When I arrived at the location of my first interview this morning, I was greeted by a group of tail-wagging Labradors. When the human members of the family escorted me into their home, there were the puppies. Ten of them. Eight days old.

Then Christine Yanik asked: “Would you like to hold one?”

I said no because they were eating, and because I knew once I held one of those little cutie-pies I wouldn’t be able to focus on the story I was there to learn.

Their mom Katie, 5-and one-half-year-old Labrador, was shot about a month ago. She had some initial surgery, but soon had to have her front left leg amputated. She also had to have an emergency C-section.

But there she was caring for her little ones, licking them and cuddling with them while they suckled on the six of her nipples that are still functioning.

Christine and her husband Grant bottle feed the puppies to make up for what Katie isn’t able to supply.

“If it had happened to one of us, we’d still be in ICU,” Grant said.

At the end of the interview, I got to hold a couple of Katie’s precious pups. The Yaniks even let me bottle feed one.

#. Team (2011 record) <Position needs> Predicted player – Position – College

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14) <QB, TE, OG, RB, LB> Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford: Luck has been expected to go No. 1 for two years now, but nobody back then would have thought he would be the guy to replace Peyton Manning as the Colts’ QB . An unfortunate neck injury ended Manning’s 13-year starting streak in Indy, but the Colts would have likely taken Luck regardless of their decision to let old No. 18  flee to Denver. Indianapolis has chosen to do a complete overhaul, and the can’t-miss prospect of the century fills the Colts’ greatest of about 17 team-needs.

2. Washington Redskins (5-11) (from St. Louis (2-14)) <QB, DL, OG, DB, RB> Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor: The first two picks have been cemented since Washington traded almost everything but its soul to St. Louis for the rights to select which ever QB Indianapolis didn’t take. Griffin has every tool a signal-caller needs to succeed in the NFL, and the Redskins have been desperate for a capable QB since their last championship season in 1991.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13) <OL, DB, WR, LB, DL> Matt Kalil – OT – Southern California: The draft really begins here with the first two selections already decided. Minnesota will likely look at three or four options; fill a need along their offensive line with the top tackle in the draft (Kalil), take the best available player (Claiborne or Blackmon), or trade down. Whatever the Vikings decide will have a major impact on the rest of the first round. Kalil or Blackmon should be available a few spots down the order if the Vikings choose to trade down, but Claiborne, the latest of standout from Defensive Back University (LSU), may be too good to pass up.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12) <RB, QB, OG, DE, WR> Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: Richardson is labeled as the player most likely to make an immediate impact in this year’s draft, and the Browns need an every-down runner more than any team in the league. Quarterback Colt McCoy has yet to provide consistency as the starter, so don’t be surprised if the Browns pull the trigger to take the third quarterback of the day in Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) <CB, LB, RB, RT, S> Morris Claiborne – CB – Louisiana State: Aquib Talib can’t stay out of trouble, and fellow cornerback Ronde Barber may be preparing for his final season. If Claiborne is still there, Tampa has an easy choice. If the LSU corner goes before pick No. 5, the Bucs will look to trade down and take the best available offensive lineman, defensive back or linebacker.

6. St. Louis Rams (2-14) (from Washington (5-11)) <WR, DT, DB, LB, OL> Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma State: St. Louis was compensated kindly by Washington for its No. 2 selection after the Rams chose to stick with Sam Bradford, the 2010 No. 1 overall pick, as their quarterback. Coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season, St. Louis will give Bradford some help with the top target in the draft. The big-bodied Blackmon will be option No. 1 for his QB from Week 1.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) <DL, DB, ILB, WR, RB> Fletcher Cox – DT – Mississippi State: The Jags are looking to start over with a few key pieces already in place. With a solid enough offensive line, wide receiver is the only other real offensive hole needed to help last year’s first-rounder, quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Many quality defensive players still remain at this point, however, and linemen are greatly needed along Jacksonville’s front, thus they go with a player that can fill any of those spots.

8. Miami Dolphins (6-10) <QB, WR, DB, DL, TE> Ryan Tannehill – QB – Texas A&M: After missing out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and on new coach Joe Philbin’s former project Matt Flynn, Tannehill becomes a must to land this year. Miami may have to trade up to grab the Texas A&M quarterback, who played under former Aggies coach Mike Sherman — the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator. The raw Tannehill, who began his college career as a wide receiver, has been hyped the last two months as the clear-cut No. 3 QB in the draft, but he really could fall anywhere in the first round. That may happen if Miami addresses one of many other team-needs.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-10) <DT, OG, DB, WR, TE> Quinton – DE – North Carolina: The Panthers greatest need is at defensive tackle, but Coples can step in right away to help finally replace the departed Julius Peppers’ pass-rush ability lost two seasons ago. Coples has been compared to Peppers, another No. 90 at UNC, making the decision easier for hometown Carolina.

