With all due respect to T.S. Eliot (actually, I don't have a lot; I find his work sullen and self-absorbed), August (and not April) is really the cruelest month here in Tucson. We've been in triple-digit heat for three straight months. We had that nasty storm. We've got high humidity. And we've still got another month to go until football season starts and at least a couple months before we experience that glorious day where we walk outside and, for the first time in half-a-year, it feels a little bit cool.

However, on the plus side, we have the Tucson Basketball League playoffs for the Summer 2024 season. We got them started last week with a few games and this week, they're in full swing. The 33 games this week will complete the first round. The semifinal games will be on the 18th and the 15 Divisional Championship games will be on the 25th.

A few notes:

--To be honest, I didn't want to have 15 playoff divisions. But, darn that Math. Of all the possible scenarios, the one with 15 divisions was the one that would best allow us to get the playoffs in without having games at 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. and to have all of the games played on the three main courts. So, 15 it is. The bill for championship shirts is going to hit a new League record.

--We're only four weeks from the start of the next season. You must get your matching shirts/jerseys. Again, they don't have to be fancy. The other night, I reffed a team that had eight guys. Some were wearing T-shirts, other had jerseys. No two had matching stuff on the front. But all of the shirts were black and they all had numbers on the back. That's all we're asking. As I have said, the TBL is already the best. I just want it to be better. We're going to make the stats better and the matching shirts/jerseys are going to help us in that endeavor.

--This is important! Do NOT try to bring anybody new for the playoffs. I know it's cool to win a shirt with my picture on it, but cheating isn't the way to do it. Over the years, a few teams have tried it and we've caught a lot of them. If we catch anybody trying to slip in a ringer, that team will be disqualified from the playoffs and maybe publicly shamed (if I'm feeling mean enough).

--Here's a cool feature (that took me way too long to complete). On the NavBar (the red thing with the various options on it), there's a thing that says "Brackets." Check 'em out. I think you'll really like them.

--Not long after I had posted the schedule for Sunday's game, I got a text from somebody saying, "Please don't have these two teams playing on different courts at the same time. Several of us play on both teams." I was actually surprised by how little I cared. I've told you that I can't keep up with everybody. It gonna' happen. I may try to change one of them, but if it poses more problems than it solves...