The Billiken's Bluff

She tells me that the college basketball playoffs are about to start. I smile because she is about 98% correct. This means something.



The college basketball regular season is over. The conference tournaments are taking place and the NCAA tournament begins on Tuesday. So for all intents and purposes this is the playoffs, except its not, it is the Big East Tournament or the ACC Tournament and then it is the NCAA Tournament. Like the playoffs, but not quite. That 2% that separates the ESL foreigner from the native speaker. That 2% that seperates the knowledgable from the amateur.



Sports is one of the few talking points I can speak about with complete fluency.

I read about politics, economics, literature, but not to the point where I am comfortable using their vernacular. I have to double check on Webster or Google news when I decide to use words such as oeuvre, zeugma, haute couture, or Al Jazeera in a post. I am intimidated by NPR, but I am at home on WFAN Sports Radio 660 AM. I have mastered the mindless. I can talk with complete fluidity about the three big three - basketball, baseball, and football. I can weigh in with opinions on the merit of various statistics - Batting Average vs. On Base Percentage, Assist to Turnover Ratio vs. Points per Game. I think that J.J. Reddick will only be a relevant NBA player if he ends up on the right team, with a point guard who can get him open shots. New Orleans or Phoenix. Etc.



When I hear the uninitiated speak about sports I wonder if that is what I sound like when I speak about basically everything else.