Write On Sports LLC - "The Preseasons " by Steve Kay

The Preseasons

2008-04-02 22:26:42 | By: Steve Kay

Today, March 9th, marks Daylight Savings Time, the day when we set our clocks forward one hour.* You know… spring forward, fall back. Well, this can only mean one thing, that spring is on its way and March Madness is about to begin!

As I recall sometime ago, Daylight Savings Time used to begin on the last Sunday in April, and ended on the last Sunday in October (Uniform Time Act of 1966), but was amended in 1986 to begin on the first Sunday in April. It was simple, spring began when Daylight Savings Time started and fall began when it ended. Then, in 2005, Congress voted to push the observance to the second Sunday in March to save energy.

So, I began the annual rite of setting all my clocks ahead one hour, before going to bed last night. I was not happy about changing all the clocks, not to mention losing an extra hour of sleep, but that could only mean one thing… that when I open my eyes the next morning, I will not see my shadow, I will see green grass! Spring is here!

Not so fast, Punxsutawney Phil. I awoke to 13 degree temperatures and another 4 inches of snow. What’s going on with the weather this winter, I asked? So, I called the only guy that can explain what’s going on, I called my weatherman friend, Al Roker in New York.

“Al, what’s the story with our weather this winter? I asked. “Were on pace to get over 60 inches of snow and the freezing cold temperatures… day after day, after day--- it wears on you. It may look sunny outside, but with the wind chill temperatures dipping into minus territory, even our snowman left town!

“We’re in a weather pattern where were being hit by El Nino, Roker responded.”

“Hit by El Nino,” I quizzically asked. “Doesn’t he pitch for the Yankees?” “You mean El Duque, and he no longer pitches for the Yankees.” “El Nino is a weather event that brings warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean over the cool North American continent. The combination of the warm, moist air and the cool land surface temperatures creates heavier than usual snowfalls.”

“Well whoever he is, he sure can bring it. But, when is spring going to arrive?” I moaned. “It seems, we go from winter straight to summer, and skip spring altogether.”

“No, we have all the seasons; we haven’t skipped any.”

“Al, I swear, our seasons are not what they used to be. What, with global warming, we seem to have more seasons than usual.”

“No, we still have the four; winter, spring, summer and fall.”

“You forgot about the preseason.”

Dumbfounded, Roker said, “Preseason? You mean the Hurricane season?”

“No, I mean baseball preseason, football preseason, basketball preseason, hockey preseason--- they all have preseasons. Even NASCAR has declared their own preseason!

We are being bombarded by preseasons.”

“I’m the weatherman; you’re asking the wrong guy about those seasons. I can tell you about the Hurricane season, but I…”

“What about hunter’s Open season and golf’s “Silly season?”

“I think you should to talk to Tiki [Barber], he knows a lot more about those seasons than I do.”

“Hey Tiki, Roper say’s you know about preseasons?”

“Preseasons?” Tiki replied. “Preseasons?” he paused. “Yeah, what do you want to know?”

“What do you think about the preseason?”

“Preseason is not for the fans and it’s certainly not for the athletes. We have nothing to gain and everything to loose. The games don’t count, but the injuries do--- It’s all for the owners.”

“For the owners? I asked.”

“From the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve is called the holiday shopping season. It’s the time when most retailers make their profit for the year, well our owners have their season too, and it’s called the preseason. They force season ticket holders to buy preseason games which have no significance other than to fill the owner’s coffers. It’s just another avenue for them to make more money.

Currently, NFL teams play four preseason games which represents 20% of the total games played! That’s a lot of money spent on games that are meaningless.”

“What about strategy? Getting into shape, seeing who will make the team and who will not? What about timing, Isn’t that important?”

“That’s why there is training camp!

I like the way college football is set up--- They play non-conference games before the conference games; it’s like preseason, but all the games count.”

“Do you see a change in preseason scheduling in any of the major sports?”

“Just as long as the owners are in control, like our current climate changes, the seasons and long preseasons are here to stay.”

*Editor's Note: We've been out of the country for the past couple of weeks and the article was posted late. However, we thought it certainly was entertaining and should be posted -- if not timely (which was our fault).

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