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Thoughts on FSU/Bucs/Lightning/Magic

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       A few weeks back the calendar turned to October, one of the best months of the year. It represents everything from pumpkin spice, to spooky season, to Oktoberfest beers, to cooler weather (in most other states). But it's also one of the best months in the sports calendar, as college and pro football season are in full swing, and hockey and basketball kick off their seasons as well (technically baseball playoffs too but I care less about that).       Last year I wrote a large piece over the summer on all of our teams, all of which were in the offseason at the time. I never got around to that this summer, so this year we're doing things a little differently and looking at the football teams mid season while previewing the Lightning and Magic right as their own respective seasons begin.      At this point (October 23), FSU's season is just past the halfway mark (thank God), the Buccaneers are a third of the way through their regular season following the Saints game, the

Current State of Things (2024 Edition)

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       A little over a year ago, I wrote the inaugural edition of this annual piece. That version covered the 4 teams pictured above, as well as the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, FSU Basketball, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Kraken. For 2024, I wanted to narrow that group to the 4 teams we follow more avidly than all the others, and spend a little more time on each than what was done last year when there were 9 different teams to recap. Meaning for this year, we're restricting to the Seminoles, Buccaneers, Lightning, and Magic.      All 4 were successful in their own ways. The 3 pro-teams were all playoff teams and FSU was a top-5 team when healthy. It would be equally fair to say none of them were satisfied with the way things ended. FSU was snubbed of a playoff spot it rightfully earned after losing it's QB to a gruesome injury. The Bucs' season came to an end when Baker Mayfield through a game-sealing interception against the Detroit Lions on a last-minute drive that

Current State of Things (2023 Edition)

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       After God, my fiancé, my family, and my friends, the greatest love in my life is my sports teams. They bring out passion and emotions I don't experience in other aspects of my life and take me to another place as a welcome distraction from everything else going on in my life. Whether it's rallying friends to hit the bar, watching from the comfort of my TV(s) at home with my fiancé, or the thrill of actually attending a game in person, it's always been something I love and enjoy and something that brings people together and unifies them for a common cause. I'll be the first to admit I have a lot of teams I enjoy following, though some more than others, but it keeps life interesting as there's always someone to follow year-round, and because not always will all of them be true championship contenders but most years two or maybe three of them will be.      So in this article, which may become an annual practice, I thought it would be fun to take an inside look a