OK, the Super Bowl is over. Congratulations to the New York Giants and may they enjoy their parade in New Jersey, however that works. Of course, the politicians, in their never-ending quest for photo-ops, will attempt to grab some glory. Giants' principal owner John Mara might be well-advised to keep an eye out for Chris Christie, the governor. This is not to say he's fat, but rumor has it CC might adorn himself with flowers, balloons, and streamers, then try to pass himself off as a "float" in the parade as he rolls down the road. But I digress...
For hard core sports fans -- now what?
Pro basketball and hockey? Be honest. Does it really get all that interesting until the playoffs start?
In the Major Leagues of baseball, they're just getting ready to report to "spring training" in such places as Florida and Arizona. They'll play their "grapefruit" and "cactus" games that don't matter, then start the regular season. They play a very long season. As an aside, I still can't understand how some "home team" sports writers say a loss in April or May doesn't matter, but will get all worked up in the fall when their team is still a game out of making the playoffs. I thought all the regular season games counted the same, but that's just me. At any rate, that doesn't get really serious until maybe October.
March Madness in college hoops is a big deal. Most everybody with a pulse gets on that bandwagon in one way or the other. Until then, the Top 10 or so teams will flip-flop rankings, up one week with a big win -- and drop a couple spots the next week with a disappointing loss. None of that really matters anyway. All those teams are a lock for the tournament and, once that starts, we can probably cull the herd down to the Top 5 or 6 that realistically have a chance of winning it.
Golf? Yeah, there's tournaments going on here and there, but c'mon, isn't the Masters' Tournament in April the one golf fans are waiting for?
Same with tennis. No doubt tournaments are being held constantly somewhere in the world at all times, but their next big stage is the French Open, which is a while off yet.
Like baseball, NASCAR has a long season. They're gearing up for the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race on their circuit. So why do they schedule it as their "opener"? Shouldn't it come at the end when all the marbles are on the line? What better venue could there possibly be to decide the Cup champion then the Daytona 500 in the last race? Why not swap the end of season Homestead race for the Daytona premier? They're both in Florida so the logistics wouldn't seem to be a major problem. I must be missing something here....
Look at it this way. Daytona has the 24 hours of LeMans. Then all the practice sessions for the big race. Then the Bud Shootouts. Then the 500. Then bike week. Then spring break for the college kids. Then the "time-share" people start showing up. All of the above create a lot of messes. If nothing else, how about giving the maids a little time to catch their breaths?
Me? I love sports, but mostly I can't wait until spring gets here. Planting the garden, grilling almost every day on the deck when I'm home, and rolling down the road on the bike, sometimes with no particular destination in mind when I'm not, has a way of jump-starting my season.
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