In newspapers around the country, sports departments are going through a transition period.

It’s seasonal.

Actually, everything about sports is seasonal. The leaves start turning = football season. The nights get colder = you go inside to play basketball. The bream start biting = baseball pitchers and catchers report.

The bridge from Halloween to Nov. 1 in the next week is the time when football turns into basketball.

Except in most cases, the two tend to get blurred and one will get stepped on in the process.

At major colleges and universities, they’ll steamroll each other when playing time is counted.

For example, the Iron Bowl Game between Alabama and Auburn is Nov. 27. Alabama’s men take on Montevallo in basketball on Nov. 4, while Auburn plays Miles College on Nov. 6.

For larger newspapers that have beat reporters who cover only one school, the two-week overlap can be hectic.

The preview of basketball season must go hand-in-hand with the end of football season. And don’t even think about football bowl games because that changes the two-week overlap to a two-month timewarp.

With smaller colleges and high schools, the crossover isn’t always so drastic. In many cases, many football players also play basketball.

So the transition time for them may be a little different.

The non-football schools have an advantage during this time because there is no transition. It’s straight into basketball, no stops, no delays.

The other element that occurs during the transition period is because of one rule — girls don’t play football; girls play basketball.

Not that girls could or shouldn’t play football; they just don’t.

Now there’s twice as many teams per school. With three games each week instead of one, the numbers multiply by six.

So basketball season brings a taste of culture shock. Fortunately, basketball games are played in rain-protected buildings with a minimum of stairs.

With as many local basketball games in the area, going to one shouldn’t be difficult. So find one and enjoy.

Buster Wolfe is sports editor for The Selma Times-Journal. Contact him at 410-1736 or buster.wolfe@selmatimesjournal.com.