2014 Update I

March Madness 2014

Update I

March 24, 2014

Front Page Obituaries

Upsets Abound in the First Two Rounds

(Duke, Villanova, Syracuse, Wichita State, Kansas OUT!!)

Early action in the first round even before the weekend saw Mighty Mercer take out

the Blue Devils. “And DOWN goes DUKE!” Always a great tournament with an early

Krzyzewski and his band of weasels exit!. 32 games commenced and before the dust

settled, where else in sport are there so many chances for the little guy to become the

dragon slayer. Even a Buckeye loss by the Flyers of Dayton (why they never play during

the season!) pales to the Bears of Mercer, once nicknamed the Baptists. Where are they

from? Macon, Georgia, population 91,234. You know, the town you stop in to sleep on

your vacation to Florida going down I-75 late at night, because you are too tired to make it

there before the sun comes up. This, the team, that beat “Dunk City”, Florida Gulf Coast

(remember them?) in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship just to get there.

Rubbing the head of old Jesse Mercer for good luck! Unfortunately, the magic ran out as

the upstart Tennessee Volunteers, sans Bruce Pearl, now at Auburn (yay!) steamrolled

Mercer to become the third SEC team in the sweet 16 since 2007. In other first round

action, Steven F Austin, of Alamo fame, took down VCU, and Harvard brains outsmart

Bearcat braun. Several exciting overtime games made for an impressive two opening

days.

Beaten down by a gut wrenching and grueling victory over the Colonels of Eastern

Kentucky University (gamely led by junior center and local Castle high grad Eric Stutz with

15 points, Jesus with the long mane), the Jayhawks of Kansas were jayjacked by

Stanford 60-57. The #10 seeded Cardinals secured a wild last minute victory sending

lottery pick Andrew Wiggins home to contemplate his millions in the NBA, holding the

phenom to a mere 4 points!. Yep, good luck against LeBron and the grown men of the

professional league. STAY IN SCHOOL son! Hey just listen to Charles Barkley. He

knows.

In the best game of the day, Blue Chip outlasts Blue Collar, 78-76, as #8

Kentucky outlasts #1 Wichita State, the first top seed to exit. My goodness, they hadnʼt

lost a basketball game in a whole year!. And well deserving of their #1 ranking. Despite

heroics by a seasoned college veteran, Cleanthony Early with 31 points, and Ron Baker

with 20, a final potential winning shot by Fred Vanvleet was wide right, and the Shockers

fall.

Louisville awaits Kentucky in the marquee game next weekend! The Cardinals out

pointed St. Louis 66-51. Congratulations however again to former Evansville coach Jim

Crews, who brought the Billikens to the second round, after being down 16 points late in

the second half to oust NC State in the first round.

The Dayton Flyers, seeded #11 ousted Ohio State in a nail biter, then dispatched

Jim Bonerheim and the big ugly Orange of Syracuse, 55-53 in a tremendous battle.

The big boys, FloridaMichigan, and Michigan State safely roll to the sweet 16.

Three #12 seeds took out #5 seeds, again.

And Look Out!! Iowa State is in the Sweet 16 as well. What a thriller. Going hard when

they turn the spotlights on. Ride the stormy weather, button up if you wanna getta, Itʼs the

Cyclones, Like a Cyclone. Entourage and their own paparazzi. UConn will be goinʼ down!

Players in the News

After round one with 32 games completed, Chris Tilley led the field. Homing from

Washington DC, and the presumed inventor of the Tilley hat (lifetime guarantee even if you

lose it), he drops to 23rd after round 2. Wempe rounded out the top ten, but fell from grace

to 76th place. Hmmm, sounds like the NFL pool. Many players are still in the mix despite

the standings as over half the field still have their final four intact. Current standings after

round 2 are listed below:

Second Round Leaders

1st Patty Gowdy (You Go Girl!! A new leader and Big Blue fan, but savvy enough to

take Louisville over the Freshman Cats in the sweet 16. Blood only runs so blue,

and well, then the blue bloods go down.

2nd Todd Lang (Only Kansas Man in the mix. Had to see it coming with the Jayhawks,

Kansas State, and the Shockers out early. Rides Tennessee to the rocky top)

3rd Todd Lang (Your twin brother is likely to go down. However, what a statement!

Two brackets in the top 3. What else to expect from a former March Madness

Champion however.

4th Scarlet Begonias (Dog gone it! The four legged one looks for another blue

ribbon. This time far from Westminster. Cheesehead Badgers need to win.

