The NCAA Tournament starts tomorrow - one of the greatest events in sports, right after Bowl Week, Wimbledon and the US Open. So much is special about the Big Dance. There's the sheer audacity of the whole thing - 64 teams, fighting it out until only one remains (after all, that's the American Way!). Then there's the Cinderella Factor - the fact that many small schools get a berth in the tournament (and earn a right to play for the National Championship) by winning their conference's championship, some for the first time in their school's history. When you put hungry and eager teams like that into a tournament, they're bound to cause some upsets and generate some shocking moments. But for me, the most important thing is that my alma mater Georgia Tech is in the tourney, is peaking at the right time, and has a decent shot to make it to the Final Four again...
I wish I could get some tickets and go see them like last year, but the timing just isn't right. I must admit that it was special getting to see Tech's early-round match last year, if only to say that I got to see them live during their march to the National Championship game. This time, I'll have to be watching from the TV, but rooting just as hard.
If you want to see the answer key for the tournament (ie: my bracket picks), click here. Or, if you'd rather see what the Magic 8 Ball thought about this year's field, have a look. Note that you won't be able to view these until after the Tourney starts on Thursday...
In other news, maybe you saw that our American tennis team lost in the first round of Davis Cup action to Croatia. There are several sad things about this. The first of which is that you probably didn't know this. Why has tennis not caught on in America? I don't get it. In most countries, it's like cocaine. This is why I can sympathize with soccer fans - the rest of the world is crazy for it, but America just doesn't get it. What gives...
The second sad thing is that our team, composed of two of the best singles players in the world (Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi), and arguably the best doubles team in the world (Bob/Mike Bryan), lost essentially to one man. Ivan Ljubicic beat Agassi handily on Thursday, teamed with one of his partners to beat the Bryans on Friday, then beat Roddick on Saturday. I'm not crazy about the fact that you can essentially have one guy represent your "country" and play in every match, but them's the rules. Regardless, there's no excuse for such a poor performance from the American team, especially on our home soil! - the first time America had ever lost a first round match at home. Ever.
The saddest part about the whole thing is that Agassi's loss could conceivably have been his last Davis Cup match ever. This is a segue into a more thorough diatribe, regarding the passing of all of my sports heroes. When I was growing up, there were several athletes that I really looked up to and drew inspiration from - basically one per sport. The teams which they played for became the teams which I still love and support to this day. Here are those athletes, in no particular order:
I was very lucky in that all of my heroes exhibited impeccable character and showed great longevity throughout their careers - meaning that I got to watch them for a very long time. What's interesting is that they all seem to be leaving their respective sports around the same time. Robinson retired two years ago. Lemieux, Rice and Agassi are still competing, but all three are undoubtedly near the end of their careers. If I had to guess, I would say that all of them will be retired within two years.
Rice and Agassi are definitely my two favorites, perhaps because tennis and football are my two favorite sports. It's conceivable that they could both be gone after next year. That would be quite a blow to me. Maybe those who don't identify with sports can't really understand this, but these men have been a part of my life since childhood - I practically feel like I know them, like I've travelled through the highs and lows (and real lows with Agassi) together. Rice is an inspiration in everything he does - his commitment to excellence, his work ethic, his teamwork. With Agassi, I followed him from rebellious youth, to disillusioned adult, to reborn, committed powerhouse. It's been a thrilling ride, and I don't want it to end.
But things happen, life goes on, and I guess it's time for me to move on. They will always remain important to me though, because each had a part in shaping my childhood and adolescence. One thing is for sure - when the time comes for them to step away, each of them will leave impossibly large shoes to fill....
Posted by sdishman at March 16, 2005 11:28 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.shaundishman.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/24
If it makes you feel any better about the whole Americans-and-tennis thing, I could readily identify Agassi in a lineup - not so much with the other three guys.
Oh, and Smash Brothers is going to rule your magic 8-ball. Bowser is going all the way.
Posted by: Jeff at March 18, 2005 1:15 PM