Notre Domination

Marquette beats Notre Dame 71-64
And that was in South Bend at the Joyce Center no less. I should also probably mention at this point that I WAS THERE.

Yes, rather than attend German 40 and Math 81, the "Quad Squad" (plus Mike Z.) decided that a better use of our Monday was making the 3.5 hour drive from Milwaukee to South Bend, Indiana to witness first hand Jesuit Marquette's dismantling of "that other Catholic School."

The highlight of the trip there was a close tie between mad Chicago traffic (at 1:30 pm? Stupid high population density) and our time spent in stunning Gary, Indiana. As we drove through the latter, Brandon piloted his Toyota Camry through 15 minutes of smog, steel mills, and dilapidated, unpopulated public transit stops. Ain't the Midwest great?

Once in South Bend (after $24 of interstate tolls -- really Illinois?) and getting lost on campus (apparently left and right on Notre Dame Ave. are not interchangeable) we finally arrived at the Joyce Center for an exciting Free Spirit Reunion with...Catherine Miller of Montana!

Justin, Chris, and Catherine enjoy their Free Spirit Reunion

Nothing sweetens a reunion quite like extending the Domers' home losing streak to 2 games after UCONN ended their 45 game period of home domination.

Activities at the game included: making fun of Kyle McAlarney for getting suspended for smoking pot last year, pointing out how ugly Luke Harangody is, good natured back and forth with senior citizens, telling an 8 year old to check the scoreboard before he gloats, highfiving more random Marquette fans than I can remember, and making fun Notre Dame to Gary, Indiana comparisons.



This win was big for Marquette, who had just been announced as the #8 team in the good old US of A. The embarrassment of breaking into the Top 10 and then losing would have been too much for me to bear and could have precipitated a move to Gary.

Our sights now turn toward Saturday, when the Golden Eagles take on #25 Georgetown (the school of FS Caroline Klibanoff) at the Bradley Center. A win there would make us 8-0 in the Big East and in prime position to have a very special year.

OneLost out with an MU rah, rah

Battles of Middle America: Bags v. Cornhole

I got the idea for a new section on "One Lost" the other day that I think all of you will enjoy. Every few days (or how ever often I am inspired) I will post a summery of the greatest issues and controversies of the Midwest. Now, these are issues that can't even be resolved within the peace-loving, friendly confines of America's Breadbaskets, and thus, I will make no attempt to judge or endorse one side or the other. These are just the facts, plain and simple.

Your first Battle is the controversy surrounding that ubiquitous tailgating game of bags/cornhole. For those of you unfamiliar with this...er...highly exciting game, it essentially involves throwing beanbags at a board with a hole in it. Points are scored by landing and sticking a beanbag on the board (1 point) or putting it through the hole (3 points). Teams of two compete in a game that runs to 21 or 25 points. The winner presumably gets to choose the first bratwurst off the grill or some other obscure Midwest honor.

Now, the issue, other than why this game is so popular (and admittedly, fun), is what to call it. Those from the Chicagoland (another silly Midwest idiom) insist that the game is "Bags," named for the beanbags being thrown. Another school of thought proports that the activity is called "Cornhole," named for the act of throwing the bag through the hole.

Early research suggest that the cornhole school exists primarily within Ohio and Wisconsin. I have it on good authority that "Cornhole" is the common term in Toledo, OH as well as parts of N. Wisconsin.

So long as Midwesterners are grilling sausages and going to sporting events, the "Bags v. Cornhole" issue will rage. Perhaps some sort of coalition could be formed to bring this issue to a resolution. Unfortunately, the result of such a meeting would most likely degrade into a Bags...er...Cornhole...er...whatever shouting match.

So West Coasts, just be glad that you have Montana and the Dakotas to seperate you from the issue