As some of you already know, on Thursday, March 16, 2006, at 5:40 AM, our son, Oliver Nelsen Connell was brought into the world, weighing in at 8 lbs. 5 ozs. To see 63 photo of Oliver in various stages of rest and relaxation, click here.

I know what you’re saying, “The kid was born four days ago, and you’re just sending this email out now. What’s up with that?” Well, it’s been a rough couple of days, because little Oliver was born with a severe case of Bracket Fever, resulting in several nights of restlessness and constant cheering. It turns out that, much like a baby bird, a baby human will have an instant connection to the first thing he sees. In Ollie’s case, this connection was formed during Boston College’s double-overtime win over Pacific in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Ever since that night, all Oliver can do is cheer for the Boston College Eagles. To the average listener, his cheers sound like plaintive high—pitch wails, that cut right to the back of your brain. But I know he’s really saying, “Let’s go BC! Eagles Rule!!”

I’ve asked Oliver why he feels such an affinity to Boston College—it’s a random attachment, seeing as neither of his parents went there, and, as new members of the ACC, BC is technically a UVa. Rival. However, he noted that the women’s college Grandma Connell attended is now part of BC, adding, “plus it’s run by the Jesuits. What’s not to like? Come on BC! All the way to the final four baby!!” etc. and so on…

On Saturday night, Boston College continued its run in the NCAA tournament by thoroughly trouncing upstart Montana. This of course set Ollie off and he could not shut up about it. He was cheering for BC every hour on the hour from 11:00 PM, clear into the next day. Enthusiasm is one thing, but this was sheer showboating. Again, to the average person these cheers sound like mind-numbing screams, but I know, they’re just the start of a strange attachment to the Boston College Eagles. Fortunately, the Eagles are off until Friday, when they play number-one-seed Villanova. So, perhaps, we’ll have some peace until then.

The First Days of Oliver Nelsen Connell on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I'll preface this by saying that Oliver is not really named after anyone in particular, it's just a name that Tracy and I liked a lot. Although, it is a family name going back several generations on her father's side. That said, here's a brief rundown of famous--and not-so-famous--Olivers throughout history (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Saint Oliver Plunkett (1 November 1625 - 1 July 1681) is an Irish saint. He was Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. A general pain to the British government, Plunkett worked to bring legitimacy to the Catholic Church in Ireland, and was accused of colluding with the French and working to finance a force of 70,000 Irish fighters in the hopes of kicking the British out of Ireland. He was arrested in Ireland for conspiring against the state, and eventually transferred to London's Newgate Prison, where he was convicted of promoting the Catholic Faith, and sentenced to death. He is one of two famous Olivers to be drawn and quartered by the British (see Oliver Cromwell). Since 1997 he has been the patron saint, adopted by the prayer group, campaigning for peace in Ireland, namely, 'St. Oliver Plunkett for Peace and Reconciliation'.

Oliver Brown was the plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of 1954. The Court over turned the doctrine of separate but equal for public schools. Because of segregation, his daughter had to walk over a mile through a train yard to get to the all-Black public elementary school, even though an all-White public elementary school was closer to their home and involved a safer route.

Joe "King" Oliver, (December 19, 1885 – April 8, 1938) was a bandleader and jazz musician. Joe "King" Oliver was born in Abend, Louisiana near Donaldsonville, and moved to New Orleans in his youth. Oliver played cornet in the New Orleans brass bands and dance bands and also in the city's red-light district, Storyville. The band he co-led with trombonist Kid Ory was considered New Orleans' hottest and best in the 1910s. Oliver achieved great popularity in New Orleans across economic and racial lines, and was in demand for playing jobs from rough working class black dance halls to white society debutante parties.

Oliver St John Gogarty (August 17, 1878 - September 22, 1957) was an Irish physician and ear surgeon, who was also a poet and writer, one of the most prominent Dublin wits, and for some time a political figure of the Irish Free State. He is perhaps now best known as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel Ulysses.

Oliver Wendell Holmes the elder, (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was a physician by profession but achieved fame as a writer; he was one of the best regarded American poets of the 19th century. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of a minister. He was educated at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and at Harvard University. He first attained national prominence with his poem "Old Ironsides" about the 18th century battleship USS Constitution, which was to be broken up for scrap; the poem generated public sentiment that resulted in the historic ship being preserved as a monument. One of his most popular works was The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. He was one of the five members of the group known as the Fireside Poets. He contributed poems and essays to the Atlantic Monthly from its inception, and also published novels.

Oliver Wendell Holmes the younger, (March 8, 1841 – March 6, 1935) was an American jurist noted for his concise, pithy rejection of the prevailing property-rights ideology embraced by other judges of his time, and for his deference to the decisions of democratically-elected legislatures. He was called The Great Dissenter and The Yankee from Olympus.

Oliver Wolf Sacks (born July 9, 1933, London) is a neurologist who has written popular books about his patients. His most famous book, Awakenings (on which the movie of the same name is based), tells about his experiences using the new drug L-Dopa on patients of the 1920s sleeping sickness encephalitis lethargica.

Oliver Kahn (born 15 June 1969 in Karlsruhe, Germany) is a German football goalkeeper. He plays for the German national team (since 1995) and Bayern München (since 1994). He is known as King Kahn or Kahn, the Titan for his prowess in the game.

Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career U.S. Army officer and general in the American Civil War, also noted for his post-Civil War battles against the Western Indian tribes. His most famous campaign was against the Nez Perce tribe. He was instrumental in the founding of Howard University.

Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi (born in 1952 in Highfield, Harare) is a Zimbabwean musician, one of the longest-lasting popular performers from that country. He began performing in 1977 when he joined the Wagon Wheels, a band which featured Zimbabwean legend Thomas Mapfumo. Their single, "Dzandimomotera," went gold and Tuku's first album followed, and it was also a major success.

Oliver Hazzard Marcelle (June 21, 1895 - June 12, 1949), nicknamed "Ghost", was an American third baseman in the Negro Leagues for a number of teams around the league from 1918-1931. He also played shortstop. A Creole born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, he was right-handed.

Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599 – September 3, 1658) was an English military leader and politician. After leading the rebellion against the British monarchy, he ruled England, Scotland, and Ireland as a semi-autocratic Lord Protector, from December 16, 1653 until his death, which is believed to have been by either malaria or poisoning. After his burial he was exhumed and hanged, drawn and quartered by the Royalists after the Restoration of the monarchy, which was the traditional punishment for treason in England at the time.