10. Buffalo Bills (6-10) <OT, CB, WR, OG, RB> Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa: The Bills have stated that offensive tackle is their first priority in the draft. After signing Ryan Fitzpatrick to a long-term deal, Reiff is the easy choice to provide blind-side protection as the second-ranked tackle in the draft.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) <DT, MLB, OG, QB, DB> Dontari Poe – DT – Memphis: Kansas City has not been shy about taking linemen in the last five drafts, but the addition of Poe finally gives the Chiefs a starting nose tackle for years to come.

12. Seattle Seahawks (7-9) <LB, OG, CB, DE, OL> Luke Kuechly – LB – Boston College: Few incumbent linebackers remain from the last two years on Seattle’s roster, and the Seahawks can’t pass up on a mid-round steal. Depth on both sides of the line will need to be addressed later if Kuechly manages to fall this far.

13. Arizona Cardinals (8-8) <OL, DT, WR, LB, CB> David DeCastro – OG – Standford: This is as far as DeCastro should fall, so Arizona wastes little time in taking the best guard prospect in the last decade. Interior linemen rarely go early, but DeCastro is an exception. Arizona’s needs to protect starting quarterback and 2011 free-agent signing Kevin Kolb in order to avoid last year’s QB carousel.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8) <CB, OL, DE, S, WR> Stephon Gilmore – CB – South Carolina: Dallas has made a point to get younger in the secondary, and they need help replacing Terrance Newman at corner. Gilmore could be the latest addition to the Cowboys defensive backfield, but Alabama’s Mark Barron would be another option if they decide to go with a safety instead.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) <LB, S, OT, TE, RB> Melvin Ingram – LB – South Carolina: Linebacker was the thinnest position on a superstar-filled roster for Philly last year. While trading for Houston’s DeMeco Ryans gives them an immediate starter, Ingram could be the Eagles’ starter on the inside for years to come.

16. New York Jets (8-8) <WR, DL, OL, S, RB> Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame: The Jets need defensive linemen, but not as much as outside targets for quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. Floyd is one of four candidates looking to become the second wideout off the board, and his size makes it that much easier to replace Plaxico Burress.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) (from Oakland (8-8)) <DB, RB, LB, DE, WR> Mark Barron – S – Alabama: The Carson Palmer trade to Oakland affords Cincy the option to grab the best safety in the draft, helping an underrated defense improve at its weakest area. It also makes it easier for the Bengals to address offensive help with their pick four spots later.

18. San Diego Chargers (8-8) <OT, DL, CB, OG, RB> Mike Adams – OT – Ohio State: The salary-cap cut of offensive tackle Marcus McNeill makes Adams a logical choice, but San Diego has many options as the draft displays its quality depth in the first few rounds.

19. Chicago Bears (8-8) <DB, OL, TE, DL, LB> Dre Kirkpatrick – CB – Alabama: Kirkpatrick would give Chicago’s secondary a boost, but so many high-caliber offensive line and tight end prospects remaining make it a tough choice.

20. Tennessee Titans (9-7) <DT, MLB, DB, WR, DE> Dont’a Hightower – Alabama: Another member of the Crimson Tide comes off the board to give help to a Tennessee defense needing help up the middle.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) <RB, DB, LB, WR, DE> Doug Martin – RB – Boise State: Having already addressed their defense’s greatest need, the Bengals get a running back capable of spelling newly signed BenJarvus Green Ellis, who has the task of replacing Cedric Benson as the every-down running back. A No. 2 receiver to play alongside 2011 first-rounder AJ Green is also a possibility after Cincy let its other two top wideouts leave in free agency.

22. Cleveland Browns (4-12) (from Atlanta (10-6)) <QB, RB, OG, DE, WR> Cordy Glenn – OT – Georgia: Glenn could play guard or right tackle for the Browns, who will take any offensive help they can get.

