OT: Friday Open Thread

1. Who is your college team? What are your expectations for their basketball season? Final Four teams?

I grew up in central Indiana as a Purdue fan. They’re basically one and the same with the Royals as far as my fandom; I distinctly remember bawling my eyes out about both teams before I moved away from Indiana when I was 8. I went to Iowa State though and saw a championship team my freshman year. It’s 1a, 1b with me for the two teams. I think Purdue has a Sweet Sixteen team this year regardless of the pundits, and I think Iowa State has a tourney team (if anyone thinks this is optimistic crazy talk, look at their roster now because of transfers). Honestly loving some basketball season right now.

2. Are you a collector of anything?

My dad and I somehow have a collection of every Royals card from 1969-1994. Then the card industry turned retarded and we quit. I’m still pretty proud of it though. I also have a Bo Jackson autographed baseball and an autographed George Brett 2000th hit commemorative plate, along with countless other insignificant Royals’ crap.

3. If you decided to become a ex-pat, what country would you move to?

England. I love me some soccer. I’m no soccer snob though, I love American sports too.

4. What is on your perfect pizza? Everybody likes pizza, right? Lots of “Polk Points” for creative pizzas.

Lots of mushrooms. I’m a 6 foot fuckin’ hobbit.

5. How far do you currently live from your birthplace? From where you grew up?

140 some miles as the crow flies. Got moved to Columbus this year.

6. A riddle from Einstein:

Usually good at this shit… But we really abused happy hour at Marcella’s in Columbus tonight. I don’t give a shit right now.

1. KU (undergard), UT-Austin (grad school), Stanford (employer)

2. Kentucky Derby (drinking) glasses. And I have about 1,500 LPs.

3. I really like Eastern Europe.

4. We often get artichoke hearts, fresh basil, and feta. Fresh Spinach, red onion, and sausage is another good one.

5. Born in KC, live in Palo Alto, CA. Have also lived in Lawrence (10 yrs), Austin (2 yrs), and Washington DC (8 mos).

6. Oh man.. No time, making dinner. Good luck!

I. I just plain don’t root for NCAA teams.

2. I have somewhat fallen into collecting baseballs autographed by current, past and (hopefully) future Royals. I’m not the least bit serious about it, but I have 15-16 of them now. I just started getting them when I have the opportunity, and since the Futures Night and (recently departed) FanFest were started, I’ve had several opportunities. I have basically all the guys who made their debut in 2011.

3. I haven’t considered leaving the Good Ole USA for good… I think I might be happy in Asia, though. If exiled, I’d give serious though to Japan.

4. There is no perfect pizza. When I don’t want to give any thought to my order, I just get italian sausage and mushrooms. I also like a pie with just spinach and onions. In either event, I prefer a thin crispy crust.

5. I am currently 246 miles from my birthplace and 237 miles from my childhood home.

6. Wow, it’s just like taking the LSAT again. I did solve it… should I issue a spoiler alert here? How about I just say that in his native tongue he doesn’t call it a “fish” or a “fisk.” That only leaves one option.

1. Who is your college team? What are your expectations for their basketball season? Final Four teams?

KU and I never honestly know what to expect. I’m not seeing this as a Final Four Year.

2. Are you a collector of anything?

Chess books, inadvertently. I recycle them through a lot by selling to the used book stores but still have a lot.

3. If you decided to become a ex-pat, what country would you move to?

New Zealand.

4. What is on your perfect pizza? Everybody likes pizza, right? Lots of “Polk Points” for creative pizzas.

Pepperoni.

5. How far do you currently live from your birthplace? From where you grew up?

I live in the town where I grew up; I live three hours from where I was born (was born in Jefferson City).

1) Miami and Purdue are my NCAA teams (parents alum) Purdue for the tournament but not Miami
2) I collect tennis balls …..but I can’t buy them I have to find them ….I have a bucket full in my room
3) Australia easy
4) Pepperoni…classy
5) Was born in a suburb of Cincinnati and then moved to Jacksonville and then Orlando

1. Navy. I annually expect a near .500 record with a win or two in the Patriot League tournament but no postseason beyond that. I don’t follow college basketball enough to offer any Final Four predictions. I will possibly watch Army-Navy basketball and that’s about it for my team. I will watch a few March Madness games.

2. I review as many different craft beers as I can get my hands on. I review them, and am up to 111 in the last 10 months exactly, between 1/11/11 and 11/11/11. Hmm.

3. Australia if I were single. I’ve heard they like American men.

4. Italian sausage and black olives.

5. I grew up in St. Joseph, MO and live 45.66 miles per Mapquest from the home I grew up in.

1. Kansas… I don’t expect them to get past the sweet 16

2. I don’t think so… Nothing tangible at least, I used to collect baseball cards, still have quite a few

3. Deutschland

4. Chicken, Mushroom, Bacon, Green Pepper, and Tomato

5. According to Google Maps, I live 961 miles (15.5 hours by car) from the town I was born in, moved to Pittsburg Kansas when I was 5, pretty much lived here ever since.

6. The man with the penny loafers

1. Jayhawks; 39-0!!!!! I’m going to their game against against Kentucky on Tuesday. It’s a doubleheader with Michigan State – Duke in the nightcap. Some of the tickets going for $9000 apiece on Stubhub right now.

