First Round Action

First Round Action is Short and Bittersweet

Expectations were high leading up to yesterday's first-round of the CMB Staring Contest. For some, the excitement was too much.

A hotly contested match between Frank "The Nose" Naso and Brian "Mini B" Adarna was expected to be one of the first round's hardest fought battles. Both contestants were all business as they entered listening to iPods, suggesting they were both in it for the long haul. But the tension, it seemed, was too much for Naso as he stumbled quickly with a blink, and then, seemingly angry with himself, looked away - ending the match in just 8.9 seconds.

Shortly after the match, Naso blamed OSCLA officials for not sufficiently explaining the rules. When pressed for an explanation, Naso flatly refused further comment.

The tournament's opening match, however, had a decidedly more cordial feel as opponents Crook Eye McVee and Old Meany greeted each other warmly at the competitors' table. Indeed, some wondered if the moniker "Old Meany" was meant to be ironic as the two opponents chatted about the pleasant aroma of Meany's green tea before she actually offered to share some with Crook Eye.

Once the match began though, Meany made short work of Crook Eye who, like Naso, seemed to forget about the tournament's "two-blink" rule and looked down in disgust following just one blink, thus ending her tournament life after just 9.5 seconds.

Both victors look forward to second-round action next week. Mini B alluded to a bag of dirty tricks that he "didn't even need to use yet" and Old Meany's manager and trainer Debra Barras gloated, "We're just getting started."