I'm feeling good this morning. The sun is out, and the weather appears to be warming up. Hopefully, we've seen the last gasps of winter until about late October or so.
I hate cold weather. And no, I don't mean that I strongly dislike the cold; I HATE it.
Together with the waning hours of sunlight in winter, cold weather can make me pretty darn miserable. So the first big signs of spring are quite welcome to me. Pretty soon, the birds will be chirping, the dogwood trees will be out, and baseball will be back full-time (thank you owners and players).
Nevertheless, with my aversion to Connecticut's cold weather, one might wonder why I don't leave this God-forsaken state, and take up permanent residence in Florida.
I have a lot of friends in the South Florida area, including one who happens to be the mayor of a city called Longwood. Maybe I'd be better off down there; after all, why wouldn't I want to live somewhere I can wear shorts over the majority of the year? I guess it's a family thing, as well as a personal one. My roots are here, and I know the community well.
Anywho, I'm just rambling.
Did you see the "Top Play of the Day" on ESPN's "SportsCenter" Monday night? Fairfield Prep hit a three-pointer, AT THE BUZZER, to knock off Norwich Free Academy, and advance to the CIAC Division I Boys Basketball Semi-Finals.
(1)
Unbelievable! As Bill Raftery would say, "ONIONS"!!
What makes this even better is that my broadcasting friend Rob Adams was on the call. There are but a few moments in local sports that are no-doubt thrillers; this appears to be one of them.
Although I never played basketball in high school, I kind of know what hitting a game-winning shot feels like.
Let me set the stage for you. It's March of 1998, and the Fairfield High School Mustangs are taking on Bristol Eastern in a girls basketball Class LL state tournament game. Of course, I'm on the sidelines, doing my usual thing.
Well, crunch time arrives, and my Mustangs find themselves needing a few buckets. Enter our juniors and seniors, who manage to make the game very close. Down by two, it looks as if time will run out on us, though.
That's when senior point guard Jamie Janda takes the ball, and dishes it to junior Kelly Nash, who has an open look beyond the arc. She sets, shoots...and....
....MAKES THE SHOT, at the buzzer!
Nothing but net, if I recall correctly.
As you might imagine, bedlam ensues; the call of "it's insanity in here" would have been quite appropriate for that moment. Fans storm the court, and everybody's celebrating; everyone, that is, except the players for Bristol Eastern (see note).
Boom. Just like that, one team advances, and the other's season is over. Trust me, you will never experience a bigger feeling of euphoria (if you're on the winning side) in your life.
That's the reason they call this time of year "March Madness"; anything can happen, and it often does. Even a number one seed is not safe from a "perfect storm" of a game.
I'm anxious to see what kind of thrills this edition of the NCAA Basketball Tournament will bring. Ladies and gentlemen...let the "Madness" begin.
Note: In a somewhat unhappy ending to this story, the Mustangs would make an appearance in the Class LL State Championship Game that year, but lose to New Britain.
Source:
1. Twitter User "@KDJmedia1" (from original footage of the NFHS Network). 14 March 2022, https://twitter.com/KDJmedia1/status/1503535502502281217. Accessed 16 March 2022.
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