can't stay away

in my younger days i was a real college hoops junkie. i love the tournament. i think it is by far the most exciting sporting event. single elimination play. fast up and down action. and kids, most of whom are well aware this is their final athletics stage. most of them will not make it to the nba, and are playing their hearts out.
march madness has seen me through good times and bad. i lamented a breakup with my girlfriend while watching unlv steamroll the field, and listened to the action on my radio waiting for the birth of one of my sons. and i love the whole bracket science. just give me an excuse to fill one out. i was cutting them out of the newspaper years before the internet made it so easy.
but as the years have rolled on it's become difficult to stay engaged. when you're in your 20's living with roommates, sure. but responsibility and a legitimate interest in other things (we tell ourselves more mature things) wanes the hours march madness used to suck up. and to be honest, this year i hadn't even seen one regular season college hoops game. not having cable doesn't help too.
but as thursday kicked off the first round of games i felt the call. like the sparrow returning to its nesting point each year i suddenly became very engaged. i popped open a bracket to take a look at the field. where were all the pac-10 teams? i got home from work and feverishly worked to finish filling out my bracket, even though many of the games had already been played. but it didn't matter. like the parable of the vineyard i had been called to work. maybe not in the early morning twilight hours like some of those other guys, but still, i was here now. and my wage would be the same.
and now as we are wrapped up from the opening weekend i am reminded of why i can't stay away. the deluge of information, teams i've never heard of, uniforms and mascots that are foreign to me. buzzer beating upsets by underdogs that make the whole house come down. and of course the cinderella stories. small and quick point guards who lead the charge against goliaths to the sound of riotous school bands and boosters. the army of media descending to the four corners of the country as greg gumbel anchors the desk in new york.
as much as i am enjoying the tourney, it is different now. i'm not sitting in a room with a bunch of other young guys hooting and rooting and comparing picks. instead i am teaching my own kids how to fill out the brackets, with the limited insights i've picked up over the years. how to fill out multiple brackets, the ones from your head and the ones from your heart. it's good times, and i may have just gotten a whole new generation hooked on the junk.