The Sports Sermon

We at the Serm always did like the off season better. So does swimmer Michael Phelps, who was recently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Supposedly Phelps was trying to drink more beers in one hour than medals he won in Athens. Who can blame him? After the pressure and scrutiny of the Olympics, we’d be doing the same. In fact most athletes do. If anyone remembers Charles Barkley’s Coors commercial a couple years back, retirement is meant to seem like one long off-season of partying, and retirement is nothing but a perpetual off-season. And as for the athletes that are still in commission, most are partying like there’s no tomorrow. That’s because tomorrow is likely the first day of mini camp. Another reason to love the off season is because it’s full of intrigue and speculation. The off season is like a soap opera for the sports fan, the only time it’s socially acceptable to gossip about what Shaq said about Kobe, or whether Carlos Beltran will be a Yankee next spring. Overall, it beats debating which celebrities are anorexic. So next time a season ends, don’t be so down: a draft is always within sight, and guys like Terrell Owens will always provide the media with fodder for the upcoming season. As Yankees fans always say “The off season must be George Steinbrenner’s favorite time of the year: He always wins.” We here at the Serm disagree slightly, for the off season is a time where everyone wins, even last year’s losers.