Marching into the best month of the year

March is the best month of the year.

Daylight saving time begins Sunday – ushering in the six months of good weather, sunny evenings and general goodwill toward men. It’s part of a slew of good things this month – baseball spring training, college basketball March Madness and optimism for the coming spring and summer.

At least for me.

Today I unveil my exclusive ratings of our months – using a complex mathematical formula that involves the number of days in a month, weather, sports, square roots, entertainment, family birthdays and mood. I won’t try to explain the formula because, well, it’s complicated. But trust me.

The rankings of the 12 months, from worst to best:

12. January. It follows holiday-filled December and features long nights, bad weather and (usually) a lot of rain. The NFL playoffs and college football bowls aren’t enough to overcome the dreariness.

11. August. I like hot weather, but I’m getting weary of it by August. There are no holidays and vacations are generally over. School starts.

10. February. Gloomy weather continues and spring is still a month away. The Super Bowl is in the first week and “American Idol” gets rolling, but Mrs. Brad and I do our taxes this month, too – which causes stress. Fortunately, it’s short.

9. December. Seems like it should rank higher because of Christmas, New Year’s Eve and all the related holiday festivities. But it’s the longest, darkest month of the year – with the knowledge that January and February (ranked 10th and 12th) are coming.

8. November. There’s Thanksgiving and my oldest son’s birthday. But daylight saving time ends, baseball is over and . . . well, the long gloomy spell starts.

7. June. Mrs. Brad’s birthday culminates the month that still has a school-is-out-for-summer cachet. The downside in Fairfield-Suisun? The persistent summer wind begins to irritate you.

6. October. It’s my birth month. It’s also the month of the World Series, which was great in 2010 and 2012. Maybe the best overall sports month (basketball and hockey are getting ready to start, the NFL is rolling), but it’s also the month rainy, cool weather starts.

5. May. The No. 1 month when I was growing up, because it indicated school was almost out and summer was near. It remains high because of the optimism of the coming summer, but seems to also indicate rising gas prices and a delay in warm weather. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and “American Idol” wraps up.

4. July. I like summer and I also like the July 4 Fairfield parade and Suisun City fireworks. Mrs. Brad and I celebrate our anniversary. There’s still a lot of summer left, so optimism still flows. And often a Stanhope vacation month.

3. April. A 30-day stretch when baseball stars, the NCAA basketball tournament wraps up and we look forward to the start of warm weather. My youngest son was born on the first day of the month and Easter is often in April. Unlike May, when we get impatient for warm weather, April is a month when the anticipation of warm weather is enough.

2. September. Considering weather and events alone, it might be No. 1. Baseball pennant races heat up, the NFL kicks off and we get the best weather of the year. TV’s traditional new season starts, too. But we know what’s coming: Shorter days, cooler temperatures and ultimately, winter. It’s No. 2, which is interesting because “September” is also the second-best Earth, Wind and Fire song.

1. March. Daylight saving time starts, baseball spring training is in full swing, Mrs. Brad and I take a vacation and every office in town gets involved with college basketball’s March Madness. The coming of spring and summer means that even rain and cold weather are tolerated. It’s Marchtastic!

Reach Brad Stanhope at 427-6958 or bstanhope@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bradstanhope.

Brad Stanhope

Brad Stanhope is the Daily Republic's news editor. He began his career at the DR in the last millennium. He spent 17 years as a sports editor and three years as the associate editor before spending three years away from the newspaper (though continuing as a columnist). He returned in December 2010 as news editor. Brad lives in Suisun City with his wife, Mrs. Brad, and two sons. He enjoys cheese.

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