First of the Month: April 2009

Friends, welcome to the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar: Awesome April, where the sports world has much to offer; showers and flowers combine for a grand mix; and quirky celebrations make it 30 days you don't want to miss. Welcome to the first week, where the Motor City's Ford Field will host the Men's Final Four, a field that includes the home-state Spartans of Michigan State. Just across the Midwest, the women will be playing under the arch for a title in St. Louis. And don't forget WWE's Wrestlemania 30th anniversary on Sunday night. (Yes, the Undertaker is still throwing people in coffins.) Later in the month we see the Masters golf tournament; the Detroit Lions make the first overall pick in the NFL draft; the return of the "boys of summer" as MLB opens; and the start of the NHL and NBA playoffs. April has long been known for its rain, but it also brings us the first true sign of green – not just Spartan green. April is when cherry blossoms are in full bloom and tulips come out of the ground for two consecutive days with above 70-degree weather. And finally, April brings anniversaries and holidays. This month America remembers the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shootings in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20th. (This is one of those remember when moments, and when you give thanks.) On April 18th the nation celebrates Record Store Day so go to your local shop. And not to be forgotten, today we celebrate April Fools Day.



And what would our beloved April be without birthdays? Um . . . well . . . probably a Monday morning without your cup-of-Joe? Anyway, on Friday Simon Cowell’s prodigy Leona Lewis turns 24 the same day as skier Picabo Street turns 38. On the 7th, Russell Crowe turns the big 44 exactly three days before Steven Segal “Under Sieges” into the big 57. On the14th baseball-legend-turned-baseball-crook-turned-baseball-something, Pete Rose, turns 68 one day after Max Weinberg of Conan and the E Street Band turns a decade earlier. On the 26th Master P will “Make EM Say Ugh” as he turns 38 exactly one day before NASCAR Great Michael Waltrip races into his 46th birthday the same day music legend Willie Nelson smokes to celebrate number 76.

First of the Month: March 2009

Hip-Hip-Hooray, it’s the third month in the Gregorian calendar and boy has March poured along the eastern seaboard with some surprising weather. So as everyone living from Augusta, Georgia, to Augusta, Maine looks in disbelief, I can’t help but remind you that “ March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” (That's right.) And in between all of that lamb, lion talk there's plenty of celebrations to make you glad that February is over. March is full of great occasions. For example, we're in the midst of Women's History Month; all week long the most populous County, Los Angeles, is calling this "no cussing week"; Sunday the 8th is daylight saving (not savings) time (remember spring forward); St Patty's Day is the 17th, one day before Megan Clark celebrates another birthday; the March Madness of NCAA's Road to the Final Four starts with the 15th’s Selection Sunday, which also is the day the American Legion was founded in 1919; and as crazy as this sounds, Spring starts on the 20th.

And what March be without birthdays? To kick off birthdays a day late let’s celebrate Jon Bon Jovi’s big 47 today, exactly eight days before Canadian director Paul Haggis of “Crash” and “Casino Royale” turns 56 on March 10th – the same day Chuck Norris kicks his way to a stellar 69. On March 16th, we celebrate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s 76th birthday exactly six days before Wolf Blitzer talks about his roots in Buffalo and celebrates his 61st with Andrew Lloyd Webber, who turns the same age and will probably talk about the “Phantom of the Opera” and how he grew up in London’s Phantom area.