All Hoops All the Time

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Sam was up late the other night watching basketball tournament games. He evidently needed to know the scores from the west coast games or he couldn't sleep.

I ran into him at 6:30 in the morning as he was waiting on the school bus.

"'Nova plays at noon," he said.

"Do you have another thought in your head?" I asked.

"Nope."

When I got home from work there was another game on the big television.

"Games are on until midnight," he said.

And March Madness hasn't even started yet!

The selection show is today. The games start on Thursday. They're here in Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday.

"How much are the tickets?" I asked.

Sam clicked his phone a couple of times and sighed.

"Too expensive," he announced.

I let him think about it.

"The thing about it is that Villanova will definitely be here."

I asked him how much it might set me back. He told me. Then he announced, once more, that it was just too much money.

I didn't comment.

The next day, I sent him a text.

"You can get two tickets for all the games," I wrote. Then I gave him and Jake a list of things I expected done around the house.

They were working hard when I returned home.

I bent and bought the tickets because I thought of the fact that ten years from now there will be NCAA games and I won't be the center of their betting or watching the games.

Sure we'll always share such a connection, but it won't be long before they'll be out of here, buying the tickets on their own.

"Thank you!" Sam texted back.

We haven't figured out who is going to what game, but in the end if Sam and Jake watch every dribble together and leave me home, I'm good with that too.

I shared the NCAA with my brothers and friends for years and years. We still talk about every close game and upset.

"This is the best sports event of the year," Sam mentioned.

Yes it is.

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