A PERSONAL DAY

A PERSONAL DAY: On this solemn day, March 19, a sad anniversary occupies my thoughts. But as I have for these many years I will again dutifully yet reluctantly fulfill my duty protesting this brutal war once again..

But I am defeated before I begin. As it has been for 29 years running, death is at my door once again .It fills me with dread yet I must participate. I only hope against hope that this year will be different but I am sure my ritualistic protestations will fail again.

Yes, I will wage my 30th battle and lose the NCAA Basketball pool once again this year.

Everyone knows it. “Well at least we know someone will get Andy’s money again” I hear them cruelly say. And they don’t even have to call me up to rub it in anymore- modern technology has provided on-line computer tracking and computations for all entrants, keeping me up to the minute as to precisely how badly I’m doing compared to the others, numerically mocking me as each final buzzer hastens my death spiral.

Oh I’ve come close to redemption- one year I almost took second place only to find out I forgot to pick a tiebreaker and lost to someone who did. One year I had the lead and had picked heavily-favored Oklahoma with Wayman Tisdale, only to lose to “Daaaanny Maaaanning and Kaaaansas” as the eventual pool winner referred to them...and still does every time he reminds me about it.... which should be this week if history is prologue

But most of the time it was over almost before I got coffee Thursday like when my beloved Syracuse Orange (Orangemen at the time) were on my card to win it all and lowly 15th seed Richmond knocked them off in the first game of the tournament.

Last year I was leading until the regionals but one Georgetown and one UCLA alum lucked out by picking their teams and having them win.

We started with only four or five of us in ’78, mostly members of the Kapa`a Outdoor Club whose main activity was to meet every Sunday morning at the Kapa`a Neighborhood Center to sit indoors and watch NFL football on the only color TV with good reception on the east and north sides.

And through the years, $10 bucks a pop, I’ve gotten accustomed to my place- not quite last because for a while we had a $10 booby-prize for the worst record and I couldn’t even win that.

Last weekend I offered to stake my 11 year-old grandson if he wanted to enter and, knowing my sad tale he said something to the effect of “why, so I can be a loser like you?”

All to say these will be light posting days in the next two four-day weekends. Wish me bad luck- maybe that will work.

One of the original Kapa`a Outdoorsmen, who won the pool more times than I care to remember, won’t be making any picks this year- my good buddy Stan passed away this week. I know I’ll probably never win but at least he could have waited a few days so I could delude myself into thinking I could win some of my money back..

This bracket’s for you Stan.