A light at the end of the summer sports tunnel

It's Christmans Eve and I'm eagerly awaiting the bountiful goodies that I will soon receive. Only instead of being eight-years-old and anticipating a jolly fat man in a red jumpsuit bringing me a brand-spanking new Ghostbusters Ecto-Pack, I'm 21-years-old and counting down the days until ESPN begins to televise the greatest stretch of sporting events of the year. Summer is great for playing sports, but for all of us armchair quarterbacks, there isn't a lot to get excited about. Don't get me wrong. I love baseball more than kids used to love to listen to 50 Cent tell a girl that he loves her as much as a fat kid loves cake, but the MLB season is about 60 games too long. But, those 60 mind-numbing games happen to be coming to an end as we speak, and the ensuing pennant race is just one of four reasons why the next two months are the best months in any sports fan's year.
1. Baseball's Pennant Race Baseball is America's pastime and I love it, but after the initial thrill of the season starting fades and my fantasy team falls to pieces thanks to my sleeper pick Raul Mondesei not deciding to return to his 1996 form, baseball becomes really boring to watch. But, with the pennant races developing and the trade deadline looming, baseball is once again at the forefront of my every thought and action. My giddiness only heightens as my Braves grow closer to securing yet another division title, which of course ensures that I get to spend the better part of October stumbling home from Yogi's after pant-wettingly exciting playoff games.
2. The Little League World Series Continuing in the baseball theme, the Little League World Series is set to commence with the first U.S. regional beginning Aug. 4. I'm still not entirely sure if it's lovable or pathetic, but I don't think I anticipate any sporting event more than the LLWS. Between finding out who will be this year's recipient of the Danny Almonte award for most disgusting parent involvement in little league athletics and watching a star the likes of Richmond, Texas' Randal Grichuk (lovably nicknamed Truck by his teammates) develop before my eyes, the LLWS has it all. So it's no surprise that if you need to reach me in the next few weeks your best bet is to follow your nose to the scent of grilled burgers and bratwursts to my house where I'll be planted in front of my TV listening to Harold Reynolds' brilliant commentary, with a beer in one hand and a scorecard in the other.
3. College Footballb Every school that's been to at least one bowl game since 1993, take a step forward. Not so fast, IU. So, OK it's understandable why students at IU don't get excited about college football with a program that rivals the likes of Baylor and the Big East juggernaut that is Rutgers, but that doesn't mean it's not of the most compelling sports in collegiate athletics. September brings with it the return of classes, but it also brings with it a very enticing alternative to studying on a Saturday afternoon.
4. Country Club Craziness For those of you who aren't excited by pennant races, 12-year-olds being exploited by their parents or cheering for other schools' football teams, there are still the more dignified sports of golf and tennis to look forward to. Tiger Woods looks to continue his return to dominance Aug. 11 at the PGA Championship. If the thought of watching Tiger pumping his fist after chipping in for birdie from the sand doesn't make you want to break out your clubs and try your hand at the IU course, then I don't know what more I have to offer you. Unless of course you're more in seeing if Andy Roddick can defeat his nemesis Roger Federer at the U.S. Open Aug. 29. Whatever your fancy, the next few months have something to offer for every sports fan.