My NCAA Tournament Thoughts

Since I'm a credentialed media member for college basketball, I thought I should share some thoughts about the first two rounds of the NCAA men's tournament.

CBS has a "Remember Me?" segment where they highlight players from past tournaments. One video featured Kevin Pittsnogle, who was a star at West Virginia University and is now a middle school principal. Sean's Ramblings may have been a Kevin Pittsnogle fan page based on some of the early posts of this blog. I even received a comment on one of my posts from Pittsnogle's mom. Anyway, I'm happy that Pittsnogle is doing well and getting some attention.

Perhaps you saw the end of the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game. Nebraska made a lay-up with just over 2 seconds left to take a 74-72 lead. Vanderbilt had a chance to win at the end, but barely missed what could have been one of the greatest shots in tournament history. 

As a University of Pittsburgh basketball fan who remembers when Will Perdue and Barry Goheen defeated the Panthers in a major upset, this is my reaction to Vanderbilt fans.

Sean Miller was on that Pitt team that lost to Vanderbilt and is now the coach at the University of Texas. Based on his success in leading the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 in his first season in Austin, Miller should be ready to return to his alma mater and coach Pitt!

Two Atlantic-10 conference teams made the tournament: St. Louis and VCU. Both won their first round matches. Good job A-10! By the way, it would be nice for the power conference schools to play away matches against A-10 schools. Just look at the DC area as an example. Maryland or Georgetown could easily charter a bus or two to play at George Mason or George Washington, but that doesn't benefit the schools financially and there's a risk they could lose. Might as well play lower-tier teams at home or another power conference team in a home-in-home series or a neutral site. Rant over.

I'm happy that Iowa upset #1-seed Florida last night, particularly since my brother-in-law is an Iowa grad. Still, while it would never get called and I might be the only one who thinks this, it really seemed like Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras traveled before taking his game-winning 3-point shot. Both feet seemed to move.

I'll admit that I don't follow college basketball as much as I did when I was younger. With that written, I was shocked when The Moose told me that Purdue's Braden Smith set the men's NCAA Division I record for most career assists. I thought maybe he meant in a season or in the Big Ten, but it's actually the most all-time passing Duke's Bobby Hurley.

All of my final four selections are still intact, and I picked Arizona to win it all. And baseball's opening day is just a few days away!

Photo of Pittsnogle from Berkeley County Schools.

Sean's Ramblings at 20

I started this blog 20 years ago tomorrow without any clue about what I was doing. (Yes, you can still say this today.) My first post didn't include a title. My second post misquoted the start of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's It Takes Two. Over the next few weeks and months, I wrote mostly short posts which would today be considered tweets or Facebook updates about a wide variety of topics though mostly about Pittsburgh sports. I was recently married and several years away from any kids. We didn't even have a cat yet!

20 years later, I have now spent over 40% of my life writing a blog. This is my 3,383rd post. From what I can find, Sean's Ramblings is the oldest, continuously-operating personal blog. There are other blogs that are subject specific (such as about individual sports teams) that are older, but many of them have had various writers during their existence. So why do I still write a blog? I'm not sure that I have a good answer. I really have no idea how many people still read this. I don't know much about SEO (search engine optimization), and I've never figured out how to build an audience. The best answer is that this is a journal for me. Yes, it's a public journal visible in theory to the entire world, but I write for me. And a little bit for my kids in case they ever want to read through this one day (even if they have no idea who Kevin Pittsnogle is though they may have heard of Flavor Flav).

I wrote fewer posts in 2024 than I have in any other year of this blog's existence. Part of the reason is that my posts are longer. You can read my random/quick thoughts and pictures on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter, and Instagram. I consider many of my posts here to be "articles" or at least longer or more substantial than your typical tweet. So will I write more in 2025? Maybe. An average of a post a week seems reasonable, though I'd like to increase this some.

My main goal for this blog in 2025 is for me to branch out by attending events as a blogger/media member. I submitted an application to cover the Grammys virtually, and I plan on trying to participate in a few other things. (If anyone knows of events in the DC area, please let me know!) I think I bring a different perspective than many influencers that would be fun to read.

Thanks to all of you for reading this post and any of my other posts over the years. While I wrote that I write this for me, I do enjoy having an audience! Thank you!

2019 State Of The Ramblings

Sean’s Ramblings turned 14 yesterday making this the oldest, continuous non-subject specific blog on the planet.* What I mean by this is that there are probably other blogs that have been operational longer, but they are about one particular subject (sports teams, a genre of books, etc.). This is just a personal blog about whatever I feel like writing about on a given day where I make little to no money. Whether this is the first time you’ve visited my blog or, like Kevin Pittsnogle’s mom (no one is going to get this reference), you've read this for years, thanks for checking out Sean’s Ramblings!

