IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Some of you, even in March, read this blog title, and are still thinking back to Christmas. You think I'm 3 months late, writing about Christmas time: Wrong.
Some of you, my spiritual reades out there, think I'm talking about Lent season: Wrong.
Some of you, who believe you have some type of seasonal disorder, and hate winter, think I must be talking about the soon coming of spring: wrong.

Let me give you a hint: It has 2 m's in it. No, you chocoholics: I'm not talking about the M&M candy (although I love it). Let me give you another hint: it has to do with something round, something orange, something beautiful. Have you figured it out yet? If not, you must be a woman or alien (or both). I know it sounds like a disease, but are there any more wonderful than these two M words put together?

MARCH MADNESS!

Please don't tell me that you still don't know what I'm talking about. This is the time of year, when most men, and some women, have this unexplainable magnetic draw to sit for hours in the lazy boy and watch basketball game (college basketball!) after basketball game, game after game, after game after game. They call in sick even if they are not sick, the children go hungry and the spouses feel lonely. But, how can you blame us? It's the newest disorder, that has been around for decades: We are inflicted with March Madness! It's a wonderful sickness.

It has already begun, with over 300 division 1 basketball teams in college, they have been having tournaments to decide who gets to go to the Big Dance (the tournament of 64 teams, that begin play this coming Thursday). That is what the whole season of college basketball is about. That is the desire of every division 1 fan, coach and player: make it to the tournament. And if you watch any sports these next couple of weeks, that will be the main story. This weekend, it will be: who are the bubble teams (teams that might not make it into the 64 team tourney)? Who are probably going to be the four #1 seeds for the tournament? And on and on the questioning goes. The big leaue tournaments finish today or tomorrow; and the final selection of the 64 teams happens on Sunday afternoon. I think there might still be a 65th team that is selected, and a playoff early this next week to determine who the 64th team is.

So after all the league tournament championships and the selection of the 65 teams on Sunday and the playoff on Monday or Tuesday; then the anticipation builds for Thursday, when at about noon, all television sets somehow turn automatically to the tournament, every worker suddenly feels ill and has to go home; or hides in his cubicle and finds a live stream for the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Then, he goes home and stays up until midnight watching the final West coast game. Then, he does the same thing on Friday, as the teams go from 64 to 32.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings of that first weekend, nothing but basketball (I would suggest going to church in there somewhere as well. I am a pastor you know!). Then, when all the excitement dies down late Sunday night, we crash into bed and have a basketball hangover on Monday. We take a couple days to recover and do it again the following weekend as we watch the final 16 teams (the Sweet 16 as it is affectionately called) go all the way down to a final four (outside of winning the championship, making the final four is the goal).

Then, there is an entire week of waiting and talking about it. Of course, during the waiting of these few weeks, the lesser teams, who couldn't make the real tournament, are playing in the 3 letter tournament (NIT), in case you just have to watch more basketball! And then, the final four on the final weekend, on Saturday and Sunday; and then the anticipation builds to the following Monday for the national championship game.

So, there it is: the full explanation. Now, do you understand? Is there anything bette than that?There can be no doubt, right, that this is truly: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Let the games begin!