Stay out of the long grass

Can I go on a rant?

I love this time of year.

Now I know what you're thinking: "He loves this time of year because it's lacrosse season."

No.

Wait, I got it. "He loves this time of year because it's Spring Break and that is when the team really gets to bond together."

No.

Ok,ok how bout, "He loves this time of year because he loves the weather getting warmer which means skirt season in Plattsburgh."

No. Well ok yes but that's not the point.

Don't get me wrong I love lacrosse season and Spring Break is always a fun time with the team.
But the real reason why this week is great.

MARCH MADNESS.

I love how when they release the brackets they put cameras on all the teams to show their reactions. I love how a little school like St. Peter's out of the MAAC has goes crazy when they see their seed, even though it's against Big Ten powerhouse Purdue. I love the bracket and how everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, fills one out. I love how your mom, your girlfriend, your boss, your coach, your priest/rabbi wants to talk about "Who ya got?". I love going big and trying to ride a Cinderella to the Final Four. I love how there is always the "tough" side of the bracket and the "easy" side bracket. I love how there's always the popular underdog pick and the "clearly overrated" team. I love how every "expert" picks a bracket.

I love when they're wrong.

I love the thought of a 16 beating a 1. I love how a 12 always beats a 5. I love the little boxes they put around the screen with all the other games scores. I love Gus Johnson. I love how the first thing almost everyone I talk to over the next three weeks will say to me is "How's your bracket looking?" I love how by the time Friday is over their will have been 36 college basketball games played, and we're just getting started. I love how people's brackets are "busted" or "ruined" after one day. I love how during half-time of our game against Utica last year they announced tournament scores. I love how someone from New York will be rooting for a team from Tennessee they have never heard of to upset a team from Wisconsin. I love how you can say "I still got all four" or "I only have two left" and people know exactly what you're talking about. I love the George Mason's and Davidson's of the world. I love the kid who gets the chance to beat the team that wouldn't recruit him. I love the underdog. I love the buzzer beater. I love how 99 out of a 100 times the other team would win but doesn't. I love Jimmer Fredette. I love to hate Duke.

But most of all...

I love how all 68 teams have a shot at winning a National Championship. The tournament is Social Darwinism at work before our very eyes: Only the strong survive. There are no mulligans or re-dos, no best of 7 series or round-robin play. Head to head, winner goes on, loser goes home.

There is nothing in sports like the NCAA tournament and I think that's what makes it so much more special.

As soon as we fill out our mascot bracket I will have it up here. For those of you that don't know, every year we fill out an NCAA bracket. The only difference with this one is that we pick winners not based on basketball teams but on if the mascots fought each other who would win. Suddenly the Syracuse Orange aren't looking so hot.

Big game tomorrow. I will try and have a blog up as soon as possible about it.

Until than...keep filling out those brackets. What else would you be doing?
-DeFran