Weight Loss by Month: March 2021

August – November 2020: 30 pounds 

January 2021: 7 pounds
February 2021: 5 pounds
March 2021: 4 pounds

This month was like December. I lost 3 pounds right away in the first two weeks and at one point looked like I might lose 6-7. Then we had some staycation stuff, pizza and barbecue and with a week left in the month the scale was showing my starting weight for the month. But just like December, it's easier to lose weight that you've recently gained so I was able to get down 4 by today. 

Taking a look at my 2021 numbers, that January was deceiving as that 7 included weight originally lost in December. So, pretty consistent that in 2021, I'm losing about 4-5 pounds a month, or a pound a week. 

I'm at 46 down right now, so that means I'm on track to hit my college weight (60 pounds lost) at the end of June. 

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I get vacations now. I get birthdays and holidays now. 

These are the few times per year that you get to eat what you want. You can let loose. It's supposed to be a break from your normal life which is supposed to be healthy. 

I basically lived most of my 20's/30's like I was on vacation all the time. Want a pizza on a Tuesday? Cannoli on Thursday? Why not? I'm surprised I wasn't more overweight, in light of this. 

(A quick aside on pizza. It's not that you can't eat pizza and stick to your calories goals. It's just that's a lot easier in theory than in practice. It's virtually impossible for me to order a pizza and just have two slices and say, ok that's 700 calories. I'm going to go back for two more slices. And then once I'm way over, I might as well eat a few more slices.)

But now it all clicks. Eat well, take care of your body most of the time. Then when you go on vacation or have a special occasion, sure treat yourself to some indulgent foods. 

I'm almost 40 and just now figuring out how life and health works. Better late than never.

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Another thing I'm realizing is what maintenance is going to look like for me. It's unlikely that it's going to be every day at 2000 calories. There might be some of those, but I've never been able to stick to that in my life. What is more realistic for me is that for most days I might be at 1750ish, with some days where I get to go over by eating my favorite foods like barbecue or pizza. Which is what I'm doing now, but instead of 2 days over per month, maybe it will be like once a week. 

- - -

46 pounds down. I started this on August 1. Eight good months in a row. Soon I'll be at one year. Pretty wild. 

My previous best stretches based on time were 4 months straight in Chicago, 4 months in Colorado, 5 months back in 2018 in KC. So 8 months blows that out of the water. That's just as exciting as the number of pounds down. All it took was a pandemic.

NFL 17th Game Schedule Formula

The NFL loves parity. Wait, let me start over. 

The NFL loves money above all else. Parity is something that helps their bottom line as every fan base always has reason to hope. On the list of things that the NFL loves, player safety doesn't crack the top 10. 

So we're getting a 17th game. The NFL has already sold the TV rights for the next decade: 10 billion dollars. It makes too much sense for them. 

Despite it being inevitable and adding more football to the calendar, I'm not a fan. Getting a 2,000 yard rushing season or 5,000 yard passing season used to be crazy impressive. Now, that's gone. 

Now we'll have wonky records like 10-7 or 6-11. 

And injuries will only get worse. 

What I would have done is added a bye week. You get an extra week of TV content and increase player rest/safety. 

- - -

At one point it was floated that the NFL could use this to develop inter-conference rivalry games. One of the problems, is that teams keep moving. A few years ago a KC-STL and SF-OAK matchup would have been great. Now that would be KC-LA and SF-LV. Not great. 

If we were going to go that route, here's the best current regional matchups, sorted by best fit:

Jets/Giants
Rams/Chargers
Ravens/Washington

Eagles/Steelers
Bucs/Dolphins
Cowboys/Texans
49ers/Raiders

Lions/Browns
Jags/Falcons
Bears/Colts
Titans/Panthers

Seahawks/Broncos
Vikings/Bills
Packers/Patriots
Chiefs/Cardinals
Saints/Bengals

Some are those are close geographic rivals, some have some history attached, some are similar franchises, and some are what's left. Some are fun, some are duds. 

But that's not what the NFL is doing. 

- - -

The NFL does love parity. And the above is not competitively balanced. What the NFL is doing is adding a third game based on finish the previous year. 

A quick step back. In the 16-game schedule, 14 are a given and known years in advance. Only two games are based on your division finish. Well, now it's going to be three. So a first place finish your division gets you three games the following year against division winners...plus you already play two divisions in full, so 5 of the 7 division winners will be on your schedule. Likewise if you finish in last, you'll get 5 of the division losers on your schedule. 

