Despite the fact that I am 24/7, 365 days a year, baseball, I am aware of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. While the basketball season ended for me and my team 6 weeks ago, the spectacle of the 3-week event still interests me.

The spirit of this blog is that I would rather be sitting in a ballpark (than doing most any other things) and I believe baseball is best enjoyed by attending the games. As a once young college hoops fan, I believed (past tense) that the best way to enjoy the tournament was attending the games (any round). Yet, I’ve never read any personal experiences-I don’t even recall the better writers at SI, writing about the subject.

Because of big bucks the experience has changed over the years and not for the better. The Final Four is now played in large football arenas allowing for more fans to attend.

Some students choose their college/university based on student life, the Greek experience, or even the quality of the revenue-generating sports teams. Schools that aren’t known for their sports programs still can support those teams and that experience can be a positive reason for attending the school.

Whether the school is a perennial winner or a surprise, that first round trip across the country is often one that shapes a student’s college life. Should the team advance to the Final Four, multiply that by 1,000.

When I attended my first final four as a college sophomore the arena (Rupp in Lexington, Ky) was smaller and filled to capacity with alums, students and FF regulars, like my Aunt Pat, Uncle Jerry and their friends, the Romeos. By then they had attended the finals for the past 15 years or so.

Because I was staying at a farm in Kentucky with my cousin, we didn’t spend too much time outside of the arena, save for an hour or so, trying to unload an extra ticket. By today’s standards, Rupp was cozy (20,000 fans) and an ideal place to enjoy an important game. Thankfully, today’s earlier rounds are played in arenas the size of Rupp.

Ten years later, I attended my second and last Final Four in Seattle at the Kingdome with my Uncle Jerry and his daughter and son-in-law. The experience couldn’t have been more different as it had a seating capacity of 65,000 for football. Perched in the 300 level seats, the court looked like a postage stamp.

While attending the game was a bit of a downer, the overall experience was tremendous. Of course, the company played a big part in that and the ability to explore a new city. Somehow, I was able to figure out where the basketball related action was at. I’ve since forgotten the name of the host hotel, but I found it and enjoyed seeing all of the college hoops royalty gathered in the lobby. My fondest memory of that afternoon was seeing John Havlicek wearing his OSU leather jacket holding court in a overstuffed chair. College coaches and players stopped by for his blessing and words of wisdom. Lesser assistant coaches were gathered outside trying to sell their ticket allotments to supplement their meager salaries.

Another highlight was finding the local sports bar that was hosting broadcast and coaching legend, Al McGuire. And despite the boisterous lunch crowd getting to chat with him on Final Four weekend was something I’ll never forget. Unlike my first final four, I didn’t have a horse in the race, but the excitement of the moment was greater than other sporting events. I still remember what the specific fan bases were feeling.

Attending games in arenas that weren’t meant for college basketball isn’t the best way to watch the game. I’d rather watch these three games in the comfort of my own house or a local establishment. However, attending first round games at smaller arenas for fieldhouses is an ideal setting for college hoops. Every so often, the committee gets it right and places schools closer to home. These first-round games are more affordable and are more accessible to alums and students.

As miserable as the Rosemont Horizon was for seeing college hoops, I look back at the 1993 first round as one of my favorite basketball experiences and not just because Jason Kidd and Cal bounced the Dukies from the tournament. Feeding off the energy of the various schools at their hotels got us pumped. How else do you get worked up for SMU-BYU?

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to see some wonderful teams and games. However, my favorite experiences have been in the company of others-equally as interested in seeing the games. Jumping on another team’s bandwagon is best enjoyed in person. It helps if your school shares the same colors or even mascot.

As nice a job as CBS does with the final games, there is a void in capturing the smaller moments along the way. I’m sorry that there aren’t any journalists trying to capture those moments. Each year the dynamics change as do the participants. Measuring the highs and lows of a particular game is more than watching the players and coaches. Just look at the fans in the stands-they are living and dying with each missed shot.