One Shining Moment: Bandwagon Sports Fans Blindly Set Tourney Brackets

As I sit here and ponder why Thad Matta's nose is so flat, I can't help but think how exciting this time of the year is. March and April offer so much. March Madness, the NBA/NHL season winding down, spring baseball and opening day, and the NFL draft. The weather begins to change and we crack open our first Oberon of the season. It reminds me a lot of the excitement in the air when the leaves begin to change in September and the Gameday crew gives their opinions on the upcoming football season. March and September evoke copious amounts of nostalgia for me.

I, in no way, claim to be an NCAA basketball guru. I am actually the anti-Jay Bilas. But when the calendar changes from February to March, I find myself glued to the television and looking up meaningless articles on Bracketology in an attempt to make an educated decision on who will win the whole thing. What other time of year do you get a phone call from your mother asking you to fill out her bracket? I remember skipping class in undergrad to watch games in the basement on the League Underground in Ann Arbor while eating spicy chickens from Wendy's and screaming at the TV. First things first, I believe UM has done enough to make the dance even though they are 0-50 against ranked opponents. They did a nice job against these teams but have minimal quality W's against the big boys. That being said, I see them as a 10 seed with a nice chance to knock off whoever they play. But who will win the whole thing? I have no clue. Kansas looks deep enough to do it, Texas plays a lot of defense, Duke will always be in contention, and OSU, if their bigs can stay out of foul trouble, will have a decent shot.

What I do know is that we all revert back to childhood in the face of these great tourney games. We laugh, we clap, we cheer, and we get uber pissed when your dark horse upset special gets bounced on a buzzer beater. I have written off filling out a bracket at least 10 times, but when March comes, I am the first dummy trying to predict the champ. Allow me to give 2 other examples of grown men becoming little boys during big games.

1) June 2, 2010. Galarraga on the hill. Mark Grudzielanek (who?) smokes a ball into center field that Austin Jackson somehow tracks down on the warning track. He covered more ground on that play than Maggs, Damon, and Rayburn covered in the whole 2010 season. OOOOH Jackson! Watch the video and see the guys in the dugout go ape shit. You never see this kind of happiness and excitement in pro sports anymore. I was watching the game in my apartment in Detroit and erupted off the couch with goosebumps on my arms when I saw it.

2) November 6, 2010. UM vs. Illinois. Massive shootout if you remember. Scheelhaase and the Illini continue to dial up the same play on offense and our defense seems to not be getting the point. Bootleg right, throw back across the field to the RB who has leaked out of the backfield. 3 times they ran it and 3 times the back was wide open for big gains. The last time they ran it, even I saw it coming. I shot off the futon (yea, I'm a grown-up who owns a futon) and screamed obscenities at the defense and in my time of distress, I sharted (which UrbanDictionary defines as "a small, unintended defecation that occurs when one relaxes the anal sphincter to fart"). Make no mistake, I had not intended to perform this act, but I was so worked up about the play that I lost bowel function. That is reverting back to childhood in it's purest form.

Now, as we all watch the selection show, I eagerly await UM's ticket like a giddy schoolboy. I can't wait to see all of the first round action and am even contemplating skipping work to see them. Always remember, there is no shame in acting like a little kid during big games. Unless you accidentally shart. Pro sports needs a little bit more of this and a little less complaining about making 20 million dollars per year. Happy March, friends!

One more thing: This is awesome.