Indy Doings Day 2

By Mel Greenberg

The NCAA people were hard at work getting credentials ready for the masses of reporters who cover the four women's team, as well as the national group who are not team-specific.

We took advantage of the balmy weather to take a stroll down to the main mega-mall shopping area a few blocks away.

The main food eating area setup was interesting. The owners of four snack bars that are all lined up next to each other were each offering different versions of bourbon chicken, a sort of creole delight.

So much for variety being the spice of life.

Speaking of spice, you haven't died until you've tried the fare at St. Elmo's steakhouse, an appropriately-named place for one of the city's best known dining institutions that we tried for supper.

No, St. Elmo's fire has nothing to do with the tender meat - we enjoyed an excellent ribeye.

However, when it comes to their classic shrimp cocktail that is emeshed in a fiery cocktail sauce, the offering is a wonderful way to incinerate whatever organs exist on the way through the digestive track.

It was definitely the spiciest thing that has ever made its way down our throat, although the pain of the swallow eased up after a while -- probably from numbness.

Before returning to our hotel to start working on Sunday previews for those of you who can find one of our print editions, we stopped next door to see what coaches had arrived.

Doug Bruno of DePaul was on the way to a meeting where the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) all-American committee was trying to decide who their ten picks will be for this season.

We had a brief conversation later with Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow of North Carolina State, and then later joined Maryland coach Brenda Frese, Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, Georgia coach Andy Landers and a few others for some reminiscing of days when the tournament was a lot smaller in terms of the production put on by the local host committee.

The parties will heat up tonight, while we spend the day cooling down from the shrimp cocktail.

But we'll be back with another sunrise report for you early risers late tonight.

-- Mel