Missing The Madness

This is a difficult time for me to be in China.  All across America the insanity known as March Madness is in full swing.  The first round of the NCAA basketball tournament just concluded and I didn't watch one game.  Not one.  It's the first time I can remember that I didn't watch a first round game.  I have vivid memories of watching the tournament with my father and grandfather on an old black and white Magnavox and I couldn't have been much more than 7 or 8 at the time.  Safe to say I've watched the tournament for more than 40 years in a row.  The streak is broken. 

I know most of you can't begin to understand the obsession that is The University of Kentucky basketball.  As a kid growing up in Kentucky, UK hoops was a near religious experience for me and countless others like me. The University of Kentucky basketball program is as well know to me as the multiplication table.  I will go to my grave remembering names like Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall and Rick Pitino.  Players like Louie Dampier, Dan Issell, Pat Rilely, Kevin Grevey, "Goose" Givens, Kyle Macy, Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker, Rex Chapman, Jamal Mashburn, and Tony Delk all have a permanent place in my addled brain.  Two nights ago I stayed up until the wee hours of a damp, foggy south China morning watching the ESPN scores update every 60 seconds as Marquette beat my beloved Wildcats in the opening round.  My internet connection is too slow to actually watch any video feeds and none of the tournament games are televised here.  The Cats 18 win season was disappointing to say the least, but losing in the first round of the tourney?  It hadn't happened in the previous 18 first round games that a Kentucky team had played in.  In reality, the Cats were lucky just to make the field of 64 this year.  This guy Gillespie, I just don't know about him yet.  We ran a good coach and a better man out of Lexington but for the UK faithful Tubby Smith just couldn't get it done.  We all made him feel less than adored and now he is getting some gopher love in Minnesota.  Gillespie's honeymoon was over after his second game, the infamous Rupp Arena loss to Gardner-Webb.  It will get better.  It must get better.  

I Bleed Blue 

So here I am, 50 years old, out of shape and slower than Christmas.  Even after three ACL reconstructions I try to play two or three times a week here in China.  I can still knock down the three and throw the no-look pass but don't ask me to play any defense.  If you find yourself watching one of  the tournament games over the next couple of weeks, hoist a cold one and think of your old buddy Michael in China. 

We're only given a little spark of madness.  We mustn't lose it!

tags: march  madness  basketball  tournament  ncaa  china  kentucky  wildcats  

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