The Dead Zone

I made a stunning realization last night.

We have truly entered the sports Dead Zone in this town. With the Phillies sliding face first on their backs down a hill into a pile of manure, training camp weeks away, the Sixers trying to trade the most exciting player on the team, and the Flyers attempting to do a poor imitation of the Buffalo Sabres, I'm left with few things to keep me happy.

One is the Tour de France. I'm sure most of you couldn't watch 10 minutes of this, but I watch 2-3 hours of it every day. I happen to ride a bicycle a lot, so it makes sense, but there are plenty of viewer-friendly reasons to watch even if you don't. One, they crash sometimes. Two, it's the most physically exhausting event in the world (challenge me on that one, I dare you). Three, the hot babes at the end who give the dude the Maillot Jaune and a stuffed animal (???????). I also really enjoy trying to figure out the strategy, and watching when the teams get broken up by a young budding star challenging the veteran leader. Ok maybe none of those are good reasons for you to watch, but I will continue.

Two is the Minnesota Twins. I'm waving my Homerun Hankie, dreaming about old #34, and watching Joe Mauer hopefully become the best catcher of our lifetime.

Three is the fact that training camp really is coming up soon. Extremely soon. Very soon.