Most people realize that the best time of the year is near the end. For sports fans, this isn’t because of Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s, but because this is the one time of year there’s an opportunity to watch nearly every sport at once. Dane Cook said it best last year as the spokesperson for the baseball playoffs: “There’s only one October.”
The MLB playoffs are up and running, football is falling into form and basketball is right around the corner. The leaves are changing color and the weather is sending a chill down my spine, making me aware that I will soon have to put the golf clubs in storage for a harsh winter in the valley.
Luckily, sports offers a consolation for Mother Nature by allowing us to turn on the tube every night and watch some kind of sports action.
MLB Playoffs
Is there anything better than the Fall Classic? I’m sure that there are people who would debate that there is, but to each his own. The drama that the playoffs bring to sports every year is hands-down the best thing in sports. The Boston Red Sox in 2004 proved that it’s not over till it’s over. By coming back from three games down to the New York Yankees and ultimately winning a long-overdue World Series, they secured my vote for the playoffs being must-see TV. Baseball keeps viewers watching until the very end. There’s always that slight chance that a team could come back from any deficit to pull out a win and even casual fans gear up for fall baseball.
The shaping of the NFL season
By October we see which teams are on the top of their game and which will be playing for next April’s top draft picks. This season offers a horde of teams to watch8212;what will become of the Patriots? Who will win the NFC East? Are the Bills headed back to the glory days of the early ’90s? All of this drama will unfold in the month of October.
The NBA hype
At the end of this month, basketball will slip its way into sports fans’ view. The anticipation of the Jazz having a great season this year will begin to churn in every Utah fan’s gut. Alfred Hitchcock said, “it’s not the bang, it’s the anticipation,” which is true for any sport, but especially Jazz basketball in Utah. All of the questions about which teams will dominate this season and which won’t begin in October.
What else to watch?
College football, soccer (not the MLS), hockey, etc. are all happening at this time of year.
The most lucrative prize in sports was won Sunday with the FedEx Cup being awarded to Vijay Singh.
For all those who refuse to sit down and watch a “futbol” match, flip to a Champions League or Premier League match and get ready to see some of the greatest athletes in the world. I’ll admit that I was a hater of soccer for a long time until the 2006 World Cup8212;now it’s a favorite.
So, apologies to those who love the holidays, but to all the sports fans, now is actually the most wonderful time of the year.