Jim Edwards
After a year of the covid doldrums, I’ve found myself with that March itch of anticipatory excitement.
That’s right, March Madness.
It might seem shallow to some to discus the serious subject of a deadly virus in terms of its effects on sports. But for some, yours truly included, the entertaining relief offered by sports helped make the past covid-laden year a little less aggravating and frustrating.
So here we, a year after so much came to a screeching halt.
For the Arkansas Razorbacks, they could be saying this week, “As we were saying before we were so rudely interrupted.”
It was a year ago that Arkansas won its first game of the SEC Tournament, defeating Vanderbilt. Then covid wiped out the rest of the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
In his first season as head coach, Eric Musselman led the Hogs to a 20-12 record and was just the second coach since the 1940s to record a debut season with over a 60-percent winning mark.
So last year at this time we were primed for the first time in the past several seasons to sense a truly successful season in the making.
Then, poof, just like turning out a light, covid ended the excitement.
But a year later, almost to the day, here we and, proving his first season wasn’t a fluke, Musselman is taking a strong team with a 20-5 winning record into the SEC Tourney.
With a first-found bye, Arkansas will play at 6 p.m. Friday against the winner of the Georgia-Missouri game.
And then, we can look forward to cheering on the Razorbacks in NCAA Tournament action.
Maybe pretty soon we can look on this year’s March Madness as the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel signaling the beginning of the end of covid. Let’s hope.
It would be fitting if March Madness is that signal because the event is much more to the country than just a basketball tournament.
The NCAA Tournament is an event that draws in spectators from across the county and not just basketball fans. Uncle Nerd and Tilly in bookkeeping, who never watch a basketball game, will get in on the bracket action.
And once again, offices that are still operating will see their production drop until the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four and championship games have been played.
By that time, maybe we really will see that there is a light at the end of the covid tunnel.
But like we have to wait until the all the games have been played to see whether our brackets are winners or losers, we need to wait to celebrate our win over covid until we’re actually at the other end of the tunnel, looking into bright, virus-free sunlight.
So. Until then, let’s keep on keeping on wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowded situations. And Go Hogs.
(Jim Edwards is retired after a lifetime in the newspaper business and for 30 years worked in various positions at the Camden News, El Dorado News-Times and Banner-News of Magnolia. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of this newspaper. Email to [email protected])