As The Calendar Flips To October, Sports Fans Should Do Cartwheels

On Saturday, whether we are ready or not, the calendar will read October. Are you ready?

I’ll admit there was an element of sadness this week, as my wife and I put the AC window unit away and tried to deny that we heard the heat click on during the evening. It’s a little disappointing that my nightly walk regimen now involves racing home by 7:30 because by then I can hardly see anything. The sun is out far less, and the temperatures are dropping. The Northland is free-falling into fall.

Yet, at least for me, it’s not all doom and gloom, as it’s actually quite the contrary. While I’m certainly not in the “Fallelujah” category and I don’t need anything in my life to have something pumpkin spice, I am a fan of the autumn season. Fall colors are beautiful, and the ability to consistently wear a hooded sweatshirt conveniently hides my not-so-beautiful belly. Combine that with the best sports month of the year and I’m firmly on the bandwagon.

That’s right I said it. March Madness is its own universe. April symbolizes the crack of the bat and the start of Spring. September kicks off the sport that rules our society. I’ll trade it all for October – you just can’t beat it.

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MLB fan? It’s playoff time. NBA fan? The tip-off comes this month. NHL fan? Puck drops shortly. All in on the NFL? This month should tell us who is contending and who is pretending. Prep playoffs will be here too for fall sports, and we all root for the kids. How will we pay attention to all of it?

Maybe you’re not into pro or prep sports and college athletics are more your “jam.” On Saturday alone, St. Scholastica football has a home opener, as does UMD men’s hockey. One feels really late, and one feels really early. October hits you in all the “sports feels” without having to yet endure the deep freeze we are inevitably in for sooner than later.

Is “Kirktober” really a thing? Will the Yankees choke again? Is Rudy Gobert enough to push the Wolves to whatever is the “next level?” Can Marco Rossi help Wild fans forget Kevin Fiala, or will The Flower have this franchise laying in the weeds? Will I finally prefer Tanner Morgan over Captain Morgan? Is this the start of another natty run at Amsoil for multiple teams?

Definitive answers to these questions certainly won’t all come in October, but it’s the month that gives you glimpses of everything. As a sports fan, what could be better? I know you’ll tune in for the Northland Sports Page every Saturday from 10am-Noon as we feast on this buffet of great content. We pride ourselves on discussing a little bit of everything and providing fun for any type of fan.

October assures us of a mega-storm of topics to tackle! You knew I’d work that term in as a lifelong Northlander, right? Chat with you Saturday!

Brian's show, 'The Northland Sports Page', can be heard Saturdays from 10 am to noon on the FAN 106.5 FM/560 AM. You can catch previous episodes on the Northland FAN On-Demand area of our website or on our mobile app.