Previewing our own field of 16

With March Madness soon to be in full swing, and competitions all around with election season upon us, we wanted to have some fun with recognizing our top fans. We also wanted a way to engage our growing facebook community - nearly 5,000 strong. And we are team named for onions. "The Grand Onion" is the concoction that came out of all of this inspiration.

What is "The Grand Onion"? It is a bracket-style tournament of Walla Walla Sweets fans, 16 of which were nominated by their peers and loved ones and selected by our secret selection committee (we only have a few front office employees so it can't be that secret). Starting on Monday, March 12, the competitors will face of head-to-head, and Facebook comments and likes will be the medium to determine who moves on to the next rounds. The goal - to be crowned "The Grand Onion". The winner will keep the title for the season, will receive an automatic bid into next year's contest, will receive a customized Sweets jersey with their name, their own tab on our Facebook page, and will be invited to throw out a first onion at a Sweets game. Pretty cool stuff!

So...the image for this blog post is our field of 16. I am going to preview them for our fans - best of luck to all the contestants. May the best onion win.

Some Fun First Round Match-Ups:

My favorite 1st Round match-up: I really like Rob Holtzinger vs. Tom Ewing (Doc Feelgood). Both known for being boisterous and creative with their cheering, these are two heavy hitters with one guaranteed to go home early. It will come down to who is more active on Facebook, plain and simple.

The "No Win": With a loss, we lose great kids either way. Dylan P and Brynley M - both great, passionate kids who love their team. However, it does guarantee that a favorite young one will move onto the Elite 8.

"Super Fan" odds: Sean "SuperFan" McKillip could have an interesting path to the title. He would have to defeat a worthy foe in Round 1 (Greg Farrens), and then potentially face off against good friend Anthony Riggs. However, don't be surprised if we find Sean in the Final Four.

"The Nice People" Match up: Well, they're all nice people, but I am keeping a special eye on Michelle Conner vs. Amy Harrington. Two of the nicest people in W2. Hate to see either one lose.

I can't give you my picks for a Final Four - that would be inappropriate for a committee chair. I do anticipate a little blood loss and some fierce battles in this race to crown the inaugural Grand Onion, but I hope that everyone has fun - and remembers to make sure that Borleske Stadium is full June 1 vs. Corvallis. Considering the bad taste after the WCL Championship Series, I wouldn't mind seeing a little blood then.

Have a great week!