Tag Sports Seasons

Are you ready for some Bockey?

Michael Leave a comment

My favorite season began yesterday. No, not spring. That was a couple weeks ago, but it has what has been called a sign of spring, baseball. Actually, my favorite season is the ultimate overlap of seasons of baseball and hockey – it’s Bockey Season.

Major League Baseball 2016 opened down the road from me as the “Boys of Summer” braved temperatures in the 30s in their home opener. Then a few hours later across the river, the “Boys of Winter” burned up the ice at their last regular season home game for 2016. There’s nothing in common between the two sports other than they are my favorite sports. People around this town would call it anti-American but I don’t care much for football. People across the world would call it most typical for an American but I don’t care much for soccer. Basketball is best played by college kids and only for a couple of weeks around now. Golf confuses me, tennis exhausts me, curling is ok but even with rumors of a local club (with a waiting list to play even) try to find it to somewhere sometime, anywhere anytime.

For my money baseball and hockey are the way to go. To those who say baseball goes too slow or hockey goes too fast I say they aren’t paying close enough attention to either. Strategy and purpose abound in the movement of both games. A swing of the bat or stroke of the stick doesn’t just send the puck or the ball on its way but the choreographed movement of everybody on the playing surface. If you think hockey games are only where fights break out and baseball games are only good for catching up on your afternoon napping you clearly need to spend some time actually watching the games to see what really goes on in them.

If you don’t share my enthusiasm for these two sports that’s fine. I’ll still enjoy them – and I’ll get to enjoy them for a couple months. And they have more in common than just having me for a mutual fan. They might be the Boys of Winter but when the playoffs get tight and the wins go back and forth, the Stanley Cup might not be raised until mid June less than a week before the solstice. And before the Boys of Summer threw out the first pitch yesterday, the grounds crew had to scrape the snow off the outfield. That’s blending the seasons.

That’s what I think. Really. How ‘bout you?

‘Tis the Season – Summer 2014 Edition

Michael 1 Comment

Most fans concentrate on one sport but the truly fanatic fan doesn’t let something as trivial as a season stop him or her.  We are at another one of those moments when all the stars align – the sports stars – and sports season overlap is lapping all over the place.  NFL Football is starting training camps, women’s football just finished up their championship games (both leagues), arena football begins its playoffs this weekend, hockey wrapped up their development camps for minor league players a week ago, American pro soccer is in the meat of the season, and baseball is in the swing of it all (no pun intended).  And although there is no official NBA activity going on right now, the Sterling Saga more than likely will keep basketball in the papers until next season begins. What’s a fan supposed to do?

A sighting at the local mega-mart has confirmed that fanatic fans can favor them all while still making a summer fashion statement.  It was at the meat department.  The sighting that is.  And what a sight.  With the local pro baseball team ball cap, women’s football t-shirt, football team logo emblazoned shorts, and flip-flops with the hockey team logo repeated across the straps, this fan was making certain that all within sight of her knew she was an equal opportunity athletic supporter.  This one sighting with four major sports team’s apparel on center stage was curiosity piquing.  Was the foursome chosen specifically for that day’s daily wear or was it a coincidence that this lady selected four different teams’ articles?  We’re also owners of sports what-nots so the questions come back to us after going out to everyone else.  And the first question is: Why do we do that?

We’ve all seen enough films of games from the 60’s and earlier to see that people wore suits and dresses to those games.  The 70’s saw team logos and names starting to appear on hats and jackets.  It must have been in the 80’s that replica jerseys started popping up in the stadiums and became standard daily wear in the 90’s.  The new millennium brought the placement of team IDs on sweatpants, t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, accessories like hair ribbons, sunglasses, backpacks and watches, and even flip-flops so that now every day can be a commemorative to the local sports teams.

Again, why do we do that?  Is it to impart confidence to the players?  Is it to entice others to come and cheer with us?  Is it to ridicule rivals with more bountiful selections?  Is it to feel a part of something bigger than the average fan can normally be a part of?  Whatever the reason, people seem to get their own confidence up, are usually more cheerful (particularly after a win), never let the enemy see them back down, and are happy being part of something big.  Even four times over.

We did notice on the lady fan in the supermarket that there was no attention given to the local soccer team.  Could it be that even after the World Cup and a new foothold in the US, most Americans still don’t understand soccer?  Or is it that maybe the local team isn’t particularly good yet?  We love to support our teams but we go wild supporting our winning teams!  Hmm.  Perhaps with time.

Now that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you.

 

‘Tis The Season

Michael Leave a comment

Play ball! It’s time for America’s pastime to join apple pies and Chevrolets for another round with the boys of summer. It’s baseball season!

We know it’s only March but you have to get started early so you can fit all the regular games, all the playoff games, and all the championship games and still finish up before it starts snowing again.

No, we’re not going to whine and whimper about how long the season is. If that’s what they want to do, let them do it. It’s not a crime for a business to make money. You have to keep your product in front of the consumer to do that. What we find a little amusing is how much all of the seasons now blend. And we don’t mean winter and spring!

If you live in the right city you can right now see major league baseball, hockey, basketball, indoor football, soccer, professional golf, and tennis. Horse racing and boxing are always available. Nascar is in high gear. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

If you expand your sights to include college you can pick from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Women’s Basketball Tournament, and Men’s Hockey Tournament. We just missed the Women’s Hockey Tournament (Clarkson beat Minnesota for the championship last weekend). And then there is the NIT Basketball Tournament.

If you can’t find a sporting event on TV this week it’s because you don’t have a television. Is that a bad thing? (Umm, all the sports, that is. Not, not having a TV.) Probably not. Finally a time of year when one gets to watch, follow, and cheer for what he or she wants to watch, follow, and cheer for. A time of year when all sports are created equal. Everything except football.   But that’s a wimpy sport anyway.

We’re going to go check out the ponies.   We’ll see you at the Seventh Inning Stretch.

Now, that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you?