Fireworks

Had a meeting and a haircut in Lakewood today, and I have to admit:  it is nice to visit and drive through, but driving there is like driving on the East Side, which makes me wonder why I do it.  Of course, I also note that there are a bunch of interesting restaurants there that I need to try.  I should try to find the ones with decent parking first, I guess.  To be sure, I am overdue for restaurant tourism, but I have been parish fish-frying, so the funds earmarked for food are being spent, just elsewhere.  Lent is almost over, so... we can resume our usual duties.

My blood sugars were much better today, and while it is one day, the more serious re-adjustment of injection sites might be the cause.  Not proclaiming victory yet, but... let's keep an eye on it.  And still feel sheepish about it.  It would also be nice to be able to reduce insulin use a bit, for a bunch of reasons -- I do have a dislike of putting stuff in me, no matter the results.

‘He has to justify what he did’: Black leaders slam JB Pritzker after Illinois primary - POLITICO
This amuses me, as I am at a loss as to what they will do to him....vote Republican?  Shit on his budget?  Deep-six his Presidential ambitions?  As with so many other things, I will believe it when I see it.

Source: Hubert Davis fired as North Carolina hoops coach
As a Duke fan, I fully support this move, as I think Davis is quite a solid coach, and I am not sure that anyone else out there could do as good of a job as he has done.  I realize he had not won enough (for some) and UNC is like tOSU in that you don't necessarily have a retirement dinner, but...

Syracuse Women’s Hoops Coach Calls Having to Face UConn in NCAA Tournament a ‘Personal Attack’

This seems a bit strong?  First, coach better?  I mean, not saying it doesn't suck to get blown out by Syracuse, but lots of teams do.  Second, it is the NCAA rules that are keeping them close to UCONN; if they were the #9 seed in the West and lost to UCLA...is that better?  Finally, a personal attack?  Good Lord, I doubt anyone on the women's selection committee even cares...

Mattie Tries Something New

The NIT is the mid-major tournament we all wanted
You know, they are right; the NIT is doing what people always say they wanted -- a place for good mid-major teams to play other quality teams on somewhat even terms.  That said, the NCAA isn't doing the NIT, or, for that matter, the Women's Tournament, any favors by airing most of the games at the same time as the Big Dance.  Let's face it, no one -- or very few -- are watching, which is a shame, as several of the games have been as close and compelling as the main action.  I realize there are only so many hours in a day, and there are so many games, but... it is still not good.

Went to the endocrinologist today to discuss -- among other things -- the issue of my Dawn phenomenon, and he suggested I rotate my injection sites, and even showed me where I could inject.  I guess I had forgotten about it -- if I am hitting scar tissue it won't take -- and while I am not sure that it will work, I am willing to try.  I have to admit, it was...unsettling for him to rattle off these rare conditions that could be the cause, followed by him telling me that as I didn't have any of those symptoms... well, lovely.

Finished my current read, The Washington War, which looks at the war inside DC with FDR and his advisors during WWII.  Interesting; for all of the wise decisions he made during the way -- most of which were let the generals and the admirals fight the war -- it certainly seemed that FDR let too much go in the way of infighting and internal fighting, and it is not unfair to say that we won in spite of this.  It is correct to say that once the industrial might of the US got started it would not stop, but the delays certainly impacted how we fought the war.  Which meant that the USSR moved farther west instead of us moving east, and we all know how that came out.

Ins and Outs

Friday night I crashed on the floor -- the evening games were sort of blowouts, and I think I just lost interest.  Last night I was tired and went to bed after the games, but it was quite the day of action -- Duke managed to pull away in the second half, as it often has done...but it was a close run thing for most of it.  I don't want to say that Dixon stopped coaching after the T, but...Duke really pulled away then and he didn't seem to do anything.  Odd.  Then of course we had Nebraska-Vandy -- speaking of a close-run thing -- and Arkansas needed everything to get past High Point.  To say nothing of Texas upsetting Gonzaga.  This is what we like about March!

