POSTCARD FROM SAN ANTONIO
Hello again, from San Antonio, where it seems I will be sticking around for awhile.
The most important two hours of the trip were obviously Monday night's 69-67 UConn victory over Baylor in the River Walk regional final, which gets coach Geno Auriemma's team to its 13th straight Final Four. The atmosphere was really indescribable; the best word I can think of for it is "breathless." There was so much back and forth, so many makes and misses, it was actually hard to remember to breathe some of the time.
With regard to the much talked about — controversial, if you will — nofoul call at the end of the game, with Baylor's DiJonai Carrington driving, only to be met by UConn's post duo of the 6-foot-5 Olivia Nelson-Ododa and the 6-3 Aaliyah Edwards, Auriemma said it was in line with the physical nature of the rest of the game. "One time I asked one of the officials, 'How did Paige (Bueckers) end up on the ground with a Baylor player on top of her on a loose ball?'" Auriemma said. "He goes, 'I don't know.' That was the answer. So you want to go back and check every
single call throughout the entire game? And then add them all up? You don't." I made it to my third San Antonio historical site, after which the four regions of the women's NCAA tournament were named. In this case, the Hemisfair Region's namesake is the 1968 World's Fair, which was held in San Antonio and dubbed the HemisFair. Hemisfair Park is currently located where the fairgrounds once stood and includes the 750-foot tall Tower of the Americas, which was built for the World's Fair and includes an observation deck, as well as a restaurant.
I took the elevator up to the top of the Tower of the Americas for a look around on Sunday and I went to the San Antonio Zoo on Monday.
Let's see, I also tried a chocolate covered Nutter Butter this week — it tasted too much like chocolate and not enough like Nutter Butter — and this morning I ordered room service and my waffle was shaped like Texas. Just trying to get the full experience! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the game and I will check in again soon.