Why This Is The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Spring is such a great time of year for so many reasons, but in the world of any sports fan it may be the best time of year.

As we proceed through March, it is time for me share my annual "I Love This Time of Year" post.

The weather breaks and we can finally return to your patios and grills in earnest.

Several stubborn friends of mine refuse to be shut out from their grills by cold weather, but many of us wait until the temperature warms to grab an ice cold beverage and some meat, and stand behind the fire as any red blooded American would appreciate.

Softball season begins. The outdoor basketball and tennis courts are born again.

We can enjoy some good evening jogs or walks without bundling up or trudging through snow and ice.

The windows in our cars can open again and the fresh air can run through our hair as we drive home from work blaring our car stereos, but it is the constant excitement from the world of sports that really ignites our fires.

While we enjoy the outdoors our radios or mini televisions accompany us to keep us up to date with the numerous events and games to watch and follow.

What is the best part of all this excitement?

March brings us Spring Training for our favorite Major League Baseball teams.

Opening Day is just around the corner.

This particular year we have the World Baseball Classic, which is a unique and new format to watch baseball this early.

I find myself enjoying the games when they are on.

Many of the clubs are peppered with major league all stars, but the feelings of resurrection that Opening Day brings are legit.

It feels like a new day dawns as the first pitch is thrown around the country and we renew our love for hot dogs and peanuts, sitting in the bleachers and keeping score.

April brings The Master's which draws the attention of even the most novice of golf fans like myself as we are glued to the television on Sunday as Tiger mounts his traditional march to the top of the leader board.

Normally, I root for the underdog as most people do, but for some reason Tiger draws me in and I want to see him dominate—the contradiction confounds me.

Football is truly the leader in American sports.

So, how can I call this time of year the most wonderful when it is the off-season for this superior sport?

Fortunately, football isn't completely shut out of this time of year.

The NFL Draft is in April and the annual spring games for the college squads take place as well to give us our fix.

For some teams like my beloved Browns, Draft Day is as exciting as a game—maybe even more exciting.

The spring games are where hope springs eternal for big college football programs as they showcase the new recruits and give the fans an opportunity to see their team in pads and uniforms on their home field.

As spring turns into summer, the NBA and NHL progress through their playoffs and Championship series.

I am new to the hockey world, but I recall in seasons past I would enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs and with a home team I can claim allegiance to making a run, I may find myself more invested in the playoffs this year.

The NBA playoffs are also an exciting stretch as the marquee clubs battle it out in several seven game series.

My Cavs is a strong team this year and my investment here will be deep—there will be plenty of emotion and dreams involved in these games, but March is known for the college basketball madness that takes place.

Here is why this makes the spring the most wonderful time.

In the beginning of the month, the conference tournaments bring attention to the bubble teams that are trying to make enough noise to get selected for the big dance or win their conference tournament to earn an automatic bid.

The little known schools begin their dreams here to earn their way into the big dance and possibly an epic upset in the tourney or a magical run that will be remember for years and maybe decades.

We remember the upsets but forget that the conference tourneys were just as exciting and heart pounding for these schools at that time.

Then Selection Sunday becomes an event in itself as we all watch with intense anticipation to see if our school made it, what teams were unfairly shut out (Syracuse in 2008) and what surprises found their ticket punched.

We also examine the match ups and begin our rough drafts of our brackets to enter at the office pool or with friends.

This is where this time of year separates itself from the others.

Football has it gambling niche without a doubt.

The college football set up and, like it or not, creates a playoff like atmosphere for the whole season; the NFL puts out a high quality and exciting product every week.

March Madness is able to combine light hearted wagering with the excitement of last second shots, unexpected upsets and sheer volume of games at one time to create a climatic three week stretch.

Casual fans suddenly come out of the woodwork to enter their brackets and take the money from those who have sat in front of their television nightly to watch the teams play and examined the match ups with more knowledge than the dude in the cubicle next to them who picked teams that sounded the most familiar or the woman who picked according to uniform design or school colors, or the guys who based his picks on which mascots would win in a fight.

This is the beauty of it!

Everybody has a chance and as a result the interest in the games is much higher.

Any bar you go to, the majority of the people have at least a passing interest in the results.

Those “buzzer beaters” are watched with more pairs of eyes than most games and the excitement is awesome!

The brackets alone make this experience unique from all the others.

From filling it out to checking it routinely, there is this tangible piece of paper you carry with you to the bars or your living room or dinner or whatever to see how you are doing.

So, as we all watch the games and are thrilled by the inevitable upsets, the numerous last second buzzer beaters and the display of athleticism, the brotherhood and sisterhood of doing this together as a die hard or casual fan and the hopes of winning the cash is what makes this time of year so great!