Trares
It’s the (almost) most wonderful time of the year.
March Madness is here.
I’ve always loved when the NCAA tournament comes around, since the time I was a little kid. Baseball may be my favorite sport, and football season may be the most anticipated.
But when the depths of winter are setting in, my attention turns to the hardwood. Then, just as the weather starts to warm and spring shows its face, we’re dropped right into a sports bonanza that simply cannot be beat.
I can remember growing up how much fun it was to spend four full days immersed in hoops. The upsets, the buzzer beaters, the Cinderella stories — I’d park in front of the TV as soon as I got home from school and watch all weekend long. I can still remember where I was when Bryce Drew hit the game-winning three to send Valpo past Ole Miss, or when Ohio State, led by Toledo’s own Jimmy Jackson, dropped a heartbreaker to hated rival Michigan with a shot at the Final Four on the line.
When I met my wife, I found someone who loved the tournament just as much as I did. We’d plan vacation days for mid-March so we wouldn’t miss a minute, and made the first two days of March Madness a tradition among friends.
And now we’ve passed that love onto Anthony. We’ve tried to get him excited about the games, starting by filling out a bracket with us. When he was younger, he’d mimic our enthusiasm, but didn’t quite understand what we were doing, pouring over sheets of paper and writing in team names.
Even when he did his own, he mostly picked winners on which school name was funniest, or which mascot he’d think would win.
This year marked a turning point. As the calendar turned to March, Anthony kept asking when we got to fill out brackets. After the tournament field was announced last weekend, we printed off sheets, laid down on the floor and went through the game.
He admitted he didn’t know most of the teams playing — which probably goes for most people. So I let him in on a tip: the lower the number next to the team, the better they were.
But — and I couldn’t stress this enough — those teams don’t always win. You have to pick a few upsets along the way to make it fun.
Soon, Anthony was hypothesizing Cinderellas that would be unexpected, but not too outlandish. Charleston stunning Alabama, and James Madison taking down Wisconsin were early-round picks. He sent Texas Tech to the Sweet Sixteen, and has Michigan State making a surprise Final Four run.
But for the most part, chalk wins out — a strategy that will likely win him first prize of the Trares family bracket pick-em. In addition to Sparty, Anthony sees UConn, Houston and Purdue making it to the Final Four, with the Huskies pulling out the championship.
By the time this column comes out, his bracket — and, let’s be honest, most of ours — could be in shambles. But the fun is in the anticipation and seeing how it all plays out, something that I’m happy Anthony has fully grasped.
Happy March Madness everyone.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
