Upside Down in September

How September has changed. Once, this time of year meant the start of football season, and eager anticipation about the Orange especially, but also the NFL. What better way to spend a weekend afternoon than in Archibold, or the Dome, or just sitting on the couch with a bag of Doritos, and the Phins on the tube? A couple years every decade, the Sox would make a run at the pennant, and then baseball in September would still mean something; still, pennant fever was shrouded with the ever-present dread of heartbreak. So even if the Sox were in the thick of things after Labor day, or even in those few years when they seemed destined to play in the post-season, I was always wary of getting too deeply engaged, fearing that it could all end, as it had so often, in tragedy.

This year, and for the past few years, everything has been upside down. Yesterday was the home opener for Cuse, and we had planned to drive in, and watch them take on the Akron Zips. Once upon a time, Akron would have been fodder for the Orange, someone to fatten up the schedule. But times have changed. And I’m happy to say that, because it had been such a hectic week, at the last minute we chose to stay home, and managed to avoid seeing the Orange lose to the Zips, while surrendering almost 500 yards of offense. Now if they can’t beat Akron, who are they going to top this year? And the Orange on their way to a winless season? I remember reading about Columbia going winless year after year, and wondering how could that happen? How could a program be that lousy year after year? And if I’m not mistaken, Northwestern was once one of those schools that managed to lose every game in a season. Of course, Northwester clobbered the Cuse last week, when we also surrendered close to 500 yards. What’s it going to be like next week, when they take on Penn State? Our trip to the Fiesta Bowl seems like eons ago; another lifetime.

And in the NFL, while things are perhaps not quiteso bleak, not completely hopeless, it’s going to tough to get excited about much of anything this fall. The Dolphins had one of those bottom-dwelling seasons last year, winning only once. And even though they lost today, to the Jets in Miami, they put up a fight, and were in the game in the fourth quarter. I’m not expecting a quick return to glory, but maybe they’ll at least play respectably this year. In any event, it’s the first weekend of the football season, and I have nothing to look forward to, either from the Orange or the Aqua and Orange.

By way of contrast, the Sox have left us with high hopes for the next two months. They’re playing as well now as they have all year, having won another road series. Most importantly, Josh Beckett had a strong outing on Friday night in Texas. With a healthy Beckett, the top three starters give Boston the deepest pitching they’ve ever brought into the pennant race, or the post-season, even without Curt Schilling. They’ll miss Schill’s big game performances, but Beckett, Lester and Dice-K give the Sox a great rotation. (Props for Byrd, who had another great outing today.) Plus, Lowell had a big game on Friday, coming off the DL; Youk and Pedroia remain hot; and even the bottom of the lineup is contributing of late. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, because we have six more games with the Rays, and seven with the Jays (who are playing the spoiler right now, beating everyone in the AL East). So the next two weeks will tell us whether the Sox are playing in October. But my point is that, at least for baseball, there’s something to look forward to. A reason to read the sports page every morning, for the time being at least. I doubt, however, that I’ll rush to read much of anything, come November. Well, maybe the Herald, because by then, the Celtics will be playing again. Still, it will be a weird fall without a football team to root for.