Opening Day! My Quick Preview

The best day of the year is finally here! All baseball fans should agree on that. Today gives every fan the chance to see the new faces on their team, the familiar faces we enjoy watching season after season, and best of all, a clean slate. Every team is 0-0. No chance for heartbreak or frustration yet. Today is a celebration of baseball.

I am an avid Dodger fan and will make my way to Chavez Ravine in a few hours to take in batting practice  and enjoy all the festivities. My dad, my sister, and I are regulars to Opening Day and this year my mom will finally be joining us. She's an accountant and Opening Day always falls during tax season so she usually can't break away from the office. But this year I got her and my dad tickets for their birthdays (greatest son ever) so she has to come :)

I will be documenting our day via my Facebook page and then will post on here later on to sum up our day. Stay tuned for that! But as for today...

The Dodgers take on the Hated Ones. For those non-Dodger fans, that is the San Francisco Giants. The defending World Series Champions. Still hurts to say that. One of the best rivalries in all of sports. If you've been to a Dodgers-Giants game, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The energy at these games is unbelievable.

My predicted starting lineup for today's game vs. Tim Lincecum (SF):

Dodgers vs. The Hated Ones (5:05 pm)
1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Tony Gwynn Jr. LF
3. Andre Ethier RF
4. Matt "The Bison" Kemp CF
5. Juan Uribe 3B
6. James Loney 1B
7. Jamey Carroll 2B
8. Rod Barajas C
9. Clayton "Public Enemy No. 1" Kershaw P

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this lineup will fare against Lincecum. It's a really tough way to start the season, but the Giants are thinking the same thing. I expect (and hope for) a breakout season from Clayton Kershaw in 2011. If he pitches to his potential, he'll be in the Cy Young consideration by season's end. He needs to start off right today.

For those of you making your way to the game today, be safe! It's going to be wild at the Stadium and people can get out of control. See you at the game and Let's Go Dodgers! Think Blue.

March Sweetness Champion: Reese's

In the first ever March Sweetness Tournament, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup has taken the crown as the best candy bar in the eyes of the people. RPBC was unavailable for comment, but was clearly overjoyed after the big win.

In honor of the big win, here's a cheesy 80's Reese's commercial. Enjoy and thanks for voting!

Championship Game: Reese's vs. Snickers

Yesterday's result: Reese's def. Baby Ruth


Today's Championship matchup:

(5) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup vs. (6) Snickers

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup: RPBC finds itself in the big game after steamrolling Milky Way by a score of 19-1 and coasting past Baby Ruth 10-3, but faces its toughest competition to date. Will the chocolate and peanut buttery deliciousness be enough to fend off Snickers?

Snickers: Snickers took no prisoners on its way to the Championship, taking down Butterfinger (another mammoth of the candy bar world) 14-9 and then trouncing Kit-Kat 12-3. Can Snickers live up to the hype and take home the March Sweetness crown?

The stage is set and the final two bars are ready to go head-to-head for all the peanuts. Just like the rest of the games, the outcome of this one depends on your vote! Vote now and crown the champ!

Semi-Finals: Baby Ruth vs. Reese's

Friday's result: Snickers def. Kit-Kat
Snickers coasts into tomorrow's Championship game after effortlessly beating Kit-Kat.

Today's matchup:

(2) Baby Ruth vs. (5) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Baby Ruth: BR finds itself one game away from a chance at the Crown after slipping past 3 Musketeers in the first round. It faces a much tougher opponent in Reese's.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup: RPBC absolutely trounced Milky Way in the first round, taking 19 out of 20 votes. There is no doubt, this bar earned its place in the semi-final game, but Baby Ruth figures to put up more of a fight.

After a day-long delay, the last semi-final matchup is here. Todays winner will go on to face Snickers in the March Sweetness Championship tomorrow. You pick who will advance. Vote now!

Semi-Finals: Snickers vs. Kit-Kat

Yesterday's result: Baby Ruth def. 3 Musketeers

Baby Ruth earns the right to face Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the other semi-final matchup tomorrow.

Today's Matchup:

(6) Snickers vs (8) Kit-Kat

Snickers: Reaching the Final Four after a tough battle with Butterfinger, Snickers is once again the favorite to reach Sunday's Championship. However, it faces a deserving opponent in Kit-Kat.

Kit-Kat: After taking out the most experienced bar in the tournament, Kit-Kat looks to prove a point versus one of the giants in the game.

It's getting down to the nitty-gritty here in the March Sweetness Tournament. Snickers and Kit-Kat are fighting for a berth in the Championship Game, but only one can move on. It's up to YOU! Vote now!

Today at Rio: Green ponchos are not Irish

As I sat in the cafeteria for 40 minutes before class, playing Angry Birds by myself like I was Stephen Glansberg (if you don't understand the reference, click the link), I was checking out my surroundings to see if the St. Patrick's Day spirit was in the air. Not to my surprise, there wasn't a whole lot of green being worn. The majority of Rio's enrollment is Hispanic so I didn't expect campus to be doused with green. There was a constant commotion at the table to my left and when I finally looked over, this is what I saw:

Nice. A green poncho. Is that corned beef and cabbage in that breakfast burrito? Just to clarify, wearing green does NOT make you Irish. And wearing a green poncho just makes you chuntier.

I wasn't shocked by this. I've seen stranger things at this school. I just felt that I had to document it.

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!

Round One: Baby Ruth vs. 3 Musketeers

Yesterday's result: Snickers def. Butterfinger
In the most anticipated matchup of the tournament thus far, Snickers edged out Butterfinger for the win and the chance to take on Kit-Kat in the Final Four.

Today's matchup:

(2) Baby Ruth vs (7) 3 Musketeers

Baby Ruth: Classic combo of peanuts, caramel, and nougat covered in chocolate. Despite the sponsorship from Major League Baseball and popular belief, the bar was not named after Yankees slugger Babe Ruth. In fact, it was named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth.

3 Musketeers: I always wondered how the 3 Musketeers bar got its name and, because of the March Sweetness Tourney, now I know. Created in 1932, the bar originally consisted of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavored nougat (the 3 Musketeers). However, in 1945, the company dropped vanilla and strawberry to cut costs because of the war, giving us the single musketeer, chocolate nougat.

There you have it. The final game of the first round! Winner goes on to face Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the Final Four. Vote now!