If you are a fan of KNCT, and especially in December, you are probably thinking this post will be about Christmas music. Not so fast, my friend.

As a fan of sports, I can say without question that these next few weeks are the best time of the year. With all four major professional sports leagues in action along with the pageantry of collegiate athletics, there is something for everyone.

It’s October, so we naturally have to begin the conversation with baseball. The championship series of the playoffs are underway and this year both New York teams are playing along with the Dodgers and Guardians. Los Angeles has their 50/50 man, Shohei Ohtani, to thank for their late season surge. But their lack of starting pitching depth may not be enough to beat the Mets, who started the season horribly but curiously turned things around with the help of a beloved McDonalds character.

The Yankees are a juggernaut once again and home of the other 50 home run player in baseball this season with Aaron Judge. The only team out of the four that doesn’t have a monstrous payroll is the last one we will talk about, the Cleveland Guardians. And while Cleveland might not possess the big city players the other teams have, they also are under a lot less pressure to win. And if a team like this happens to take the whole thing, they might become as famous as the Cleveland team that beat the Yankees in the “80s comedy film starring Sheen and Snipes.

From the ballpark to the gridiron, we are all already enjoying the first quarter of the NFL season as one team is determined to make history. The Kansas City Chiefs, who last year were thrust into an even bigger spotlight thanks to THE most popular person on the planet dating their Tight End, are trying to become the first team since the merger to win three championships in a row. And with their impressive 5-0 start despite not really playing that impressive and lack of a truly solid opponent, this could be the year. Or perhaps the Baltimore Ravens and their MVP Quarterback can finally achieve the playoff success that has been eluding them.

But even more entertaining than the NFL action this year is the excitement that is college football. And while NIL and the transfer portal has garnered a lot of heat from traditional fans, this season has already provided some memorable games and upsets. Three weeks into their first season in the SEC, two teams seem to be heading in opposite directions as the Longhorns of Texas are ranked first in the nation. Meanwhile after three games, the Oklahoma Sooners have almost surrendered twice as many points as they have scored in SEC play.

And we can’t mention football in Texas without talking about Friday Night Lights and the great job that our Dan Hull does with the i14 Sports Report. We get to enjoy his love for ALL high school sports in the area every Thursday evening at 6:15pm on KNCT.

With the NBA and NHL seasons both beginning, it is hard to get a true handle on how the seasons will shape up. Boston still has the momentum they gained while hoisting another championship banner last year and they looked unstoppable against formidable opponent Denver while playing in Europe last week. But before I can even begin to talk about the teams in this league, we can’t begin a conversation about this season without talking about two individuals. In Los Angeles this year we will be witness to something that rarely occurs in professional sports and has never happened in basketball. LeBron James, who many argue has been the NBA’s best player for the last twenty years, will be playing with his son Bronny. Now before you start screaming nepotism, please take a minute and enjoy the history that is about to happen here. On a few occasions we have seen baseball players share the field with their children, most famously the Griffeys, who on one occasion hit back-to-back home runs while playing for Seattle. But the likelihood of that occurring in baseball is greater because the players compete at a much older age and the athleticism that is required to be good in basketball in your 40s is rare, let alone great.

And not to take anything away from the WNBA, the finals are shaping up to be a real barn burner as the league finishes a historic season that has seen a rise in popularity thanks to players like Caitlyn Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Blink. And while none of those three played deep into the postseason, there is no doubt that their time will come along with the rising popularity of the league. But for now, I am happy to watch Sabrina Ionescu bury threes late in the game as her and Breanna Stewart attempt to bring New York their first championship.

And finally, we can’t talk about hockey without wondering if a Canadian team will finally break the country’s championship drought. The last time a team north of the border hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, Wayne Gretzky was on the losing end and a goaltender by the name of Patrick brought home his second MVP trophy. Last year’s runner up and the Great One’s former team, the Edmonton Oilers looked poised to get over the slump.

This year there are also a couple lesser followed stories to focus on, one of which is the new hockey club in Utah. They are so new they don’t even have a name or logo yet; they are simply the Utah Hockey Club. And in our nation’s capital, Alex Ovechkin has already this season become just the sixth player to join the 700-assist club, and he is “only” 39 goals from breaking Gretzky’s record of 853.

So, for the rest of October, sit back and enjoy as these stories play out. In the meantime, I will get that December music playlist ready for you.

Gary