A close friend lives in Oklahoma. He works in Oklahoma City. My Gmail account sent him an email recapping a conversation about the NCAA tournament. It sent before a deadly tornado swept through Oklahoma City. Fear overtook any rationale for the email. A joke about the NCAA tournament could be the last...

On April 24, 2011 – my 24th birthday – the Philadelphia Flyers gave me a gift. A 5-4 win over Buffalo sent the teams’ first-round playoff series to a seventh game. Rooting interest didn’t make the win gift-worthy. At that point – like now – the winner was of little significance. Game 6’s...

If you’ve ever encountered the species of former NBA fan-turned-anti-NBA viewer, you’ve grown familiar with their excuses. Once Michael Jordan left the NBA, many people shut the league out. Maybe Allen Iverson’s tattoos pushed them away. It may have been the game’s tick-tack...

Whether or not you like it, Jason Collins is gay. There’s no debating that fact. We don’t know if his courage will inspire others. But, no matter what happens in the future, Collins did what he needed to do to insure a happier existence. That’s honorable enough. Yesterday, my car failed inspection...

There was something ironic about the way this column started. Allow me to share it with you. In writing the first 100 words of why nothing strikes me as important enough to write about, my keystrokes deleted my work. It was accidental, but likely a message from the universe. Perhaps everything is important...

When Andy Reid lost his job, it was clear things would be different for the Philadelphia Eagles. After 14 years of the same mind-boggling timeout decisions, change was afoot. At some point last season, amid the losing and joking, the die hard in me came to a conclusion. It was a final decision that...

The famous growl had diminished to a gravelly whisper. The cracking voice slowly spoke over the phone. “I don’t think much about a legacy,” Jerry Tarkanian said several months ago. “I did the best I could, got along with other coaches and treated people well.” Villains go hand-in-hand with...

Saturday, we’ll watch the Final Four. Monday, we’ll watch the National Championship game. TV timeouts will rule the two nights, and we’ll hear “One Shining Moment” at the conclusion. After it’s over, we’ll wonder why we watched what we already knew was going...

The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles don’t seem to fit the mold of the plucky underdog we’ve all grown to love when March rolls around. There’s a difference between this team and teams of the past – besides being the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16. FGCU looks the part with no luck...

Yes, it’s March and madness is upon us. The time is now for the bragging rights to be spread thickly across the office. Trash talk is necessary and must be spoken at a high volume. Upsets are daring and chalk is smart. We’d all rather be daring except Dawn in Human Resources. She’ll...

There is a question mark in my mind. It unravels every once in a while in an attempt to let me enjoy life’s scenery without thought exhaustion. When it comes back every March, it remains unanswered. It’s of little importance, yet it nags at me. My query goes unsolved for reasons unbeknownst...

When Adam Morrison fell to the floor in tears after a 2006 Elite Eight loss to UCLA, I knew what he knew – there was no return in order. The Bruins erased a nine-point deficit in less than four minutes to win. Gonzaga had incredibly missed out on a trip to the Final Four. The senior Morrison knew...