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Posted 03/15/2007 at 08:44 AM
I think I was around 11 years old the first time I played in a little league championship game. I could barely sleep the night before and I vaguely remember having some kind of cereal, probably cheeriors, before the Sunday morning battle. When gametime arrived, I tried to remind myself that it was just another game. But it wasn't just another game, it was the big time.
Insert myself into present day. I couldn't sleep last night. Not a wink. Tossed and turned for hours but I just couldn't get the thoughts out of my head. Did I have my brackets right? Does Davidson really have a chance against Maryland? Maybe Greg Paulus can elevate his play for Duke? Is Carolina too inexperienced to make a run?
For a handicapper, today is the beginning of our three week Superbowl. The biggest days of the year stretched out just long enough to make your brain squirm with stats, spreads, and injury reports. You can argue that the actual Superbowl is a bigger game and you'd be right. But it's only one game. This is 48 major games in a four day span. Followed right up by 12 more next week and three to follow the week after. And if that's not enough, throw in a few games from that "other tournament," the NIT, and you've got constant action.
I'll be getting to my secondary office today at 12:00. My secondary office of course being the local sports bar where they'll have all the games on. It's not that I haven't shelled out the cash for "the package" at home. It's just that it's easier to watch four big screens at once than to flip back and forth. I've actually perfected watching the 10 screens there during football season so this is a breeze. Plus I'll be joined by others who have taken the afternoon off to cheer on their alma-maters. It's almost humerous to watch their dissapointment after a loss. The again, I went to the University of Florida so I barely remember that feeling.
I won't leave my "office" until the last buzzer sounds. I'll go through four different bartenders and just as many different bar tabs. It'll be late, real late here on the east coast consider the lack of sleep. My legs will probably be cramped, my ass sore from the bar stool, and my stomach stuffed. But this is crunch time and the time of the year I like best. I can take the pain. I am of course, "The Man of March."
So into the kitchen I go for those Cheerios. After all, we won that championship game with 2-run double in the bottom of the ninth so maybe no sleep and some cereal is just the thing to propel me into the tournament.
Enjoy the games and best of luck.
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