For those of us sports enthusiasts one of the greatest debates is this . In the 365 days in the calender year what is the most enjoyable single day ?????
Let me start this discussion with a disclaimer ..... those of you who love only one sport need not apply . This debate is clearly reserved for those of us who love all sports , ( probably because we are no longer good at any ) and get fired up for any sporting event . Also as a side note I am not speaking to you gamblers . I have no problem with gambling but your love for competition is not the same . If there was enough money involved you would be equally fired up about a high school lacrosse game as you would be anything else . No , I am only talking to the true sports nuts . You know who you ( we ) are .
Some would say it's the National Championship game in college football . A good day to be sure but not even in the top three as it does not have a tournament leading up to it .
Others would say that a game 7 of the World Series is the best day of the year . I'll admit that a 7th game in the world series could be something completely unforgettable . But it doesn't happen that often so it is likewise disqualified .
Same goes for 7th game NBA or NHL championship games for the same reason .
Now before we get to the top three days of the year we must talk about the Superbowl . How does an American institution like the Superbowl not make the top three ??????? I will explain soon . First things first . The top three days of the year do not include the best party of the year . That is an honor that unequivocally goes to the Super Bowl . Hands down . The reason ?? Besides the fact that it's the deciding game between the two best teams in America's real pastime , it's the only sporting event on North America that non sports fans gladly involve themselves in . Less than avid fans will congregate to watch this tilt . Citizens of the competing teams cities will come out just to talk smack , and best of all , hot , young , and ready to drank half naked wild North American Females will ( for one night ) pass up the downtown clubs to attend Superbowl house parties . Regardless of the teams playing . It's not about the game for them , and who are we to complain ?
This brings me to the 3rd best sports day of the year . The bronze medal winner . OPENING DAY . MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL . The date itself seems to change from year to year but man alive what a good solid day . Baseball is the ultimate game for the stat dork . You absolutely can not hide in Major League Baseball . The season is so long that all pretenders are ultimately exposed . The playoffs may hold surprises but in baseball .......you cannot get to the playoffs by accident . Even if you have some good players you will never make it through the 162 game grind without a quality organization supporting you . Which is why I love opening day so much . Baseball is the great statistic , and on opening day every single player ( pitchers and hitters alike ) have the same stats . 0000000 . Zeros , all across the board . Every team has hope , ( realistic or not ) and every player faces a new beginning. As for the fans ?? By this point we have seen "pitchers and catchers " spring training and the final projected lineups . Speculation abounds !!!!
The best part ? Opening day in the Majors is the only day of the year that all 32 teams run out the best (healthy) pitcher they have on staff . 32 aces baby . Personally it's a bar day for me . Belly up early in the afternoon and take in a full day of fresh beginnings . If you can't get down with that then you are dead to me .
So we come to the silver medal , second place . THE FIRST FULL DAY (WEDNESDAY) OF MARCH MADNESS . This day usually falls on the 17th or 18th of March but it is always on a Wednesday. Round 1 is wed - thur , Round 2 is sat - sun . It's actually the best 4 day span all year but we are talking single day . The opening day ( sans the play in game ) of the NCAA College Basketball tourney is the most called in sick to work day of the year . For good reason . You can actually do this on either of the first two days but day one is the bomb . If you have never taken this day off of work then you are missing out . It absolutely does not matter who was good in college ball that year day one is awesome . Why ???? Well for one the conference tourneys are over and half the field is in the top 4 or 5 of the 6 major divisions are in . Likewise the winners of about 25 divisions that only get the conference tourney winners are in . Plus about 5 to 10 teams that were just to good to leave out are in .
What ???? If it sounds like the best idea ever , that's because it is . Round one takes the tourney from 64 to 32 and half of that goes down the first day . 16 games and there are always some upsets . Always , every year . If you are lucky enough to be home drinking beer that day then your life is gold for a day . First game starts at 10 , and the last gets over at 10 . Plus it's the first time you get to score that bracket you worked on for a month . Even non basketball loving office employees play this game , because it is physically impossible to pick all the games right . It's just a great freaking day .
The gold medal ?? As if there was a question ! THE FIRST SUNDAY OF NFL FOOTBALL . Best day of the year hands down . All those others are good but this is far and away the best for me . Pro Football has an excruciatingly long off season . Free agency wakes us up a little . Pre Season gets us to salivating , and week one has us painting our faces and talking more smack than MMA fighters .
Holy crap week one is here !!! Even though there was a game on Thursday ( which I always enjoy ) the first day of football is on Sunday boys and girls and it is always awesome . The NFL is so violent that there are only 16 regular season games for each team . That means that unlike any other sport week one could potentially mean as much as week 8 , 10 , 12 or 16 . In a league where every player , at every position , on every team has a cold blooded killer ( and physical specimen )ready to not only take your job , but break your neck to do it , every game is a must win .
So if your team is one of the 16 to play at home week one then you know . YOU KNOW ! That your fans will be out in force . The opening game will be the first time since December that all 32 teams play the starters the whole game . It doesn't matter what your team is projected to do either . If you win in week one then your team is in first baby !!
Opening day Baseball is all day , and if you loose ?? Well you got 161 left to go . The first game in Basketball and Hockey is not that big a deal . But in football it's over so fast and a W could make your season .
Thank goodness it's here . We've all been waiting .
Mass. -- When it's your party, you can cry if you want to, and you also can embarrass yourself if you want to. Just ask Michael Jordan, who spent his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night doing his version of dancing naked on a coffee table with a lamp shade on his head.
ReplyDeleteWhat was that?
Whatever it was, it wasn't good. It rivaled anything you can name through the decades as the most brutal Hall of Fame acceptance speech ever. Soon after receiving a standing ovation of 73 seconds from a packed and adoring house at Springfield Symphony Hall, he went from sobbing to reflective to vicious.
It was this brutal Friday night: Anybody who bothered Jordan mentally, physically or spiritually in hoops during his 46 years was assassinated with his tongue. Oh, and Jordan even gave a gentle whack to the knees to Dean Smith. According to Jordan, he still is miffed that his former head coach at North Carolina told Sports Illustrated in 1981 to go with four Tar Heel starters on its cover instead five, which would have included the freshman Jordan.
If that wasn't enough, Jordan looked at his two sons and daughter, shrugged and then said, "You guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn't want to be you guys."
Nice touch, Michael. So was this: With youngsters watching back home during this prime time telecast, Jordan turned to David Thompson nearby and said, "I know I shocked the (bleep) out of you." He was referring to Thompson's likely reaction after he received Jordan's call to be his presenter for the event. Thompson is a fabled alumnus of North Carolina rival North Carolina State.
Jordan was last to take the stage.
Oh, boy.
At one point near the beginning of Jordan's speech of 21 minutes and 30 seconds, he asked those listening, "What is it about me that you don't know?" He proceeded to give us the answer in detail -- unfortunately.