Army West Point Athletics
Wednesday, March 17 - Happy St. Patty's Day!
March 17, 2010 | General
Top o' the morning to ya! Tracy Nelson here wishing everyone (true Irish or not) a very Happy St. Patrick's Day! You couldn't ask for a better day outside - 45 degrees and rising (hopefully by 20 or so), shining sun and little wind here in the Hudson Valley. We're in store for a great week here, which to me means that spring is truly right around the corner.
I love St. Patty's Day and am convinced that it's one of the most jolly that we have. Everyone loves a good dose of Celtic music and some green beverages. There's nothing better and it shows when anyone and everyone pretends that they're straight off the boat from Dublin when March 17 rolls around every year. I am proud to say that thanks to my parents, I am 75% pure Irish. When I was growing up, you would never know that I wasn't 100% with my curly red hair, pale skin and freckles galore. Glorious, I know. Not much has changed since then. I also blame my Irish roots on the fact that I haven't been able to get a tan ... ever.
The majority of the cadets will be enjoying St. Patty's Day on Spring Break. As others have mentioned, it's been a very quiet week around here and a good one to recharge the batteries for spring sports. Bob and Mady are about midway through their trips to Florida with baseball and softball, respectively. I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of them basking in the sun and watching ball all day. Although I did get my baseball fix on Monday after tuning into the Army vs. #6 Florida game through Knight Vision. The people down in Gainesville were nice enough to share their webcast feed with our Knight Vision subscribers and did a fine job with the broadcast. Army lost 9-3 but bounced back with a 13-6 win over Eastern Illinois the following day. Softball is 1-1 since landing in the Sunshine State with a win over Hudson Valley rival Marist and a loss to Tennessee-Martin as a part of a split doubleheader on Monday.
With spring sports in full swing, the winter sports are officially done for Army. Not without a solid effort on the part of the Black Knights, Air Force knocked Army out of the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs last weekend in Colorado Springs.
Winter athletics might be done around here, but for any college basketball fan you know that Thursday marks the beginning of perhaps the best time of the year. Today might be St. Patty's Day today, but for some Thursday is like Christmas! I love watching the tournament every year. In my mind, it's the best college playoff in all of sports. There's nothing like watching a 13 seed upset a 4 or a 12 out-do a 5. Whether you're a college basketball fanatic or not, there's something about watching a Cinderella emerge out of the pack and capture the attention of the nation. Although I do like seeing the mid-majors enjoy some success, I am hoping to see Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and the rest of Coach K's Blue Devils cut down the nets on April 5! People always say love 'em or hate 'em - everybody has an opinion about Duke. How can you judge a program has a man of such integrity (umm need I remind all of you that he's a West Pointer through-and-through) and drive running it. They consistently perform well every year while also getting a top-notch education. Oh yeah, they end up graduating too which is refreshing. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by my mother, but if that's the case - thanks Mom! LET'S GO DUKE!
Happy St. Patty's Day and enjoy the Madness everyone!
