Behind the Mic

Sports Seasons Define My Calendar

Posted by: Brian Barnhart

Sunday, January 11, 2009 4:35 PM

Every normal calendar we know of shows 12 months in each year and 4 weather "seasons"  during that year...winter, spring, summer and fall.

You say..."No kidding Brian.... of course we all know that (especially in the Midwest)."

I dont know about you...but for me as the "Voice of the Illini"...there are three "seasons" every year.  Football....basketball ...and the rest of the year.

 During football season...the landscape is golden with the upcoming harvest and the leaves are changing to a brilliant hue of orange and red and yellow.  Fall was... (and still is)... my favorite time of the year.  Throw in some football play-by-play to go with it and the autumn season brings me all kinds of pleasure.  The September and October football games  offer me glorious views of all the Big Ten campuses while broadcasting the games. ..and boy...it is a lot of fun.

Then the cold November Saturday football afternoons arrive... signaling the end of one season and the start of another

Growing up on a farm in Central Illinois the winters seemed to be very harsh (lots and lots of snow) and bitterly cold temperatures.  The one thing that seemed to help pass the winters was knowing that the next Illini basketball game was coming up.  My brothers and sister got to take turns going with my dad to the Illini games and I always looked forward to hearing the band and watching my favorite players warm up and then the introductions of the lineups...and telling Bobby Knight to sit down.  I never got enough of it. 

All these years later....from my broadcast location next to the Illini bench...I still get goosebumps right before the start of each Illini game as I gaze around 16,000+ fans all wearing orange. It is truly an amazing sight.  I get the same feelings that I felt as a child  back in my old seat next to my dad (who still has the same seats by the way).

Those Illini games then and now make winter in this part of the country move quickly for me.  The anticipation of knowing the next game is only 3 or 4 days away helps pass the time when the sky is gray and the ground is frozen. 

In fact...I dont remember the winter of 2005 at all....mainly because of the amazing undefeated Illini basketball team I was covering at the time.

Then spring comes and the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament grab my attention.  Even if the Illini don't go as far as I might like that year...it is still such a thrill to be a part of those great events.

And then suddenly...the basketball "season" is over. The good news is that the warmer temperatures of spring have arrived and the summer months will be filled with vacation time with my family and spending more time around the house....I get to fill in on" Penny For Your Thoughts" on WDWS when Jim Turpin takes time off and I get to make speeches to various groups around East Central Illinois talking about the Illini . Watching the baseball season come and go also is part of that "rest of the year". 

Then all at once... it is Camp Rantoul and the calendar starts all over again.  It all goes so fast...but I do try to savor every "season" as I go along. 

And like when I was a kid....I never get enough of it.

The Illini basketball team gets another crack at Michigan on Wednesday.  I will talk to you on the radio then.

By the way....I know the unranked Illini highlights dont always get on all the sports shows.... but you might appreciate these. 

 

 

 

 

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