My goodness it has taken me an awfully long time to post. For that matter, it took me forever to log in. I had flat out forgotten my password. It took awhile to reset.
The NFL had a lock out. I know, I barely remember it either. The sports world had it's eye glued, waiting to see how the most profitable sports entity in America could implode. But it didn't. The suspense of the lockout, the rush of the shortened off-season all seems like a distant memory. It was all just dramatic build up to the season, which is, in turn, just build up for the Super Bowl.
It also seems hard to believe that we have missed several weeks of the NBA season already. The less-rushed-than-the-NFL-but-more-rushed-than-normal NBA off-season has provided many great story lines. Where will Dwight Howard be traded? Will he be traded? Why didn't the league allow Chris Paul to be a Laker? CP3 is now, instead, a Clipper. Do the Celtics have enough left in the tank and on the bench? Can the Heat live up to the hype? Does Tyson Chandler give the Knicks the piece they were missing? Do the Bulls return as hot as they were last year?
What does any of it matter? In three months, we will all forget how CP3 was nearly Kobe's Robin, dare we say the Lebron to Kobe's Wade. We will barely remember that Odom was supposed to be a Rocket, not a Maverick. And every time we see him, we will inevitable link him to the disastrous fiasco that ruled the headlines: the failed wedding between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.
Soon, we will be talking about how Lebron and Wade need to learn to play better without the ball. Or how the Bulls look like they are the class of the conference. Or how the old geezers in San Antonio and Boston just find ways to win. Many people will no longer think of players as clutch or not. They will be ranked on a scale of LeBrick to Tebow. All will seem right in the world of the NBA once they start playing games on Christmas day. But for now, all we have is talk.
And speaking of talk, there was little to no talk about Pujols going to L.A. until he did. And there is little to no talk of Fielder going anywhere officially. Texas could be good. Miami would like him. The Cubs...blah, blah, blah. No real inclination that a move is near. Same with Ryan Madson. Same with Carlos Beltran. Madson was a terrific closer for the season-long favorite Phillies. Maybe the second best closer available behind Papelbon. Beltran was the "it" piece at the trade deadline. Now he's the "oh by the way, this guy's also available" free agent.
It's all build up. Or lack thereof. And when in 5 years, fans all over the country will ask one another "where did Pujols start his career" when it pops up as a trivia question during the game. We will all forget the hype of Pujols and Wilson signing on the same day. Or the Marlins nabbing Bell, Buehrle, and Reyes. It's inevitable. The build up will exceed the event.
It's kind of like the season. Christmas in specific. I speak from experience when I say that people begin thinking of the Christmas season well in advance. Parents plan ahead, putting money aside for the many gifts they plan to bestow upon their children. Children make lists of gifts they want. Santa makes lists of children who have been naughty or nice.Then there are the lists of who to buy for and send cards to.
Then there's the gift selection process. There are those you absolutely know what you will get. Then there are the cousins, friends, in-laws for whom you know something personalized would be best to at least make it look like you have an interest in them. But of course, you haven't really paid attention (thanks world of sports) and all you know is that they have a blue ball cap and drive a pick-up. Gift card it is. And for those who you know, but don't know what to get. That's the gift-getting fun. You plan and scheme and shop for hours. You may not spend a cent through 15 stores and 6 hours of shopping (other than food, of course). But you are gathering ideas. Then you see it. It's the greatest present you've ever bought, until next year, and you cannot wait to see the look whomever's face when they open it.
And don't count out the anticipation. What will I get. I hope it's a puppy. I want a new car. Maybe a diamond necklace. Did he get me a Snuggie? Will someone give me that new Duran Duran album? How many packages will I get? I know what that's like not because I am greedy at Christmas (quite the opposite, in fact). Gifts don't matter so much to me as does the giving. I have several presents this year that I cannot wait for people to open.
I know this because I am a sports fan. I want many things for my teams in the off-season (see my list of desires from my last post). I would have loved to see CP3 in a Celtic uniform, even if it meant giving up Rondo whom I love. I want my teams to get better. I analyze the rosters head to toe and imagine how well we'll do, how many wins we'll get, how easily we'll make it look when we win the championship. I do this for all of my teams (except maybe the Miami Dolphins, whom I hope good things for but expect about what I get).
And then someone opens the present and as much as I loved the antique, homemade collectible edition figurine of my mother's childhood hero, she adores the purse my sister gave her made of duct tape and juice boxes. And no matter how much you want that new car or new album, by this time next year, the album is old, forgotten, long-since added to the Zune or iPod and discarded because it takes up space. And for the build up and suspense that went into it the memory fades twice as fast.
And I wouldn't have it any other way. Was this article worth the delay? Probably not. But if I didn't have something to look forward to while there was nothing better to be done, than I might just go crazy, or eat, or just plain be bored. I'd rather analyze figures and statistics and depth charts and free agent trackers and rumor mills. Maybe the build up is more provoking and memorable than the event, but I wouldn't trade it for King Felix, a draft pick, and a player to be named.
