Deal the Good Cards to the Men with the Trees

      In a mild upset in the quarter finals of the PAC 12 Basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Stanford de-tined the Trident carrying Sun Devils and will face UCLA, a team that during the Wooden years dominated college basketball and the NCAA Tournament, in the semis March 14, 2014. The following poem came to me after watching the game. Both teams have won one game against each other during the season and not sure on a neutral court, in actuality, as opposed to Staples, a very short ride from Westwood, but hopefully the Cards will win (for Vegas has a nice ring to it). Hope you enjoy the poem. And like a modern day Cato facing a Carthage like UCLA....The Bruins must be destroyed. Go Cardinal!
Hope and March Madness

As a rabid Cardinal fan with a legacy alum of 2010

And another class of 2017 starting the grind again

The results were most pleasing, a night to enjoy

But stepping back, a win/win for both as NCAA berths both can deploy

The Trident still is three prongs going downtown to fear

Rest up till Sunday brackets; you will be packing up your regional gear

To the Cardinal, a job well done!

A game I thought you might not have won

And now before into the valley of the shadow of Tucson death

Where a Wildcat defense stills the heart and takes away the breath

It is time to play the rubber match on a neutral court

No Maples to sway, no Pauley's ghosts for shots to fall short

You do not need a home crowd to play aggressive and tough

Any more than you need a trampoline for a ball to stuff

The Bruins with a national ranking and those Wooden years must be looking ahead

Cardinal,   play to the max, a win would be great, but even in loss, as a team you're better read.

If perchance that in Vegas the Mecca of chips, dice, wheels, slots and Cards

With fans in the thousands and several noted and rabid bards

The gods of chance may look kindly on men of the Color and intone three wins break the bank

And with that and aggressive play, more threes, a few blocks, trips to the line, Wildcat hopes may go into the tank.

© March 14, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet