It's okay to enjoy things

Xavier will not be hearing its name called on Selection Sunday, at least not during the good part. That is unquestionably a bummer. This is not how I - or any of us - wanted this season to end or Paul Scruggs to get his last hurrah.

Despite that, it's still Selection Sunday, and it's still about to be tournament time. I'm sure some of us are in this because an interest primarily in Xavier made us basketball fans; the vast bulk of us are basketball fans who happen to cheer for Xavier. Xavier might not be in it, but our bacchanalia is upon us.

I'm old enough to remember when Xavier's bubble popped under Skip Prosser in '99 or '00. The next day, local radio ran a segment whose punchline was a cut to a recording purportedly from the Xavier locker room of a group of guys glumly chanting, "we're number 65." So it goes sometimes, though the addition of play-in games would make this a slightly spicier proposition this year.

There will almost certainly be more Xavier basketball this year. Just because it's not what we hoped, it's still something to enjoy. Xavier has 4 starter-quality guys who are sophomores or freshmen, and they're both exciting in the present and something to dream on for the future. Letting them get some more run isn't a bad thing.

Regardless of that, the greatest event in sports tips off on Friday. The participants are being selected today. We've waited two years to be able to do this. Don't let your disappointment over X's crash landing ruin that for you.

Or if it does, don't be a poopy-pants to the rest of us.