Big Dance

 The Madness of March has begun.  This year's NCAA men's basketball tournament began in earnest at lunch time today.  For the next couple weeks, the initial 64 teams will be skimmed down to the Final Four, and ultimately the National Champion.  Along the way, many hearts will be broken.  I've gathered a group of 18 friends and family in my annual bracket contest, and even though only a couple games have been completed at this writing, I can see my chances for success are slim.  I won't say the bracket is busted yet, but could well be by then end of this evening.  Still, it promises to be great fun, with many memorable moments.

Knights and Dragons

 Today was the day that is the real focus of our trip: the football game between the Army Black Knights and the UAB Blazers.  The group of about 60 UAB fans made the journey from Birmingham to the US Military Academy at West Point NY to watch the game at Michie Stadium.  Our day began just after 7 am as we met in the lobby of the Knickerbocker Hotel for the bus ride to Pier 11 at the tip of Manhattan.  There, we boarded a Sea Streak ferry for the two hour ride up the Hudson River to West Point.  The ferry ride on the perfect cloudless day provided incredible views of the city of New York as well as the countryside upstate.  The fast catamaran vessel carried us swiftly up river with a comfortable but very breezy ride.

We arrived at West Point, and after a brief shuttle from the dock, sat in our seats in the stadium. A good hometown crowd turned out to watch their team, while we Blazer fans attempted to support the team in spite of our small numbers.  And the dismal play of the team.  UAB football had been on the upswing in recent years, with multiple postseason bowl appearances and a conference championship.  But after the sudden unexpected retirement of beloved head coach Bill Clark due to health problems, the team has been quickly dismantled.  Clark was replaced by Trent Dilfer, a Superbowl winning NFL quarterback with no previous college coaching experience.  The risky pick has not paid off as Dilfer has shown no coaching ability in the past two seasons as the Blazers have descended into ineptitude.  Most fans devoutly hope for a coaching change at the end of the season, if not before.  So it was no surprise that Army beat UAB 44-10.  Still, the experience was a memorable one, being my first visit to one of America's military academies.

After the game, our group returned to The Knick by bus.  A small group of us then set out walking across Times Square to Junior's, a well known restaurant.  Initially dubious about visiting what I assumed was just an overpriced tourist trap, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole visit.  We were able to get a table with only a very short wait, the food was impressively good, and the service was superb.  Junior's is most famous for their cheesecake, and it did not disappoint.  I recommend the reuben and French onion soup.  After dinner, we made our way through the raucous Times Square crowds one last time for our last night at The Knick.  Tomorrow, the journey home to Birmingham.

#winasone

 The day eagerly anticipated in the Deep South is here at last: College Football Season is fully here.  Sure, there was a "Week 0" game last weekend in Dublin, Ireland.  But with the kickoff tonight of the UAB Blazers vs Alcorn State Braves at Protective Stadium, the season is officially underway.  Second year head coach Trent Dilfer expects an improved Blazer defense this year to support the impressive offense led by quarterback Jacob Zeno.  On a warm late summer evening, the Blazers will work towards getting the season off to a strong start.  While I certainly hope for a good result from the Blazers, I also am looking forward to one of life's guilty pleasures:  stadium food. 

Addendum: UAB won, 41-3. Go Blazers!

Taste of the Masters

 I'm not much of a golf fan, but when I was invited to a Masters Golf Tournament party this past Sunday, I couldn't pass up the chance.  You see, the party would feature a Taste of the Masters kit, which features all the traditional fare from the actual golf course food kiosks over at Augusta National Golf Club.  It is a famously quaint feature of these food vendors that their prices have not increased in decades.  So the tournament spectators this weekend (they are pointedly called "patrons" by the club) could nibble on a Southern classic pimento cheese sandwich for just $1.50.  Astonishingly inexpensive, as major sporting event venues go, these days.  So while I tackled my steep golf learning curve, I nibbled on delicious sandwiches, caramel corn, and potato chips, just as the patrons at Amen Corner were doing on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Imagine Dragons

 Approaching a religion in the Deep South, college football is well and truly underway. This year, we are enjoying season tickets to games of the UAB Blazers.