Could Football Have a Tournament Like This?

You have to think that the NCAA football bowl committee was watching with more than marginal interest last night as a mid-major nearly won the Division I college basketball championship in what will likely be recorded as the most exciting tournament in its 71-year history.

Traditional power Duke's 71-69 victory over Horizon League champion Butler begs the question: if basketball can provide this much drama, why can't football? Playoff anyone?

'Course, I wasn't there at the end when Butler's desperation half-court shot--which would have resulted in a one-point win for the Bulldogs--clanked off the rim because the game didn't start until nearly 9:30 and I was asleep for the conclusion. My guess is that CBS lost more than just me on the East Coast, while those on the West Coast, which didn't have a dog in this fight, were watching "American Pickers" on the History Channel (my new favorite program).

Baseball has been ignoring bedtimes for its All-Star Game and World Series for years, shutting out the young and the old (me) from its viewers and hoping to compensate with young, male beer drinkers--on a Monday night. An 8 o'clock start time would put tipoff at 5 p.m. on the West Coast (where they don't care anyway) and get the rest of us to bed at a reasonable hour. We could even go to work the next day.

But I'm shouting down a hole with all of this, so I'll just take the positive approach and say, "Thank you college basketball for a great tournament. Even if I did miss the climax."