Opinion: Cherish this Time of Year
As we work our way towards Labor Day weekend, I’m reminded of a few things. First, I miss the days where kids didn’t come back to school until after the holiday weekend. Second, I should probably start looking into who the best people to draft in my fantasy leagues are. Third, and most important: forgot what Andy Williams said about Christmas, this is the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s still August, which means there’s still a chance for Maryland weather to do typical Maryland things and become blazingly hot out of nowhere. However, we’re about to hit that time where the weather starts to turn, leaves change color, the smell of bonfires permeates the air, and fans are treated to the best stretch of sports entertainment there is each calendar year. College football had it’s week (or weak) 0 soft opening, waiting to explode with wall-to-wall games over the holiday weekend. Florida State and LSU headline a solid weekend of games with what is essentially a do-or-die game for both teams; it’s only week 1!
The weekend after that we get the kickoff of NFL football where I will take it as a personal challenge to increase the indent on my couch listening to Scott Hanson talk me through, “seven hours of commercial free football!” Tailgates get started, hope of winning seasons is abound, Dan Snyder is somewhere in hiding… it’s just beautiful. Not to mention, the Orioles are still relevant (please be ok, Felix…), the PLL kicks off its playoff bracket this weekend, and in just a few short months we’ll have college hoops on the horizon too.
So who cares if the kids are back in school and I have to do actual work again? No matter what happens during the week I’ll always have something on the weekends to help me decompress and reset. Enjoy it, appreciate it, let the feeling last as long as you can; hell, make a few wagers if your budget allows you to do so. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to maximize the joy this time of year brings. We’d all love it to go on forever, but it’s only special because we know each season has a shelf-life. I may be in Kansas City for something wholly unrelated to football this weekend, but when I’m not busy playing in that tournament I’ll be parked in front of the nearest screen checking in on my teams. Feel free to join the fun.
