11:12pm Update

I swear I could write a book about how NOT to travel across the country.  It starts with remembering your coat when going somewhere where the the temperature dips into the 30s at night.  Oh right...I didn't remember it.  The lesson as always, I'm a dope.    

Our day started at noon as he headed to Nashville to catch our plane to Baltimore.  We stopped in Cadiz to grab a quick bite to eat.  As we pulled out of the restuarant parking lot, Chad suddenly swerved almost driving us off the road.  I looked up to see a small turtle the size of a baseball slowly...SLOWLY...working his way across the road.  Of course, that's what a turtle does.  We almost had an involuntary turtle-slaughter on our hands.

We shook off that near tragedy...and then did everything in our power to miss our flight.  We got there just in time to be the last people on the plane.  We weren't able to sit together, which gave me the opportunity to sit in the middle seat of the row.  To my right was a gentleman whose sole purpose in life seemed to be knocking my elbow off the arm rest.  To my left, a guy who was sleeping before the plane got off the ground.  And snoring.  At one point, while adjusting himself in his seat, his head flopped to the side and ended up momentarily on my shoulder.  I was in the middle of my own "Planes, trains and automobiles" nightmare. 

And allow me a moment for a quick airplane ettiquette rant.

1. Maybe I'm in the vast minority...but I NEVER tilt my seat back if there is someone sitting behind me.  Maybe it's because I'm 6'3", and I'm a smidge hyper-sensitive about this since I don't have much leg room to start with. I swear, though, 95% of the people who sit in front of me push their seat back as far as they can as soon as they can.  I always wonder if people either a.) notice or b.) care that they slam their seat into someone's legs.  It made for a long 90 minutes on the plane.  Did I mention I had a guy using me as a pillow?
2. I also think it's funny how people never fail to jump out of their seat as soon as the plane lands...only to stand for 4-5 minutes waiting for the flight attendants to actually open the door and let them out of the plane.  I don't know why this cracks me up so much...but it's EVERY flight.  I just don't understand it. 

Now on to the hoops.  A couple quick thoughts from the day:

• What an amazing day for Ty Rogers.  I'm so happy for him and everybody in Lyon County.  Thursday's first round of the tournament was such a bleh day...without any game providing any sort of drama (aside from the Belmont near-miracle against Duke.)  Then Western Kentucky, and specifically Ty, gave everybody that buzzer-beater they wanted.  If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here.  Of all the shots he has made his life, you can bet that will be one he'll be able to talk to about for the next 70 years or so.
• What a day of games in Tampa.  WKU beats Drake at the horn...San Diego shocks UConn in the final seconds...Siena hammers Vanderbilt...then Villanova rallying to beat Clemson.  You may never see a day of games in one place like that ever again.

Tomorrow is the big day for Murray's women.  They'll have practice and their interview sessions in the afternoon.  We'll spend some time with them in the morning as they do some sight-seeing and shopping at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  It'll be nice to see the ocean again.  Of course, since it's only supposed to be 50 degrees, I don't think I'll be dipping my toes in the water.

It's late...and I'm off to bed.  We'll back tomorrow.

As always, the floor is yours. 
        
7:21pm Update

Welcome to Baltimore and the 2008 NCAA Tournament edition of Bidwell's Blog.  My tag team partner for the weekend Chad Darnall and I have some work to get done for the 10pm news...but I'll be be back later tonight.  It's already been a wild day getting over here.  In between me nearly getting drooled on and a near-vehicular homicide that involved a turtle...it's been one of those days.  I'll be back a little later on.