A tradition unlike any other

The Masters begins at 7 a.m. on the Golf Channel, with ESPN picking up coverage from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tiger Woods tees off at 10:52 a.m.

Sports fans have a tendency to get a bit fried at this time of the year.

But cut us some slack. I mean, we just wrapped up a frenetic month of college hoops (which was ultimately a bit anticlimactic once it became clear nobody could even come close to taking down North Carolina), a jam-packed Opening Day (who would've thought Brandon Webb and CC Sabathia would both get shelled in the same afternoon?) and the final stretch of the NBA's regular season (where we'll thankfully never have to watch this version of the Phoenix Suns again). To top it off, Arizona's "coach watch" came to a merciful end when Sean Miller finally took the open-once-every-quarter-century job.

And that's just the sports-fan end of it -- which is supposed to be our escape from such stress.

Thankfully, Augusta National has the perfect antidote.

Just when things seem as if they'll spiral out of control, we have The Masters to help soothe our sports souls.

I don't know what it is, but the beautifully familiar visuals from Augusta National mixed with the calming Masters music simply irons out all the rough edges. In addition, few announcers fit an event quite like Jim Nantz and The Masters. It just feels right, ya know?

Today, 96 players will tee it up in hopes of sliding on a green jacket on Sunday afternoon. Theoretically, each of the 96 has an equal chance, but we know that's not how golf works.

All eyes will be squarely fixed on one Tiger Woods and his 10:52 a.m. tee time. Since his rousing victory at Bay Hill at the Arnold Palmer Classic, he's back in the saddle as the prohibitive favorite in every tournament he enters. Knee surgery, fatherhood (for the second time), rust -- totally irrelevant right now. It's go-time for the world's most dominant golfer. The Legend of Tiger Woods began at Augusta in 1997, and it may continue to build in 2009.

The usual cast of characters (Phil, Vijay, Sergio, Paddy, Cink, Furyk, Paul Casey, et al) will look to take that jacket away from Tiger, and there's always the possibility of someone like Mike Weir or Trevor Immelman (the defending champ) winning this thing, but this event -- like every event -- is all about Tiger until he gives us a reason to believe otherwise.

That's not to say this is just a one-man show. There's the emotional storyline with Gary Player, who says this is his last Masters. "I've been hitting the ball so short, I can hear it land," is his go-to quote these days. We'll also have a few wonderful blasts from the past -- Larry Mize, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson, Fred Couples -- as they return to their old stomping grounds.

Then, of course, there's the Shark.

Greg Norman is back, and he wants nothing more than to get that monkey off his back. Odds are, that monkey remains for yet another spring, but would anything be more exciting than seeing a Shark in contention on Sunday, chasing a Tiger? I think not.

Imagine if Norman and Woods were somehow paired up sometime this weekend. Would Norman rise to the occasion, or would he bring back that infamous duck hook from 1986, when the Golden Bear made his miraculous charge?

Speaking of Jack, tell me if this sounds familiar: "This is for sole possession of the lead ... maybe ... YES SIR!"

Goosebumps. Every time.

Yes, I love The Masters. It is truly a tradition unlike any other. Keep checking the Masters Blog throughout the weekend, where I'll be frequently updating with my thoughts through Sunday's green jacket ceremony.