Such a Tease...

I go through the same thing every NFL preseason. The football withdrawal is so bad by August that I don’t care if nothing’s really at stake, I just want to watch a game.

Or so I think.

I giggle maniacally in anticipation of kickoff. I’m interested through the first quarter, excited to see all the guys I know and love and even to hear the little NFL song that plays before they go to commercial. Then the second string guys come out, but I’m still intrigued to see who we’ll be dealing with if there are injuries or other circumstances that should bring them out. Crucial for both life and the fantasy team. Then after halftime, the third string shows up. I probably should be at least vaguely aware of who these guys are, and usually at least know some stuff about QB3 from college ball, likely, but my interest starts dropping like a fumbled pass. When you get the third string out there, the bad passes, other errors and weird plays start happening more often… which makes it look more like a practice or scrimmage. Which is kind of what it is, I guess, if you really think about it.

But it’s still football. So I still watch. (…and count the days till the season starts :) )

…and since football is pseudo-back, it’s time for the return of the PATs:

• Gator football starts in 3 weeks! ESPN’s Inside the Program day with the Gators was the perfect way to officially get psyched up for the season. Being back in the Swamp to watch my first game as a student in 5 seasons is gonna be great. From the SEC media days and ESPN’s interviews, I’m liking what I’m hearing about Coach Muschamp and even Charlie Weiss so far. Guess we’ll have to see how things go once the season starts before this “Muschampions” thing gets too out of hand… Don’t shake the keys yet.

• In a totally different sport, my Sox are having an awesome run in the second half, not giving up more than 1 game in any series so far. The Yankees got away with one, but still remain 2 for 12 so far this season. The best part is that we’ve had some amazing games, several in a row coming from behind to take the win, and it seems like it’s a different guy leading the team in each one. Yay for a well-rounded team and not relying on one star player to save the day. I’m much more optimistic about this post-season than those of recent years.  

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Does Anybody Really Know What Team They're On?

The NFL lockout is over!! Just when the drama was really starting to pick up... 

No, seriously, I'm glad it ended before things got crazy and preseason games (aside from the Hall of Fame) got affected. Plus, we need time to prep for fantasy football. How are we expected to manage functional teams if we have no hints about who's in shape enough to be effective and who's playing for what team now that free agency got condensed to basically the blink of an eye?

Speaking of free agency and trades and all... here's a brief list, accurate to 7:06p est, of some of the moves I'm most concerned about going into my fantasy draft. And, I guess, for watching football this fall, too.

Chad Ochocinco to the Patriots from Bengals (the Battle of #85 begins between Chad & Aaron Hernandez, Gator alum 1-year-out-of-rookiedom-TE)

Donovan McNabb to Minnesota from Washington

Kevin Kolb to Arizona from Philly

Matt Hasselbeck to the Titans from Seattle

Vince Young... not on the Titans

Reggie Bush to Miami from New Orleans

Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots from Skins (I still can't believe anyone actually picked him up...)

So excited for NFL, college football, fantasy leagues, all of it. Yay football :)

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Our Rookie is the Best!

Last night’s NHL Awards were… interesting, to put it nicely. With Jay Mohr hosting, I understood there would be some comedic aspects involved, but some of the laughable parts likely weren’t intended to be funny. Take the presentation of the Lady Byng, for example. Two of the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills presented the award (odd thing #1). Everything about their time behind the podium was clearly scripted, which is understandable, as their NHL knowledge is likely not vast. (Which brings up the question of why they were involved at all, but I digress…) After a poorly executed joke about how they would end up in the penalty box given the room full of hockey-playing men, they deferred to the video that listed the nominees and the merit for which they were deserving of the award. When they returned to the mic to announce the winner, they pronounced his name as dumb American-like as possible, saying “Mar-tin Saynt Loo-iss” instead of the French Canadian way it is really pronounced “Mar-tahn Sahnt Loo-ee.” Now, they both said it this way, and I would expect better from the NHL that they wouldn’t throw presenters out onto the stage without briefing them on the proper pronunciation of all 3 names they might have to say on live tv, so I assume (and hope) they mispronounced it purposely as a joke.

Either way, between antics like that and the random stage performance by an artist I could not identify, it felt more like a cheesy, lesser awards show than the prestigious honor it truly is to receive these awards. The friend I was watching with and I were discussing these exact things as we watched. We suggested bringing back former players, coaches, GMs, anyone actually related to the sport, to make the presentations instead. Hell, we even thought having some forms of contests for fans to win the opportunity to present would have been better. The way it was done very much so cheapened the event, and I am curious to know how many others agree. Maybe it comes from having a close understanding of hockey now and therefore a better grasp on the hard work and dedication that goes into the sport, great athletic talent the players have, and respect for those who have played before them, but still. One would think the NHL of all organizations would understand that.

