Zach Dotsey

What a great night, and there are so many things that were great about this game.

I’ve been amped about the Carolina at Duke game since yesterday.  Going into it, I knew that Duke should win the game handily, and that it could be a blowout, but I figured we wouldn’t be that lucky.  I thought Carolina would hang around for a bit.  In reality, Carolina scored the first single point then Duke killed them from there.

• Michael Mercer, my brother-in-law and UNC fan, told me he was giving me two Duke wins over Carolina for my birthday.  It was a nice touch for him to make the margin of victory on this one the same as the age I just turned: 32.
• The worst loss Roy Williams has ever had was 33.  So close!
• I said beforehand that if Duke beat the largest margin of victory in the series (37, by Carolina many, many years ago) that I’d shave my face.  I thought it was going to happen, but it did not.
• Duke scored more in the first half (53) than Carolina scored the entire game.  That means Duke could have not scored at all in the second half and still get the win.  Think about how crazy that is.
• In the first half, Brian Zoubek had more rebounds by himself than the entire Tar Heel team.
• This was Carolina’s worst loss since 2002 (to Maryland) and the fewest points scored in a game since 2003 (to Duke).
• This was the worst loss by a defending NCAA champion since 1990.
• Duke set a school record for home wins in a season with 17.  All but one of those was by double digits, and the one that wasn’t was an out of conference game.
• Duke tied Maryland for the ACC regular season title but is the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament next week.
• Carolina has secured a #10 seed for the ACC Tournament, their lowest ever.
• Duke is being discussed as being the probable fourth #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.  It helps that Kansas State lost today.
• It was Senior Night for Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas.  Coach K was emotional during the Senior Day celebrations, which they showed before the game.
• The Presbyterian fan who was kicked out of a Carolina game by Roy Williams for mild heckling was in attendance.

So it was a good night, as you can see.

We started the day going to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  Actually, the day started earlier than that.  Bruce kept getting up and going downstairs to bother Karen and Milly woke up and cried a bunch around 1:00.  Maybe she’s teething again, because she was very fussy today.  She didn’t like being put down for naps, and when she did nap it wasn’t for long.  She wasn’t a fan of going to sleep tonight either, although she seemed to go out (or at least quiet down) pretty soon after I shut her door.

Anyway, Cracker Barrel.  We went to Wal-Mart after that to pick up a few things and Karen took off when we got home.  Amanda actually napped on the couch, which is very much a rarity.  I went out to pick up some chicken for our enchilada dinner tonight (we forgot to get it at Wally World) and to drop off the recycling.  I took a huge amount of paper recycling that had built up over a few years.  There were some slips of paper at the bottom of it that had been used for Balderdash, and I can’t remember the last time we played that.

Around 5:00 Amanda started getting things ready for tonight.  Blake and Stephanie Konny came over around 6:30 for dinner.  Since there was time, we went ahead and introduced them to Puerto Rico.  It didn’t go well for me and Amanda.  Blake won, followed by Stephanie then Amanda then me.  That’s okay though, because the game came on before we finished and I’ll admit I was a little distracted.  (Not that that’s why I lost.)  I did DVR the game, and I plan on watching it again.  It really was fun.

Zach Dotsey

Neither Amanda nor I slept all that well last night.  We’d wake up just about any time Milly made a noise.  I’m sure she does it all the time, but it’s different being in the same room with her.  On top of that, it seemed like the dogs kept wanting to come and go in and out of the room.

Amanda and I went with Karen to the home of Peggy and Earl Lemons (Amanda’s grandparents) for the country breakfast they serve every Saturday.  We got to see their new car.  Their Taurus was giving them some trouble so they bought an Impala.  We put Milly down for a nap in Peggy and Earl’s room right before we ate and afterwards I went to check on her.  I decided to lie down with her and she turned and snuggled up on me.  It was so sweet.  The time in between was spent eating and debating etiquette.

We got back to the Mercer house around noon and gave Milly her lunch.  Amanda and Karen went back out to do some shopping.  After I put Milly down for a nap (she didn’t have a particularly long one at her great-grandparents’ house) Michael, Jenn and I played Puerto Rico.  I beat Michael by a point.  He would have beat me but he misunderstood the implications of one of his picks.  That was my first win at that game.

