Continuing in this ongoing series of my Favorite Teams we will look at my favorite NBA team. My favorite NBA team is my only favorite team that is from Toronto and it is the Toronto Raptors.
One of the main reasons that I love the Raptors is because I have been alive from the very beginning of the franchise. Not only was I alive but I was also old enough to understand everything that was going on. I was also 8 years old and thought that the name Raptors was the greatest thing ever.
I've seen the Raptors go from struggling expansion franchise to serious playoff contender in 10 years. I remember when the Raptors had Damon Stoudamire aka Might Mouse and when they had Dell Curry who could jack up a 3 ball from anywhere on the court.
They weren't always the best teams but at least they were fun to watch. This pattern of exciting teams only got better when the Raptors got Vince Carter in the 1999 draft and he started to put the team on the map. As much as I hated Vince Carter when he left and during the last few years of his career in Toronto I have to give him credit because without him the Raptors wouldn't be what they are now.
Finally the reason I love the Raptors is because of the atmosphere that they create at the ACC. Living in Toronto I mostly go to Jays and Leafs game and during the course of those games excitement is at a minimum. Most fans don't cheer or care until their team scores. Especially at the Blue Jays games people just sit there and clap politely for a strike out or a hit. At Raptors games people are going crazy the whole game and the building goes crazy numerous times a game.
I think the Raptors are the perfect team for Toronto because of the make up of the team and the make up of the city. The team has a very strong international presence with players like Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani and I think that helps people in the city connect with the team a little more.
Moving forward I think that the Raptors are going to be a serious contender for years to come, especially with the pick up of Jermaine O'Neal. They will continue to wins games and I will continue to watch and follow.
Runner Up: The Lakers
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Favorite Team Part 3
In today's installment of the Favorite Team series I will be discussing my favorite NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks.
My love of the Canucks stems from one thing and one thing only...NHL 94. This is probably the greatest video game ever, at least the best sports video game, and the first time I played I chose the Vancouver Canucks. How could you not? They had Pavel Bure, Cliff Ronning, Trevor Linden, Geoff Courtnall, Jyrki Lumme, and of course the beast Kirk McLean between the pipes.
After the game came out I started to really follow hockey and to my surprise discovered that the Canucks were actually a great team and had the most exciting player in hockey on their team, Pavel Bure. The Russian Rocket led his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994 where they were eventually defeated by that bum Mark Messier and the New York Rangers.
Being a Canucks fan has been very rewarding over the past 15 years as they more often than not have a team that competes and plays exciting hockey. For a few years they had the West Coast Express with Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Todd Bertuzzi and the Canucks dominated.
However the best thing about being a Canucks fan is knowing that I don't have to cheer for the Leafs. If you have noticed so far throughout this series my favorite teams are usually never from my home city. I find it odd that people feel the need to cheer for a team just because they live somewhat close to that city. I'm not even from Toronto. I am from Pickering and feel no allegiance to the Leafs what so ever. A bit of a rant I know but it is something that boggles my mind on a frequent basis.
Another great part of being a Canucks fan is getting to hate the Calgary Flames. The Flames are the most annoying team in hockey and boast some of the biggest tools on their roster. Miikka Kiprusoff is such a flukeshow it is unreal and their wannabe tough guy captain Jarome Iginla should pack it in and go home. Nothing better than a Cabucks-Flames game and seeing the Canucks wail on them.
Runner Up: Whoever is playing the Calgary Flames
My love of the Canucks stems from one thing and one thing only...NHL 94. This is probably the greatest video game ever, at least the best sports video game, and the first time I played I chose the Vancouver Canucks. How could you not? They had Pavel Bure, Cliff Ronning, Trevor Linden, Geoff Courtnall, Jyrki Lumme, and of course the beast Kirk McLean between the pipes.
After the game came out I started to really follow hockey and to my surprise discovered that the Canucks were actually a great team and had the most exciting player in hockey on their team, Pavel Bure. The Russian Rocket led his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994 where they were eventually defeated by that bum Mark Messier and the New York Rangers.
