As I pull out my hoodies and jeans for the fall, I am reminded of what a great month October is. The leaves are beginning to change colors, Halloween is just around the corner and possibly the best sports month of them all is finally here.
At Creighton, we have three teams that are continuing the success of past years. Meanwhile, college and NFL football are in full swing, and the baseball playoffs have story lines that will pull at almost
everyone’s heartstrings.
Here are the reasons why October is so great.
Our men’s soccer team is No. 5 in the national NSCAA/Adidas soccer rankings and No.1 in the Midwest. Coach Bob Warming and his squad are 6-1 and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country after a 3-0 start.
At the beginning of the season, the team goal was to reach the College Cup in Dallas/Fort Worth. So far, they are on the right track to do just that.
Women’s soccer is 8-3 and off to the best start in school history. Just last week, coach Bruce Erickson and his squad won the program’s 200th game in 20 years. They are ready to make yet another run.
Volleyball is poised for a strong conference season. The team is 5-6, but don’t let that fool you. They have played one of the nation’s toughest schedules, facing five teams that went to last year’s NCAA tournament. Sunday, the vaunted Huskers come to the Qwest. Is this the year CU takes them down?
As baseball playoffs begin, rest assured that my Cubs gear is all ready to go. But the Cubs’ drama is only one of many compelling stories that will be told in these playoffs.
Can the Tampa Bay Rays, who are in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and have some of the youngest and most talented players in the league, put everything together to win it all?
Their opponent, the Chicago White Sox, needed 163 games to get in, none more exciting than the last one, a 1-0 win over the
Minnesota Twins.
With that win, it marks the first time since 1906 that both Chicago baseball teams are in the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies also snuck into the playoffs while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Boston Red Sox have been ready for a while.
Will Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers play spoiler to Cubs fever? (This columnist hopes not!)
Football is in full swing as well. College football has seen its share of upsets so far (think unranked Oregon State beating USC in Corvallis, Ore.).
Some of the NFL teams expected to be at the bottom on the standings are on the top, i.e. the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills. Even my no-offense Chicago Bears are 2-2. By the way, Brett Favre is still Brett Favre.
So, if you find yourself with some down time between all those midterms or during fall break, go catch a Jays game or turn on the TV. I guarantee you will find some entertainment.