Pinch me, it’s March Madness! By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island Tomorrow is the start of the best two and a half weeks of the year for many of us. Ironically, the famed college basketball tournament officially kicks
Pinch me, it’s March Madness!
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island
Tomorrow is the start of the best two and a half weeks of the year for many of us.
Ironically, the famed college basketball tournament officially kicks off on St. Patrick’s Day and our University of Hawai‘i basketball team, who wouldn’t need to avoid the “painful pinch,” because of its already green school colors, are going to be watching the NCAA tournament, much like most of us — at home!
More importantly though, office pools around the island will be taking part in bracket challenges, just like some of us here at The Garden Island.
It’s always a treat for someone who knows absolutely nothing about college basketball, to win one of these bracket busters. For one, that’s what usually happens anyways and that’s one of the biggest reasons why this tournament is so exciting to watch.
to win, until the final buzzer. There are experts who look silly after making predictions that melt like silly puddy.
There are clear cut favorites every year and most of them fall prey to cinderella teams, like Gonzaga, Princeton, Marquette, and so on.
On any given night, you’ll have a team you’ve never heard of, upset a highly favored and ranked squad.
This phenomenon won’t only happen once, but it’s almost guaranteed to happen a few times. I’ll usually fill out my bracket with my favorite team in mind and that’s why I usually end up losing.
The Arizona Wildcats, who are regulars at the NCAA tournament, are also known to make early exits, to subpar teams, who usually fall in the next round.
But in 1997, it was Wildcat heaven for my favorite squad from the Grand Canyon State.
The ‘Cats beat the ‘Cats from Kentucky to win their very first national title and boy was I a happy individual.
It was actually the first time I watched the game when it actually happened.
The championship game is played on television on tape delay, so when we watch it here in Hawai‘i at 7 p.m., the game is actually over and done with.
In fact, ESPN already has the team celebrating through the night, before we even get to see the opening tip-off.
Luckily for my friends James Ellis and Genoa Ward, they were also able to catch the action on my dad’s satellite dish.
This seemed like a treat for the three of us at the time, but with all of the satellite dishes out today, we can virtually feel as if we are actually on the mainland.
When I think of March Madness, the moments watching that game in ‘97, is the very first thing that comes to my mind.
Fast forward to 2005 and lots of things have changed. For one, both are happily married and now in California, probably not watching March Madness, because of their new duties as “husbands” first, then sports fanatics, second.
But I really feel they don’t mind catching only glimpses of the best, and most exciting tournament in sports.
Besides, I can still fill them in when I catch them in a lonely moment on the telephone.
As I fill out my bracket, I’ll have Arizona on my mind once again, but I’ll also have that distant memory in the back of my mind too. If the ‘Cats make it back to the “promised land” and win championship number two, I’ll be a happy man, but not as happy as I was in 1997.
But that’s almost 10 years ago and I need some new memories, so instead of dreaming of that timeless moment, could you please pinch me?
Duane Shimogawa Jr., sports editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) or kauaisports@pulitzer.net.