Being a Canucks fan has been very rewarding over the past 15 years as they more often than not have a team that competes and plays exciting hockey. For a few years they had the West Coast Express with Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Todd Bertuzzi and the Canucks dominated.
However the best thing about being a Canucks fan is knowing that I don't have to cheer for the Leafs. If you have noticed so far throughout this series my favorite teams are usually never from my home city. I find it odd that people feel the need to cheer for a team just because they live somewhat close to that city. I'm not even from Toronto. I am from Pickering and feel no allegiance to the Leafs what so ever. A bit of a rant I know but it is something that boggles my mind on a frequent basis.
Another great part of being a Canucks fan is getting to hate the Calgary Flames. The Flames are the most annoying team in hockey and boast some of the biggest tools on their roster. Miikka Kiprusoff is such a flukeshow it is unreal and their wannabe tough guy captain Jarome Iginla should pack it in and go home. Nothing better than a Cabucks-Flames game and seeing the Canucks wail on them.
Runner Up: Whoever is playing the Calgary Flames
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Favorite Team Part 2
Today I will be continuing my "Favorite Team" series by moving onto a new league, the NFL. Yesterday was MLB and I described why the Boston RedSex are my favorite team and have been for as long as I can remember. Once again feel free to comment and post on who your favorite team is in the sport of the day.
When I first started watching football I was a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. I was I think 8 years old and I thought that Jaguars were the coolest animals around and that any team named after them had to be great. Luckily for me I was right as the Jaguars made it to the playoffs 4 out of their first 5 years and even made it to the AFC Championship in their second year as a franchise in 1996. Then Mark Brunell left and so did my love of the Jaguars. I was then forced to find a new team and luckily for me the greatest team in the NFL was waiting for me to become a fan, the New York Jets.
One day I was watching ESPN and saw a documentary on the Jets and their Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. I saw how Namath was a standout not only for his play but also for his attire on the field. Upon watching the documentary I started to watch the Jets more closely and saw that they played a style of football that was exactly the kind of football I enjoyed, smash mouth offense and aggressive defense.
They also had players on their team you couldn't help but like. Players such as Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, Wayne Chrebet, and Keyshawn Johnson. Unfortunately they had an awful quarterback in Vinny Testaverde who made it somewhat difficult to like the team but I persevered. Today the Jets still have a big play receiver, Laveranues Coles, a terrible quarterback, Chad Pennington, but at least they have one of the best coaches in football, Eric Mangini, running the team and a great defense that keeps them in games.
The Jets also hold a special place in my heart because they sometimes like to beat the Patriots and wipe that smug smile off the face of Bill "I think I'm God's Gift to Football but Really I'm a Cheater" Belicheck.
The Jets are a team that is currently on the rise and even though they lost Probowl linebacker Johnathan Vilma this year to the Saints they still should make the playoffs. That is of course all hinging on the belief that Chad Pennington will not be the quarterback.
J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!
Runner Up: Jacksonville Jaguars
When I first started watching football I was a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. I was I think 8 years old and I thought that Jaguars were the coolest animals around and that any team named after them had to be great. Luckily for me I was right as the Jaguars made it to the playoffs 4 out of their first 5 years and even made it to the AFC Championship in their second year as a franchise in 1996. Then Mark Brunell left and so did my love of the Jaguars. I was then forced to find a new team and luckily for me the greatest team in the NFL was waiting for me to become a fan, the New York Jets.
One day I was watching ESPN and saw a documentary on the Jets and their Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. I saw how Namath was a standout not only for his play but also for his attire on the field. Upon watching the documentary I started to watch the Jets more closely and saw that they played a style of football that was exactly the kind of football I enjoyed, smash mouth offense and aggressive defense.
