By Ryan McGowan
Quite a few topics that merit mentioning have arisen in the past week, but I don’t think any of them are worthy of an entire column, so I have decided to sell out and write a condensed "short takes" column. If I like it, maybe I’ll turn this into a weekly or semi-weekly feature here on SportsColumn, the Revolution in Sports Journalism. Hey, if it works for Bill Simmons and Bill Reynolds of the Providence Journal, then why can’t it work for me, right?
I think we can all agree on one thing in the sports world: the NHL sucks. Big time. It’s plain boring to watch. Hockey’s supposed to be the, “fastest game on earth,” but when the league is diluted so much, teams have no choice but to use defensive minded systems all the time. I’m not knocking them for using the systems; it’s the best way to win in the league today. The NHL needs contraction; it’s the only way to eliminate the trap as the system of choice by adding more concentrated talent. They shouldn’t bastardize the game by altering the rules or changing the size of the ice. They shouldn’t accommodate less skilled players by enlarging the nets or limiting the size of goalie pads. The NHL should contract ten teams.
Recently an all star cast of the who’s who, in the NHL met to take on the task of improving its game. Discussions ranged from the size of goalie pads to were the net is located on ice. Once again the NHL will fail its goal of skating out of the ice ages! While they have Nascars for athletes they play at sprint car speeds. These so-called fixes are just Band-Aids on a gaping wound of lost interest and revenue! Here are the stitches.
By Ryan McGowan
Every kid who grew up playing sports knew at least one of them, if not more. They are all over youth sports, as much a part of the landscape as concession stands and old men with fungo bats wearing tight sweatpants. They might be a bigger threat to amateur sports than drugs, steroids, participation fees, and youth soccer combined. One of them who achieved prominence this week turned out to be a rather famous athlete in his own right. When I was growing up in North Attleboro, if you were one of these people, you were known simply as "THAT DAD."
Nothing ever changes in the National League East, going back to 1991. Since then the Florida Marlins have won two World Series crowns. The New York Mets fell apart and bottomed out, rose again in a new era, and then fell apart and started over again. The Philadelphia Phillies escaped mediocrity and formed a loveable and grimy squad that almost won it all, imploded and started rebuilding with new stars. The Montreal Expos sent future Hall of Famers to every other team except their own, and never took a step in the right direction. There was a strike that cancelled the World Series. The wild card was invented and Major League Baseball went to three divisions per league from two. But nothing has changed. Every year over that extended span, the Atlanta Braves have always wound up as champions of their division.
Since the inception of the original Dream Team in 1992, a gold medal has always been a given for the men’s U.S. Olympic basketball team. Allen Iverson shows up late for practice and Team USA brings home the gold in basketball, some things in life are always certain. Well times are sure changing my friends. The 2004 version of the Dream Team has made winning a gold medal look like a pipe dream. There is still time, but only if they can overcome a few glaring shortcomings.
A few questions for Ricky.
Athletic greatness is molded around a limited range of buzzwords. From passion and dedication to work ethic and perseverance, athletes are heralded for overcoming human shortfall and weakness, even if just momentarily.
As Ricky Williams packs up his locker in Miami and says goodbye to the world of football in favor of foreign soil and exploration, he’s openly defied the expectation.
The NFC has improved dramatically during the 2004 off-season thus far. A conference loaded with premiere coaches, especially in the East, has propelled the NFC to the top of the football world. Two teams in particular have raised the bar of excellence and will battle it out for the coveted bid to the 2005 Super Bowl.
These two teams are the Seattle Seahawks, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Seattle was a first round exit last year losing in overtime to the Green Bay Packers. Philly came so close but for the third straight year, couldn’t quite get over the hump in the NFC. Both teams will be seeking a vengeance and you can bet they’ll be ready for round two.
DE Bert Berry did a fabulous job for Denver last season. But he did so at the expense of Trevor Pryce, who took most teams double teams.
This year Berry will be the Arizona Cardinals’ Pryce. Will he be able to come up with 8.5 sacks facing double teams every down, as Pryce did last season? Probably not. And who will take advantage of Berry’s double teams for AZ? Berry got a nice pay day, and he deserved it, but it was also a move that will make him look like a one year wonder if head coach Dennis Green doesn’t get him some first rate help in the next year or two.
I am a Twins fan. There’s been a lot of talk over this four-way trade and what the Twins got out of it. Was it worth it? Should we be emotional over losing a player who was batting .238 so far this season? I think so. Some might argue that this makes me a “Mientkiewicz fan” and not a “Twins fan” or a fan of the organization. People can argue that all they want, but they’re wrong. Here’s why: