There is nothing better than waking up to a fresh spring breeze, even if that spring breeze is 30 degrees and full of snow like it is here at Grand Valley State University.

Spring is the best season, bar none, and while the snow and cold is sure to stick around for at least a little while, the professional and college sports scene is sure to heat up quickly.

For GVSU, the baseball, softball and tennis teams will all open their spring seasons with trips to Florida, leaving the rest of us in Michigan to have snowball fights and drink.

Both the men and woman’s tennis teams will take on an array of out-of-state opponents in the Sunshine State, continuing what is actually the second half of their regular season, which began back in September. Meanwhile, the softball and baseball teams will be gearing up for the regular season against some of the top Division II schools in the southern U.S.

It’s not just the spring sports that heat up this time of year, either. Both Laker basketball teams are entering the postseason, and both look like NCAA Tournament contenders. As a sports fan, the one thing to know about college basketball in the month of March is that anything is possible.

And all this has got to be one of the greatest luxuries for a GVSU sports fan- no matter the season or sport, the school’s team always has a shot to be among the best.

On the professional side, spring is a time of new beginnings and crushing defeats. It’s a time where Major League Baseball gets into their own spring training, and fans of every team can dream of World Series’ glory, even if it’s only for a month.

It’s a time where the NHL and NBA finally start to get interesting. As much as I love those sports, it’s hard to stay interested in a team through 82 games over nine months, so why not just fast-forward to the end of the regular season and get prepared for the playoffs.

The postseason is the NHL’s bread and butter at this point. Even people who hate hockey will sit down and root on the Red Wings during the playoffs. It’s just the Michigan thing to do.

Plus, what’s better than playoff beards and the occasional fight? Nothing, that’s what.

Even the NBA, which has seen its league undergo tremendous change in the last month, is going to have fans on the edge of their seats during the playoffs. Some have said the sudden migration of star players to big cities – like Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks – is a bad thing, but once the playoffs roll around and every series is an absolute classic, I’m betting all that negativity gets tossed out the window.

Well, except for Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans. I think it’s probably a good bet that they’ll be negative for the rest of their lives. Thanks, LeBron!

Spring is even a great time for you, yes you, to finally turn off your Playstation and get out there. Get active outside. Our school is surrounded by fields of nothing. What else are you going to do?

You know it’s getting close to spring when you have to constantly watch for packs of runners moving throughout the apartment complexes. Not to mention avoiding the occasional stray Frisbee or football flying into the street.

It’s just a great time. I know it’s not as freewheeling as summer, but hey, it sure beats winter, doesn’t it?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go shovel my sidewalk.

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