We have entered the dead zone of the sports calendar. Here are 10 things we want to know to cut down on monotony. – Orange County Register

If you’ve had a loss of appetite for the past few days or feel tired and low on energy, you may be suffering from NFLSAD, or National Football League Seasonal Affective Disorder.

It takes place every year after the Super Bowl and can last days, weeks, or even months, depending on the appearance of the first draft.

Often, people with NFLSAD can get through these dark times with the help of small diversions, such as starting spring training on the baseball team. But the MLB owner’s lockdown means we may not have that to return this month, letting basketball and hockey take the reins.

And no matter how much you love golf, the NHL, the NBA, or the college round, it’s hard to become famous until there’s a Masters, a knockout, or an NCAA Tournament.

So the dead zone of the 2022 sports calendar is officially here, and unless you’re an ice dancer and lugers player, there’s no way out.

Combined with the deadly Chicago winters, this lack of sports viewing can lead to overwhelming feelings of boredom, plunging casual sports fans into the pit of hard-to-insurmount couch dependence. . And unlike the sporting vacuum created by the pandemic in the spring of 2020, there is no 10-part series like “The Last Dance” to save us this time.

So while we wait for March Madness, the Masters, NFL drafts, and the NHL and NBA playoffs, here are 10 things we want to see and hear to minimize the monotony.

1. An evening with Rocky Wirtz

A one-act play about the trials and tribulations of an NHL owner, written and performed by the president of the Chicago Blackhawks. Listen to the words of Rocky about the media, was absent from United Center and was missing points late in the Tribune. All smartphones will be confiscated prior to the show and returned thereafter. Audience participation will be strictly prohibited because, as if the president said“You don’t work here!”

2. The real athletes of Planet Earth

A sports reality show featuring eight prominent athletes living in separate Las Vegas hotel penthouses – fighting, hostile, and following the rules while competing for a $1 million prize pool. Season 1: Aaron Rodgers, Antonio Brown, Novak Djokovic, Kyrie Irving, Tom Brady, Bryson DeChambeau, Baker Mayfield and Grayson Allen as “The Beaver.” (Check with an attorney.)

3. History of the Crying Olympics

No sporting event has had as much mourning as the Olympics, and this documentary revisits some of the biggest events of the past years of all. Which country has the most prolific disabled people? Is there an Olympic sport that makes tears flow more freely than any other? What effect do performance-enhancing drugs have on salt levels in an athlete’s tear ducts? New footage of Russian figure skater / casual athlete Kamila Valieva makes for a tearful ending that you won’t want to miss.

4. Rob Manfred Takes Baseball IQ Test

Sure, he has a reputation as the commissioner with the least knowledge of the multibillion-dollar sport he runs. But can that be verified? A live test featuring Bob Costas questioning Manfred’s history and rules of the sport should clear up the mystery. Some of our best Ivy League baseball executives could put together a test to determine once and for all whether Manfred knew (secretly) about the baseball game.

5. The Athletic, the musical

First, it’s a popular online sports site that hires writers. It later became a subsidiary of the New York Times. It’s now a hit Broadway musical, with Matthew Broderick as Ken Rosenthal and Hugh Jackman as Jayson Stark.

6. Hard Knocks: Pittsburgh Maulers

Assuming there are no copyright restrictions preventing the new USFL from documenting the mayhem at one team’s training camp and then broadcasting it the following week with narration by Liev Schreiber, there’s no reason not to. Copy the popular HBO series.

7. The Best of Les Grobstein

WSCR-AM 670 reporter Mark Grote has served as DL (“Designated Les”) for Score since The death of our favorite overnight sports presenter. Grote did a great job of displacing a local legend, but it probably won’t hurt the ratings by just replaying old Les shows about his hatred of the Green Bay Packers or the Lee tape. Elia, two timeless topics for sports talk radio listeners.

8. ‘Strange Couple’ Reboots

Hot debater on TV and former journalist for the Tribune Skip Bayless and his brother, the owner of the Chicago restaurant and celebrity chef Rick Bayless, starred in an updated version of Neil Simon’s play. Flip coins to play Felix? (Check with dealers for availability.)

9. Marcus Stroman

Just to make sure he’s still a Cub.

10. Professional Skateboarding Championship

This popular Midwest winter activity requires only an unlit street, and some adventurous men and women are willing to risk their lives and limbs for a brief thrill. . For those who haven’t started, skateboarding involves skiing or snowboarding while being pulled down the road by a car or truck. In the event of a collision during the skateboarding knockout, all Chicago contestants will be awarded bonus points.