Ready for fall

It’s about time, fall sports are here.

Don’t take this the wrong way, baseball is my favorite sport hands down, but summer is the leisurely-paced uncle that falls asleep a lot compared to the high-strung fall sports season.

First, football. Fans of teams from high school to pro teams are pouring over Internet blogs, message boards and Twitter pages looking for information on their team’s progress in summer practices.

Not a game. Practice.

You Griz and Bobcat fans out there are certainly pouring over every little nugget of information, from the mundane details like the color of UM’s helmets to the general excitement starting to build around MSU’s chances this year in the Big Sky Conference.

I couldn’t help but get goosebumps driving up to Charlo’s midnight practice last Thursday night. The lights from the stadium could be seen miles away, and when I walked up to the cleanly cut field and dark silhouettes of the football players, it was like a scene out of a Kevin Costner movie.

“Is this heaven?”

No, it was Charlo, but that was close enough. However, I doubt heaven has as aggressive mosquitoes that remind me of small birds. Not only did the kids brave those nefarious insects but also a steady drizzle of rain that drenched everyone.

And I’m going to go out on a limb and say they were having fun.

While summer usually just has baseball as it’s centerpiece sport, fall spoils us with football, volleyball, soccer and cross country. That’s a potpourri of athletics for the hopelessly addicted sports fan.

Hearing Polson volleyball coach Jan Toth describe her practices to me, reminded me of just what it was like to here the terrifying term “two-a-days.”

Really? Two practices in 24 hours that are jam-packed with conditioning? That’s like going to a dentist visit twice in one day.

Of course, this is coming from a guy that had to have his velcro shoes and legs cut out of a tangled soccer net in fifth grade.

These two-a-days will pay off later in the season and do signal that actual games are just around the corner.

You can’t tell me you aren’t getting a little giddy about those Friday Night Lights. I’m sure Polson and Ronan fans are already sharpening their teeth for the football grudge-fest.

Here we go, the fall sports season is here.