My picks have made the Final Four in another March Madness
It's the season that drives me crazy.
I have hay fever and allergies, and I can find some relief over the counter.
I've also got a case of the hoops, but I can find no relief.
It's officially called March Madness, the contagious, incurable sports disease that flares up every spring during the annual NCAA Division I men's college basketball tournament.
It's March Mania everywhere. Sports bars are packed. Newspapers give it front-page coverage. Office pools are omnipresent.
As the tournament marches on to Atlanta this weekend for the Final Four, I will be among the multitude of madmen and women awaiting the final buzzer.
I have good reason.
After a stumbling start, I found my footing and correctly picked the Final Four: UCLA, Florida, Georgetown and Ohio State.
Of course, it could all be for naught if Ohio State doesn't knock off Florida in the finals Monday.
A Buckeye victory would give me a third title in six years. In 2002 and 2003, I correctly picked Maryland and Syracuse, respectively.
Last year was real March madness. Not one top seed reached the Final Four, leaving millions of broken hearts with busted brackets across the nation.
In the 2006 ESPN.com Tournament Challenge, only four among 3 million picked UCLA, Louisiana State, Florida and George Mason.
This year wasn't nearly as upsetting. Two No. 1 seeds and two No. 2 seeds advancing to the finals makes this one of the most predictable Final Fours ever.
If I had entered ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge, I would have been one of 161,870 prognosticators to correctly predict the quartet of Final Four teams.
But I'll settle for local bragging rights if my brilliant brackets hold to form.
Before falling under the spell of March Madness, I didn't give much thought to college basketball. Baseball and football had my heart and soul. Until I discovered tennis (that's another story for another time).
I've been hopelessly hooked ever since Bird versus Magic in 1979. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson treated us to one of the greatest NCAA finals ever.
Then there was the 1982 title game that featured more talent than a casting call for "American Idol.''
Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, James Worthy and Sam Perkins were among the 19 draft picks. It was in that game that Jordan first made his name, draining a game-winning jumper that pushed North Carolina over my beloved Georgetown Hoyas.
I watched in amazement as N.C. State upset Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma in 1983.
I nearly cried when Villanova surprised Georgetown in the 1985 final.
Who can ever forget Indiana's Keith Smart's sweet swish from the corner or Chris Webber's infamous time-out stalling Michigan's Fab Five title run?
I grew up playing and watching sports. As in life, sometimes the underdog prevails and the top dog doesn't always come out on top.
What I love about March Madness is that come Monday, a single team out of 65 will have survived six games in three weeks for one glorious night.
That's what will have me glued to the TV, expecting another mad moment.
I love March Madness -- even if it ends in April.
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