Another week of phase one in the books. New Orleans is starting to reopen and I hope everyone is still practicing social distancing and all of the things that will help us win this battle. Here comes another batch of sport gumbo!
If reality wasn’t so damn weird we would be in the heart of the NCAA regionals this weekend. We would be pulling hard for Tulane and UNO (yes, I decided they made it) and saying funny things like, “Jacksonville State just ended Clemson’s season!” The regionals are the most slept on college sporting event. I have a theory that Major League Baseball is pressuring ESPN to not promote it but that’s for another time (and a few beers).
Last week I wrote about how Tulane was on a tear this season but you have to give props to the season the UNO Privateers were putting together as well. UNO (11-6), even after stumbling out of the gate, was off to its hottest start under Coach Blake Dean. The Privateers had series wins over UConn, Nicholls State and Arkansas State (sweep) and a midweek win over Tulane. Their season ended in similar fashion to Tulane’s as they were about to play a massive series against Northwestern State. A series win would have sent a chill through the rest of the Southland Conference. But, alas, we’ll never know.
As we all sit around our houses it seems the entire world tuned in to watch “The Last Dance.” I missed every bit of it but assume the series was about how awesome Michael Jordan was on the court and probably how dedicated he was off it. So, in short, I didn’t need to watch ten hours of TV to tell me something I already knew.
I was actually waiting for Twitter to blow up with news of something controversial or scandalous being told but didn’t get that either. Oh well. I heard he cried though. Now we have “Lance,” a series that I assume will detail how Lance Armstrong cheated his way to seven Tour de France titles by using performance-enhancing drugs. I won’t watch it either but at least there could be some spice in this one.
This has nothing to do with sports, unless TV watching has become the new sport of America, but I’ve binged on the following shows during all of this. Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian” was great fun and watching “Letterkenny” on Hulu is always hilarious. However, if I were writing a TV and movie blog (which they should totally pay me to do) I would be singing the praises of two ladies – Hulu’s “Mrs. America” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime. These two shows are perfect examples of why the movie industry is terrified that people are not going to come back to theaters after this is all over.
It’s more important than ever to get out and support our local New Orleans’ companies. I have asthma so I am being doubly cautious about going out but we still have been ordering take out. Being a pizza junkie I have hit up Ancora on Freret Street and Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza on Magazine Street. Both of these places have excellent pizza we were able to pickup curbside and you should go get a pie. We’ve also had some great curbside pickup meals from Saffron and August Moon. Get out and support these companies my friends.
I wish New Orleans still had a minor league hockey team but at least I can scratch that itch somewhat with the return of the National Hockey League. The NHL has announced that it will indeed return to finish this season. However, there are still a lot of questions (when will it return, where will the games be played) to be answered.
Be that as it may, we know who will play as the league is moving into its Qualifying Round for the playoff season. Twenty four teams will vie for the Stanley Cup this year instead of the usual 16. I’ve always been an underdog kind of guy so I roll with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won their first series ever last year by upsetting the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also want to note that with the expanded playoffs there were only seven teams who didn’t make the postseason. Three of the woeful seven were Anaheim, L.A. and San Jose. That cracks me up.
Speaking of support I want to give a shout out to Renaissance Publishing, the company behind this very website and all of the great magazines like New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans Bride Magazine and Biz New Orleans. (Disclosure: My wife Melanie is on staff at the company.) When you’re out supporting local businesses look for their magazines and stop by their Facebook pages and give them a like. It’s the small things in life that add up to greatness and I’m proud to be a part of this team.
And like a fine wine with a steak dinner, every game should be accompanied by a beverage and song.
Beer Pairing: Courtyard Brewery’s To Go Beers
Playlist Recommendation: Lil’ Hardin Armstrong – “Doin The Suzie Q”
Around the Way
Shout out to everyone who took part in the protest marches in New Orleans. With all of the bad news we’ve been hit with over the past couple of months it made me feel good to see the marches go off without a hitch.
New Orleans rules.