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Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Monday, March 12, 2007

Sports Revelation 1:0

Up until the NHL strike in 2005, I had followed the NHL and thoroughly enjoyed the sport of hockey. Since the strike took place, however, I have not really paid much attention to the NHL but thought I still liked the sport. After all, I still pay attention to the OHL and try to get to some games out in Oshawa each year, even with some of the dumb rules adopted by the league in recent years.

Since Toronto received a professional lacrosse team, my rekindled love for lacrosse has steadily grown into a passion for the game and has replaced my love for hockey. Though I do not love the sport of hockey as I once did, as mentioned above, until recently I still thought I liked hockey. My revelation occurred just over a week ago while I was watching coverage of the Canada Winter Games on television. The seed, already planted with my love for lacrosse, started growing while watching the gold medal ringette game between Ontario and Alberta, and finally grew into a confirmed revelation while watching the men’s bronze medal hockey game between Alberta and British Columbia. My revelation: I don’t really enjoy hockey that much anymore.

Being Canadian, in fear of being ostracized by my fellow ‘countrymen’, I did not want to face the harsh reality but in the end I must, I really do not enjoy hockey. Because of this feeling, I had to watch some NHL hockey to be sure the decision was made based on the sport itself and not as a result of a few games played between young amateurs. Unfortunately, my feeling was confirmed.

Even with the fast paced action of hockey, I find the sport is very sloppy compared to others. This sloppiness severely affects the flow of the action and, in my opinion, takes away from the enjoyment of watching. As an aside, this sloppiness does lead to some good solid checks from time to time. Although the same sort of sloppiness is found in both ringette and lacrosse, I find the flow of the latter two sports does not suffer as severely as it does in hockey. The play in hockey does not seem to be as controlled as the other sports mentioned and without control, the game play suffers. Some will argue that lacrosse is slower than hockey and they may be right, but with less loose ball scrums, there is more action in lacrosse.

I doubt I will convince anyone that lacrosse is better than hockey; I am not trying to, I am just giving my interpretation of things and providing a rationalization to my revelation. I do still like hockey; it just is not at the top of my list anymore when it comes to sports.

Friday, March 9, 2007

MLB Stadiums

1. Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI
Date of First Game – September 24, 1999
This was the first of the old parks I went to and it was the best stadium I have ever been to. Just stepping into the stands, I could feel the history of the building and for a fleeting moment, I was taken back to the days of old. It was magical. Unfortunately, we were only able to get obstructed views for the game so we missed a lot. There were three of us so we took turns in each different seat, one of which was completely behind a pole, for a three-inning stint. Overall, it was a great experience, one that I have never been able to duplicate anywhere. A truly great building and a shame it was replaced.

2. Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Date of First Game – July 22, 2000
Although this is another of the great old buildings, I did not feel the same mystical feeling as I did in Tiger Stadium. Maybe it was because I had different company; maybe it just was not as nice as Tiger Stadium, who knows. The complete game experience was very similar to that of Tiger Stadium, although not quite as electric. Behind us were a few Yankees fans, come to see the great Fenway before it was replaced (which never happened due to lack of funding), engaged in friendly discussions with some of the Sox faithful about which team was better. As an innocent bystander, this was very comical as they eventually compared the teams by position. I don’t know if they resolved anything but it sure added to the entertainment of the game.

3. Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Date of First Game – August 26, 2001
The famous Wrigley was another great park, however, I felt absolutely no nostalgia being in it. I unfortunately missed the great Harry Carey and his seventh inning stretch routine by a year or two as well. The section I saw the game from had a bit of a business class feel to it with very little baseball talk going on. Even without the nostalgia as felt in Tiger Stadium, this is still one of the greatest parks in the league.

4. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date of First Game – August 28, 1991
I do not recall this stadium much but I do remember the view from it and the beautiful sunset that occurred. Even with the disgusting haze of Los Angeles visible, the sunset was unforgettable.

5. Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Date of First Game – August 20, 2005
If I were to build a new stadium today, I would use Comerica Park for inspiration. The field is nice, the tickets can be cheap, the game is visible while walking through the concourse, and there are many things to keep children occupied. I particularly enjoyed the water fountain in center field and the statutes of some of the great historical players in the outfield concourse. I was unable to walk through the entire stadium at this game but look forward to going back so I can take in everything the stadium has to offer.

6. Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Date of First Game – September 12, 2005
This stadium was a lengthy drive to get to but the drive was very much worth it. The area surrounding the stadium was dedicated to baseball, including some of the bars and restaurants. There were some historical statues along the side of the park and the appearance of the park itself was unique (at least unique to the stadiums I have been too). Inside, the field was visible throughout most of the concourse and the energy was high. Having the Gateway Arch in the background was a nice touch too.

7. Olympic Stadium, Montreal, QC
Date of First Game – June 19, 2004
This stadium also had a unique outward appearance; it looked like a UFO. Inside, the concourse was setup nicely with tables in between concession stands and scattered elsewhere along the walls providing civilized areas to relax and eat dinner. These seating areas are a nice addition to any sporting venue as they allow for easy family eating. The fans were very vociferous and easily got into the game. It is a shame that the league could not recover from the 1994 strike in the eyes of the Montreal fans because they are some of the best fans in sports, I think the stand they took proves this point.

8. Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Date of First Game – August 26, 1991
I do not really remember this stadium at all either but since it is an open stadium in sunny California, it must be nice.

9. US Cellular Field
Date of First Game – July 17, 1994
When I went to this stadium, it was called Comiskey Park 2. This park did not hold much for me, although it was a family trip so maybe that has something to do with my indifference. I shall return to this stadium at some point and will modify my thinking if it warrants.

10. Rogers Centre (Skydome), Toronto, ON
Date of First Game – unknown
This stadium is as nice as a big chunk of concrete can be. The main downfall of this stadium, I find, is that, even with the roof open, it feels like being inside and not out in the open air. It did have the first retractable roof in the league and it has a hotel attached to the side of it with some rooms overlooking the field so it does have its positives. Since the owners of the team took over ownership of the stadium there have been attempts to reduce the concrete look and improve the game experience, some of which have actually worked. Now all they need is more fans to fill the seats and maybe this venue will be fun to go to again.

11. Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, ON
Date of First Game – unknown
I have scattered memories of this stadium, some good, and some bad. Being built for both baseball and football led to an unpleasant look but there were many great team memories played out there. It was a sad day when the Jays moved out but a move desperately needed.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

NHL Arenas

Since the NHL shares their arenas with the NLL for the most part, I figured I should continue with these arenas. I will try to provide only a small description of any arena I have mentioned previously although the experience may be different for each sport.

1. HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
Date of First Game – January 29, 1997
In 1997, the HSBC arena was known as the Marine Midland Arena. I was more concerned with the actual game back then and not so concerned with the overall experience. I have not been to the HSBC arena for a game recently but I saw both Lemieux (the first time) and Gretzky during their last year of hockey at this arena so it will get the number 1 spot here too.

2. Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON
Date of First Game – February 22, 2003
I have only been to this arena once, and it was known as the Corel Centre then, but that is all it takes to fall in love with a place I guess. The weather was perfect hockey weather, the parking was close by and cheap, the tickets were cheap ($25 for tickets a hot dog and a drink), and the company was good. It was a great weekend overall even though the drive home was painstakingly slow (it was the heaviest snowfall of the year). The set-up inside is similar to most other arenas but for some reason the Corel Centre seems better than most.




3. Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
Date of First Game – unknown
I was too young to remember much from my first game but I do remember the Red Wings destroyed the Leafs and our car was blocked in so we were stuck in the parking lot for a while after the game ended. As a child, I attended more WWF events at the Gardens than hockey games but due to the history of the building, it must have been a great arena.

4. Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
Date of First Game – March 25, 2006
What can I say here? It is the Joe. The fans showed up before the game and most stayed until the shootout finally decided the winner. The arena is easy to get to and since we left before the shootout, leaving was no problem at all too. Parking was very affordable and easily accessed the arena, plus there were many street lots in close proximity. The food was good and the souvenirs were very affordable too. Even though the arena is old, it is still one of the best.

5. St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
Date of First Game – May 27, 2004
The above game was a Stanley Cup Final game so the experience was awesome. The main downfall for this arena is that it is Florida. This arena did remind me a lot of the Scotiabank Place, but was nicer to look at. The Tampa fans may not be as knowledgeable as those to the North may be but they sure do know how to have a good time. Overall, it was a lot of fun but I think most it resulted from the playoff atmosphere around the arena and not from the game itself.

As you will see, my travels in the summertime far exceed that of the winter as the number of baseball stadiums visited outnumber the hockey arenas. The low number of hockey arenas visited may also be a result of my lack of interest in the sport the past few years and my rekindled interest in baseball.

