March Madness – the phenomenon that is the NCAA Basketball tournament could ONLY take place in proximity to the first days of Spring. Why? Because although it’s the end-of-season Championship Tourney, it’s not at all about the “end” of anything. It’s about the beginning of hope! Witness the Duke University vs. Belmont game that just concluded in a last-minute finish where the lat-seeded team in a bracket came within seconds of defeating the top-seeded team many expect to contend for the national title. Sure, Belmont lost 71-70 after their last-gasp shot attempt missed, but who among us is ready to say this is the “end” for that team, its fans or its academic community? This experience will no doubt inspire the returning players, incoming recruits, student body, faculty and, most importantly, the donating alumni pool to do what it takes to return and go further.

That spirit of renewal can only come from a visit to the cusp of the ultimate. Think of the other parts of life where you see that and you will again see how special the arena of March Madness is. The magic doesn’t manifest itself everywhere, but we always look for it. Will Barack Obama’s speech this week be another example of an ending being a beginning? Will the anniversary and the losses in Iraq? The assassination of Benazir Bhutto? The retirement of Joe Gibbs? The end of the DC handgun ban? The $112-a-barrel oil barrier? The collapse of Bear Stearns?

Just a thought, but can you blame any of us for wanting to lose ourselves in our brackets?