This 'n That

A little of this and a little of that on the first full day of spring:

All you need to know about the NCAA Basketball Tournament is that the “Sweet 16” contains as many teams from Richmond, Virginia as the entire Big East Conference. Virginia Commonwealth and the University of Richmond are among the unlikely teams left from the original group of 68 and after starting with a record 11 teams the Big East has only Connecticut and Marquette remaining. Other surprises include Florida State and Butler while highly-regarded teams like Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have been sent home.

It was a good weekend for baseball-playing brothers Todd and Jeff Frazier of Toms River. Todd belted a 3-run homer and added a single in two-at bats to help the Reds beat the Brewers Sunday, a day after older brother Jeff smacked a 3-run homer in the Nationals loss to the Mets. Todd is starting to heat up a bit after struggling most of the spring and remains in Cincinnati’s major league camp while Jeff has been sent down to Washington’s minor league camp but got a chance to play Saturday against the Mets.

Former Southern Regional High School standout Frank Molinaro helped Penn State win its first NCAA Wrestling Championship since 1953 this weekend in Philadelphia. Molinaro was one of three Nittany Lions to make it to the finals in his weight class, where he had to settle for a second place finish at 149 pounds.
A redshirt junior, he will be back next winter to aim for a national championship.

Toms River lost an icon last week with the death of Jack Steigerwald just a few days after his 87th birthday. He was best known as the founder of Seaside Furniture Shop which he started in 1953 and he ran for 57 years before officially retiring last spring. Jack was a longtime parishioner and trustee of St. Joseph’s Church and was honored by their Century Club for his devotion to the church and its schools. He was most proud of his family as he leaves behind his wife Marion, daughter Peggy and sons John and Tommy along with 7 grandchildren and one great grandchild to reunite with his first wife Margaret and daughter Nancy. Friends and family will gather today at Anderson & Campbell on Main Street in Toms River to say goodbye to a man of faith, humor, love and compassion.