See the bracket here: NCAA Bracket

Washington will play Georgia on Friday (6:45PST start, on CBS) in the Charlotte, NC region of the East bracket.  Georgia was 21-11 on the year, including a 9-7 SEC mark, and lost to Alabama in the SEC tournament.  KenPom ranks them 57th (by comparison, UW is 15th).  They play at a slower than average pace, so it will be important for the Huskies to get them playing uptempo, as that will definitely be to our advantage. 

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Today we mourn.  We mourn for what we thought we had.  We mourn for what we have lost.  But we mourn because the hope that welled inside of all of us has been crushed and trampled upon.  The events leading to the death of the 2009 Seattle Mariners have, I am sure, given you much bitterness, anger, and resignation. 

But I urge you to fight those emotions.  Remember the 2009 Mariners not for the failure, in the end, to succeed and live into the playoffs, but for the tenacity with which they, a hastily thrown together mix of old and new, stayed in the race for as long as they did against an adversary as powerful as the Angels.  Rejoice for the experiences you had together.  Remember Gutierrez and his sexy defense.  Remember Russell Branyan's heart-stopping moon blasts.  Recall Felix's dominance.  Laugh as you think of Griffey and Ichiro's playful tickle fights.  Smile as you remember Zduriencik's shrewd moves and that he will be around for the long haul.  Have hope for the future.

This year's team may have died, but next year's team will start anew.  The time for reloading is nigh.  Put aside your grief, your sadness.  There is much to be done!  Precious little time can be wasted in mourning.  The focus should be, needs to be, on next season.  The 2009 Mariners would have wanted it that way.

We mourn today, and we are indeed sad today.  But there is a future, and it is bright.  Look forward to the future, not back to the past.  We will all miss the 2009 Mariners, but let us not focus on them too much to the detriment of the 2010 Mariners.  For they shall make this grief all worthwhile.

And if they somehow come back from the dead and make me look very stupid for writing their eulogy before they are technically dead, well, that's great.