We cover a lot of ground on the NXT Desk, from pop culture and technology to local art, music, politics, cuisine, personal grooming, relationship advice...the list goes on. So far I don't think we've gotten to auto repair.
But today we're adding something new: sports.
OK, yes, we know, we've written tangentially about sports before, when the Pats were on their tear towards the Super Bowl (that did not end well) and when the Sox were in the World Series.
But now it's time to get serious about something very dear and precious to the NXT Desk - College Basketball.
That's why we're holding the first NXT Hoops Challenge and Bracket-stravaganza.
We know college basketball can get a little overwhelming this time of year and if you're not a fan it can get down right annoying.
But for the college hoops lovers there is no better time of year than March. For outsiders this is the perfect time to get in, find a team to fall in love with and follow them through the ups, downs, and last-minute shots of the tournament. And since CBS gets pretty much taken over by basketball, you also won't find any better drama than tiny school upsetting big-money school, or the freshman sensation leading his team to victory, or the old coach who's never won the big one.
We here at the NXT Desk are all about bringing people together under one roof, so this year's hoops challenge and bracket-stravaganza is simply for fun and for sport.
(Plus I'm sure my bosses and the state would not look kindly on organized gambling through the blog.)
Still, I may yet come up with an idea for a prize. Perhaps an autographed 8 x 10 glossy? Some home baked goods from the NXT kitchen? Bacon-on-demand? A guest post?
It's a public group, all you'll need is a Yahoo! ID, which only takes a few minutes if you don't already have one. It's free!
For the basketball degenerates out there, sure there are more lucrative pools to get in, but why not flex some knowledge?
For the novices, join in the fun and take a shot at potential greatness. Anyone who's ever been in a NCAA pool before can tell you that the beginners have just as good, if not better, shot of beating the field.
Go ahead and sign up for the group now, or you can wait for the NCAA Selection show on Sunday night when the full 66 field of teams will be announced.
If you want in you'll need to be signed up and have your bracket complete before the first game of the tournament, which begins a week from today.
It's a great time of year, and I can guarantee you can find me at one or several of the following places starting this weekend until the beginning of April: Dock Fore, Rivalries and Binga's (sadly not the sports-centric and recently closed Portland Street branch).
I'll also throw the question out there - is anyone interested in a NXT tourament watching meet-up over the next couple of weeks? Sound off.
Justin is a former newspaper intern and has the scar tissue to prove
it. Justin has been a staff writer for the Portland Press Herald/Maine
Sunday Telegram since 2003, and in 2004 began writing a weekly column in the
Monday Magazine.
If he had to pick a label, the column would fall under "youth culture,"
covering everything from high school dance etiquette, dealing with college
debt, the resurgence of Roller Derby and Portland's one-of-a-kind music
scene. This of course has not stopped him from answering letters to Santa
Claus or writing about his experience riding shotgun in a drift car.
Justin is an export from the Midwest. He is a graduate of the University of
Missouri and is originally from Minnesota. He enjoys bacon, cheap beer,
redheads, Burt Reynolds jokes and wondering what the soundtrack to his life
would sound like.
When he grows up he wants to be an international art thief. Or Captain
America.
Until then he'll be bringing you dispatches about "the young people" and
what they do.
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