My March Madness, about so much more than basketball.

Gorgui Dieng's joyous smile--soft, glowing, and genuine--makes me so happy to have been at the game on March 15 so that I could watch him (and his team) play, to see this smile come across his face as he walked off the court at game's end, and to able to take this photo. What a privilege. I mean that, straight from my heart.

And then when I was getting this post ready, I found this enlightening commentary on ESPN dot com, ”Gorgui Dieng living his dream,” by Eamonn Brennan. I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, filled with awe and hope. I want to share this with you, thus my photo and this link. I hope you have a chance to click on the link, read the article, and join me in finding out more about this remarkable young man.

I am thankful that I found Mr. Brennan's piece online because, well, you know that feeling you get when you connect with someone new, someone you instantly like, want to know more about. That's exactly what happened to me, a 64-year-old Mississippian who loves basketball, when I saw this young man play, and I had not even really met him. Like I said in an earlier post, Gorgui Dieng is a good reason to pull for Louisville.

My March Madness continues with Louisville Cardinal Chane Behanan, one more good reason to pull for Louisville

Louisville Cardinals, in white, played Davidson Wildcats at the Rose Garden Arena, in the first Second Round NCAA March Madness game of the day. Here's No. 24, Chane Behanan, never givin' up beneath the basket. Davidson's No 15, 6'10" Jake Cohen gives it everything he's got, trying to block Chane's shot. Look at where Chane's right hand is on the ball and where they are in relation to his left hand, and tell me who you believe will come up with the ball.


Yep, it's Chane, never-say-die-I'm-going-to SCORE-Chane! By the way, that Chane is pronounced Shane, according to the Louisville Cardinals' player page.


Chane: Got the rebound! Now, just watch what happens when I get my feet underneath me!

I read this online at Louisville Scout dot com about Chane's rebounding: Chane Behanan grabbed six offensive rebounds, the second most this season. He previously totaled six against Syracuse (2/13) this season and grabbed a season-best eight offensive boards against Rutgers (2/4). An offensive rebound is when the ball is recovered by the offensive side and does not change possession. The other type of rebound is a defensive rebound which is when you take the ball away from your opponent because the shot doesn't go through the net. When you add up your offensive and your defensive rebounds, you get your total rebounds for the game.


This young man who appears to have bounded up effortlessly from the hardwood is 6'4", weighs 245 pounds, and is a freshman. A freshman! Already his powerful legs overshadow those of the other players on the court. I want some more NCAA March Madness in Portland, some more Louisville, and some more Chane and Gorgui (from yesterday's post).

I just read on the Louisville Cardinals' player page that his birthday is the same as my older son's, Sept. 24--cool. Finding out that is birthday is the 24th made me think that must be why he's wearing that number. Nope. I continued to read and discovered that he wanted to wear No. 24 because he grew up in the 2400 block in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.


Everyone's eyes are on the ball and the basket--that's one of the many things which I love about basketball, the instant connection between hundreds or thousands of people, depending on the venue. Instant joy. Instant sadness. Depends upon which team you're pulling for. I love it!

Read online: Chane Behanan posted the seventh double-double of his career (14 points, 11 rebounds). Cool!


Look at the determination on Chane's face! And I love the smiles on the faces of two people on the right side of the photo--the lady in red with the short gray hair and the man in the dark jacket with the white sleeves--he's one row in back of the lady. So cool to see those smiles. And I adore the ball in the basket, all movement stopped by the camera. Fun!

My March Madness continues with Louisville Cardinal Gorgui Dieng, a good reason to pull for Louisville

Sophomore Gorgui Dieng, 6'11", 235-pound center for Louisville, blocks a Davidson shot during the first half shot during the Second Round game between the two teams. On the Louisville basketball Web site, I read that his hometown is Kebemer, Senegal--at the game he was announced as from Senegal, no mention of the town. Intrigued me, let me tell you, after having watched a few young men from Senegal play at a Jackson Public School back home in Jackson, Mississippi. I used to keep score for the high school basketball teams where I was a librarian, so I traveled with the teams and kept score in our own gym--loads of fun for me!


