Wednesday, August 16, 2006
The Slow Days of Summer
On Monday night, I was flipping channels and by happenstance, landed upon a glorious sight: football. It was an exhibition game between the Vikings and the Raiders, and it warmed a small place in my heart.
See, for all the great things about summer, it's the sad time of the year when football and basketball are both in their offseason. I am simply not a baseball fan (three years of Red Sox indoctrination notwithstanding), but I do follow college football and the NBA closely. And from mid-June to late August, there's nothing but personnel changes, summer leagues, and practice reports.
So although I don't care too much about the NFL,* I was gladdened to see the return of Monday Night Football. Because that means that college football is just around the corner. BYU plays Arizona two weeks from Saturday! I can feel the pageantry starting already.
In fact, one might argue that mid-to-late August is the best time of year for a college football fan. Right now, my team is undefeated. With the tweaks to the diabolical BCS system for this year, a manageable schedule, and a little luck, BYU might legitimately have a shot at doing something great this season. Or at least I can legitimately lead myself to believe that for a few more weeks. And that makes me happy.
Today the weather in DC is a bit cooler, and as we were walking to the Metro this morning, Shelly remarked that it almost feels like fall. Ah, fall--the mystical time of year when the leaves change color and every Saturday is momentous. I'm ready.
* This week, ESPN.com has a silly little feature where they've asked two different writers to come up with 20 reasons why college is better than NFL, or why NFL is better than college. Reading through them, I'm once again convinced that college is indeed better. Yeah, it's nice that the NFL crowns its champion through merit (and the NCAA doing so would solve some of its lack-of-parity problems), but many of the supposed reasons the NFL is better actually seem to me like reasons why college is better: live animals (where else can you see a buffalo?), long touchdown plays (which would you rather watch: a 70-yard run or a 2-yard run?), the Stanford band rushing the field, gimmick offenses (remember the "Duck" offense? That was hilarious!), rivalries (as if Falcons-Saints is anything like Ohio State-Michigan), great teams in tiny little towns, and student sections.
See, for all the great things about summer, it's the sad time of the year when football and basketball are both in their offseason. I am simply not a baseball fan (three years of Red Sox indoctrination notwithstanding), but I do follow college football and the NBA closely. And from mid-June to late August, there's nothing but personnel changes, summer leagues, and practice reports.
So although I don't care too much about the NFL,* I was gladdened to see the return of Monday Night Football. Because that means that college football is just around the corner. BYU plays Arizona two weeks from Saturday! I can feel the pageantry starting already.
In fact, one might argue that mid-to-late August is the best time of year for a college football fan. Right now, my team is undefeated. With the tweaks to the diabolical BCS system for this year, a manageable schedule, and a little luck, BYU might legitimately have a shot at doing something great this season. Or at least I can legitimately lead myself to believe that for a few more weeks. And that makes me happy.
Today the weather in DC is a bit cooler, and as we were walking to the Metro this morning, Shelly remarked that it almost feels like fall. Ah, fall--the mystical time of year when the leaves change color and every Saturday is momentous. I'm ready.
* This week, ESPN.com has a silly little feature where they've asked two different writers to come up with 20 reasons why college is better than NFL, or why NFL is better than college. Reading through them, I'm once again convinced that college is indeed better. Yeah, it's nice that the NFL crowns its champion through merit (and the NCAA doing so would solve some of its lack-of-parity problems), but many of the supposed reasons the NFL is better actually seem to me like reasons why college is better: live animals (where else can you see a buffalo?), long touchdown plays (which would you rather watch: a 70-yard run or a 2-yard run?), the Stanford band rushing the field, gimmick offenses (remember the "Duck" offense? That was hilarious!), rivalries (as if Falcons-Saints is anything like Ohio State-Michigan), great teams in tiny little towns, and student sections.
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