Madnesss

March is my favorite time of the year. Not for the weather finally starting to thaw the earth from the icy grips of Winter. Not for all of the spring breakers raging onward, party beads and all, to youthful meccas like Panama City Beach and North Myrtle. Not even for the hopeful prospect that school is nearly over and summer is about to begin. However, the reason for my seasonal elation is the NCAA Men's (not Women's) basketball tournament. With the unveililng of the brackets, everyone starts off on even ground. Everyone has an equal opporutnity to call the big games, the no-brainers (1 vs. 16 seeds), the calculated upsets (5 vs. 12 seeds), and the miraculous underdog victories (see Davidson). Teams, regions, and players are researched with unparalelled vigor. Every possible advantage is factored in to this tedious decision-making process. Then, after the agonizingly-long four days from Selection Sunday to the first tip-off have elapsed, the madness begins. The first Thursday is like Christmas morning to some sports fans. Probably one of the most skipped days in work, employees stay at home "sick", yet uncontrollably glued to the television. Donning team colors for the past week, avid sports fans cherish their brackets and dream about their team dancing their way into the finals. Some bold sportsfans even proclaim this event: "the best days of the sporting calendar," dwarfing such mega-events as the Super Bowl or the World Series. So sit back all you sportsmen and women, and enjoy the ride that is...the madness.