We played a little MarioKart and Amanda played some when she got home too, feeding Milly in between.  Peggy and Earl came over a little later to have dinner and celebrate Michael’s birthday, which is Monday.  We also watched NC State suck it up against Maryland, which I figured would happen since the Pack beat Duke a few days ago.  Texas, who started the week undefeated but lost to Kansas State earlier, lost to UConn.

Anyway, we had a great dinner of steak, potatoes, salad, apple sauce, green beans and more.  In attendance were Amanda and I, plus Milly after we’d mostly finished eating, Karen and Phil, Peggy and Earl and Jenn.  Plus Michael, of course, as it was his birthday we were celebrating.

9:00 came around and we turned on the Duke-Clemson game.  Now, Clemson humiliated Duke last year at Littlejohn Coliseum and held Duke to 47 points, which was the lowest score Duke had in a long, long time.  Clemson’s been mostly playing pretty well lately, and Duke’s been sucking it up on the road though they beat Clemson soundly a few weeks ago.  A loss would put a lot of doubt on the Blue Devils, but a win would show that Duke can win in an opponent’s arena, and against tough competition at that.

The game was tied at a horrendously low 23 at the half.  Duke ended up winning 60-47 though.  (Remember that number, 47?)  Nolan Smith had a great game and Lance Thomas actually outscored Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.  The second half was all Duke.

Michael is sitting across from me now, playing with his new iPod Touch.  He had a problem updating iTunes, which he needed to do to register his Touch and ended up just formatting his computer to get it to work.  Well, it works now and he’s looking at games to download for it.

Zach Dotsey

Retribution for ‘99 and ‘04!  Okay, not quite.  The Huskies still owe the Blue Devils two NCAA championships, but still, Duke beat Connecticut pretty handily this evening.  It was an ugly brawl, Singler was in foul trouble and only made two field goals, the three main big men (Miles Plumlee, Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas) all fouled out, Duke shot 29%, officiating was horrendous and my team blew an 18 point lead to win by nine, but the game made a statement.  People have talked about how soft and unathletic Duke is, especially in comparison to a team like UConn, but Duke killed them on defense and rebounding.  It was a statement game and a really good win.  This game also makes Duke 5-4 all time versus UConn.

Last night Michael and I watched a movie called Baghead.  I really kind of liked it.  After we watched it I slept downstairs last night because I was coughing and didn’t want to disturb my two favorite girls.

Amanda and I met with Sarah (who actually went to Duke and helped in the athletic department I believe) and Mike Erreca for lunch at Arnold’s.  Sarah, who is a friend of Amanda’s from high school, brought her parents along and Karen (who works with Sarah’s mom) showed up too.

I met Mike and Sarah (funny, I just realized they’re not the first Mike and Sarah we know, and in fact you could say they’re one of three if you include a past relationship) at their wedding, but I really enjoyed talking to them.  I think Mike and I have a similar sense of humor.

Everyone loved Milly, of course.  She was passed around the table a couple of times and behaved herself pretty well for the most part.

After we finished and hung out a bit, talking, Amanda, Milly and I were invited over to the Barbee house (Sarah’s parents) to help them get rid of some of their leftover Thanksgiving dessert.  Amy Farmer called as we were leaving Arnold’s to say that she was heading back home, but she was nearby and stopped off in the parking lot to see us.  Then, on the way to the Barbees’, Amanda saw Brad Failor, another old friend of hers, outside of his house, so we turned around and talked to him, his wife and his brother for a few minutes.

I really liked the Barbee house.  It’s very open and uses a lot of wood.  While helping them get rid of their desserts, I dipped my finger into some cranberry sauce and let Milly have a taste.  She become like unto a crack addict for it.  I mean she really liked the stuff.

Once we got back to the Mercer house Amanda and Karen took off to do some shopping in Jacksonville.  Michael and Jenn were already there and I think Phil was in the shop.  Milly took a very short nap before I gave her her 4:00 feeding, including some rice cereal.  It was the first time that I think I came close to making it properly.  Before it was way too runny.  It was a little on the thick side this time, but she ate it all up after her bottle.

Milly and I watched the Duke-UConn game, but she started getting fussy so I put her down for a nap a few minutes before Michael and Jenn got back.  She didn’t stay down long, but she was in a good mood when I got her back up.  Amanda and Karen got home just a little before the game ended and we all ate pizza for dinner.

A little later Amanda, Karen, Michael Jenn and I played Scattergories.  I thought I stood a good chance of winning, but Karen beat me by two point.  The rest of the order of winning continued in age order, from oldest to youngest.

