R.I.P. Bracket

What a difference a day makes. Sunday morning I was sitting second from the top in my NCAA bracket league, in very good shape. Then Louisville lost. Well, that wasn’t good, because I had them going all the way to the Final Four.

Then Duke lost. I had them winning the national championship. My other two Final Four picks, Arizona and Kentucky, are still in, but my chances of ever leading my bracket league again are slim to none. Oh well.

We now know which four teams will be competing in the NCAA South Regional at FedExForum Friday: North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, and Butler. Okay, I have a request for my readers. Yes, Kentucky’s coach is a douche. Boo him all you want. But be nice to Kentucky fans (and North Carolina, UCLA, and Butler fans). Show them a good time in the Bluff City. Make them think, “I had no idea Memphis was such a nice place. I am going to have to come back here on a vacation someday.”

Friday’s games at FedExForum are 4 Butler vs. 1 North Carolina with a 6:09 PM tipoff, followed by 3 UCLA vs. 2 Kentucky at an approximate 8:39 PM tipoff.

Given the eliminations this weekend, FiveThirtyEight’s model now has Gonzaga as the most likely team to go all the way.

Yup that exists: You can buy a Hidden Valley Ranch Fountain for $100. It comes with a year’s supply of ranch.

Get your tickets to the Majestic Grille’s next Supper Club event:

Mayor Strickland is encouraging Memphis to use the #ThankYouMPD hashtag today, or to personally thank a Memphis Police officer for their service.

If I managed a Downtown bar, I’d be thinking about running some kind of beer special the next six or so Mondays… chance to grab the crowd that would normally go to the Saucer for Pint Nite while it’s closed for renovations.

Looks like I got the venue wrong when I reported about Memphis Veg Fest on April 22. For some reason I thought it would be at Wiseacre. However, the CA’s Jennifer Biggs reports that it will be at the Levitt Shell.

If you’ve never run with the Salty Dogs group, tonight would be a beautiful night to give it a try. They meet at Bardog at 7 PM and run a different Downtown course every week. After the run there are specials in Bardog’s Underdog Room for the runners. It is free to participate and you don’t have to RSVP or anything, just show up.

The Brass Door will close at 3 this afternoon for post St. Patrick’s Day cleaning.

There was a fire last night in the building that once housed The Pier restaurant.

Those of you competing in Saturday’s 901 Popper Throwdown will probably want to keep an eye on this:

The throwdown doesn’t start until 1 PM so everything should be okay, but if the time frame shifts to later, that would not be good.

Not sure what to do this evening. Normally my plan is Melissa Monday happy hour at Bardog, but I kind of wouldn’t mind being on a patio enjoying the weather. It will be a game-time decision I suppose. That’s all for now. Back tomorrow with more.