23. Detroit Lions (10-6) <CB, LB, S, OG, RB> Janoris Jenkins – CB – North Alabama: While still looking for an every-down running back that can stay on the field, Detroit will look for defensive help first in order to shore up an already strong unit.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) <OL, CB, RB, WR, DL> Jerel Worthy – DT – Michigan State: Two years removed from an eighth Super Bowl appearance, Pittsburgh finds themselves desperate to fill many holes. Worthy is among many possible top-tier lineman still available, but the Steelers may elect to look on the offensive side first.

25. Denver Broncos (8-8) <DT, C, MLB, DB, RB> Michael Brockers – DT – LSU: With the attention to the offense already taking shape, Brockers is a solid choice to solidify a somewhat undersized Broncos defensive front.

26. Houston Texans (10-6) <OL, LB, WR, DB, TE> Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford: Martin makes the free-agent loss of right tackle Eric Winston an afterthought.

27. New England Patriots (13-3) (from New Orleans (13-3)) <RB, OL, DL, DB, LB> Courtney Upshaw – DE – Alabama: A perfect fit for New England’s defensive scheme, Upshaw give the Pats an option at both defensive end and outside linebacker, great for a 4-3 defense with many 3-4 holdovers.

28. Green Bay Packers (15-1) <RB, DL, S, OL, CB> David Wilson – RB – Virginia Tech: The Packers will need to get another young runner sooner or later, so they’ll take a look with Wilson even though he can probably be had in the second round.

29. Baltimore Ravens (12-4) <DL, WR, OG, RB, DB> Peter Konz – C – Wisconsin: Matt Birk is on his last legs and Baltimore needs to groom a replacement. San Francisco is also in the running for an interior offensive lineman with the next pick, so Baltimore grabs Konz immediately.

30. San Francisco 49ers (13-3) <OG, DL, CB, WR, TE> Coby Fleener – TE – Stanford: Guard is the only starting spot San Fran needs to address, but the value isn’t there this late in the opening round. While tight end is one of the Niners’ strongest positions, Fleener, who was recruited by coach Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, has the second-year pro head coach looking to create more with his many multi-tight end formations. Depth along the 49ers’ dominant defensive line is another key need.

31. New England Patriots (13-3) <DL, OL, RB, DB, LB> Amini Silatolu – Midwestern State: The Pats may shuffle up their offensive line this year, and Silatolu could step in right away as New England looks to revive its ground game. If the 49ers don’t take him, the Patriots just may.

32. New York Giants (9-7) <OT, RB, WR, LB, C> Kendall Wright – WR – Baylor: The G-men’s offense has a few spots open after the Super Bowl champs lost two supporting contributors to the 49ers (Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham). With no first-round caliber backs left, the Giants are happy to replace Manningham with what many gurus think is the second best receiver in the draft.

Position key:

QB – quarterback

RB – running back

WR – wide receiver

TE – tight end

OL – offensive lineman

OT – offensive tackle

OG – offensive guard/center

DL – defensive line

DE – defensive end

DT/NT – Defensive tackle/nose tackle

LB – linebacker

OLB – outside linebacker

ILB – inside linebacker

DB – defensive back

CB – cornerback

S – safety

At the library after watching a woman read books to the kids who sat there attentively during the reading. I talked to a mother in attendance about why she was there, then I asked if I could talk to her 3-year-old son about what he though of the story time.

I went over to him while he was playing with Legos and I asked him what he thought of the stories he looked at me said nothing and continued to put the bricks together.

This continued for a little while, until I gave up the little guy didn’t speak a word to me.
Then I tried to talk with a 2-year-old kid who was clearly more interested in putting a puzzle together, than talking to me. This is the Q and A of that conversation.

What did you think of storytime?

“Yea”

What did you like about it?
“I don’t know.”

Did you like the stories?
“Yea”

He then looked away from me and looked at his mother as a way tell me he was done talking. His mother told him to tell me when his birthday is and he responded “Apwil 22.”

The next day I went back to the library for a musician and storyteller whose performance clearly captured the kids attention. When I asked a kid why he liked the show, the answers were similar to the silence I experienced the day before.

I never learned any techniques  interview children in j-school and clearly I need some work on this because this won’t be the last time I have to talk to a kid younger than 5 for a story.

1. Blindly fill out a bracket: … and check it three weeks from now. Odds are you’ll be just as, if not more, successful than those that spent countless hours researching (i.e. – Googling where Lehigh is located). You can then include yourself in the water-cooler conversations at work to brag (lie) about your savvy selection process.

