When Dave used to play in a basketball league back home, I would sometimes go. Rarely, but sometimes. And when I'd go, I'd see these groups of women there, who went to every game to watch their boyfriends/husbands, a group that I later learned to call 'The Basketball Widows'. Women who, for once or twice a week, lost their significant others to the basketball court. Who sat there and chatted it up with the other widows while watching their men play.

I never really became a widow, since I didn't go to too many games. But I did suffer from the loss of Dave once or twice a week (twice a week when he was playing softball). But once he went away to med school, he couldn't play in the leagues anymore.

But once a year, I get that pang of being the basketball widow. Sitting on the sidelines, waiting while my man is on the court. And during this time of the year, it's more than once or twice a week. It's every day. For a whole month. You know what I'm talking about.

March Madness.

Dave has the madness. Too bad Illinois lost....it really started the month off badly. But there he is, day after day, night after night, catching the games. Watching ESPN to catch up. Watching specials like 'The Road to the Final Four' or 'Bracketology'.

He even printed out the brackets so he can keep up with the winners and losers. The other day, I thought he was studying intensely for his boards - his head was down, he had a look of extreme concentration on his face, and he was scribbling something on a piece of paper. I looked up, and he was was working on his bracket. I laughed really hard, and he was like, 'What? I'm updating my brackets!'

GO ILLINI!

Posted by Yano at March 16, 2004 07:30 AM

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