Opening Day is an American tradition. And for this writer, spring doesn't begin with the vernal equinox, despite what I've heard in my astronomy class. No, spring truly begins when the tarps are first rolled back in ballparks all across the country Monday afternoon. For argument's sake, we're just going to pretend "Opening Night" doesn't count. After all, if Major League Baseball wanted people to seriously consider Sunday night the start of the season, the Mets wouldn't be involved. The NCAA tournament, on the other hand, represents winter. Millions of barbecue-loving Americans would love nothing more than to shed all remnants of winter and embrace spring, making Opening Day a more attractive event.
Ultimately, however, it doesn't come down to all that is right with Opening Day, it comes down to all that is wrong with the NCAA finals. And despite how hard Mr. Schmidley might try to convince you otherwise, it's not even close. Opening Day is one of the most important days in the sports calendar, along with the likes of the Super Bowl, Sunday at Augusta, and the FIRST day of March Madness. The NCAA tournament is front-loaded, with the hype of the first day greater than that of the finals. And the reason is a simple one: fan involvement.
The tourney is undoubtedly one of sports' more magical events, but its success is strongly tied to an onslaught of games, many of which are better than the finals. Duke over Kentucky on Christian Laettner's last-second shot was in the 1992 elite eight. Does anyone even remember the finals? This makes for better gambling, which in turn generates more interest in the tournament. Everyone starts the tourney with the hope that their bracket has a chance to win their pool, to win them money. As the tourney progresses and teams are eliminated, fewer brackets have a chance of winning pools, meaning many fans have lost their primary reason for following the tournament. I know I'm feeling awfully deflated after Georgetown laid an egg against Greg Oden and the Buckeyes. And can someone please return Jeff Green's game to the lost and found? I think he'll need it back. Thanks.
By the time the NCAA finals come around, only three types of people have an interest in the event: those with brackets still alive, fans of the two remaining programs, and serious basketball fans. Most of the casual fans will have lost interest after the earlier rounds -- after all, fans of 62 programs (don't think the play-in game counts) won't be watching their team on the first Monday in April. Lucky for them, they can switch gears to baseball.
As all of baseball's 30 teams open the season with a glimmer of hope, admittedly some more than others, far more people will have a rooting interest. Opening Day piques the interest of even the most casual fans, thus elevating the day-long event to an American phenomenon. And in one shining moment, both Mr. Schmidley and March Madness are given a good old-fashioned beating by our national pastime.
By Will Schmidley
Spring is here. And when I say "spring is here," I'm not talking about the nice weather. While mild temperatures certainly beat the frigid winters we endure in Hanover, the coming of spring is more about March Madness. For the last two weeks, we have enjoyed a lot of college basketball, whose season culminates in a matter of hours when the lone survivor of sports's most exciting event is crowned champion.
Let me preface this by saying that I love baseball as much as the next guy, but we're focusing on the bigger sports event here. I know Mr. Hodes is going to argue that Opening Day is the bigger event, but I'm a serious sports fan. And no serious sports fan can take a season's first game over a different sport's championship game. That's about as ridiculous as taking four classes your senior spring.
Tonight, the Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes will square off to conclude the 2007 NCAA tournament. The intrigue surrounding this evening's game extends beyond the implications of a hotly contested match-up between two outstanding squads. One of those squads, Florida, is attempting to make history as the first team to repeat as champs since the storied Coach K teams that left their indelible mark on 1990's college basketball. But what makes this year's match-up even more interesting is that Florida's basketball team is looking to be the second Florida team in three months to best the Buckeyes and bring home a national championship, with their football classmates having slammed Ohio State in January.
Lastly, it would be refreshing to see a college basketball team win two consecutive titles with identical starting fives in both winning years. Aside from the obvious physical and athletic toll that the grind of a college basketball season takes on a team, it is nice when talented college basketball athletes stay in school instead of bolting for the big lights of the NBA, a trend that is very refreshing in the context of early exits that have permeated the game in the past decade.
This year's final has a chance to take its rightful place in history amongst the numerous well-known storylines that have emerged out of this prestigious event. From Villanova's Cinderella run as a No. 8 seed to immortality in the 1985 tournament, to Jordan's swish as a freshman in the 1982 tournament to shut the door on a Patrick Ewing team for the first but certainly not last time on the basketball court, to George Mason's awe-inspiring charge to the Final Four a year ago, the tournament's appeal has been widespread and lasting.
So kick back tonight, pop open a few brews, definitely don't do any schoolwork, and watch some history be made. Because Florida is definitely winning, and Mr. Hodes and his Yankees are definitely not.