My favorite method is to aimlessly click on my blank Yahoo! bracket while checking out the latest news of important sports leagues in another Firefox window.

My Final Four “predictions” for this year:  Top-seeded Kentucky (possibly my only hope according to the “experts”), No. 6 Cincinnati, No. 8 Creighton and … Not Selected. I expect my incomplete projections to result in at least a Top 5 finish in my group of 10 — behind my cousin’s ex-wife’s dog (an excuse to fill out more than one bracket), that annoying guy in my fantasy hockey league and his two co-workers he invited from the accounting department.

2. Take a break from Facebook: You could be a grizzly bear coming out of a six-month hibernation and still know as much about Murray State as the dozen or so social-networkers claiming they called the “upset” on their wall. This is the primary key to avoiding those novice know-it-alls, and thus popular and repetitive phrases like “the Big Dance,” “Cinderella,” “tourney” and “there goes my bracket.”

3. Avoid (all seven) ESPNs: “The Och0″ doesn’t exist, yet, but it would likely be the only one of the sports coverage leader’s channels I would tune to during March. I’m sure obscure athletics like dodgeball could provide the same amount of entertainment and unwarranted hype as The Big Dance.

Starting tonight with the Round of 64, ESPN will offer non-stop coverage with their two token featured highlights from each of the 32 contests to show you EXACTLY how each game went down.

Another reason: Dick Vitale. No explanation necessary.

4. Watch NFL Network: NFL free agency is about the only thing that won’t take a backseat to March Madness. You might as well spend your time catching up on news regarding players that will still be relevant more than three weeks from now.

5. Fantasy Baseball: The best fantasy sport available requires much more of a time commitment than any other. Your draft is likely approaching quickly, but you can probably prevent your team from falling out of playoff contention in May if you use your time wisely and prepare now. Don’t get stuck with guys like Victor Martinez (out for the season) in your catcher slot.

6. Watch the Portland Trail Blazers: They are playing horrible basketball right now, and heads have started to roll because of it. As losers in seven of their last nine games, the Blazers are still a professional basketball team and play a much better brand of basketball than what will take over the Rose Garden this week … which leads me to my next tip…

7. … Avoid downtown Portland: As former KGW sports anchor and current ESPN radio show host Colin Cowherd said last week; “College basketball is like a restaurant that does everything well, except the food.”

Leave it up to a hipster little big-city with one top-level sports franchise and a third-tier soccer league club (and no pro baseball, football or hockey) to get excited about a New Mexico-Long Beach State tournament-opener. Indiana, which is coming off a four-year tournament-drought, and defending Final Four team Virgina Commonwealth headline the hopefuls looking to regain their former glory with a strong start in Portland.

Note: MAX trains this weekend will be the best place to find drunk college hoops fans leading the way to the most “underground” post-game hot spots.

8. Learn about animals: This was key to Jefferson High School librarian Diana Inch’s $5,000 payday last year. The dog enthusiast employed her affinity for canine mascots to correctly predict the Final Four, the only participant of roughly 3 million Yahoo! brackets entered in 2011.

A trip to your local library, or home PC, for a little animal information might make next year’s March Madness somewhat interesting for you.

9. Big Bang Theory: CBS’ hit sitcom won’t be televised tonight in order to provide opening-day tournament coverage. Sheldon Cooper’s quirky retorts will be replaced with loud, play-by-play reactions following the most pedestrian of plays made by athletes you’ve never heard of, playing for schools you can’t spell. The exit of Gus Johnson from CBS Sports broadcasts will at least make watching tolerable if you mistakenly tuned in.

Luckily NBC’s Thursday night stable of shows will be in full force, and provides a quality alternative.

10. Go to work: March Madness is a popular time for employees to take a day off, or leave early with co-workers to watch a few games (without sound) at the nearby watering hole. Use your sick days wisely. Don’t waste your paid time off when all-day events like MLB opening-day and the NFL Draft are nearing.

When it comes to fast food suggestions, there is no better source than fat Americans.

Our word carries more, for the lack of a better word, weight, because fast food chains were likely crucial in the process of making us super sized.

We are the reason for such inventions as Wendy’s Baconator, Burger King’s Quad-Stacker, and the ridiculous KFC Double-Down — a bread-less fried chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese.

Early in my journey to becoming a poster child for the world’s most obese country, I came up with an idea to enhance my regular high school senior-year 10-taco runs to the border. That idea was to replace Taco Bell’s standard crunchy corn taco shell with a giant nacho cheese Dorito.

