Here's Thunderbug — mascot of the Tampa Bay Lightning — capering about and engaging in various hijinks with young'uns at the beach.  And if Thunderbug didn't have a big inflatable insect costume on, you could bet he'd be getting his ass kicked six ways from Sunday.  I guess you can do anything you want if you're wearing dressed as a mascot. 

Well, almost anything.  Turns out renting the San Diego Chicken costume isn't enough to get you backstage at The Jewel Box.  But it was worth a try.

[Puck That Hit] 

For the first time since the NCAA tournament began seeding teams, all four #1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four, which means that your secretary is now winning your office pool.  With Leather offers its hearty congratulations to Kansas, UNC, UCLA, and Memphis, all of whom looked and played like they deserved their seeds (save possibly Kansas, which survived a scare from tourney sweetheart Davidson).  As much as it's sad to see Stephen Curry and #10 Davidson exit the bracket, it's also nice that Bill Self's Jayhawks finally made the Final Four.  Not because I like Bill Self, mind you — I'm just tired of being told Bill Self can't make the Final Four.

With my bracket now officially in the shitcan, I've turned my attention to the Final Foer.  I like pretentious douchebag Franklin over nerdy pencil-necked Joshua in the semis, then Franklin again over self-satisfied wiener Jonathan Safran in the final.  Winner gets punched in the balls.

NOTE: I'll review the leaders in the WL Pool of Hard Knocks before the Final Four begins. 

Don't look now, but With Leather staff correctly picked 7 out of 8 of the Sweet Sixteen match-ups. I could point out who made the single mistake because of my his unnatural dislike of a militant sect of the Holy Mother Church, but we're a team here at WL. Anyway, the point is I'm on a roll people, so listen up:

UCLA over Xavier – It is getting slightly loathsome listening to Bill Raftery wax poetic about Kevin Love's (incidentally – Kevin Love was my stage name) inbounding skills, but I would rather spend one more weekend watching the blonde bombshells of the Bruins' spirit squad than some dirty Jesuits.

Louisville over North Carolina – Um, I pretty much have to pick Pitino's squad because I've been proclaiming that the Big East is clearly the top conference this entire season. I mean even a team that finished low in this powerful conglomeration of schools – for example, let's say the cagers who wound up 13th – would have no trouble finding their way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Let me drink sleep on tomorrow's contests. Enjoy the games, and do a shot every time Clark Kellog says 'spurtability', refers to the basketball as an orange, or states that a team is being 'judicious' in their 3-point attempts. -KD

Photo credit: Getty Images 

If you told me there would only one Jesuit school left in the the NCAA Tourney, I would have wagered it would be Georgetown or Marquette. In fact, I did wager it would have been Georgetown, so that should give you a clue on how to apply your trusted Assistant Editor's predictions for tonight's games:

North Carolina over Washington State – The Cougars have too many foreigners for my liking. Plus I believe Tyler Hansbrough is in cahoots with my bookie.

Louisville over Tennessee - Who will be more sharply dressed, Rick Pitino or Bruce Pearl? Those fine gentlemen always look so nice. Why don't I ever see any of those suits when I'm shopping at Goodwill? 

West Virginia over Xavier – Will my disdain for Jesuit schools be enough for me to root for a Bob Huggins-coached team? Yes, yes it will.

UCLA over Western Kentucky – I'd really like to predict a Hilltoppers win, but the doctor says he can't fit any more pins into my femur. I'd also like to see one more weekend of the Bruins' cheer squad.  -KD

Shame on Dick Enberg.  I couldn't be more disappointed that he's taking time away from concentrating on THE GAME HE'S ANNOUNCING to eyeball some pleasant distraction in a woman that could be his granddaughter!  Gross!  Have some dignity, sir!

Nah, just kidding.  The man's only human.

SEXY UPDATE: Thanks to Insomniac's Lounge, who took the original photo, for this clearer image.

The Penn State Nittany Lion, who claims the Big Ten stole his idea for the Big Ten Network, is suing the conference for an alleged breach of agreement.  Actually it's not the mascot, but a businessman who formerly wore the furry plush costume.  But hey, once a mascot, always a mascot.

[Robert] Welsh claims that in 1998 he presented to a group of Big Ten Conference officials and athletic directors his plan to create a Big Ten network… He claims the Big Ten Conference appeared interested in his proposal so he “distributed his business plan on a confidential basis and made a comprehensive and detailed presentation including a specific delineation of the Big Ten Network plan as a satellite/cable television medium.”

But then the Big Ten Conference decided it “did not wish to cede control over such matters to an independent entity” and instead, the suit said, took Mr. Welsh’s idea as its own.

And then the Big Ten Network miraculously debuted last summer.  Eh, whatever.  I'll be honest, this story's pretty dull, and the only reason I brought it up is because I like pictures of mascots in court.  I guess I just like the idea of them arguing their cases in pantomime.

With all this talk of mascots, we need to see a woman get punched by Nicolas Cage in a bear suit (after the jump, natch).

[The Wizard of Odds]