HO / Reuters

If we can't have Rex Ryan's bombastic pronouncements during the NFL lockout, at least there's Charlie Sheen, NBCSports.com contributor Michael Ventre writes.

There is of course the baseball-basketball overlap to fill some of the void left by the NFL. Baseball’s stretch run and postseason extends from September into October; NBA teams go to camp in early October and begin their seasons at the end of that month and early November. Only fans of rich glamour teams in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago will have this option, however. The rest will still have to cope with the fact that their small-market clubs have as much of a chance to win a championship as an NFL team that isn’t playing because of a labor dispute.

Charlie Sheen is always an attraction. Chances are he will be just as unemployable in the fall as he is now, so he probably will still be giving interviews in which he boasts and brags about himself and makes outrageous statements. That will make up for not having Rex Ryan around.

There is a lot of unrest in the Middle East, and I’m guessing it’s not going away anytime soon. Watching television and seeing scores of people in the streets chanting and yelling and demanding change will help make a seamless transition for NFL fans in cities such as Cincinnati and Buffalo.

The new fall television season is always a treat, and this year might serve as a welcome diversion for folks without NFL football. The usual preponderance of shows that involve doctors, lawyers and police may provide comfort and make fans feel that football is just around the corner.

Holidays will be extra special in the fall as well. This year Halloween falls on a Monday night, so people will be at their doors giving out one piece of candy per child rather than leaving a whole bowl of treats unattended on the porch so the kids can grab as much as they want. Without NFL games on Thanksgiving, there will be more time for family members to make small talk and get to know people who just showed up out of the blue as guests of guests. And Christmas is on a Sunday this year, so without NFL football that means that after gifts are opened, everyone will have lots of extra time to ponder, “Why did they get me this?”

Get this resolved, please. Quickly.

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