Perhaps the rapture really happened and I’m living in a heavenly alternate universe? How else is it that all of the small-market sports teams I cheer for can be doing so well at the same time!
My football Packers decided to turn on the afterburners late last season, and–thanks in heavy part to a miraculous Vick/Jackson-led Eagles comeback in East Rutherford against the Giants–snuck into the playoffs a six seed and emerged Super Bowl champs earlier this year.
In the months following, my baseball Brewers put some new pitching puzzle pieces in place for the 2011 season and flirted in and out with the division lead until the end of July. That’s when they decided that they would not only start beating the Cubs, Astros, Mets, Dodgers and whoever else stood in the way, but dominate them. An August For The Ages produced a large enough division lead that even when they came back down to Earth, the Brewers were able to claim the division (their first in nearly 30 years) and home field advantage for the NLDS.
Elsewhere during the summer, my college football Badgers flew under the radar to somehow lure quarterback Russell Wilson from N.C. State and now have developed a scoring offense the envy of the SEC. Already dominating before the conference schedule began, Wisconsin (#7) thumped the Big Ten’s twelfth member Nebraska (#8) in Madison this past weekend. Wilson now has some beginning to whisper the ‘H’ word.
Suddenly, the NFL is back and the Packers are running and gunning to an undefeated 4-0 record. Teams are scoring on them, but they just keep scoring a lot more. Have all the WRs covered? No problem, the TE will catch 3 TDs. Have a game plan to contain the TE? No problem, four different WRs will catch a TD. Have all the receivers covered? No problem, the QB or RB will run up and down the field. High octane and high efficiency, almost reminiscent of Montana’s 49ers in the 80s.
Coincidentally, the NBA season is looking increasingly like it won’t start on time, therefore allowing my basketball Bucks to–well–at least they aren’t losing right now.
Top this all off with the Brewers winning the first two games of the NLDS against the snakes, and you’ve got a recipe for a dream weekend of sports.
Now if only I’d been able to take advantage of the gorgeous weather outside, too, instead of fighting a Trifecta of Ill: asthma, ragweed allergies, and the common cold.
But if this is the price I had to pay for reveling in sports-fan heaven, then it was worth it.