All that aside, the best part of the evening was the presentation of the Calder Trophy for the NHL Rookie of the Year. We Caniacs had been campaigning pretty hard all season once we realized what a “rookie phenom,” as he was called by the media, we had on our hands. It took very little time for anyone watching his performance during the first half of the season to realize how great of a player he already is and the potential he has for the future of his career. His interview on the red carpet was adorable. He carried himself well through the whole evening, as he typically does. He had such poise and humility as he went through his list of thank yous (speech not written either, which was also impressive) that you can’t help but respect the boy. The competition was tough with several other great and deserving rookies in the nominee pool, but our rookie had a fantastic first season and was definitely worthy of the honor he received. So proud of the baby! Congratulations, Jeff!

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Things that have been awesome in sports recently:

-Dirk & the Mavs beat the supposed all star Miami team to finally get their NBA Championship

-The Sox swept their series against the Yankees in the Bronx… again

-The Gators are heading to Omaha for the College World Series… again

:)

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Bevy of Big Games

The Sox start another three-game series in the Bronx tonight. This time, I have a bet riding on their (hopeful) success. If my boys win the series, a Yankees fan friend of mine has to change his Facebook profile picture to something pro-Sox during our series in August. If the Yankees come out ahead, I have to change mine to something pro-Yankees. Crossing my fingers I won’t have to subject myself to Yankee fandom for that 3 game stretch. And, you know, pulling off the wins to get a couple games ahead of our rivals would be nice, too.

In other crucial games tonight, the Gator softball team is playing Arizona State in the Women’s College World Series. They lost Game 1 in the best of 3 series, so tonight is a must win. They’ve had a great season from what I’ve heard through Twitter, so perhaps another national championship is in the works as we speak. Stephanie Brombacher, our pitcher, just ended the 1^st inning with a strike out, so things are looking pretty good to start off. So excited to be working with student athletes this fall!

Last but not least, the Heat play the Mavs in game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight, too. The Heat stole Game 3 the other night and have the 2-1 series lead, but the Mavs have made some crazy comebacks. I know even if the Dallas comes away with the title, ESPN and the Heat supporters won’t shut up about how their all-star team got to the finals the first year it was assembled and blah blah blah. No matter what, Dirk is freaking awesome, and the Mavs are way less cocky. Go Mavs. 

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East Coast Highlights

With playoffs all over the place and baseball season starting since my last post, there’s been a TON of stuff going on in the world of sports that I’ve neglected blog-wise. Catching up completely isn’t gonna happen, but here are some highlights:

Charlotte Checkers—Yup, I’m starting with Calder Cup Playoffs. Our AHL affiliate is just that awesome. They lead the East Division Semifinals series 3-2 and are playing game 6 as I type. My sources tell me that these possible future Canes looked great in Game 5, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-3 on Friday night. With the recent addition of Justin Faulk following his Frozen Four Championship run with the Univ. of Minnesota- Duluth, my fellow Caniacs in attendance noted his potential as a big D-man, similar to Joni, but perhaps a little more consistent. My sources also shared how impressed they were with the Jedi-like goalie skills of one Mr. Michael Murphy. Apparently he’s not only a hilarious source of entertainment on Twitter and through Mike & Mike Mailbag clips on their YouTube channel, but he can also stop pucks in unbelievable ways. Definitely great to have him as one of our boys!
**Immediately after posting this, Blanchard scored the game winning goal in OT, sending the Checkers to Round 2!!! So proud of these boys!

Blackhawks v Canucks—Vancouver may lead the series 3-2, but Chicago definitely has the momentum. They lost the first 3 games, then have come back with a vengeance after some questionable hits and look more like the team that won the cup last year. Most people had picked the Canucks to win it all, from what I’d been hearing at least, and I may be a tad biased with Chicags as my team in the West, but I think if anybody could pull off the come-from-behind-to-take-the-series move these guys are poised to do, it’s the Hawks. With face off for Game 6 about to happen, we’ll see if they can tie the series tonight.

Flyers v Sabers—This series has been a lot of fun to watch, partially because the games have been so exciting, but also partially because my fellow Caniacs and I want to see Buffalo get knocked out in round 1. It’s definitely been nerve-wracking, but this afternoon, Ville Leino (Finn!) scored the OT goal for Philly to force game 7 Tuesday night. Keeping our fingers crossed the Flyers blow them out and send them golfing!

Red Sox—My Sox started out their season on an incredibly rough note. Their only 2 wins in the first 12 games were against the Yankees, at least, but being 2-10 is still just sad. Somewhere in there, I vowed to stop watching until they pulled it together and started watching the Braves more instead. Apparently my threat worked, because they’ve won 8 of their last 9 games since! Not sure if this means I should continue to avoid watching games, or if it’s safe to pay attention again… either way, I’m feeling much better about the potential for the season and am happy I can at least claim 2 victories over the Yankees so far :)

Janoris Jenkins—Gator CB Janoris Jenkins had his third arrest in two seasons this week for marijuana possession. Love him, but seriously, how do you get caught 3 times?! It’s still fresh news, so there hasn’t been a decision yet (as far as I’m aware) as to whether or not he’ll be playing next year. Should be interesting to see how Coach Muschamp handles this kind of stuff… and if our players get any better at not getting caught for stupid stuff like this. I swear, all the comparisons to Thug U during Urban’s reign killed me. If you look at the records and see what the charges were, Miami’s are more often violent and ours are something like that of Mr. Jenkins here. Completely different situations, really. Apples & oranges.

