March 10th:
NFL Free Agency opens. What makes the NFL so unique is that the vast majority of contracts that are given out during the off-season are not guaranteed contracts where the player earns every dollar that he originally signs for. Teams can cut players and not be financially responsible to pay them other than for the games that they played with the team, so there's always a possibility of a big name being released, much like we saw last week with the Baltimore Ravens and veteran Defensive Lineman Chris Canty. There are always big moves made in free agency, either by contenders trying to push for the Super Bowl, or teams trying to buy their way out of the basement. Last year the Patriots signed Pro-Bowl Cornerback Darrelle Revis on the first day of free agency, and he ended up being a key contributor to the Patriots re-claiming the Lombardy Trophy. Teams still have time to franchise tag their best Unrestricted Free Agents, like Dallas will most likely do with Dez Bryant & Detroit with Ndamukong Suh, but come March 10th there will still be plenty of big name free agents available. (UPDATE: The Lions decided not to use their franchise tag on Ndamukong Suh, thereby making him a free agent on March 10th)
March 17th:
NCAA March Madness starts. This is always one of my favourite sporting events of the year. Granted, I usually don't watch the first round as they're just "play-in" games, but once the second round or "Round of 64" starts, I'm all in. I don't usually watch regular season college basketball games, but I watch the tournament every year, and I cannot wait for it to start this year. I'm going to be really unoriginal and say that I expect Kentucky to win it this year, but I've been wrong once or twice before.
MLB Regular Season starts. As a Red Sox fan, I'm so excited for this year to start. After going worst-first-worst for the past 3 years, I'm optimistic that this group will be able to regain the form they had during their 2013 Championship season. A lot of teams made massive moves in the off-season, most notably the Washington Nationals who have arguably the #1 pitching rotation in the Majors with their addition of Max Scherzer. The 162 game season is a marathon not a sprint, but I'm just excited for another season of baseball (not to mention seeing Hanley Ramirez & Pablo Sandoval take the field for the Sox).
April 9th-12th:
The Masters. Like March Madness, the Masters is the one time a year I watch a sport I don't usually watch. There's just something about Augusta in April, the scenery, the crowd, it's just..perfect. Oh, and my guess to win this year is Rory McIlroy (did you really expect anyone else?).
April 11th:
The final day of the NHL's Regular Season. This final Saturday of the NHL season could see a few "winner take all" games to get into the playoffs, which will either start on the following Monday or Wednesday. The NHL Playoffs are so entertaining and fast paced, and they can't start soon enough. Chicago was originally my pick to win the Stanley Cup this year, but with superstar Patrick Kane sidelined for 12 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery, that looks a lot less likely to happen. As of right now, I have no idea who's going to win this year, but I would like to see a young team like Tampa Bay or St. Louis make some noise.
April 18th:
NBA Playoffs start. Can LeBron James bring a Championship to Cleveland? Can the Splash Brothers carry Golden State? Can Chicago survive without Derrick Rose? Can the Atlanta Hawks and their amazing starting 5 win the championship without a bonafide superstar? Can the leagues leading scorer James Harden lead the Rockets to the promised land? Lots of questions going into the NBA Playoffs this year, but with so many young, competitive teams coming out of the stacked Western Conference and LeBron James and the Cavaliers heating up (18-4 since January 15th), the playoffs are bound to be filled with storylines and excitement.
April 29th:
The NFL Draft. Ohh baby I'm excited for this one. Quarterback Jameis Winston seems like a lock to go #1 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but with the depth in this years draft class especially with the abundance of talented pash-rushers, a lot of teams will be able to improve their defence through the draft this year. Also don't be surprised to see a lot of trades on draft day.
May 2nd:
The list concludes with the much-hyped Floyd Mayweather & Manny Pacquiao fight. The eyes of the sporting world will be on Las Vegas when these two enter the ring and attempt to prove themselves as the greatest boxer of a generation. While this fight might be five years too late, it's still bound to be a classic. Mayweather just turned 38, and Pacquiao is 36. Picture Manning vs Brady, with two stars who are past their primes duelling it out to legitimatize their respective legacies.
- Cameron
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