The Deep End of the Pool

The NCAA Tournament is underway -- Day 2 of Round 1 is today -- and offices everywhere are filled with the sounds of would-be bracket bosses crumpling their selection sheets while Judy from Accounting laughs all the way to the bank because she made her picks based on which school's color schemes she liked the best. Every year at this time I hear the same question, again and again: Do you want to be in a pool? The answer, year after year since 1997, has been a resounding "No."

Let me explain. At Columbia University School of Journalism in the spring semester of 1998, my Sports Writing professor, Sandy Padwe, expressly forbade his students from any gambling of any kind while we were covering sports in his class. This included everything, even fantasy leagues. He kept tabs on us. Little did we know he was saving us. It just so happened the Feds raided a ring right off campus that spring and a number of students were nabbed, but none of Sandy's sportwriters.

Ever since then, having covered professional sports, I just can't bring myself to gamble. Not even to stick a quarter in a slot machine. I guess I just don't get it. I'd rather save the little money that I have.

The last time I did enter a pool was March of my senior year at Providence College. The Friars made the tournament that year and were the last team eliminated from the Elite Eight, falling to eventual champion Arizona. The Providence men's team I covered for "The Cowl" at the time -- Sandy hadn't educated me in ethics yet -- also happened to be the only one of my Final Four picks that didn't pan out. Karma, perhaps?

Belated Blog on the Tri-State Trifecta

Boy, I've been delinquent in my blogging responsibilities! I would be remiss if I did not -- like every media outlet out there -- mention a certain former governor who made headlines recently. That got me thinking: does anybody realize that in the space of less than four years the governors of the three tri-states have all resigned in disgrace? New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer became the latest to join Connecticut Gov. John Rowland and New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey to bow out. The number of other governors to step aside in that time? Zero.
If I am the governor of Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania or Rhode Island, I would be on my best behavior.

Long Time, No Blog

Guess I've just been at a loss for something to say -- hey, it happens -- but I'm overdue for a blog. We'll go with some quick hits:

1. New Jersey's hand-free law was elevated to a primary offense yesterday, March 1. I don't know about you, but I see a lot of people talking on cell phones on the roads, most of them in enormous gas-guzzling SUVs with no one but the driver in the vehicle, who is attempting -- poorly -- to execute a left turn. Interestingly, text messaging behind the wheel is now a primary offense as well. I, myself, am guilty of this. Most of the time I'm recording memos on my BlackBerry at a traffic light. There goes that.

2. Speaking of tickets, New Jersey is now in the midst of a so-called ticket "blitz." Beginning last week, police have been issued quotas, speed limits in some areas have been reduced and fines have been more than doubled.
Thankfully, I do not take the New Jersey Parkway to work. Obey those posted speed limits out there as cops have even been told not to issue warnings.

3. Moving away from the cars and cell phones, did you hear about the middle school in Readington Township where 29 eighth graders were given two days detention for having paid for their lunches entirely in pennies because they felt they had too little time to eat?
While I can appreciate the protest, seems they never made their feelings about the shortened lunch known before the prank, which resulted in frustrated lunch ladies -- you don't EVER want to be on their bad side -- and several students not getting to eat Thurs., Feb. 29.
According to school administrators, this was the first they'd heard of the students being unhappy about the lunch period. As a teacher with a cafeteria duty this year and many times in the past over my six-year career, I have to side with the administration here. I think it was disrespectful, first off, for students to overwhelm the lunch staff in such a way. It's not their fault the lunch period got trimmed. Secondly, how short-sighted were these students to do this and deny classmates and friends the opportunity to eat that day? And they confessed to having coordinated the whole thing over their cell phones (sorry, couldn't get away from that topic).
Well, until next time, keep your hands where we can see them.