NLL Arenas

One of my favourite things about sports is going to different cities, seeing the different venues, tasting the many foods (comparing the nachos) and experiencing the game at every city. I will tackle each sport and their arenas/stadiums in separate posts beginning with this one for the NLL Arenas. Each list will start with my favourite venue and end with my least favourite. I have only been to a handful of venues so far but my mission is to eventually get to them all.

1. HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
Date of First Game – January 7, 2005
My first visit to this arena for lacrosse, as a fan of the opposing team, opened my eyes to the way fans should be. Even before the opening face off the crowd was chanting and cheering for the home team, even without prompting from the announcer who, throughout the game, was an active participant in the game by urging the crowd into various cheers. After this first game, I returned to Buffalo whenever Toronto had a game and last year, as my love for the atmosphere at the HSBC peaked, I even attended the NLL championship game there. Besides the atmosphere, I also really enjoy the arena itself. The building is not bad to look at from the outside, has easily accessible parking and plenty of it close by, is easy to get to, is close to the highway, and is very well planned out inside with 3 levels. The club level actually feels like a club level with a nice bar area on the one end with seating overlooking the floor and some food stands that sell real food. The seating in the club level has large seats and plenty of leg room, and a great view of the floor. This all makes for a pleasant experience all around.

2. Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
Date of First Game – April 23, 1999 (Championship Game)
This arena, soon to be a grocery store, had a nice cozy feeling. It was smaller than the newer arenas but a lot of history was created in it. The small feel forced fans to get into the game and held in a lot of noise when things were going well. The seats were small and there was a lot of stairs to get to the top but it was all worth it. I was only able to get to a few games here before the Rock moved into the ACC but every one of them was enjoyable.

3. Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Date of First Game – April 17, 2005
The only game I attended here was on the first day of my honeymoon so it holds something special for me. A typical big city arena but with the exterior molded to look like a giant saddle. The inside has three levels with enough seat room. The game itself became one-sided for the wrong team but there were some good fights to make up for that, the goalies even scrapped that night.

4. Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
Date of First Game – April 27, 2001 (Championship Game)
My first experience at this arena was at a championship game so the crowd was overly pumped up. The crowd in the lower level does not seem to have much knowledge of lacrosse although there are several fans that really get into the game. The game announcer does not seem to know how to get the crowd going and they like to blast the music way too loud to mask the inadequacies of the announcer. The sound system is not set up properly so it is impossible to understand what the announcer is saying a lot of the time. The food here is also sub-par compared with the other arenas. This is a big city arena that can pack in a ton of people so it can get loud and crazy inside.

5. Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY
Date of First Game – April 15, 2006
The biggest downfall of this arena is the size. From the outside it looks like a nice arena but unfortunately, the inside reflects the small city it is situated in and has a reletively small capacity. The crowd really gets into the game and does its best to hide their size but to no avail. The announcing is similar to that of the Saddledome and does try to get the crowd going from time to time. I went to two games here and both games ended with the home team winning so that may have had an impact on this low rating but I don’t see this arena dropping too far if I shall ever make it to any of the other big venus in the NLL.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

My Sporting Background

Before I get into my endless, incoherent rants about all that is wrong with sports or praise what is right, I thought I should give everyone a little background to my favourite sports and teams. Just to give fair warning, this may be a very lengthy post but hopefully I can organize it so you readers can fly through without realizing how long it truly is. I shall begin my history with my newest passion, lacrosse.

Lacrosse
I first found out about the sport of lacrosse in the early 1990’s during my first year of high school (unfortunately handling the stick did not come easy to most so after our mandatory classes, the lacrosse sticks were shelved). Shortly after my introduction to the sport, I found Buffalo Bandits games on TV and was quickly hooked on the sport. The television coverage did not last though and the sport of lacrosse was wiped from my mind until 1999 when I stumbled across a Toronto Rock game on TV one lazy afternoon. I had completely forgot about the Bandits (very unfortunate since I ended up spending many years half an hour away from Buffalo), thinking they were an amateur team, so when I found out Toronto had an NLL team they became my team. After experiencing the atmosphere at the HSBC arena in Buffalo and realizing that the organization is really in tune with the sport, I have finally switched back to their side. On the floor, Toronto has one of the best teams, historically speaking, but the live game experience has lost something since their move to the ACC. There are some other issues I have with Toronto right now (most mentioned in my Let’s Go Bandits! post in my general blog) and once they correct these issues, I will return as a fan but my favourite NLL team from this point forward will always be the Buffalo Bandits.

