It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It has begun.

This stretch of days from mid-March to mid-April serves as my favorite time of the sports year. In the next month, we will experience all the drama that makes the sporting world so great. Underdogs will rise, miracles will come to fruition, and champions will be crowned.

It all started half an hour ago with the tip-off of Butler and LSU to signal the start of the big dance. The NCAA basketball tourney is without question one of the most dramatic events in all of sports. Anybody can beat anybody and the little minnows are given a chance to take their shots at the whales of college basketball. Forget the NBA, those overpaid babies don't know what it's all about. This is basketball at its best. The passion displayed by these 64 teams over the next 3 weeks will be enough to last the pros for the next 10 years. Of course, like the rest of the world, I've filled out my bracket and North Carolina is my national champion. I don't really care for the Heels too much, but as long as Ty Lawson doesn't miss more than the first weekend, it's their tournament to lose.

But hey who knows? Nobody. Who called little George Mason going to the Final Four 3 years ago? Provide me that bracket and I'll eat my words.

*My dark horse for the tournament: Michigan State. Tom Izzo has the Spartans playing some good ball right now. But they're not getting much love. I've got them in the championship, falling to Carolina.

In perfect form, the end of the NCAA tournament leads right into my favorite yearly sporting event: The Masters. I say yearly because I must confess the World Cup is my undisputed favorite, but I have to wait 4 years for that one. But there's nothing that beats The Masters. Golf at its highest form. Everyone knows the course, the holes. I can tell you the ins and outs of every single fairway and green at Augusta National. It's the most dramatic golf tournament in the world and it seems to always come down to the back 9 on Sunday. If I could, I would plop myself on the couch and watch The Masters from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and honestly not feel like I'd wasted a second of my day. For me, there's nothing better. Plus, Tiger's back and Phil Mickelson is playing out of his skull right now. The stage is set.

*My dark horse for The Masters: Bubba Watson, the big hitting lefty (and my favorite player... I'm also a south paw) has started 2009 well and performed well last year in his first Masters. If it comes down to the back nine on Sunday, Bubba's got the power to drop two eagles. I'd love to see him in the top 10. If he wins, I'm a prophet and the golf channel needs to get me on the air!