Welcome to the Hopski Final Four!!!

 

Yes - IN HUBIE WE TRUST (From the right honorable gentleman Mark Iantosca) is indeed secure in the #1 position as we enter the FINAL FOUR.  The podium is there for the taking by one of the most upstanding and reputable entrants the Hopski has ever had the privilege of hosting in this Pool, provided anyone but Purdue wins the Men's Final!  

Waiting in the wings in case Hell Freezes Over and Purdue wins.....

 

Shut Up and Drive (semi-retired lil' sis Melissa Rawlings of Indianapolis!) and Baylor Boiler (ex-Warsaw resident Glen Gregory - last seen nomadically wandering Mexico "with his suitcase, bike and guitar" but somehow having the wherewithal to get his picks in and contend for the Hopski Title!).  They are rooting respectively for the Boilers to beat UConn or Alabama in the Final.

To sum it up - either Purdue or Iantosca will win.......

The Hopski Sweet 16 2nd Chance Dance however is pretty wide open with 4 entries still in the running for that title.  Kudos to current leader "What Pick?  There Was No Pick (Rob Babcock, Palo Alto friend, golfer and UC Santa Barbara grad) with the inside track should Jim Valvano's ghost continue to guide NC State to the title!  If You Think UConn, Uconn (Peter Pell, main pool runner-up in 2017 and 2019 as well as the 2022 2nd Chance Dance Champion - Peter is a Long Island resident and perenial Hopski contendahhh) needds UConn to take down NCState, while Addicted to NOFE (Mark Noferi, DC immigration lawyer not just fully recovered but actually vastly improved from a big medical scare in 2018 - thank goodness as the Hopski would not be the same without the NOFE!!!).  Skibidi Toilet Bowler David Putts (friend, Duke/Illini alum and Warsaw entrepreneur) round out the contenders.

A special Hopski shout-out to MAZMAN (entry from Palo Alto friend, investor and assistant coach Bryan Mazlish) for a "special" achievement this year......

Probably not THE Unicorn he was looking for - but Mazman managed to be the only entry to go 0 for 8 on this year's Elite 8 - but he did avoid the Hopski Toilet Bowl!!

BEST ENTRY NAME - THIS WEEKEND IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE - SO PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR NOMINATION!!

Also wish to share that I had a great evening last night catching up with long-time friend and Hopski entrant Stan Kwitnieski (It Will Be A Bloodbath) in Boulder!  We played a lot of hoops in the Warsaw 90s and it was just like old times (well - we were not yelling at each other!) last night.   

Finally - this year's Hopski DOH Award Goes to none other than The Commish AND it is FINAL FOUR related!

My favorite points credit card (BILT - and if you rent as I still do - THIS IS A MUST CARD - email me for more info!) has big "rent day" promos on the 1st of each month and March 1st was March Madness with lower level Regional and Final Four tickets available at less than face value.  So - boom - I was clicking away on March 1st at 10am and nabbed 2 Detroit regional tickets (ever optimistic Hoosier that I am) as well as 2 for the Men's Championship game in PHX all lower level.  I was pumped, though returned the DET tickets once IU was out.  So earlier this week they sent me the Final Four tix.  I had already bought my flight as well as arranged to golf and go to the Final with Right Lane Wags (Jeff Wagoner, my roommate from IU, PHX resident and all around good guy unless he is driving!).  However, upon actually looking what I bought they were for the semi-finals and not the final - DOH!  As we (Aerospace Engineering Barbie - my graduating senior Natalia) are finishing up college visits, I had no means to get there in time - ARGHHHHH!  SO - SORRY WAGS!   Tickets ended up going to Jon Rogowski - a Purdue friend that is enjoying PHX as I type!

Enjoy the Final Four weekend (Men's and Women's)!!  And oh BTW - that offensive foul call against UCONN at the end of their semi-final loss was sooooooooo wrong at that time.  Really unfortunate to take away their chance on that one.  Officials blew it!!!

THE COMMISH (reporting live from the Denver airport!)