Grizzlies claw way to the top
Now there’s one left.
The University of Montana Grizzlies’ march through the football playoffs arrives tonight at the final step.
The top-ranked Grizzlies, with a sterling 14-0 record, face No. 2 Villanova (13-1) tonight in Chattanooga, Tenn., in the Football Championship Subdivision title game.
What kind of game will it be? An incredible come-from-behind performance, as in the 61-48 playoff-opening win over South Dakota State? A turnover-fest blowout like the 51-0 second-round drubbing of Stephen F. Austin? Or a tensely dramatic thriller to compare with last Saturday’s amazing 24-17, not-over-until-the-final-second triumph over powerhouse Appalachian State?
UM fans have seen it all this season — but they’ve also seen their beloved Grizzlies win every time.
Let’s do it one more time tonight.
Go, Griz!
BEST WISHES also to former Sen. Conrad Burns, who is now out of intensive care, but still recuperating in the hospital following a Dec. 9 stroke that gave him and his family a scare.
It looks like Burns, 74, is on his way to a strong recovery, and apparently he has his famous sense of humor intact. After his condition was downgraded from critical to serious, he quipped: “I am not out of the woods yet, but I can see the tree line.”
Cards can be sent to Conrad Burns & Family, c/o GAGE, 122 C, NW Suite 380, Washington, DC 20001. In lieu of flowers, the Burns family has requested that interested families make a donation to their local food bank.
Burns and his wife, Phyllis, had recently sold their Washington, D.C., home and were in the process of moving back to Billings this month. Although delayed by this medical emergency, they still plan to make the move as soon as possible.
IT WAS good news for the holidays to hear that Sykes’ restaurant had reopened under the leadership of Dodie Wise, the daughter of longtime Sykes’ owners Doug and Judy Wise.
It’s not a permanent solution. Dodie said she is just keeping the restaurant open until the building is sold, but with any luck, maybe a new owner will see the valuable service that the landmark restaurant provides to the community and keep it open long-term.
In the meantime, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, it’s still the old Sykes.