MARCH MADNESS

Gosh...I'm really sorry it's been so long. I figure there's no time to get back into the blog, though, like March Madness time - and I think I'll welcome you back with an annual tradition...my obsessiveness over the NCAA Tournament bracket.

If you've read before, you know I'm a little....different....when it comes to my bracket. And this year, I'm realizing there are some common feelings that come over me at the same time every year. Here's a rundown:

1) Unbridled Enthusiasm: There are few times during the sports year I get as excited as I do between Monday and Wednesday of Tournament Week, when I start filling out my bracket. Wednesday night (like tonight), my heart starts beating a little faster. It's like a kid on Christmas Eve. I put the final touches on my brackets (well, not really - I don't change any picks once I write them down - more like I make sure I've entered them into whatever websites they need to be entered on), like putting out the cookies for Santa. I feel tired, but know that I won't really sleep well - there will be at least one dream of forgetting to submit a bracket. And I'll just want sleep to come so that morning will come faster. Then I have to get through the workday...

2) Hope: Every Thursday around noon comes the realization that my bracket could very well be perfect. It's the last moment that my picks are perfect. I like to savor that feeling for a bit.

3) False Hope: If I escape Thursday and Friday with any semblance of a "good" start, I raise my hopes. Any first round where I post less than 10 losses qualifies as a "good" start for me...depending on repeat losers.

4) Dejection: Inevitably, by Saturday night, I've lost an important game. It tears me apart.

5) Regret: I go back through my picks, wishing I could have a new blank bracket to fill out, and that I had gone with different instincts when I originally made my picks.

6) Second Wind: After Sunday I'll reassess the situation, and figure that if my bracket is busted, so must everyone else's be. And I'll figure out a new method to win the pool.

7) Repeat until the field gets too small, and I give up all hope. And then turn my attention to baseball.

EVERYONE'S IN THE POOL: OK, not quite in the pool, but I'm proud to say my 2-year-old filled out her first bracket tonight. She likes Pittsburgh to win it all. She also likes Cleveland State....which is why I didn't put it in the pool. But she's starting her picks at age 2. That's better than winning any pool in my book. I already can't wait until next year when I can add to her record.