Summer Sports Slumps, Reading and Wine

Someone mentioned the other day that this is the worst time of year for serious sports fans, because there is no football or basketball to be found on TV. I would agree with this statement. The only sports on TV right now are soccer, golf, auto racing and baseball. Most of these sports are fun to watch in person, but their only use on TV is to help you fall asleep on the couch after a day working in the yard. Other exciting “sporting events” on TV during this time of year include: poker, Scrabble, cheerleading, dancing, karate, and a bevy of other irrelevant events.

For me, this slump actually started in early April as the college basketball season ended and it officially game to an end last week with the completion of the college baseball season. ESPN needs to get on the ball and start televising more college baseball, at least on a regional level. A few select conferences have contracts with regional cable networks like CSS and FSN. I would think that the demand exists, especially in the South, to have at least a game of the week on a broadcast station. This would be no different that the JP/Lincoln financial game of the week during football and basketball seasons. The sponsors are there, they should give it a try. I know I would tune in.

The slump isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It gives me the opportunity to pick up a book or two. I recently completed Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner. It is a well written book that takes a interesting look at crack gangs, crime, abortion, the Ku Klux Klan, school teachers, real estate agents, baby names and sumo wrestlers. If you are up for a good read, go to your local book store and purchase Freakonomics.

Next on the reading list: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman.

Earlier this week, I popped open a bottle of 2004 Blackstone Sauvignon Blanc. It has a citrus (lemon-lime) flavor with a spicy note on the finish. It wasn’t my favorite, but not bad for $10-$12.