How about an example. The 2020 Chiefs finished first in their division. 

In 2021, they play the entirety of the AFC North and NFC East. They were already scheduled to play the first place finishers from AFC South and and AFC East. They will now add a game against the first place finisher from the NFC North. 

So their three parity influenced games will be Titans, Bills, Packers. They'll also face Washington and Steelers, two more divisions winners, as part of playing the entirety of those divisions. 

Meanwhile the Lions finished in last. They'll play the last-place Eagles, Falcons and now Broncos, in addition to the entirety of the NFC West and AFC North. 

In 2021, the AFC will host all the newly-scheduled 17th games.
In 2022, the NFC get their turn. 

This means that for playoff races, conference opponents will have the same number of home games. 

- - - 

Rotation for Chiefs

2017 - NFC East
2018 - NFC West
2019 - NFC North
2020 - NFC South
2021 - NFC East (17th game from NFC North)
2022 - NFC West (17th game from NFC South)
2023 - NFC North (17th game from NFC East)
2024 - NFC South (17th game from NFC West)

So Chiefs-Packers happened in 2019 and wasn't scheduled to happen until 2023. But now will happen in 2021 and 2023. Likely our first look at Mahomes-Rodgers (since Mahomes was injured in 2019). 

Also means, that if Chiefs and Bucs finish in the same spot in the division, we'll get another chance at Chiefs-Bucs in 2022. (One more shot at Mahomes-Brady?)

- - -

I'm pleased enough with the fact that the home games are all in one conference so that competitive issue is balanced. This will lead to increased parity, making it harder to repeat as division winners and easier to go from 3rd or 4th to winning the division. 

A Personal Deep Dive on T-Shirts

When I was a kid, the thought of wearing a plain t-shirt—without any words or pictures—repelled me. 

It seemed so cheap. Because that's what plain shirts were at the time. Cheap, heavy, stiff, boxy shirts. The kind spread out on a table in a Walmart that come in primary colors. Red. Green. Blue. Like a Hanes Beefy T. Gross. 

But as an adult, I've come around on the plain t-shirt. Although I have plenty of shirts with logos and words, from breweries to Super Bowl champions, there's something beautifully simple about plain shirts. It doesn't feel like I'm a walking billboard. It's understated. While still casual, it seems a bit more refined than a shirt with a logo. 

Me in a plain maroon t-shirt.

Then there's the issue of fabric. At some point in my life, seemingly at an early age, it became common knowledge that 100% cotton is what you wanted in a t-shirt. This was conventional wisdom. 100% cotton was a mark of quality. 

And then something changed. Places started making and selling tri-blend shirts. Polyester, cotton, and a little bit of rayon. They're lighter, softer, and more comfortable. At this point in time, tri-blend seems to be the premium, mark of quality standard, and 100% cotton seems to be the basic choice. There's also an entire range of 100% cotton shirts, some that are super soft, some that are as boxy and stiff as it ever was.  In a world where online shopping is king, going with 100% cotton seems like a risky choice—getting a soft shirt would appear to be an exercise in trial and error. Although I did find a great one below.

- - -

All of this leads me to a point in time where I'm refreshing my wardrobe. Partly because I've lost some weight, and partly because I'm jazzed about tri-blend shirts. It's an exciting life I lead, I know. 

I found an absolutely wonderful place online that sells a ton of shirts, but particularly they sell a huge varieties of tri-blend t-shirts. It''s called Jiffy Shirts. And if you don't mind wearing plain shirts without designs, then you can get high-quality shirts at super low prices. For many shirts they have a ton of color options and fast shipping (free when you spend $59). I ordered 8 shirts for a subtotal of $64 to get the free shipping, plus to try a bunch of companies and styles. 

Here were my favorites:

Bella + Canvas Unisex Tri-Blend Shirt

(crew neck) 

(v-neck)

(baseball 3/4 sleeve)

Next Level Men's Triblend 

(v-neck)  

(crew neck)

(baseball 3/4 sleeve)

Both of these brands are pretty much the same and just how I like them: soft, smooth, and lightweight.

And based on reviews, I did try this 100% cotton shirt and it was wonderfully soft as well. 

