March Madness: NCAA Final Four and I'm In Baby!

To know DH is to love him. And to love him you must also love basketball, or at least put up with it. I was mildly aware of his sports passion before we married. I knew he liked to play basketball, in the evenings, while I was studying. However, the extent to which the orange leather ball dominated his life, I did not fully realize until well after I had committed myself to love and pay the cable bill with him forever.

When we bought our first TV, well actually our second... DH bought our first TV shortly after we were married. I came home from work and there in the living room sitting on the sofa (wait we didn't own one yet), so on the floor was DH and his brother sprawled out watching a brand new 26" Sony television, which was placed on an entertainment center (no, didn't have one), a low bookshelf then, (no, not one of those either), just the bare floor. So I put down my purse on the dining room table (uh, we didn't have one of those) so I held my purse and sat down in the chair (nope, didn't own even one of those) so I stood. Next, I basically freaked out at the purchase which two college students definitely could not afford. The following day the TV was gone and our living room was empty once again.

It was not until after the second time we bought a TV that I began to fully comprehend DH's love of the game. Big 12, Big Ten or Big East, the only thing they mean to me are big waste of time, big waste of ugly dish on side of house, and big waste of money. Season after season. One year of expensive cable after another. Is the game on ESPN? TNT? Fox Sports? ESPN2? NBA League Pass? No problem, we've got em' all!

Given DH's intimate knowledge of the game, you would think he'd be doing better on his March Madness bracket. Oh, he's doing okay. He has three of the final four. Which might be pretty good, if I DIDN'T HAVE ALL FOUR OF THE FINAL FOUR!!!!!

My selection for the winning teams was purely mathematical. For example, Dad went to Virginia Tech first, before attending UC Davis where he met Mom, so naturally Virginia Tech will win in the first round. UC Davis is not in the competition, but UCLA is. And Mom and Dad have lived in four different states since I was born, so UCLA should make the Final Four.

Some other upsets were similarly picked as well. We have a friend from college that lives in Michigan, and Marquette sounds like a furniture feature, so I figured Michigan could beat Marquette. Vanderbilt reminds me of Gloria Vanderbilt the cologne which I wore when I was 16, so certainly they can make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Figuring Georgetown would at least make the Final Four was easy. In high school I was one of four girls in the contest for Homecoming Queen. I went to the Homecoming Dance with Dave Witte. Dave loved the Georgetown Hoyas.

And so my logic unfolded. So purely, in fact, that now I sit here in my crowning glory with the Final Four, just as I imagined. All those years of expensive TVs and cable may soon be forgotten if I actually beat DH at this thing.