The Dead White Male of the Month

Thomas Marshall

Football Playoff Predictions, Year 2, Week 5

I went 8-6 in my predictions last week. I'm now 117-35. Apparently, I don't know MPSA Class AA that well. Predicted winners are in bold.

MHSAA Finals

Class 1A
East Webster, R1 #2 vs. Puckett, R3 #1

Class 2A
Baldwyn, R1 #1 vs. East Marion, R8 #1

Class 3A
Nettleton, R2 #1 vs. Franklin County, R7 #1

Class 4A
Clarksdale, R2 #1 vs. Wayne County, R5 #1

Class 5A
South Panola, R1 #1 vs. Meridian, R3 #2

MPSA Finals

Class A
Briarfield, D3 #1 vs. Trinity Episcopal, D7 #1

Class AA
Kirk, D2 #2 vs. Copiah, D5 #2

Stuck In A Moment I Can't Get Out Of

Yes, I'm listening to U2 on iTunes. It's less than a month until Christmas. This time of the year usually means my Christmas doldrums will be arriving soon.

I don't know if they will. I hope not.

Ah, Sinatra... Should I...

Anyway, I finally purchased my Christmas cards.

Hmmm.... Kim's Watermelon Gun...

Yes, I'm providing a running commentary of what's playing. Call it stream of consciousness. Call it a sign that I have no life.

Anyway, back to the cards. Edward Gorey Christmas Cards. I've always been a big fan of Gorey's work.

I usually try to go far the personal, lengthy inscriptions to my friends and family, but my life has been so hectic. Other than book club, I don't have much of a life. Work has kept me busy.

Desperado by Johnny Cash...

So, getting back to the cards... The inscriptions won't be nearly as lengthy as they normally are. Short and sweet. Brevity. The exact opposite of this blog post.

Is that irony or an expression of relief?

Earlier today, I went to Pizza Hut. Today was the last day of study hall for the semester. I bought some pizzas for the students. I figure that with exams going on next week-- some pizza might be good.

Big River. More from the Man in Black.

Anyway, the person at Pizza Hut tried to short me a dollar. She said she counted it, but why would I give her $42 for $32.10 of pizzas. I wanted a ten dollar bill back and gave her $43. She kept insisting she was right. I asked the manager to do a drawer count.

The drawer was $2 over.

Glad to See You Go... The Ramones.

Anyway, I got my dollar back. Not that the dollar really matters, but having worked in a grocery store from the time I was eight years old until I was 23, it's important to keep up with money.

1B from the Appalachian Journey CD....

A recap of the last few days...

I got to see friends. I got to see family. I had some fun. I ate at the Mayflower for the first time ever-- shocking fellow book clubbers, but I don't work in downtown Jackson, so the opportunities are fairly limited for me. For instance, I've lived here for over six years and I still haven't eaten at the Elite or Stamps.

I've got to get the cards ready.

State Trooper. Springsteen.

I may see some of my friends this evening. I'm not sure, but I don't have to be at work until later tomorrow afternoon. I'm working Wednesday night this week.

I'll likely go to at least one high school championship football game this weekend. I've got a dental appointment Monday. Also, final exams begin next week.

I need to get some housekeeping stuff done at the library. Between the semesters is as good a time to do it.

Twin Peaks theme time. The Bookhouse Boys.

I've been invited to some events by family and friends. I'm thinking about going to a basketball game in mid-December. I'm kind of sort of considering attending a North Mississippi Allstars concert at Hal & Mal's, but there might be a timing conflict.

Oliver Galop from one of the Oxford American CDs.

It looks like I'll be busy, and that's good. Being busy is good. I can't get into trouble.

Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters.

I'll have more time to do things though in the spring. I won't be doing any writing for my friends' newspaper since football season will be over. I'm also unlikely to monitor study hall next semester.

What with my cousin dying (obstensibly from a heart attack, but I'm uncertain because I've not heard official word), my mother wants me to join a gym.

At least, she uses that as an excuse. I think she wants more grandchildren.

The Great Circle Route... Bela Fleck...

I'm not good at exercising on my own. When I'm away from work, I like to relax. To veg, if you will. I might decide to go to a gym, but if I do, I'll very likely look for an exercise buddy to help encourage me to keep on going to the gym, so some of my friends might not be surprised to get an email about that sometime.

Ah, Clark Gable by The Postal Service...

The college has health fairs, which I attend regularly. Everything looks good, which is good.

