Above the Rim

Posted by Dawn Papuga on Mar 21st, 2008
2008
Mar 21

“Jump around, grab the rebound and pump the sound….”

So today’s title isn’t exactly original.  I’m okay with that!  Loved the movie, and love the song.  In fact, I’ve been listening to a lot of Basketball flavored music these past few days.  You know what I’m talking about—“Basketball is my favorite sport!  I love the way they dribble up and down the court…” and “I wish I were a little bit taller, I wish I were a baller…”  Come on, I can’t be the only one who remembers these classic 90’s songs…. Right?  ~*cue crickets chirping*~ 

“So keep your eyes glued to the kid with the Spaldin’– Hears lace, yes the backboard is callin’…”

 Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past 48 hours, you know that March Madness is in full swing, and I’m in my glory!  I love football, no question, but I have a special place in my heart for the NCAA tournament.  I didn’t grow up in a Basketball watching family (This is Western PA, y’all, there’s always football on somewhere).  Yeah, we played, my dad coached, and I even received my first serious injury running suicides during practice.  My pro-basketball career wasn’t meant to be, but I still love the game.  Somehow I managed to become enthralled with Basketball.  But College basketball culminates in The Big Dance!  Three weeks of game after game, one-loss-and-you’re-going-home intensity! 

Reasons to love March Madness:

  • The whole tournament lasts for only three weeks.  It’s like the espresso of sports!
  • I’m involved in three pools:  The Sportsocracy.org 2008 Pittsburgh Blogger’s March Madness Challenge, UncleCrappy’s NCAA Final Four Challenge, and a money pool at work (which I’m doing quite well in, despite the upsets–or perhaps because of them).  Entering pools always amps up the excitement!
  • Upsets!  Friday’s slate of games was amazing!  In Tampa, all four games were upsets.  There were OT’s, buzzer beater three’s, and late game surges that made the last 5 minutes of every game a nail biter!   Four teams, all seeded 12 or lower, destroyed brackets all over the country, and even though I only had one of those upsets picked (I picked Sienna for Uncle Crappy’s pool, but then realized we were only picking final 4 teams, otherwise I’d have had 2), who doesn’t love to see the underdog win?

I could go in to a lengthy discussion about the beauty of the game, momentum, and how I picked my teams, but I think you get the point.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have MidTerms to grade, and my pompoms to dig up before today’s games!

Write Well, (P-I-T-T!  Let’s go PITT!)

~Dawn