So a fellow sports ‘opinionist’ noted recently that this is the best time of the year as a sports fan.
Now this particular sports fan, I’ll call him Ron, is not usually right when he prognosticates on anything sports, but on the variety of sports this time of year brings into focus he is not wrong.
It makes watching anything else on TV difficult as the Canadian Football League is down to its final regular season action, the Toronto Raptors are back on the court, and the National Hockey League is nearing a dozen games gone already.
You will notice I didn’t mention the World Series. Sadly, it’s hard to imagine a final holding less interest for me.
Since the Montreal Expos headed south to Washington, a dark day in the annuals of sport in this country, the National League has been largely an unknown black hole of the sport for me. It doesn’t much matter what teams comes out of the NL I know so little about them that cheering for them would be wholly unnatural.
And with Boston coming out of the American League there was no love at all as the BoSox and Yankees are the sworn enemies of the Toronto Blue Jays.
I suppose by default I would have preferred the Dodgers to win because the BoSox shouldn’t, but to devote time to watching, there were generally better time sinks in sports, although I admit to watching the last five innings of the 18-inning marathon game because of its historical nature.
It is also the eve of the National Lacrosse League season, or at least fans are hoping it is.
The league and its players are in contract negotiations on a new deal, and with the regular season starting in December, the two sides are reportedly miles apart, with words like owner lockout, and player strike being bandied about.
The two sides really need to hammer out a deal. The NLL has two new teams starting play this season; San Diego and Philadelphia, and expectations of three more teams in next fall, and two the season after that. Anything that disrupts the season when the league appears on the cusp of serious growth is disquieting.
It is understandable the players, who have toiled in a smaller league for years, see the income of expansion fees, and the potential of a larger league, and want to be partners in a more meaningful way.
The owners, who have stuck with the league through leaner years, are likely seeing growth as a way they can finally make some better returns.
But in the balance is the momentum and buzz the league has created with new teams and the promise of more. A disruption to the season start would seem folly, and a long disruption could be a major disaster.
As for the rest of the sports right now, the CFL is exciting as seven of the nine teams have a great deal of parity, to the point it would not be a surprise if any of them won the Grey Cup. That bodes for an exciting playoff run.
The Raptors are rolling on the hardwood. They are doing it much like last year, with 10-plus guys contributing at different times. Kawhi Leonard has shown hints of returning to elite status too which is a big plus.
Sadly the Raptors make the NBA finals coming out of the east where LeBron James no longer resides as an obstacle, or the panicked off season coaching change, and blockbuster trade to get Leonard will be largely for naught.
And finally the NHL, where the Canadian teams, except Edmonton, have all looked good. That is not a surprise in Toronto and Winnipeg, but for Vancouver to be leading their division 10-games into the season, Montreal to be close to the Leafs, and Ottawa to have more points than a dozen other teams is collectively an early season miracle.
