Hmm... Football Is Over...

This is a weird time in the lives of a sports fan. Football has officially ended for the season (and the foreseeable future with a pending lockout), and other than the draft one cannot get their pigskin fix. The Packers are World Champions (like I said before the season. Point for me), but no free agents can be signed or trades made until there is a new CBA. So we are stuck without football news. Here are a few ways to pass the time-

1. NCAA Basketball: The regular season is winding down, which means it is almost conference tournament time. The glory of the Big East Tournament from Madison Square Garden. The one-bid conferences fighting for that automatic spot. The sleeper in the Big XII or SEC trying to make one last effort to impress the tournament. It is great. Plus, the NCAAs come right after. (Note, due to lack of competitive nature, the ACC will now officially change its name to the All Carolina Conference during basketball season.) It is the Big East tournament, btw, that brought us the greatest basketball game of all time-



2. Spring Training: Hope springs eternal... unless you are a Pirates fan, but hey, for the next month they aren't in last place. Tune into MLB Network and ESPN2 during the day and catch some great games from the Cactus and Grapefruit league. See how your new favorite player looks in your team's uniform (Werth and LaRoche, this means you). See if your team's rotation is all it is cracked up to be (Note: ignore comment if you are a Phillies fan. 4 #1 starters is not fair). And just keep your eye on the calender, because March 31st and Opening Day are rapidly approaching. Just see at how beautiful Space Coast Stadium looks.





3. The NHL: Hockey is like football, only faster, with sticks, on ice... but there is just as much violence! Maybe even more if you catch an Islanders-Penguins game. They don't even throw you out for punching a guy. How amazing is that? Even if your team isn't as good as you thought they should be (sigh...), it is still a face-paced thrill ride of a game.



4. See a movie: Ok, so, not sports-related. But there are a bunch of good films out. I have seen 4 of the 10 Oscar nominees for Best Picture, and they are all amazing. Into visual effects? See Inception. Need a thriller? Black Swan. Maybe a western? True Grit. What about a movie with some amazing dialogue relevant to today's society? Sounds like The Social Network to me. I hear The Kings Speech is excellent, Toy Story 3 will make you weep, and Christian Bale is a shoe-in for the Oscar thanks to The Fighter. Go! See a film!

5. The NFL Draft Preps: Still got pigskin on the mind, huh? Well, not to worry. If your cable provider has the NFL Network, you can watch the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. See the stars of tomorrow work out without pads on, all while being poked, prodded and questioned by scouts. Who will impress the most? Who will see their stock rise or fall? Who will run a 4.2 40-yard dash? All these questions will be answered in Indianapolis.