The Madness of March

As a sports fan, it doesn't get any better than the next three weeks as NCAA March Madness tips off on Thursday at noon. I'll be glued to the TV watching as many games as possible, rooting for the underdogs (except when Ohio State and Duke play), cheering for buzzer beaters and gravity-defying slam dunks, and taking in all the storylines that unfold as each round of games takes place on the way to the crowning of a new champion and "One Shining Moment".

One of the traditions that goes hand-in-hand with March Madness is filling out a bracket and trying to predict which team will win as well as being able to say that you called the upset when a No. 15 seed knocks off the No. 2 seed in the first round. There are many different options when it comes to these brackets with numerous free ones online as well as the office pools that you can pay to enter at work or with your friends. My wife and I always trade brackets with the winner picking a restaurant to go to and she's won 10 of the past 17 years although I am making a comeback and have a two-year winning streak going at the moment.

I figured that what better way to connect all of my online friends from Twitter and Facebook who are going to enjoy the games the next three weeks than to run a free bracket contest of my own. To encourage you to enter and also check back with my blog, I'm going to award a $25 gift card to the winner to the restaurant of their choice. So, you have nothing to lose and lots of bragging rights and a free dinner to gain.

All you need to do to enter is to go to the private group that I've set up on ESPN's site under the title Six Degrees of MVNUSID. The password is MVNUSID. Get your bracket submitted before tip off of the first game on Thursday (approximately noon ET) and then check back with the blog each day as I highlight who is winning after each round of games. I'll look forward to reading comments to as you have the opportunity to tell the world that you called the big upset as it happens.

Good luck and enjoy the Madness!