www.sportswidow.com

Many years ago, as my aunt was being courted by my future uncle, she gave him one crucial rule about dating: no going out on Monday nights from September-December.

There would be no interrupting "Monday Night Football" for this gal.

Needless to say, it was love at first sight for my sports fanatic uncle, a man who would happily watch the America's Cup at 3 a.m.

But not all sports fans are lucky enough to find a mate so understanding of their spouse's sports obsession.

And that's understandable. After all, how many times have you heard of an Auburn football fan who skipped his or her mother's funeral to see the Tigers play Alabama? Or the baseball fan who hits the road in the summer to see 40 ballparks in 41 days while his wife stays home with three kids under the age of 5?

If you've ever had to put up with that type of behavior from your sports fan, you're not alone. Nan Hall, better known in cyberspace as The Sports Widow, and Dave Sharp, aka The Coach, are here to help via www.sportswidow.com.

Cool stuff

< The site is essentially a chance for Hall to blog on the tribulations of being a sports widow. She has some funny takes and offers lots of suggestions for other sports widows. Best of all, the site gives readers a chance to chime in with their horror stories. Pity Sarah from Illinois, whose husband has their basement set up with four TVs and three satellite receivers. At least she maintains a positive attitude. She points out that his sports addiction beats him being at the bar drinking all night.

Check at the door

< The site says Sports Widow merchandise will be available soon. While my first inclination is to tell them to resist the temptation to sell everything imaginable like every other sports Web site out there, sportswidow.com could actually have a pretty cool Web store. But forget the hats and T-shirts emblazoned with "Sports Widow." Better to go with their slogan: "Life is a contact sport. Seize the remote."

< Hall counts "cycling widow" among her death knells. Cycling? How is she still married to this man?

The grade

There aren't many bells and whistles, but Hall's blogs will appeal to sports nuts and sports widows alike. Heck, it's something sports related they can actually enjoy together. Give it four out of five mouses.

Staff writer Eric Breier's wife still can't understand why he insists on watching college football games that don't involve his alma mater, San Diego State. Being an SDSU grad herself, you'd think she might understand why he would go elsewhere for his college football fix. He can be reached at ebreier@nctimes.com.