Favourite NLL Team: Buffalo Bandits
Least Favourite NLL Team(s): Philadelphia Wings

Hockey
Like most children of my time, I played hockey, was a fan of Wayne Gretzky, and had a small liking for the Edmonton Oilers. My friends and I all had Gretzky’s signature white Titan stick with red lettering and we would all take turns pretending to be him on the streets. During this time, being young and stupid, my team was the Toronto Maple Leafs (at the time the AHL team was in my home town so I knew the players). When Wayne left for Los Angeles, I followed him and started liking the Kings and their black jerseys. Around the same time, I decided to pick a new Canadian team to follow too and decided on the Calgary Flames who became my new favourite team. I switched to the Flames just in time to see them win their only Stanley Cup and was able to fly down to Tampa in 2004 to see game 2 of the Cup finals. The officiating that year was horrendous and it has only gotten worse since the strike so I do not follow the sport much anymore. I do still enjoy watching the future NHL stars in the Ontario Hockey League even with the bad officiating.

Favourite NHL Team: Calgary Flames
Least Favourite NHL Team(s): Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadians, and Philadelphia Flyers
Favourite OHL Team: Ottawa 67’s

Football
My liking of this sport peaked in my late years in high school when I was joined a weekly NFL pool with friends. I never really had a favourite NFL team but I did like the Oakland Raiders and I followed the league closely. Throughout my university days, I did get back into football and went to many CFL games in Hamilton cheering on the Tiger Cats. In recent years, I tried to reignite my enjoyment in the NFL and football in general so I picked new favourite teams, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but I never really followed them nor did I get back into the sport. I did go to the International Bowl game in Toronto this year and fully enjoyed that. There may be hope for me yet.

Favourite NFL Team: Pittsburgh Steelers (closest thing to a favourite I have)
Least Favourite NFL Team(s): Buffalo Bills
Favourite CFL Team: Hamilton Tiger Cats
Least Favourite CFL Team(s): Toronto Argonauts

Basketball
Basketball is one sport I enjoyed playing as a child but was never any good at and as a result, I never learned to love the game. I did watch Michael Jordan and the Bulls when they were almost unbeatable but mostly just because that was the thing to do then. Even when Toronto joined the NBA with the Raptors, I was not interested in the sport. When I was younger, I did watch Alonso Mourning with the Georgetown Hoyas and began to follow the Hoyas. Finally, in university I was properly introduced to the NCAA Final Four tournament (the best tournament in the world) and I am now a huge fan of NCAA basketball.

Favourite NBA Team: None
Favourite NCAA Team: UNC Tarheels

Baseball
This sport was my first true love. I did enjoy hockey but my skills and passion were most evident in baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays was my team until Mark McGwire came into the league in the late 1980’s when I switched to the Athletics. I still had a soft spot for the Jays until they started playing Oakland in the playoffs and then they traded Ernie Whitt (my first favourite player). I followed Oakland until they started dismantling the team and eventually traded McGwire. It was around that time that I began to learn the history of the game and I started liking the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. I also started following individual players more as opposed to the teams. Once Don Mattingly retired, my liking of the Yankees started to fade too and once George started his extreme spending spree, I completely lost interest in the Yanks and now that love has turned to hatred. Since 2004, I have returned to my home team Blue Jays because they seem to want to win; they are even trying to improve the experience at the dome. I still claim the Cubs as my favourite team but I currently do not have any favourite players.

Favourite MLB Team: Chicago Cubs
Least Favourite MLB Team(s): New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox

The sports mentioned above are the ones I am most likely to comment on with the focus being put on lacrosse, hockey and baseball. I may also comment on the poor television coverage of sports in Canada or how the supposed national sports networks in Canada focus mainly on teams based in Toronto. I hope you got through this post without much pain, hope you all check back for more, and comment as much as possible. Something to keep in mind while you read my posts and before you add your comments: I have played hockey and baseball at various levels but have never played organized lacrosse or football. I look forward to reading other people’s interpretation of sport.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Welcome

After starting a general blog (Random Thoughts) in May of 2006, and receiving feedback early in my blogging venture about the amount of sports posts I had written I tried to cut back on the sports related posts, which I feel I did all too well. This, unfortunately, has left me with some ideas still floating around the chasm in my head but more unfortunately, my attempt at withholding sports posts has left me with lost ideas, some might have even been good.

So I figured now that I have some free time on my hands, I should start a new blog dedicated solely to sports. I hope to create a meningful post on this blog sometime soon but until then please feel free to read my general blog (linked above) or the blogs listed on the bottom righthand side of this page. And I will try to limit my referee bashing posts as much as possible because without them, sports would be insanely entertaining...or extremely chaotic (take your pick).