[Ryan Who Loves Punk]

Because I believe in the god-given right of everyone to gripe about their favourite team although they may not know that much about any sport.

First post: The leafs are screwed since Mats is out with an injury. But they won thursday. They face montreal today. Who will win?!?

Or this could fade into obscurity. But this was basically what I would have posted if I had decided to participate in the NHL 2006 thread. So, yeah, better here than there.

Anyone else not know much about sports but still enjoy rooting for a specific team? Post it here! (although I may be the only one).

[The Jewish Cunthead]

therealryan said:

Anyone else not know much about sports but still enjoy rooting for a specific team?

Finally Moosey, your chance to speak up! ;D

[Jack Quinn]

man, I wish I could remember who was bragging that their team had gone wire to wire in august, when they had not.

Who was that? Hmmmmm. Someone, someone, I am thinking a Mets fan

[The Jewish Cunthead]

I hate you.

[Outback Frito Pendejo]

Sorta back on Ryan's topic, I used to be a big hockey fan. The Bruins with Orr and Esposito got me started. Bobby Carpenter played for my high school. (As a freshman in a very competitive league he looked like a ringer.) I loved college games. The "Beanpot" may be a stupid name but those tournaments at the old Boston Garden were some of the best sporting events I ever attended.

So why post this here? The Bruins slowly bludgeoned my fandom to death*. I was actually able to root for Ray Bourque after he was traded without feling very guilty. I read about them at the starts of this and last season, but can't bring myself to really follow them game by game. I look at the scores and headlines, but usually can't read entire articles about them. So if they are covered at all on Sports Center I have this tiny spark of interest, which then sputters out.

*Is it the lack of championships? A prolonged period of mediocrity? I don't think so, because the other Boston teams have had various elements of those.

[Jack Quinn]

I think the beanpot thing is cool.

But I get what you are saying, I used to be the same way with the Flyers. I wouldn't say I was a hard core hockey guy, but I used to go out of my way to follow them. Now, meh. Like you suggested, a lot of years of teasing fans, good teams, poor playoff showings, the strike. I think the strike was really the final nail in the coffin. I still follow the Flyers from a distance (I know they SUCK) but I haven't seen a game of theirs in a couple of years now.

After this season in baseball, a good showing by the Phillies and Tigers, and the fun of Fantasy baseball and OWNING Solly on the boards, baseball is firmly #1 as far as my sports interests go

[The Canadian Content]

OBJ -- I don't blame you for losing interest in the Bruins. Their ownership is among the worst in sports. They always manage to draft fairly well, then they trade that talent away because they refuse to pay market value for it. The Bruins and the Blackhawks are two of the main reasons there's a salary cap now.

MHJ -- As a Flyers fan, I feel your pain. So much hope in the mid-90s, and no results. Personally, I followed LeClair over from Montreal to begin my Flyers fandom, so it's only been 13 years of frustration for me. Since the JLC's over with the fucking Pens now, I find myself more interested in them than the Flyers. Not cool. But with the Flyers dumping Handzus (Zeuuuuuuus) for Calder, firing Clarke a decade too late, firing Hitch or no discernable reason, and their complete and utter lack of ability to find anything even resembling a goalie (Luongo was on the market, and they passed!), they're just too frustrating to care too deeply about at the moment.

All of that said, I encourage any formenr NHL fans to give the game a serious look again. It's incredibly fast-paced and exciting -- the way it should be. The refs actually call the clutching and grabbing, which led to more power plays initially, but since the players have started to catch on, it's led to a cleaner, faster game. I've seen 13-minute stretches of end-to-end action with no whistles. It's just amazing.

Another thing about the new league is that the cap has ensured that almost everyone's competitive. A San Jose/Nashville game would've been a joke three years ago, but now it's one of the best you can see.

[Ryan Who Loves Punk]

See, my problem is that I really like watching hockey, especially the leafs, but I never bothered to memorize all the statistics and stuff. To be honest, I can't even say the name of the new Leafs GM of the top of my head. This means I have no brilliant insights on what the leafs, as a team, could do to get better. While BFG would fire off something like "we need to fire Belak and call up [insert minor league player's name here]. This will improve our scoring percentages, reaching to the all-time record set in [insert year here]. It seems obvious to me that our usual strategy of [insert complicated leafs strategy name like "the umbrella unicycle gundam seed" or somesuch] style of play isn't as effective as it could be, so we should try for a faster style of play, utilising players such as [insert european player name here]. Plus the refs are blind, especially [referee's full name here]." Meanwhile, all I can say is "Belak really sucks." I'm a huge leafs fan, but I have no shattering insights on who to fire and why or anything like that. So yeah, this thread is for others with the same problems.

