I don't know what it is about sports that makes me such as fan, but I'm hooked. With the NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, end of many of the European soccer leagues, and ofcourse the World's Strongest Man comeptition on ESPN, it's been a good time for watching sports. That last one was a joke. Everytime, I see a 350-lb behemoth with thighs the size of my torso pulling a tractor with his teeth, I can't help but laugh.
Getting back on track, the San Jose Sharks are out of the playoffs (courtesy of a strong Calgary club), the Warriors were never in it, and the A's, Giants, and Earthquakes are too early in their season to get excited about, but I'm still genuinely excited about the games that are going on. I often find myself screaming at the television or yelling at the top of my lungs. Even when I'm watching games alone....pathetic, I know. Maybe that's what's so great about these games. You invest a lot of time and effort to watch a 2 to 3 hour game, and you want to be rewarded with an exciting play or series of plays at the end of the game. Even though my home teams are out, I can still appreciate a last second Reggie Miller 3-pointer, or a great defensive save by Khabibulin. Here are some highlights of the past couple of weeks:
-in the EPL (English Premier League), Arsenal goes a whole season, which lasts nine months, undefeated. This hasn't been done since 1888, and it's especially a feat when you consider soccer games go 1-0 or 3-2, or something like that. With their French striker Thierry Henry, and a world class French midfielder in Patrick Viera, they should be known as the French Connection.
-Everybody loves an underdog, and hates a playa. Manchester United, also of the EPL, Real Madrid of la Liga in Spain, the LA Lakers, the NY Yankees are all uber-teams who have spent hundreds of millions for their player roster. Each team has had a tough go at it some time in their season.
Real Madrid is highly touted as the best team in world soccer, but they really laid an egg this year. It seemed so promising at first. They bought David Beckham from the Mancs, had arguably the best player in the world already on their roster, Zenadine Zidane, the best striker in the world in Ronaldo, and one of the most deadliest shots in the leg of Roberto Carlos. But they let go a lot of their proven midfielders and defenders for younger Spanish players like Pavon and Raul. Beckham proved to be a one-trick pony, Ronaldo's fat ass is always getting injured, and their team chemistry couldn't buffer a titration (you have to be a dork like me to understand this last metaphor). They fell to third place in the last weeks of the season, and completely imploded in their last 4 games, losing each one handily, as well as losing their composure in the last match against relegated Real Murcia. Becks, the only no-spansih speaking player on the Galacticos roster, was given a red card for calling the lineman a "Puta!", a less than cordial name for a female dog. Looks like Becks might be returning to the Premier League, most likely in a Chelsea uniform.
Becks: "Really, Posh, I didn't sleep with my assistant."
Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves are the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, their still seen as the underdog. Fortunately, they came away from the first two games of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers with a 1-1 split. They had a convincing win tonight against the Lakers, where Shaq looked human, Malone looked his age, and Kobe didn't pull a Jordan.
Kobe: "Uh, these guys aren't that bad. I'd rather be in Colorado."
Heck, a number 6 seed in the NHL is threatening to win the Stanley Cup. I'm talking about the Calgary Flames, and this might be the year for a Canadian team to finally win the cup after almost ten years of American teams winning it. The Tampa Bay Lightning may have an objection to that since they are making their own run for the cup. Hockey in Tampa Bay? Now that's the epitome of an underdog.
-Game 5 of the Lakers/Spurs series saw an amazing last second (at least that's what it seemed to be at the time), fadeaway, no look shot from Tim Duncan over the long arms of Shaquille O'Neal. A 1-100 shot at best, but it hit nothing but net. The Spurs celebrated mightily, but left 0.4 seconds on the clock. It would take a seemingly impossible shot by the likes of Kobe Bryant or a lob pass and dunk by Shawuille O'Neal to win the game. With the Spurs defense shadowing those two players, little-used Derek Fisher caught the ball and in one motion, turned around, faded away, and let go a 17-feeter that wento ver the outstretched arms of Manu Ginobili, and into the net. Can you say turning point? No doubt, the Spurs would have won that series if not for that Fisher miracle.
All of this sports-watching has me wondering, "How can I get a piece of the action?" Well, nothing gives me more joy than hooping on a bunch of scrubs, or ripping up a downhill on my hardtail, or even kicking my wife's ass in a game of scrabble. It's no professional league or olympic event, but it's a challenge, and being able to face those challenges and overcome them gives me more satisfaction than any game on TV.
