It’s beginning to look a lot like that magical time of year in the sporting world I like to call “The Overlap.” It’s the window that begins with colleges and high schools getting back in session and conjuncts neatly with the start of professional football and basketball and the winding down of the baseball season. All hopes are renewed. Everyone starts out fresh. Dreams are born. If unicorns existed, they’d be on the field, too.
The National Football League preseason was always a kind of marker for me in my youth. It meant the endless summer had, in fact, ended, and I would soon be shopping for school clothes and a new Trapper Keeper and forced to wake up early again. Now that those school vacation days are long gone, the preseason lacks the sentimentality it once had. Yes, it just gives pro football owners several more excuses to charge full ticket prices for what is essentially a glorified practice, but still, it’s professional football.
This year’s preseason brought us Brett Favre’s annual un-retirement ceremony. He didn’t show much in his short stint against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 22, playing in just one series and completing one pass, but if there’s one thing you can say about the ageless man-child, it’s to never count him out. Love him or hate him, in his 19 years in football, Favre has made a living off of making the impossible look easy. I’m no fan of his (minus his guest shot in There’s Something About Mary), but I must admit that No. 4 has this enthusiasm that’s both annoying and infectious, if that’s possible. See, Brett is a true miracle worker.
Speaking of enthusiasm, the emotion is running high in Niner Country. Coach Mike Singletary has settled on Alex Smith as his starting quarterback. Again. How many chances will Smith get to prove he was deserving of his top-pick status? He’s been serviceable, erratic at times, but this is his sixth year, and probably his make or break season. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Oakland Raiders fans—more justifiably—also have reason for excitement. JaMarcus Russell, who will probably go down in history as the worst No. 1 pick ever, has finally moseyed on down the trail. The Raiders traded for Washington Redskins’ quarterback Jason Campbell in the offseason to fill Russell’s stinky shoes, and though Campbell’s no superstar, he is steady. Let’s face it: The Raiders could’ve signed Justin Bieber to star under center and it would’ve been an improvement. I know, I groaned just typing that.
Besides Campbell, the biggest reason for optimism in Raider Nation is that the team didn’t waste money on overpriced free agents in 2010. Maybe Al Davis is mellowing out in his old age. Or maybe he’s stopped caring. Either way, there’s something to be said for the best moves being the ones not made. Did somebody say “playoffs?”
It wasn’t me, I swear.
In the college ranks, the Lane Kiffin era begins at the University of Southern California. Kiffin replaces Pete Carroll, who bailed for the NFL, but the Trojans are on football probation until 2012, meaning they won’t be eligible to appear in a bowl game this year or next. Not really the way you’d like to start a new job, is it? With the problems in L.A., the Pac-10 conference battle should be tighter than ever this year. The Oregon Ducks look to be the front-runner, but don’t be surprised if the Arizona Wildcats make a run at it. And no, I’m not biased, I actually hate the ’Cats.
“The Overlap” continues with the NBA just around the corner and Major League Baseball winding down to the crunch time of pennant fever. Catch it! The California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A’s still have an outside shot at an American League wild-card spot—albeit a way outside shot. The San Francisco Giants are fading slightly in their efforts to catch the San Diego Padres in the National League West, but are still in the wild-card chase, trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by a game as of press time. As for the Dodgers, who will likely bid adieu to Manny Ramirez soon, well, at least Vin Scully is coming back next year.
There’s still a lot of baseball yet to be played before October comes, and unfortunately overshadowing the playoff race this year is the news that former All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is facing indictment by a federal grand jury for lying during the Congressional hearings on steroid use known as the “Mitchell Report.” Let me go on the record as saying Congress has no business investigating substance abuse in baseball, but the charges seem pretty solid. At age 34, Clemens appeared to be on his last legs (or arms, rather) when the Red Sox traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997. Suddenly, he experienced a resurgence of Phoenix-like proportions, winning the Cy Young award in both of his seasons with the Jays, before leading the Yankees to a World Series win in 2000.
As I slide steadily beyond the dreaded over-30 plateau myself, I realize how difficult it must be for a pro athlete to keep up his athletic prowess without a little bit of “help”—but thinking about how the “Rocket” might end up behind bars instead of in the Hall of Fame makes me yearn for the days when I’d never heard of human growth hormone, BALCO, and “the clear.”
It’s enough to drive a man to the country club for a little peace and quiet, and one sport where steroids aren’t necessary: golf. One of the more satisfying parts about this time of year is that it brings great weather for being outdoors, and although I’m not much of a golfer, I do appreciate a day at the driving range with a bucket of balls. There’s something very Zen about lining up for a tee shot. It takes concentration and the patience of a monk, as well as the restraint to not scream out a frenzy of expletives at my club, the sky, and the guy driving the ball collector. Seriously, there are children around. Someday, when I master the drive, I’ll actually give a round a try, and then when I’m old and gray, I’ll try putting. The journey of life, as they say, begins with a single step.
But what do I know? I’m just a bum. And that’s my view from the bleachers.
The Bleacher Bum is selling his JaMarcus Russell jersey, headband, and jockstrap on eBay. He can be contacted at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 2, 2010.