And finally, we close the first round with the U District Regional. I should make jokes about teriyaki and smack-addled homeless kids, but I had too much beer at the meetup.

U DISTRICT REGIONAL
Opening Round
Feb 9
#1 Not Martha vs #8 Monkey Disaster
And away we go. Not Martha, of course, is our sole Bloggies nominee, which should be worth 40% alone. John Moe pulled away in the prelims. I really have nothing more to say.

#4 USS Mariner vs #5 Ted Leung
I mean, why is it that two pints leave me completely floored nowadays? Anyway… I know Derek and Dave, and they tolerate me. Don’t ask me why. But they’re some of the smartest baseball people I know. Ted Leung might be the ultimate Seattle blogger — coder and photographer — only he lives on Bainbridge.

#2 Horse’s Ass vs #7 Capitol Hill Seattle
Look, for the millionth time, the brackets are just NAMES. At the same time, in keeping with NCAA rules, I’m shipping Capitol Hill Seattle out of the Capitol Hill bracket so they don’t have a home-court advantage. And they don’t, because a bracket is location-neutral. But look, next year I’ll call the brackets “Salmon,” “Latte,” “Ferry,” and “Elephant Super Wash.” That said, this is where Capitol Hill Seattle will bow into the tourney, against the flagship of the liberal blogs out here, lovingly named for everyone’s favorite political gadfly.

#3 Rain City Guide vs #6 izzlepfaff
And finally, real estate vs. humor. And with that, the opening 16 matchups are complete.

And that’s the first round. Keep voting; the second round starts Tuesday.