The Unexciting Summer of Excitement
The Unexciting Summer of Excitement
By The Fillerbuster
The Cast
June 6, 2025
I am heading to Africa this weekend, and, of course, my Nuggets post aged quickly after they lost. Nothing has overly inspired me lately, but I wanted something that would age well during my couple of weeks of PTO time. Therefore, you get this…
(Barely edited, written in one sitting for the most part, and forgive any grammatical errors)
We are entering summer, and forgive me for whatever sport I forgot that you love…
NFL: It hasn’t started yet.
NBA: Soon to be done…
NHL: Soon to be done…
MLB: There are 162 games, so yes…
WNBA: Still going…
UFC/Boxing: Still going…
Soccer: We are in between the years of EURO and World Cup, and the league play is dwindling down? I think the Four Nations thing is going on, probably some other things..
College Football: It hasn’t started yet.
College Basketball: It hasn’t started yet.
College Baseball: You can watch the World Series…
Horse Racing: Almost done, at least the big ones…
Olympics: Off year…
Wrestling: I am sure there is something going on…
UFL: In my opinion, you REALLY need to be missing football to watch that league, but you do…you.
Tennis: Slams ongoing.
Golf: Majors ongoing.
Let’s talk about some of the ongoing sports. A disclaimer first. I am definitely not saying that I would rather watch these sports than a good NFL or college hoops game, but I am an optimist. In life, I naturally find the silver lining in any situation. So, I am finding the silver lining during a time when a lot of popular sports are winding down or haven’t started.
Golf. Before I met my wife, and sometimes even during this marriage, I could literally lay on the couch from noon on in a day, for four straight days, watching the Majors. It isn’t just watching golf. They are different. They are special. They are legendary, and those tournaments are the ones that CREATE who the legends are. You have two flavors (before a couple of years ago, you had three) of Majors coming, and both are unique in their own way. If you don’t like golf, go try to actually golf, and then try and watch it again. It is mesmerizing how good they are at the craft. And, the Majors? No one remembers who wins the John Deere Classic years from now, but everyone remembers who won The Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open…excuse me…The Open. The US open is up first, and it is known for deep second cut and tight fairways. If your drive is not in sync when it rolls around, you will have problems. Whereas, at The Masters, you can hit it right and left of the fairway, and, if you are a big hitter, you can find a way to the green. The accurate drivers (not necessarily long) and precise irons players love this tournament. The British Open is links golf, and it is a whole different type of golf. Less trees, more bunkers, more coast, more weather, and they have REALLY tall grass if you miss the fairway. Plus, you can wake up early, watch the final groupings, and get on with your day by noon. And, the time of the unfit golfer kind of has passed. Tiger made it real that being in shape made you a better golfer, but the guys coming up now have embraced what a golf athlete is, and the “typical” golfer looks much different from the days of Monty and Daly. And although The Masters is not a summer thing, it still is an event that can get you hooked on golf. I have been to Augusta, and it was easily one of my favorite sports experiences in my life (and it was a PRACTICE round). The place is magical, and almost fake looking. Although other venues might not be able to compete with its beauty nor host an event every year like it does, the various chosen courses do portray the magic of a Major at a course. It is different and historical. Finally, let’s touch on a final reason to tune in. What Scottie Scheffler is doing in golf is the closest thing to what Tiger Woods did in the early 2000’s that we have seen. He is owning the sport. When he is on the leaderboard or making a move, he literally is making other players nervous…like Tiger. When he has a lead going into Sunday, it seems insurmountable…like Tiger. We are watching history, and the US Open and British Open are two summer events where you can witness some of that history that is happening before our eyes.
Then…
(I shouldn’t have listed Daly in any type of negative tone. He is truly the man, and I would love to golf 18 with him ANY day of the week. I was just saying that his heaters, booze, and portly build didn’t help the stereotype of golfers. I should have gone with Colin Montgomerie and Tim Herron.)
Present Day…
WNBA. The league is more than Caitlin Clark, folks, although her ascension sort of made it cool with the younger generation. They have lots of hoopsters, and Paige Bueckers is the next rising star, right on the heels of Ms. Clark. Sure, the sport has less dunks, but Caitlin shooting from the logo is a real thing. And, it is becoming cooler by the day. I will come clean. I don’t watch a lot of it, but I am a basketball fan, and I appreciate it.
