Most kids spend their first years on this planet engulfed by the emotions of one of two fervent states: birthday season and holiday season -- that beautiful stretch that begins with a bucket full of candy in October and ends with a stockpile of new belongings in December. If the two happened to overlap, whatever, it just doubled the intensity, which was more than enough to carry any 7-year-old through the offseason.
Things were a little bit different in the Rutherford household.
The youngest of three boys (and the older brother to a Barbies-over-sports little sister) looked forward to Christmas as much as all of his friends, but he also harbored an extreme fascination, almost an obsession, with the NCAA Tournament that trumped any observance of turning another year older.