A Double Dose of Excitement: Seasoned With Reality

I’m still trying to catch my breath. The NCAA tournament never disappoints. This was especially true last night. As plucky LSU knocked-off over-hyped Duke, college basketball’s version of the Yankees, and two games ended with high-wire drama.

Great finish #1: Texas hit a 3-pointer as time expired, seconds after West Virginia hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Great finish #2: UCLA clawed back from a double digit deficit to knock-off Adam Morrison and the ‘Zags. Gonzaga managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. UCLA’s full-court pressure caused two key turnovers, which they converted into a surprise come-from-behind victory.

I was jumping around enjoying the thrilling conclusions, fully immersed in the excitement of it all. Reality is suspended when I’m watching an exciting basketball game. I’m like a kid watching a Rambo movie, I never question the fact that one man could take-on the entire Russian army and win. I’m in a reality-free bliss-bubble.

Mr. Mustache became absolutely dejected as the final seconds ticked off the game clock. I’m not calling attention to his heartbreak to poke fun at him. Anyone who has played organized sports knows how awful it can be to face the end of a season. It's not nice to kick a man when he's down.

Morrison's man-tears were hard to miss. At the end of the UCLA/Gonzaga game, CBS focused its entire coverage on Morrison's pain. The commentators were going on and on about the possibility that this was Adam Morrison’s last college game. With typical overly dramatic hyperbole the commentators lamented the loss from Morrison’s perspective. To which Ambular quipped:

“Geeze, they make it sound like he’s going to be shot at dawn for losing.”

It’s funny because it’s true. And that's why I love the NCAA tournament.