John Sheda

This coming Sunday, (me thinks), March 20 will be the first day of spring. We’ve enjoyed (or not), the prelude to spring with Daylight Saving Time and now we’re ready for spring. But before we get there, here are some interesting tidbits about one on the top four seasons of the year:

Spring is actually the time of the Vernal Equinox, which is Latin for “spring equal night.” Supposedly at just the exact moment on the first day of spring, there is exactly twelve hours of both daylight and darkness.

If you were standing at the tip of the North Pole on the first day of spring, you would begin six months of continual daylight. But if you unfortunately were standing on the tip of the South Pole, guess what you would beginning? Not tellin’, you figger it out.

Now figure this one out; Easter always falls on the first Sunday AFTER the first full moon, AFTER the Spring Equinox. This year it’s March 27–Happy Easter!!

Guess this is true since I found it on the Internet but did you know that children grow more in spring than in any of the other seasons.

There is an old myth that one can balance an egg on its’ end on the first day of spring. Well, you probably can if you have no life, I suppose, but you can also do so on any other day of the year.

Enough of Spring, let’s get into the NCAA Basketball Tournament. By the time you read this, some of the games will be over, but it’s only Monday as I write this. All three Iowa schools, the Panthers, Hawkeyes and Cyclones made it to the “Big Dance.” All three, I predict will win their first game and play on the weekend. Iowa State, seeded #4, will easily handle Iona; the Hawkeyes will win a squeaker finally against Temple and the first big upset will see UNI beat Texas by 7 points. Folks, you read it here first.

Interestingly, the last time Iowa faced Temple was in 1956 in the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa won of course and then lost a hard fought battle against San Francisco, who happened to have a gentleman, by the name of Bill Russell. Russell scored 26 points against Iowa in the Championship game and they went on to win 83-71. For Iowa, all-star Carl Cain contributed 17 points in the losing cause.

Not sure if either of the Iowa teams will make it through the weekend, but we’re always hoping. Final four predictions are like this: Kansas vs Duke; Indiana vs Michigan State. In the Championship game, Michigan State will win in double overtime over the Kansas J-Hawks. Haruumph, there ya go.

Now onto Baseball. Well, this is the year! Finally after several disappointing seasons, we will be having an “Official” World Series. Every year there is a World Series, but for it to be classified as OFFICIAL, the New York Yankees must be in it. Well, 2016, we return to an OFFICIAL WORLD SERIES.

And you can take that to the bank. This is exactly the way I see things.

Let me know how you see them at jsheda@indytel.com or call me, (if you dare) at 319.327.4640.

Have a great week and I will see the Old Geezers on the golf course soon.