I suppose I should worry though. My father died when he was 78 years old, and I'm 39. I suppose that's a milestone of sorts.

I'm writing too much now. I need to work on some Christmas cards.

The History of Love and The Stranger

I recently read The History of Love for book club. FP chose it. I enjoyed it, but am perhaps a bit disappointed in myself for not being into it as much as I should have. I suppose I slacked off a bit after a particularly hectic September and October. I was more into the two main characters of the book and didn't get into the substance of the book. I need to reread it sometime.

I had the next choice, which was The Stranger by Albert Camus. I'd not read it before. I wanted to read something that was different, and I have to confess that I was perhaps influenced by TD's Ada selection in that I wanted something really, really short. I've not read anything else by Camus. I might try something else by him.

TC has the next selection. She's chosen The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

Football Playoff Predictions, Year 2, Week 4

I went 20-10 in my predictions last week. I'm now 109-29, which is a little under 79 percent correct. My picks were terrible last week. I did the worst in MPSA Class AA-- 1-3? Argh.

Congratulations to Magnolia Heights and Jackson Prep. Both schools were favored to win their respective titles and did.

MHSAA Playoffs

Class 1A Semifinals
Vardaman, R1 #1 at East Webster, R1 #2
Puckett, R3 #1 at Lake, R3 #2

2-2. I should have picked Lake. Look for Vardaman and Puckett to meet in the finals.

Class 2A Semifinals
Calhoun City, R2 #1 at Baldwyn, R1#1
St. Andrew's, R6 #1 at East Marion, R8 #1

2-2. Look for the visitors to win.

Class 3A Semifinals
Ripley, R1 #1 at Nettleton, R2 #1
Hazlehurst, R6 #2 at Franklin County, R7 #1

2-2. Hazlehurst v. Nettleton. I picked upsets in 3A instead of MPSA AA.

Class 4A Semifinals
West Point, R1 #1 at Clarksdale, R2 #1
Wayne County, R5 #1 at Terry, R6 #1

4-0. I'm looking for a Clarksdale-Wayne County matchup.

Class 5A Semifinals
South Panola, R1 #1 at Olive Branch, R1 #2
Oak Grove, R3 #1 at Meridian, R3 #2

3-1. I'll pick the visitors to win.

MPSA Playoffs

Class A Semifinals
Benton, D4 #1 at Briarfield, D3 #1
River Oaks, D8 #1 at Trinity Episcopal, D7 #1

4-0. I'm looking at a Trinity-Briarfield matchup.

Class AA Semifinals
Kirk, D2 #2 at Winston, D2 #1
Copiah, D5 #2 at Porters Chapel, D4 #2

1-3. Three major upsets make Winston the presumptive Class AA favorite. I'll pick the Eagles to meet them in Clinton.

Rampaging Raccoons Run Amuck in Los Angeles

Heh. If Jerry Clower were alive, I wonder what he would have thought.

The Ides of November

Instead of writing about what happened today, I think I'll mention that Jesse Cook will be in concert at MSU in a couple of months. I have four of his CDs. I may try to attend this concert. I've liked his music for several years.

Here's a link to his website.

Football Playoff Predictions, Year 2, Week 3

I went 50-10 in my predictions last week. I'm now 89-19, which is a little over 82 percent correct. My best picks for last week:

2A: Amite County (3-seed winning)
3A: Raleigh (2-seed defeating 1-seed on the road)
4A: Lafayette County (2-seed defeating 1-seed on the road)
MPSA AA: Central Hinds (runnerup winning on the road)
MPSA AAA-I: MRA (runnerup winning on the road)

Booneville is the bracket buster this year. The Blue Devils are the only remaining 4-seed in the playoffs and have a good chance of advancing since they host. Amite County and Charleston are the last two 3-seeds.

MHSAA Playoffs (all Friday)

Class 1A Quarterfinals
Weir, R2 #2 at Vardaman, R1 #1
East Webster, R1 #2 at Benoit Brooks, R2 #1
Mercy Cross, R4 #2 at Puckett, R3 #1
Lake, R3 #2 at Mt. Olive, R4 #1

I went 8-0 last week. I think all 1-seeds will advance to the semifinals. Lake has a good shot at defeating the Pirates though.

Class 2A Quarterfinals
Baldwyn, R1#1 at Simmons, R4 #1
Calhoun City, R2 #1 at West Bolivar, R3 #1
Amite County, R6 #3 at East Marion, R8 #1
St. Andrew's, R6 #1 at Union, R5 #2

TD is quite happy I went 7-1 in my predictions-- especially since the one miss was the Saints win over Lumberton. Look for a Delta North State Championship. The Saints should advance to face East Marion.

