A Fan’s Note

This will be my first sports column since taking over the sports desk at The Colonnade. Hopefully, it will not be my last.

The problem was: What would I write about?

It’s not that I don’t have anything to say, nor is it that I don’t think what I have to say is valid. I’ve read many sports columns written by the functionally literate.

If they can do it, certainly I can.

Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

I’d just embarrass myself on paper for 3,000 people to read, resign in shame and change my major to general studies.

Nothing too drastic.

Oh well, initial success or total failure.

Now, where do we begin?

Perhaps I could start with Major League Baseball. I could write about how every team in the National League West should not only be banned from the playoffs, but the teams should be disbanded and their players sent to play in Japan for a season. Or maybe I should write about the Atlanta Braves and their quest for a 14th consecutive division title. But I think we all know how that will turn out.

The Braves will win their division and again go to the playoffs, where they will lose in the first or second round, possibly to an NL West team.

I could write about Raphael Palmeiro’s recent steroid suspension. I could mention something about how a Hall of Fame career with over 3,000 hits and 500 home runs will be overshadowed by a short video clip of Palmeiro pointing his finger at members of Congress and denying he ever used steroids.

But honestly, I’m a little tired of hearing about it.

The National Football League is about to kick off another season. I could make predictions on who will do what and where the Atlanta Falcons will be at the end of the season.

I could also dissect the latest Terrell Owens saga. I could write about how he managed to turn everyone in Philadelphia against him just months after helping the Eagles to the Super Bowl, and how all the animosity was erased by a single 64-yard touchdown pass in the third game of the preseason. I think that horse has been beaten enough for one season.

If the NFL isn’t enough, there’s always college football. I could write about GC&SU’s chance at – oh yeah. No team.

Well, there’s always the Georgia Bulldogs, the official football team for everyone in the state of Georgia that didn’t go to college, or went to a college without a football team, which is basically everyone that didn’t go to UGA.

Or I could write about the NCAA’s latest Bowl Championship Series abortion. Starting in 2005, the BCS will replace the AP poll with a new poll by former players, coaches and administrators.

There’s no doubt that replacing one poll with another poll will correct all the problems caused by using a formula to rank teams.

It certainly beats the alternative – a playoff system where teams actually compete against each other to determine who is the best.

Then there’s the return of the National Hockey League. I could write about how they…hit the puck…skate…iceeeeeeeeee.

Sorry, I fell asleep.

Maybe hockey is a bad idea. I probably shouldn’t write about it either.

So, what do I write about?

Well, I guess I just did.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 2 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry