More blogging about basketball. Purdue and Siena played an entertaining game today in the NCAA first rounds. Purdue was fortunate to come away with the win. I was fortunate to be able to watch it all at work--thanks to the work environment and March Madness on Demand. I didn't care if people got a bit upset when I had something to say, because well, they were babbling all morning.

My experience up to the game helped give a lot of new reasons for various truisms, or it made stuff obvious that should've been.

First, the whole being grateful for whatever comes your way. That's what sports fandom should be about, because you have no control over what your favorite team does, and you need to recognize that. Purdue's had twelve first-round wins in a row, and I remember when they exited early. I didn't picture such a run back during their last loss ('93, Rhode Island.)

Second, people are people, and talking heads try to grab the news. I had more fun reading Siena fans' perspectives than national news outlets. Both sets of fans had dreams for how their team would do, and nobody played the underdog role too much. Reading how perhaps Siena's best basketball class ended with a first-round loss is sad. But it'd've been wrong for either side to worry about the other team's fans.

Third, there was even a lesson about not letting people, or yourself, feel sorry for you--President Obama said as much while choosing his bracketology, and Lewis Jackson, Purdue's point guard, said Purdue didn't want or need that. I, as an Obama voter, agree. I hope to follow this example, of people younger than myself.

So my irrational faith in people I never met has paid off with the inspiration to put speculation aside. An NCAA win is something special, whether you're the underdogs or a team with the talent and work ethic to expect a win. It's made me feel grateful in a way that being told to be grateful for my brains/opportunities/etc never could.

Sunday, Purdue faces another Texas A&M, another team disappointed by a very unfortunate injury. It's apparently harder for neutrals to watch than Robbie Hummel's was. I have no desire to. The cliche about how it would be nice for both teams to go through is just silly, of course. Part of what makes the tourney great is that there are no participation ribbons, but after the shock of losing, teams and their fans can take the good bits and remember them.

Even if losing in each successive round can potentially feel worse. Perhaps the winner will only be fodder next round for Duke, whom I confess I dislike. That doesn't matter right now, though.