Tennis. I played competitive tennis, so I was lucky to be raised on this sport. And, I always say that it is an athletic chess match (as I get the groans of people who hate tennis AND chess). I admit that it is actually tougher to appreciate. There are little nuances going on during a point and during a match that Johnny Mac can’t explain to a viewer in the 30 seconds between points, but tennis should be appreciated more. But, I get it. If you didn’t play, you don’t follow it as well. Why did he hit a lob? What is an inside-out forehand? What are the alley lines even for if they are out during a singles match? What do they mean that clay is slower? So, let’s just help out with this on a high level. Grass is the fastest (Wimbledon), clay is the slowest (French), and hard courts are the middle ground (Australian and US Open, but they aren’t during the summer). This is oversimplifying, but big serves and net players dominate Wimbledon, and players with strong ground strokes and better spin dominate the French. The great players master both, but use different tactics on different surfaces. My favorite player ever, Mats Wilander, won all of the other ones with his brilliant ground strokes, yet never won Wimbledon because he preferred to not be at the net, and because his serve wasn’t as powerful as some. Pete Sampras is a more popular example of someone who won a bunch at every other surface, but never made it past the semifinals in France. Anyway, I could go into more detail on the ebb and flow of a point and match, but that would take a book. Just try and watch it, try to enjoy it, and listen to the announcers as far as understanding each match. It is a brilliant sport. As far as being athletes, the lateral and forward movement/speed has to be fast, and the power for the serve from the shoulder is fast and powerful…sort of like a pitcher when he throws the ball. Back to the surfaces. I said the greats master all courts, but they all have their favorites. Roger Federer wishes he could have built his house on the grass courts, and Nadal’s house would have been made out of clay. Both figured out the other type of court. Federer snuck in one French Open, and Nadal snuck in two Wimbledon title. During the summer, you get no middle ground of the hard courts. You can appreciate the ground strokes on clay, and then the big serves and net play on grass. New viewers will definitely find the grass surface more entertaining. Back to chess. When I call it an athletic chess match, it is because it is rarely ever about that one particular ending ground stroke, just like checkmate is rarely about that last final move in chess. It is all about the approach, the setup, the strategy, and the execution of those things before the trump card is laid down. And, for both, you can watch the semi’s and final, and be back to your day by 2pm-ish. You can catch the last round or two this weekend at the French Open, and you can catch the entire faster and more exciting (for the average viewer) Wimbledon tournament in full in some more weeks time. In talking history, you have two to-be legends on the up and up (Sinner (unlikeable)/Alcaraz (very likeable), and then arguably the best ever (Djokovic) still proving he has some left in the tank. I will let you decide who is the likeable player that is on the up and up.
Baseball. Who doesn’t love going to a game? Baseball games are the best. Sure, there are 162 games, and summer won’t scratch the playoff surface, but there are plenty of things to watch. Ohtani might pitch again, and that would be HORRIFYING for the rest of the league. The Phillies pretty much just ran it back, and maybe they can take the next step. The Yankees might let everyone out East down again. You can ponder how the Rays have more wins than losses, or how the Diamondbacks have more losses than wins. Or, you could simply wonder how bad the Rockies will actually end up.
Soccer: Like I said before, I am sure there is something going on. I am country, not club, so I don’t pay attention much to leagues, but go all in when EURO or the World Cup roll around. I went to Virginia, where the soccer team ruled during my time there. Therefore, I think the love of the sport rubbed off on me…somewhat.
Sure, for sports, summer might be a sad time for some of us. But, if you learn to appreciate the things that ARE going on this summer, then I can persuade you into buying into the magic of soccer for next summer…well, if I am not trying to attend some of the matches. In the meantime, tune into the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals, and open your horizons for the other sporting events of the summer. They can be exciting too. Or, just go outside and do stuff. Or, just wait for football. I get it. I am just showing you a silver lining of this slow season.
So…enjoy the dog days of sports in 2025.
Know that next year is the World Cup is next year in the USA!
Go Pacers, even if the mountain they will be climbing looks impossible. I won’t be here to watch, but will throw a few bucks on them considering the ridiculous odds for an NBA Finals. Pretty sure the Thunder win in 6, but rooting against it for fun.
Go Oilers. Not sure if they are the team that finally quiets the Panthers, but we sort of need a new rivalry in the sport, right? If they win, we will actually ROOT for them to play a third time in the Stanley Cup Finals. And, this IS the toughest team trophy to win, hands down, folks. I am rooting for Canada. Sorry!
Enjoy tennis, golf, baseball, the WNBA, whatever soccer is floating around, and whatever fighting is happening.
And let’s just wait around for football…
My future NBA and NHL bets are in, as well as my US Open future bets.
Goodbye for a minute, and soon hello from Africa.
And…Happy Father’s Day. My Dad was the best.
And remember, if you can’t spot the sucker at the table in the first 30 minutes, then you are the sucker…
See ya!
