My Distinct Seasonal Memories of College + Playoff Baseball

(Warning: somewhat sentimental post)

The Major League Baseball playoffs start tomorrow, and the month-long bonanza is--without a doubt--my favorite sports event of the entire year. I mean, these are REAL playoffs; they don't let in more than half the league (like basketball and hockey), they play almost every day (unlike football), and people actually care (unlike the MLS, WNBA, and other assorted second-tier sports leagues). Simply put, you have to be a very good team to be in the playoffs, you have to be a great team to win, and you have to win almost every day. There's no other sport that can claim that.

(My predictions for this postseason: A's over Yankees in the ALCS, Dodgers over Cardinals in the AAALCS, and A's over Dodgers in 7. Well wishing, but whatever, no one's playing for my opinion.)

But like anyone with a girlfriend/boyfriend/Ziv will tell you, sometimes sentiment takes over as the main reason for affection after a few good years. I suspect that my love for October baseball now has more to do with the associations I have with the playoffs than enjoyment of the actual games themselves. When I think back to previous Octobers, I remember sitting next to Brian and Brett in out apartment as much as I remember the scores or players. And I think that's why the playoffs gives me that sugary feeling inside. The playoffs are the mental impression of all that is good about Davis autumns to me.

Here's my short list of my seasonal impressions from Davis:

DAVIS
Autumn - MLB playoffs and intramural football/futbol
It seemed like we watched a playoff game and then played an IM football game like every single Sunday in the 5 to 9 pm time slot. This wasn't just one year--we had Sunday night football games every autumn, including our championship season and the Fog Bowl (2000) and our best co-ed team (2003).

Winter - Playing video games while it's raining/very cold outside
There was that finals week senior year in December when we played Medal of Honor for about 5 hours a day, resulting in my second-worst GPA of college. There was also the golf game that Blake actually played with us. There were so many times that the VCR clock displayed an "AM", when I was like: "it's so late, what am I doing with my life?...oh cool I shot a 33 on the back nine."

Spring - anything involving a bat and a ball
The strongest memory is of coaching little league with Blake, definitely the most important thing I did in college (besides "meet Heather"). I distinctly remember Friday night games coaching the Yankees (2004). The second memory is of IM softball, including our championship team (2001). I also remember a ton of wiffleball, featuring those ridiculous pitching duels between me and Brett. Emphasis on the "ridiculous" part.

Summer - eating out with Heather
We didn't get to spend too many summers together, and I think that made us so excited when we DID get to spend time with each other that we ate out all the time. I think we look at eating out as a celebratory act, and so from that perspective, we celebrate way too much and it's getting expensive. But you know, it's hard to put a price on good memories, because at the end of your life, you only have two things to hold on to: good memories, and the hope for eternal life. And you can't spend your money in heaven, so you might as well spend it now.