Elite 8

In the past 24 hours, I’ve experienced some things that are hard to describe. I’ve seen one the top five sights you can see, the blue horizon of the ocean. I’ve smelled one of the top five aromas you can smell, the salty air of the Gulf Coast. I’ve heard one of the top five sounds you can hear, the peaceful rhythm of waves crashing on the beach. I’ve felt with my hands one of the top five feelings you can feel, the pull of a fish on the other end of your fishing line. And I’ve indulged in one of the top five tastes you can taste, Pepa’s waffles in the early morning. This is an experience of a lifetime, but I know that it pales in comparison to the Sullivan Family Bracket Challenge results and rankings.

Since I have a long day of fishing, walking on the beach, eating, and napping, I’ll keep this short. The round of the Sweet 16 proved a moving day for many of you. Some took significant steps toward the top, while others fell in a disturbing way. Let’s see it:

Rank/Previous Rank/Name/Official Score/Games Won/Upset Score

1 / 1 / Kris / 80 / 47/ 159
2 / 2 / Rob / 79 / 47 / 163
3 / 3 / Monkey/ 77 / 45 / 131
4 / 6 / Mike / 75 / 43 / 149
5 / 6 / Chuck / 71 /41 / 119
6 / 12 / Carol / 70 / 40 / 117
7 / 9 / Kelly S / 68 / 40/ 137
7 / 5 / Kevin / 68 / 41 / 130
7 / 9 / Cherie / 68 / 41 / 129
10 / 8 / Chris / 65 / 40 / 127
11 / 14/ Drew / 64/ 36 / 107
12 / 11 / Pepa / 63 / 38 / 110
12 / 15 / Tracee/ 63 / 35/ 101
14 / 12 / Kelly G / 62 / 38 / 124
15 / 3 / Michelle / 61 / 40 / 137
16 / 16 / Mema / 45 / 30 / 97
17 /17/ Abe / 30/ 22 / 89

Everybody except Abe, and (sigh) me, have their tournament winner still in the mix, which means, pretty much anybody can still win and anybody can still be shamed ruthlessly. So, keep your eyes on the prize, and by prize I mean the TV.

It was brought to my attention that people tend to have brackets that resemble something about themselves. Sometimes their character, sometimes their tendencies, but most of all, their car. Here are some examples:

Mema’s bracket is like her car because it’s all banged up.
Tracee’s bracket is like her car because she needs a new one, at least a different one.
Mike’s bracket is like his car because it’s not much to look at, but it is moving well.
Mema’s bracket is like her car because it was going pretty fast, but now it got pulled over.
Kelly S’s bracket is like his car, it’s apparently very fast because he tracking down the leaders.
Carol must have dropped some nitro in her car, because she moved from 12th to 6th.
Kevin’s bracket is like his truck, it’s all jacked up.
Pepa’s bracket is like his car, he thought he had this thing all locked up, but it got stolen away from him.
Mema’s bracket is like her car, because the Arkansas blinker is left on way too long.

The following people deserve kudos for picking 7 out of 8 teams in the Elite 8: Carol, Kris, Mike, Monkey, Rob, and Tracee.

Good luck to everyone, and don’t worry, be happy.

Bom and Babe