Why I bring it up is that the NCAA tournament will be starting next week and I find myself not giving a crap at all. Hell, my very own college made the tournament with a victory in their Conference Tournament Final on Monday and I didn't even know about it until Wednesday afternoon. This will be the third year in a row (dynasty!) for the Siena Saints in the tourney and their 6th dance overall. They even won their 1st round games the past couple of years. That's 4 wins overall in the NCAAs for the program including a win in the play-in game in 2002. Not bad for a small Catholic college from upstate NY.
Yet I don't really care. Sure, I guess I will watch when Siena plays whomever in the Opening Round. And I guess I'll watch the Final Four. But I can't see myself sitting down and watching every game that was on like I used to. Even just a few years ago.
Makes me a little sad for some reason.
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13 comments:
I was a regular at the De Paul / Notre Dame and DePaul / Loyola game. Every game every year when Ray Meyer was the HC of the Blue Demons (A Catholic university with a devil as a mascot and a rolly-polly gentleman off the court / barracuda on the court in charge, how could you not love this?
John Thompson,
The era of "What's a Hoya??", Digger Phelps and Lou at St. John's. The lower seeds would keep it slow because there was no shot clock and then when they put the shot clock in things just got even better.
When Ray retired we went a few years more but it was never the same.
I just never got back to it. I try to do the brackets but I don't know anybody's point guard and maybe watch three games all season - if that. The Tournament had the flavor of Guinness because we'd all be drinking it around St. Patrick's Day and it was like living in your own separate universe for days.
Ah well. Fuck...
I hear ya. Sadly, this is also my tale. I miss the good ol' days...
RW - "The Tournament had the flavor of Guinness..." is exactly how I feel. Even the past dozen years or so, my friends and I would all take off either Thursday or Friday (or both) for the Opening Round and hang out all day at our local Irish Pub that was serving corned beef and cabbage sandwiches and Guinness while watching every available game on Direct TVs NCAA Tournament package. Watching four games at once became a skill. And I loved the era you are talking about. Ray Meyer was a great coach, his son Joey to a lesser extent. Terry Cummings, Mark Aquirre, Rod Strickland, etc... DePaul used to have quite the spotlight on the national stage. Remember that 1979 Final Four? Besides Mich St, you had Larry taking Indiana St to the Finals and DePaul and Penn. You'd never see a Final Four like that again.
WLC - I couldn't even name one player on Syracuse right now. And they are #1 in the polls. Sad.
Go Bearcats! (I can always dream!)
I love college basketball. But I don't sit, rapt in front of the tv watching it now, either, like I used to...
Damn life!
At least you can hang your hat on your alma mater, and be proud that they've made it to the dance.
After 15 years in the Atlantic 10, Fordham celebrated by losing ALL conference games. Literally, 0-16, only winning 2 games all season. Sigh.
Sybil - Would that be the Cincinnati Bearcats or the Binghampton Bearcats? (Or the Sam Houston State Bearkats?)
WLC - Fordham had a rough year, indeed. But they did beat Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. I'm pretty sure Sacred Heart is co-ed now. Not positive though. ;)
i think my boss has extra tickets to the big east games today at msg. anyone wanna buy them at cost?
p.s. basketball is SO not my thing.
Becky - And yet U Pitt, back in the day at least, was one of my favorite teams. Charles Smith, Jerome Lane, etc..
Seems like the only fun now is hoping a lower-seeded never heard of it school advances farther than it should and you kind of hope it knocks everything around. But it never lasts long enough. I don't recall the year but we had DePaul and Loyola in the tournament - two Chicago schools and as heavy a rivalry locally as Cubs/Sox. Loyola was all 3-point shots and crazy scores with no defense that year.
I don't even know who the coach is at DePaul. So that says it all.
ALFREDRICK HUGHES~ That was the crazy point machine at Loyola.
OK I'll shut up now.
RW - Ah, Alfredrick the Great! I remember him well. Played a bit for the Spurs, but as a college player...genius! That was 1985. Loyola made it to the Sweet 16, but all my Big East Teams made it to the Final Four! St. John's, Villanova and Georgetown. Memphis State too. Memphis had another one of my favorite "name" players. Baskerville Holmes. What a great year! Still kills me that St. John's couldn't figure out Georgetown's box and one on Mullin that year. They lose four times all year, 3 of them to the Hoyas. Crap.
Cincinnati!
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