I really don't watch sports on television anymore.

I haven't for a long time; there are just so few teams I care about. But if I'm going to have my television on at all for sports, it's going to be in the middle of March for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/March-Madness-basketball.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-952" title="March-Madness-basketball" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/March-Madness-basketball-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>There's really nothing at all that compares with what they call March Madness.

During much of my career, I worked for small to medium-sized local newspapers that focused on local news. When we did cover college or pro sports, it was usually only home games.

But twice -- when I worked in St. Louis from 1984-86 and in Reno from 1988-90 -- I had traveling beats where I followed college basketball all around the country. My two years in St. Louis covering the Missouri Tigers took me all over the Midwest in seasons that Mizzou reached the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA. Then in Reno, I covered the Nevada Wolfpack and went from coast to coast, from San Diego to the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, N.C.

I covered two Final Fours, which made for quite an experience, but the truth that almost any college basketball writer will tell you is that the first weekend of the tournament is the most fun. On the first two days, eight different sites around the country have four games, generally at 12, 2, 7 and 9. Then you come back two days later for two more games involving the four teams that won the first day.

The first one of those of which I have a good memory was 1986, when I found myself at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. I don't remember who it was that knocked out the Tigers, but I do remember that both North Carolina and eventual national champion Louisville played their first two games in that regional.

One great memory came two years before that, at third-round games in Atlanta. Indiana upset undefeated No. 1 North Carolina and Virginia upset Syracuse. The Cavaliers then stunned Indiana and qualified for their second Final Four in four years.

My greatest memory as a fan has to be 2006, when my school -- George Mason -- shocked the world and went all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual champ Florida.

It's just so much fun, so much more fun than the NBA or the NFL.

Did I watch today? I watched about 2 minutes of GMU's win over Villanova. I couldn't watch any more because I cared too much.

Sound weird?

It does to me. I never thought I'd be a fan again.

It's a nice feeling.