Pick your favorite sports month

The media loves to compare. Seattle with Spokane. Manning with Brady. Pro with college.

And we love lists. The Fortune 500. The best places to live. The top 25. The world’s dullest sports writers.

And because we’re on the last of those above-mentioned listings, we’re joining the pack.

The thought hit during the Cougars game Saturday. Despite being able to see a Pac-10 football game, all we could think about was what we were missing.

The high school football playoff games. The college basketball games. The prep volleyball, the soccer, the cross country.

Look, if you glance around the sports world, it’s pretty easy to pick the best sports month of the year: April.

The list of events in the month is impressive. And it includes almost every major sport.

“The best golf tournament of the year, the Masters.

“The top event of the year, the NCAA basketball finals.

“The preeminent sports opening day, major league baseball.

“The greatest tradition in running, the Boston Marathon.

“The opening of the NBA and NHL playoffs.

“The most-watched non-athletic sporting event, the NFL draft.

No other month comes close nationally. As the flowers bloom and the weather warms, sports takes center stage in April like no other time.

But it isn’t the Inland Northwest’s best sports month.

It might even be the area’s worst. It’s almost as if the month is left free so all the Bloomsday trainees can get outside and walk or jog or run without worrying about missing anything.

So what month takes the top spot in the Inland Northwest?

After copious research – which included, but was not limited to, mulling it over while driving home through a driving rain storm Saturday night – I was unable to think of any month that’s better than the one we are in right now.

Before I make my argument, start marshalling yours, because I’m going to give you an opportunity to make a case for your favorite month.

But before you get that chance, you have to listen to my arguments for November.

In order, it’s great because …

“College football is always exciting, no matter how bad our local teams are. Even if the Cougs were 0-11, the Apple Cup would mean something, right? But there is usually at least one local team that is having a great season, upping the ante and the excitement. There are either bowl questions or playoff pushes, depending on the school.

“The fall prep sports either reach their championships (as is the case for Washington’s cross country, volleyball and soccer seasons and Idaho’s football season) or are in the midst of the long playoff grind (as in Washington football).

“College basketball gets underway, with many of the local matchups occurring (like Friday’s GU vs. Eastern Washington game). And since Gonzaga has entered the ranks of the nation’s top programs, some of its best non-conference games occur before the Christmas shopping season.

“That’s more than enough, but there is always a Chiefs’ home game to go to, the beginning of high school winter sports and, if the weather cooperates, the start of the ski season.

That’s my list of tough-to-top evidence for November as the Spokane area’s best sports month.

You might have your own favorite. Maybe March Madness means the most. Or you’re simply smitten with September.

Gather your arguments, sharpen your points and log on to SportsLink (spokesmanreview.com/blogs/ sportslink/), find the “Which month is best?” post and click on the comments link.

I know I’m right, but you can make your case.

Everyone loves to compare. And everyone loves to argue. Especially with one of the world’s dullest.