12 years after coming up with the invention, Frito-Lay finally realized their recent partnership with Taco Bell was excluding that can’t-miss menu item.

The first installment of FFF (which may be the only, depending on how many Baconators I consume in the coming weeks),  features Taco Bell’s latest creation.

Taco Bell on the inside. Doritos on the outside.

That’s the current slogan for Taco Bell’s  Doritos Locos Tacos, and it was exactly as advertised.

The 50-year fast-food juggernaut released the newest version of its best-selling item onto its permanent menu of all 5,600 American restaurants on March 8. They even spent $75 million in advertising for it, which is three times the normal budget for new food items.

It is just a more expensive version of the regular 99-cent crunchy taco for $1.49 (supreme version with tomatoes and sour cream for $1.89), but the addition of the fake, powdered Doritos cheese exterior adds that something extra that has been missing for so long.

While the quality of Doritos is comparable to a freshly-opened, top-of-the-bag pull, the boost of cheese is only a little over-powering and offers the perfect compliment to those not satisfied with the small amount of dried-up shredded cheddar.

Best of all, the shell was opening-day fresh.

For those of you crunchy taco enthusiasts, you are well aware that Taco Bell’s regular shells are usually old and stale. It is not uncommon to get an overly chewy or broken apart exterior. With the extra help of a thick paper sleeve,  the fresh Doritos shell holds together quite well until the last bite.

That alone is a reason to try the Doritos Locos Taco, but try it soon in order enjoy the freshest product possible.

Sadly, the first part of the new slogan is also true;  it has Taco Bell on the inside.

Biting into an earthy tasting lettuce leaf spine and/or vine-end of a diced tomato is still very likely, while the dry cheese and Grade D ground beef, made with many non-beef ingredients, remains tolerable at best.

The sour cream on the supreme DLT enhances the overall experience a lot, so I expect the upcoming Cool Ranch Doritos version, which is rumored to be release in the Fall, to be another tasty alternative.

The DLT revived my faith in cheap dining, but I still have many discontinued favorites I hope will be brought back in the near future.

What are some of your favorite fast food items that are no longer available?

Here are a few of my, and my co-workers former favorites we wish would come back.

Jake Rosenberg

1a. KFC’s original recipe chicken strips: Extra crispy strips are the only fried version available now, and the extra breading is just too much. Why can’t they have an original recipe for every item? That famous addictive chemical “that makes you crave it nightly” works so well with everything, especially chicken strips. AND they don’t tear up the roof of your mouth like Cap’n Crunch cereal like the extra crispy does.

1b. The KFC Twister: Chicken strips with shredded lettuce and pepper mayo made for the best wrap in the history of not just fast food, but food in general. KFC phased it out with its value Snack Wrap, but it is hardly an acceptable alternative.

1c. KFC JoJos: Why are potato wedges only available at like two KFC’s in Oregon?

2. Carl’s Jr. Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger: Sourdough bread, beef, bacon and LOTS of cheese and mayonnaise — the best combination of fatty foods. My favorite sandwich ever made its exit more than a year ago, and I’ve been going through withdrawals ever since. Until In-N-Out brings their tasty burgers north of the California border, finding a burger as good as the GCBB will not be achieved.

3. McDonald’s’ Cajun McChicken: The golden arches have come out with about 90 different chicken sandwiches since eliminating this 99-cent favorite about a decade ago, and they have yet to come close. A slightly spicy, fried chicken breast with shredded lettuce and a good amount of mayo made for a treat that was as good as it was cheap.

4. Panda Express’ Sweet & Sour Pork: I find myself going to the lone Chinese-American fast food joint less and less after they took off their delicious sweet and sour pork from the menu. They still have their famous Orange Chicken, however, so I can’t be too mad.

AK Dugan

McDonald’s McLean Deluxe: With a third of the fat of a Big Mac, the 17-year Lebanon Express reporter still craves the low-calorie burger that included carrageenan, a seaweed extract that made up 10-percent of the ingredients. Dugan, however, was not aware of the seaweed at the time of purchase/consumption back in the mid-90s.

Matt DeBow

Taco Bell’s Mexi-Fries: The newest addition to the Express team still misses the Mexi-Fries from Taco Bell. While they were really just tater tots, you can still find a similar version at Taco Time … or in your grocer’s freezer section.

