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Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
March Madness Is Here
This Thursday kicks off one of the true gems in American sports, March Madness. With all due respect to the teams currently battling it out in the play-in games, Valparaiso and Michigan State’s 12:15 tip-off on March 21 officially starts the big dance, sending sports fans nationwide into a two week craze during which alma mater pride supplants frustrations over student loan payments, college hoodie sweatshirts again become the hottest fashion style, statisticians attempt to quantify workplace productivity losses due to online streaming, and we all succumb to the powerless feeling of why we didn’t pick that dam team.
Once you get past idea of how the field is set — and it can be a big one to get over (7-10 guys sitting behind closed doors picking teams with no accountability but big time bucks at stakes for the conferences they represent over the long-term) the NCAA tournament is one of the closest things we have to perfection in our sports culture. It has just the right number of teams, a comfortable time span over which it unfolds, nail-biting drama that rivals any Daniel Day-Lewis movie, and the best sportsmanship and quality of play that you can ever come across.
Photo Credit: SportsIllustrated
The DM(Northern)V’s lone representative this year is Georgetown. Gone are the Maryland Terps after coming up short in the ACC tournament which they essentially needed to win to get to the big dance. Out too is American University which has been known to make an appearance or two out of the Patriot League as well as 2006 Final Four Cinderella George Mason. And as for the GW Colonials…well, they’ve been missing Carl Elliott, Danilo Pinnock, and Pops Mensah-Bosnu for a while now.
Watch out for Virginia Commonwealth though! The 2011 national semifinalists made the most out of their first year in the A-10 where going up against stronger competition such as St. Louis, Butler, and Temple (all in the tournament) has only served them well. A defensive oriented team that plays at a frenetic place, loves the full court press and can stroke the three ball, they are indeed a force to be reckoned with. Top college hoops analysts Jay Bilas and Andy Katz have them going to the Final Four.
Photo credit: Daniel Sangjib/Times-Dispatch
Inevitably though, the pride of the region rests on how far Georgetown can advance. The Hoyas’ hopes for a top seed in their region were all but dashed following a loss to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament. Instead, they’ve settled for a #2 seed in the South region where, barring an early upset, they should be expected to advance to at least the Sweet 16. It would set up an enticing “re-match” with Florida after an early season game contested on a navy battleship was suspended due to rainy conditions, but was never rescheduled. Besides Florida, also standing in the Hoyas’ way to the Final Four are national heavyweights Kansas, North Carolina, and Michigan.
The storied tradition of Georgetown basketball is of course well known. And a hot streak this season had them consistently in the discussion as one of college basketball’s top teams. But their recent tournament history has been disappointing. After making the Final Four in 2007 they have failed to get past the second round in their last four tournament appearances. Sophomore standout Otto Porter is widely considered one of the best players in the nation and a sure-fire lottery pick should he go pro this year. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from past tournaments, it’s that the stage is ripe for big-time, Alpha-dog players (Anthony Davis, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, to name a few).
With so much parity in college basketball this season the stage is set for a tournament for the ages. Week in and week out, the top-ranked teams fell like big-time investment banks in late 2008 making it a wide open field this year up for the taking. In his annual State of the Tournament address, President Obama picked Louisville, Indiana, Ohio State, and Florida to advance to the Final Four. But who knows, no matter how much you strategize, if your office pool goes anything like mine, prepare to hand over your money to the sweet and innocent accounts payable rep who claims to “know nothing about college basketball.”
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Someone needs to make a Clint Eastwood joke here.
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Green Smoothie Guinea Pigs: In Which 2 Macho Dudes Drink Spinach and Chia Seeds
It’s always appropriate to eat and drink green items on Saint Patrick’s Day, but most people are more likely to reach for a green beer or a Shamrock Shake than leafy green vegetables. As a festive experiment I invited the Cloture Club Food Czar along with a Cloture Club editor (both of whom are more likely to be found at Burger King than an organic juice bar) for a taste test of my favorite green smoothies. If you’ve never tried green smoothies, they are delicious and are an easy way to add more greens into your diet without having to eat salad for every meal! All of the recipes below are full of nutrients and antioxidants, vegan, gluten free, and have no sugar added.
I made three different kinds and my guinea pigs’ reviews are below. Are you a green smoothie fan? Post your favorite recipe in the comments!
Green Smoothie Tips for Newbies: You don’t need a fancy blender or $500 vitamix, but one with an “ice crush” setting helps when trying to blend frozen fruits or add ice. The below recipes are just guides; adjust fruit, greens, & seasonings to find blends that you like. The chia seeds are optional but have omega 3 and extra fiber so I like to add them to smoothies. Soak them in water for 10 minutes before adding and they’ll form a gel-type consistency. These recipes say spinach but romaine, kale or raw collard greens work great too. Also, work your way up with the greens, start by adding just a handful to a fruit smoothie.
Smoothie 1: Spicy Chocolate
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked in 1 cup of water, 1.5 tablespoons of raw unsweetened cocoa powder, one banana, two cups of spinach leaves, one cup of unsweetened Almond Milk, dash of cinnamon, dash of chili powder.
Food Czar: I like the chocolate, and that it’s not too sweet, but I don’t taste the heat at all, I would want more spiciness.
CC Editor: I taste the spices a bit, it’s fine but it’s no chocolate milkshake.
Smoothie 2: Green Pina Colada
Ingredients: ½ banana, 2 pineapple rings (I used canned in 100% pineapple juice but frozen or fresh works too!), 2 cups of spinach, 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk, soaked chia seeds, 1 cup of water.
Food Czar : This one is good, very refreshing.
CC editor: It smells like suntan lotion, but I like it anyway
Smoothie #3: Berry Smoothie
Ingredients: ½ banana, ½ cup frozen blueberries, ½ frozen cherries, 2 cups of spinach, soaked chia seeds, 1 cup water.
Food Czar : You don’t really taste the spinach in this one, it’s good.
CC editor: This one is my favorite, it just tastes like a berry smoothie.
The post Green Smoothie Guinea Pigs: In Which 2 Macho Dudes Drink Spinach and Chia Seeds appeared first on ClotureClub.com.
Our own Missy Marsh gets HOT 99.5's Miss Sarah Fraser to share 10 personal things about her that nobody else knows. http://www.clotureclub.com/2013/03/getting-personal-10-things-you-dont-know-about-hot-99-5s-sarah-fraser/
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