Look at that ball fly! Found on the Louisville basketball Web site's post-game notes:
Gorgui Dieng swatted two shots in the game for 113 this season. Through his two-year career, he has registered 169 blocks, which ranks sixth all time. He also scored nine points to reach the 500-point mark in his career.


This photo makes it look like the ball flew by so fast that it caused those two players to swivel swiftly at the waist! I decided early on in the game that I liked watching this young man play. As a result, I decided I would pull for Louisville. They ended up defeating Davidson, 69-62.

My March Madness continues with the two faces of Coach Rick Pitino during a first-half time out.

Time out, Louisville. See Coach Rick Pitino, there among the players? This took place early in the first quarter of Louisville's Second Round NCAA March Madness game against Davidson on Thursday, March 15, at Portland, Oregon's Rose Garden Arena. They're sitting and standing right in front, maybe eight feet, from the Louisville Pep Band. Loud spot to confer. I can tell you beyond doubt that when I looked at this photo, and the next one, on my camera's view screen and realized I had the coach in action, I felt chills of joy. Serendipity strikes again.


Player talking. Everyone, including Coach Pitino, listening.


Coach Pitino talking. Everyone listening.

My March Madness continues with my first ever iMovie.

Thursday morning, March 15, I waited eagerly for the doors to open so that I could go inside for the event emblazoned electronically all around the Rose Garden Arena. Please, click on all of the links below, if you want to catch up on my coverage so far. Most of all, though, I wish that you would click on the last link--to my first ever iMovie. Enjoy! And thanks for taking the time!

If you've been reading this blog, you know that I ate breakfast at the Bijou Cafe.

I rode the MAX light rail train to the Rose Garden, checking out my tickets and Union Station through the rainy window.

I stood outside waiting for the doors to open, watching people.

Inside the arena, I happily located my seat!

Settled in for the duration, I excitedly spied my first two pep bands and a delightful bit of serendipity involving an airborne basketball and a woman's head!

I took a couple of photos of the Louisville Cardinal.

So, there you have the links to my posts about the NCAA March Madness, so far. Here's the link to my iMovie, all about the blustering wind that blew outside as I waited for those doors to open.

My March Madness continued with the sight of the Louisville Cardinal mascoty

Louisville Cardinals fans, excited no doubt to be at the Second Round game about to begin against Davidson, made sure to get the attention of the team mascot--believe me, this was not the only photo which I witnessed prior to the game at Portland's Rose Garden Arena on March 15.


Half-time and the Louisville Cardinal poses with other fans. I wonder if they are Louisville fans or mascot fans? Probably Louisville fans. I have to admit that when half-time arrived I was somewhat sad--that meant I only had three and one half games left that day. Still and all, I had just seen a great first half of my first ever Second Round NCAA March Madness basketball game at the Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon.

Sorry, Davidson, your mascot wasn't as photogenic, I guess. I didn't notice anyone posing with you.

My March Madness continued with the arrival of the first two pep bands of the day, plus a split second of serendipity, caught by the Nikon D50!

Not long after I sat down in my splendidly located seat at the Rose Garden Arena to await the first of four Second Round NCAA March Madness basketball games, the Davidson Pep Band began to play from the their seats at the opposite end of the court. Curious to see what sort of photo I could get at that distance, I took one. Imagine my surprise when I looked at it after I had downloaded it to iPhoto and saw that basketball, frozen as if it were indeed a hat being worn by the woman standing in the aisle. Makes her look 10 feet tall! I love, absolutely love, this sort of serendipity!


To the right of the home team's bench, the Louisville Pep Band filed in and made their way into the section set aside for them. Soon they set up to play. I suppose those young women in the black with the red metallic pompoms are cheerleaders--I can't remember for sure.

How's this to ponder upon? During the first half of the game, the Louisville Pep Band played Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." Sounded pretty good to me, though I never, ever would have thought of that song as a pep song for a basketball game. Yet, I guess others have, because in the second half of the game, the Davidson Pep Band played it, too. Then, during the first half of the next game, between the New Mexico Lobos and the Long Beach State 49ers, the Long Beach State band played "Sweet Caroline" in the first half. I couldn't believe it!