Emily Mentzer

Taco Bell’s Taco Lite: The current Lebanon Express chief editor remembers  making the Taco Lite at her first job. The deep fried flour shell filled with taco fillings was only “Lite” because of the crunchy and flaky taste. Mentzer recalls Taco Bell having to eliminate the item do to false advertising.

Sherri Frost

Burger King’s Rodeo Burger: With barbeque sauce and onion rings, the Mid-Valley Newspaper advertising representative is not satisfied by the 37 other fast food restaurant’s attempts at the same thing.

While new faces are in new places, as usual to start the new season, the “stock” cars themselves changed just as much.

After utilizing carburetors on small-block V8s through its first 63 years of existence, NASCAR’s top series will now feature electronic fuel injection on the 358 cubic-inch power plants.

Only time will tell how it affects fuel mileage, and thus the frequency of pit stops, but the drivers’ main concern is how the 43-car field will fair with their new side-mounted spoilers.

This new addition to the cars has already proven to nearly eliminate the exclusive twin-train style of racing seen over the last four races at the 2.5-mile super speedways of Daytona and Talladega.

Drivers pushed their (one) draft partner, linked bumper to bumper, as two-car tandems in order to push their way to the front. Following the exhibition races of the annual preseason Speedweek at Daytona this week, the new side spoiler appears to have returned things back to the old pack-style racing.

High engine temperatures (ranging from 240-300 degrees) from extended periods of drafting are causing drivers to worry about endurance, with many early exits expected. A cautious approach by all drivers will likely make for a pretty boring first 150 laps of the 200-lap (500-mile) race.

In order to finish first, you must first finish, as “they” say.

That “pack” style was once fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s most successful brand of racing, but the 13-year Sprint Cup veteran has had a rough last few years since moving from his DEI No. 8 to the Hendrick No. 88. Even at his historically strongest tracks, Junior has accumulated a 129-long winless drought, but Daytona offers the best place for him to end that streak.

Hendrick Chevy teammate Jimmie Johnson’s streak of five straight NASCAR Cup titles ended last year at the hands three-time champion Tony Stewart.

Stewart managed to guide his Chevrolet past Carl Edwards to take the Cup, but Edwards and Greg Biffle will take the front row to start the Daytona 500. Teammate and former Cup champion Matt Kenseth with start in the row behind Roush Ford teammates Edwards and Biffle, lining up next to Earnhardt.

NASCAR rookie Danica Patrick will debut in her Stewart-owned Chevy on Sunday by starting in 29th position.

The seven-year Indy racer moves full-time to the top stock-car series, and the media has begun spinning its NASCAR version of Lin-sanity and Tebow-Time for highly endorsed driver.

After a hard hit on the inside wall during the Gatorade 150 duels, she made headlines by claiming the pole for the Nationwide (NASCAR’s AAA league) race at Daytona on Saturday while driving Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports entry.

With the increased importance of the draft, super speedway races often come down to pure luck in the end, so don’t be shocked to see Patrick come away with a strong finish.

Any car in the lead pack is a contender in the final five laps, especially at Daytona, so predicting a winner is much like Powerball.

The smart money is always on the Joe Gibbs Toyota of Kyle Busch, who claimed the Bud Shootout victory last week despite being involved in two accidents late in the race. Busch may possibly be the most talented driver on the circuit, but he is as much of a gamble to even finish the race with his aggressive approach.

Like always, I’ll put my money again on No. 88.

For those of you interested in a fantasy NASCAR Sprint Cup league, open slots are available in Yahoo league #3989; password: chevys

The 2012 Daytona 500 starting grid (two drivers in each row):

1. Carl Edwards; Ford
2. Greg Biffle; Ford
3. Tony Stewart; Chevrolet
4. Matt Kenseth; Ford
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Chevrolet
6. Regan Smith; Chevrolet
7. Marcos Ambrose; Ford
8. Jimmie Johnson; Chevrolet
9. Jeff Burton; Chevrolet
10. Elliott Sadler; Chevrolet
11. Michael McDowell; Ford
12. Joey Logano; Toyota
13. Kevin Harvick; Chevrolet
14. Kyle Busch; Toyota
15. AJ Allmendinger; Dodge
16. Jeff Gordon; Chevrolet
17. Robby Gordon; Dodge
18. Ryan Newman; Chevrolet
19. Jamie McMurray; Chevrolet
20. Kasey Kahne; Chevrolet
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; Ford
22. Mark Martin; Toyota; Toyota
23. Brad Keselowski; Dodge
24. Dave Blaney; Chevrolet
25. David Ragan; Ford
26. Martin Truex Jr.; Toyota
27. Aric Almirola; Ford
28. Kurt Busch; Chevrolet
29. Danica Patrick; Chevrolet
30. Clint Bowyer; Toyota
31. Denny Hamlin; Toyota
32. Bobby Labonte; Toyota
33. David Gilliland; Ford
34. Joe Nemechek; Toyota
35. Juan Pablo Montoya; Chevrolet
36. Casey Mears; Toyota
37. Paul Menard; Chevrolet
38. David Reutimann; Toyota
39. Landon Cassill; Toyota
40. Trevor Bayne; Ford
41. David Stremme; Chevrolet
42. Tony Raines; Ford
43. Terry Labonte; Ford

