Season's Greetings

First the Red Sox score comes on. No problem.

But then you hear another postmortem on the Bruins. Then a preview of the Celtics' playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Three sports, all raging at the same time. Something's wrong here.

In New York, it's been even worse--a total of eight pro teams, three in playoff series. Philadelphia, too, Chicago, Washington. All trapped in two different types of playoffs while trying to get on with the spring.

Well, it's spring already. There are blossoms on the trees, even in Cambridge. Don't hold your breath, but there might be leaves soon, too.

There will definitely be hockey (no need to hyperventilate over this one). And basketball. Both winter sports will drag into May.

Enough already. All-star games are one thing--the U.S. team at the World Hockey Championships, for example, has pro and college players on it, basically playing for fun.

But the Celtics are aiming for their second consecutive world championship against a team that went 36-46 in the regular season, and that's not fun for anyone.

Even the the sanest professional sport--baseball--is now playing an expanded playoff schedule that started while there was still snow on the turt in several ballparks, and the season won't wind up until almost November (serious snow potential there, too).

Hockey started way back when the Detroit Tigers were going after last year's World Series, so overlapping seasons at both ends may seem only fair.

But consider college hockey and basketball, which tied things up neatly on one weekend while it was still cold out.

Even with 64 first-round teams, college basketball declared a champion on April 1. The college hoop season started while football was still in full swing, but you don't see college football starting up, do you? No, because it's baseball season.

You do see pro football, but clearly the USFL is just another symptom of the dementia gripping professional sports. This, too, shall pass.

If only hockey and basketball would, too