Oh yes, it's that time of year again. Time for life to shut down from Thursday morning [I still don't count the play-in games, sorry] until the 4th of April. Time for employees to call in "sick" to then spend their days sitting on their couches watching 12 straight hours of college basketball. Time for March Madness.
The NCAA men's basketball tournament has been a staple in my life since I was a small child. I still remember the ads with Coach K from the early 1990s - "Are you going to the Big Dance?" "Yes I am" And of course 1994 - when Arkansas won it all - is a year I'll never forget. I remember sitting in the Jockey Club at Oaklawn watching games in between the races. I remember my final year at Rhodes, sitting with Pete for nearly 48 hours watching the opening round. When I originally came to Bangalore as an intern, I purposely scheduled my trip so that I was back in the US for the beginning of the tournament.
Missing the tournament these last few years has been tough. I've been keeping up with all the goings-on online, but it's just not the same as being able to watch the buzzer beaters and the shock upsets live. YouTube highlights just aren't the same when they're already a few hours old.
No, I haven't seen any games this season and so cannot accurately predict how it's all going to turn out. But am I still going to fill out a bracket? Of course I am - I'll fill out multiple ones, just like I do every year. Am I likely to win? Of course not. But 10 straight years of being wrong has not yet stopped me.
So bring it on, March Madness. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I don't appreciate how awesome these next few weeks are. And I'll be back next year.
[my only dilemma? with no Arkansas in the brackets, who do I choose to go all the way? hmm.]
xx
The NCAA men's basketball tournament has been a staple in my life since I was a small child. I still remember the ads with Coach K from the early 1990s - "Are you going to the Big Dance?" "Yes I am" And of course 1994 - when Arkansas won it all - is a year I'll never forget. I remember sitting in the Jockey Club at Oaklawn watching games in between the races. I remember my final year at Rhodes, sitting with Pete for nearly 48 hours watching the opening round. When I originally came to Bangalore as an intern, I purposely scheduled my trip so that I was back in the US for the beginning of the tournament.
Missing the tournament these last few years has been tough. I've been keeping up with all the goings-on online, but it's just not the same as being able to watch the buzzer beaters and the shock upsets live. YouTube highlights just aren't the same when they're already a few hours old.
No, I haven't seen any games this season and so cannot accurately predict how it's all going to turn out. But am I still going to fill out a bracket? Of course I am - I'll fill out multiple ones, just like I do every year. Am I likely to win? Of course not. But 10 straight years of being wrong has not yet stopped me.
So bring it on, March Madness. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I don't appreciate how awesome these next few weeks are. And I'll be back next year.
[my only dilemma? with no Arkansas in the brackets, who do I choose to go all the way? hmm.]
xx
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