Get those smiles in while you can. (Danny Wild/USA TODAY Sports)
We’re at the threshold, folks. The roller coaster has slowly clicked its way to the top, and here we are, about to take the plunge. Look around and try to soak it all in. Take a deep breath if possible, because once the shit hits the fan – and it’s about to, lots of it – there’s not much time for admiring scenery. There will be screaming, crying, people throwing their hands in the air, and vomit is never out of the realm of possibility. Things are about to get crazy, but we’ve got a moment of peace here – the closest thing to tranquility we’ll have until maybe the week before the Super Bowl.
The dust never really settles anymore, with social media, attention spans, yada yada yada, but this is as clear a point as any to draw the line between hype and happening. Teams have made their final cuts, played their last preseason games, and tidied up the roster with moves like last-minute free agent signings or a blockbuster trade for a starting quarterback. Now we draft our fantasy teams and we wait for that first National Anth – I mean kickoff.
Of course, there’s plenty of chatter to be heard – how can there not be? it feels like Christmas Eve – but there’s something serene about these few days here. I’ll read all the previews from my favorite sports writers, but mostly, I like to take this time to grin like an idiot and say corny shit about how excited I am. And by golly, am I jazzed up about my New York Giants.
Look at this defensive line!
We’ve got a new coach that looks exactly like PC Principal from South Park!
Victor Cruz is back!
I know full well my favorite team has its holes, and the whole thing could go down in flames again, but I’m not going to let that get me down while I have a say in the matter. If my team or your team is going to suck this year, their level of suck is going to be totally unaffected by our expectations. Don’t be afraid to be happy about seeing your team take the field, because soon that option might be off the table.
Being guarded with your fanhood is completely understandable. Some of you guys have been through some shit, I get it. I don’t think it helps all that much in the long run though. Veiled disappointment is still disappointment, and it might be tough to get rid of that veil if and when an opportunity to smile presents itself.
Even if there isn’t a puppy with a bowtie on its fluffy little head waiting under the tree, there will still be the tree, and thats reason enough to rejoice for now.
– Jim Bearor (@JimBearor)
HARD FOUL SPORTS 
