THE MAGAZINE EDITOR'S BLOG: DAMN YOU, TLDC!

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Davidson's clock struck midnight against the Jayhawks.

Once again, I started out the NCAA Tournament looking like an idiot savant (I have a profound ability to identify "this year's N.C. State") and, once again, I end up looking like a plain idiot (I predictably ride "this year's N.C. State" a round too long). For the past 22 years, my "little nephew"—who's now 34 and little in the way that Jake Long is—has run a very entertaining Tourney Pool. And for the past 22 years I have failed to finish in the money. Not once, not ever. It's enough to make you hate a sport. And, this year, it was all TLDC's fault. I picked Tiny Little Davidson College to get all the way to the Elite 8, which vaulted me to the top spot among 60 or so crafty pool participants. But I had to ride TLDC one more round. And though, for a moment, that looked like the genius pick of the year, that futile last possession against Kansas put a lie to my bracket genius. As usual. My annoyance is compounded by the fact that my great niece will likely finish higher than me in the pool. She's, like, two. Very cute, but still a toddler. I think she's just throwing Play-Doh at her bracket sheet. No wonder I don't follow the sport!

Which brings me to my list of THE 27 BEST SPORTS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO ME. It's a nifty list, but much less important than another ranking I keep: BEST OFFICIAL WAYS TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE WHO COME FROM A GIVEN U.S. STATE. (Top 5: Connecticuter, Wyomingite, Montanan, Utahan, Vermonter. Lamest: Bay Stater, for people who live in Massachusetts.) Anyway, here's this week's update, for the TLDC Wildcats:

Courtesy Gary Belsky

NCAA basketball genius.

THE 27 BEST SPORTS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO ME

1. NFL¹
2. MLB²
3. Golf (PGA)
4. NBA
5. Yoga³
6. Soccer (MLS)⁴
7. NHL
8. Wheelchair tennis
9. College Football
10. Gaelic Football
11. Arena Football
12. Fencing
13. Badminton⁵
14. Rowing (eights)
15. Sepak Takraw (Continental Asia)
16. Volleyball
17. Thoroughbred racing
18. Drag racing
19. Barrel racing
20. Skateboarding
21. Tennis (women's)
22. Water Polo
23. NASCAR (Craftsman Trucks Series)⁶
24. Bowling (PBA)
25. Billiards
26. Darts
27. WNBA

1 We're working on our draft preview issue. Hope springs eternal.

2 Might have been No. 1 if the Cardinals weren't leading 5-1 on Opening Day only to have the game cancelled because of rain. Albert Pujols had already knocked in a home run, and now it doesn't count. Tragic. They should redo that rule. Continue the game where it left off, I say. Alas, no on at MLB HQ cares what I say.

3 There's a group lobbying to make Bikram Yoga an Olympic sport. I'm not kidding. And I kinda like the idea. When I first started doing yoga, in a basics class at the Laughing Lotus in NYC, I used to love it when I "won" that morning's class. I was the judge, but still. Now, of course, I'm past that. Yoga for me is now all about shining my inner light on the rest of the world. Including you! I'd still watch competitive Bikram, though.

4 Call me crazy, but I think this is the year that MLS breaks through to the next level. That level is only the first floor of a very tall building, but still.

5 Everyone thinks this sport is soft because they played it once at a family picnic when they were 11. At the pro level, it's kind of vicious.

6 They're racing trucks. That's just cool.

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