Class 3A Quarterfinals
Ripley, R1 #1 at Booneville, R1 #4
Nettleton, R2 #1 at Charleston, R4 #3
SE Lauderdale, R5 #1 at Hazlehurst, R6 #2
Franklin County, R7 #1 at Collins, R8 #2

4-4. I should have picked the Charleston and Hazlehurst wins. I'm predicting a Cinderella North State championship game between a 3-seed and a 4-seed. Hazlehurst and Franklin County should meet to determine the South State winner.

Class 4A Quarterfinals
Lafayette County, R2 #2 at West Point, R1 #1
Clarksdale, R2 #1 at Yazoo City, R3 #1
Picayune, R8 #1 at Wayne County, R5 #1
Terry, R6 #1 at Forrest AHS, R7 #1

7-1. I guess I didn't give Yazoo City enough respect. I'm going with West Point, Clarksdale, Wayne County, and Terry.

Class 5A Quarterfinals
Clinton, R2 #2 at South Panola, R1 #1
Olive Branch, R1 #2 at NW Rankin, R2 #1
Moss Point, R4 #2 at Oak Grove, R3 #1
Meridian, R3 #2 at George County, R4 #1

8-0. I'll pick one 2-seed, Olive Branch, to advance.

MPSA Playoffs (all Thursday except for AAA)

Class A Quarterfinals
Bayou, D1 #1 at Benton, D4 #1
DeSoto, D1 #2 at Briarfield, D3 #1
Wayne, D5 #1 at River Oaks, D8 #1
Glenbrook, D8 #2 at Trinity Episcopal, D7 #1

6-2. I thought Huntington would win, and they didn't. Winona Christian lost. I didn't expect the Stars to lose in the first round of the playoffs, but figured that they would lose to Briarfield. I'm going with the home teams here.

Class AA Quarterfinals
Central Hinds, D3 #2 at Winston, D2 #1
Kirk, D2 #2 at Leake, D3 #1
Copiah, D5 #2 at Bowling Green, D6 #1
Porters Chapel, D4 #2 at Brookhaven, D5 #1

6-2. I missed Copiah and Porters Chapel. The home teams should win. Copiah should give Bowling Green a good game.

Class AAA Championships (Friday at Mississippi College)

Division II
Magnolia Heights, D1 #1 vs. Lamar, D2 #1
Division I
MRA, D2 #2 vs. Jackson Prep, D2 #1

4-0. I'm predicting Magnolia Heights and Prep to win the AAA titles.

Wastin' Away Again in Chimneyville

Pickin' at the crumbs of a muffin...

Okay, that line's certainly no lost shaker of salt, and that's why Jimmy Buffett is a wealthy man and I'm not.

One of my former student workers at the library sent me a myspace message. He asked me to pass along a few messages and also mentioned that he's in a death metal Rod Stewart tribute band named Reason to Bereave.

When Cross Dressers attack? Pepper spray at Northpark Mall? Wonderful.

I've got a Book Club meeting tonight.

Yesterday, I contacted a vendor regarding a project that I've had to put off because I've been way too busy working on other things. It looks like that we've gotten a lot of stuff squared away. Now I just need my boss to sign off on it, which should happen, and then folks at my college will have access to another database most likely beginning next semester. I hope it'll be helpful.

Two lost paintings by the Renaissance master Fra Angelico have been found at a librarian's house.

Next week is Thanksgiving week. The college won't be in session, but will be open for business for a couple of days. That's good. I can catch up on one other thing and see if I can go over another project with a new co-worker. I've not had much time to go over particular details of this responsibility. It's not too difficult I think. It just takes time to go over everything.

Oh, and I'm trying to convince Sally to make like Andy Kaufman and lip synch to the Mighty Mouse Theme.

Let's see... what else... Oh yeah, I need to send some emails to people. I've got another project I need to get taken care of pretty quickly. I'll see if I can get that done (or at least started) tomorrow.

The Anime Club meeting went well. We met this past Wednesday. A good number of students showed up, which is good. Since it's so close to the end of the semester, we won't meet again before the end of the semester. We will meet next semester though.

...But I know, it's nobody's fault.

Late Night

I can't sleep. Perhaps I will in a while though.

I watched the Oregon-USC game. I'd never seen a coach ask for a review of a review before. It's almost as brilliant as what the Wisconsin coach did against Penn State last week.

A friend of my mother's was named Ms. Senior America.

Changing channels while watching the television... Nothing on. Informercials. Repeat showings of football games. Poker. Oh my, an actual music video. I don't think I've seen one in some time.

Hmmm... Totally 80s Trivial Pursuit?

Watching the Alabama-LSU football game...

I'm visiting my mother at Canebrake. I've not seen her in about three weeks

I've been so busy with work that I've not had a chance to have too much fun. Now that the conference and the reaccreditation visit are complete, I have more time to devote to library work.

I finished work on an interlibrary loan project that my boss wanted to be completed a couple of months ago. Things weren't as simple as hoped though. Emails with people at three different institutions finally came up with the right answer to this particular dilemma. So, project complete.

I've got some other stuff on my to-do list. I've got to work on getting access to a particular database that we were promised by a subcontractor of one of our vendors. I was contacted by a vendor representive recently, and I need to send that rep the information I had emailed the subcontractor.

I also need to show a new co-worker how to do one particular job responsibility. There's also the study hall, but there aren't many sessions left.

I didn't feel too great last weekend. I went out, but was in a bit of a blah mood-- I think it's a seasonal thing. I didn't feel too well Saturday. I had a slight fever and slept for more than a good portion of the day. I wound up being wired not falling asleep until mid-morning Sunday. So, my sleep pattern has been out of whack all week long.

I went out yesterday. I went to Nagoya. I had some sushi and gyoza. Yum.

I also went to Fenian's. I saw some people I knew. One person I'd not seen since he left the college two to three years ago. It was good to visit with him.

I was still fairly tired though. When I'm tired, I'm not nearly as sociable as I am usually. So I left and went back to the house.

Driving down to Hattiesburg, I noticed that Magee already has put up their Christmas lights. Christmas lights already...

Football Playoff Predictions, Year 2, Week 2

Continuing my predictions. I went 39-9 in my predictions last week. which is really good. My best predictions:

2A: Amite County and Bruce
3A: Charleston
4A: Brookhaven and Oxford

I predicted ten 3-seeds to advance to the second round. Eight advanced, and I predicted five of the 3-seeds.

Kudos to Hinds AHS and Booneville. The Bulldogs and Blue Devils are 4-seeds that have advanced to the second round. On to the predictions...

MHSAA Playoffs

Class 1A First Round
Greenville St. Joe, R2 #4 at Vardaman, R1 #1
East Oktibbeha, R1 #3 at Weir, R2 #2
West Oktibbeha, R1 #4 at Benoit Brooks, R2 #1
Mound Bayou, R2 #3 at East Webster, R1 #2
Bogue Chitto, R4 #4 at Puckett, R3 #1
St. Aloysius, R3 #3 at Mercy Cross, R4 #2
Nanih Waiya, R3 #4 at Mt. Olive, R4 #1
Cathedral, R4 #3 at Lake, R3 #2

I know I'll miss at least one here. I'm not picking a single upset in this round. The home teams advance.

Class 2A Second Round
Baldwyn, R1#1 at Bruce, R2 #3
Simmons, R4 #1 at Shaw, R3 #3
Okolona, R1 #2 at West Bolivar, R3 #1
Leland, R4 #2 at Calhoun City, R2 #1
Enterprise Clarke, R5 #1 at Amite County, R6 #3
East Marion, R8 #1 at Mize, R7 #3
Union, R5 #2 at Hinds AHS, R7 #4
Lumberton, R8 #2 at St. Andrew's, R6 #1

I went 13-3 in predicting 2A last week-- I missed the wins by Hinds AHS, Mize, and Shaw. I'm picking two upsets. I'm not all that sold on Enterprise. I think Amite County can take them at home. Lumberton, being the two-time defending Class 2A champ, is a school I don't like to pick against until they lose.

Class 3A Second Round
Independence, R3 #2 at Ripley, R1 #1
Amory, R2 #2 at Booneville, R1 #4
Senatobia, R3 #1 at Charleston, R4 #3
East Side R4 #2 at Nettleton, R2 #1
Tylertown, R7 #2 at SE Lauderdale, R5 #1
Hazlehurst, R6 #2 at Raleigh, R8 #1
Carthage, R5 #2 at Franklin County, R7 #1
Collins, R8 #2 at Yazoo County, R6 #1

12-4. I missed Independence, Booneville, East Side, and Carthage. I'm picking two upsets here. Collins and Tylertown over Yazoo County and SE Lauderdale. I wouldn't be surprised if Hazlehurst or Charleston won either.

