COLUMN: You won't miss January; I will

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By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     Social media has been filled, this past month, with laments about winter in general and about January in particular.

     Usually they say something about how long the month seems, how January feels like 301 days instead of 31, and how they can’t wait for February, March, and, eventually, spring.

     While I share the excitement for the coming of spring, I don’t necessarily share their desire to get January over with as quickly as possible.

     For one thing, don’t wish your life away. Months and years seem to go by more quickly as you age, and a quick January just rushes you that much faster to…well, you know.

     But more than that, for your local sports editor, January can be a treasure. It’s a full month of high school sports action, and is a treat, particularly in a year, like this one, when all of Monticello’s winter sports teams are enjoying a successful season.

     Having two sons involved – one in bowling, one in JV basketball – has made it even better.

     True, February is the culmination of that season, with the biggest, most exciting events yet to come, as teams across Iowa vie for spots on the state’s biggest stages. But it also means the winter sports season is nearing an end.

     I do look forward to spring. But even though most of you probably won’t, I will, just a little, miss the month of January.

Not so super

     I entered the world of sports betting last summer thinking it was going to add another fun element to my love of sports, and might even rescue the NFL – long a source of agony – for me.

     I was wrong. Take Sunday’s Super Bowl; despite the Midwest furor for the Chiefs, and the fact my younger brother has adored them since childhood; I went with my hunch and put $10 on the 49ers.

     Slow learner.

 

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