Here We Go Austin! Here We Go!!

Ever since October when Sam stood, on the verge of tears, asking me to give him my credit card info for the tickets to the NCAA games in Buffalo, I knew that this week in March was going to be special.

Way more special than Christmas for him!

And it hasn't disappointed at all.

On Tuesday the Grape Apes assembled to pick teams out of the hat so we could bet a little. Choosing teams on a scrap of paper was my brother Jeff's idea and I swear to God, my heart doubles in size when I hear the first good friend walk through the door at 7 p.m. on the Tuesday before the tourney picks.

Thank you Jeff, Pops, Johnny (and the beautiful girls), Millie, Chuck...and Sam....for keeping that alive. Sam has stood in Jeff's spot and let me tell you, he feels the spirit. He talks the same smack as Jeff. He makes us laugh too. He loves the tourney as much as his Uncle did.

Just as much.

Matt accompanied Sam to the four games on Thursday and it pained me to be at work instead of in the seat beside him, but that had been the plan all along. I would get the Saturday games.

"We got to see two close games, 'Cuse and 'Nova', he texted me. "All in all a great day. Thank you for getting me the tickets!"

I saw that text at 6 a.m. in a hotel room on Friday morning.

So Friday was a quest to get home and watch some games.

Yet the work day continued. I arrived at 7:30 p.m. I was just in time for two more sessions of games. Sam was in prime shape.

"I'll work the remote so we don't miss the end of any games," he said.

Then he stood up, off to the side of the television, and hooted and hollered his way through every play.

By 10:30 p.m. my eyes were getting droopy.

"You gonna' make it all the way to the end?" he asked.

Considering the last game wasn't slated to begin until 11:15...it looked doubtful.

"Come on!" he said. "Throw in a pizza and get ready! HERE WE GO AUSTIN! HERE WE GO!!"

Damn if that wasn't Jeff.

Living the excitement.

Feeling every second of it.

Coaxing me to join him.

Have some fun!

I put the pizza in the oven and asked him to keep the pom-poms at mid-level, but we watched the games through the start of the very last one.

"These are the best two days of the year," Sam said.

Seems I'd heard those words before.

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