Tournament Time

"Are you kidding me!" Perhaps nothing denotes the excitement and fun of college basketball like the familiar commentary of Dick Vitale. Dick is a true lover of the game and it shows every time we hear him speak. For Vitale, it doesn't matter who's playing; if it's college basketball, something worthwhile is going to happen. And anyone paying attention is in for a treat.

Of course, this time of year, it's particularly poignant. There is nothing bigger. March Madness has become a phenomena rivaling the Super Bowl. For some of us, it's far bigger. Everyone's got a favorite team. Everyone takes some time out to watch the grace and intrigue of young men and women giving it all they got for their school. Soon it will be down to the Final Four but for now--during the conference tournaments and the first round of the NCAA and NIT, everyone's got some kind of a chance. Students, alumni and townsfolk from places like North Dakota and Northern Iowa get the opportunity to cheer for their team. [My wife and one of my best friends went to Northern Iowa by the way. They're the Panthers so it should be easy for most of us to root for them.]

Several years ago, things were kind of tough in the good ole USA. Gas was scarce, interest rates were high and there was a heavy feeling in the air. And then, the most unlikely thing happened. Herb Brooks pulled together a group of college kids from places like Minnesota and Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Michigan. These young men became the 1980 US Hockey team. I was fourteen years old at the time and I actually played hockey when I wasn't playing basketball.

I remember people taking time out for a couple of weeks that winter just to watch these kids play those games in Lake Placid. It turned out that they beat the a Russian team that was considered far and away the best in the world. The Russians were eight and ten years old then our college players and by all measure professional athletes. [Remember when the Olympics were a little more pure?] Against all odds, the US team won the gold medal in hockey in 1980. It seemed like the entire country was on that team and the experience coincided elegantly with a turnaround in our land.

Yet even if it hadn't turn out the way, it still would have been a good thing. It is always a good thing to find the joy around us--to take time out, to take our minds of our troubles, if just for a while, to enjoy something as simple and yet graceful as a bunch of kids chasing their dreams.

If you have never seen the film, "Miracle," I highly recommend it. It tells the story in a very compelling way, reminding us that athletics can still be pure. Just make sure you wait until your team's been knocked out of the tournament.

Go Duke!