In my mind there are two ESPNs. There's the ruthless company that sits up in Bristol, Connecticut trying to get "synergy" out of everything and forcing the nation to endure an endless series of stories about Brett Favre, Randy Moss, T-O, Ocho-cinco, and anything else that they believe will drive their numbers. And then there's the home for sports geeks that allows us to watch hundreds of games that weren't available when I was a kid. In 1981, I asked my parents to get cable for my 15th birthday so I could see the NCAA basketball tournament on ESPN, and I've never forgotten the magical feeling I had when, for the first time in my life, I could actually watch sports all day.
There are still days when ESPN turns its attention from A-Rod and LaBron and D-Wade and actually indulges its inner geek, and this is one of these days. Last year ESPN started what I hope will become a very popular tradition -- 24 hours of college basketball on a random day in mid-November. This year they're doing it again -- they started with Miami (Fla.) and Memphis at midnight, and they've been showing games continuously ever since. There was one disappointment for folks in the greater Heath area -- SIU lost at home to Northeastern in the 10 A.M. (Eastern) game, in overtime, by 63-62. But the games have generally been close, and personally I like the chance to see schools like Monmouth, Kent State, and Tulsa.
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