By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
October is finally here. Playoff baseball, college football and cool weather makes this far and away my favorite time of the year.
For the past five months (seems like much more than that), I have been just living day-to-day – trying to survive the boiling sun and the horrible humidity. I feel like Count Dracula as he wakes up from one of his daylong naps. Now, it is my turn to savor on the blood of life, as the temperatures are finally tolerable enough to go outside.
But, quickly I see a dilemma. While the whether has gotten nicer outside, my television set keeps getting hotter inside as it stays on more and more. And, it is only going to get worse now that baseball playoffs have begun.
Most people think of football in October. But, for me the tenth month of the year means another World Series and a chance to see which team will survive and be crowned the champion of the best sport in the history of the world.
Once again this year, I will be given an opportunity to rout for my childhood team – the Braves. I know most are sick of these guys, but after watching them when the only highlights were Bob Horner's four homers in a game and pitcher Rick Camp hitting a homerun in the 20-something inning, I have enough excitement and enthusiasm stored away for the next 50 playoffs.
My nights will be spent perched in front of the tube with my stomach in knots as the ninth inning approaches. My weekends will be spent doing what I have been doing – watching college football, which just happens to be the greatest sport in the history of the world.
October is the month when champions are made. We see which teams are true contenders and which have been pulling our legs with their Stay-Puft schedules and a little luck. We saw the beginning of it last week as undefeated teams caught the epidemic and went down one after one. If history is any indication, we can expect the same over the next few weeks until there are only a few of the 116 teams that still carry spotless records.
With all the great sports on television, it is impossible to get out and truly appreciate the wonders of autumn as the leaves fall to the ground and the coolness of the breezes is so thick it seems you could reach out and touch it.
I use to not have this problem. But, that all ended about three years ago with what seems like our last fall season. The bottom line is I'm out of practice since I have not experienced it in so long.
The summers just keep getting longer and hotter. While the most beloved seasons of all, spring and fall, have been skipped over time and time again. It's like they have been cut from the team or forced into early retirement. But, now that I have gotten a taste of it I have to have more. I don't think I can take another day over 90 degrees. Yet, I keep waiting for it, not wanting to get my hopes up too high.
When I was a kid, I never worried about what season it was. They just came and went naturally. But, lately I have begun keeping track and I think Mother Nature owes us an old-fashioned October this year.