Class 4A Second Round
West Point, R1 #1 at Oxford, R2 #3
Lafayette County, R2 #2 at Kosciusko, R4 #1
Shannon, R1 #2 at Yazoo City, R3 #1
Louisville, R4 #2 at Clarksdale, R2 #1
Wayne County, R5 #1 at Brookhaven, R6 #3
McComb, R6 #2 at Picayune, R8 #1
Forrest AHS, R7 #1 at Long Beach, R8 #3
Poplarville, R8 #2 at Terry, R6 #1

14-2. I missed the wins by Long Beach and Poplarville. I'm picking two upsets. I think Yazoo City will lose to Shannon. Lafayette County should defeat Kosciusko.

Class 5A First Round
Provine, R2 #4 at South Panola, R1 #1
Tupelo, R1 #3 at Clinton, R2 #2
Starkville, R1 #4 at NW Rankin, R2 #1
Madison Central, R2 #3 at Olive Branch, R1 #2
Pascagoula, R4 #4 at Oak Grove, R3 #1
Hattiesburg, R3 #3 at Moss Point, R4 #2
Brandon, R3 #4 at George County, R4 #1
Ocean Springs, R4 #3 at Meridian, R3 #2

Not picking an upset here. Hattiesburg and Ocean Springs are tempting choices, but I'll pass.

MPSA Playoffs

Class A First Round
Hebron Christian, D2 #2 at Bayou, D1 #1
Sharkey-Issaquena, D3 #2 at Benton, D4 #1
DeSoto, D1 #2 at Winona Christian, D2 #1
University Christian, D4 #2 at Briarfield, D3 #1
Huntington, D7 #2 at Wayne, D5 #1
Sylva-Bay., WC #2 at River Oaks, D8 #1
North Delta, WC #1 at Trinity Episcopal, D7 #1
Heidelberg, D5 #2 at Glenbrook, D8 #2

In academy ball, the best teams tend to win. Upsets are generally few and far between. Dark horse champions are rare. I cannot recall the last time that a school that wasn't a district champion won the MPSA Class A championship. I'm only choosing one upset-- and that's really a seeding issue. Huntington is a strong runnerup.

Class AA First Round
Central Hinds, D3 #2 at Delta, D1 #1
Indianola, WC-N #2 at Winston, D2 #1
Simpson, WC-N #1 at Leake, D3 #1
Lee (MS), D1 #2 at Kirk, D2 #2
Copiah, D5 #2 at Riverfield, D4 #1
Adams Christian, WC-S #2 at Bowling Green, D6 #1
Centreville, WC-S #1 at Brookhaven, D5 #1
Porters Chapel, D4 #2 at Central Private, D6 #2

Again, only one upset. I think Central Hinds has played a tougher schedule than Delta.

Class AAA First Round

Division II
Hillcrest Christian, D2 #2 at Magnolia Heights, D1 #1
Oak Hill, D1 #2 at Lamar, D2 #1

Again, no upsets, but Lamar did lose to Oak Hill in the regular season.

Division I
MRA, D2 #2 at Pillow, D1 #1
Washington, D1 #2 at Jackson Prep, D2 #1

I'm predicting an MRA-Prep final.

My Most Infamous Library User Died Yesterday

Librarians are big into privacy, and I tend not to go into details about specific library users. However, I will mention that in the course of my professional duties I once answered a question asked by this person.

Football Playoff Predictions, Year 2, Week 1

Last year, I made some playoff predictions for MHSAA and MPSA football. I thought I'd do it again this year. My predicted winners are in bold.

MHSAA playoffs

2A
Leflore County, Region 4 #4 @ Baldwyn, Region 1 #1
Bruce, Region 2 #3 @ West Tallahatchie, Region 3 #2
Belmont, Region 1 #4 @ Hollandale Simmons Region 4 #1
Shaw, Region 3 #3 @ Eupora, Region 2 #2
Ackerman, Region 2 #4 @ West Bolivar, Region 3 #1
Riverside, Region 4 #3 @ Okolona, Region 1 #2
Ruleville, Region 3 #4 @ Calhoun City, Region 2 #1
Mantachie, Region 1 #3 @ Leland, Region 4 #2
Bassfield, Region 8 #4 @ Enterprise Clarke Region 5 #1
Amite County, Region 6 #3 @ Bay Springs, Region 7 #2
Clarkdale, Region 5 #4 @ East Marion, Region 8 #1
Mize, Region 7 #3 @ Wesson, Region 6 #2
Hinds AHS, Region 6 #4 @ Taylorsville, Region 7 #1
Perry Central, Region 8 #3 @ Union, Region 5 #2
McLaurin, Region 7 #4 @ St. Andrew's, Region 6 #1
Kemper County, Region 5 #3 @ Lumberton, Region 8 #2

