I very carefully filled out my NCAA bracket this year in about a minute and a half. Total. Research, deep thought, pondering, self-reflection, etc. All in roughly 90 seconds.

Then the website I was using, which I would never name (it rhymes with TBSsports.com), had a hiccup and my bracket disappeared.

Much swearing, gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes later (amazing what a reaction a stolen 90 second investment can set off) I calmly decided to re-enter by bracket, but with slight variations.

60 seconds later, I was quite pleased with myself. So much so that I filled out a third bracket, the maximum I'm allowed to fill out in this particular pool, which, for the record, is run by a saint of a friend and is for entertainment purposes only.

Then, in typical fashion, I sheltered myself from all news about the tournament through the first weekend, or as much as a non-Luddite can. Disastrous, shocking, pole-shift-inducing upsets managed to make their way through the screens and barricades I'd surrounded myself with.

But for the most part, I was safely snuggled in a warm, cozy cocoon of ignorance and bliss. Any leaks that penetrated my fortress of solitude, ironically, seemed only to confirm that my picks were, finally, after years of tournament drought, proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what a savant I was when it comes to sports prognostication.

(Also for the record, my Super Bowl pick does NOT count against my growing reputation as a seer-extraordinaire. That was a perfect storm of freakish proportions.)

I giggled and chuckled. I told myself not to get ahead of myself.

I got WAY ahead of myself…

The problem, as it turned out, was actually TWO problems. One: my first bracket hadn't actually disintegrated and been scattered to the cosmos. It had actually been submitted. I was right that it wasn't very good, though.

And two: my second and third brackets hadn't actually been submitted to the pool that I was trying to submit them to. They'd been entered into some type of national competition open to just about anybody with a pulse and a prayer.

I'm not exactly sure how many people signed up for this "national" challenge, but I'm hoping it's a lot. I'm currently ranked 1,067,467.

But you gotta be in it to win it, right?

Did I do anything right? Not really.

I did not pick Dayton, SF Austin, Harvard or Mercer.

Bad.

I did pick North Dakota State.

Good.

I did have Duke in the Final of one of my brackets.

Very bad.

Generally speaking, I got slapped around like nobody's business.

I was grateful, however, that the site that completely bamboozled me and hoodwinked me straight out of my socks was big enough, in conjunction with the nobody's-bigger-than-us NCAA, to slap the phrase, "Don't Bet On It," right in the middle of every bracket I looked at.

Phew. Once again, the NCAA looking out for us all.

###

Dan Snyder has had a change of heart.

Sort of.

In a letter to fans, Snyder said, "I …. announce the creation of the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation."

The letter continues, "The mission of the Original Americans Foundation is to provide meaningful and measurable resources that provide genuine opportunities for Tribal communities."

(It does not say, 'provide genuine opportunities for Redskins,' which seems odd, right? I mean, given what a positive, enduring, honorable name that is…)

And continues, "Because I'm so serious about the importance of this cause, I began our efforts quietly and respectfully, away from the spotlight, to learn and take direction from the Tribal leaders themselves."

(What it does not say is, 'take direction from Redskin leaders themselves,' again, which is weird. It also doesn't say, 'But now that I've been out of the press for almost two months, the shakes are back and I'm jonesing for some ME, baby!' which is less weird, and only slightly less surprising.)

And continues to continue (it's a loooong letter), "Our work has already begun: As the bitter Arctic winds swept across the Plains this winter, we distributed over 3,000 cold-weather coats to several tribes, as well as shoes to players on boys and girls basketball teams. We assisted in the purchase of a new backhoe for the Omaha Tribe in Nebraska. [W]e currently have over forty additional projects currently in process."

So, Mr. Snyder is going to rescue the Native Americans. Because he's apparently just discovered their plight. Big of him.

Here's an idea that may go a bit further and be a little less transparent: maybe he should call his team The Original Americans.

Just a thought.