Divided Loyalties, Divided Heart

I'm heartsick today...I probably should be in Martinsville freezing my ass off watching the NASCAR® race there, as tickets were still available and I only can make it to a few races each year anyway, but I couldn't force myself to go...because two of my fave teams still in the hunt for the NCAA Mens' Basketball Championship face off against each other today at about 5pm EST (you can watch on a CBS TV affiliate, or on CBS online if you click on "NCAA® March Madness® on Demand" from their main page). My beloved the University of Kansas Jayhawks, a former home of my college days and the proud hallowed ground of so many basketball-loving generations, go against the sentimental 'Cinderella' and 'David versus Goliath' warriors, the Davidson College Wildcats.



Kansas Jayhawks logo, ® University of Kansas, image from Sportslogos










versus...



Davidson Wildcats logo, ® Davidson College, image from Sportslogos


The winner goes on to compete in the Final Four semi-final in San Antonio, and the loser goes home and thinks forevermore at 'what might have been'. Both Davidson and Kansas won pretty handily on Friday, so both should be relatively rested and ready to go. At the end of the day, though, somebody is going home...and somebody else will be facing the local heroes of my other college home, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

Bloody hell, this is horrible for the diehard sports fan in me today...I can't not watch, but I can't imagine I'll be happy after watching, either. There's gonna be tears either way, but all I can hope for is a good, exciting, and hard-fought game. (A preview write-up can be found by going here.)

I just had to be a college basketball fanatic...

UPDATE: Kansas defeated Davidson 59-57 on the last shot of the game. A really thrilling game throughout, and a tremendous showing by the Wildcats. While their season is over now, the Tourney will definitely miss this great team. They proved they belonged 'in the big leagues' and how...and damn near pulled out a win that would have kept 'Cinderella' alive. Next Saturday, Kansas plays against UNC in San Antonio for the semi-final...and I'm already having loyalty issues once again.

Go, 'Cats, Go!

I'm not an alumni, but I feel as proud of the Davidson College Wildcats (from Davidson, NC) as if I was one! (Technically I feel like I 'belong' a bit more than the casual fan because my ancestors...back when we could afford all the letters in our surname, i.e., before we some of us went West...helped start this fine college and town in which it shines.) Going to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA March Madness Mens' Basketball Championship Tourney!


From the Davidson College Athletics Page, © 2008

They play tonight in Detroit, and CBS will be televising (and webcasting) the game. If you can't make it there in person (and active Davidson students who want to go to Detroit and support the team can, at the College's expense), catch it on TV and with some other Davidson supporters at places all around the world...check the list here.

As I discovered first hand when I traveled to Davidson back in October of last year, the school, the alumni, and the community itself takes athletics...and the support of the Wildcat teams...very seriously. Davidson College, after all, only has about 1700 students. Take a gander of what just covered one small wall of the local sandwich and ice cream shop, aptly named The Soda Shop, which is adjacent to campus:




Love the place, love the College, love the energy of the people...and did so even before all of this hubbub and even ignoring my family's distant history with the place. I'm going there again in about 3 weeks (Loch Norman Highland Games, held on the old family homestead near Rural Hill), and I can't wait to go back.

Tonight, though, I hope to scream myself hoarse as I cheer the 'Cats to victory! GO WILDCATS!!