March Madness

I must take a break from our discussions of baseball Spring Training to give some time to March Madness. No, March Madness does not refer to getting ready for Spring Break or the frustration of hay fever that comes with Spring flowers. March Madness refers to the college basketball playoffs.

I have to admit, basketball is not my first love or even my second. Honestly, I was not much of a basketball fan before I met my husband a few years ago. I have always focused on college football and major league baseball. But with Mark, I have seen so much basketball and "get it" for the most part, so it has finally grown on me. That being said, I still must admit that I prefer professional basketball and follow the Atlanta Hawks religiously.

So back to this March Madness issue. I originally referred to it as the college basketball playoffs, but that is a little misleading. The famous "bracket" that the guys talk about consists of 64 teams. Thirty of these teams are the winners of their conferences (there are 30 conferences). The other 34 teams are decided by a committee of guys who have some type of subjective system to figure out who is better and who should get to play. This same committee of guys decides how the teams are arranged in the bracket, essentially who will play who. There is usually quite a bit of disagreement among fans, particularly if their team doesn't get into the tournament or if their favorite team gets a tough spot in the bracket.

Now this committee of guys who decide on the teams and bracket are really into secrecy and drama. Everything is decided behind closed doors and then announced on Selection Sunday. This ceremony, which rivals only the NFL draft, is when this committee announces the teams one at a time while each team watches from their schools. When a team is confirmed as playing in the Madness, the TV shot goes to the campus and shows the pandimonium. Now, many of these teams know they will probably play and there's is more celebration than surprise. But there are some teams "on the bubble" or borderline. Teams with so-so records will be placed on the bracket if the committee decides they deserve it. This is where the fans can get a little irate. Sometimes, these decisions are questioned when the obvious choice is not made.

So, March Madness really is a little mad. The teams and fans get worked into a frenzy and rush to fill out their brackets so they can win the pools. The selection process is a bit of a circus and this madness occupies our guys for a whole three weeks of eye numbing TV coverage.