March Madness is upon us. The start of the 2011 Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament is now just days away.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran of the hardcourt or a mascot-loving dilettante, the time has come to sign up for the 2011 Idiots’Books Bracket Challenge. For the second consecutive year, we will be awarding a free subscription to whomever scores the most points. My sister Lindsay, last year’s winner, is eager to meet all comers. She has a knack for picking winners. And she’s a Duke fan. What’s not to like?

Here are basic instructions for the intrepid or foolhardy among you:

Click here.

If you have played an ESPN Fantasy game before, your computer might recognize you and prompt you to “create your entry.” If you are an ESPN Fantasy newcomer, click on the bright red “SIGN UP FOR A FREE ESPN ACCOUNT” button and follow the instructions.

Once you have a user name and password, you should click on the box called “Create Your Entry” and follow the instructions (remember that any of you who played last year already have an ESPN login/password, provided you can remember it). If you get lost in the process of creating your ESPN identity, just go back up to the link above and click it once you have your user name and password and are logged in.

Once your “entry” has been created (your entry is your “name” for this particular game; my entry name is “I Smell a Repeat), search for our group name, IdiotsBracket 2011, join it, and take pleasure in finding your name on the list of sorry suckers my sister Lindsay will soundly trounce over the next three weeks.

Note that you won’t yet be able to make your picks. The field of 68 won’t be determined until Sunday night. But there is no better time than the now to log into ESPN to create your entry and join the group. I’ll do a post on Monday reminding you that it’s time to pick.

For now, leave work immediately, go home, turn on your televisions and watch the hard-hitting conference tournament action. This evening at 7:00, my beloved Duke Blue Devils take on the scrappy Maryland Terrapins in a quarterfinal matchup of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. I’ll either be really happy or totally depressed come 9:00pm.