They also had players on their team you couldn't help but like. Players such as Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, Wayne Chrebet, and Keyshawn Johnson. Unfortunately they had an awful quarterback in Vinny Testaverde who made it somewhat difficult to like the team but I persevered. Today the Jets still have a big play receiver, Laveranues Coles, a terrible quarterback, Chad Pennington, but at least they have one of the best coaches in football, Eric Mangini, running the team and a great defense that keeps them in games.
The Jets also hold a special place in my heart because they sometimes like to beat the Patriots and wipe that smug smile off the face of Bill "I think I'm God's Gift to Football but Really I'm a Cheater" Belicheck.
The Jets are a team that is currently on the rise and even though they lost Probowl linebacker Johnathan Vilma this year to the Saints they still should make the playoffs. That is of course all hinging on the belief that Chad Pennington will not be the quarterback.
J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!
Runner Up: Jacksonville Jaguars
Monday, July 28, 2008
Favorite Team Part 1
This week what I am going to be doing is having a 6 part series that will last from today until Saturday highlighting my favorite team in each league and why they are my favorite team. I encourage everyone to post comments that explain what your favorite team in each league is.
Monday - MLB
Tuesday - NFL
Wednesday - NHL
Thursday - NBA
Friday - Soccer
We are starting off the series with MLB. I decided to start with MLB because it is slowly becoming my favorite league. Normally I am an NFL guy but since its the summer and the only thing on is baseball it is starting to grow on me. I also chose baseball because my favorite team in all of sports plays in the MLB and that team is the: Boston RedSox
The Boston RedSox are my favorite team in not just baseball but all of sports. My love for the RedSox stems from a personality trait of mine that is a common theme amongst all my favorite teams, my love of history. At school I am a history major so when picking a sports team I try and choose a team with an interesting history and no team has more of a colored history than the RedSox. But it is not just the history that gets me but also the way the team is managed and the faithfulness of the fans.
From the Curse of the Bambino when they traded Babe Ruth to the Greatness that was Tedd Williams and finally the tragedy of Bill Buckner's costly error RedSox fans know what pure joy and true heartbreak feels like. Every year until 2004 fans would watch as the RedSox would always get so close only to fall short and leave their fans wondering how it all fell apart.
Not only does the team have a lot going for it historically but being a RedSox is almost like being part of a religion. The team means so much to so many people and can best be portrayed in this article by Tom Verducci: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137633/index.htm.
Besides just the history of the team however the RedSox also have one of the oldest stadiums in all of sports in Fenway Park where RedSox teams have been playing since 1912. Last year I went on a private tour of the stadium and it was one of the greatest things I have ever seen. The Green Monster looks so intimidating and the seats are so close to the players that you can understand why teams are intimidated to play there.
What I love most about the RedSox however are the players. People hate on Manny Ramirez but I love him. There isnt a better person in baseball to watch stare down one of his own home runs and for all the bad press he gets people tend to forget he is one of the best right handed hitters of all time. Big Papi is one of the best clutch hitters of all team and is a real class act. But the best thing about the RedSox is that they develop most of their own talent from within their system or make very smart trades for under rated players and make them superstars (David Ortiz was a bum with the Twins and now is an All-Star). Players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, and Johnathan Papelbon have all come up through the system and are now impact players. The RedSox rarely ever go out and just by the big free agent. They have developed from within and have also added through trades picking up Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett.
For all of the reasons listed above the RedSox are my favorite team in MLB.
Runner Ups: Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland A's
Monday - MLB
Tuesday - NFL
Wednesday - NHL
Thursday - NBA
Friday - Soccer
We are starting off the series with MLB. I decided to start with MLB because it is slowly becoming my favorite league. Normally I am an NFL guy but since its the summer and the only thing on is baseball it is starting to grow on me. I also chose baseball because my favorite team in all of sports plays in the MLB and that team is the: Boston RedSox
The Boston RedSox are my favorite team in not just baseball but all of sports. My love for the RedSox stems from a personality trait of mine that is a common theme amongst all my favorite teams, my love of history. At school I am a history major so when picking a sports team I try and choose a team with an interesting history and no team has more of a colored history than the RedSox. But it is not just the history that gets me but also the way the team is managed and the faithfulness of the fans.
