As summer is drawing to an end it means a lot more than the ghostlike Green Street of the summer months transforming into a hustling and bustling mini metropolis.

For Major League Baseball, it means the wild card race finally means something. The two games back that my newly beloved Nationals have to overcome is becoming a more daunting challenge with only 36 games left in the season than it was when the losing began about a month ago. And while you White Sox fans are sitting pretty in first place, the season has become real short for a Cubs team that is six-and-a-half games out.

For the NFL it means the preseason is coming to a close and the Patriots are about to begin the trip back to the Super Bowl. The Bears will be entering the regular season with some confidence. Well, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Holding Peyton Manning to 80 passing yards and Edgerrin James to four rushing yards (albeit on six carries) is something to be proud of even in the preseason.

Now the real test for the Bears will be controlling the Washington Redskins’ offensive juggernaut on opening day (Ha, that was a joke, get it? I woe to be a Skins fan. If the Bears have any kind of a good season this year, I’m hopping the bandwagon).

For pro sports’ ugly stepsister – the NHL – this summer’s end actually means it is time for the start of a hockey season. I hope the execs had a nice vacation because they’ve got some work to do to sell their sport again. But hey, no more two line passing, that’s a plus, right?

Why stop at America’s pro sports? Across the pond, the end of the summer means the beginning of Premiership football, not to mention the beginning of the season for the rest of Europe’s soccer leagues.

It also means the cricket championships in England, as well as the final two games of the nail biting cricket test matches between England and Australia (I just spent the past two-and-a-half weeks in England so I am on a bit of a cricket fix.

And for your information, going into the fourth game, the series was tied with a draw and each team winning once.

In the wheelchair sports world, the closing of the summer meant a gold medal in the Under-23 World Championships for Team USA, which just so happened to be partially represented by four U of I athletes.

In the tennis world, it means a scramble for low ranking players to qualify for the US Open and a chance to play at beautiful Flushing Meadows.

Nowhere is the electricity of the changing seasons felt more than on campus though. Sport is in the air and questions abound.

There is no greater period of opportunity and hope than the beginning of the school year for a student athlete. Anything can and will happen.

What has Zook done to improve on a pitiful 2004-05 football season? Will his recruiting prowess show this season or will we not get a glimpse of genius until next year? Will our women’s soccer team improve on their top- 20 preseason ranking? How will Dee and the gang deal with the loss of vital talent? Will our men’s tennis team stay on top? Will I ever stop asking questions and start answering them?

Wait, I can answer that one. Yes (tune in at a later date for more details). Until then ladies and gentleman, I bid thee adieu and happy new beginnings.

Josh George is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].