NCAA tournament, picks, and more picks,

If you are a basketball fan this is a great time.  Tournaments, championships, the NCAA selection show, the tournament, all piled up in a wild stretch of round ball insanity.  A fan's dream.  Nonstop basketball, "bracketology," March Madness, preceded by the "the road to the Final Four," "the journey to the tourney."

Of course, not all schools follow these successful paths to the post season, some schools travel the more leisurely "avenue to mediocrity," or "boulevard to the bottom."  These roads take much less effort, and a more manageable investment of time and resources.   Many of the teams I watch, and for whom I root follow these paths almost yearly.

But, I still manage to find a team to pick to win the tournament every year.   Normally they don't.  It doesn't really matter who I think is going to win, I have to pick a team that I like.  "Don't bet with your heart, bet with your head," was the constant advice from the owner of the Hub Bar.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Here is the problem.  There are three options, I can pick a team I hate, and have to root for them to win.  No thanks.  I can not pick a team at all, and be on the outside looking in, as it were, that is not really appealing.  Or, I can pick a team that I want to win, and root for them, hoping for a miracle, pulling for the long shot underdog.

Isn't that really the America way, isn't really the American dream?  A dark horse, coming from the back of the pack, flying past the middle of the pack, driving hard down the home stretch and leaving all of the basketball aristocracy behind,  wondering who these upstarts with the fresh, pimply faces and the unfamiliar uniforms are, isn't that what the tournament is all about?  Isn't that what America is all about?

So, if you know people who ridicule your picks, if you have "experts," or "bracketologists" who question your choices, tell them, "anybody can pick the winner.  Try picking losers for a while, then come see me."