As the three or four of you know, Purdue beat Old Dominion University on Thursday night. That sets up a big matchup tonight between the Boilers and the defending national champions, Villanova. Purdue is a #3 seed and Villanova is a #6, so technically Purdue's favored, mostly because of the existence of Carson Edwards. But you know and I know the smart money's on Nova.
It's 8am Eastern time on Saturday morning, which means it's 7am in the Region. I'm in a hotel room - 425 - at the Marriott Downtown Hartford sitting on the floor watching highlights of yesterday's NCAA action.
As the three or four of you know, Purdue beat Old Dominion University on Thursday night. That sets up a big matchup tonight between the Boilers and the defending national champions, Villanova. Purdue is a #3 seed and Villanova is a #6, so technically Purdue's favored, mostly because of the existence of Carson Edwards. But you know and I know the smart money's on Nova. 11:20pm. That’s how late halftime is. The score is Purdue 32 Old Dominion 19 at half.
This is surprising in that Purdue’s spiritual leader and best defender, Nojel Eastern, sprained his ankle in warmups. Can’t make this stuff up. I can’t imagine how the line changed quickly in Vegas when it happened. 8:25pm. Courtside in the XL Center, Hartford, CT. There’s quite a party going on outside on Pratt Street. I was not among it. It’s not that I wouldn’t sit in media row with booze on my breath. It’s more like I wanted a nap before the game.
It's 9:05am Eastern time, which is where I am right now - in the East. I'm typing on a laptop at my daughter's kitchen table. She lives in Queens, New York, a short cab ride from LaGuardia airport. I flew in there last night around midnight on my way to see Purdue play Old Dominion in the NCAA tournament.
The game's up in Hartford, Connecticut, but it cost about $500 each way to fly into Hartford from Chicago, and that's with at least one stop. It's better to fly into New York City, see my daughter Jeanie for a breakfast, and then drive the couple of hours in a rented car from Budge Rent-a-Car. The official price on the car is $48 per day, but after you add in all the taxes and fees, it's nearly double that. It's really a two for one. I get to see Purdue play, which always fills my soul, and I get to hug my daughter, who lives in New York City. How she wound up in this massive confusion of a city, I have no idea. But here she is. Since I last hugged her, she has passed her nursing boards and got engaged. Over Christmas, her boyfriend, Daniel, had "the talk" with me. I consented. A couple months later he took Jeanie to Italy and asked her to marry him. It's a pretty good move. Around 2pm I'll drive to Hartford. The game's not until 9:55 Eastern time. Who the hell plays a basketball game at 10pm? It won't end until after midnight. That's television for you. |
I run radio stations and a streaming video network in Hammond, Ind., and write this blog.
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