Such a Tease...

I go through the same thing every NFL preseason. The football withdrawal is so bad by August that I don’t care if nothing’s really at stake, I just want to watch a game.

Or so I think.

I giggle maniacally in anticipation of kickoff. I’m interested through the first quarter, excited to see all the guys I know and love and even to hear the little NFL song that plays before they go to commercial. Then the second string guys come out, but I’m still intrigued to see who we’ll be dealing with if there are injuries or other circumstances that should bring them out. Crucial for both life and the fantasy team. Then after halftime, the third string shows up. I probably should be at least vaguely aware of who these guys are, and usually at least know some stuff about QB3 from college ball, likely, but my interest starts dropping like a fumbled pass. When you get the third string out there, the bad passes, other errors and weird plays start happening more often… which makes it look more like a practice or scrimmage. Which is kind of what it is, I guess, if you really think about it.

But it’s still football. So I still watch. (…and count the days till the season starts :) )

…and since football is pseudo-back, it’s time for the return of the PATs:

• Gator football starts in 3 weeks! ESPN’s Inside the Program day with the Gators was the perfect way to officially get psyched up for the season. Being back in the Swamp to watch my first game as a student in 5 seasons is gonna be great. From the SEC media days and ESPN’s interviews, I’m liking what I’m hearing about Coach Muschamp and even Charlie Weiss so far. Guess we’ll have to see how things go once the season starts before this “Muschampions” thing gets too out of hand… Don’t shake the keys yet.

• In a totally different sport, my Sox are having an awesome run in the second half, not giving up more than 1 game in any series so far. The Yankees got away with one, but still remain 2 for 12 so far this season. The best part is that we’ve had some amazing games, several in a row coming from behind to take the win, and it seems like it’s a different guy leading the team in each one. Yay for a well-rounded team and not relying on one star player to save the day. I’m much more optimistic about this post-season than those of recent years.