This is the most boring time of the year.
Face it sports fans, the time between the Super Bowl and March Madness, otherwise known as the diminutive month of February, is the dullest, dreariest and ugliest period on the sport calendar.
No bowl games to watch. No NFL referees to bash. No baseball games to attend.
Sure, a trifecta of All-Star games is played, but they are nonetheless meaningless.
Like I really care if the Eastern Conference, even if this is Michael Jordan’s last game on the big stage, can somehow play less defense than the Western Conference.
I’m sure my eyes will be glued to the TV when the AFC and the NFC clash in a classic touch football showdown.
I just go bonkers when the best from the NHL, in whatever format they are using this year, duke it out in a contest of which goaltender has decided to take the night off.
I hate to break it to the executives of ABC and TNT, but I don’t care about these games… they are pointless!
I know February features more than dumb exhibitions, but the Arena Football League and the Daytona 500 are not my cup of tea. I refuse to watch a football game where the final score is 65-63. I also cannot tolerate stock cars going around a stupid track for hours, just waiting to see who does not crash.
However, this “dark period” of American sports does feature some worthwhile events that I might make an effort to check-out.
Entertaining NBA games do happen once in a blue moon. With the emergence of Yao Ming, and the disintegration of the Lakers, the NBA can provide “must-see” match-ups (see Feb. 18th, Yao vs. Shaq – Round 2). Unfortunately, most of the time, February NBA games have the intensity of a slow walk in the park. The playoffs are still months away, and teams are just trying to rest up for the home stretch.
Elsewhere, the NHL offers many gripping fights that make awesome SportsCenter highlights, but to me, the games are exceedingly boring. Who wants to watch a small puck go back and forth?
College basketball is the only solace. The matchups are exciting, especially when ESPN begins their annual Duke-a-thon. The rivalries are real, and the games actually matter. Plus, Dick Vitale, as annoying as he is, is guaranteed to keep you awake.
Closer to home, WU basketball is quite entertaining. Both the men and women are still undefeated… even a recreational sports fan can get into the spirit.
The PGA tour does have some glamour events in February. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am is always worth a look, for no other reason than to see famous celebrities stink up the golf course. The Buick Invitational is worth a couple of hours because it takes place at Torrey Pines (a course I have played). However, both of these events will take on less significance this year because Tiger Woods is unlikely to play as he’s still recovering from a bum knee.
So what is a sports fan like me to do? Compile statistics and charts for rotisserie baseball? Curl up with a sports classic and remember great moments from years past? Play Madden 2003 on Play Station 2?
When I lived in a climate warmer than Siberia (i.e. San Diego) the answer was simple: I played golf. Every weekend, about the time an NFL or MLB game should be on, I would hit the links and bask in the warm southern California sunshine.
Not anymore.
Now my only option is to hit the books, read a couple assignments ahead, and do extra credit projects to pad a couple of grades. I also might find an internship for the summer.
February is my semi-hiatus from sports, but I’ll still watch SportsCenter. It is my chance to rejuvenate my sports soul. It is my opportunity to regroup for another 11 months of solid sports excitement.
Only 59 days until MLB opening day!