| Welcome to the sporting calendar sweet spot.
There are plenty of gripping periods of time throughout the sports year, but the first Thursday and Friday of the men's NCAA Tournament kicks off by far my favorite viewing stretch annually — with MLB Opening Day for the Mets and the Yankees right around the corner and the NBA/NHL playoffs to follow.
With 32 men's college hoops games on the docket over these next two days — and potentially a slew of David-slaying-Goliath upsets — I have grown to prefer the Big Dance to the World Series or even the Super Bowl.
I have covered plenty of big events in more than 30 years as a sportswriter with the New York tabloids. But as always, I am looking forward to working the next few days at Barclays Center, with UConn, the defending national champs, and Duke among the blue bloods on this side of the East Region bracket. There also will be one of last year's Final Four Cinderella squads in Florida Atlantic, plus capable upstarts such as James Madison, Vermont and Stetson.
The No. 16 seeds even are in play now every year, especially after Fairleigh Dickinson knocked off top-seeded Purdue last year. (UMBC was the first No. 16 to win, upending Virginia in 2018.)
 Fairleigh Dickinson's upset of No. 1 seed Purdue last year was the type of moment that makes the NCAA Tournament memorable.
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The city's only representative in the tournament, Wagner College out of Staten Island, won its play-in game Tuesday against Howard for the right to play No. 1-seeded North Carolina in the West Region.
On the women's side, all-time Division I scoring leader Caitlin Clark attempting to end her storied collegiate career with her first NCAA title at Iowa — plus perennial powerhouses South Carolina and UConn and defending champion LSU among those standing in the way — makes the women's tournament must-see TV, as well.
I also woke up early Wednesday morning to catch some of Major League Baseball's official 2024 opener: Shohei Ohtani — before later becoming embroiled in the biggest scandal of his career when his interpreter was fired by the Dodgers over alleged illegal sports gambling and purported theft (Ohtani's camp's story changed) — notched two hits in his Dodgers debut in a 5-2 win over the Padres in South Korea.
On Thursday morning, Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed five runs in the first inning of his first Dodgers outing.
The Mets and Yankees will begin their quests to make it back to the playoffs following disappointing 2023 seasons one week from today (March 28). The Mets open against the Brewers at Citi Field, and the Yankees face the Astros in Houston.
 Shohei Ohtani had a winning debut for the Dodgers in Seoul, but his day would become a lot more complicated off the field.
AP
It was mostly a long and quiet winter for the Mets, while excitement over the Yankees' acquisition of superstar outfielder Juan Soto was tempered in recent weeks by Cy Young-winning ace Gerrit Cole's elbow injury.
A couple of weeks later, after the NCAA champions are decided, the Rangers and the Knicks — and still possibly the Islanders or Devils — will embark on their playoff runs.
The two Garden teams have the potential to advance deep into the postseason, 30 years after the Blueshirts won the Stanley Cup and the Knicks made it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Any sports fan around New York at that time remembers what the spring of 1994 was like with a big game virtually every night (not to mention the O.J. Simpson car chase!).
Can the Rangers build on a strong regular season under first-year coach Peter Laviolette and make up for last year's first-round playoff elimination by the Devils?
Can the Knicks get healthy enough to go deeper under Tom Thibodeau than last year's second-round loss to the Heat?
Those answers won't begin to be answered for another month, but enjoy the best something-for-everyone time on the sports calendar.
 The Rangers' quest to win their first Stanley Cup in 30 years will turn to a new chapter in the playoffs this spring.
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The Madness begins in full on Thursday — yes, I know there already have been four NCAA play-in games — just after our long, cold winter officially turned to spring.
Last-minute guides to the brackets:
Men's: Complete printable bracket | East region team capsules and analysis | Midwest region team capsules and analysis | South region team capsules and analysis | West region team capsules and analysis
Women's: Complete printable bracket | Region-by-region analysis
Today's back page  New York Post
On the clock Part of the excitement over the next few weeks is due to the latest awful seasons by the Giants and the Jets, with Big Blue missing the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 years and Gang Green extending their streak without a postseason berth to 13 consecutive seasons.
