20 Ways To Keep Yourself Entertained without MLB This Offseason

The months between the end of the World Series and the first pitch of Opening Day can be a very long time for baseball fans. While fans may not have any Major League Baseball to keep themselves entertained, there are many other ways that they can enjoy the winter months.

There are more than just sporting events that can help baseball fans pass their time during the winter.

The following are a great way to enjoy the winter months even without baseball.

Track the Hot Stove League

There may not be any games going on in the major leagues, but that does not mean that there is not a lot of action in the MLB. The Hot Stove League is in session, and it gets even warmer at the Winter Meetings.

Big-name players such as Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are some of the top free agents on the market, and there are many trades that are brewing. This winter will help determine what faces are in new places for 2012.

Follow Winter Ball

While it may not be the same thing as the MLB, there will be professional baseball going on this winter. There are a number of winter leagues including the Dominican Winter League, the Venezuelan Winter League and the Australian Winter League.

These leagues feature some of the best young players and prospects in the game as well as a few MLB vets.

The Dominican League features youngsters such as Jose Altuve, Jerry Sands and Brandon Belt. Veterans such as Carlos Zambrano are also playing in Venezuela.

Watch the NBA Games

Oh, wait. Sorry about that NBA fans.

Follow the lockout and read Bill Simmons as the only advice that can be given at this point.

Pay Attention to the NBA Pickup Games

While there may not be any NBA games this winter, that does not mean that professional basketball players are not playing games. A number of big-name NBA players have decided to play in pickup games around the country.

These games have some of the best basketball talent on the court at one time during any event other than the NBA All-Star games and national team events. There have been games that featured LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant on the court at the same time.

Photo Credit: Huffington Post

Begin Watching a New TV Show

Without baseball games on TV every night, there's an opportunity for baseball fans to watch television shows every night when the games would be on. There are great options for every night of the week.

Recommendations include NCIS, Psych and The League. Each of these shows has something unique to offer, and many fans will find them entertaining. The League, although it's about fantasy football, should resonate with all fantasy baseball players.

Photo Credit: TV Rage

Catch Some Barclays English Premier League, La Liga and Serie A Games

There was a lot of excitement surrounding soccer following the past men's and women's world cups. To see some of the best soccer that's being played in the world, fans should check out some games for each of these international leagues.

Watching players like Chicharito, Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi knock the ball around the pitch and score some goals will help endear some new fans to the game.

ESPN has begun to televise more international soccer games, and those who have never seen one of these games should certainly check it out.

Check out March Madness

Every single year, college basketball fans get swept up in March Madness. It's filled with a number of future NBA stars, and the early-round games are some of the most exciting games of the year in any sport.

Filling out a bracket is also part of the experience and gives everyone that does it an even closer tie to the games. There are few annual sporting events that can rival March Madness. 

Go to the Movies This Holiday Season

There are always a number of movies that come out during the holiday season. With all of the free time that baseball fans will have this winter, they should go and check out a movie.

Movies for fans of all ages are coming out this winter. Younger baseball fans should have an interest in The Muppets. Anticipation is building for the new Mission Impossible movie as well as The Adventures of Tintin which had the super team of director Stephen Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson.

The Adventures of Tintin has already had a lot of success overseas. 

Watch the BCS National Championship Game

College football needs a playoff. That's clear, but those days are not here yet.

For now, fans will need to settle for watching the fictitious national champion be named after the BCS national championship game.

There's a possibility that one of the two undefeated teams in college football, the Houston Cougars, will not even get a chance to try to claim the title. 

Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday

It's the one game that football fans wait all season for. Even those that don't like football are interested in the Super Bowl for the commercials.

The biggest game in football has turned into a massive event that's fun for the whole family. This year's game in Indianapolis should not disappoint.

Go Wild on Spring Break

This recommendation is for all of the college students out there. Going away to a crazy spring break destination will be one of the best decisions made during college.

There are very few college experiences that will rival the time students have on spring break. The stories that students come back with are often too incredible to believe.

Head out to a Mountain and Enjoy Some Winter Sports

Admittedly, skiing and snowboarding are not for everyone. However, there are a number of other sports such as snowmobiling, snowshoeing, curling and even bobsledding and luge that one can partake in during the cold winter months.

There are a number of outstanding mountains that provide many of these activities. Lake Tahoe and Vail have great mountains to enjoy. For those who are more adventurous, heading to Salt Lake City and Lake Placid provide people with an opportunity to live out their bobsledding fantasy.

Watch the Winter Classic

Hockey was played outside on ponds for year. The NHL has gone back to this concept by playing the winter classic once a year.

This year's matchup pits the New York Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizen's Bank Park. The game is a unique experience and brings hockey back to its early roots.

Skydiving

For those looking for an adrenaline rush, there are very few things that can beat skydiving. The feeling of free falling through the air is one that cannot be explained.

Skydiving is one thing that everyone should experience at least once in your world. If someone feels like they are on top of the world when they are skydiving, it's because they actually are.

Photo Credit: Florida Skydiving

Try To Learn a New Sport

There are many sports that Americans are not aware of. Kenny Mayne has a new series for ESPN where he tries to highlight some of the more unique sports from around the globe.

Some sports that Mayne has highlighted include Elephant Polo, Netball and Sepak takraw. Other sports that it would be interesting to learn more about include Bossaball and Kronum.

Photo Credit: Sportige

Visit a Hall of Fame

There is no better way to see the history of a sport than to go an visit its hall of fame. Each one of these shrines has unique pieces of some of the sports' early days and biggest moments.

Cooperstown is an outstanding little town and it is filled with baseball history. There are some incredible pieces of memorabilia between the walls of the the Baseball Hall of Fame. The same thing holds true for other sports' halls of fame.

Photo Credit: Worlds Daily

Go to a Concert

For music fans, there's no better way to enjoy the songs from their favorite artist other than seeing them live in concert.

The Watch the Throne Concert with Jay-Z and Kayne West is still going on and is nothing less than a musical spectacle. A number of other artists, including Guns N' Roses, are also on tour.

Photo Credit: Hype Beast

Compete in Tough Mudder

Guys are always talking about how tough they are. Now, there's an event out there that gives them an opportunity to back up these claims. Tough Mudder is an incredibly difficult competition that challenges competitors in a number of different ways.

Competitors have to run through a field of 10,000 volt wires, climb through a series of pipes that are partially submerged in ice cold water and jump 15 feet into a pond. After completing a Tough Mudder event, competitors have definitely proved a lot to their friends.

Photo Credit: How To Train for Tough Mudder

Take a Vacation

There's no better way to get away from the stress of work or school than going away on a vacation. Everyone enjoys going somewhere new and trying new things.

This provides an opportunity to see the sites and take advantage of everything that your vacation destination has to offer. Seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is just one winter vacation experience that is hard to forget.

Photo Credit: Wired NYC

Watch the Iditarod

The Iditarod is one of the more unique sporting events there is. It's often considered to be one of the best sporting events to see in person. Watching the race, even if for only half an hour, is something that every sports fan should experience.

The race is run in commemoration of the 1925 serum run to Nome. Twenty mushers and over 150 dogs rushed from Anchorage to Nome to deliver a vaccine.