The end of February and early March for most of the nation is filled with absolute yearning for the balmy spring and hot summer days that lie so agonizingly close yet feel like an eternity away. There's just an utter weariness that sets in this time of year that leaves one searching for ways of escape. Sure, there are those who prefer the cold weather and wouldn't mind winter continuing - though to me that's an obscene and perverse world view - but for most, the first warm day can't come soon enough.

I believe this is why basketball and hockey don't have as much of an emotional and consistent hold over the average sports fan in the United States as baseball and football have even for those that follow both cold weather sports regularly, as I do. The storied linkage between spring's symbol of rebirth and baseball's annual arrival has been documented - to ridiculous degrees some would argue - and football is in peak during the cozy fall and holiday filled early winter months that make it an annual, anticipated companion that time of year. Basketball and hockey share the spotlight when the restless cabin fever has set in and reach their apex after the spring carnival of sports has started (March Madness, baseball, French Open, the Masters, Triple Crown, etc.) and are therefore not as front and center.

While I am wishing an early arrival for spring, I also don't want life to rush by - so I figured I might as well find ways of enjoying the long winter. So these thoughts of spring and summer games came to mind recently when I resolved to find my own escape of sorts and decided to reread a few choice books pertaining to the games of the hot season. After reading them I was astounded as to how timeless all were, even though they were all written more than 30 years ago. Below are brief summaries of each, with a ringing endorsement implicit. They're all a great way to charge up one's vernal momentum.

"Levels of the Game", by John McPhee, 1969. No surprise on this choice. This classic tome is not just consistently on the "top sports books of all time lists" but is also considered one of the finer books of the era, period. McPhee, though widely viewed in awe by his contemporaries as one of the finest examples of literary journalism, is still relatively unknown to many. His unique talent to apply intense focus and curiosity to a myriad of topics - from fishing to nuclear energy to agriculture to sports - and personalize his writing without injecting himself into the narrative always yields a refreshing and educational result.

"Levels" documents - ostensibly - a tennis match between two top American players in 1968, Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner. Indeed, the first words of the book describe the Ashe's service motion as he's about to strike the ball. McPhee then dissects the two athletes who are distinctly different in background, personality and playing styles. The match serves as a perfect framing device for the author's personality profiles of sorts and is an immensely pleasurable read.

"Voices From the Great Black Baseball Leagues", by John Holway, 1975. Personal disclaimer up front: the writer is a good friend of mine and I've collaborated on Negro League research with him numerous times. The Negro Leagues is not as novel a topic for most as when Holway first wrote the book, which has been revised for a new edition appearing in May. But the work is a superb document for anyone interested in the Negro Leagues, be them a novice or expert in black baseball in the first half of the 20th century.

Having logged hundreds of hours of interviews with dozens of former blackball stars and the other leading characters during baseball's segregated era, Holway not only presents the voices of these superb athletes in revealing, humorous and historic tones but augments their stories with original and comprehensive research, the end result being an illuminating portrait of a complicated, prideful era in America's pastime.

"The Golf Omnibus", PG Wodehouse, 1973. A novelist, screenwriter, musical collaborator, satirist, humorist, short story writer and lyricist, Wodehouse was without question one of the most prolific English language writers of the 20th century. A master at portraying Britain's class system, Wodehouse also used golf as a theme and plot device through many of his stories.

This is a collection of 31 such gems and Wodehouse's trademark humor and insight are on full display (I just got through a few of them on my recent reading). No modern writer has been able to translate all of the sport's idiosyncratic joys and frustrations with the quick-witted aplomb to the degree that Wodehouse was able to. It'll even please those who despise the sport. Actually for all the good natured fun he pokes at the game, the book may be even more fulfilling to golf haters.

With the massive volume of keen and perceptive sports writing so readily available in this information age both online and in print, It's easy to forget about classic sports books from the recent past. But I'm sure every fan has their favorite volumes they revisit on occasion. And there's just not a better time of year to do just that than now.