Greetings from Indy

By Mel Greenberg

So here we are in the home of the NCAA, the Indy 500, and for the next week, headquarters for the Women's Final Four.

Judging by the amount of reaction to these posts to date let me say, "hello to everyone back in the office," the reason being that they might be the only folks who have figured out how to link these reports.

In a few short hours, already, we have learned this is a town where they turn up the heat, bring on the rain, welcome you to heaven and then schedule game starts that are designed to put you through hell -- really.

It was 70 degrees when the plane touched down on the runway, so we were told, and it was 10 p.m.

An hour later after settling into the local environs, a bellman from the neighboring hotel, which is where the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is sequestered, mentioned that a major storm was going to tear through the area in the next 20 minutes.

At the time, the sky was clear and the moon was shinning brightly.

However, several minutes later in our hotel, we heard a rumble and sure enough it was downpour city. But then again, there has always been a suspicion that the NCAA and the great maker were in collusion with each other, especially when it comes to legislative matters.

The first materials available to suggest restaurants during our stay were featuring Indian and Asian food. And I thought we were in the Midwest, not the Far East.

By the way, the view from our hotel window is rather scenic. We can see clear across an open space and can gaze in the short distance at a neighboring hotel whose name begins with H. No that one.

That one, associated with Paris and Nicky, is off to the left. Over to the right is a large concrete multi-level parking lot to serve the RCA Dome where the games will be played.

The company may have its roots in Camden, N.J., but don't expect Little Nipper to perform at halftime of any of the games.

This is considered the "'tweener Final Four" among the social set at these events --not raucous as last year's wild doings in New Orleans and the calm before next year's parties when Boston is the host city.

Our hotel is pretty posh but far less expensive than the headquarters last year in New Orleans.

It is always interesting to get the lay of the building when the bellman delivers the luggage to your room.

He offered a medium discourse on the nuances of the in-room vending machine, mentioning that breathing on any of the items in the cabinet/refrigerator will set off the computer to put charges on the hotel bill.

Of course what is fascinating is that down the hall on the other side of the elevator is a soda machine with bottles instead of cans for half the price of the in-room collection.

The exciting news is that our satellite radio transmitter (the brand with the X instead of the S) is once again receiving an excellent signal.

Upon setting up for the week's operation, there's enough wires and chargers along with this laptop in the room that may cause the maid to go running to Homeland Security in the morning.

Multi-media entertainment is a must on a trip like this so it's nice to choose between DVD, Ipod, or radio, and, oh yeah, on occasion, the television set.

Here's a shout to Katie from Nike, who claims to have been ignored in email reports during the season -- at least that was her claim in the sports bar next door.

Tomorrow, or later today considering the hour, the teams begin arriving and we'll have something more meaningful to say.

Until then,

-- Mel