Recently in Basketball Category

Unless you've never thumbed your way up the dial with your TV remote and stumbled past one of the ESPN offerings, it's physically impossible to watch less college basketball than I've watched this season.

However, it's downright un-American to avoid shelling out a few bucks on the office NCAA Tournament pool. And that's why I'm going to give you the best financial advice you've received ever since that day . . . oh, about a year ago . . . that your Uncle Ed told you to cash out and bury it all in the back yard.

Flipping channels last night, I slipped past one of the ESPN offerings, on to something else. Then I doubled back and decided to see if I might enjoy a few minutes of college basketball. It was Indiana and some other team. I noticed that the Indiana kids still know how to set a pick, and seeing them do it gave me the same feeling I get when the Packers trot out the "Green Bay Sweep" once or twice a game.

I figure it must be written into the program's constitution.

But even with a pick here, a drawn-charge there, I couldn't really do it. Couldn't stay tuned in.