Season-ending injuries to starting quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones also contributed to the distaste.
Their front offices addressed some glaring short-term offseason needs for both teams — with key decisions still to be made in next month's draft.
 Brian Daboll and Robert Saleh both enter the upcoming season under pressure to make a run toward the playoffs.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The onus then will be on Brian Daboll (15-18) entering his third season with the Giants and Robert Saleh (18-33) in his fourth with the Jets to turn around their franchises.
Daboll at least has a postseason appearance and one playoff win under his belt before last year's step-back 6-11 campaign, and much of his success in Year 3 will hinge on Jones' health following ACL surgery and whether the Giants decide to build around him with the No. 6 pick in the draft or take his eventual successor.
Saleh's future, of course, is tied to the 40-year-old Rodgers' successful return from Achilles surgery after the No. 3-ranked defense in the league (292.2 yards allowed per game) wasn't enough for the Jets to avoid a second straight 7-10 campaign in 2023.
A star is born  Jalen Brunson earned a round of public praise from Draymond Green after leading the undermanned Knicks to a win in San Francisco this week.
AP
Many believe Jalen Brunson has been playing at an All-NBA level this season. Four-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion Draymond Green was the latest to make that assertion earlier this week.
Brunson is averaging 27.6 points, fifth-best in the league, and 6.4 assists (14th) while shooting an even 40.0 percent from 3-point land and leading the Knicks (41-27) through a slew of injuries to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday's game in Denver.
Is that enough for the prestigious and coveted league-wide designation after Brunson already was deservedly named a first-time All-Star earlier this season?
Remember, the NBA altered its rules for the All-NBA squads this year. It's still three teams and 15 players, but the league has removed position designations, meaning five forwards or five centers or five guards — or any combination — can be selected.
For the first time, those honored also must play in a minimum of 65 games, meaning stars who already have missed 17 or more — such as Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant and Brunson's Knicks teammate Julius Randle, a two-time selection in the previous three years — already are ineligible.
 With Joel Embiid and a handful of other stars ineligible because of injury absences, the All-NBA teams may see some new names this season.
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Let's say for argument's sake that Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum will comprise the first team.
That leaves Brunson in competition with the likes of Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and probably a few others for votes for the second and third teams.
If his statistics and impact on winning are considered better than at least some of those listed, Brunson could make it this year.
Just being in that conversation — as well as in the mix for a berth on the U.S. Olympic team this summer — tells you far he's come in his two seasons with the Knicks.
What we're reading 👀 🏀 Knicks center Mitchell Robinson returned to full practice in a quantum step toward returning from a three-plus-month absence recovering from ankle surgery. Robinson still has "to go through contact for a while" before he can play.
⚾ The Post's Jon Heyman reported the Yankees again are talking to Jordan Montgomery, though "a gap exists" with the free-agent left-hander, as previous flirtation Blake Snell was introduced by the Giants.
🏀 Saint Peter's coach Bashir Mason and Wagner coach Dennis Copeland Jr. are best friends whose teams have chances to make March Madness magic on Thursday in Charlotte. "It gives us chills, goose bumps,'' Mason told The Post's Mark Cannizzaro.
⚾ With Aaron Judge back in the Yankees exhibition lineup, The Post's Joel Sherman writes about how essential Judge is to the Yankees' hopes.
⚾ Also in that lineup: Giancarlo Stanton, hitting three moonshot home runs.
🏒 Matt Rempe is expected to return to the Rangers lineup on Thursday night against the Bruins in Boston.
🏀 Courtney Vandersloot discussed the Liberty's offseason moves and why her visit to children in a Manhattan hospital was "close to home."
⚾ Tylor Megill won the Mets' fifth starter job.
🏈 Who are the 10 best remaining NFL free agents?
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