And the games go on!

   “That’s a foul,” yelled my wife Debbie as she was watching a college basketball tournament game on Saturday afternoon.
   “He fouled him,” she said.
   “Three seconds in the lane,” I heard.
   “He held him and didn’t get a foul,” she said with passion.
   “Did you see that?” she asked, regarding a play.
   We both love basketball, especially college and high school, but when it comes to tournament time, Debbie’s passion for the game rises to a new level of intensity.
   Even on the high school level, my often quiet wife is standing up yelling and calling out missed fouls and bad calls.
   Me, I like it, but I don’t have quite the intensity that Debbie does. Part of that might be because I’m more focused on getting the picture, so I’m not always aware of the plays.
   However, when it comes to watching Oklahoma basketball and especially football, I pace around the living room like a kid waiting for Santa Claus to arrive on Christmas morning. I can often be found talking to the television, like it has ears.
   Wait…Big Brother might be listening! I do have a “Smart TV.”
   What a great year of basketball.
   We both had the privilege of watching the Montezuma Bravettes and Braves at state. We made five trips to Wells Fargo with family, including two late night games, during a two-week stretch.
   The Bravettes made it to state for a fourth straight year, finishing as one of the top four teams in Iowa. And the Braves, who were making the team’s third straight appearance at state, entered the tournament as a number 7 seed.
   All the low ranking did was fuel the team and set them on a mission. They beat number 2, Lake Mills; number 3, Grand View Christian and number 1 ranked North Linn, 44-41, to capture the school’s first state championship trophy in 31-years.
   Talk about being on pins and needles. Some great games and great memories. It was even more special that our middle nephew, Sawyer, had the opportunity to play for the Braves and experience the tournament as a player. And our other two nephews, Gavin and Peyton, played in the pep band.
  And the college tournament is off to a good start with some great games, upsets and bracket busters and it is only the second day (at the writing of this column).
   It’s going to be a couple weeks before things slowdown in the Parker house. 
  No, that probably want happen. Our oldest nephew is graduating in less than two months. College softball season is warming up and the number 1 Sooners are on a roll.
   And soon, shooting sports fires up, prom will be here, track and field and summer will arrive with baseball and softball. And it will be time to grill burgers and brats on the deck while enjoying the summer days sipping on a glass of ice tea and thanking God for a wonderful and blessed life!
   Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.