As I was tired last night - stay tuned to Facebook for some status updates on my thoughts from yesterday - I postponed last night's Round 2 / Day Four to this afternoon. So, here we go...
4) Hookah John vs. 12) Tim Newby
Previously, in the May Mayhem Tournament of Champions: Hookah John cemented his appearance in the Thrilled 32 by knocking off the gimped Squirrel Master, who is still coming off of an ankle injury (I believe)....not caused by Hookah John, although, he has a reputation nowadays for causing injury. Meanwhile, Tim Newby pulled an upset over 5) the Great One Ian Mouser in the opening round of the Tournament of Champions, proving that, this year, a Great prefix is no guarantee for second-round appearance (the Great Morgan Bridges also was defeated in the opening round).
Like all great Tournament upset-makers, you have to have multiple upsets in order to make a run at a championship. After all, by virtue of being an upset winner at all, one must be a lower seed out to shock the world. Their Tournament journey is often times a tough one; having to face a slew of strong adversaries with power, might, and clout in numbers that are sometimes hard to explain. That is the journey that Tim Newby is on now. The next stop on his road to a championship runs through the tower of Hookah John Herboth. And that is where it detours and the bridge gives out. While Tim Newby is one of the most pleasant people that I know, and one that I respect a great deal, John is also one of those great people you are fortunate to know and, because I see John more regularly throughout the year, at various social functions and then summer volleyball and sloshball, I will advance John into the Smooth 16 ... where Maui is awaiting him with Zen-like patience.
2) Roo Davis vs. 7) Mary-Elizabeth Dodson
Previously, in the May Mayhem Tournament of Champions: Roo Davis defeated 15) Renee Espinosa and continues her march towards avenging her 2012 Tournament finish in the Thrilled 32. Meanwhile, Mary is making her Tournament debut, and got off to a good start last week by besting 10) PJDub in a slight upset.
This is, quite possibly, one of the more unique match-ups because both are some of the best people that I know; albeit, in different ways. Amanda, because of all of the great things she is to so many great people; and Mary, because she seems like a lot of fun and, again, Niners fans are always some of the best people you are likely to meet. And while this could be a prime candidate for a Thrilled 32 upset pick, I'll stick with Roo Davis. Although, Mary may come back with the charge of a champion in 2014, so this may just be the beginning of a potential Tournament rivalry -- again, I like rivalries; they make everything a little more interesting.
3) BDub vs. 11) Burtner
Previously, in the May Mayhem Tournament of Champions: The Bizzle Wondizzle, after not competing in the 2012 Tournament, returned to Tournament form last week by defeating a worthy challenger in 14) Gimba. Meanwhile, Burtner advanced into the Thrilled 32 by eliminating the recently-absent 6) Greg Baron, in a slight upset, as well. And now, these two power players who are both in-it-to-win-it showdown with the Smooth 16 honors on the line.
The Bizzle Wondizzle has a lot going for him in this match-up EXCEPT for momentum. Burtner -- actually, both he and his wife, Natalie -- are both on a roll currently..... or as much of a roll as can be stated in this, only, the second round of the Tournament. Although, there is a world of difference between battling Greg Baron and battling Andrew BDub, the Bizzle Wondizzle, Fuchs. And, where normally this could be seen as a distant contest-- the 3 vs. 11 match-up --in this case, however, it is much tighter than one would normally imagine. Namely, Burtner has also expressed a desire and passion; the heart and words of a champion who is in-it-to-win-it. BDub has also made comments suggesting that he returned to Facebook, after several months away from it, for the Tournament and boasted about his first round victory. The problem, though, is that BDub returned to Facebook on Saturday, April 27....... and waited until May 8 to request my Facebook friendship.... yeah..... definitely collllllllld bloodedddddd. So, I'll keep Burtner alive in this Tournament and see what he can do in the Smooth 16.
And now, for the Marquee Match-Up for the final day of the Thrilled 32 round of the 2013 May Mayhem Tournament of Champions....
1) Tara vs 8) Kaeleen
Previously, in the May Mayhem Tournament of Champions: Tara started off the Tournament in striking fashion by defeating the strikingly fashionable 16) Cadence Powers -- ensuring that she would not wreck havoc in this year's Tournament as she did in the past (last year, Cadence, as a 15-seed, went all the way to the Smooth 16). Meanwhile, Kaeleen (who also made it to the Smooth 16 round last year), started her Tournament journey by edging out 9) Bria in a tight contest; even though Bria could have totally done everything that Megan Fox did in the "Transformers" movies. Miscasting by Michael Bay.
Kaeleen had expressed some anxiety, and worry, in facing up against Tara -- and for good reason. Not only is Tara a 1-seed this year but she is the only 2012 Tournament 1-seeds to return this year as a 1-seed, which means that she has some longevity and that I see her quite regularly (especially heading into the summertime). I have known Tara since the famed "Price is Right" road trip of Fall Break '04, and do believe she is a member of the famed "Circle of Trust". However, keep in mind that over the past couple of years, I've gotten to know Kaeleen better and have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and "Mad Men" debates -- although, since she is, reportedly, very behind in the series, I haven't had a "Mad Men" chat in awhile. Regardless, I have gotten to know Kaeleen fairly well, too, and she has been quite a bit involved in following the Tournament so far; and so, she is not a pushover in this contest... not at all. In fact, had she faced Tara last year in the Smooth 16 (instead of Nicole, the Champion of Champions), she would have easily been into the Enduring 8 -- quite possibly riding the momentum to the Championship. Sometimes, though, with title shots, you get close but fall just a little bit short (like the Buffalo Bills four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl with no championship....and no reappearance since), and sometimes you become a dynasty: a powerhouse that seemingly is always in contention and gets title shot after title shot... maybe winning, maybe not....but always in contention. And, while last year Kaeleen had a lot of momentum going in her favor, we don't know quite yet which side of the sports analogy coin she will represent. However, we do know that she will represent with honor and awesomeness, because that is the type of person that she is. Last year was last year, and this year, Tara has the drop and so I will advance Tara to the Smooth 16 in this very close contest. Plus, Tara has spaghetti waiting for me, reportedly. I enjoy spaghetti.
And so, there we have it. The Smooth 16 are now identified and I will still plan on having that done tomorrow (Saturday, May 18) as scheduled. Stay tuned for more information.
-Ryan.
Commissioner
The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions
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