SPORTS TEASER By George Hassell
Happy November Sports Teaser fans! Here we are, almost to turkey
day and the island is still busy and full of remotely working with kids out
of school tourists! Just when you thought 2020 was going as slow as it
could with the pandemic, it’s suddenly sped up and the year is almost
(thankfully) over. It has been a year to remember and no one will ever
forget for sure. I attribute a lot of that to the array of sporting events that
we are getting treated to this fall. First it was golf and NASCAR, then it
was baseball, basketball and hockey. But most of all our glorious football
has returned. There’s a lot to cover so let’s get to it!
November means we are in the middle of football season. Baseball has
completed the World Series, but only after a 60-game season in MLB.
The NFL will play a full schedule of 16 games, assuming no huge virus
setbacks going forward. It sure looks like we are heading to a Kansas
City-Green Bay Super Bowl, but there are a few teams that might have a
say in that outcome. Baltimore, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay
look like contenders as well. I may be wrong, and I often am, but the Colts
are looking pretty good after a loss to the woeful Jaguars in the first game
of the season. Speaking of woeful, how about our Atlanta Falcons. Wow,
talk about going over the cliff! It might be a battle between them and the
Jags to see who gets Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence as the first pick the
2021 NFL draft. Jacksonville has a history of being bad, whereas Atlanta
has a history of disappointment. One day, maybe.
22 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | NOV 2020
On to college football! We have only had a small sample size of games
as of the writing of this column, but many of the preseason favorites to
vie for the college playoff are holding true to form. Clemson, Alabama and
Georgia look to be on track, but Oklahoma hit a brick wall really quick
with back-to-back losses for the first time in forever. Georgia struggled
out the gate with a sloppy win at Arkansas but then rebounded with a
spectacular and dominating win over Auburn. The defense is loaded,
deep and legit and will travel very well. The offense seems to be finding
some stability, but the season is so young, and things could be completely
different by the time you actually read this… but let’s hope not. In this
month where we give thanks, let’s be thankful that football is back!
And then there’s the upcoming Masters. Yes, it’s upcoming, like in
November. Of this year. Yes, 2020 has turned things upside down for
everyone and everything, including the biggest tournament of the year.
Originally scheduled for April, the Masters was postponed until November.
Although there will be no patrons allowed on the grounds, it promises to
be even more a spectacle this year. I can’t wait for 4 days in Augusta,
wrapped around a full slate of college and NFL football games…. heaven
for me and lots of others for sure. It will be really interesting to see how
these young superstar rocket-launching hitters attack Augusta National.
Oh, and did I mention pimento cheese (I think I’m required to mention it
in every Sports Teaser column…. like that’s a bad thing)?
This crazy year of 2020 is finally winding down, but sports has brought
us a little more sense of normalcy and a great diversion from a lot of
the problems that we have faced as an island, country and world. Let’s
hope that we get a vaccine soon and we can put fans in the stands in
2021. We have so much to be thankful for and I sure hope you all have a
tremendously Happy Thanksgiving!
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