A quick update about the last year. I started 2018 with the intention of writing more posts than in 2017. Then, I promptly dislocated my wrist and had a cast for 5-6 weeks making typing (and everything else) much more difficult. A sincere thank you to Christine for writing a guest post about her experiences living in South Korea right before the beginning of the Pyeongchang Olympics and to Shannon, Josh, and John and Rachael for agreeing to interviews in early 2018. They provided fantastic content while I was on the disabled list.

Overall, I accomplished my goal of writing more posts in 2018 than 2017. Hooray for me and for you in that you got to read more of my posts! With that written, I find it more and more difficult to write as often as I’d like with three kids. While I’d love to make a goal this year to write more than last year, I’m not sure that’s possible. Instead, I may try to write longer, more meaningful posts. This sounds good in theory, so we’ll see if this actually happens.

I also want this year to be the year that I become an “official” blogger. Whether this means I’m successful in my quest to be a blogger for the new Loudoun United soccer team or that I get to cover some type of event such as a grand opening, an awards ceremony, or a press pass for a sporting event, 2019 is the year this will finally happen!

Thanks again for all of your support, and I hope to continue to provide you with some fun and thought provoking (well, probably not thought provoking) content in 2019.


You can click here to see my previous State of the Ramblings posts. In addition, please like/follow me on Instagram and Facebook too!



* This statement may or may not be true, but if you can find an older, continuous non-subject specific blog on Earth, please let me know.

Life As A New Father

Last week, I introduced my third son, Luigi, to the world (or at least to the people that read Sean's Ramblings). Today, I'm writing about my worries and challenges. I am 42 years old. I know that I seem quite hip and knowledgeable about pop culture, but it's true that I'm 42. I have friends my age with kids in junior high and high school and there are plenty of others my age with kids in college. When Luigi graduates from high school, I will be 60 or 61. We're probably looking at 65 or so when he graduates from college.* Basically, there's not going to be an early retirement and I'm going to be working for many years to come. Speaking of college, how does one expect to pay for college for three kids? Yes, I already started putting money into 529 plans, but tuition will probably be about $75K per year at the current pace. Athletic scholarships seem unlikely at best. Maybe academic scholarships? That's certainly not something I can count on. Even in the short term, I'm astonished at the costs of preschool, daycare, and before/after school programs. Let's just say that it's more than rent.

(I don't know why this stock photo makes me smile.)

I'm writing much of this post at 4:00 AM, so the tone may be different than much of my other writing. Tired writing is probably not my best writing though I did get a compliment from a college professor who once told me that he doesn't recommend writing a paper in one night and then handed me back the paper with an A- or B+ grade. Luigi has been awake for most of the past 2.5 hours. The doctors say he is a "fussy" baby. It seems like he is hungry all the time, and he freaks out when he wants to eat. Of course, then he is fussy if he doesn't burp and ends up spitting up which is unpleasant for all involved. I worry that something is wrong, but I have no idea what it could be. He's going to need surgery for a hernia in a few months once he gets a little bigger and stronger, but the doctors say that doesn't seem to impact the fussiness. So I worry about that too. He's too little for surgery even though it's apparently fairly common.

I don't remember if the older boys were fussy or when they started to sleep more regularly at night. I may have been in the exact same position and mindset 6 and 3 years ago and blocked this out. The difference now is with the new baby, there's not enough time or attention to go around. After Pedro Tulo was born, one of us could be with him while the other could be with The Moose. Zone defense (2 adults on 3 kids) is not nearly as effective as man-to-man. I know I'm always tired and not as patient as I should be. The Moose hasn't done a great job of listening at times and Pedro Tulo has had several accidents the last few weeks even though he's been potty trained for months. (No accidents in a week, knock on wood. Take that The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones!)



Weekends are so much harder than weekdays. During the week, the older boys are at school for 10 hours. The weekends can be challenging in finding things to do and keeping everyone happy especially since Luigi still isn't venturing outside the house. Pedro Tulo is attending a classmate's birthday party this weekend. We have no idea who this kid is, but we figure it's 2-3 hours where he can run around and play with others his age.

I understand that we're not the first to go through this. Most of this is probably first-world problem stuff as people have had three or more kids for generations with much fewer means. My grandparents and great-grandparents were immigrants or children of immigrants and didn't have much. I know I need to keep things in perspective. I also try to have the mindset of an NCAA basketball tournament team. Survive each day and advance to the next. (Two basketball references in one post? This has to be a first since the Kevin Pittsnogle days.)

