Beware the Ides of March!

Today is the Ides of March, or the 15th of March. In Roman times, March 15th was a day to celebrate the god of war, Mars, and military parades were held in his honor. But the Ides of March was made most famous in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" as the day that Ceasar was assassinated. Earlier in the day, Caesar met with a soothsayer, who famously told him, "Beware the ides of March", and ever since, the day has been considered a day in which one should take extra care, lest disaster might fall.

(camuccini's "morte de cesare" ["death of caesar"])

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In our modern culture, the Ides of March always occurs during the NCAA college basketball play-offs, many of the teams feeling the sting of the Ides. Coincidentally, even this situation has historical precedence, as during Roman times, The Sappho Lovers Lesbian Softball Tournament was always held in Rome on the Ides of March, and in the same year that Ceasar met his death, the burly, unusally hairy women's softball team from Goth beat the shit out of the Roman women's team, making the day doubly unlucky for Romans.