Krause: No matter how far away, state tournament games are worth the trip

If you do this job year after year, you learn that there are three times from September through the middle of June you love the most. And those are the two to three weeks during the high school tournaments.In all my years of doing this, I’ve never encountered one that could be called boring. They all pack a lot of excitement and emotion. And despite the admonitions of journalism professors and editors to stay neutral, you find yourself hoping the teams you cover do well. That way, you have an excuse to keep attending the games.We hit the jackpot last fall because we had four football teams make area Super Bowls: Lynnfield, St. Mary’s, Beverly and St. John’s Prep. And make no mistake, if Beverly was the only team that went, I’d have gone to Gillette Stadium.Ditto Danvers last winter. The Falcons were the only team in our area that made it to the Worcester Centrum (I know it’s something else now, but it’ll always be the Centrum to me). So there I went on a chilly Saturday in March.Sunday morning, 9 a.m., at the draftier-than-a-barn in-winter TD Garden? No problem. Just get me a Janitor-in-a-Drum sized coffee from Dunks and I’m all set.I can’t think of too many times I’d ever go to Lowell, except for the tournament. Saturdays at the Tsongas Arena, when the North finals are played? Can’t beat it. I always root for at least one team to make it that far.And I’d never, ever go to Taunton even if it was the last place on earth. Taunton is slightly to the left of Mars. If you miss the turn to the high school, and keep going straight, you’re liable to end up in China. A 5 p.m. game in Taunton is like facing a firing squad. Traffic is just horrendous.There are few, if any, reasons I’d ever go to Taunton. Well, I’ll whittle that down. There’s just one reason: a tournament softball game involving a Lynn team.So that’s where I was Wednesday evening, front and center, to see a truly plucky St. Mary’s team overcome a 3-1 deficit to beat Case to win the Division 3 state semifinal and move on to the state final in Worcester.I’m not alone in this penchant for following teams around. People with far fewer reasons that I do make these treks annually. Regardless of which Lynn team is fortunate to make it to Lowell, or the Garden, you see a healthy representation of the Lynn basketball cognoscenti there to watch. Same with baseball. Last year, the closest we got to being able to claim a state title in baseball was North Reading, where Lynn legend Frank Carey coaches. But all the Lynn baseball aficionados went to Fitton Field in Worcester to see it.Every March, after the winter tournaments end, I almost go through withdrawal until the weather warms up (well, except for this year) and I can watch a ballgame without shivering.So, lest any of you wonder where I’ll be Saturday, that’s easy. I’ll be at Worcester State University – another place I’d never visit otherwise – to see the Spartan softball team take on Assabet Valley.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].