From the Curse of the Bambino when they traded Babe Ruth to the Greatness that was Tedd Williams and finally the tragedy of Bill Buckner's costly error RedSox fans know what pure joy and true heartbreak feels like. Every year until 2004 fans would watch as the RedSox would always get so close only to fall short and leave their fans wondering how it all fell apart.
Not only does the team have a lot going for it historically but being a RedSox is almost like being part of a religion. The team means so much to so many people and can best be portrayed in this article by Tom Verducci: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137633/index.htm.
Besides just the history of the team however the RedSox also have one of the oldest stadiums in all of sports in Fenway Park where RedSox teams have been playing since 1912. Last year I went on a private tour of the stadium and it was one of the greatest things I have ever seen. The Green Monster looks so intimidating and the seats are so close to the players that you can understand why teams are intimidated to play there.
What I love most about the RedSox however are the players. People hate on Manny Ramirez but I love him. There isnt a better person in baseball to watch stare down one of his own home runs and for all the bad press he gets people tend to forget he is one of the best right handed hitters of all time. Big Papi is one of the best clutch hitters of all team and is a real class act. But the best thing about the RedSox is that they develop most of their own talent from within their system or make very smart trades for under rated players and make them superstars (David Ortiz was a bum with the Twins and now is an All-Star). Players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, and Johnathan Papelbon have all come up through the system and are now impact players. The RedSox rarely ever go out and just by the big free agent. They have developed from within and have also added through trades picking up Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett.
For all of the reasons listed above the RedSox are my favorite team in MLB.
Runner Ups: Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland A's
Friday, July 25, 2008
Is Anyone Watching?
That makes two stories in one week that are newsworthy and yet if I asked 10 sports fan if they heard about them, or cared, they would more than likely all say no. The WNBA is not a popular league by any stretch of the imagination and the fact that these two incidents occurred and no one knows simply proves that.
Will this make you watch though? The Lieberman story is a nice one but it just makes the league look worse that a 50 year old can play in it. Imagine a 50 year old man playing in the NBA. He would get destroyed and probably have his ankles broken when he got crossed over or have a heart attack trying to run the floor.
"If this helps the league, I think it's great. It's entertaining, and anything that draws attention to the league is a good thing." This is a statement made by a WNBA executive who feels that any attention the league gets will help it. I personally feel if you're hoping more fans will watch your games for fights and senior citizens then I think you are in the wrong business. Yes there is fighting in almost every sport and only years ago there was the NBA brawl in Detroit but the NBA didn't like when that happened. WNBA officials seem to be overjoyed that their league is in the news and don't seem to care why.
What makes the whole thing worse is the ringleader of the fight was Candace Parker. Parker is a rookie this year but is the most famous female basketball player on the planet and the face of the WNBA and yet she is out there fighting. How bad does your league look when your best player is out there throwing punches instead of playing the game. David Stern and the NBA would go mental is Lebron James lost his temper and started throwing haymakers at people.
All of this publicity cannot help this downtrodden league. I think the real problem with the WNBA is that too many people watch it and feel that they can do what these players do. I mean when you watch the NBA you sit back in amazement when Lebron defies gravity and makes a nasty slam dunk or when Kobe Bryant hits a fade away jumper from 12 feet out with two defenders all over him. The WNBA is all about fundamentals with nice passes and good teamwork but they take the fun out of it and are left with only damentals. I've watched about 20 minutes of WNBA action in my entire life but I think I could do anything that anyone in the league could do.
Sorry for the rant there at the end, I'm not against women's sports I just don't feel like the WNBA does a good job of representing itself if its going to promote fighting between its players and if its going to resort to cheap PR moves to try and gain fan support. Your product should speak for itself like the NBA. However I may be a hypocrite because if 50 year old women are going to scrap and play basketball every game I might tune in, or at least watch the highlights.
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