Zach Dotsey

Can’t get into my email. Tried *********,*********, *********, ****. Noneworked. I knew what yours most likely was, so I’m using that…

Anyways..Mama just left so I’m all alone now. We went out to the beach for a bit today. It was a bit chilly. Sure you’re not having that problem there. We didn’t walk long. I guess Bruce’s foot was bothering him b/c he kept lagging behind. Mama bought me that bathing suit from Target. Not the green one…didn’t look so good, but the blue and purple one. She bought all three pieces so I can go pregger-bikini or pregger-tankini depending on my mood. (Oh and tell Michael we replaced his litter. The kind he had doesn’t clump at all. Made his whole apt. smell like kitty poo. So today Mama bought him the same kind we use and dumped the other out. Hopefully things will smell a lot fresher in there tomorrow.)

So, I’m pretty sure Bruce misses you. He made me tear up a little bit this morning. He went thru his usual morning routine. Went outside to go peepee and ate. Then he followed me upstairs and he went over to the bed for me to put him in it. (He didn’t sleep with me the last couple of nights since Mama was here.) So, I put him in bed and he crawled under the covers next to the lump made up of pillows on your side of the bed. He didn’t even lay down. He crawled right back out and looked to your side and then looked at me. It was like he was asking, “Where’s Daddy?”. I had
a tender heart to heart with him about how you’d be gone all week and then went to shower all teary-eyed.

Crap! Mama went with me to buy dogfood and I forgot about it in the trunk. Guess I’ll have to go get Dave to drag it in the house for me. Grrr! And I just dropped a gold fish down my shirt! (Made you smile huh? Knew you’d like that little tidbit.)

Back on track… church was good. Brian talked today. Guess Mike was out of town. He did a good job though.

I talk to Nick for a few minutes after the service. He said that they may call me about dinner later since I’m all alone. That will be nice. To get out of the house instead of sitting here watching TV all by my lonesome.

Oh TV- that reminds me- Duke/Carolina game. Crap…please don’t hate me. It’s recording now. Duke up by 1 about 6:30 left in the first half. 31-30. Henderson just dunked! Carolina missed there shot. Henderson was fouled. Made both free throws (33-30). Oh no…PICK-POCKET PAULUS WITH A STEAL!- but they didn’t make the shot.

Ohhh…Danny Green called for a travel! OK…that’s enough commentary for now…last update Duke up 3 with under 4:00 to go in the first half (35-32).

OK I just lied…Singler has 15 pts so far!- Ellington was fouled and missed BOTH free throws!…and another turnover by Green! Duke missed. Now 35-34. Nope…make that 37-36 (1:35 to go)

So anyway, Harvey freaked me out pretty bad last night. He was barking- angrily. I was scared to (another shot by Schier!) look out the window by the porch so I went into the guest room and looked out that window. Ladybug was out there. Hopefully that was what he was barking out. Hope he doesn’t do that anymore this week.

Dag on it Thomas..fouled Lawson with 7.2 left in half. But…Lawson missed! Duke up at the half 39-38. Maybe I’ll email you back later with the final score. For now I’ll just say that I love you and I miss you like crazy! Milly’s been moving around a lot today. Think maybe she’s feeling around, trying to find her Daddy. I hope you had a fun first day surfing.
Be careful and have fun!

We all love and miss you!

Amanda, Milly, Bruce, Harvey,Cogg & Gotham (I better go feed him…)

Amanda called to say she saw some flurries, probably about like the ones I saw yesterday.

Triceps sore, so I didn’t go work out.

Talked to Baba for a bit today. Helped me with some family history. Asked how Pap was doing in the nursing home. Said some days he was a little confused.

Read what I could scrounge up of Watchmen. Could only find just over half the issues. What a great book!

Phil and Danny came by, had spaghetti dinner, talked about a marketing thing.

Watched the Duke vs. FSU game in the back while Amanda watched The Bachelor. He chose one then dumped her and chose the other.

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Duke won a tough game, trailed six at the half. Seniors started, Lance Thomas injured his ankle early. Foul trouble on the bigs. Singler had a great second half. Elliot Williams had a great game. Jon Scheyer had some key steals. End had laughable no-call foul when Williams got literally run over, a jump ball that should have been a foul, a silly flop that had Henderson laughing and a final second three pointer by Toney Douglas that I knew he’d hit ahead of time.

