OK. Ready for the official post? Here we go.

We broke our voting record, first of all- between the posts on the website and e-mails to the LTDdotorg@gmail address, we had 22 separate voters. Which is really good because as of this morning I think we had 4 votes. Thank you both veteran and new voters…magic is happening.

Second, Division D featured the hands-down most intense match-up yet in the Round of 128. My apologies for putting up those preliminary votes for a second- Nos had been previously forwarding me LTDdotorg votes, and between that and my traveling I hadn’t thought to check until right this second (back in Maryland from Coxsackie, at an internet establishment) and the votes changed something very significant.

“Born To Run” becomes the second 8 seed to topple a 1 seed by defeating “Don’t Stop Believing,” 179.2-176.75. Like I said earlier, intense…so intense in fact that both songs on their own had average scores that would have defeated any other song we’ve seen so far in the Round of 128 with the exception of “Hallelujah.” Born To Run earns a place on the Wall of 10’s with perfect scores from Janos, Malone, Mark O, and myself. I have a feeling Janos or I may do an elegy to “Don’t Stop Believing” sometime soon, but in the meantime the Boss has 100% earned his place in the Round of 64.

The second song to earn a spot on the Wall of 10’s for this group was Nirvana’s “All Apologies,” earning the nod from both Cristina and Nate Senge (what up, Nate!) Unfortunately for the pair of voters, this wasn’t enough to overcome surging “Mrs. Robinson”- Simon & Garfunkel take this one, 166.3-156.09.

I say with 22 voters, a difference of 10 isn’t that substantial- amounts to, what, 0.4 per voter or so? The gap between winner and loser was almost equal between Nirvana-S&G and Buffalo Springfield and Led Zeppelin…in the latter bout, “For What It’s Worth” emerged triumphant and defeated “Fool In The Rain,” 158.55-148.35. It may now be time to say that Zeppelin may be in some serious, serious trouble, falling to 0-2 with 2 to go in the next two divisions.

Aretha Franklin had an easy time with the Stones…”Respect” takes “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, 156.4-134.87.

Out of the tournament: Journey. Stones at 1-2 with 2 to go. Nirvana drops its first song, with two higher seeds left to play. It seems incomprehensible to me to say good-bye to Steve Perry so early…I still hadn’t even made a substantial Arnel Pineda joke yet or talked about the amazing Journey-Heart-Cheap Trick concert I went to in Denver in July 2008. Sometimes in a tournament, it’s just the competitor you happen to be up against, and it happens to be the day that you’re competing. Hell, just ask Pitt.