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DERBY DAY SOMOCO INVITATIONAL
Il Palazzo Mills -- Mountain Brook, AL
May 2, 2009

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than playing Monkeyball, sipping mint julips, watching the Kentucky Derby, and laughing hysterically at/with an oversized jockey? The day was good, and the balling was hot. SoMoCo dominance is being set by neighbors Sean Dameron and Kevin Singleton, who are chomping at the bit to prove their worth at MB5.

Highlights:

• Just released from Folsom (Louisiana, not prison), Eddie Desporte proved that the love of the game is not enough to win a game, or even come close to winning a game for that matter.
• The show, aka Sofa, showed up in his full jockey (albeit, oversized) jockey uniform to put on his best performance ever. That is not saying much since winning one game in tournament play would have been his best performance ever; however, Sofa made it all the way to the semis before caving under the pressure. Or was it the oppressive heat caused by the plastic jockey outfit?
• Ben Templin is beginning to emerge as a legit threat. He followed his fine showing at the Commissioner’s Cup with a defeat of Sean Dameron, before succumbing to Kevin Singleton and then Sean in the Loser’s Bracket.
• Jill Salmon had her finest Tournament showing, running to the Group Championship and pushing Sofa to 2 games.
• Past SoMoCo champ John Griffith went 0-2 BBQ on a course he once dominated.
• Host Connie Mills spent weeks delicately sewing a blanket of roses for the winner, which will become the prize for this championship for years to come.
  
  When all was said and done, underdog (by rankings only) Singleton proved too tough and beat out Salmon in a 3-game match. Competition ended just in time to watch another underdog (Mine that Bird) run away with the Kentucky Derby crown. Thank you to our hosts, Bill and (mostly) Connie Mills; your hospitality is always first class.