[chretienbabacool]

It seems like the the new NHL is more like the European game, which would make me want to watch it again. I got really tired of the countless penalties and in general the extreme bogged down nature of the old game.

[Jack Quinn]

Ryan

I am like that with basketball and hockey, hell half the times I can't even really keep the positions straight. I follow the Sixers and Pistons, but mostly from a distance. If someone starts arguing positions and offense with me, I am hopelessly lost.

I can do a little better in football I think, but baseball is where I think I can hold my own. THat is until Lucky starts busting out his made up sabr stats like vorp

[salmonjunkie]

Football is where I am very knowledgable. Basketball is a distant second, where I know the Lakers, Clippers, and a decent amount of the high profile teams. I do enjoy hockey and baseball, but I don't 'follow' them persay. I have the teams that I do root for (LA Kings and Padres), but I know very few stats. In fact, I can't name the entire starting lineup for either team that I do root for. But I still try to go out to the games and I still care if they win or lose.

That said, in the last few years, it's the Lakers I gripe the most about. Partly because Kobe is a douche. But at the same time I want them to win. I have to say I enjoyed the Heat taking the championship because I am still a Shaq fan, despite what what he's said and how lazy he got his last year in LA.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

mooseheadjack said:

After this season in baseball, a good showing by the Phillies and Tigers, and the fun of Fantasy baseball and OWNING Solly on the boards, baseball is firmly #1 as far as my sports interests go

Of course it is. With 162 games, it gives you plenty of time to pick a favorite team. ;D

[dragonmak]

Yea - Go Houston Dynamo. They won a championship.

Now, what do they play?

Whose on their team?

[Jack Quinn]

fsolomon75 said:

mooseheadjack said:

After this season in baseball, a good showing by the Phillies and Tigers, and the fun of Fantasy baseball and OWNING Solly on the boards, baseball is firmly #1 as far as my sports interests go

Of course it is. With 162 games, it gives you plenty of time to pick a favorite team. ;D

My favorite team is whoever is playing the Mets

[Krydor]

All I have to say to that is "Go Pirates!" Because, now, you see, they have a fan for a couple of games a year.

[Lucky]

I'm gonna step in way late on this thread. Because my insomnia's going insane this week.

I love baseball. I'm sick about it. Live and breath it and I know too much for my own good. I'm a weirdo.

I love the game of basketball. I love to play it and I've coached it on a few occassions in my life and would gladly do it again. Its just an amazing, fun, and beautiful sport when played right. But the NBA bores me. I just haven't been able to get into it for years. I was a devoted Knick fan as a kid but I got disillusioned when Ewing got traded. I rooted for other teams, got distracted, and eventually stopped watching. I've just been completely incapable of getting into it again. The Knicks sucking so badly doesn't help. But I can catch up and follow the game easily enough. And I love college basketball. I tend not to really get into until January or so but by the time March rolls around I'm sucked in to the tournament and the pools. Again, my team sucking sexy manhood perenially doesn't help.

Football is my enemy. I enjoy it enough but never really a fan. Again, teams sucks but its not that big a deal in the NFL. I can watch other games. I just don't really care to. I'll watch at the start of the season, fade out a bit, and start watching again once we get down to the Holiday season and the homestretch. But I never watch enough to really know my players and stats. And I never really cared enough to know the positions, plays, and such. History I'm useless on.

I can't even name the teams in the NHL. At least not the ones that are new or have changed names in the last decade. I had a brief period of major Ranger fandom and I despise the Devils but beyond that? Don't really enjoy hockey enough. But it can be an amazing game. That '94 season was fucking amazing. I remember leaping off the floor screaming "MATTEAU! MATTEAU! MATTEAU!" at the screen. But I don't really care about not being into hockey. I get embarrassed at my lack of football knowledge. I joke about my lack of hockey knowledge.

I love hockey on the video games though. I need to buy a new game.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

luckylopez said:

I remember leaping off the floor screaming "MATTEAU! MATTEAU! MATTEAU!" at the screen.

Why do you hate me so much?

[Lucky]

Because you're a bastard. Duh.

But God do I love Jennifer.

You want to really hate me, old man? I had just turned 14 and was in the 7th grade. I watched my older sister go to her prom during one of those games.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

That's great - summer of '94 I was getting ready to go to college... jerk.

With that being said, I am completely with you on baseball... it's why hot stove news would get more excited than any other sport in the winter. I love to watch the NFL and the NHL to a lesser extent, but there's something about baseball that swallowed me up back in '84 and I never stopped loving it.

[Andy]

mooseheadjack said:

I follow the Sixers and Pistons, but mostly from a distance.

He also likes the Eagles and the Lions in football and the Flyers and the Red Wings in Hockey.





...fuckin' Moose.