Williams: October blues bring out Grumpy

October is usually my favorite month of the year. Football is in full swing, the World Series is on deck and hockey pucks have been dropped.

So why do I feel like my favorite of the Seven Dwarfs?

The month began with the toughest loss of the baseball season. Despite playing at home, the Pittsburgh Pirates were walloped 8-0 by the San Francisco Giants in the National League wild-card game.

We were watching at Canfield’s Inner Circle when Brandon Chamberlain connected for a fourth-inning grand slam off Edinson Volquez. As the ball landed in the right-field seats, you could feel the excitement evaporating. Even though the Pirates had six more at-bats, the party was over. Check, please.

I felt bad for the fans who paid a small fortune to get into PNC Park. (Upperdeck outfield seats were going for $250 per pair.) Resisting proved to be a good idea.

With the Pirates out, there’s now no one local to root for. And with baseball playoff telecasts averaging about four hours thanks to extra commercials, it makes you wonder if anyone cares enough to watch from first pitch to final out?

Being an NFL fan hasn’t felt right since the Ray Rice elevator video was released on Sept. 8. Usually the best league when it comes to public relations, NFL leadership often has been clueless in the past month.

Those defending Rice as a teammate were ridiculous, but it didn’t compare to the absurdity of ESPN allowing Ray Lewis, who was accused of double murder in 2000, to weigh in on crimes that can be covered up.

It’s interesting how the clamor to fire NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has died down. What exactly has changed in the past five weeks? I couldn’t hear your answer for the sound of NFL cash registers ringing up sales.

Aside from the Steelers collapsing to the Buccaneers two weeks ago, my biggest NFL disappointment is the demise of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” the longest-running series in cable-TV history.

This year’s show, which could be subtitled “Boomer Esiason and his Fantasy Football Woes,” has basically become an advertisement for CBS Sports. That’s not surprising since Showtime is owned by CBS. It’s just sad.

Since HBO dropped “Inside the NFL” six seasons ago, CBS has had a strong presence when it was picked up by Showtime. Offsetting Phil Simms and James Brown was NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, a member of the show since 1989.

Brown and Collinsworth are gone. Replacing them are CBS personalities Esiason and Greg Gumbel. Former Ravens safety Ed Reed and current Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall also are regulars. NFL Network’s Michael Irvin has become a featured guest.

The panel sessions in between film highlights are just awful. Reed gets a pass because he’s inexperienced. Marshall has a day job as a player.

The main problem is how everyone talking over the others. When that happens, little is understood by viewers. The disrespect is off the charts.

At least when Collinsworth and Simms squared off, Collinsworth would sit back and grin while Simms would rant. Then he would respond. Civility has left the studio.

The best moment on “Inside the NFL” this fall came when NFL Films caught Patriots head coach Bill Belichick with former Browns executive Michael Lombardi during warmups and actor Mark Walhberg approached to wish them luck.

Belichick had no idea who Wahlberg was, asking him if he was in town “to rock out.” Priceless.

Maybe things aren’t so bad. Last week, South Range and Warren Harding self-reported using an ineligible player, resulting in forfeits. For Mahoning County’s Raiders, the penalty might cost them the chance to defend their Inter Tri-County League Tier One crown. Still, the school did the right thing.

In consecutive weeks, Austintown Fitch and Ursuline defeated state power Massillon. Lisbon, Springfield and McDonald are first-place teams after seven weeks.

The Youngstown Phantoms have three wins before Columbus Day, a good sign after last year’s last-place finish.

Today’s Steelers-Browns game has a lot on the line, this time for both teams. The Browns are even favored. Times are changing.

It may not be Buc-tober anymore, but maybe it’s not a bad month after all.

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.