Dude Report: March Madness Preparation

Two dude reports in a row! I will get back to posting about being a stay at home dad soon. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is one of my favorite sporting events of the year. Now that we are over half way through February the countdown to March is really heating up.

This weekend is BracketBuster Weekend . A select group of mid-major teams hoping to improve their chances of making the NCAA tournament play each other. To celebrate this weekend I wanted to post my current throughts about the fast approaching NCAA tournament.

The Mountain West is for real. Both San Diego St and BYU will make the Elite Eight and one will make the final four.

I want to predict that Duke is an early upset target, but Nolan Smith and Coach K will not let it happen. They will be beat by a better team in the third or fourth round.

The ACC and is very weak this season. Duke and North Carolina are the only teams worthy of making it out of the first round.

The Big East will put 10 teams into the NCAA tournament. As a Wisconsin native I hope the tenth team is Marquette, but it is more likely to be Cincinnati.

Notre Dame has quietly had a very, very good season. They have earned a 2 or 3 seed and if they shoot well could make a deep run in the tournament.

It will take a very good performance by any team in the tournament to eliminate Pittsburgh. West Virginia and Syracuse on the other hand will likely eliminate themselves because they can’t put the ball in the bucket enough.

Upsets very much depend on matchups but Florida, UConn, Kentucky, and Louisville are four teams that should earn a four seed or better that could lose first round.

My final four for this year’s “tournament darlings” are: George Mason, Old Dominion, Wichita State, and Cleveland State. With two teams coming from the Colonial Athletic Association, you could say I am a fan of the conference. This also this means that George Mason or Old Dominion will need to get an at large bid.

Living in Big Ten country I have to believe Ohio State and Wisconsin are equip to make a deep tourney run. With that said, Purdue is the team to watch. Many wrote them off when Robbie Hummel went down again, but they have NBA talent and have beaten many good teams.
Some of the toughest teams to bracket include Tennessee, St. John’s, and Kansas St. These three teams have proven they can beat and lose to anyone on any night.

The final net of the season will be cut down by Texas. They will win the tournament with defense.

In the words of Mike Tice, "Enjoy the season!"

In the words of Andy Williams, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Warm up Week: Dude Report: Grilling

In honor of the unseasonably warm weather we have been having this week I wanted to do a post about grilling. With highs of 39 degrees or above from last Sunday through tomorrow, with tomorrow topping out at 49 degrees, everyone in our house is looking forward to Spring. Unfortunately with the calendar still reading February and our address reading Minnesota, we know we have more winter ahead. We will take the warm weather when we can get it and continue to daydream about the summer days of grilling in shorts while consuming cool beverages.

Libby's company as a holiday gift sent all of their employees a Omaha Steak combo package. The package included steaks, pork, chicken, burgers, gourmet hot dogs, potatoes, and even cheese cake. I almost send Lib's boss a thank you note myself! Also, included was book called Great Gathering Guide & Cookbook. To get everyone thinking about the approaching grilling season I wanted to pass along Omaha Steak's 10 Tips For Perfect Grilling.

1. Clean and preheat grill on high.
2. Lightly oil food before putting on the grill. This helps the searing process and prevents sticking.
3. Season food as desired before grilling.
4. High, direct heat from the grill sears the surface of food and searing contributes to the ultimate flavor and juiciness of the food.
5. Use tongs/spatula to flip food on the grill, as forks damage the food.
6. Keep the lid on the grill as much as possible as this helps regulate the temperature and prevents flare-ups.
7. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to tame any unexpected flare-ups.
8. Use the 60/40 grilling method. Grill for 60% of the time on the first side, then flip food product and grill 40% of the time on the second side. This will evenly cook the product.
9. Place cooked food on a clean place. Do not use the same plate for raw and cooked foods to prevent cross contamination.
10. Allow food to rest for 5 minutes between cooking and consuming. This will help the food to retain moisture before cutting.

This is being labeled a dude report not because I don't think "dudettes" can't rock the grill, but because I admittedly feel manly when I grill.

I hope you are enjoying the weather in your neck of the woods and I look forward to grilling with you soon!