Have you noticed?

Everybody knows the Tigers trail the Giants 2-0 in the Fall Classic. It's the World Series, and even the most casual sports fan stays abreast of that.

Anybody with the slightest interest in stock car racing is aware that NASCAR's "Chase" for the title is winding down to the last few races. As the pressure mounts, relatively new kid on the block Brad Keselowski and old-pro Jimmy Johnson will be dueling it out for the trophy, champagne and a few million bucks -- unless something very strange happens, a possibility that can never be totally discounted in NASCAR.

Idle thought: Keep that damn green car off the track. It's getting down to the nitty-gritty and this no time to have a loose cannon running around. People notice her alright -- but for the wrong reasons.

Lions's fans have no doubt noticed their team is 2-4. Most thought their record would be better than that at this point. Quick question-- were/are they as good as last year or as bad as this year all along?

In the meantime, the NBA has started it's preseason games. Has anybody really noticed? Does anybody care?

The NHL owners and players, through their representatives, don't even appear to be interested in talking lately about reaching a deal on a collective bargaining agreement to allow the season to get underway. They don't seem to care, and guess what? From what yours truly can tell -- other than hockey purists -- the average sports fan doesn't seem to care much either. They haven't noticed, because other things are going on.

Have you noticed the absence of golf? Tiger, Rory, and all that? Some do, most don't.

How about no tennis with Roger, Rafael, Novac, and Serena? Do you miss them? Again, some do, but most don't.

Let's face it. After the World Series and the "Chase" are over shortly, most eyes will turn to the mighty NFL, long the King Kong in the chimpanzee cage of sports. Even though it's their mid-season, most generic sports fans could care less about the NBA and NHL until the Super Bowl has been played in February.

At that, ever notice what else is available at that time of year? Spring training in baseball? Get real. Nobody cares. Granted, NASCAR's Daytona 500 goes on in February, a big deal indeed, but after that's over, multi-sports fans understand their "regular season" is just beginning and look elsewhere. The Masters at Augusta doesn't happen until April. The Indy 500 until the end of May. Not sure, but I think the first "major" in tennis, the Australian Open, occurs somewhere in that purgatory time frame of sports as well. Few in America notice, because watching something "live" in the wee hours of the morning isn't an option for most. And who cares about slogging through tape delays? We can know the results in a couple minutes anyway as soon as we boot up our PCs or click around the myriad of ESPN channels.

Typically, that is about the time the NBA and NHL ratings ramp up. The playoffs are underway and they're getting down to the nitty-gritty too. The overall quality of competition, and certainly the intensity of the games picks up. This is great stuff.

But ever notice what happens after the NBA and NHL champs have been crowned?

The "high" wears off, and it's a huge downer. Nothing else is left except baseball, and even baseball writers have told you games in June and July don't matter -- though their logic continues to elude me. (I thought all the games counted the same, but what do I know?)

THOSE are the "dog days" of a true sports fan, until the NFL begins to rouse from it's slumber and their die-hard lemming fans get ripped off for pre-season tickets again to begin another new year. Still....

It would be a lot more interesting if Danica dumped her hubby for Tiger. Or maybe John Daly shacked up with Serena Williams. Can you imagine the interest if Dale Earnhart Jr. and Ndahmukong Suh came out and announced a "bromance"? Yellow flags could take on a whole new meaning. How about Roger Goodell mandating a Honey Boo Boo face pic be stitched on every NFL uniform? The possibilities are endless.....

But if any of that happens, yours truly doesn't want to know about it.

Or at least, I'll pretend not to have noticed. Maybe......