The flipping of the calendar is soon upon us, and as the Daily doesn't actually publish on Saturday, March 1, we're getting excited in advance, or at least on deadline.
And in the world of sports, it's hard to beat the in-like-a-lion-out-like-a-lamb month. (September makes a strong bid.) So here they are, six days early: the top 10 reasons we're mad about March.
10. Spring break: Whether you're headed south or doing whatever it is that other, paler people do in March, Spring Break is as much a part of college life as... midterms.
9. Women's History Month: Also, it's Kidney Month, according to the National Kidney Foundation. So give a shout-out to the ladies in your life and be grateful for renal health.
8. The overlap: Right here at Tufts, several Jumbos teams will move into the postseason just as spring seasons officially begin. It's possible that the women's basketball team will be in the NCAA Tournament and competitors from track and field will be in Ada, Ohio at the NCAA Championships, just as softball and men's lacrosse start defending their 2007 NCAA seasons, all in the same weekend.
7. Two words: spring training. Who doesn't love the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues?
6. Facebook pools: What better way to show you are better than your friends than by beating them at picking the results of 63 random games? And you can win money to boot!
5. St. Patty's Day: The one day where everyone can be Irish and you won't get weird looks for having green hair. Plus, this year you get to be drunk on a Monday.
4. The second half of the NBA season: The surprising amount of gutsy trade-deadline activity has ratcheted up the stakes and made for some intriguing storylines to follow in the second half of the season: Will Shaq mesh in Phoenix? Will Kidd mesh in Dallas? Were Cavs GM Danny Ferry's moves enough of a pressure valve to keep LeBron James from punching the next front-office guy he sees?
3. The Spring Equinox: March 20 marks the first official day of spring, which means flowers bursting into bloom and trees turning green again... as long as you're outside New England.
2. The Ides of March: Good for everyone not named Julius Caesar. March 15 marks anniversary of the Roman dictator's assassination. And if a historical date like that doesn't grab you, just move back one day to March 14: Pi Day - delicious!
1. March Madness: You can't beat it. Well, maybe if we had all the upsets, all the tension, all the buzzer-beaters and none of the Dick Vitale.
