While watching the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” on the tube not too long ago, I couldn’t help but notice the last word uttered in the movie is “madness.”

Hearing that word made me wonder if the Oscar-showered epic had been released to the public in March, because in contemporary times you cannot hear “madness” without a knee-jerk word-association reaction to the third month.

Most people associate March Madness with college basketball tournaments, mainly the NCAA men’s, which has evolved into a cash cow nearly as platinum-hided as the Super Bowl and the World Series.

Yet there is another form of March Madness.

I’m not talking about all the coaches – hey, live with Syracuse’s snub, Jim! – and commentators – who cares if Drexel was dumped on, Dick? – fuming. That’s just March Mad, an inevitability.

The other form is the maddening indecision about fantasy baseball league draft choices – a crap shoot that makes bracketology look like the chemical table.

With most drafts scheduled in a couple of weeks, fantasy fanatics are down to flipping coins and drawing names out of hats. Everybody knows who the stars are, but you win by completing your roster with players you think will have productive years.

If you’re in a 12-team league, chances are you’ll be able to select a quality roster top to bottom. But if you’re in a 16-team league, you’ll be in trouble if you choose wannabes and once-weres incorrectly.

That brings us to the Kansas City Royals.

As you can imagine, K.C. players have been anathema to fantasy baseball players over the last couple of years.

Some did tap Mike Sweeney, only to be burned when K.C.’s captain suffered injury after injury. Nobody, it’s safe to say, will waste a pick on Sweeney this time, not until he proves he isn’t a 33-year-old in a 53-year-old’s body.

Mark Teahen is the best bet off the Royals’ roster, but only if you’re in a 16-team league. Teahen showed flashes of potential last season, but you have to wonder how his psyche has been affected by his shift from third base to right field.

That’s no way to treat a young player. By dumping Teahen into its only lineup vacancy, K.C. bosses are saying Alex Gordon is a better third baseman and that Teahen isn’t good enough to beat out Ryan Shealy at first base or Emil Brown in left field.

That’s another form of madness. Brown is nothing more than a reserve outfielder in a 12-team league, and I wouldn’t waste a pick on Shealy, a huge right-handed hitter whose strikeout-to-walk ratio would be the worst on the club if it weren’t for strike-zone-challenged Angel Berroa, the worst shortstop in the major leagues.

Pitcher Gil Meche is a draft possibility. Meche won’t win many games, but he’ll help your strikeout total. Forget all the other K.C. pitchers.

What about David DeJesus and Mark Grudzielanek? Don’t worry, if you want them they’ll be available in the post-draft player pool, along with John Buck and the other K.C. suspects.