4:30 - My son Sam is starting for the mighty Carrington Cugars in the opening round of Durham's Middle School tournament. I can't be there as I am coaching my younger son's rec league game.

5:15 - My wife calls me at the end of the third quarter (im middle school they play four 6 minute quarters). Carrington is down by four and are committing a lot of sloppy turnovers. I'm a little worried, but I have to get my other team ready.

5:30 - My wife calls again. Crrrington winst by 6! The team turns it up in the fourth quarter and wins 45 - 39. Sam finishes with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

6:50 - Dan's (9 years old) game is over. Final score, 25 - 18 good guys. We dominate the whole game (though we only win by 7 as I sit my two best players for the last 3 minutes since it is clear we will win). Dan scores 17 points. He is a beast.

9:00 - The family sits down in the den to watch Duke play the team from hell. Even though Sam is a big NCSU fan he cheers his heart out for Duke. Like all 13 year olds he multi-tasks during the entire game - sending text messages to his friends who are Duke fans, and sending sarcastic IMs to his friends who are UNC fans.

11:07 - A quiet peace settles on the Murray household. The agnostics amongst us are assurred once again that there is a god and that she is a Duke fan.

11:12 - Sam and I gift-wrap one of his Duke t-shirts for him to give to one if his middle school team-mates who is a UNC fan.

11:30 p.m. - 6:00 a.m. - I sleep maybe 2 hours all night. forgoing alcohol I drink multiple sodas during the game. I did not realize that my new favorite soda, Sundrop, is highly caffienated. That, together with the adreniline from the game assures me that I will hardly sleep at all. I don't care.