We’re getting down to it. It used to make me so angry when I was younger, but I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t excited.
The summer is almost over. Yes, temperature-wise, it’s still going to be hot for a little while, but sports-wise we’re getting close to the end.
All the baseball leagues around the state – American Legion, Connie Mack, Little League, Senior League, Junior League, Babe Ruth – are all winding down or already over with. Beyond baseball, there isn’t a whole bunch going on in the summer.
In that sense, summer is almost over.
Around this time when I was younger, that feeling would start to creep up into my stomach; it was almost time for school. Within the next couple weeks, I’d go out shopping for clothes and pencils and paper and what not, until finally I’d get something in the mail that would tell me who my teacher was. It was always a dark day.
But now that I don’t have to actually go back to school when it starts? Bring it on. I am tired of the summer (sports). I can’t wait to go shopping for paper and pencils.
It’s strange, because baseball is my favorite sport. But even I have a limit. Over the summer, it’s all baseball all the time. Take a look back at the papers we put out. Baseball, baseball, baseball. From the minute school gets out in June, summer baseball starts and it just goes until August. Maybe there’s a little softball thrown in there, but that’s not much relief – it’s the same kind of game.
And it gets confusing. There are so many leagues and so many teams and so many tournaments that it’s hard to keep up. There are different age groups within the same leagues, different all-star teams for the same age groups. It’s almost overwhelming. It’s easy to leave one out too, because there are tournaments going on that I didn’t even know about. Just when it seemed like there couldn’t be any more baseball, there was.
By the time August finally came this year, I’d watched more baseball than the Fenway grounds crew. I was watching bowling on ESPN on Sundays to keep my sanity. I now know the names of the announcers for the World Series of Poker. I can’t look at a scorebook without seeing double.
So, while the baseball is enjoyable for the most part and sometimes riveting, it’s time for a change.
High school is so regimented; it’s easier to follow. There are different sports and different schools, but that’s it. You can follow standings and not get bored by watching the same team and/or sport over and over and over again.
I’m almost giddy over the fall coming. First of all, there is football, which takes the cake in terms of covering games. But then there is soccer and volleyball and tennis and field hockey and even some cross country. Who knew watching people just run for 15 minutes could be such a relief?
All of that said, I’m not out of the woods yet. There is still a little of the baseball madness yet. The Connie Mack playoffs are in full swing, and there are a few Little League tournaments in the works. Other teams have won their state tournaments and are competing in regional tournaments around the Northeast. Cranston Western Little League is hosting the 9/10 East Region Invitational as I write this.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. High school football teams are already competing in passing leagues and their camps aren’t too far off on the horizon. I went to Wal-Mart the other day and the store had all its “Back to School!” signs out everywhere.
That used to depress me.
Now? I’ve got a new philosophy. Let’s extend the school year as long as possible. I think we could all use a break from our summer breaks.
Kevin Pomeroy is the assistant sports editor for the Warwick Beacon. He can be reached at 732-3100 or kevinp@rhodybeat.com.