Take a quick glance at the calendar, and it’s clear that the last couple weeks would likely have been some of the most exciting ones of the year for sports fans.

The NCAA men’s’ and womens’ basketball tournaments should have crowned champions and golf’s most prestigious major, the Masters, should have awarded another green jacket.

Only there was no bracket-busting madness, or Cinderella story to latch onto this March.

And we will have to wait until November (hopefully) to peer in at the pink azaleas of the Augusta National Golf Club.

But there’s no need to count how many days it is until the silky-smooth voice of venerable broadcaster Jim Nantz greets us - as tempting as that may be.

Most networks are loaded with some of the greatest games, matches, races and events throughout history - which never disappoint - to help pass the time.

But instead of talking about great games of the past, let’s open the vault and dive into the world of sports movies - some of the best, a few of my favorites and a couple of classics.

I’ve checked this list closer than anything I’ve produced for Christmas, but I’m sure there will be a few (or more) great films that are omitted.

These are my top-10, in no particular order. I have also included 10 honorable mention films at the end.

I would like to think there are no wrong answers here, but the more I go through it, the more I wonder who put this together when I see some of the films that aren’t in either group.

Feel free to contribute with a message, comment or email with some of your all-time favorites I may have missed.

Days of Thunder (1990)

More fluorescent and neon colors than you can shake a glow stick at, this movie is absolutely the primary reason I enjoy auto racing today. And is there a better name for a race car driver than Cole Trickle? Drivers, start your engines.

Friday Night Lights (2004)

Everything’s bigger in Texas. The allure and drama of high school football exists across the nation, something that’s especially true in the south.

Moneyball (2011)

Brad Pitt as Billy Beane? Jonah Hill as Peter Brand? This is a fun look into one of my favorite and uniquely frugal sports franchises, the Oakland Athletics.

Breaking Away (1979)

As much as Days of Thunder stoked my passion for auto racing, this film did the same for cycling. Everyone loves a good underdog story.

Talladega Nights:

The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Shake. And. Bake. Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell), Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) deliver a slightly alternative look at the world of auto racing.

The Sandlot (1993)

This is on MLB Network often and it always sucks me in. A coming-of-age tale told through the universal language of baseball.

Rocky (1976)

The sequels are good, but there’s nothing like the original. A rags-to-riches, American dream story that’s still a knockout. And that training montage is still timeless.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. Surely, that’s been heard on the playground before. Irreverent in all the best possible ways, this movie also helped launch the fictional ESPN 8: The Ocho.

Slap Shot (1977)

The iconic Hanson Brothers (no, not the band) are always the highlight here for me. I was tempted to include The Mighty Ducks here, but this movie is just more fun.

Rudy (1993)

Growing up in a family full of Notre Dame fans, it’s awfully hard for this to not find its way on to this list somehow. I was also urged to do so by my editor, Emmett McCall, so … “Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!”

HONORABLE MENTION

Senna (2010), Rush (2013), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Miracle (2004), Remember the Titans (2000), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Karate Kid (1984), Major League (1989), Prefontaine (1997).