it's a mad mad mad mad march (madness)

Thursday, it is upon us. The NCAA tournament. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but the aggregate amount of productivity lost (in dollar terms) this week due to workers preparing tourney brackets will be 1.87 duodecahedronillion dollars (give or take an order of magnitude). That's a lot of scratch. But it is a necessary evil. How could I work if I couldn't gamble?

I'm no big lover of college basketball. I think it's kind of primitive. I enjoy the effort, but the quality of play is lacking, nearly every shot is "circus" and the same megalomaniac coaches are winning the thing every year. I get spoiled by the pure power and athleticism of the pro game. Sure, it's nice to watch a fundamentally sound team, but it's not as awe inducing. It's the difference between watching someone eat a bowl of cereal or watching someone eat 53 hot dogs. Bowl of cereal, I can do that. Even if it's a giant bowl and I have no chance at eating it - it LOOKS like I could; but, 53 hot dogs - wow.

Fortunately, all this bias against the college game dissipates during the tournament and this is due, in no small part, to the fact that I will try to control the outcomes of the games with my mind in an attempt to win some cash. Never mind my lack of any actual knowledge, picking winners in the unpredictably volatile college game is encoded in my DNA . . . right?

Well, maybe not, but it should be fun. Mixing sports with gambling is like mixing booze with dancing - a winning combination.