The champagne has dried, the confetti has been swept up and things have pretty much calmed down in the Alamo City. The San Antonio Spurs earned their second championship in five years, David Robinson was sent out in the way we all wanted and that he deserved and now its time to relax. The summer doldrums have set in and now we are entering the dead zone of sports, that time between the end of the NBA finals and the start of football season. For those of us being reared in this football crazed Xanadu which we call Texas, football season for most of us starts with training camps opening so the dead zone usually only lasts from May to the end of July, and thanks to our Spurs the wait will be even shorter this year.
It was easier when we were kids. That was when summer meant something. You were out late, slept in later and hung out at the neighborhood pool. You played basketball until the lights went out and sat in the park with your buddies philosophizing about every thing from sports to girls to cars and back to girls. You had new adventures every day, well until about August 1 when you were really bored. However, you were never so bored as to mow the yard like your mom asked. In childhood and adolescence, there is no dead zone. The heat did not seem so bad and the time passed all too quickly before the first cool breezes of fall came calling. Although in South Texas, those cool breezes usually do not show up until about October.
What can you do to survive in the dead zone? A lot of ESPN Classic! Seriously though, if you have to watch baseball, do it live. Houston is a three-hour drive to the east and Dallas is four hours north. You can check out the Astros and the Rangers, well maybe not the Rangers, they are pretty bad, but you could go to Six Flags. Better yet stay home. In San Antonio we have two theme parks and a baseball team that actually wins games! Minor league sports are the best bet for your dollar, the players give 100% every game and you do not have to open a second mortgage to take the family out to the ballpark. If your basketball itch still needs scratching, check out San Antonio's newest team, the Silver Stars of the WNBA. They are struggling a bit, but again the athletes bring it every night and the tickets are very reasonable.
So what do we do now? First off, today is July 4 and the celebration of the birth of our country. We are privileged to live in the greatest nation on Earth and even though we do not always agree with each other or our local, state or national governments, we are blessed to live in a country where we can voice those differences freely. Also I would like to take time to thank the thousands of men and women who serve this country in our armed forces. The sacrifices made by yourselves and those who came before you are what keep this nation free. From the fields at Yorktown, to the beaches of Normandy our fighting men and women have given themselves freely to the defense of our country with many offering the supreme sacrifice so that we may live without oppression. As someone who has friends and family who serve and have served in the military, I am grateful for your efforts and thank you.
So my friends, I give you the dead zone. It is as inevitable as death and taxes. Although this year, thanks to the Spurs, it will go down a little smoother. This summer, you will see highlights of the championship, t-shirts everywhere and message boards talking about it. You will feel a little smile on your face every time you hear the word "Spurs", so put on some sunscreen and enjoy it, revel in it and cool your daily stresses with thoughts that your basketball team rules over the summer as kings. Of course if you ever get tired of watching the Championship DVD ... NFL training camps start on July 21.
