I find this a difficult time of year for armchair sports fans, gee there’s a cause that needs a telethon, eh?
Well, it’s not that I’m looking for sympathy or anything but I think it’s worth nothing that there’s a bit of famine before the feast that is October in the wide world of sports entertainment.
Yes, the World Series and the beginning of the NHL season looms on the horizon but right now we’re stuck with something resembling playoffs in professional golf and a Blue Jays run for the playoffs that looks too much like a walk or downright stumble.
First, golf. They invented this playoff thing a couple years back to stave off the lack of interest after the last major. Hey, let’s throw a ton of money at the players, have elimination tournaments and hype the hell out of it and see what happens. Sorry PGA, don’t care. See you at Augusta in April.
Pro tennis has rebounded nicely this year, maybe at the expense of golf, and especially in these parts with the double whammy of Canucks Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic on the precipice of greatness. However, they both got body slammed out of the U.S. Open which was too bad and may even be the reason for this exercise in the first place.
It would have been so nice to watch either one, or both, in the finals this week in New York. Heavy sigh. However, the promise for next year, including Vernon’s own Vasek Pospisil, remains intact.
And I understand the Jays just swept the Rays so there’s a glimmer of hope in baseball, especially seeing their propensity of going on tears, both losing and winning, but it’s likely too little too late.
So go Mariners, go, although I can only name one or two guys on the roster at this point.
And speaking of Seattle, the NFL is back as of Thursday night and it looks like the Hawks are in the hunt for another banner, literally, season.
Now I like the NFL and take more than a passing interest in it but the hype gets to me after awhile and it doesn’t get that interesting for at least a month or so.
Don’t tell my kids though, who for some reason are heavily into this fantasy draft thing and take a lot of interest in every game, not to mention every minute statistic along the way.
However, I am in a CFL pool that is a lot of fun and as of this date I am currently the leader of, OK co-leader if the truth be known, but it still counts for No. 1 status in my book.
Anyway it’s fun and takes a special talent and insight to try and decide who’s going to win between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Montreal Alouettes, not to mention the Ottawa Redblacks. Luckily we don’t have to pick the score as well.
Now the NHL and the Canucks and all we Canadians really care about in sport will hit the ice eventually and all will be right with the world once again.
And of course this year even looks somewhat promising what with a new coach, a new all-star goaltender and Trevor Linden leading the charge. But Canucks fans know early-season promise can turn into mid-season disappointment, i.e. last year, but at this point hope springs eternal and the anticipation factor will soon be at its peak.
Plus it could always be worse, one could be a Leafs fan, like one of my sons (the other one is a Habs fan and no I do not know how either phenomenon came to be, although it had something to do with Mats Sundin and P. K. Subban respectively).
Although at this time of year any team can win the Stanley Cup. It’s when they actually hit the ice that reality sets in.
Anyway this dry spell in professional sports will soon end and October bliss will be upon us.
So turn off the TV and go enjoy what looks like spectacular weather for the foreseeable future. Instead of watching others play golf or tennis go play it while you still can.
