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5 Months When You Forget Sports Aren't The Only Thing Happening

Sitting at my desk, surrounded by TVs showing playoff baseball, I can't help but think that life is pretty good. I'm working, of course, because kids, bills, life, etc. But I'm also half watching the Orioles and Tigers slug it out in the second game of their American League Division Series.

(Note to employers: By "half watching" I mean I'm totally paying attention to my job and only my job. I have no idea that the Orioles just took back the lead in the eighth inning.)

Last night I cycled back and forth between Thursday Night Football and the Royals - Angels ALDS. My viewing options this weekend include more playoff baseball, not to mention insane amounts of college football. Oh yeah, and it's Week 5 in the NFL.

Is there a better time of the year for sports than now? Well, it depends on what you like. Here are five of the best months for sports:

1. October

I alluded to the viewing options before, but let's break it down, for all of you who are considering a family outing to a pumpkin patch or something. The Major League season can drag a little, but every out counts in October. Playoff baseball is sports at its best. Football -- both college and pro -- is getting into the heart of the season. All the offseason rust is gone, and the contenders are starting to pull away from the dreamers. The NHL returns to action early in the month, and the NBA later. It really doesn't get much better than October for sports...

2. May

Unless you absolutely hate football (though I've yet to meet this particular sports fan). May might your month then. Did I say playoff baseball is the best? That might just be because it is now, presently, October. Ask me again in May, and I'll probably vote for NBA basketball. May features playoff hoops pretty much every night... playoff hockey too. And rest assured there's a baseball game to switch to before and after.

3. January

January is no October or May. But with the temperatures bottoming out, there isn't much temptation to venture out into the world. Lucky for you basketball and hockey are on TV every day. January is also playoff time in the NFL. No longer stuck with that iffy local market game (or figure skating), you can watch the big boys duke it out for a chance at Super Bowl glory. Every NFL game is on, and every NFL game is good.

4. April

Football is a distant memory, or a speck on the horizon. Either way, it isn't on TV. However, baseball is, in all its glory. MLB returns in April to shake us from those winter doldrums. The NBA and NHL are sorting out what teams will go to the playoffs and what teams will go home. And let's not forget the Final Four. The madness may come in March, but it all gets decided in April.

5. December

Ignoring all that holiday programming that takes over the airwaves the last month of each year is hard. (It's like Frosty really does have some magic in that old silk hat.) But the abundance of sports-viewing options sure helps. Are there any division one football teams that don't get a bowl bid? Do you even care? With so much college football to choose from, it's a wonder I remember to eat or bathe. The NFL regular season is drawing to a close, with teams playing for the postseason (or their jobs). College basketball starts to move into the more competitive part of the schedule. And there's always the NBA and NHL, in case you manage to find 10 extra minutes with nothing on.

Check out even more Sports Lists.

Norm Elrod likes sports and other sanctioned forms of craziness.

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