Saw This...

On a message board today:

"One by one, they waited by the phone.

In Portland, and Las Vegas on the tournament's opening weekend. Then in Philadelphia and Charlotte on the following weekend. In Chapel Hill and Memphis, though the Final Four was a boon to university bookshops, the end result was the same.

No one called from Manhattan, KS.
Not one phone call from Columbia, MO.

For even though an NCAA tournament appearance produces a certain monetary windfall, the eyes of each participating city look for one more boost to its sales. "Are we in the same region as Kansas?" they wonder. For this is the true prize of the tournament. Financially speaking, the crown jewel of the NCAA tournament is not represented by the championship trophy, but by knocking out Kansas and ensuring an epic increase in sales of hats, tshirts, and trailer hitch covers.

This year, the calls never came. The Villanova University Shop will not be shipping to the Sunflower State. There will be no FedEx shipments from www.rebelbook.com to zip codes in Missouri. For this year, the Jayhawks dashed the fiduciary hopes of all who faced them. Gwen Gardner, manager of the Davidson Bookstore was a three-point shot away from an influx of business that had the potential to counteract the subprime mortgage crisis in the greater Charlotte area - but it was not to be.

So while the students and citizens in Lawrence celebrate their triumph, please take a moment to reflect on the real losers in this year's tournament. Still, there's always next year..."