So this is where I am. Luigi just finished a bottle and is sleeping in arms as I'm typing this post. This is the Luigi I love, calm and cuddly. I absolutely worry about him and his brothers, but that's being a parent. You just can't let the worries consume your life. I'm excited that Pedro Tulo is taking a field trip to a pumpkin patch this week. He's going to love it. The Moose enjoys school, and his teacher adores him. The boys and I are also excited for Halloween which is only a week away. Our neighborhood throws a party and the kids all run around in their costumes and eat. Just thinking about going the last few years makes me smile seeing The Moose interact with kids at his school and Pedro Tulo walking by himself for the first time.

I'm going to try to go back to sleep now since the alarm goes off in an hour! I know it's going to get better and easier but that's not happening right now.


* After writing this post, I learned that Billy Joel is a new father at the age of 68! I feel a little better now.

Corner Bakery Free Paninis Journal

I'm getting back to my blogging roots. Last week, I made a reference to Sean's Ramblings favorite, Kevin Pittsnogle. Today, I'm sharing my experience of attempting to win free paninis for a year.

Long-time readers might remember a simpler time when I earned free burritos for a year from California Tortilla. Over the 52 weeks, I ate $278.09 worth of free food just for being one of the first 10 people in line at the Cal Tort grand opening. Therefore, when I learned that Corner Bakery was opening a new restaurant in my neighborhood with the first 100 people in line receiving free paninis for a year, I started planning. By planning, I mean that I mentioned this to my wife a few days ago and I woke up around 5:00 instead of the usual 5:40.

I started the day by shaving, getting dressed and feeding Ziggy. I said good bye to my wife and she gave me an "Are you serious? I can't believe you're leaving since both kids will probably wake up as soon as you leave" look and rolled back over.

I arrived at Corner Bakery just after 5:30, and there was already a significant line. While I expected much of the line to be teenagers, I was surprised of the age diversity among the group. It seemed like about 40% already qualified for AARP membership and there were many families in the group (though no young children). After standing in the back of the line for a minute a two, a woman that works at the Corner Bakery corporate office handed me #56. I was in! Hooray for LaMarr Woodley! (Actually, since Woodley is no longer a Steeler, hooray for, um, Jordan Zumwalt!)

Here are some notes from the morning:

- This was the first time in Corner Bakery history that they gave away free paninis to open a restaurant. Previously, the first 100 people received free coffee. I participated in an historic event!

June 30, 1936 - Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is published.
June 30, 1950 - US enters the Korean War.
June 30, 2014 - Free paninis at a Northern Virginia Corner Bakery

- The first person in line arrived at 2:00 AM. Rookie! It was the first 100 people in line, not the first 10.

- While I brought a chair, book & Walkman (yes, a Walkman!) to the Cal Tort opening, all I took for the Corner Bakery opening was an Entertainment Weekly magazine and a piece of paper and a pen to write some notes.

- I got a little concerned when a guy in a Sherriff's officer uniform came to the end of the line. I worried that he was going to shut everything down. Turns out he joined the line for free paninis too.

- I asked if we got tired of paninis during week 35 if we could switch to a less expensive item on the menu. I was told that I wouldn't get tired of paninis. Then, I was told that the coupons were for paninis only but staff might work with me.

The doors opened promptly at 6:00 AM and everyone received a wrapped stack of 52 cards good for one panini a week for a year from week 1 (7/6/14 to 7/12/14) to week 52 (6/28/15 to 7/4/15). July 4, 2015 seems like a really, really, really long time from now!

After nearly 10 minutes waiting in line to order food (and discovering that the first free panini coupon isn't good until next week), I decided to leave. I felt a little bad for getting the free cards and rolling out, but there were 55 people in front of me (though the line moved quickly) and I needed to go home and get ready for work. I'm sure that I'll make it up to Corner Bakery over the next year!

Don't forget to like Sean's Ramblings on Facebook.

Sean's US-Portugal Recap

While it is likely that you already read detailed analysis about Sunday's US-Portugal game and the scenarios for the US to advance to the knockout round, you haven't read my thoughts about the game and World Cup (unless you're reading this multiple times). Like my recaps of Steelers games, and, well, just about everything else on Sean's Ramblings, enjoy items and thoughts that you won't see anywhere but here.

- Like every other World Cup match, the festivities began with the starting players entering the field holding hands with Brazilian children. While this is probably a huge honor for the kids who can tell their children that they were on the field during the 2014 World Cup, I wonder if all the kids are truly happy. For example, if you learned that you were going to go on the field for the Brazil-Cameroon game only to discover that you're walking out with a Cameroon player rather than Neymar or another Brazilian player, you might not be that excited.

