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Branden Lombardi
Staff Writer
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By Branden Lombardi
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday October 15, 2003
October: the best month of the year for sports
The month of October is possibly the best month, period. Not only does my birth grace the calendar in this glorious month, but you find a veritable plethora of sports that help drown the monotony of school that likes to settle in this time of year.
There is so much to talk about, from the baseball postseason to the NFL and college football seasons really beginning to unfold.
The arrival of fall colors also means, here in Tucson, that the countdown to "Midnight Madness" ÷ oops, I mean the "Afternoon of Insanity" ÷ is on.
Speaking of the decision to forgo this year's "Midnight Madness" event, it's high time that students stop complaining about the decision that was made by the coaching staff and the athletic department.
Folks: Remember, "In Lute We Trust."
Besides, as Tom Duddleston Jr., UA athletics media director, pointed out in his open letter to the Wildcat student body: Just because an event occurs four times out of one hundred years does not make it tradition.
If that were the case, I would know of some pretty ridiculous traditions. Sorry ÷ no incriminating evidence will be provided here.
Also, attracting a family atmosphere isn't the worst thing that we here at the UA could do.
I don't see why we can't share our basketball team and this event with the rest of Tucson, even if it means not yelling choice profanities or sharing your "lemonade" with the seven-year-old next to you.
With that in mind, this Saturday, wear your red shirt and watch arguably the best basketball team in the country throw down for a while.
Who knows ÷ it may be the only chance for some of you, which is yet another story for another time.
Baseball: It's consuming my life. Sure, my picks a few weeks ago didn't work out, but hey, they weren't meant as a betting tool. They were supposed to be entertaining. You can't hit a home run every time.
Moving on, the Yankees are still the Evil Empire, and fans in Oakland and Boston agree with me, not to mention fans in every other city in America. Of course, the Yankees will most likely win the World Series, but it just feels good to pick against them. From here on out, I will just take the team in the "pinstripes."
Who else enjoyed the "M.A.S.H." re-runs that played during the rainout of Sunday's Red Sox/Yankees game?
Speaking of baseball, is there any other sport where the fans can play such an integral role in the game?
Baltimore Orioles fans will always remember a kid by the name of Jeffrey Maier, and after watching last night's Cubs vs. Marlins game, the fan that may have interfered with Moises Alou on the foul ball in the eighth inning might need to enter into the Witness Protection Program.
Of course, you can't blame a fan for trying to grab a foul ball; everybody does it, especially the 40-year-olds sporting baseball gloves.
My suggestion, Cub fans: If you lose Game 7 today ÷ which I hope you don't ÷ build a small petting zoo down one of the foul lines and stock it with billy goats.
Hey, it's just a suggestion.
Another thing about the Cubs: For all of those analysts and fans saying that Wood and Prior are the next Johnson and Schilling, they might want to wait until these pitchers actually win something of substance to dub them the next great duo.
What's the over/under on a riot in Chicago if the Cubs win or lose tonight?
At least we can be proud of the Wildcat football team, even in its loss to UCLA.
The same cannot be said of Nebraska cornerback Kellen Huston, who while walking off the field after an upset loss to the University of Missouri, took his aggression out on a fan by knocking him over.
Cornhusker head coach Frank Solich said, "I truly believe that Kellen did not instigate the situation and that he was simply reacting to what he saw as a dangerous situation coming right at him."
So just how dangerous is an unarmed and undersized student to a football player covered head to toe in padding?
The NFL is really embracing this idea of "parity". With teams like the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys on top of the standings, I'm just waiting for the carousel to come full circle and the Arizona Cardinals to have one good season.
Too bad that one good season was 1998, when they finished 9-7, made the playoffs and ended up getting trounced by the Vikings.
All is fair when you are owned by the Bidwells.
Finally, in the most important news item of the week, it was reported in an espn.com story that Anna Kournikova may be hanging up her tennis shoes for stilettos.
Kournikova plans on focusing on acting and becoming an awards presenter. She was quoted as saying, "Acting and presenting are definitely things I enjoy doing." She went on to say, "I'd love to appear in something like Sex and the City or Friends."
Here's hoping that Anna's acting career is better than her tennis career.
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