Leading up to this past weekend’s inception of the 2009-10 NFL season, I polled the sports blogosphere on What’s the Greatest Sports Day of the Year. Thought we’d get a top-10 out of it, but it turns out everybody sort of likes the same days with a few wild cards thrown in. (Actually, just The Indy 500 sort of puzzles me.)

Therefore, here’s my highly arbitrary Top-5 based on the sports blog intelligentsia’s feedback.

Don’t forget to vote at the bottom…

NFL Opening Sunday

Hanging out in a bar or ensconced on a couch with onion dip for 8-12 hours on a Sunday watching pro football is a truly iconic American experience.  We wait all Summer for that experience, the whole time left to believe that sort of behavior is inappropriate and lethargic. Then, on a faithful Sunday in September - no matter what level of balmy Indian Summer weather we’re having - all your dreams come true, sloth. And, it’s not just one day, but the start of 5+ months of Sundays like this.

Here is Adam Best’s (Fansided.com) take on NFL opening day…

Not only is the NFL the professional sports league with the best product, it’s the sports league with the best presentation. After waiting for over half a year for the real thing, you get a taste of actual NFL regular season action on opening Thursday. That just wets your appetite for the 13 games on the Sunday slate. From tailgating to fantasy football, there isn’t a sports day that offers this much from start to finish. Christmas in September. Watching the Red Zone Channel for almost 7 hours before you switch over to NBC for the encore, and ESPN and the NFLN for the nightcap recap. From 8 AM until Midnight it’s all NFL. You can’t get non-stop action and highlights like that anywhere else.

The Kentucky Derby

I’ll take the sights at the local OTB on the day of the Kentucky Derby over any exploding fireworks spectacular. If they put an OTB there, even Mayberry would look like public squalor on Derby day. Utterly, fantastic.

But, to quote something The Cincinnati Kid Steve McQueen might have said - it’s not just the gambling, it’s also the drinking. You can muddle fruit everyday of the year, and it’ll never taste as well muddled as in a julep on Derby Day.

Also, you can wear a seersucker suit or a hat shaped like an extra large Triple Meat Italiano from Pizza Hut every day of the year, and people will always look at you with vague condescension, but at least on Derby Day they’ll have formulated an explanation as to why you’re dressed like a doofus.

The NBA Draft

I got more responses that read I know it sounds crazy, but I really enjoy the NBA Draft. Why so ashamed?

Two rounds, five minutes a pick (two minutes in the second round even), and all the wardrobe audacity that you could ask for in under three hours. I don’t think ESPN could get a more efficient display of unintentional comedy if they got Keyshawn, Kruk and Lou Holtz to tri-anchor SportsCenter live from Pamplona at the Running of the Bulls.

Opening Day

Answer: The first day when teams play each other in this sport is commonly referred to as Opening Day.

What is baseball, Alex. This would be a $200 dollar question in Jeopardy round. Under the category: Sports, amateur hour.

There’s a reason it’s Opening Day, and not Opening Sunday in the norms of society. And, the explanation might be that this is actually the greatest sports day of the year.

As Josh, from Josh Q. Public, puts it:

Hope springs eternal.  Dads with their sons playing hookie from school and work, your first smells of the fresh cut infield and outfield grass, grilled ballpark franks, batting practice and ice cold beer…and then you go home that night to watch march madness…perfection.

The first or second day of the NCAA Tournament:

I used to work with a guy who took Thursday and Friday of the NCAA tournament off every year, and went to Vegas with his buddies for the first round of the tournament. In a world where most of us lose vacation time do to sinister company policies, he’s an inspiration.

Interchangeably known as the least productive day of the corporate year, sports fans might actually be at their best and brightest these two days. There are 13 games on NFL Opening Sunday, and due to mitigating circumstances (spreads, fantasy players, food comas) you’re bound to let the outcome of one or two slip until Sport Center, Monday morning. Also, due to occurrences like Opening Day: Kansas City at Baltimore, you’re likely to not care about the full MLB slate on April 1. 32 teams play on each of the first two days of the tournament, and you will know the fate of every single one (and you won’t need to reference a fistful of sports book tickets to conjure up this knowledge).

Hit the poll to vote for the greatest sports day out of these five, and check out some other bloggers’ takes below…

Ethan Jaynes (NESW Sports)

I’ll give you a top eight…

1. Super Bowl Sunday
2. Opening Day Baseball
3. Game 7 ( MLB or NBA )
4. NFL Championship Sunday NFC AFC
5. The Big Dance Day 1
6. The Big Dance Final 4
7. The Big Dance Sweet 16
8. First Saturday of NCAA Football

Dan Adams (In Game Now)

Thanksgiving. The day progresses from pretending to be an athlete, to eating like an athlete, to sleeping & watching athletes.

Isaac (World of Isaac)

I used to love Thanksgiving…that was until Barry Sanders retired…now I regret going to the games

Zoner (Zoner Sports)

Hope springs eternal with the NFL draft.

Matt Clapp (Sharapova’s Thigh)

1st 2 days of the NCAA Tournament, NFL opening Sunday close second, then Baseball opening day close as well. After that, nothing is close for me.

Anthony Panici (Paneech.com)

The best sports day of the year for me is New Year’s day.  I love college football and having it to watch from 11:00 in the morning until after midnight engrooses me every single year.  The first two days of the NCAA Basketball Tourney run a close second, and baseball opening day is third.

Doug Sheckler (Epic Carnival, on205th.com)

First NFL Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, First day of March Madness, Indy 500.Toss in MLB Opening Day as well

Joe Kinsey (Busted Coverage)

20 years ago - New Year’s Day.

Present day - Super Bowl Sunday. Nothing compares to 8 hours of eating and 3 hours of a game.

Kellex (Blaze of Love)

This is going to sound ridiculous, but one of my favorite days has always been the NBA All-Star game day/weekend.  My birthday always happens to fall on that same weekend so I get to celebrate my bday along with my favorite sport’s all-star festivities.