- I didn't realize that Cristiano Ronaldo and Tim Howard were roommates when they played together for Manchester United. Now that is a reality show I would have watched. Did they have a Felix-Oscar relationship? Did they argue about leaving dirty dishes in the sink? Did they split the bills evenly? I need to know more about this!

- Now that there has been a water break in a World Cup match, I can't wait to use this as a ref as an example when Under-14 coaches complain about having one.

- It was nice of Wonder Woman, Superman & Batman to attend the World Cup match. However, while Wonder Woman and Superman dressed for the hot, humid climate, Batman must have been really uncomfortable.

- There were several times in the match where the announcers stated that, essentially, Ronaldo doesn't play defense. He's basically Alex Ovechkin except that he has won titles. Of course, it helps when you have teammates like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scoles. Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs, Kaka, Mesut Ozil, & Iker Casillas rather than Martin Erat, Jeff Schultz and Jay Beagle.

- Yes, another Ronaldo thought. Announcer Ian Darke mentioned that Ronaldo was greeted at the hotel by a topless model, a guy in a Donald Duck costume and hundreds of other spectators. Why isn't ABC/ESPN showing this?

- Like Troy Polamalu's hair or Brett Keisel's beard, Portugal's Raul Meireles looked to get major attention due to his beard, mohawk and tattoos. He could easily be a bad guy on Sons of Anarchy. Unfortunately, it doesn't help your reputation as a scary, tough guy when you lay on the ground for approximately 15 minutes after Kyle Beckerman slide tackle. (It really wasn't that bad but some people disagree.)

- Meanwhile Clint Dempsey gets beat up nearly every match and always gets up. He is basically Chumbawamba without the whiskey drink, vodka drink, lager drink and cider drink. Oh, Dempsey also scored a goal off his tummy.

- West Virginia University's Geoff Cameron had a terrible clearance that led directly to Portugal's first goal. Kevin Pittsnogle or Amos Zereoue could have a better job on that ball. (I miss making Kevin Pittsnogle references.)

- Does will.i.am get mad at Portugal's William because of his name?

- Chris Wondolowski is half Native American. Based on all the discussion here in DC last week, I'm surprised no one asked for Wondo's thoughts on the Washington football team name after the game.

- Finally, while the Ronaldo to Varelo goal was impressive (though disheartening), these are the best goals from this weekend.

Friday Links

There is a sighting of Ramblings favorite Kevin Pittsnogle. (New York Times)

The Sports Guy’s "One final toss for The Dooze." Warning: It may get a bit
dusty at your desk/home near the end. (ESPN).

Mike Tomlin’s 2-year anniversary as the Steelers coach was yesterday. (PSAMP)

Chuck Noll was a great coach and is the rare great coach who didn't promote himself after retiring. (ESPN)

At some point today, I'll be part of Meeting People is Easy. (One For The Other Thumb)

I received an e-mail from Bodog with Super Bowl prop bets. If I’m a member of the E Street Band, I’m betting big money on this one:

What Song will Bruce Springsteen sing to begin his Halftime Show at the Super Bowl?
Born in the USA - 2/1
Glory Days - 2/1
The Rising - 4/1
Born to Run - 5/1
The Wrestler - 5/1
Radio Nowhere - 8/1
I’m on Fire - 12/1

A couple of cool pictures of the Terrible Towel across the globe. (Mondesi's House)

And a NASA video from space. (Blog 'n' Gold)

Fame

It seems like only yesterday that I wrote about the issues with our car and the "Maturn" dealership. Actually, it was Monday. Anyway, my story was picked up the website Jalopnik which has the tagline "Obsessed with the Cult of Cars," and I had 190 hits yesterday. That is a new record breaking the previous record when I was featured on a West Virginia University fan site for writing about Kevin Pittsnogle.

Here is the link to the “Blog Hoonage” where I am one of the featured links. I have no idea how (or if I should) respond to these comments:

Wow! News flash, the automotive service industry is corrupt, and you will pay alot to "fix" your car unless you find someone you trust...
I do have a small portion of sympathy for those who refuse to learn mechanics on their own.

AND

Wellll... that and, it's not unlikely that his car was at the timing belt and water pump service point. And those aren't cheap (or easy) to do. Is the second mechanic he took it to going to fix it for free if/when the belt pops or the water pump fails and the motor is a big paper weight? The dealership would likely be expected to if that happened shortly after they worked on it. So it's easier for them to say "this needs done" versus paying out the nose later to fix a problem they didn't cause.
That's not to say that shops don't "upsell"; they most certainly do, the jerks. But just because one shop recommends more service than another doesn't mean that's what's happening.