March Madness ramblings

I love March Madness. I cannot help but try to watch EVERY game that comes on during the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament which happens every March. I have been enthralled with it ever since I was in junior high. I remember one year I put up one of those miniature basketball goals over the door in our family room and I played while the tournament was going on. I would mimic specific moves and shots that I saw those athletes do. I remember rooting for Oklahoma State one year and watching this guy named Randy Rutherford hit a fade-away 3 pointer to put a game away during the tournament. It was unbelievable. They went on to reach the Final Four that year in 1995. Ever since then I have tried to pull off the same move when I am alone shooting hoops. Normally I am VERY unsuccessful. I remember the same year watching a guy named Tyus Edney dribble from one end of the court to the other with only 4.8 seconds left on the clock to beat the buzzer with a lay-up, putting away Missouri's run at a National title. UCLA went on to win it that year.
It's called March Madness because anything can happen. And normally the craziest things happen. This year Davidson beat Georgetown. Wha?
That's why I love March Madness. I find myself cheering for Texas A&M?! Against UCLA. Or I find myself looking forward to watching Davidson play Wisconsin (cuz there's this one guy that plays for Davidson that is unbelievable behind the 3 point line, and omg I find myself getting giddy when I see him shoot an NBA 3 pointer with a guy in his face and it's nothing but net baby!). Why even pay attention to those who-cares games? Because it's March Madness and something maddening is going to happen.
My wife and I fill out brackets every year and the loser normally has to do something for the other person. This year's wager: The loser has to plan out a spectacular date and graciously host it for the other person. I am making my plans now. The score right now is 40-35. Jess is winning, and I think she has a really good shot at finishing me off next week. That is unless Kansas and Texas make the championship game. But the chances of that happening are so small- 2 Big 12 teams in the National Championship game? Come on!
Some of my picks that are just flat out cooky: Baylor beating Purdue- and then beating... Georgia? Yeah, that's right- I picked Georgia to beat Xavier and then to play Baylor. I also picked St Joe's to beat OU.
And something else that's funny- I had the sneaky suspicion that Western Kentucky (12 seed) was going to beat Drake (5 seed). I picked the upset- like an expert. I felt like I had a good lead on Western Kentucky. March Madness is fun. It makes you do stupid things like predict Western Kentucky will beat a team named Drake or cheer for teams that you hate like Texas A&M. Okay that about wraps up my ramblings- except to say that I am hoping that my Texas Longhorns are victorious against the Stanford Cardinal on Friday. Which makes me wonder- who the heck gave Stanford their mascot- is the Stanford Cardinal a bird, a tree, or a person in the Catholic Church? I hear their mascot is a tree- but that's not very impressive to me...
I leave you with Tyus Edney during the madness of 1995. Enjoy...