And there was more to come. In the second session while the Indiana Hoosiers played the New Mexico State Aggies, the Indiana Pep Band played "Sweet Caroline" in the second half of that game.

Finally, on Saturday during the Third Round games, the Indiana Pep Band played it during the second half of their game with the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, and Louisville also played it in the second half of their game against New Mexico.

Makes me wonder if any of the Carolina teams' pep bands play "Sweet Caroline"?

I love pep bands!

My March Madness continued inside the Rose Garden Arena as I located my seat!

My seat! Section 120, Row E, Seat 1! The only seat in the row! Foot room! Room for my purse! Room for my plastic bag of souvenir T-shirts! No one right beside me steeped in cologne or after-shave! Hallelujah! All that and a wildly wonderful view. Not that anyone was on the court yet, but I felt a strong premonition of 10 young men at a time, engaged in quick, skilled college basketball in my immediate future. Four times today and two times on Saturday!


Thank goodness I had verified that this would be expected of us ticket-holders for both sessions. I didn't have an NCAA Souvenir Cup, empty or otherwise. I took my trash from lunch and someone's empty Diet Coke bottle which I saw in the cup holder on the empty seat in front of me to the recycling bins when I left. Don't worry, I picked up that bottle with a napkin. Without a trace of paranoia, my motto is be vigilant, take no chances with germs when in public places.



Aglow in what must be NCAA blue--it was everywhere electronically as you can see from the Jumbotron screens to the narrow surround-the-arena screens to the center circle and half of the free throw circle on the court. The row of chairs beside the Rose Garden employee in the gray jacket is the home team while the visitors sit at the opposite end of the floor. All sorts of media folks would later fill the seats at the tables covered in NCAA blue.

Do you agree that--in my immediate future--I've got a fantastic view from my one-seat row?

My March Madness continued with people watching--a fine sort of sport--in the gusting, blowing wind outside the Rose Garden Arena

When this man approached from my right, just as he got even with me, his hat blew right off! "Your hat!" I hollered. He had felt it lift off his head and altered his course to chase it down. I had no hope after watching it flip a couple of times. Imagine my surprise when it landed just as you see it and sat there! I saw him later on inside the arena and said, "I'm so glad you got your hat back!" He replied, "I am, too. Where are you from?" I guess my Mississippi accent gave me away.


I saw these two coming and decided to take a photo just after they had passed me by. Look how the wind is plastering that man's pants to his legs! He's smart to hold onto his cap. She's probably wishing that she hadn't opened her umbrella which looks to have been a nice one for keeping the rain off. And how about the new part in her short hair, center-back-of-the-head? I had a blast watching people while waiting for the doors to open.


I hope the look on these three faces gives you an idea of just how cold that blowing wind really was. A cold that hurts. If I were the man in the red hat, I would have had my friends wait for a moment, turned my back to wind, and zipped up my jacket before taking another step. Does it look to you like the youngster on the left is pulling his hands into his sleeves? To keep them warm? He's wearing shorts, for goodness sakes, and he's worried about his hands?


Just after the man in the cap handed the Session 1 ticket to his friend who must be truly grateful that he has real hair and not a toupee, the man in the cap walked away to my left. The envelope flew out of his hand, and he didn't feel a thing! I yelled, "Something blew away!" His friend with the great hair had seen it and was fast after what turned out to be the envelope which held the rest of the duo's tickets. The man in the hat rejoined his friend who had retrieved the envelope. Smiling at me, he walked left again, envelope still in hand. If it blew away again, I didn't know about it.

My March Madness continued with a trip to, then a wait at, the Rose Garden Arena

My NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball tickets for both of Thursday's sessions. I'm on the MAX light rail train, making sure for the umpteenth time that I actually have them with me, safely tucked into my wallet which is ensconced in my purse when I decide to take a photo to the two of them. Love how the holograms turned out, especially the one of the left.


Portland's picturesque Union Station, seen from the MAX train window through the rain.

