Making My NCAA Picks: A March Tradition

I keep the light off because the mid-March sun is bright enough to allow me to see the paper on my desk in front of me. The afternoon is fresh as I return from a morning of substitute teaching technology classes at my old junior high school. A button-down shirt and khaki pants lie haphazardly, desperately holding onto the side of my bed, victims of a warm afternoon. 

 

I’m now covered in only a plain white undershirt, mesh orange Syracuse basketball bottoms, and flannel, brown plaid boxers attempting to escape the capture of the shorts. 

 

My uniform. 

 

I pause before selecting the pen I will use to complete this joyous, yet arduous annual task. The blue pen would be a conservative choice, but it tends to run, which could make my work appear sloppy. 

 

The red pen I stole from work is unusual, but authoritative and neat. Yes, I will use the red pen and fill in the spaces like a teacher correcting a student’s incomplete work.

 

I check BracketBrains for some added assistance. Four months of watching, studying, and recording now comes to a climax. The pressure is great, but expected. 

 

Dozens of friends and colleagues will be curious to know my opinion. I have, after all, bombarded them with my passion and knowledge for as long as they’ve known me. But years of past mediocrity cascade down upon my memory. Will this year be different? Can I avoid the temptation to over-analyze? I can’t delay it any longer, and I begin.

 

Pitt versus East Tennessee State...

 

 

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man"is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at [e-mail]