Raise a glass to your health

James Clements
Published: March 17, 2008

Even on my best weeks, I never claim to be the most interesting read in the newspaper. Today, I won't be offended if you never get to this column at all.

Why am I so down on my prospects of starting message board flame wars or launching a thousand letters to the editor-
Don't you know already-

You mean when you picked up the paper this morning, you didn't immediately flip to the NCAA Tournament bracket- You haven't spent half the morning determining which No. 1 seed has the easiest road to San Antonio, pondering who will be this year's George Mason (according to a sign at the Colonial League championship game, "George Mason is this year's George Mason), or on the Internet trying to figure out the difference between St. Mary's and Mount Saint Mary's- (Nice start to Holy Week for both schools.)

The best part about Bracket Monday isn't just that it's the annual start of the least productive work week in our country, it's that no one will actually fill out a bracket today. We have to wait until the ESPN talking heads tell us who to pick later in the week.

But don't hold it against us when we don't return e-mails or voicemails this week, we've been waiting for this day since the Super Bowl.

Don't believe me-

Look what happens to us in those gray days of February with no sports. We all actually vote in primaries.

Or worse, gather around the water cooler in the office to discuss the new interactive maps CNN is using to highlight delegate counts.

Are you kidding-

Looks like we could all use a few weeks off from the campaign.
At lunchtime, after you pressed the sports pages into a manila folder for safekeeping, you might have picked up the front page. Even then, you got no further than the A-1 listing of bars offering green-dyed beer in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.
Yep, today is Cinco de Mayo for our freckled redheaded friends.
That is unless of course, you're in one of those spoilsport parishes (my wife's grandfather in Raleigh posted his own bad news to the family Web site last week. Seems his priest believes this week should be devoted to prayer -must be an N.C. State fan.)

I didn't ask the local priests, so I'm in the clear. Don't tell me if we're on the tea-tottling list.

It's been 20 years since I've been allowed to pinch someone for not wearing green, don't take away my beer, I'll have nothing to cry into.

All of this brings me to the best piece of news I received last week.

My sister-in-law sent me an e-mail appropriate for today. It seems drinking beer in moderation may have many of the same health benefits as wine (there's been no study on the addition of green food coloring to the beer).

According to The New England Journal of Medicine, light to moderate beer drinkers decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20 percent.

Other studies show beer can lower chances of coronary heart disease, increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in your bloodstream, is high in vitamin B6, and can reduce stress.

That's right, this week when you're enjoying a red meat meal or junk food while the games are on, remember that you can cut the damage you're doing to your body by washing it all down with a cold frosty one.

With that kind of good news to deliver, I guess I shouldn't be so down on myself that you didn't get to this column right away.

I'm just happy I could make your Tuesday a little brighter.

James Clements is a Culpeper resident and
independent columnist who appears each Monday.
E-mail