Banking on the Big Ten.)

5th Gary Gurtcheff (After all these years, can the webmaster catch a break? Many

thanks for the work you do!)

6th Dan Marco (Making the bid with a strong push. Go Aztecs!!

7th Clay Miller (2010 March Madness champion hailing now from Loveland, Ohio.

Do you know BEEENCE? The Propster?)

8th Chris Jesop (Iowa State and Baylor remain the ticket. I like your chances!!)

9th Brandon Crane (United holdout missing his hapless brother)

10th Dennis Dewey (Community man rooting for Hewey and Louie!)

Bridesmaid Rick Martin and Erick Trice

Goat Maureen Martin

Last Gary Gurtcheff (Way to go GMoney)

Charity Update

Our March Madness Endowment Fund continues to grow in part due to interest earned

and of course your donations. The fund was established 6 years ago with proceeds from

the March Madness tournament and additional outside donations. Our current fund value

administered through the Warrick County Community Foundation stands at $40,945!!

Additional recipients of our charitable contributions include the following two organizations.

Patchwork Central

Patchwork Central began in 1977 as a faith‐ based neighborhood outreach organization

for an inner city neighborhood in need. Today, Patchwork Central continues its outreach

to Evansville area neighborhoods with a food pantry and many unique children's

programs. As part of the community fabric, Patchwork Central changes the lives of those it

serves by giving them a sense of hope, a place of acceptance, and a bright outlook for the

future.

Since its founding, Patchwork has worked to serve its neighborhood through flexible and

innovative programming that matches the talents and interests of those involved to the

needs of our community. Today, Patchwork serves individuals and families with a food

pantry (since 1982), neighborhood hospitality (a cup of coffee, telephone usage, someone

to listen, etc.), a community garden (created in 1995), low‐rent facilities for other

community organizations, an artists' teaching studio and cooperative gallery, a bicycle

program for the homeless, and unique art/education programs (Arts & Smarts) that have

been available free of charge to at‐risk children and youth since 1980.

In a single year, approximately 5000 people come through our doors to receive services

directly from Patchwork. Many additional people attended special events, meetings,

workdays, arts events, and Patchwork celebrations. Additional people visited with the

other organizations that use space in our buildings. As part of the community fabric,

Patchwork Central changes the lives of those it serves by giving them a sense of hope, a

place of acceptance, and a bright outlook for the future. Please take the time to learn

more about this organization by visiting their website.

www.patchwork.org

Covenant House

Covenant House is vision is to help homeless kids. Covenant House doesn't forget about all

the kids who are no longer here because no one cared. They have the right to a home; the

right to food; the right to guidance and an education; the right to be free from sexual,

emotional, or physical abuse; and the right to be free from exploitation. These kids have

the right to be safe and, most important, to be loved.

Homeless kids come to Covenant House in crisis. Immediately and without question, we

meet their basic human needs ‐ a nourishing meal, a shower, clean clothes, medical

attention, and a safe place away from the dangers of the street. Covenant House protects

the children from the perils of the street and offers that important sense of security.

Covenant House is dedicated to serving all God's children with absolute respect and

unconditional love ... to help suffering homeless kids ... and to protect and safeguard all

children in need. Learn more about this worthwhile organization, in several locations

about the US, by visiting their website.

www.covenanthouse.org

Pool and Statistical Information

Unofficially, we have 427 entries. For the fourth year in a row, we have eclipsed the

400 mark. Not a record, but consistent!. Florida was the consensus top pick with 32% of

pool entries choosing the Gators to win it all. 22% chose Michigan State. 9% chose

Louisville. 10% chose Virginia and Arizona combined. All these teams still alive, but itʼs the

upsets that get you the points. Check the website for current updates. When you click on

the standings page, you can easily scroll through to find your position, and your friendsʼ

picks, with brackets displayed, by clicking on the top black row which reads RK (rank), Entry

Name (how you listed your pick), Info-1 (alphabetize by first name), Info-2 (alphabetize by

last name), Score (current point total), etc. Final four picks and chances for you to win

money are also listed. Also go to the drop down menu to see the current tournament

bracket, and other options.

Best of luck in the tournament and again thank you for participating. If you have not

mailed your entry donation and extra contributions, please do so immediately! Remit to:

John P. Morgan, MD

PO Box 1136

Newburgh, IN 47629-1136

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.”

-Ghandi in the “Ville” seeing Irish

© Gary M. Gurtcheff 2013