We've been talking Central Indiana high school sports, the upcoming boys basketball state finals and the onset of spring sports around the blogs lately.

I'd like to interrupt your regularly scheduled high school sports blogging and talk a little about the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which begins in less than a few hours.

For some (and I would be included in this category), today and tomorrow are better than Christmas.

The anticipation of what might take place over the next 12 hours in today's first round games reminds me of lying in bed during my formative years, watching the clock and waiting until I thought the time was appropriate to wake my parents on Christmas morning.

I'm giddy over the possibilities. Upsets! Buzzer beaters! A soon to be outdated, contempo-pop version of "One Shining Moment" playing softly in the background of my mind...it's almost too much.

I think most of why this particular tournament is so special is because we're emotionally invested in the outcome of every game. We fill out our brackets (for fun, of course) and thereby we've got a rooting interest in every game.

For example, I can't even tell you what St. Mary's mascot is, but I picked them to upset Miami (Fla). in the first round, so they're in some ways as important to me as my favorite team, Arizona.

Add in the lengths we'll go to watch the games (I once brought a pocket radio to school and slipped the wire up through my sweatshirt sleeve so I could listen to games in class - bad idea, by the way: you'll only lose your radio) and this is truly a once a year event.

There's "boss buttons" and bracket busters, games that don't get over until midnight, Gus Johnson games and future stars (like HSSTM April 2007 cover subject Eric Gordon of Indiana).

There are lots of local kids playing in this tournament, and no doubt you'll be hearing about their hometowns during broadcasts - just another reason to watch.

Plus, you know you'll have your fill of Dick Vitale and his abuse of the word "baby" by around 10:30 p.m. tonight.

Around the HSSTM office, we're counting down the minutes until that first tip off. (Hey, it will help pass the time until the boys basketball state finals on Saturday and the lag in spring sports events.)

I say, let the madness begin.