It was heartbreaking to hear that the hockey season was put to bed. Of course, I wasn’t too surprised. After a false start and six months of bullshit I wasn’t expecting much, but I was hopeful. As it’s been said, having a shortened hockey season would have made for some very interesting Stanley Cup tournament action. We probably would have had a championship team you would never otherwise see, say the Islanders or Maple Leafs.
But I don’t think anyone would have liked a quick season. Yes, there would have been some hockey, but overall I think all roads led to nowhere. First off, no hockey fan would respect or accept the team that wins the cup without a full season. Regardless who had won, people would say “they only won because it was a short season.” On the team side, I’d bet that no team would want to be known as “the team that won because of a short season.”
Also, as things pan out we may find ourselves without some staple players next season (if there is a next season). Names like Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman are being thrown around for retirement because they’re a little past their prime. Whether you’re a fan of the individual player or not, each deserves their day when they can wave goodbye to their fans on their home ice.
The solution to the NHL problem would have been to quit being babies about a $5 million difference. Sure, $5 million is a stack of cash, but when you’re talking the difference between $45 million and $50 million, does it really make a difference? I realize people need to make a living, but you’re telling me it takes $3 million per year to make a living? I beg to differ.
From the ice to the race track, I’d like to touch on NASCAR. Now before I go on I must say I’m not a NASCAR fan at all. I know the big names and occassionaly watch on a Sunday when I’m folding my laundry, but roundy-round racing in cars that aren’t really cars just doesn’t float my cork. Give me some F1, or better yet, rally racing. There’s some real racing.
That disclaimer being made, it has been made known that NASCAR has lifted a ban that prohibited hard liquor sponsorships on cars – we’re talking Jack Daniel’s and the likes. A recent SportsCenter story talked about people getting all in a tizzy over hard liquor logos on cars. One 26-year veteran on one race team quit because that team partnered with Jack Daniel’s. Even people like legend Richard Petty say this move goes against “family values.”
OK. Wait a second. Let me get this straight. People are getting huffed over Colt 45 sponsors when NASCAR has been pimping beer for the past 30 years? What’s wrong with this picture?
These people are saying hard liquor is putting out a bad massage about drinking and driving. And you’re going to tell me beer is good for drinking and driving? OK, sure maybe it takes more beer than hard liquor to get nice and sloshed, but the end result is the same.
Personally, it doesn’t bother me that there is either beer or liquor ads on the cars. I’d like to think you go without any alcohol sponsorships, but that’s really going against the grain there. This type of argument is like you’d rather have your kids play with a loaded .44 Magnum than an M-16 machine gun. There’s no winner no matter what you do. The message is shitty either way.
Somewhere, somehow, I feel the NASCAR fans would claim that liquor is more immoral than beer. They would find a connection between liquor and immorality while beer is as pristine and safe as water.
Bottomline, it doesn’t matter what logo is on the car, unless they’re smashing bumpers and burning rubber, nobody cares.
And now to baseball, which is up in arms over steroids…again. This time thanks to Jose Canseco and a new tell-all book. Interviews on both ESPN and 60 Minutes have Canseco blowing the whistle on everyone in baseball, from players to manager to office executives.
The one thing I found interesting about his interview is that the 1994 MLB strike maybe impacted the shift the most. Prior to the ‘94 lockout baseball was dragging its feet. Following the strike everyone started hitting home runs and breaking records. Magically overnight baseball got interesting to watch and people were buying up tickets left and right. Oh, but we didn’t notice that Mark McGwire’s forearm got as big as my car?!
I think we did, but no one cared because everyone was benefiting. Much like a sports writer said on 60 Minutes, everyone got a good taste in their mouth. Players were breaking records, MLB was getting ticket sales, and fans were being treated with hitting displays. When it’s fun and glorious we turn away, otherwise we’ll stick you on the naughty stool. Just ask Darryl Strawberry.
Mr. Strawberry got put up for cocaine use. This so-called “recreational” drug use effected his baseball career so he was canned on many levels. But then we have Canseco and others jacking up juice and no one makes a toot because it is effecting baseball positively, not negatively.
Is this fair? Of course not. Will baseball do anything about all this, I seriously doubt it. But if I were the players I’d be watching out. Sure, they might not get in trouble if the MLB continues to turn away, but much like would-be Stanely winners I mentioned before, no one will respect what they have done because it was tainted in some fashion.
The loss of hockey this year is by far the worst thing to happen to sports in a long time. You can take your drugs and sell your booze, but if there’s no game then it doesn’t really matter. If people aren’t careful, greed and egos will ruin every sport, just like it has baseball, and now hockey.
I think the NHL (players and owners)needs to get a clue and realize that they are not the NFL—they are never going to have that sort of fan base. Thus it is not fair that NHL players demand the salary that the Tom Brady’s of the sport’s world receive. Everyone knows that I am not one to side with THE MAN and I have disliked Gary Bettman for a while not BUT I have to side with THE MAN on this one. It just seems so trite that a bunch of millionaires are crying over how many millions they won’t make this year with the world in the state it is in. Europe should be careful though—our greedy NHL players will infiltrate their leagues and ruin their genuine love for the sport of hockey. I really don’t think the NHL understands what a negative impact this is going to have on their fanbase.