They start out as longshots, dark horses, sleepers, and underdogs. But since the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament introduced its seeding system in 1979, the biggest overachievers in the Big Dance have all come to be better known as "Cinderellas." Now-- with the parity of the 2013 season turning upsets into inevitabilites -- it's time to put the tournament's most surprising performances in their proper historical context. These are college basketball's 40 Greatest Cinderella Runs of the modern era.

Of course, like the committee on Selection Sunday, there are certain key attributes we looked for when putting this list together. First and foremost, our definition of a Cinderella team includes ONLY teams that won at least two games during their tournament run; overcoming a relatively low seed and tough draw in the process. This means that we're drawing a distinct line between schools that pulled off one shocking upset (like Coppin State in 1997 or Norfolk State last year) and those that actually put together a prolonged run into the Sweet Sixteen or beyond. If the shoe fits, you've got to wear it more than once. A Cinderella ain't no one one-trick pony!

Also, a Cinderella needn't be an obscure mid-major school previously unheard of to the general public. Representatives of the Big 6 conferences are welcome here, too, so long as they entered the tournament with low seeds and lower expectations. The thinking here is, if you can't include the 1983 N.C. State team on a Cinderella list, what good is it?

So... if the ground rules are understood-- and with all apologies to the fine programs of the pre-seeding era-- let us begin the countdown. Here are your 40 most memorable March Madness Cinderella Teams, ranked on a scale from "terrific" to "totally effing legendary."

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We have always had a healthy respect for, and appreciation of, our fellow Cleveland sports fans.

Fans of the Browns, Cavs and Indians are passionate, there’s no questioning that. And, by and large, we are an intelligent bunch – even if we don’t always get credit for it. Trust us, we lived outside of New York City for seven years after college and were surrounded by Yankee and Knick fans who are allegedly sophisticated and knowledgeable. We quickly learned, however, that when it comes to New Yorkers, knowledgeable is just a code for loud and obnoxious.

But we digress.

The psyche of many Cleveland fans took a big hit in the October of 1995 when  the Indians made the World Series for the first time in 41 years and an incompetent Art Modell – the only person who ever lost money owning an NFL team – announced that he was moving the Browns to Baltimore.

Those two events, coming within a few weeks of each other, short-circuited many fans brains as the extreme joy of seeing the Indians compete for a championship clashed with the utter despair of watching the soul of Cleveland sports taken away.

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Out Of Bounds, 1-13-12

Last night, “Evil Lars” got out of his cage. I try to keep him under control, because he really doesn’t treat me very nicely. He drinks too much, and winds up out God-only-knows-where until the wee hours of the morning, times reserved for the younger generations with stronger constitutions and less responsibilities.

And as a result, today, I have a blistering all-day hangover.

Spending a day fighting a hangover while trying to be a responsible citizen is no easy task. Being honest, I didn’t exactly get my productivityup to 11 today. No amount of coffee was going to lift the fog to do that. I did manage to crank it up to a 6 here and there, and didn’t throw up (that I know of), so I’m claiming victory. Even if the scoreboard indicates otherwise.

Overcoming a hangover is a process, a delicate process. Try to do too much, and you puke, and you’re back to square one. There are quick-fixes out there like Five Hour Energy, which are just expensive snake oils. No, give me some greasy hash browns, hamburgers, and liberal supplies of coffee, and things will eventually correct themselves. They haven’t yet, and it’s 7:30 PM, but considering the woeful hunk of flesh the cat drug into my hotel room last night, I’m just about there. One more burger should do the trick.

The Cleveland Browns, too, are fighting the football equipment of a hangover.

Messirs Policy, Davis, Savage, and Mangini played the role of Evil Lars in this show, doing to the franchise  the equivalent of Jager bombs at the Golden Banana until 3 AM. Mike Holmgren takes over and awakes sore, smelling like a donkey, parched, and on the verge of regurgitating anything that comes near him, while his impatient boss, us fans, demand he put a winner on the field.

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There are a plethora of things to discuss pertaining to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the Blue Jackets are reportedly shopping this year’s first round draft pick and the NHL GM Meetings are taking place this week in Boca Raton, FL. As the NHL playoff chase continues on its upward track to its April 7 crescendo, a lot of focus is on the future rather than the present both for the Blue Jackets and the NHL.

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