Zach Dotsey

I went surfing this afternoon.  Lars Boscaljon had texted me early in the day and said the report looked good, so I picked him up and we headed out to Wrightsville Beach.  Michael Mercer met us out there too.

It was a little crowded, but it wasn’t so bad that we had to avoid running into other surfers.  The waves were a pretty decent size- larger than I’m used to seeing out at Wrightsville, but not monster by any means.  They broke a little hard though too, so we all ended up going under more often than we’ve had to lately (whether because we were wiping out or having to duck dive when paddling back out).  That lead to a lot of numb heads, and it got to be a bit much for Michael, which I can understand.  Later on, after showering off in Anna and Barry’s outside stall, after I got my suit off and turned off the water I was starting to feel physically ill from the cold.

All that said, we all caught at least one decent wave, and I was glad to be out there.  I don’t know if I’ll be in as good a shape as I’d like to for Costa Rica, but having gone out now and then in a wetsuit, gloves and booties hopefully will have paid off at least a little.

Back home, Amanda (who was sweet and had some hot chocolate ready for me when I got home) and I watched Duke beat St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.  Duke only won by seven points at 76-69, and they had a 12 point lead in the second half.  That’s worrisome.  They looked really good at times, but it seems they stopped playing as hard on defense at the end and the stall ball (which I’m not totally against, for the record) looked like it took them out of their offensive rhythm.  After dropping four of the last six games a win is definitely welcome, but winning by seven to a St. John’s team that, let’s be honest, isn’t really good, doesn’t bode well for the tough remaining ACC schedule for Duke, which starts when they host Wake Forest at Cameron on Sunday.

There was some good in the game though.  Freshman Elliot Williams started and played a lot of minutes and, though he made some mistakes, he still had a pretty good game.  It was a bit of a coming out party for Elliot Williams, and I hope we see more of him in the form he was in tonight.  Miles Plumlee got some time too.  He scored a little and made some good stops.  Jon Scheyer, who started as the point guard tonight, is getting his game back too, even though he missed some clutch free throws at the end (which is uncharacteristic for him).

Lance Thomas had a good game as well, and I think he’s really bringing an intensity that the team needs right now.  He’ll get in their faces and try to get them fired up.  He also had this one crazy pass from under one bucket all the way up the court as he was falling on the ground.  The pass found Elliot Williams, who got a bucket from it.  It should definitely be on the SportsCenter’s Top 10 tonight.  Of course, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson had good games as usual.

So, I guess we’ll see how the team shakes out on Sunday.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I really like having Bobby Knight as an announcer for the game.  Not only does he know what he’s talking about, but he really breaks plays down for the average viewer (like myself) who doesn’t know all the ins and outs and little things that go into making some plays.

Zach Dotsey

Someone, given the targets I’d have to assume it was a Tar Heel fan, had to have put a basketball voodoo hex on Duke and Wake Forest tonight.  That’s the only reason I can think of that Wake got murdered by Miami to the tune of 25 points tonight, right before Duke got massacred by 27 by Clemson.  All I’ll say is that as I was watching Duke get their asses handed to them by the Tigers, I kept waiting to see a Duke run, but it never happened.  Gerald Henderson scored 16 and Lance Thomas came to play, but none of the rest of the team did.  Coach K was really, really not happy after the game.  It’s been a long time since Duke was blown out like that.  There, I’ve said all I’ll say on that.

The rest of the day wasn’t too bad.  Work was steady.  Amanda and I had some e-mail discussions with Justin and Lisa Hauenstein, so I think they’re pretty much at peace with our decision to end the group.  I tried calling Elliot Clark to talk to him about it, but only got his voicemail.

After work Amanda and I watched Scrubs.  Nick Warkentien came over around, I don’t know, some time before 8:30 I think, and Amy followed shortly after.  Nick was just getting off work and had gotten off sooner than he thought he would.  We watched Lost with them while I recorded the Duke-Clemson game so I could catch up after the show.

I spent the later portion of the night killing people with Michael Mercer, who, as a Carolina fan, was pretty gracious about not rubbing in such a terrible loss.  We played Resistance 2 on the PS3.

On another really positive note, some friends told us some really good news, but as nobody else knows (except Nick and Amy, because they were there), I can’t tell yet.  Suffice it to say, I’m really excited for them.

Oh, it snowed again in Wilmington this morning!  It was coming down very thick and fast for a while and started to cover the ground nicely, but it petered out and it had pretty much all melted away an hour or two later.

Zach Dotsey