Ocular Fusion

When that "Other George" sliced through Michigan State and North Carolina--two members of last year's Final Four--in the first two rounds of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament, my first thought was: Oh, isn't that cute. Every March Madness has its Cinderella knocking at the door of the ball, but usually by the time the regional finals are over, she's lost her slipper and gone quietly into that good night.

Someone forgot to share that script with the "Other George"--that's Mason, M-A-S-O-N. In perhaps the most improbable run in tournament history, the George Mason Patriots have played through to the Final Four, yesterday dispatching everyone's bracket heavyweight the UConn Huskies 86-84 in overtime (with North Carolina, that now makes the last two national champions they have taken down). At a #11 seed in their region, GMU is the lowest ranked team to reach the Final Four since 1986 P.S.E. (Pre-Shaq Era) when LSU (also a #11 at the time) crashed The Dance under Dale Brown. They are the lowest profile team to make the Final Four since Indiana State and Penn made the scene in 1979, back when the Birdman was still "The Hick from French Lick" and real men wore their shorts "high and tight."

This also makes the first time since 1980 that no #1 seeds will be in the Final Four. While this is small consolation for Duke fans such as myself, there is a certain degree of satisfaction in seeing the Huskies sent home, along with Villanova and Memphis--at least my boys weren't the only ones who succumbed to upsets and the crushing weight of today's media hype and inflated expectations.

The Patriots and their charismatic coach Jim Larranaga on the other hand are as loose as a goose in a noose. They have players who cut up and sing during warm-ups and a coach whose trademark phrase is "Are we having fun yet?" Larranaga grabs the attention of his players with a shrill whistle which pierces the din of the crowd like a shepherd calling his sheep. They are clearly relishing their underdog role and screenwriters and authors are licking their chops at the prospect of telling the story of yet another David vs. Goliath, this time writ large across the expansive domain of the Hoosier Dome in downtown Indianapolis.

This year's March UberMadness has furthermore mangled the brackets and egos of would-be pundits and Packer wannabes across the land, including the Ocular Fusion Gang. There's not much to say here, other than none of us did very well and as leader of The Gang, I was the worst of the worst. Here are the current standings:

1. Number One Son 70 pts. 38 correct 70 max pts.
2. jasonbybee 64.5 35 correct 64.5 max pts.
3. itakeupspace 64 36 correct 76 max pts
4. House of Orange 62 36 correct 62 max pts
5. Number Three 57.5 34 correct 57.5 max pts
6. Mike the Eyeguy 50.5 32 correct 50.5 max pts

About the only drama left here is to see whether UCLA wins its semifinal game vs. LSU. If they do, then itakeupspace will overtake Number One for the "championship," so to speak. If not, then Number One Son will remain on top by virtue of his early round upset picks.

One person who is breathing a sigh of relief this morning is Number Three Son. Since the traitor's pick to win it all, UConn, was sent packing, that means I will spare you all the excruciating details of our one-on-one "Duke vs. UConn" grudge match which took place the other day at the Southeast YMCA in Huntsville. Suffice it to say, the old man's still got a little game left, if not a decent pair of lungs and legs. There have already been calls for a rematch--I'll be happy to grant that request as soon as my doctor allows me to check out of the hospital.

I think it's fair to assume that unless one is a diehard fan of one of the other Final Four teams, that most other noncommitted observers will latch on to the George Mason bandwagon and root for the underdog to pull off the Mother of All Upsets next weekend. This leads me to ask the question: why do we naturally pull for the upstart over the tried and true? What deep needs are being met by our affinity for the Cinderellas and Rockys in our midst?

I have my own ideas, but I'd be interested in hearing yours as well. In the meantime, work hard this week, thank your Creator for your moment in the sun and have a little fun--Coach Larranaga would certainly approve.