Recreation and sports

Fall is my favorite time of year. No not because of the cooler weather and the leaves on the ground, but because it is finally time for some football.

Football season is great because after two weeks of almost nothing on TV as far as sports, suddenly you are engulfed with dozens of games every Saturday and Sunday. A baseball game is great in person, but watching it on TV puts a man to sleep. At least the Beijing Olympics provided some sports activity this year.

I love both the college and the National Football League games for several reasons. The excitement involved in the college game isn’t like anything else. Every weekend, hundreds of thousands of screaming fans fill up local stadiums in an effort to help the home team to victory. With the expansion of network television money, there are often great matchups on every Thursday and Saturday night as well. While I don’t really like the BCS arrangement that is in place in the college game, one benefit to the arrangement is that every regular season matchup really is big. A college team might get away with one loss during the year, but if they want a shot at the title, then they can’t afford to lose more than once.

The NFL is a different animal, but just as good in my book. Again the passion is amazing, especially in the great NFL cities like Dallas, Denver, Green Bay, and Kansas City. What makes the NFL great for many fans is the expansion of fantasy football. Sure some people go a little crazy, in that they use every waking moment evaluating their players and proposing ridiculous trades to the other fantasy players in the league. Just get started with the right set of guys and gals, then fantasy football makes all of the matchups much more interesting.

This year I had to evaluate my TV, as Cox cable TV continued to disappoint me as far at their service and pricing. Fortunately, I had a couple of choices, as U-verse service is now in my area, as well as satellite television. After checking into my choices, I discovered there are great satellite TV deals going on right now. So then it became the old DirecTV vs DISH Network debate Being the huge fan that I am, I just couldn’t pass up the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package that they offer. In addition, they offer great college football premium packages, including the ESPN Game Plan. Overall, there is just more for your money when comparing satellite TV to Comcast. Plus, you just can’t beat the DIRECTV DVR.

My spouse may not like that selection, but at least she will know where to find me, right in front of the television set this fall!