Circa 600 BC a Philistine giant measuring over nine feet tall (apparently hyperbole is not new) came out  mocking his opponents.  His name was Goliath. Saul, the King of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.

On November 1, 1938, Seabiscuit met War Admiral in what was dubbed the “Match of the Century”.

In 1954 the Milan Indians began their rise to the top of the 751 teams entered in that year’s Indiana High School Boys Basketball tournament.

While the list of underdog triumphs is much longer than the three I have listed it is relatively short compared to the seemingly endless scroll of victorious favorites.   Yet, to me, the upsets hold all the appeal.  To witness one is to be invigorated. To predict one is to find renewed confidence.  To participate in one is to become the stuff of legend.

Being from Indiana where there is strong belief that Hoosiers is the Native American word for “Hoops”, Mid-March brings with it an extra bit of madness.  Perhaps it stems from vivid memories of the original Indiana High School Boys tournament wherein EVERY high school in the state, (even a team that won only 1 game all year) had the opportunity to play into the state championship game.  Perhaps my preoccupation comes from getting caught up in the frenzy of an undefeated National Champion while attending Indiana University in the 1970s.  Perhaps my fervor for this tournament comes from having a legendary roundballer father that was born way too soon to be able to earn a living playing the game he loved.  Regardless, it is now that time of year and the contests that demand my attention are about to begin.

As I listened to the pundits “predict” that all the favorites will win this year and state how rational the choices of the selection committee had been, I wondered if David or Seabiscuit or Milan would have made the cut.