The Summer Doldrums In The Spo...

Well folks, we’ve officially reached the dead zone of sports. There’s not a whole heck of a lot going on right now to keep things exciting. There is no NBA, NFL, NHL, even no Premier League Soccer. Not a single Champion going on anywhere. It’s a virtual wasteland of sport’s boredom and nothingness. We do have Major League Baseball but watching baseball in June is like watching the grass grow. I watch it to put me to sleep and it works unfortunately.

I hate to go Jonesing for stories but what we do have is drama both on the field and off, mostly off as we have seen and heard about this past week.

In the NBA, Ja Morant continues his journey thru social media stupidly stunts. Being sidelined for 25 games by the league for brandishing a gun on Instagram is reported to have cost him around 50 million dollars. The self-entitlement is strong in this one, but the damage to him both financially and emotionally should pull him back down to planet earth, hopefully. After an exciting NBA playoffs and Finals this is not a good look for The NBA but hopefully this will send a clear message to the players.

Moving along to NCAA College Basketball, Bob Huggins, the head coach at The University of West Virginia, was arrested for DUI a third time after being stopped and blowing a .210 on a breathalyzer test. He was driving a university vehicle that was full of empty beer cans. Bob Huggins officially now had more DUI’s then Final Four appearances and has since resigned his position as coach. However, take heart because Rick Pitino returning to NCAA Basketball at St. John’s University has shown us that anything, and I mean anything, is survivable in college basketball.

Apparently, all is not well with The Buffalo Bills. The end of season spat between Josh Allen and Stephan Diggs has extended itself into this year’s OTAs with Diggs being a no show and Allen apologizing for issues “not related to football”. After their very visible and televised argument on the sidelines during last year’s playoffs it makes you wonder if they can get it together and be a contender again this season. Only time will tell but it’s possible that the honeymoon may be over in Buffalo.

Not to be outdone by any of the hoopla occurring behind the scenes in major professional sports, college football is rolling into another season that will hopefully help us forget about guns and broken marriages. It’s worked in the past for me at least.

We all know that the big story this year will be Arch Manning, the nephew of Payton and Eli Manning that now attends Texas. It’s unknown if and when he will debut this season but a match up on September 7th with Alabama would be a great guess for him to make an appearance. I would definitely mark it on your calendar. Conversely, a first weekend battle between LSU and Florida State should stoke the competitive fires burning for most of the nation east of the Mississippi River on September 3rd. College football this year should be a grand affair. I’m looking for Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and of course Alabama to make a run for the national championship once again. I know, I lean towards the SEC but it’s hard to be humble right? I’m looking forward to hearing the bands play, the student sections go crazy and of course my weekly picks on this site to lead the way! Bring on College Gameday!

Speaking of leading the way, I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a prediction. I’m not gonna go out to far and predict the Super Bowl winner next year, but I’ll make an educated guess about who will go far, sort of like a top four to look forward to next season. And yes, I reserve the right to change my mind as the season goes on!

First, The Jacksonville Jaguars. I like everything about Jacksonville. They finished strong last year. They got better with each game. They have a solid running game, a great receiver corps and an excellent Quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who is finally coming into his own. Additionally, they have a seasoned and intelligent head coach in Doug Peterson. I’d be willing to throw money on The Jaguars early to get a great value bet.

Second. The Cincinnati Bengals. This could be Joe Burrows big year. Everything depends on if the can get an offensive line together to protect him. There’s obviously a heated rivalry springing up between him and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (Patrick who?) so the emotion might spur the Bengals to perform better on the field towards the end of the season. The Bengals seem to start slow and build momentum but I look for them to go deep in the playoffs, maybe even all the way.

Third. The San Francisco 49ers. Everyone is waiting, holding their breath on Wonder Boy Brock Purdy’s medical situation. There’s talk he may miss the entire season which I know will greatly distress his legions of adoring fans. Nothing yet has been announced but if he plays the 49ers are in, if he sits the 49ers are out. It’s as simple as that.

Fourth. The Miami Dolphins. The Fins are a tough call this year but I’m hoping they do well. I’m not sure which way to turn on Tua’s condition physically. Frankly watching the guy slither around on the ground last year in the depths of a major concussion frightened me beyond words. I value life infinitely more than any football game but if I know anything I know this guy is gonna play hard every weekend. If he plays well and stays healthy, I’m looking for The Dolphins to win the division. No more Tom Brady, the honeymoon in Buffalo is over and Arron Rogers and The Jets I feel will be a bust, as usual. The door is open for Miami like never before. Let’s hope all goes well.

So with that I present to you the summer doldrums in sports. I know it’s not a lot but hey, I’m still coming down off the emotional high of the NBA and NHL finals. I think you’ll agree that South Florida had a very good year! Don’t get discouraged as we have less than 75 days left till football and we can all once again yell Play On!!

Kev