I was a bit surprised to hear that our local college basketball team had actually made it into the finals or whatever it is. A week or two ago, on a weekend night, there were suddenly a whole bunch of cryptic facebook postings. “Go Blue”. Or whatever. I surmised that some kind of sporting event had gone in the favor of a whole bunch of my facebook friends. I didn’t really know what. Oh, okay, I figgered it was UMich. I can’t say I live under the amethyst rock any more. It kicked me out before it submerged itself back underneath the sand. Or maybe Radical Betty kicked me out from under there. It seems like it disappeared after she died…

I am leery about sports in general. I think that exercise is an important part of life. If I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t walk at least three miles a day (and ski or snowshoe or kayak when I get the chance). I was actually good at sports when I was a kid. Track was fun for me. I could outrun even some of the older grade school boys in my neighborhood when I was 10 or thereabouts. Long jump and high jump. And then there was bicycle riding. And kickball in the street. And ice skating on the basketball court across the street and sledding at Cotie’s (I never know the spelling) Hill or whatever big snowpile somebody’s dad and high school brothers managed to shovel in their driveway. If you haven’t already guessed, all of this stuff happened in my neighborhood, with no adult supervision at all…

I was good at basketball too, mainly because during the three months that the basketball court across the street was not an ice rink, I could go over there and shoot baskets. I have a very clear memory of being chosen *first* in some 5th-6th grade gym-class related basketball team and I was chosen by the *6th grade* team captain. I don’t remember anything after that. I can’t believe that I was good at anything besides standing in front of a basket and shooting a ball up into it. Basketball is much more than that…

When Lizard Breath was in 5th grade, she played basketball once at week with some Haisley friends at a church that has a gym. (First, a church with a gym? Say what? My childhood church didn’t have a gym…) That was fine except for the time the *moms* were challenged to, uh, play basketball against the kids. Oh, c’mon, it’ll be fun. Yeah… 1) I remembered *nothing* about the rules of basketball, except that the ball goes into the damn basket! 2) I had to play in my SNOW BOOTS! I actually owned a pair of tennis shoes then but I forgot to take them to the game… 3) Some of those fifth graders were bigger than me! At least taller… I don’t remember who won but I was pretty sure that nobody would *ever* pick me for a basketball team *ever* again!

Anyway, so our local college basketball team seems to be in the finals and “everybody” is going nuts around here. Will there be riots in our normally quiet streets if they win (or lose)? How many porch couches will be burned tonight? There’s a lot of hype going on about all of this. Me? Today, I spent most of my day entrenched in analysis, creating a new spreadsheet…

I think that competitive sports is fine as long as people don’t get too wrapped up into it. Especially that they don’t forget that they have to make a living for more years than the lifetime of their chosen sport will allow…

Who will win the basketball tournament? I do not know. Do I care? No… Where is my amethyst rock? Will it resurface this summer?

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