A sports nut

It’s that time of year. Actually, there are two times of year. The first is October 1^st. Fall is coming and summer is leaving. In Canada Sports is ramping up. Baseball is heading into the post season. Basketball and hockey are beginning. Canadian football has passed the halfway mark and the NFL has just begun. For a sport nut this is a good time of year. I suppose Golf might be in there somewhere.

            The second and probably best time of year is in April. Hockey and basketball are going into the playoffs. Baseball is just beginning. For those who love it Racing and Golf are beginning too. There is no football, but mini camps are starting. I am not a well-rounded sports nut. I am not a big Golf guy. I could care less about basketball. Racing? In Canada, there is really only 2 ½ times of year: hockey, blue jay baseball (maybe), and football.

            For the record, Golf exists but does not exist in Canada. Some people play late in the spring and into the summer. The lush greens of Augusta don’t really exist here. Are golfer’s sports athletes? I dunno? I do know that when I have played there is a lot of pain afterwards. It’s weird but twisting your body while hitting a little ball can cause all sorts of trouble. Then there is all the walking. By the end of 18 holes it would be limping. I guess it could be a sport.

            Baseball in Canada is like golf. We play it a little. We tried to have a semi pro team in Calgary but it always snowed for the first month. I find it hard to believe that baseball players get hurt with strained calf’s or sore shoulders. I get the pitcher physical pain but an outfielder? Just stand there and catch the ball. I guess it’s a sport if your running and throwing. There seems to be a lot of standing around and chewing stuff.

            What does God think of Sport. Paul mentions running the race to win. God wants us to take care of our bodies. There is a ton of walking in the Bible. I doubt there were many fat people. There is also a thought that exercising your heart and mind spiritually is a good thing. For some reason, we need to read more of the Bible. We need to hear more of God’s word. We need to listen more and think more. I believe that a healthy spiritual life helps have a healthy physical life.

            I am not sure that racing is a sport. I suppose that holding a steering wheel at 200 miles per hour would cause stress. I know basketball is a sport and Toronto wants Canada to think it’s a sport. If you told me basketball folded I probably would not have noticed. Basketball on a world scale does not exist in Canada. It’s funny that more kids play soccer than any other sport but it too does not exist in Canada professionally. We play soccer like we play racket ball. Yes, soccer is a sport. We watch it on TV. Professionally though, outside of Toronto, we couldn’t care less unless it’s the woman’s Olympic team.

            Football and Hockey rock! Why? I think it’s because they are physical sports. Yes, basketball is too, but no. Football in Canada is different than the American game. I struggle with the two leagues. I happen to love them both. Many have to pick one side or the other. That’s too bad because football is football even with different field sizes and rules. The hitting and team play is amazing in football. I have never played and probably would die trying.

            In Canada, they call hockey the fifth season. Yes, it is. We have snow and ice so hockey fits. Have you ever tried to dribble a basketball on ice? They say that winning the memorial cup in the juniors is hard to do. They also say winning the Stanley cup is really tough. I do think hockey is the hardest to win. There is too much skating and hitting to just get by with it. Yes, hockey is sport.

            I think the real sports are the Olympic ones like running, jumping, and throwing. There is more individual play. I guess that would make certain athletes stand out. I think even in team sport we love individuals like Jordan, Gretzky, and Brady. I remember good teams but I remember good players better. This is a fun time of years watching all the different sports except basketball. Sorry, I can’t stand it. This is the season of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yeah Baby!!!

That’s all this sports nut (minus basketball) needs.

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