Matt Painter, Nate Oats Blast Mid-Major Scheduling Debate During NCAA Tourney | OutKick
Dare I say that they are both partially correct, but the general point is that Power Conference teams seldom schedule good mid-major teams.  I realize there are more schools with Little Sisters of the Poor resumes, but no one seems to think they try.  These comments do not help.

The usual Church-gym today, and then home to do some laundry and some other chores.  Glacial house cleaning continues -- dust will be there, March Madness will not -- but between that and some work I will be hopping today.  Hard to believe Palm Sunday is next week and then Easter -- need to get the kielbasa and Paska bread sooner rather than later!

The Long Shadow of a Lie: The Duke Lacrosse Rape Hoax, 20 Years Later | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Again, the people who perpetrated this were never punished, compared to the people who were actually punished for doing nothing wrong...  Mind you, there wasn't any contrition from the school (actual contrition) and there should have been.  Sometimes, people need to go...pour encourager les autres.

A little too much madness...

Well, that was an interesting first-round game for Duke.  Down by double-digits at the half to a 16-seed (one I thought was not a 16-seed, but...)?  Mind you, that game stayed out of reach for Duke for several minutes into the second half -- poor shot selection, poor ball control, you name it.  To be sure, the defense tightened in the second half, and while the Saints made some shots when it counted...at the end of the day, talent won out, but barely.  I cannot imagine what TCU is thinking.  I was thinking that all of the money spent on this roster, I expected...more.  

To be sure, the games got a little better.  I had High Point over Wisconsin -- that was exciting, and while BYU was a hit, I was quite pleased with VCU -- I went out for dinner (it has been a long week) and they were down.  I arrived home to see them tie UNC, take them to OT, and win.  Very sad!  I mean, most games are going the way people expect (Saint Louis was underseeded as well, I think)...it seems like Illinois has too much height for Penn.  

High Point coach calls out major teams after March Madness upset over Wisconsin | Fox News
Mostly true?  I mean, most times the Power conference teams will win, but if they never play a good mid-major, you never find out.  Again, until the Selection Committee fixes this, this problem will continue.

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That ‘Oldest Site in the Americas’ Claim Just Took a Massive Hit
Interesting.  This has always fascinated me -- the idea that the Clovis people were the oldest/first seems off, given the timeline, but then the idea that this site is twice as old also seems odd.  I can see why people defend it -- you want to really hammer in the nail of the Clovis casket -- but then you need other sites.  Yes, I am aware of the Solutrean hypotheses, and the fact that most of the sites are underwater, but...

Nolte: Why Cesar Chavez Suddenly Became Politically Inconvenient to the Left
Submitted without comment!

3News investigates: North Royalton moves to fire officer who filed whistleblower complaint against top police brass
Didn't Nort Royalton not-so-long ago have an officer who made fake DUI arrests (i.e., arresting innocent people)?  And now this?   Again, if only we were a state run by Republicans and could go and investigate these things if they wanted....

Linx

The Miami game tonight was...impressive?  Interesting?  Fairly or not, for a lot of people, this was their first test against a "real" team, and they...handled it?  Certainly, the 3-point accuracy was the key.  That said, I thought they played defense quite well, minimized errors, and... good ball movement?  It seemed like they were able to break the zone just enough to force SMU to play man, and they then shot well enough to negate that.  Will it work again?  Prolly not, but for one night, it was...glorious.

Senate Republicans worry they’re losing ground in the midterms - POLITICO
Well, yes... they should be.  To be sure, POTUS should have thought of this as well, and while there is still time to turn things around....sooner is better than later.

Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years - The New York Times
‘Hard to absorb’: Chavez allegations stun Newsom, top Democrats - POLITICO
Is it me, or is the timing of this most curious?  Why now?  It appears this was an open secret for quite a while -- such as when he was alive and could be confronted about this.  Is he guilty?  Probably, but... how do we give him a chance to defend the allegations?  (Especially as these are Democrats who would give any other criminal 100 chances!)  On the right of course they are saying that there are other reasons for the timing, and while I do not necessarily agree, I do not necessarily disagree....

