Not What You Should Be or What You've Become

I've never been one of those people who swore that the first 4 days of the NCAA Tournament are the greatest days on the sporting calendar, but in my opinion, the first weekend of March Madness is a bit like stuffing at Thanksgiving: It's not everyone's absolute must-have item, but you're kidding yourself if you don't get a little hop in your step when it comes around every year.

Sure, the Bears may have lost to the Boilermakers 90-79 on Thursday (which you know is actually a flattering score for Baylor if you watched any portion of the public whipping, ahem, game), but all in all, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament was an unexpected surprise for a team that could not even play non-conference games as recently as two years ago due to the Dennehy/Dotson/Bliss scandal.

Let's be honest, though, my friends. The real reason I sat down to write tonight is not the Baylor men's basketball team, it's not the surprising upset that the Davidson Wildcats sprung on Georgetown, and it's certainly not the primal screams of an NCAA-hyped Gus Johnson*.

No, the true reason I come to you tonight is to send a very special message to Luke Reeves, Cody Blair, and each and every member of the Duke Basketball family:
Look on the bright side, at least Coach K has more time this off-season to film those American Express and State Farm Commercials.

P.S. Luke, you can still cheer for the Yankees, Lakers, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and Microsoft.

*I know that I've posted that video before, but it's just too much fun to leave out of the rotation.

You Keep on Rolling, Put the Moment on Hold

Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor as the Saturday Song of the Day.

Despite disparaging remarks from the General Robert Montgomery Knight (Bobby to you and me), the Baylor men's basketball team was chosen for the Big Dance/Whole Enchilada/All the Marbles/Whole Shebang/etc. last night by the NCAA Selection Committee. There's no word yet on whether Bobby's anger arose from the fact that the Bears defeated Tech twice this year, including his son's debut earlier this season in the Land of the Bear.
In a geographic anomaly that could only be created by sports, the Bears are in the tournament's West Region, but somehow play their opening (and possibly second-round) game(s) in Washington, D.C.

All of the first-grade readers of Running Down a Dream are now scratching their heads and asking their parents,

"But Mom and Dad, I thought Washington, D.C. was on the EAST coast."

"Well yes, Timmy, it is, but this is also the same country that kept the Arizona/Phoenix Cardinals in the NFC East for years. Also, whoever taught you to think logically?"

Nonetheless, the Baylor Bears will take to the floor at the Verizon Center on Thursday to face the juggernaut that is the Purdue Boilermakers. You always have to be wary of a team that is still haunted by the specter of Gene Keady's combover, but I digress.