>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 22 <<<

Low and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Breakfast's first round. After today's battles the bracket will officially be down to only 32 area breakfast joints, and the competitions are getting fiercer by the minute. Honestly, if it gets any more exciting we'll start to understand why Dick Vitale is always yelling. Plus we'll have serious back fat.

Without wasting anyone's time with pancake issues, let's look at yesterday's results AND today's Weekly Volcano Tournament of Breakfast action, which comes from the East Region.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Shakabrah Java (Tacoma) vs. Laura's Bayview (Tacoma)

Lobster Shop South (Tacoma) vs. C.I. Shenanigans (Tacoma) 

Masa (Tacoma) vs. Quickie Too (Tacoma)

Harmon Brewery (Tacoma) vs. Hob Nob (Tacoma)

Honestly, we're not sure why Shakabrah Java, a number one seed in this tournament, was allowed to sponsor the Tournament of Breakfast (other than the obvious reason that we need the hard cold cash), but what we do understand is Shakabrah has a following - so strong of a following, in fact, that the longtime breakfast player was able to easily defeat Laura's Bayview Cafe in yesterday's action in what amounted to a blowout. Shakabrah, after scoring 81 percent of the vote yesterday in a resounding victory, moves on to the second round. Hey Shakabrah! Thanks for help making this competition possible. Truly.

Unexpectedly, Lobster Shop vs. Shenanigans was an epic battle ... the kind of thing Tournament of Breakfast "instant classics" are made of. A surprisingly low scoring affair, with much of the action on defense, the eighth seeded Lobster Shop South and the ninth seeded C.I. Shenanigans were in a dead heat - literally tied - going into the final hour of the competition. Back at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, Tournament of Breakfast officials frantically discussed what to do in the case of a tie? Overtime? Coin flip? See which establishment could deliver a Denver omelet to our Lakewood office the fastest? Luckily, after a late social media push on our part (we were checking our Twitter anyway ...) C.I. Shenanigans edged out the win, securing exactly 51.6 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the history books.

The Sixth Avenue Mexican restaurant Masa quickly comes to the lips of many when discussing the best South Sound breakfasts. So, perhaps it's no surprise that the restaurant frequented by families and hangover victims alike did serious damage in yesterday's action, kicking Quickie Too to the curb while garnering a respectable 62 percent of the vote. Impressive victory since Quickie Too was tied with Masa at 1:46 p.m. Masa moves on as a breakfast to reckon with in later rounds of Tournament of Breakfast action. Hold your head high Quickie Too.

Across from Wright Park, the Hob Nob offers a comprehensive breakfast menu with delectable specialties and serves it all day. Favorites include the Dungeness Crab Omelette, fresh home-baked biscuits and country "cream sausage" gravy, flavored with fennel and John's seasonings. The Hob Nob held a small lead the entire day of voting over The Harmon. Tournament of Breakfast analysts suspect the nearby D- to M-Streets Sounder construction project may have kept voters out of the Harmon camp, preferring the peaceful scenery of the popular Wright Park. Then again, those same analysts typically are shoved out of the Harmon after last call. Either way, the voters have chosen, and the Hob Nob moves into the second round to take on Masa March 26.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Shakabrah Java
  
• C.I. Shenanigans
  
• Masa
  
• Hob Nob Restaurant and Lounge
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.