2011 Highest paid drivers: (include driving salaries, personal endorsements, share of race winnings, licensing income and bonuses)
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  $28 million
2. Jeff Gordon  $24 million
3. Tony Stewart  $22 million
4. Jimmie Johnson  $21 million
5. Carl Edwards  $15.5 million
6. Kevin Harvick  $14 million
7. Kyle Busch  $14 million
8. Danica Patrick  $12 million [indy car]
9. Matt Kenseth  $11.5 million
10. Kasey Kahne  $11 million
(See more at Forbes.com)(2-24-2012); http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm

The story was so much of nothing really that the blog post is much longer than the tiny entry we are going to put in the public record of our paper. At least we will have a picture for the public record section of our paper, which is ussually a very gray section.

This is just a sampling of the treats at Victorian Chocolate Company. The blobby, bubbly heart at the top is the one I dipped.

This morning I got to take look behind the scenes at Victorian Chocolate Company in Lebanon.

There were no Ooompa Loompas or flowing chocolate rivers, but I bet my son is still jealous that I took this field trip without him.

Kelly Reetz creates his handmade treats in the back of the small shop on Grove Street that he owns with his wife Kyla Hague.

I visited for about half an hour, during which time, Reetz showed me the steps involved in making various types of chocolate.  It was sort of a small town version of “How It’s Made.” Reetz greeted me wearing an old sweatshirt, an apron, a net over his beard. Different from the way he greets customers, in a tidy white jacket.

I got to see the sheets of jelly candy that will be cut into sections and dipped in chocolate before being placed with his other creations in the front display case that greets customers when they come in the shop.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, his focus now is heart shaped confections. This morning, Reetz made some fudge centered hearts. He even let me make one – easily identifiable in the photo above by the bubbles on the surface.

Of course, the pieces Reetz made were more appetizing. He’s been at his craft since the 1980s.

This will mark the second time the two will square off in the NFC championship, the first was also a classic that basically ended Joe Montana’s career in the bay, and the 49ers’ attempt at the NFL’s first three-peat during the 1990-91 season.

More recently, the 49ers held off New York’s final comeback attempt deep in the red zone to win 27-20 in Week 10 of this season, and both teams were playing their best of the year at the time, much like they both are currently.

New York, however, was without one of its two-headed monsters in the backfield for the regular season matchup. Ahmad Bradshaw was injured, and his presence has proven to help the Giants when both he and Brandon Jacobs are healthy.

The 49ers top-ranked run defense will have a tougher test with Bradshaw in the lineup, but San Francisco’s pass defense may have to put together a better effort as Eli Manning passed for 311 yards.

San Fran’s secondary, led by pro bowlers Carlos Rogers (who had both interceptions of Manning in the Nov. ’11 game) and safety Dashon Goldson, surprised many against Drew Brees and the Saints in the divisional round, but after surrendering just 17 points through 54 minutes of play, they gave up two long touchdowns to the Saints in the final minutes.

The biggest surprise in that game came with the immediate response of 49er offense.

While settling for field goals in a majority of similar red zone situations throughout the year, San Francisco retalliated with two go-ahead touchdown drives to win.

If both teams put together their best efforts again, we could have another pre-Super Bowl classic.

Fun facts:

The New York Giants are attempting to become the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl after only winning nine regular-season contests. Also; The Packers’ divisional loss to the Giants, Green Bay’s fourth loss in its last six home playoff games, made them the first 15-win team to be one-and-done in NFL postseason history.

The Giants and 49ers have had many memorable playoff clashes in the last 25 years. A 49-3 Giants home playoff win in 1986 was followed by another Giants postseason win in January of 1991, as Matt Bahr’s five field goals ended San Francisco’s run for a third straight NFL championship.

