As you step out, you feel a distinct chill in the air. The leaves all around campus soon begin to change from their lively green to the orange and yellow signifying the arrival of fall.
The month of October soon approaches and its what sports fans like me live for.
Many sports fans may claim that March Madness offers as much edge-of-your-seat excitement with its dazzling upsets and inter-office bracket contests. To me, the excitement and unpredictability of October trumps all of that.
This year starting on October 5, Major League Baseball is introducing an additional wild card for each league, adding an additional round for the playoffs. As the regular season winds down, many teams are in the thick of the race for those wild cards. While I might disagree with the format, I believe opening up the league for teams to remain alive for the playoffs adds even more excitement to our national pastime.
There is nothing quite like October baseball. While in class, I do my best to sneak in some headphones so I can listen to the day games because I simply cannot miss any part of the action. There is no script, there are no clear cut winners. Even when you think that you have safely secured away the victory, just as that chilling October wind blows, so does the tide of the game.
Not only do you have the excitement of baseball as teams vie for a chance to win the World Series, but the NFL and college football seasons are in full swing.
Being able to wake up on Saturday realizing that there is an Aggie football game that afternoon, then seeing your pro team on Sunday makes time more valuable as you try to fit in chores, homework and work in-between. Think about walking to the Aggie game, smelling the tailgating as family, friends and strangers all tout their expert football analysis.
Think of the feeling when you step on the wood at Kyle Field and feel the goose bumps rise watching Theres a Spirit video or listening to the drum lines iconic cadence.
Thats the feeling of sports in October.
How about when you wake up Sunday with your voice sore from yelling at the game the night before? Or when you can pull off your Clint Eastwood impersonation because of a lack of voice but still have enough to yell at your television when the NFL is on? Or how about when youre scrambling, trying to find an antacid to recover from the salsa someone made at the Sunday Night Football game party, only to find out you ran out of them the night before after celebrating another Aggie victory?
Yes many other fans can say that October is just like any other month in year and that theres nothing special about it. I whole-heartedly disagree.
Theres a majestic feel to October, the unknown, the biting of your nails in the bottom of the ninth in a baseball playoff game or a field goal attempt as time expires in the fourth quarter. Indeed theres nothing like the atmosphere of sports in October. I simply ask; wake me up when September ends.