I've predicted three schools from regions 3 and 6 to advance to the second round. For some reason, I'm not all that confident in Region 3 schools. As far as Region 6 is concerned, it's matched up with Region 7. With Heidelberg being on probation this year and three schools in that region moving up in the standings, I believe that the Region 6 schools can pick up three wins. Taylorsville, however, should advance.

3A
Greenwood Elzy, Region 4 #4 @ Ripley, Region 1 #1
Houston, Region 2 #3 @ Independence, Region 3 #2
Booneville, Region 1 #4 @ South Delta, Region 4 #1
Holly Springs, Region 3 #3 @ Amory, Region 2 #2
South Pontotoc, Region 2 #4 @ Senatobia, Region 3 #1
Charleston, Region 4 #3 @ Kossuth, Region 1 #2
Water Valley, Region 3 #4 @ Nettleton, Region 2 #1
Corinth, Region 1 #3 @ Cleveland East Side, Region 4 #2
Prentiss, Region 8 #4 @ SE Lauderdale, Region 5 #1
Crystal Springs, Region 6 #3 @ Tylertown, Region 7 #2
Forest, Region 5 #4 @ Raleigh, Region 8 #1
South Pike, Region 7 #3 @ Hazlehurst, Region 6 #2
Raymond, Region 6 #4 @ Franklin County, Region 7 #1
Greene County, Region 8 #3 @ Carthage, Region 5 #2
Columbia, Region 7 #4 @ Yazoo County, Region 6 #1
Velma Jackson, Region 5 #3 @ Collins, Region 8 #2

I've predicted a few more upsets in 3A. With the exception of Senatobia, I'm just not that confident in Region 3 schools. My reasoning may be a bit irrational though. Charleston was a finalist last year and could do well against Kossuth. I don't know why I chose Corinth-- it's just a guess. Greene County may have a good chance against Carthage. I can't believe I'm not picking South Pike to win, but they're facing the defending 3A champs in the first round and on the road.

4A
NE Lauderdale, Region 4 #4 @ West Point, Region 1 #1
Oxford, Region 2 #3 @ Ridgeland, Region 3 #2
Itawamba AHS, Region 1 #4 @ Kosciusko, Region 4 #1
Pearl, Region 3 #3 @ Lafayette County, Region 2 #2
Cleveland, Region 2 #4 @ Yazoo City, Region 3 #1
West Lauderdale, Region 4 #3 @ Shannon, Region 1 #2
Canton, Region 3 #4 @ Clarksdale, Region 2 #1
Tishomingo County, Region 1 #3 @ Louisville, Region 4 #2
St. Stanislaus, Region 8 #4 @ Wayne County, Region 5 #1
Brookhaven, Region 6 #3 @ Vancleave, Region 7 #2
West Jones, Region 5 #4 @ Picayune, Region 8 #1
Gautier, Region 7 #3 @ McComb, Region 6 #2
Mendenhall, Region 6 #4 @ Forrest AHS, Region 7 #1
Long Beach, Region 8 #3 @ Laurel, Region 5 #2
D'Iberville, Region 7 #4 @ Terry, Region 6 #1
Petal, Region 5 #3 @ Poplarville, Region 8 #2

I also picked a few upsets in 4A. All are 3 vs. 2 games. Region 3 schools haven't done well in the playoffs lately, so thinking that the trend might continue, I picked three Region 2 schools to advance to the second round. I also picked three Region 4 schools to advance to the second round. I understand that West Lauderdale has a reputation of having a decent defense and that might help them win on the road. Region 5 schools are tough this season and should win three of four against Region 8 schools. Picayune should be the only Region 8 school to win. Three Region 6 schools should win as well.

Good News for Fat, Boozy Mice

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Huge amounts of a red wine extract seemed to help obese mice eat a high-fat diet and still live a long and healthy life, suggests a new study that some experts are calling "landmark" research.

The big question is, can it work the same magic in humans?

Scientists say it's far too early to start swilling barrels of red wine. But they are calling the latest research promising and even "spectacular."

The rest of the article can be read here.