I smell something funny

[Mentalgongfu]

I just heard a Fox News Radio update, which warned of a potential "terror threat" during basketball's March Madness. I haven't been able to yet find a transcript of the brief on the hour news spot, but it mentioned the possibility of a terrorist placing a bomb in a sports arena UNDERNEATH A PILE OF WINTER CLOTHING. <br><br>I hear winter clothing, and I think bulky jacket.<br><br>I think "bulky jacket," I think Charles de Menezes.<br><br>I think De Menezes, I think Rigoberto Alpizar. <br><br>I think some dirty things are afoot here. Perhaps it's just the usual fear-frenzy, but once again, wearing a coat has made any American a terrorist suspect. <p></p><i></i>

[FourthBase]

The big obvious place would be the DC regional.<br><br>This would be a good opportunity to test the predictive power of conspiracy theory. Find out as much about the people and companies running each regional, and also any events occurring simultaneously, identify the most suspicious characters places and times, guess as to which place is most likely to get attacked or pseudo-attacked. Kind of like Poindexter's stock market program. But also kind of like the NCAA office pools, which is ironic. <p></p><i></i>

[FourthBase]

They have no business being in the tourney, and they're playing in DC. That's my bet on where something might be staged. <p></p><i></i>

[FourthBase]

So there was some scare in San Diego today. <p></p><i></i>

[professorpan]

<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/specials/ncaa_tourney/2006/03/16/bc.bkc.ncaa.sandiego.ev.ap/index.html?cnn=yes">sportsillustrated.cnn.com...ml?cnn=yes</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Cox Arena evacuated<br><br>Suspicious package was found two hours before tipoff<br><br>Posted: Thursday March 16, 2006 2:18PM; Updated: Thursday March 16, 2006 2:47PM<br>        <br>SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The arena for the first-round NCAA men's tournament game between Alabama and Marquette was temporarily evacuated Thursday after bomb-sniffing dogs found a suspicious package about two hours before tipoff.<br><br>The dogs detected the package inside a 4-by-6-inch condiment container in a vendor cart outside Cox Arena at San Diego State University. A bomb robot was sent to the scene, FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.<br><br>The container was removed by police and a bomb squad, said Lorena Nava, a university spokeswoman.<br><br>Fans and officials were told to gather behind a parking structure across the street. They were allowed to return about two hours later.<br><br>Players and staff from Alabama and Marquette stayed at their hotels.<br><br>The FBI warned last week of a recent Internet posting discussing terrorists attacks aimed at college basketball arenas and other sports stadiums, but also said there were no specific or credible threats.<br><br>Authorities were alerted at 9:18 a.m., before the scheduled 10 a.m. opening of the arena, and evacuated a "handful" of vendors who were inside, said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.<br><br>"It was some type of package that was described as looking like a small briefcase or a box," Luque said.<br><br>Hundreds of Alabama and Marquette fans milled around in parking lots waiting for information. Some were not aware a suspicious package was found. <p></p><i></i>