Hartford 62-37. Temple came out nervous and not playing their game at all. I mean they were down by 13 points! Then in the second half they came out and played like the team they are; one with the longest winning streak in the country (men's teams included)at 25 straight games. They found their rhythm...thank goodness. Rutgers on the other hand seemed to have it their way from the beginning. Their defense is something else. Sometimes their offense takes a break, but they are always tough on the defensive end. Now Tuesday night will be tough for me because like I said before, I like both C. Vivian Stringer and Dawn Staley. I will be torn watching them. I want them both to advance in the tournament. Since that can't happen, I am predicting that Temple wins this one. I know that they beat Rutgers earlier in the year and to me it seems like they are a stronger team now than when they played before. I do, however, think that it will be a close game.
I have to mention something about the telecast of the games. I know it is customary to show whichever game is local to your region. However, when Tennessee is playing West Carolina University and Penn State is playing Liberty, I would MUCH rather watch the Tennessee game. I wanted to see Pat Summitt reach a coaching milestone by getting 879 wins.
Forget the fact that I live in the Penn State viewing area. The Tennessee game is a game that I was pyched to watch ALL day...only to be teased with the beginning of the game and then led away to the Penn State game! I feel that the cable providers were lucky that the Penn State game was close and that I remained interested; otherwise I would have turned off the telecast completely and down the ratings would go. Ok, maybe my one little rating would not matter much, but there may have been others out there who felt the same as I did.

2005 Women's NCAA Torunament

Throw up the ball, start the press, set the screens, and score the points! That's all that is needed to get the games going and the right teams winning. I was watching the Tournament Selection shows and it looks like some teams got slighted. For instance, its funny how Temple Lady Owls win their A10 Conference and are made a #6 seed!?!? How is that possible? Seems to me that they should have been ranked higher. At any rate it appears that Temple will play Rutgers because I foresee both of them winning their first game. I will be torn because I like both teams and both coaches.
I think the Final Four in the Women's Bracket will look like this(not necessarily in this order):

1. LSU
   
2. Tennessee
   
3. Ohio State
   
4. Baylor
   

My pick to win the whole thing is LSU and Pokey Chatman. They just have too many guns. I don't believe that anyone can truly match up to them. I saw them early in the season when they played Temple and they were impressive to say the least

March Madness Is Upon Us

Well, here it is. The best time of the year for us basketball enthusiasts. March Madness brings together the best of the best. We are inundated with basketball. I love it.
The Tennessee Lady Vols won the SEC tournament and last night the Connecticut Lady Huskies beat Rutgers to win the Big East tournament. Monday night the Temple Lady Owls wrapped up the A10 tournament by beating George Washington.
Now we just have to wait and see how the teams are paired and where they will be playing at the start of the tournament that is known as the "Big Dance."

I just want to see LSU, Tennessee, Rutgers, and Temple be there at the end.

Throw up the ball and let the games begin!

Food Glorious Food

Funny how food brings people together. Sunday night we went to a dinner party in Philly. A friend of ours from Houston was in town. There were 11 people in attendance. People from all different backgrounds and all walks of life. These people were diverse and ecclectic. Something that I realized gets my creative juices flowing.
Upon entering the house, I was told that we were going to indulge in Mexican fare for the evening. I was in my glory as the cook is Mexican! I knew that I would taste things that were beyond my wildest imagination. I must divulge the fact, that Mexican food is quickly becoming my favorite cuisine, although I have never truly had "authentic" Mexican food.....until Sunday night.
We started with home-made guacamole and salsa dips along with chips. Now this guacamole was unlike any I had ever eaten. It was smooth and sensual with a display of sliced tomatoes on top accompanied by a sprig of cilantro. The salsa had fresh tomatoes and onions and was just fabulous. I had to pace myself...I started getting full just from the dips.
We then moved onto salad that had a most intense and delicious dressing. The dressing was made from cilantro and jalepeno peppers. It really spiced up the romaine lettuce. We also had a sort of black bean patty that was surrounding a surprise in the middle..goat cheese! This was set atop a crunchy piece of baggette bread. Black beans have never tasted so good.
The main meal consisted of chili rellenos which were stuffed with either cheese or shrimp. We were able to have our choice and everyone chose to try both. We also had fried rice with carrots and zucchini mixed in, and chicken mole' that we were instructed to put into the warm tortillas. I absolutely loved every bit of this meal.
During the coarse of the meal we were all mixing and mingling and the stories being told were fascinating. We touched on several topics, but the one that remains in my mind is the one about the hairdresser that was present. It remains because the hairdresser was there with her girlfriend and come to find out several people had been to a party that the hairdresser had given, not knowing that it was the same lady. The story about the party was being told and they mentioned a nickname of the lady and she perked up and said, "hey, that's me." Well, the people erupted! They could not believe it was her. And the friend that she came with stated that she could not believe she knew this lady before she actually "knew" her. Funny how small the world is. I was speaking to a teacher who went to see the Gates exhibit with her husband in Central Park. I would loved to have gone to see such an incredible thing.
To top it all off we had home-made flan for dessert with mango slices and raspberries. This really did send the whole evening overboard. Everything was so delicious and superbly prepared. I left there feeling full in more ways than one....my stomach was full of great food and my mind was full of new ideas and an eagerness to take life and run with it. To coin a phrase from one of the guests...the night truly was a "hoot and a holler."

Welcome to Philly

Chris Webber got his "official" welcome to Philly last night. The 76ers lost and he got BOOED!! Hey, being booed in Philly lets you know that you have arrived. Philly fans take their teams seriously. We want to win and we want to win now. Too bad that Chris has only been with us for a couple of games and has not become familiar with the plays, yet. We want instant gratification. Ok, ok, maybe we have to work on our patience, but having not won for so long only makes us want victory that much more and that much faster.
Hang in there, Chris. We love ya, we really do. Just be prepared to show us that we did not make another trade mistake by acquiring you. I can't say that you'll never be booed again, but know that we really are still excited that we have you on our team.