At this point, we all know Cinderella won’t be dancing at this year’s Final Four in Atlanta.
But really, when you think about it, it’s only a petty disappointment in what is always the best season for sports and for sports fans.
This is but another example proving how amazing and blessed the month of March is for viewers and athletes everywhere.
The list of reasons for “Blessed March” is long, well-rounded, well-known and chock full of substance.
I’m not breaking the list down to all of its nuts and bolts here – that discussion deserves and has seen plenty of attention, more than I could give here.
Simply put, the weeks from mid-February to mid-April, with March Madness smack in the middle, consistently provide more excitement in more sports than any other time of the year.
I’ve only now realized that in all likelihood I’m a sports nut because I was born into this blessed sporting season.
I mean, when your birthday falls on the weekend of the Final Four for several years in a row and your birthday parties become Final Four parties there might be something larger than coincidence at work.
Like V said repeatedly in “V for Vendetta,” there are no coincidences.
It’s too much to believe that so many different sports could reach a fever pitch in a little more than a month.
In a nutshell, some highlights of the month of March include:
The men’s and women’s college hoops seasons come to their classic, entertaining ends in Madness.
Major League Baseball heats up in sunny Florida and Arizona in preparation for the upcoming season, and then starts that season on an Opening Day that receives more fanfare than just about any other sport.
The NBA and NHL race toward their respective playoffs with a furious finish in March and April, a stretch drive that usually includes more teams than the NFL or the MLB.
Golf gets serious with the Masters in the beginning of April, setting off four months of Grand Slam hype and hopes.
Colleges see skiing and hockey seasons end, while spring sports are so eager to start that they begin their seasons playing around snowbanks (see other photos in this section for lacrosse, baseball, softball).
How could you be born in that time frame and not be affected?
There’s just something about March and watching the bench-warmers for a 14-seed go crazy as their on-court teammates go about defeating a powerhouse three-seed.
It’s that kind of emotion that you just can’t seem to rekindle any other time of year, the kind that makes March so special
So, let’s go our separate ways- back to the TV of course- to soak up more of the Madness, the emotion, the blessing.
Blessed March – it’s just that time of year.
