Article:My Time of Year

Hey Fans,

I just love this time of year.

St. Patty's Day is alway fun and then the sports floodgates open up.

March Madness leads up to the Final Four and all those zany office pools. I'm already committed to three different pools. I don't quite understand the need for all these college league tournaments, other than to make more money for ESPN and offer some sub .500 teams a chance to win the tournament and earn an undeserved spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The MLB season starts, sometimes with snow on the ground in the Northeast. I'm part of two Fantasy Leagues. The NFL Draft is always exciting, especially when my favorite NFL team has a Top 10 pick. I always admire the great job Chris Berman does hosting this marathon. He must consume large amounts of Red Bull or Coke's new Enviga (I had some and it was pretty good).

And then for all you golfers, there's the one and only Masters, which for the first time will have its first two rounds on ESPN. Now, Chris Berman finally has a way to get on Augusta.

There's truth to the rumor, "there's nothing called bad publicity". In spite of all the steroid stories in the off season, MLB is projected to have it's first ever 80 million in attendance season. Spurred on in part by the last year of Yankee Stadium, a little bit by Shea Stadium's last year as well (thank goodness, the place is a dump) as well as the Nationals' new ballpark. Boy, did that stadium get approved, developed and built in a hurry.

The fact that MLB ticket prices have increased 12 fold since 1972 - and that's after being adjusted for inflation has had little effect on demand. Sort of like our dependence/reliance on oil.

Don't expect much out of the Dodgers and Padres the beginning of the regular season. They both play in China next week and will need sometime to get reacquainted with Americanized Chinese food.

What's up with John Daly? These loveable Teddy Bear of a guy lost his swing coach and got kicked out of Arnold Palmer's PGA event in the same day. Can't this guy just get along?

If you have a few hundred thousand laying around you might want to join the online auction for Barry Bonds' last home run, #762 next week. Why someone would do so is beyond me.

Until next time.

Chuck T