1. No, the redness, the inflammation in my left big toe has not disappeared, but it receded enough today that I could walk around, not a perfectly normal gait, but getting close. I continue icing it. At night, however, my toe becomes painful and keeps me awake. If, however, I take Tylenol (a kidney safe pain medication), the pain subsides and I sleep well.
2. I had read about Florida Atlantic during the season. Every Monday I try to remember to read Seth Davis' analysis of how he voted in the weekly AP Men's Basketball poll. It seemed like every week he was unsure just how to rank Florida Atlantic. He tried to assess the quality of their wins in the Conference USA, studied how the different metric systems (like KenPom) rated the Owls, and stacked this mid-major program against the major programs in the country.
Week after week, if I remember correctly, Florida Atlantic either didn't make his it into his Top 25 or he ranked them toward the bottom.
The way I look at things, Seth Davis is not an opinion voter. His approach is highly analytical and every week, in The Athletic, he spells out his reasoning, explains how he arrives at his rankings.
So, today, I watched Florida Atlantic play for the first time, going beyond just reading about them.
I don't mind saying that they stunned me today with their quickness, speed, strength, various ways of scoring, and their defensive adjustments. It was fun to watch Florida Atlantic and their up tempo opponent, Kansas State, fly up and down the court, play with passion and tenacity, and provide such great entertainment in Madison Square Garden.
And, wouldn't you know it, given what a wide open tournament this year's NCAA is, the obscure team from a conference few pay attention to, Florida Atlantic, outplayed their Big 12 opponent and scored a remarkable 76-79 win over Kansas State.
It was a blast to see the underdog Owls prevail, but I hated to see the buoyant and joyful Kansas State Wildcats get ousted from the tournament. I'll sorely miss watching their mighty point guard Markquis Nowell make improbable passes, hit long shots, and execute electrifying drives to the hoop.
The excitement and suspense that marked the FAU/Kansas State game stood in stark contrast to the UConn/Gonzaga tilt.
Gonzaga couldn't have had more things go wrong in their nightmare outing against UConn. The powerful, sharp-shooting, tenacious Huskies prevailed in a complete blow out, 82-54. The Zags suffered forty minutes of poor shooting, sketchy defense, foul trouble, and an opponent, UConn, who is peaking in March.
3. Apres le deluge, c'est Columbo.
Lt. Columbo had a much better night than Gonzaga!
The episode was outrageous. It jumped several sharks, all in a good way.
For starters, the episode featured Dabney Coleman as a wildly corrupt and homicidal defense attorney.
In the course of his investigation, Lt. Columbo presents himself in a dive bar as a low level mobster working for Johnny Few Hairs. He appears alongside a mermaid in this bar's aquarium -- I can't really explain this surreal scene. He goes to another dive bar where Little Richard* (yes LITTLE RICHARD!) is performing. Later, he pays a private investigator a visit. His name is Sam Marlowe and he works in an office with a film noir ceiling fan.
It's all over the top, as is the means by which Columbo finally nabs the attorney.
We had a blast watching this wild ride!
*Little Richard's character plays a song called "Boogie Woogie", a take off on "Tutti Frutti". Ha ha!
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