This commences my favorite patch on the yearly sports calendar. Look around. Take it in. Breathe deeply, as if appreciating a fine Cabernet, your love's favorite perfume or the barn area at a racetrack. OK, not that last thing. But the others.
Everything comes together …
Baseball dawns anew with the unhurried rollout of spring training.
NASCAR's engines ignite.
College basketball's March Madness looms into view.
The NBA celebrates its All-Star Weekend.
Galloping horses kick up dirt.
The PGA Tour heads here, and tennis, too.
Hockey bears down on its playoffs.
The NFL Scouting Combine means the draft is close.
And, of course, best of all, the Cricket World Cup is under way after opening ceremonies held at Bangabandhu Stadium in Bangladesh.
Cricket can be confusing to many Americans, such as how it is common for a losing team to be beaten in a game by 60 or even 100 runs, which we don't see in this country, except with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But, peculiarities aside, I love any sport whose position players include a gully, a midwicket and a fine leg. I cannot count the hours I have spent debating – as I'm sure you have! – the comparative greatness of Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.
You tell me India or maybe Australia will win this 10th World Cup? I parry your thrust on Sri Lanka's behalf with six simple words: Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan. Boo-ya!
By the way, I must say I am little bit proud of myself. This will be the first time in Random Evidence history that I have referenced the sport of cricket without gratuitous mention of the word "Jiminy."
Damn!
• The WNBA will air a 30-second commercial during Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in its new "Basketball is Basketball" ad campaign. That's probably better than the other marketing slogan the WNBA considered: "We're Like the NBA. Only Not Nearly As Exciting Or Good."
• Kobe Bryant has become the first athlete to put his hands in concrete near Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater. Sadly, Bryant will miss Sunday's game in Los Angeles. Turned out it was quick-set cement.
• A heckler in Detroit engaged the Heat's LeBron James about his mother. I thought that was quite an effort for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to fly in from Cleveland like that.
• The Honda Classic in Palm Beach on March 3-6 will be the first PGA Tour event under a new policy allowing fans to carry mobile devices such as cellphones. I already look forward to the final round, when a teenage girl obliviously text-messaging wanders onto the 18th green, kicks the winning putt and then types, "OMG!"
• The Marlins' payroll bump to $60 million beats five other teams, making the owner still cheap, but not as cheap. It's like a diner tossing another buck on the table to increase his tip to an even 10 percent.
• The Marlins held their last FanFest in the old stadium Saturday after earlier in the week conducting a ceremonial batting practice in the still-being-built new park. Cannot confirm the frugal Marlins plan to cut costs on batting helmets next year by having players wear leftover construction hardhats.