Foiled by a little kid. Yikes.
Getting back on track, the San Jose Sharks are out of the playoffs (courtesy of a strong Calgary club), the Warriors were never in it, and the A's, Giants, and Earthquakes are too early in their season to get excited about, but I'm still genuinely excited about the games that are going on. I often find myself screaming at the television or yelling at the top of my lungs. Even when I'm watching games alone....pathetic, I know. Maybe that's what's so great about these games. You invest a lot of time and effort to watch a 2 to 3 hour game, and you want to be rewarded with an exciting play or series of plays at the end of the game. Even though my home teams are out, I can still appreciate a last second Reggie Miller 3-pointer, or a great defensive save by Khabibulin. Here are some highlights of the past couple of weeks:
-in the EPL (English Premier League), Arsenal goes a whole season, which lasts nine months, undefeated. This hasn't been done since 1888, and it's especially a feat when you consider soccer games go 1-0 or 3-2, or something like that. With their French striker Thierry Henry, and a world class French midfielder in Patrick Viera, they should be known as the French Connection.
-Everybody loves an underdog, and hates a playa. Manchester United, also of the EPL, Real Madrid of la Liga in Spain, the LA Lakers, the NY Yankees are all uber-teams who have spent hundreds of millions for their player roster. Each team has had a tough go at it some time in their season.
Real Madrid is highly touted as the best team in world soccer, but they really laid an egg this year. It seemed so promising at first. They bought David Beckham from the Mancs, had arguably the best player in the world already on their roster, Zenadine Zidane, the best striker in the world in Ronaldo, and one of the most deadliest shots in the leg of Roberto Carlos. But they let go a lot of their proven midfielders and defenders for younger Spanish players like Pavon and Raul. Beckham proved to be a one-trick pony, Ronaldo's fat ass is always getting injured, and their team chemistry couldn't buffer a titration (you have to be a dork like me to understand this last metaphor). They fell to third place in the last weeks of the season, and completely imploded in their last 4 games, losing each one handily, as well as losing their composure in the last match against relegated Real Murcia. Becks, the only no-spansih speaking player on the Galacticos roster, was given a red card for calling the lineman a "Puta!", a less than cordial name for a female dog. Looks like Becks might be returning to the Premier League, most likely in a Chelsea uniform.
Becks: "Really, Posh, I didn't sleep with my assistant."
Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves are the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, their still seen as the underdog. Fortunately, they came away from the first two games of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers with a 1-1 split. They had a convincing win tonight against the Lakers, where Shaq looked human, Malone looked his age, and Kobe didn't pull a Jordan.
Kobe: "Uh, these guys aren't that bad. I'd rather be in Colorado."
Heck, a number 6 seed in the NHL is threatening to win the Stanley Cup. I'm talking about the Calgary Flames, and this might be the year for a Canadian team to finally win the cup after almost ten years of American teams winning it. The Tampa Bay Lightning may have an objection to that since they are making their own run for the cup. Hockey in Tampa Bay? Now that's the epitome of an underdog.
-Game 5 of the Lakers/Spurs series saw an amazing last second (at least that's what it seemed to be at the time), fadeaway, no look shot from Tim Duncan over the long arms of Shaquille O'Neal. A 1-100 shot at best, but it hit nothing but net. The Spurs celebrated mightily, but left 0.4 seconds on the clock. It would take a seemingly impossible shot by the likes of Kobe Bryant or a lob pass and dunk by Shawuille O'Neal to win the game. With the Spurs defense shadowing those two players, little-used Derek Fisher caught the ball and in one motion, turned around, faded away, and let go a 17-feeter that wento ver the outstretched arms of Manu Ginobili, and into the net. Can you say turning point? No doubt, the Spurs would have won that series if not for that Fisher miracle.
All of this sports-watching has me wondering, "How can I get a piece of the action?" Well, nothing gives me more joy than hooping on a bunch of scrubs, or ripping up a downhill on my hardtail, or even kicking my wife's ass in a game of scrabble. It's no professional league or olympic event, but it's a challenge, and being able to face those challenges and overcome them gives me more satisfaction than any game on TV.
Foiled by a little kid. Yikes.
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