“Altuve! Has just sent the Astros to the World Series!” This legendary home run call by sports commentator, Joe Buck, connotes the intensity of postseason baseball in October. This time of year, you’ll now hear this same voice on Monday Night Football, but these aren’t the only sports to get excited about this month.
October and November marks the only time of the year when all four major American sports (and Canadian for some) are happening all at once. Why?
For baseball fans, it is the most exciting time of the year where a field of 12 playoff teams is eventually cut down to two for the annual Fall Classic, also known as the World Series. For football fans, we are in the heart of football season for both the NFL and college football. It’s the time of the season where major trades can happen and teams make a push for the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl. For basketball fans, the season is officially underway as of Tuesday, Oct. 24. And lastly, hockey fans are in for a wild ride of a season as the Vegas Golden Knights look to defend their Stanley Cup title after just six years of existence, and rookie sensation, Connor Bedard, looks to live up to the hype after being selected first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
“I believe that it is the height of drama in the sports world,” Sohom Patel, a senior and big sports fan at Granite Bay High School, said.
Patel is a huge fan of football and basketball as he roots for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Lakers every year. He doesn’t regularly watch baseball, but is excited about the World Series this year.
The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off in this year’s World Series after both teams had low odds of even making the playoffs way back in March. Many baseball fans were happy to see these two teams in the Fall Classic instead of the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros. The Astros have been on thin ice with baseball purists ever since their cheating scandal in 2017, and sports fans in Philadelphia are heavily disliked by other teams’ fanbases. The Rangers prevailed, winning 4 out of the 5 games to claim their first World Series title in franchise history.
Hockey is one of two major sports that begins its season in the month of October. After just six seasons of existence, the Vegas Golden Knights look to repeat as Stanley Cup champions (the equivalent of the NBA playoffs and finals.) The San Jose Sharks, Northern California’s only NHL team, are projected by numerous hockey analysts to have another lackluster season.
Previous decisions made by former General Manager, Doug Wilson, have returned to haunt the Sharks, who are now in the heart of a rough team rebuild. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights have the highest odds of making the Stanley Cup Final in June, however, superstar-loaded teams such as the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs look to disrupt their chances.
“The Sharks are projected to have another down year, but hockey is still one of the most entertaining sports to watch no matter how good the team is,” Walter Kane, a sophomore at Head Royce School in Oakland, said.
Kane has played hockey his whole life, and the next six months are always his favorite time of the year. As a Bay Area native, he is used to the hype in sports this time of year with local teams such as the San Francisco Giants, 49ers, and Golden State Warriors that create excitement throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Along with baseball and hockey, America’s two most popular sports, many argue, are also televised this time of year: basketball and football. The NFL has many new exciting teams to keep a close eye on for the rest of the season such as the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. These two teams were projected to barely make the playoffs at the beginning of the season.
They are now two of the best teams in the NFL.
When it comes to the basketball season, Sacramento Kings fans finally have an NBA team with championship aspirations. Along with the Kings recent success, buzz is surrounding certain powerhouse teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Milwaukee Bucks, but new rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama, is another player to keep close eyes on this season. “Wemby” is a viral sensation entering his rookie season in the NBA as he stands at a height of seven feet and four inches with an eight-foot wingspan.
“This is the best time of the year for me, my business and all of the customers that walk through the doors,” Joe Ortiz, manager of Tom’s Watch Bar in Downtown Sacramento, said.
Tom’s Watch Bar has over 20 TVs in its establishment and constantly holds Sacramento Kings watch parties as well as college football watch parties on Saturdays.
Ortiz says that Sundays are always the busiest during this time of the year, because Tom’s Watch Bar typically attracts football fans the most besides basketball fans on Kings game days. This restaurant also displays a schedule on its website of upcoming live broadcasts that will be shown on television sets for customers to watch while they enjoy a meal.
To close in the words of iconic sports commentator, Vince Scully, “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.”
So Sacramentans are cherishing sports season. They’re fans here for food, fun and arguably the number four- in an extraordinary community celebration of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey.
