March Madness: Let the Games Begin

Ah, Glorious March is here; spring has sprung; and love is in the air. Wait! What am I thinking; it isn’t Love, love that fills the air. It’s the love of the game---the crack of the bat, the bouncing of the ball, the cheers of fans, a constant barrage of games on television, and the swing of the club. Sports talk permeates every venue known to modern society. Around the water cooler, in the break room, standing in line at the grocery and at home, conversation seems to flow around the latest game score. In our house the wide array of sports on the menu makes decision making almost overwhelming!

Of course, at our home, basketball dominates with so many tempting selections on cable. It’s like dessert everyday during the NCAA Basketball playoffs. Last Sunday was spent anticipating the scheduling for the first round of the playoff games. Next came the time for Jim and grandson, Jordie, to examine, dissect, and discuss all 65 teams on the schedule in order to fill out their own brackets of winners and losers all the way up to the ultimate team to win the big prize. Then the remote and the brackets were ready so the games began. Now every day the games are watched or monitored on televisions, newspapers, cell phones, Internet, and if one is really lucky, it might be possible to snag a ticket to an actual game. As the clock ticks and days pass and winners and losers of every game are determined, personal brackets are noted. Sometimes it is necessary to take a few minutes to grieve for a favorite team (Duke! Say it ain’t so Coach K!) that has suffered an untimely defeat. This will go on until the final four when North Carolina wins the championship. LOL I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the women’s collegiate teams are also in the middle of their final games and are watched and tracked as rabidly as are the men’s teams. Go UConn! We wish we could say, “Go Tech.” but that is another sad story. I dare not leave out the random games of golf that are squeezed in on nice days in March and the pro golf tournaments (Go Tiger) to be enjoyed via cable on weekends when or if basketball has a boring moment.

In addition to the sessions of basketball strategy, spring break has come and gone in Amarillo. In a moment of insanity or brilliance we decided to treat Jordie (and Jim) to a trip to Arizona to witness spring training games for the MLB (Major League Baseball) teams in the summer Cactus League. Both of our grandsons play on baseball teams. Cole is still learning and having fun as a second grader and Jordie is on a traveling club team (12/13 years old players) with a far more serious intent. For weeks in advance we scoured the Internet for schedules and other information. After much serious thought, Jordie selected the games he wanted to see so the three of us were off. Over the course of 6 days, 2 in Tucson and 4 in Phoenix, we saw 7 major league games with number 8 having been rained out. Jordie was in heaven. By the end of the week, Jim and I had slightly dazed expressions and all the games were running together. We saw the Cubs, Brewers, (see photo above) Rockies, Padres, Giants, Angels, Athletics, Diamondbacks, Mariners and Royals play (some 2 or 3 times). We, also, visited 5 different baseball stadiums. For two days we ate nothing but ball park food (hot dogs, nachos, burgers)! I finally had to draw the line and demand real food. Jordie spent a great deal of his time very patiently explaining the game to his grandmother who has never been a fan of the game unless the grandsons are playing. I really am working hard to use the terminology correctly. You know, it is runs not points, umpires not referees and batter not hitter. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed watching the majors play and will view the game with an air of “sophistication” that I lacked in the past. We have already made a list of things to do differently the Next time we go to ensure that we spend our time much more wisely with much less of it stuck in traffic. Sadly, I never made it to a mall and the only shopping that occurred was at Wal-Mart for an emergency item. With all that we had possibly the time of our lives.

During spring break Cole and his family traveled to Durango to enjoy a last of the season vacation skiing and dog sledding. We can’t wait to hear about that!
This could add a whole new dimension to the sports package.

Now that the last week of March is approaching and the winners and losers in basketball will soon be decided and our trip to Arizona is over, we will mark the month of March, 2008, as a winner and a month to remember in the scorebook of our lives. Memories have been made. My tulips are blooming. (What?)

I close with the verses of the seventh inning stretch ringing in my ears. Now stand up, stretch, and sing along with me,

Take me out to the ball game; Take me out to the crowd; buy me some peanuts, and Cracker Jacks……………