I got off the MAX at the bottom of the slope and walked up towards my goal--the set of building doors closest to the intersection, where there existed a somewhat narrow overhang which I planned to stand beneath for the the 40 minutes until the doors opened.

As I neared the door, I stopped to ask an employee who had just stepped outside the building, "Is it true? What I heard on TV about everyone exiting the Rose Garden after the first two games and then coming back inside for the last two games." The man said, "Yes, but you can just get back in line once you exit." What a relief. And if the rain had stopped then, it would be nigh onto perfect. I figured that the line would be a packed crowd, but I also figured that since I had to do it, I surely did hope that the rain would be gone by then.


After a little while, the rain slacked off, and the wind kicked in. While I waited beneath the overhang at the doors near the fountain, which thankfully was not on because one thing we didn't need was more liquid in our lives, I noticed the trash bag blowing almost parallel with the courtyard. You can see a little water standing here and there, too. I proceeded to watch people in the wind.

My March Madness began at the Bijou.

Cafe, that is, downtown Portland at SW 3rd and SW Pine. My table where I waited right about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 15, for my favorite restaurant breakfast which I knew would keep me from getting hungry too soon at the Rose Garden Arena. My goal, to enjoy all four NCAA March Madness Second Round games that day, feeling a minimal amount of hunger and a maximum amount of college-basketball-induced joy. I rode the 12 bus from home and willingly walked two blocks to the restaurant through the rain because I knew that my plan was a really good one.


My favorite restaurant breakfast, the Redwood Hill smoked goat cheddar French-style omelette. Inside the perfectly cooked, fluffy eggs, you find three ingredients. Crumbles of Redwood Hill smoked goat cheddar--maybe it's been riced, I don't know, but it's teensy pieces of big-flavored goat cheese. Small rectangles of crispy bacon. Slender, perfectly-formed ovals of paper-thin green onions. It comes with the crunchy salad greens you see here or with chunks of potatoes which taste like they were actually grown in the earth. And the muffin of the day or toast accompanies it. I always go for the muffin which I take with me in a square paper sleeve provided by the waitstaff. I always order one outta-sight-best-ever buttermilk pancake upon which I put two pats of butter and a small amount of maple syrup which I pour into slight grooves that I cut into the top of the pancake once the butter has melted. That lets the syrup soak right on down into the pancake, doncha know.

As I savored my first bite of the omelette, I turned to my right to face the counter behind which the cook(s) work steadily, smiled and flashed the cook the A-OK sign. He smiled back and said, "Thanks." After a fine meal, I walked in the rain again, this time three blocks, to catch a MAX train to the Rose Garden Arena, site of my planned college-basketball-induced joy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I don't get out to celebrate as such, but I will be wearing green today when I attend the Round 3 NCAA Basketball game at the Rose Garden Arena.


No doubt there will be gobs of people, all sorts of folks in fact, celebrating here at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub in downtown Portland. Here's the link to info about their Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival, March 15-18, 2012.


I did celebrate in March, 2005, when I got to march in the Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade in Jackson, Mississippi. I was what is known as a Sweet Potato Queen Wannabe Wannabe. That's me in vintage SPQ green sequins and pink satin, plus the requisite long, curly red wig, cat's-eye-rhinestone sunglasses and the tiara. I think the ladies with me were from somewhere in Missouri--exactly where escapes me. Oh, and I should say that Boss Queen Jill Conner Browne spells pink p-a-n-k, just for fun. The SPQ now participate in what's known as the Zippity Doo Dah Parade. Both parades raise money for the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center which is located in Jackson.

Click on the link that is her name to read my 2004 interview with Jill, published in the Jackson Free Press.

P. S. Believe it or not, in the mid to late '70s Mama and Jill worked together at the Sears credit department in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. I discovered that glorious fact in 2005 when I reviewed Jill's non-fiction book “The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide" for the Jackson Free Press. Once I read the name of the person to whom Jill had dedicated the book and verified immediately with Mama that, yes, when she was at Sears she had worked with a tall young woman named Jill, back when Lamont was a little bitty boy, I called Jill right up on the phone. She and Mama reminisced for a while about the good ol' days--so cool!