Alternative Go-To T-Shirt

(crew neck)

A real bummer that they cancelled the tournament two years in a row due to Covid. 

Calcutta Post-Auction

I had a plan this year. I knew everyone would want Illinois so I thought if I nominated Gonzaga before Illinois, that people would be saving their money for ILL. I was hoping I could get Gonzaga for 10 or 10.50. 

Then with the rest of my money I wanted to get Florida State or Texas in the bottom left. 

Texas Tech or OSU in the top right. 

And Oklahoma State or SD State in the bottom right. 

I also wanted the 8 seeds, 11 seeds and 12 seeds if I could. 

Well right away, Gonzaga went for more than I wanted. 

I was able to get Florida State and Texas but had to pay a lot there too. 

I missed out on Texas Tech, OSU, SD State but did get the 8 seeds. At the end I had a choice to make. 

I could get Oklahoma State or the 11, 13, 14 and 15 seeds. I went with the 16 teams. 

In the end, my roster is pretty weak. I paid a lot to have the 4 and 3 in the bottom left, when it could easily be a 1-2 finish. I need at least one of the 8-seeds to beat a #1 team. 

Perhaps the best thing is that by securing all the 13-15 seeds, I get to root for madness in the first round.

Last Big Ten Title for Each School

Totally out of the blue, let's just check in and see when each school last won a Big Ten Championship in basketball or football.

Illinois 2021

Michigan 2021

Ohio State 2020

Michigan State 2020

Wisconsin 2020

Maryland 2020

Purdue 2019

Penn State 2016

Indiana 2016

Iowa 2006

Northwestern 2000

Minnesota 1982

Rutgers never (last won Big East in 2012)

Nebraska never (last won Big 12 in 1999)

- - -

Actually, let's go deeper, because this doesn't quite capture what's happening. We're going to go sport by sport. And we're going to measure any conference title, because we're not trying to penalize schools that changed conferences. 

Nebraska is the only Power Conference team to never win a tournament game. Their only conference title since 1950 is a 1994 tournament win. But they did it. 

I've been surprised how bad Minnesota is in both. And it's been a while for Iowa and Michigan as well. Nebraska's reputation as a football school is not that impressive. 

That 1933 is going to hurt your average every time. Anyone under 45 doesn't remember a Minnesota conference championship, that's wild. Iowa seems competitive in both sports but hasn't sealed the deal in 15 years in either one. Kind of weird that Illinois and Michigan have the same story, basketball title this year but been a while in football. Not how I think of those programs.

BIG TEN CHAMPS

For the first time in Hoagie Central history, Illinois has won the Big Ten in basketball or football. 

(Fun Fact: Illinois Football has won the Big Ten exactly one time in the last 40 years and it was our freshmen year. So I feel like you can kind of take football out of the equation.)

Since we graduated, these things happened before Illinois Basketball won the Big Ten:

• The Royals won the World Series
• The Chiefs won the Super Bowl

That's insane. 

When we were students in 2001-2005, Illinois Basketball won the Big Ten every year. 

They won the regular season title in 02, 04 and 05. They won the tournament title in 03 and 05. That's 5 titles in 4 years. I took it for granted back then. 

But after 15 years of not winning one, not even making the tournament most years, it feels damn good to be a Big Ten Champ again. 

- - -

- - - 

On to the tournament. Here's how long it's been for Illinois:

7 seasons without the tournament. 3 NIT appearances. 3 where we weren't good enough for the NIT. And one Covid cancellation. Our last tournament game was 8 years ago! Our next one is Friday.

VICTORY. ILLINOIS. TOURNEY.

Iowa fans think that Luka Garza is the best player in college basketball. Not sure how that's possible when he was the 3rd or 4th best player on the court today. Illinois dominated the paint 52-24 and is now 2-0 vs Iowa this year. 

In the middle of January, Illinois lost twice in a row and they seemed like they didn't belong in the top ten ranked teams. In fact, on January 19 they were ranked #22 in the country. Now they're locked in as a #1 seed. How'd that happen?

13-1. Taking down top teams along the way. Beautiful

Tomorrow they get to play for a Big Ten Championship, which would be their first since we were in school in 2005. 

Also, gotta love these regular season standings on ESPN showing that second-place Illinois finished half a game ahead of Michigan. 