Got an Idea About Who Robbed the Gardner Museum? Get in Line. - The New York Times
Interesting.  Of course, the main issue is...where are the paintings?  Most people suspect -- sadly -- that these things are no more -- which would be an incredible tragedy.  The fact that everyone seems to have bought the farm...

John Bengtson, Modern-Day Silent-Film Sleuth, Dies at 68 - The New York Times
Interesting read.  As the article notes, you are going back in time when you watch a silent film, and that is one of the reasons I really like them.  This is pretty cool, actually, that people go around and look for these things -- the industry was not quite where it was now, and people did just start shooting if they liked a spot, and not necessarily on a sound stage...

Explosions

Well, that was interesting -- everyone was asking me if I heard or saw the meteor, and I was like not only did I hear it, I felt it; Chateau Mattie definitely rattled a bit.  I was on a call and didn't look out the window, but it was... unsettling?  I realize this is somewhat normal -- the Earth is battered by meteors every ay, and the atmosphere was doing its job in catching them, but... I had a distinct sympathy for the dinosaurs on further pondering.

Lots of NIT action today, in addition to the First Four games, and all I can say is... it was glorious?  The games were mainly good and quite competitive -- South Alabama and Davidson had leads against power conference teams for quite a bit, while Liberty -- despite coughing up a 15-point lead, held on to win against JMU.  Yale lost another heartbreaker -- two in a row!  I realize few are watching, but in some ways... they should.

‘They hold the cards now’: Trump allies fear Iran is slipping beyond the president’s control - POLITICO
This could be me, but... shouldn't someone have thought of this before we started?  Or, more carefully, if someone did, shouldn't we have had a plan to address what happens if Plan A doesn't work?  It seems they thought the regime would collapse like the French army, and now that they have not... there is no Plan B.  On the one hand it is very POTUS, on the other, given his first-term aversion to wars and focus on affordability... odd.

How the Housing Market Split in Two - by Jess Remington

I got a kick from the part at the end how states are rushing to pass tax exemptions for seniors even though they are the most likely to be able to pay for them.  This isn't exactly news, as politicians do this all the time -- old people vote, young people do not, and the party that robs Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul...

A Last, Long, Cold Breath...

Finally got ALL my picks in --Both Tourneys, both NIT, and even that ridiculous College Basketball Crown...my friend group is a little obsessive about this, as am I, I guess, but it is that time of year.  Dare I say the Duke matchup - assuming they beat Siena -- has all the trappings of a trap game?  I mean, I think they have more than enough talent to beat either tOSU or TCU (insert Little Sisters of the Poor joke), but I have dread about the whole thing (as I so often do).  

It was interesting; yesterday it was so nice, and today...well, you could see and feel it get progressively worse (everything progressively is worse, to be sure); the wind picked up, the warmth ebbed, and about 6PM the snow came.  Not a lot, of course, and you could see the wind snapping it around, but it was still a reminder that it is not quite spring...  I can't wait for all of the people who usually talk about global warming to bring up this winter.

Trump Just Pardoned Ticketmaster When No One Was Looking
Quite right, though one wonders if the Dems would have agreed with the same thing... one rather thinks so.

Summon your Notre Dame hate for the schools turning down the NIT
This is also exactly correct.  To be sure, a team without a coach I can see, but they have assistants, of course.  And, if a team is that beat up, fine, I sort of see it, though again, the loss of a player or two... I guess the sad part is that we all that all involved -- coaches, players, etc., -- are already shopping the portal, and instead of trying to have a nice season, enjoying a chance to have a chance to play again...well, now it is off to the mercenary season, and I guess yet again I am the relict who prefers the old system.

Court records reveal Cleveland police’s lax traffic enforcement
This could be me, but while the lack of police is a concern, isn't the issue that they cannot go after the people who are causing these issues.  Eventually someone is going to get killed and the blood should be on the hands of the people who are handcuffing our cops.  Of course, they won't see it that way....

‘War on Poverty’ Has Trapped Poor Americans
Now, now, the point of this was not necessarily to help people; it was to create a legion of people who will always vote for Democrats, no matter what, and in this case it has succeeded beyond the board...