2. I’m starting to collect Brazilian Bossa Nova/Tropacalia/MPB records, but am only up to about 40. I’ve always wanted to be a “buff” of something (i.e. “civil war buff”) rather than a collector.

3.Brazil.

4. Cream cheese, sundried tomatoes and spicy italian sausage with no sauce is a great combo – great, great drunk food. Wait, maybe that’s a flatbread sandiwch…whatevs.

5. 1230 Miles

6. The paragraph doesn’t contain any e’s.

1. Who is your college team? What are your expectations for their basketball season? Final Four teams?
KU with no equivocation. This team could surprise, but I doubt they’ll make much noise in the tournament. Lots of experience, not as much talent as we’re used to seeing.

2. Are you a collector of anything?
Unadulterated crap. I’m a packrat, and so was my wife. I have t-shirts that could vote.

3. If you decided to become a ex-pat, what country would you move to?
I am already an ex-pat of sorts, but I’ve always said Australia might be the only other place to go.

4. What is on your perfect pizza? Everybody likes pizza, right? Lots of “Polk Points” for creative pizzas.
Everything but the whales.
5. How far do you currently live from your birthplace? From where you grew up?
Per Google Maps- 3,675 mi, 3 days 0 hours
Alaska Hwy. It’d probably around 3,000 air miles.
6. I really don’t care. Just not my thing.

1. Temple is going to be very good this season. I’d say Sweet 16 are the expectations, anything more is gravy. The transition away from John Chaney has gone a lot better than I thought it would.

2. I have a lot of stuff from Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge campaigns. Both guys are seen as great presidents, so it makes sense to go after those two.

3. Holland

4. Pesto, roasted tomatoes, fennel sausage, feta, buffalo mozzarella, chili garlic oil

5. I’m 199 miles from my birthplace in Pennsylvania, and 365 miles from where I grew up.

6. Took awhile and a couple sheets of paper, but the answer is there, sort of.

1. Who is your college team? What are your expectations for their basketball season? Final Four teams?

KU and Ohio State. More KU than Ohio State (they play each other this year!) KU I’d be thrilled with a Sweet 16. I think they can with the Big 12 again but I don’t forsee a great run in March – I think the guards are very flawed.

Ohio State should really be a national title contender. Motta has had them close a few times but everything looks great for a deep run this year. But I expect Sullinger to get hurt mid-season or something stupid like that.

2. Are you a collector of anything?

I’m starting to collect Royals memorabilia but I haven’t gotten that far yet. Mostly baseball cards, old programs and yearbooks and stuff like that. Don’t know what I’ll do with it.

3. If you decided to become a ex-pat, what country would you move to?

I’m an Anglophile. Love London. Love the British countryside. Tokyo would be dizzying and fascinating. Sydney Australia seems highly underrated. Beautiful country, laid back people, don’t get involved much in international issues (although that may change with China expanding their sphere of influence), gorgeous women, great food scene, great weather…what’s not to like?

4. What is on your perfect pizza? Everybody likes pizza, right? Lots of “Polk Points” for creative pizzas.

Lots of veggies and the perfect amount of meat. Green peppers, onions, black olives, with thin slices of pepperoni on top. I had a vegetarian pizza a few months ago with a friend and I discovered pine nuts on pizza is amazingly good.

5. How far do you currently live from your birthplace? From where you grew up?

I was born in Detroit, but we moved to KC when I was 2. I grew up in Blue Springs, then moved to Oveland Park as a teenager, and probably live 15 minutes north of where I went to high school which is a bit disappointing to be honest.

1. Who is your college team? What are your expectations for their basketball season? Final Four teams?

I’ve been an Iowa fan for as long as I can remember. Went to Minnesota but hate the Gophers.

2. Are you a collector of anything?

Books. CDs/vinyl. Memories. Souls of innocent children.

3. If you decided to become a ex-pat, what country would you move to?

Scotland. Isle of Mull.

4. What is on your perfect pizza? Everybody likes pizza, right? Lots of “Polk Points” for creative pizzas.

My favorite pizza is at Salvation in Austin. Bacon, asparagus, and jalapeño with a red sauce.

5. How far do you currently live from your birthplace? From where you grew up?

I was born in Ashtabula, OH. I grew up in the SE corner of Minnesota across the Mississippi from La Crosse, WI. I live a 17.5 hour drive from there in Austin, TX now.

1. Painfully mizzou but only becuz I attended. I don’t really enjoy college sports. They are like college essay tests: impossible to grade objectively. Kentucky has enough talent to send 3 teams to the tourney, so they should win it all.

2. As a kid all kinds of baseball items, coins, marbles, knives, records, video games. Somewhat of a megolomaniac. Now I think that collecting is not worth time and energy, but rather that visiting museums that have collected things interests me. There is something deeply personal about collecting that I just don’t feel anymore. I do rather enjoy the trading side to collecting, like buying and reselling collectibles such as marbles, pottery, coins to the people that enjoy them. Again, it is a knowledge thing for me not an ownership thing.

3. As a family I think we would love France.

4. Spinach and Italian sausage Chicago style. Lots of spinach. I think it’s right to fit the ingredients to the style. New York calls for simply pepperoni. Minskys pizza with pesto instead of tomato needs something Mediterranean with it. So on and so forth. Also, I think Casey’s pizza is highly underrated.

5. Back in my hometown for awhile. It’s frustrating when most of the people u loved to see “made it out” and most of the ones u would rather avoid u run into incessantly.