The Most Wonderful Time...

March Madness is here, ladies and gentlemen, as you are well aware if you haven't been living under a rock for the last week.

I just wanted to make a little list of some of my favorite things about this time of year, especially in 2011:

1. Yogi's Marathon Day - This Thursday is not only the first day of the tournament (not counting the play-in games) but it's also St. Patrick's Day?! Ohhh man. Who smells trouble?

This will be the fourth year in a row for the all-day Yogi's marathon in the little bar, and when you're already planning for something back in December, I mean, how can I even overstate how excited I am? I will eat chili (with cheddar, onions, and green peppers on top), Caesar salad, wings (hot garlic? Hawaiian fire?), and certainly one of my new favorites, the pot roast melt, which has somehow eluded me all these years.

Oh, and there's also basketball. Some unbelievably epic games always seem to happen Thursday (see: Last year and the year before), and of course quarters will be flying back and forth all day long on every possible bet.

2. The Bulls are in first place in the East! At 48-18 after dumping the Wizards today (even without Boozer and Noah), this team is a force to be reckoned with, and a joy to watch. Too bad we can't say the same about IU basketball. They also busted out the green jerseys today. Which is sweet.

3. Northwestern's annual NIT trip. For once, can we please get out of the first round, guys? For the record, Noffke and I are doing an NIT bracket challenge, and we both have the 'Cats making the Elite Eight. He has Va Tech winning. I've got Colorado. Regardless, should be a pretty solid tourney this year. God willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll have more NIT coverage SOON.

NU plays UW-Milwaukee (Bruce Pearl's former team) at Evanston tomorrow.


4. Uh, the actual Big Dance. Let me remind you of just a few people. Kevin Pitsnogle. Ali Farokhmanesh. The Western Kentucky Hilltopper. Excited yet?


5. Bloomington in springtime. It's supposed to be 58 tomorrow. And 70 and sunny on Thursday. Ohhhhhh yes.

6-10: Gus Johnson. No further comment. Enjoy this website.