SPORTS
Third month definitely a charm
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Also by Aaron Brenner:
- Rockies owe Brew Crew their thanks (October 19, 2007)
- Slow start kills chance of repeat (March 21, 2007)
- Wisconsin loses shot to defend title (March 19, 2007)
- Better than advertised: Elliott still 'superb' (March 15, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Badgers face month off (December 11, 2003)
- Brewers' season baffles fan base (September 5, 2007)
- Rugby football: perfect cure for sufferers of gridiron hangover (February 17, 2005)
- Smart play by Engel deserves some glory (March 29, 2006)
- Rohrman's squad set to face off with OSU (October 1, 2004)
by Aaron Brenner
Thursday, March 2, 2006
The 12-month calendar system is a strange one. Most months have 31 days; some have 30; there's even a fun little phrase to help remember which month has which amount of days. And with no plausible way to explain it!
Well, there is one part of the calendar that is easily understood. You know why February is the shortest month, with just 28 sunrises and sunsets?
The calendar gods are all sports fans. They want to end their misery ASAP.
I'm telling you, I woke up yesterday with a smile on my face. And not just because that lame-ass picture of Meg on my "Family Guy" calendar was replaced by Brian, America's favorite animated pooch, drinking a martini.
The 1st of March marks the end of the inevitable post-Super Bowl hangover and the start of a truly spectacular time in sports. A time of athletically-oriented excitement. A time of, well, March Madness.
That, readers, would bring me to the primary reason why you gotta love March.
It doesn't get much better than a 65-team, dog-eat-dog, win-or-die, single-elimination bracket tournament, pitting the most dedicated (maybe not the most talented, but something tells me those NBA players aren't quite as passionate) hoopsters in the country against one another. There's just so much intrigue attached to the NCAA tournament …
Who will make the bracket? Who will be the next UW-Milwaukee and make a surprising run through? Which players will shine? Who will punch their ticket for Indianapolis, and who will watch the Final Four from their couches?
Our hometown Badgers might not last as long as they did last year, but even if they get knocked out early, there's still much reason to follow the Madness.
The reason I'm most excited for the tournament? The brackets, man! I've never actually been part of a pool before, and the guys and I are absolutely psyched for Selection Sunday. Just 10 days from now we can start furiously filling out who we think will go big or go home over the next month.
Perhaps the worst part of the tournament is that, unfortunately, the Final Four will take place in April this year. I guess this will be like calling Derek Jeter "Mr. November," and we'll have to accept it.
Nonetheless, the tournament stands as just one of several sporting events to watch for. As my co-editor discussed yesterday, there is the inaugural World Baseball Classic that begins today. This should be an enjoyable opener to the 2006 MLB season.
I'll be honest, though. My favorite part about this thing is that it has officially pissed off George Whine-brenner. Furious George just looked priceless in his golf cart, playfully threatening to run over reporters as he denounced the WBC.
Will the USA win? Perhaps, but there are some other good teams out there. What I do know, is that I do plan to watch the Classic, and that says a lot for a guy that generally tries to stay away from pre-September hardball.
Missing February yet? Yeah, me neither.
Further, the NBA playoff races are getting interesting. True, at the end of games, pro basketball players are prone to thinking more about hitting the postgame bars than hitting their free throws, but that doesn't stop the action from heating up.
How close can Detroit get to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' total of 72 victories? Can the Mavericks finally knock the Spurs off their perch? Will Kobe or A.I. take home the scoring title? While most of this will be decided in April, this month should clear up the answers a little bit, and there's no reason why the college hoops tourney should overshadow the NBA that much.
In other sports, the NHL gets back into the swing of things following the lackluster Olympic draw, pro tennis features a pair of tournaments that stack up to the Slams in popularity — the Pacific Life and Nasdaq-100 Opens — and golf will showcase the Player's Championship, among other setup events en route to the Masters.
And if none of the above events suits your fancy, Spring Break is a part of March, of course. You just can't beat kicking back on a beach in Cali or Mexico and playing some beach volleyball. Perhaps you'll be hitting the links as the weather begins to heat up. Me, I'll be headed to the ski slopes of Colorado for one last time this winter.
Sure, the Olympics, the Daytona 500 and the SI swimsuit edition were there for us sports fans after the Super Bowl. But they simply don't measure up to the marvels of March.
What's your favorite part of March? Send your thoughts on the year's best sports month to Aaron at abrenner@badgerherald.com.
