A Summer of Boredom: Part 1 - Baseball and a Summer Sports

When it comes to sports, summertime is always a bit of a downer for me once the NBA Finals pass in early June. The only thing to watch is usually baseball, which is never very exciting for me personally, because there are 162 games, and I only pay attention from the end of the NBA season until the NFL starts back up.

One thing I’ve come to realize about baseball is that for every thrilling moment, say a 30-15 start to the season, there is an equal and opposite slump that inevitably follows. So it’s always tough for me to get fired up about the regular season when I know that odds are very high the good times won’t last.

Unfortunately, I’ve also come to realize that the Indians, like some other small-market franchises, are basically the farm system for the teams in the majors with deep pockets (think New York, Boston, Philly, etc.) We grow great young talents. We become more and more competitive, and then, at the moment we can finally taste a title, we can no longer afford our players (think 2007 ALCS team). We end up trading players or failing to resign them, and the entire process starts all over again, while the guys we watched grow up in Cleveland are elsewhere winning championships. It’s a painful cycle that I refuse to invest in.

Since I don’t allow myself to suffer with the Indians, I usually try and find other ways to entertain my sports-minded brain. Last year for example, I got to spend the entire summer watching Lebron James’ every move, hoping and praying he would return to Cleveland and bring us the title he kept promising. When he decided against that, and figuratively pissed on the city on national television, I got to spend the rest of the summer reflecting on what could have (I believe should have) been. I had a chance recollect how close we had gotten, and then ponder upon how inexplicably far we were from a title this city so desperately craves. However, even though I got my heart broken last summer, I was still entertained.

Oh, how a year can change. This summer I’ve found myself at a record level of boredom. I can’t honestly think of a time when I’ve had this much trouble feeding my sports appetite. Yesterday was a new low for me. Here’s what was on the TV lineup during my day:

·         Senior Tour Golf

·         Women’s bowling

·         Men’s international softball

·         International swimming relays

·         Formula One Racing

If you find yourself wildly entertained by ANY of these, I applaud you. On the other hand, I found myself desperately convincing myself not to gauge my eyes out. I could only come to one conclusion: we need NBA and NFL free agency period; we need another Lance Armstrong; we need Tiger to quit sleeping with Denny’s waitresses and learn to play golf again.

Ok, so maybe that’s more than one conclusion, but all are very true.