NFL Draft—The Draft is this Thursday. It’s typically like a holiday for some of my friends and I who have an annual Draft Party as we watch our college football guys join our favorites in the NFL , crossing our fingers they don’t get picked by the Pats, Cowboys or Miami. This year, I’m anticipating a completely different vibe with the lockout, and am a tad concerned it won’t be as exciting as it normally is. Yet another reminder that my beloved fall weekend rituals may be thrown off this year… and I don’t like it.

Magic vHawks— The Magic and Hawks have been keeping the opening round of the NBA Playoffs interesting. With the series currently at 2-1 Hawks after a heartbreaking OT loss Friday night, game 4 is about to tip off in Atlanta as I type. I would love to see my boys move on, but if they have to lose, I’d be ok with Atlanta moving on in their place, solely because of Al Horford. One of my favorite Gators during my time at UF, I am incredibly proud of how he’s representing us in the NBA. Great guy and great player, definitely deserving of a championship at some point, but it’s still early in his career, so my boys can win it this year :)

Celtics v Knicks—After all the Melo trading and drama that went with it, the Knicks got swept in round 1. I appreciate the Celtics for their history and tradition, and am a fan of most guys on their roster. I’m glad they’re moving on, but feel a little sad for the Knicks and their fans, I’m not gonna lie. Hopefully they keep Amar’e and Melo and can build a functional team for next year.

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In Memoriam

The 2010-2011 Carolina Hurricanes season was cut way too short. Taken in its prime, it had so much potential in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we’ll never get the chance to see what might have been. I think all of us who love the Canes have spent the past week coming to terms with the abrupt ending of the season. While it still hurts to think of our loss and everything that slipped away with it, there are a lot of good memories that came from it. I think I’m finally ready to move on from the sadness and celebrate the good that was the 2010-2011 season.

Though I regretted greatly that I couldn’t make the trip, the start in Helsinki was great for the team and put us at the top of the NHL standings, if only briefly. It also set up the season-long Tripp Tracy interview fodder (and subsequently, running joke) with the team bonding trip to Sauna Island, facilitated by my favorite Finn. Wonder if they’ll bring it up again next season…

Despite a crazy chunk of travel, this season started off much better than the last. We avoided the whole 14-loss streak thing this time, but the most notable excitement of the early season (well, whole season) was watching Jeff Skinner’s NHL debut. We watched in awe during the first half of the season what I think we came to take for granted during the second. The freshman phenom shocked us all… or at least everyone except Rutherford and those involved in the genius scouting that went into our draft pick. It’s been a blast all season not only watching him develop as a player, but watching the effects of the rookie sensation on the media and fans—including hearing commentators calling him things like “rookie sensation” and seeing the throngs of fans going crazy over him during All-Star Weekend and beyond. And through it all, he remained the poised, mature (freak) 18 year old he is, taking it all in stride, smiling and not letting the insanity affect what was most important to him—his job on the ice. PS- Skinner for Calder!

All-Star Weekend was another huge part of the season we’ll all so fondly remember. Being the host city/team was an amazing experience. No words can quite describe how it felt to welcome such great players from around the league (even those we typically have at least a little grudge against) into OUR house via red carpet. Seeing their personalities come out and getting to know them a little more throughout the festivities of the weekend made the rest of the season that much more fun.

The season post-All-Star break had some ups and downs, but more ups for sure. Being at nearly every home game and several practices for this chunk of the season, the CaniacGirlTrio was practically a part of the team, in our own minds, at least :) We ate, slept, and breathed hockey, even more than usual, and rode the emotional rollercoaster that came along with that level of devotion. With our Twitter debut, we found not only another medium through which to extend the hockey obsession, but also an awesome group of fellow Caniacs. Watching the Canes and going through the stressful last week of the regular season with the #Caniacmob has been fantastic, despite the sad note we ended on in the final game.

Though the season ended abruptly, just when it looked like there was hope for a good playoff run, there’s still more silver lining than sadness to take away from it. Our younger players, both prospects and those with the Checkers or making brief visits to the Canes, have a lot of promise and give us hope for future seasons. Some of our older players had great seasons, like Cole and Ruutu, and Cam’s season just goes beyond words.

2010-2011 season—we were sad to see you go, but it’s been fun, and you’ll hold a special place in the hearts of Caniacs. Thanks for the memories.

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