Wake Me in March...No, April

February sucks.

No disrespect to Valentine’s Day (one of maybe two days during the year when it’s socially acceptable to schedule sex), but if you’re a sports fan, serious or casual, there is nothing to look forward to in the month of February (with the noted exception of NCAA Rivalry Week, but I’d rather not talk about that right now).

From a sports perspective the best thing about February, the Super Bowl, occurs on the first weekend of the month and it’s all downhill from there. And honestly, this year’s big game was an exception. Most years the Super Bowl serves as an over-hyped reminder that the NFL is an institution of capitalism first and athletics second.

Baseball fans (and writers) treat pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training as if it were the first day of Ramadan, taking every opportunity to wax poetic about the transcendent power of the game to instill optimism in even the most browbeaten [Devil] Rays fan. (I almost condescendingly linked to Peter Gammons current column before remembering that I'm not yet worthy to even shine his shoes)

The small handful of writers not doing their best Mitch Ablom impressions (I will however talk down upon, condescend and all around poo-poo Mitch "I have feelings, so many feelings...and I fabricate stories from time-to-time but still have a job because of how deep my feelings are" Ablom) are busy penning column after column about fantasy rankings and month-old trades. And court proceedings, but that’s a new one.

Don’t get me wrong, I love baseball, but the first spring training games won’t come until the month is almost over and most of those games are exhibitions against college teams. The last interesting thing to happen in the world of baseball between January 31 and March 1 was when Alex Rodriguez was given – er, traded to the Yankees.

That was four years ago.

In the world of basketball (NBA basketball that is, I’m still too emotionally damaged to write about college), February means one thing and one thing only. Nap time. Show me an NBA player giving the clichéd 110% in February and I’ll show you a liar (or Chris Paul).

Of course there’s always the NBA’s version of the Westminster Dog Show followed by the annual East versus West scorgy. That’s all mildly entertaining, but nobody who isn’t invited to one of the parties is going to mark All Star weekend on their calendar.

February is and always will be (except in Olympic years – awe hell, even then) a countdown month.

Two months until baseball really starts.
Two months until the Masters.
Two months until the NBA becomes relevant.
And one month until…nope still can’t bring myself to even think about it.

An Overlooked Unexpected Event from the Super Bowl

You don't know who Mike Weldon is. No, he didn't play in the Super Bowl, he didn't ride the bench, in fact he never played football at all. I don't think Mike ever even watched football before Sunday's game and I doubt he ever will again.

But on Sunday, more than anyone at my Super Bowl party, Mike Weldon embodied how compelling the game was.

Mike has been one of my best friends since before I was shaving, one of my only friends who moved from Philly to Chicago with me two years ago. I know him inside and out, and if there's one truth about Mike Weldon, it's that he hates sports. He doesn't get watching them, he doesn't get playing them and he'll always make fun of me for crying on the last day of the 2007 season when the Phillies clinched the NL East.

But on Sunday Mike Weldon was completely captivated by what was unfolding in Arizona.

Eli Manning will probably never know that, but it is one of the highest compliments he can ever be paid.

When all of a sudden late in the fourth quarter it looked like perhaps this crazy upset might actually happen and team of destiny was in fact the New York Giants, the significance of this resonated so heavily in the room that even Mike Weldon was sitting on the edge of his seat (and I mean that literally, not as a superlative cliche) with his hand on his mouth, eyes firmly fixed on the TV.

That's a compliment to the Patriots too, for while it was their downfall that Mike was captivated by, even someone so alien to sports knew how significant it was because of their undefeated season.

I smirked at Mike's expression of interest, then turned my attention back to the game, thinking this would be the most I ever saw the artsy prick care about sports.

Then Eli pulled off one of the single most ridiculous plays in Super Bowl history, dogging 3 desperate Patriots and passing 33 yards to David Tyree in triple coverage and before I was out of my chair Mike screamed "That was one of the most visually satisfying things I have ever seen!" (like I said, he's never seriously watched sports, so he doesn't really know how to properly cheer)

Eli Manning and the Giants gave sports fans everywhere such a refreshing reminder of how great the Super Bowl can be, how despite the commercials, the halftime show and media day, at the end of it all the game is the reason we're watching.

Even those of us who hate sports.