I will take some time now to reflect on my March Madness Past, Present, and Future.
March Madness Past:
As with most sports, it was Uncle Footon who introduced me to college basketball. He was a huge fan of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels; and it was no surprise that along with almost everything else, I wanted to emulate him. So, I easily became a Tar Heel fan too, especially Coach Dean Smith. But I was immediately sucked in. There is just this amazing excitement with the tournament--the high stakes of winning or going home, all those games being played simultaneously across the nation, CBS showing 4 games at one time on split screens, the Cinderella stories, the cutting of the nets, the frenzy of the college students, and those amazing stories that make players and/or teams great.
One of my most favorite tournaments actually doesn't really involve my beloved Horns or Heels. It was 1990; and I had learned about the tragic death of Hank Gathers, a player at Loyola Marymount. As with many people, I began to follow the team and watched them make their improbable run. I also thought one of the players was cute too, so that added to the appeal. Anyhow, I can still remember watching the team's interview on the Arsenio Hall show. Tell me that isn't a blast from the past!
James and I have had some great memories of the NCAA tournament together. One of my favorites was 2001. We got tickets for the South Regional in at the Super Dome. Road trip! This was particularly a great tournament for me because: (1) it was New Orleans; (2) Texas was in the region; (3) North Carolina was also in the region; and (4) it was just the two of us together in an awesome city for an awesome event. I especially remember going to Bourbon Street after the games and seeing lots of basketball players including some of my Heels!
Then, in 2003, we got tickets for the tourney in San Antonio. I do have a sore spot looking back on this tournament. I had pictures and videos of the game and the Horns cutting down the net on my digital camera, but lost the files. :( Boo hoo hoo. But it was still awesome because the Texas wins, our tickets were really sweet, and more importantly, the group of friends we went with.
March Madness Present:
Tonight was the Horns' first game of this year's tourney. James and I reflected how last year we left Andrew for the first time to go watch Texas play when he was a month old. This year, we invited Steven, Belinda, and Evan over to watch the game and a play date. It was great watching basketball and our boys. The boys played very well together. There was a lot less competition for toys compared to earlier play dates. Hooray! And the Horns won too. Double hooray!! Another great March Madness memory!
March Madness Future:
I don't watch nearly as many games as I like; and that goes double (or triple or quadruple) for Daddy. But hopefully, Andrew will enjoy watching college basketball; and the three of us can watch games together. I can't wait until we can take him to the games live. I hope that Andrew will love the excitement of the tournament as much as our family does. I just hope he's not a Dukie!!
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