March has something for every taste

Ilike the month of March.

This is not a new decision on my part. Rather, it is a gradual realization that March might be one of my favorite months of the year.

Certainly, I like it a lot better than January – with its post-Christmas season exhaustion. And I like it better than February. It’s impossible to get excited about Ground Hog’s Day, unless you are a resident of Punxsutawney. And, let’s be honest – Valentine’s Day is a holiday that was created by women. Guys celebrate it because they have to … or else. Sorry for the brutal honesty. But March is an actionpacked month, that portents the arrival of spring and provides a number of reasons to wake up in the morning and provide a fulfilling answer to the daily good-attitude question, “What am I excited about today?”

A quick look at my calendar and there is something on almost every day. Here is a list of the events that make March such a special month:

Tre Bicchieri

This is an annual wine tasting event sponsored by Gambero Rosso, the upscale magazine that is the Italian equivalent of America’s Wine Spectator. It is a huge invitation-only event for the wine and food industry, and the media.

This year’s New York event (other stops – Chicago and San Francisco) was held on Friday, in the mammoth Metropolitan Pavilion on Manhattan’s Flatiron Section. More than a thousand people attend, to taste some of the 200-plus top-rated Italian wines that have been released recently.

Smell. Sip. Swish. Swallow. Take some notes.

That is the order for much of the day – until moderate temperance takes over. Then. Smell, Sip, Swish, Spit, Take notes. Without use of the “spit” step, the notes quickly become illegible.

Many of the finest, highpriced wines of the year are on display … with the winemaker standing on the other side of the table to explain the process. But the big thrill, for me, is to find a few hidden gems that received the same rating as wines selling for more than $200 a bottle, at a much lower price.

Once again, the search is on for that great $15 to $30 bottle of Italian wine.

Spring Training

Coinciding with the flip of the calendar, baseball’s spring training broke out all over Florida and Arizona. The spring version of the sport is almost more enjoyable than the real thing.

Small ballparks, relaxed setting, much lower prices. And the chance to see the stars of tomorrow as they fight for a roster

spot with a Major League team.

My first spring training was in 1977 … and I have missed only a handful since.

This year will bring a few more visits to Spectrum Field in Clearwater. All eyes will be on the Phillies’ budding stars – Rhys Hoskins, J.P. Crawford, Jorge Alfaro and, especially, Scott Kingery.

And, of course, they will be discussed thoroughly by the crowd of Phillies fans at Lenny’s, Clearwater’s iconic breakfast spot.

St. Patrick’s Day

This is the chance for everyone to be Irish … for a day. Nobody throws a party like the Irish.

My favorite years were way in the past … but the memories are quite vivid.

St. Paddy’s Day was the favorite day of the year for legendary Times Herald sports editor, the late Red McCarthy. He planned a full day of hopping from one watering hole to another. And, as a young member of the sports staff, I got to be his driver.

Each year ended with the grand finale, a visit to Fiddler’s Green Restaurant on Beidler Road in King of Prussia. A packed house always greeted the “Smilin’ Irishman” upon his annual entrance.

Fiddler’s Green closed many years ago and the location has re-opened as Screwballs Sports Bar and Grille. Under the ownership of Tom McGrath, there is little doubt the revelry will continue on March 17.

St. Joseph’s Day – March 19 is a festive day for many Italian families. The feast day of St. Joseph was a special day in my family … with a grandmother named Josephine. It was the one day of the year she was spoiled.

Highlight was the consumption of a St. Joseph’s Cake, also called a “Zeppole di San Giuseppe” in Italy. It is a sweet custard cream or ricotta-filled pastry that is sinfully good.

While the iconic South Philadelphia bakeries – Termini’s, Isgro’s and Potito’s and Varallo’s – have long been famous for St. Joseph’s Cake, Montgomery County has caught on. A few locations that will be selling their version, on or about March 19, are Corropolese Bakery (4 locations), Collegeville Bakery Napoletana and Roma Bakery in Blue Bell.

March Madness

We saved the best for last.

The basketball bedlam begins this week with the conference championship tournaments. And it kicks into high gear on Sunday with the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. Millions of fans across the country will start filling out their tournament pools, as soon as the brackets are announced.

For many, myself included, this is the most exciting sports period of the year. A total of 68 teams will play through three grueling weeks – until there is one standing.

In reality, most years, there are only a few teams that stand a reasonable chance of cutting down the nets on that first Monday in April. This year is different. A good argument could be made for any one of 20 teams becoming the ultimate champ.

How much do I love the NCAA Tournament?

One year I had a bit of minor surgery that required me to stay in bed, moving as little as possible, for a couple of days. For someone with a hyperactive motor, that was equivalent to a death sentence.

Instead, I scheduled the surgery for first thing on Thursday morning – on the opening day of the NCAA Tournament. I was back home and in bed with pain medication, beverages and snacks nearby – by the start of the first game at 11 a.m. For two days I watched every game, until the wee hours of the morning, stayed in bed and was the perfect patient.

Let the Madness begin … again.

Bottom line: the month of March has something good for everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Julius Caesar wasn’t too thrilled with the month of March. On March 15, the Ides of March, the Roman emperor was assassinated in a conspiracy led by former friends Cassius and Brutus.

The March moral: Can’t win ‘em all.

Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.