control of my own destiny


the first two days of the ncaa tournament have become, for many, the coolest two days of the year. the phrase "march madness" was coined because of these two days. not the final four. not the championship and conference tourney week leading up to the real tournament. these two days. everyone is the country is in at least one bracket pool. if they are not, they are just being non-conformist or stubborn and should be abandoned as friends. ok. not really. there are still some sane people out there that don't prioritize sports in their life quite as high as myself. but because of most of the country's, at the very least, casual interest in how their bracket stacks up next to their friends', we collectively watch or pay attention to 32 games in the span of two days and are sensitive to every result. these first two days, when you look back in three weeks, will be when you win or lose your pool. it's these first two days that prove your hunches right or wrong and leave you searching for answers when you have picked pittsburgh to make the elite eight again just because bobby knight looks menacing and says so.

for the first time in three years, i am in control of my own schedule again and was able to allow myself today and tomorrow off to soak in as much of the first two days as i can. i could hear the disappointment in sarah's voice when she realized the "real" reason i am at home today and tomorrow. i wish i could say that i had good friday and the girls being at home in mind firstly. i wish i could say that me being home on the same day that o.j. mayo and michael beasley played each other was a coincidence. i wish i could say that i am not so shallow as to intentionally schedule an entire work week around meaningless games. i wish i could say that, but i can't.

thus, it begins. think less of me if you want. i do.

i will say this. after my tongue-in-cheek cockiness from sunday wore off, i have never felt any less confident about my picks than i do this morning. we'll see how it all plays out. if a couple of first-round games go my way, i'll be right back to annoying as hell. just you wait. if this is the last post you see from me concerning the tournament, well, you know what happened.

i am going to hold off on my "bold" predictions until tomorrow, when i can use a day's worth of hindsight as my guide.