I'm a heavy sleeper.

I set two alarms: one on my iPhone, and one on my alarm clock. I figure, if two alarms -- set to full blast, mind you -- won't wake me from my slumber, I probably don't deserve to wake up on time. Maybe I don't deserve to wake up at all.

Tonight, I'll stay up until 2 a.m. Maybe later. Sleep, if you think about it, is one of the few things in life in which the starting time is listed as "TBD," but the the end time is clearly defined.

Tomorrow morning, though, both of my alarms, simultaneously, and I'll wake up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, which sounds insane. I'll do it because Missouri has a football game. It will be about the 100th Missouri game I've watched.

Tomorrow morning, in some place just outside Nowheres-ville, Missouri, an old man will roll out of bed at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, which doesn't sound insane to him, and strap on his old snap-back Missouri cap, the one that was cool, then not cool, then suddenly cool again. He'll do it because Missouri has a football game. It will be about the 500th Missouri game he's watched.

Tomorrow morning, Erin Connelly will wake up way earlier than her parents want her to. Her parents will argue over whose turn it is to tend to her, and unbeknownst to her, she'll join the ritual. She'll sit in spot specially designated by her parents. She'll do it because Missouri has a football game. It will be the 1st Missouri game she's watched.

Tomorrow morning, whether we realize it or not, we're all on the same clock. We're going to rise as one, because Missouri has a football game. It might be the 2nd or 50th or 10,000th Missouri game we've watched; it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're here. We've survived just enough nights to make it here.

We'll be awake. Awake enough, once again, to watch college kids in silly uniforms run around and play a game. And we'll feel connected to them, and to each other, one more time. We'll be awake, and I'll be if it won't be the best kind of awake.

Happy holidays.

Your soundtrack for the best day of the year.

UPDATE (Friday, 1:50pm Central): Been in touch with the wonderful MU Health people, and we're beginning the donation process (getting the money from PayPal to them, basically). I'll keep you guys apprised and will giddily announce a final total when, you know, the money is actually donated, but let's put it this way: you guys freakin' rule.

If you haven't donated yet but still want to, we encourage you to follow this link and donate directly to the MU Children's Hospital. Or, if you donated and want to donate again, go to that link. You know, you should just bookmark that link.

So, in short: you guys rule, and if you haven't donated yet, send it directly to the hospital instead of to me. K THX BYE.

-ghtd36

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[Bumped BACK to the top of the page because ... we have audio!]

Original post after the jump.

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This is the first in a (hopefully) six-part series highlighting 10 things you may not know about Mizzou's opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Please keep in mind that while everything below is true, it's meant in jest.

Better Know An Opponent, Vol. 1: 2009 NCAA Tournament Opponents

Part One – Cornell

Part Two – Marquette

Part Three – Memphis

Part Four – Connecticut

Better Know An Opponent, Vol. 2: 2010 NCAA Tournament Opponents

Part One -- Clemson

Part Two -- West Virginia

Today's profile: the Cincinnati Bearcats

1) The University of Cincinnati is a public state university originally founded in 1819. That's to say, Cincinnati College and the Medical College of Ohio -- two separate entities -- were both founded in 1819. The Medical College of Ohio was founded by Dr. Daniel Drake, a local benefactor most known for basically being rich. You know, like Stan Kroenke. Cincinnati College was funded by the Lytle Family, the original family of Cincinnati, and William Lytle served as its first president.

But the college only survived for six years, and in 1826, Cincinnati College was closed. Nine years later, who came to the rescue?

Dr. Daniel Drake.

So imagine it like this: you go to a bar with a buddy and each get housed. I'm talking a $150 bar tab each. You both have a good time, and when you go to pay your tab, your buddy realizes, "Oh crap, I don't have any money!" So you cover your own tab, then cover your buddy's tab.

Dr. Daniel Drake is the ultimate bro.

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This is the seventh in an ongoing series highlighting 10 things you may not know about Mizzou's various postseason opponents. Please keep in mind that while everything below is true, it's meant in jest.

BKAO Volume 1: 2009 NCAA Tournament
Part One -- Cornell
Part Two -- Marquette
Part Three -- Memphis
Part Four -- Connecticut
BKAO Volume 2: 2010 NCAA Tournament
Part One -- Clemson
Part Two -- West Virginia

(Yes, I wrote a few BKAOs for Mizzou's 2009 football opponents, but I basically stopped doing them halfway through, so we'll pretend they don't exist, because rewriting history is fun.)

Today's profile: The Iowa Hawkeyes

1- The University of Iowa is a public university in Iowa City, Iowa. It's the oldest public university in the state, and is just 59 days younger than the state of Iowa itself.

But let's back up here for a second. The University of Iowa is not actually the University of Iowa. No, its official name is "The State University of Iowa."

Well, OK, but then what about Iowa State? What are they?

Iowa State University of Science and Technology? Are you kidding me, state of Iowa? You're going to call The State University of Iowa "University of Iowa," and when a second university comes along -- a mere 11 year later, mind you, which calls your foresight dubious at best -- you're just going to tack on "Science and Technology" and call it a day? You never thought that would come back to bite you, founding fathers of Iowa?

It should be noted, however, that Iowa has a rich tradition of giving normal things unnecessarily complicated names, such as the Annual Conglomeration of Fatty Foods and Vomit-Inducing Attractions in the City of a Multitude of Moines.

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