Its Official: Winter Ends Tommorrow

What a strange winter.

My kids were playing outside in short sleeves during mid-January. Christmas Day was 50 degrees. Easter Day 35 degrees with snow flurries. Daylight savings ended weeks early, but no one can enjoy sunlight at 6 PM when there is a foot of snow on the ground with a wind chill factor of 9 degrees. This topsy-turvey winter will officially end tomorrow.

Signs of winters demise began 10 days ago when the last of our late March, 15 inch snow storm melted away. A week ago I awoke to the sounds of birds congregating in the arbor vitae that guard my backyard. On Friday I played my first round of golf for the year, albeit in windy, 40 degree weather (I shot a respectable +3). The tulips have started poking through the frigid ground in my front yard. These are all benchmarks on the march toward spring.

No matter how cold it is or how much snow dots the pike from Stockbridge to Boston, winter ends at 2:05 tomorrow when Josh Beckett takes the mound at Fenway Park.

Signs of spring start in early February when the obligatory photo of the equipment truck being loaded for Spring Training shows up on the front page of the Globe. Hope builds when you tune in to a sun splashed spring training telecast and see Remy and Orsillo looking bronzed and refreshed as if they came straight from the pool. Spring is almost here when the Sox open in K.C., Minnesota or some other foriegn locale.

Spring starts when the vendors on Landsdowne and Yawkey Way fire up the sausages and dogs.

Spring starts when the first beer is poured at the "Cask".

Spring starts when I sit down in my seat in the right field bleachers.

Spring starts as soon as the hometown nine jog onto the sod with their home whites gleaming against the green grass.

Spring starts when Variteks's glove pops during Beckett's warm up pitches.

Spring starts when Ichiro digs into the batter's box.


Vernal Equinox? Forget it!!!

Spring starts April 10, 2:05 P.M.