If there were a parallel universe, these are the things I'd like to see in sports that we're not getting today:
1. A Suns-Spurs NBA Final with both teams fully healthy. Yes, that's right, an all Western Conference affair. I hate Shaq and Pat Riley and while I used to sort of root for the Pistons, I can no longer root for any team that Larry Brown is associated with going forward.
2. A Yankee team that actually gave a crap about baseball. Anyone watching Yankee baseball these days knows that once they reeled off 16 wins in 20 games, something changed. The team has gone back to its selfish, undisciplined approach at the plate and its lackadaisical, unprepared and passive mode of pitching. Baseball is better when the Yankees are a competitive team. For all the haters out there that are enjoying the mediocrity coming out of the Bronx, there is no doubt that objectively speaking, you know I'm right. There always has to be a villain in sports. If the Yanks are out of contention by August (not altogether far-fetched at this point) then the playoffs will be awfully boring. That is unless you like your sports dramas to play out like cartoons -- in pink and purple hues with fluffy, lovable bunny rabbits and everyone singing in the end. Every drama needs a villain. Sports without a villain is like eating lukewarm day-old soup.
3. Ricky Williams to stay retired. I can't stress this enough. I respect Ricky Williams for deciding to quit football last year. I didn't think he did it in the most responsible way but I can't fault the man for saying that his lifestyle and the robotic, corporate-minded NFL universe didn't mesh. Now he wants back in, but only because he's up to his eyeballs in debt (to his team, to the mother of his child, to the IRS, I'd imagine). There's nothing wrong with doing stuff for money (why else do I work in a field that I don't care for?) but when you crap out on your teammates you should be punished. You shouldn't be allowed to just stroll back into their lives. How can the guys that block for you ever trust you again? I'd never want him on my team, even if he could get me better weed than I could score for myself.
4. NHL to stay gone. The NY Times reported that for the first time in over a year, there is reason to be optimistic that a deal may get done between the NHL and the player's union. Too bad. I was really enjoying life without hockey. I don't think too many people in the United States miss the game, which is the problem with hockey anyway. ESPN and others forced it on us 3-4 nights a week for a while back. Hopefully hockey learned its lesson -- that we can live without it.
5. NFL training camp to start early. I read an article in today's paper about Jeremy Shockey and the NY Giants. I'm sure that other sports pages around the country ran stories about the local NFL franchise. It's getting to be about that time where we can start thinking about quarterback controversies, hot rookies, aging veterans, fantasy football and other good gridiron stuff. I wish they'd just move training camp up to mid-June. I don't know how I live without football all those months between February and July. Even John Madden Football for the PS2 is about to start calling my name again. God I can't wait until they start two-a-days and hitting practice. Maybe I feel that way because the Yanks suck this year. Wow, now I know what it's like to live in Chicago, Cleveland, or Kansas City...it's football season early for the rest of the country so it may as well be in New York too.
Have a good weekend all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Cleveland always has Browns coverage. Any time comments from Trent Dilfer are front page new you know its a football town. Eli ready for the big step foward?
Eli's ready. I think he's going to make strides this year. He'll always have to live up to Archie and Peyton but I think Eli's got the skills and the personality to lead and succeed in the NFL. I just hope that our old-fashioned front office and our assface head coach do the right thing and put talent around him for his whole career (and Plaxico doesn't count as a step in the right direction).
Plaxico may be somewhat crazy, but I think he's immensely talented, and I think it was a great decision to add him to the team. It's tough to actually defend him due to his height, and he has enough speed to actually be useful. It's always a gamble when you deal w/ crazy people, but I think this was a good gamble.
In my opinion, Plax has been a bust. He hasn't shown the requisite desire to play at a high level in this league. For a top 10 pick in the draft, he's been underwhelming in my eyes. If working for Coach Cowher didn't work for him, I'm not so sure he'll like Camp Coughlin one bit. I would've preferred to see the G-men stay away from Plax. That being said, however, I hope I'm proven wrong and that he does have a positive impact on the team, even if it's to open the field up for Shockey and the running game.
Hey! It's not football season here yet! The Cubbies have reeled off 11 of 14!
And the Green Bay Packers are a bunch of cheese-eating goat molesters!
Post a Comment