Daytonia

It's good to be home.

That's not to say that my first business trip was a disaster. In fact, I call it an unmitigated success (unmitigated is a fancy word for "I didn't screw up".) But it's still good to be home. A long nap is in order.

Some observations from the fine city of Dayton:

I wish there was a way to play all 64 games of the NCAA tournament at the University of Dayton Arena. When you walk inside, you get an even blend of modern amenities, and old school basketball barn. To me, college basketball belongs in barns like the UD Arena, or Allen Field House, or the WVU Coliseum...barns that are more Hoosiers than Sponsors. I mean, doesn't it make sense that the most important college basketball games are played in college basketball campuses?

And now for something completely different:

Ever see the episode of South Park where the kids go to a Hooters restaurant...but it's a Hooters where young kids work there so it's called "Raisins"? Well while in Dayton, we've found the "Hooters" that came closest to being a "Raisins" out of all of them in the town of Vandalia. The servers there were practically kids...seniors in high school for crying out loud. Is this legal? I mean, this has to break some child labor law or something. Are they getting younger...or am I just getting older?

By the way, Dayton makes Queens look like Manhattan.

Trust me, that's not a knock. But the locals get nosebleeds on the fifth floor. Sixth floor? I don't think there's a sixth floor in the entire town.

Even while immersed in a completely different sport for a few days, I still cannot get away from the Braves and the Patriots.

Bracketology note: Which grand soothsayer picked Wichita State AND Georgetown to make the Sweet sixteen? That's right, the same soothsayer who's musings you're reading right now. But also the same soothsayer who picked Kansas and UNC to go to the elite eight (genius). But with my final four still alive, I'm looking to be a dual-sport soothsayer (for the record: Duke, Connecticut, Boston College, and Gonzaga, with...believe it or not, BC defeating Gonzaga to win it all!)

But now it's all over, it's back to New York with Metstradamus. There's no place like home, and there's no worry quite like worrying about Pedro's toe.

But wait...I leave for six days and what happens? Mike Jacobs commences with his ownership of the Mets? Kaz Matsui finds a way to drop his trade value below zero? Al Leiter guns for his own Yankee-o-graphy???

I've been away much too long. Guess that nap will have to wait.