The 49ers came back with a blowout and a close win of their own in the next two postseason matchups, beating the visiting Giants 44-3 in the 1993 divisionals before coming back from 24 points down in the 2002 wild-card to win 39-38.

The 49ers have played in a third of the NFC title games in the last three decades, winning (including the Super Bowl) in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1994, while losing in 1983 to Washington, 1990 to the Giants, 1992 and 93 to Dallas, and 1997 against Green Bay.

History: The two have faced off 34 times since their first head-to-head in 1952, with each taking 17 wins. The 49ers hold just a 694-689 all-time points advantage.

New York won three straight meetings in 2005, 2007 and 2008 by an average of 16 points, but the 49ers’ won the last meeting in November of 2011 for their sixth of a seven-game winning streak. That ended the Giants’ run of six win in their previous seven games.

2011: Alex Smith threw one of his five total interceptions against the Giants in Week 10 of 2011.

49ers kicker David Akers made all four of his field goal attempts in that game as well, going on to an NFL record 44.

Quick observation: Both teams converted for a touchdown just once each in seven combined trips to the red zone. While New York was far better in the areas of third-down conversions and time of possession (35 minutes to SF’s 25), San Francisco made up for it with defensive takeaways and field position set up by pro bowl punter Andy Lee.

Forecast: The running game may decide the rematch at Candlestick Park with rain expected for the 3:30 p.m. game on FOX.

While the Giants are ranked in the Top 9 of the NFL in points, passing and total yards, they were last in rushing. The return of Bradshaw for the rematch will help, and expect Frank Gore to do much better than his six-attempt performance that netted zero yards.

Prediction: San Francisco 19, New York 13

2011-12 NFL playoffs: Divisional round previews

AFC

No. 4 Denver Broncos (9-8, 8-8 regular season) at No. 1 New England Patriots (13-3)

Top-seeded New England won the 2011 Week 15 meeting 41-23 to end Denver’s six-game winning streak. Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was 11 for 22 with 194 yards passing to go with 93 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

The Patriots have lost their last three playoff games dating back to their upset loss to the New York Giants in the 2007-08 Super Bowl. Brady has struggled in eight career games against Denver with a 2-6 record, while going 177-306, 2,178 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Prediction: New England 27, Denver 17

No. 3 Houston Texans (11-6, 10-6 regular season) at No. 2 Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

Houston went 4-1 against AFC North opponents in 2011, including a wild-card win over Cincinnati last week, but its only loss of those four games came in Week 6 at Baltimore (29-14). The Ravens were 8-0 at home during the regular season, and carry a 5-0 all-time record in against the Texans.

The running game will be key for both sides as Houston is 6-0 when running back Arian Foster has 30 or more rushing attempts. Foster had just 49 yards on 15 carries in the regular season game, and that was when Matt Schaub was still handing him the ball. Baltimore’s Ray Rice struggled in his first two career games versus the Texans, but had 161 total yards in the 2011 regular season meeting.

Prediction: Baltimore 20, Houston 13

NFC

No. 3 New Orleans Saints (14-3, 13-3 regular season) at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

The only divisional playoff game that isn’t a regular-season rematch, the 49ers play in their first playoff game since the 2002-03 postseason.

New Orleans: Won its last nine games, including a second win over Detroit during the wild-card round, in large part to its offense (ranked first in yards and second in scoring) — averaging 34.2 points per game during the entire year; won its last six against former NFC West rival San Francisco (including a 25-22 win in San Francisco last year); 0-4 on the road in playoff history

San Francisco: The 49ers — the second-best scoring defense in the NFL — surrendered 30 total points in their last four home games of 2011; Frank Gore — the lead back of the NFL’s most run-heavy offense — totaled 168 yards (rushing and receiving) with two touchdowns during a Week 2 Monday Night Football loss to the Saints in 2010.

Prediction: San Francisco 27, New Orleans 24

No. 4 New York Giants (10-7, 9-7 regular season) at No. 1 Green Bay Packers (15-1)

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on a four-play game-winning drive in the final minute during their Week 13 matchup; New York won the last playoff meeting, intercepting Brett Favre in his last game as a Packer to win 23-20 in overtime.

Rodgers has a 121.2 quarterback rating in his two career games against the Giants, going 53 for 83 with 773 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.

Prediction: Green Bay 31, New York 23