Tourney Time, Part Three

Dan Kois wrote an obituary on Slate for the bracketmaster, "the harried, Sharpie-stained guy who organized your office pool, collected the brackets, and handed out the prize money. He gave his heart, his soul, and four to six hours of each day to college basketball. And now he's obsolete."

Not so fast.

It's true that computerized brackets have put a dent in the population of bracketmasters, but I know at least one who soldiers on: my dad. Dad still marks the hundreds of sheets by hand, though that might change in the near future, now that he's significantly less technology-phobic. Seven years ago, he was quoted extensively in a New York Times article about office pools:

When his previous employer moved him from New York to Dallas 12 years ago, he said, "Everyone identified me as the sports fan, and, as many colleagues remained in New York, they wanted to know whether the tradition would be maintained."

They did not have to worry. ...the office pool he organizes around March Madness gives him a chance to renew old contacts.

Before the Final Four games on April 1, Mr. Williams will work out all the possibilities and advise the front-runners of their chances of winning.

So, does he face an emotional letdown when the madness is over? Not really. He and other regulars in the N.C.A.A. pool are already preparing for the draft next month for fantasy, or Rotisserie, baseball.

Seven years later, I'm filling out my NCAA brackets and (very slowly) getting ready for the baseball draft on March 29. The only competition that's even close for my favorite time of year is late August through the baseball playoffs.