Can you hear it? The beginning of spring is coming. It’s not the sound of Robins you hear. It’s the small thumping of basketballs hitting the sweet hardwood. If the NHL playoffs are the greatest playoffs in pro sports (and they are) then March Madness is the creme-de-le-creme of all college athletics.

The conference tournaments are upon us this week and then the madness really get going. 64 teams (I still call the 65th team the “play in winner” no matter what the committee says) playing around the country for the right to arrive in San Antonio as one of the best four teams in the country.

The tournament is when grown men cry, children celebrate, and women chug beers on random Thursday afternoons, all while experiencing the roller coaster of emotions that is March. The opportunity to fill out your brackets and take the bosses money. Filling out each line, skipping your alma mater, because you know that it is best to pick with your brain and not your heart. Inevitably having them playing in the Final Four ever year even though they have been bounced in the first round the last three. When CBS turns into command central with more screens chirping than NASA and One Shining Moment is the month’s theme song. The month when your browser at work set to auto-refresh every 2 minutes and you can watch basketball in your sweats all weekend and not think twice about it.

Yes it is quite possibly the best way to welcome spring and I can’t wait!