GoSh(aved)

Moral of this story: never make a bet with yourself especially when others hear you.

Prior to the start of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament, on Selection Sunday my friend who goes by Gosh (a shortened version of his last name) was disappointed in the region and seeding the Michigan State Spartans were placed in. He thought they had absolutely no chance of making it to the Final Four because of the likelihood of playing Syracuse, Duke and Kentucky. So on Selection Sunday he said to everyone, "If State makes it to the Final Four, I will shave my head and put an 'S' into it." Then he proceeded to ask me, "Jason, you in with me? If Washington makes it to the Final Four, will you shave your head?" And there was no way I was going to make the same claim because Washington was given a Number 1 Seed. Are you crazy?

Well, when Michigan State pulled off the unlikely a weekend ago by earning a trip to the Final Four, and Gosh lived up to his word. Yesterday, I volunteered to shave his head. But the tricky part was shaping an 'S' with his remaining hair. I didn't completely shave his head bald because he would have to go to work on Monday, and still look respectable. However, I was having some difficulty shaping the 'S' because this was only the second time I've given anyone a haircut. So I asked my friend's wife to help me. I turn around for maybe 20 seconds, and the next thing I know there's this nice patch shaved into Gosh's head. Ooops. Her bad. I couldn't help laughing, but at the same time I felt really terrible.

That was a bad omen. Michigan State ended up losing to North Carolina in a poor shooting performance by the Spartans. Hair clippers = $30. Green and white hair gel = $15. One shaved head plus patch = $0. Michigan State losing = painful. One funny story = priceless.