Memories in a Box: March Madness

Do you hear that … the sport of Men … the most exciting contest in College (so says me) … And who is going to be declared the victor? The ball is brown with black stripes all around it. It bounces, full of air, it fits perfectly inside of a net. What is it? A basketball. The sound of the ball dribbling down the court, the smell of victory when your team swishes its way to the top. Ahhh it must be March!

I know not everyone is into sports, and not every sports fanatic is into every kind of sport. There are a few that I love and a handful that I like. But when I look back on my childhood/adolescence there is one season, well one month, that stands out and that is the NCAA March Madness. I remember the very first bracket that I competed in. I was in the 8^th grade and I had no idea what I was doing. I randomly picked winners and the only thing I knew for certain as I was filling out the bracket was that KU (Kansas not Kentucky) was going to win it all.

Everything was going great, miraculously I was doing very well in the picks I had chosen and it was all lining up. And then, freaking Arizona came in and defeated my beloved Jayhawks. That was it for me my dreams of success for that year shattered.

You see – we (my family) eat sleep and breathe Jayhawks when it comes to the college basketball growing up. Still to this day I instinctively smile when I see the blue colors of Kansas. Everyone in my family loves them. Even as recently as last year, during March Madness, while my grandfather was ill, I remember him and my great-uncles being bound and determined to find time to watch Kansas play in the tournament. It didn’t matter how ill my grandpa was, he sat on the couch, yelled, screamed and hollered (like he was live on the side lines coaching!) for our men in blue.

So now it’s that time again … time for the NCAA to line up, face off and one team to declare the winner. Kansas is once again (as it is most years) ranked #1 in their division. Tomorrow night they will step on the court and dribble their way to the big W. But will they win the whole bracket? I hope so. But only time will tell.