So we know Illinois is a 1 seed...and Gonzaga is the top seed overall. But after that? I think Illinois has moved ahead of Michigan and Baylor hasn't looked so hot lately. So...will Illinois get slotted as the second-best 1 seed? 

No matter what region we're in, Illinois will have vocal fans and is peaking at the right time. The Ayo injury has only made this team stronger. It's good to be an Illini right now. 

Idea: Player of the Year

Insight: What is the ideal number of elite tennis players to have in the world at one time? 

The answer is two.

Tennis is at its best when you have two players who develop a rivalry and consistently meet in the finals time and time again. Agassi/Sampras, Federer/Nadal, Seles/Graf. Serena never had one and as fans, we lost out. 

Premise: The BCS was a great format...but not for college football. 

When you have a rivalry like this, or are trying to develop one, what do you want to see? The two best players going against each other. You don't want to see one get tripped up in the quarterfinals of the US Open to some schlub. And you don't want to see a bunch of schlubs face each other. 

Idea: A new two-player tournament to determine the player of the year. There are three surfaces so we'd have to play matches on all three. I'm thinking a Friday-Saturday-Sunday tournament. Winner gets a big purse, gets crowned Player of the year. 

To figure out who gets invited, we'd need a computer scoring system that calculates their tournament finishes throughout the year OR you get a selection committee. Could add a bit of juice throughout the year when there are three or four elite players. (Djokovic wins Wimbledon, will that be enough for him to make the PotY tournament?)

- - -

They're sort of doing this in golf, but not really. The FedEx Playoffs consist of three tournaments and the final tournament includes 30 golfers!

The final tournament of the year should be 4 golfers max. Play 36 holes as a foursome on a Saturday-Sunday. Let me focus on the best players, playing in the same group. (I also would enjoy a 2 or 3-player skins game.)

this is art

 

March Madness is Fleeting Like No Other

Trying to build a Final Four team is like catching lightning in a bottle. 

With only 5 players on the court, a few elite players or one superstar can make all the difference. And yet, the better your players, the sooner they leave. 

- - -

Like in any team sport, you need the best players to win. So you'd think that if you got a player like Kevin Durant to come to your school, that would be a program-defining moment. He was the unanimous player of the year, the first freshman to accomplish that. 

Texas won exactly 1 March Madness game with Durant, as a 4 over a 13. They were better the year after Durant left, getting to the Elite Eight. They haven't been back since. One superstar doesn't build a program. 

- - -

You can have a program like Kansas that wins National Championships and owns their conference for a decade. And they can still get bounced in the first round against Bucknell and Bradley. That's part of what makes March Madness must-see TV. But you also know as a fan that nothing is guaranteed. 

- - -

Off the top of my head, I would have said that the best program of the last decade was Kentucky. But Calipari has only won 1 national title there. In 2015 they were 37-0 and in the Final Four but lost to Wisconsin. The only title for Kentucky this century was the one season Anthony Davis played there. They had one shot with Davis and made the most of it. 

- - -

Last year, the stars aligned for Dayton. The last time they've won a March Madness game was 2015. But last year, they went 29-2 and a perfect 18-0 in conference. They had national player of the year Obi Toppin. And they were going to be a #1 seed. And then for the first time in history, the tournament got cancelled. Toppin is now a lottery pick on the Knicks. 

Dayton had one shot with a loaded roster and didn't even get to play. 

- - -

Which brings us to Illinois. Last year, the Illini peaked at 19th in the AP Poll. It was the best they'd been since 2009. And then the tournament got cancelled. It seemed cruel, a lesser degree of what Dayton was experiencing. 

But then Ayo and Kofi came back, at least partly due to the pandemic and all the uncertainty surrounding the NBA. 

So as I type this, it's March and Illinois is peaking at #4 in the AP Poll. Illinois has a game against #2 Michigan tomorrow, but it seems likely that Ayo will miss it due to a broken nose. We're expecting him to return to the lineup, with a protective mask, by the Big Ten Tournament. 

It shows you how fleeting everything can be. This is Illinois best chance for a Final Four since 2005. Will it go the way of Durant or Davis? 

The case for optimism is that this injury forces the rest of the team to step up and they're playing at their best when it matters most. And it would be fitting, that in a year with no fans because of a pandemic, that the national player of the year is wearing a mask in the Final Four.