This is a column.

This is a column on March Madness.

In other words, March Madness is a drug. That is, if you caught the reference I made to the infamous drug awareness commercial.

No matter where you are, whether you’re sitting courtside at one of the arenas or watching the action on the couch in your Turlock home, the NCAA Tournament is a drug that grabs you by the neck and does not let go.

And these days, the greatest postseason in any sport at any level is the perfect metaphorical hot chocolate for our rainy days. The wet weather has caused area high schools and Cal State Stanislaus to postpone games. The wet weather is the reason why we couldn’t watch Turlock High baseball take on Merced High in a crucial Central California Conference game on Thursday, especially when the Bulldogs were undoubtedly thinking revenge after losing to the Bears two days earlier. The weather is a reason why other athletes in the Turlock area can’t practice or compete.

But don’t worry.

The NCAA Tournament is here.

This year, it’s another crazy, unpredictable one. I’m certain your bracket is busted. Mine is. But that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We all like suspense, either it be in movies or men’s college basketball. Butler University is one again a giant killer. The lower seeds are the ones who are picking on the bigger, badder bullies in the schoolyard. Analysts are in jeopardy of losing their jobs, because their predications are as good as yours and mine.

People in offices across the country are prepared to crumple their brackets into a bad memory, ready to be tossed into the wastebasket.

Again, this is the way we like it.

We don’t need to be associated with any school in the NCAA Tournament to enjoy the drama. We want to see heroes fall and losers prevail or vice versa. We can’t get enough of it. But we know it will end soon. Even so, no one can truly predict the ending.

It’s that kind of drug.

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.