Random Thoughts
Saturday, December 29, 2012 23:35
Random thoughts on the NHL, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle Seahawks, and college football bowl season.
Bouncing Around December
Oh, NHL!
NHL, have you learned nothing from your past? Or, for that matter, from other sports leagues? Hockey was on the rise prior to the last lockout, primed to catch up to the NBA in popularity. That lockout devastated those gains. It was only over the last couple years that the NHL once again was reaching such heights, last year in particular able to take advantage of the NBA’s own labor strife to establish itself further. And now, the 2012 lockout…stupid, stupid, stupid.
Lob City Showtime
The Los Angeles Clippers have officially become dangerous. Easy to say in the midst of a 16-game win streak, but two things about the streak stand out. Firstly, the Clippers have won blow-outs, gut-it-out games, and comebacks–in a word, they’ve thrived in every situation imaginable. Secondly, you can see their confidence growing by leaps and bounds. Not the confidence inherent in high-priced athletes or that most teams have at the promise of a new season, but the confidence built on actual results, the confidence that can carry you through a brief losing streak and/or deep into the playoffs. Couple that with great team chemistry, a star-studded front line and a deep bench and the Clippers have the perfect recipe for success. The only knock against them is deep playoff run experience. Even Miami’s Big Three took two years to win it all. Even Magic Johnson has called the Clippers the “new Showtime”–and he never thought there would be Showtime again.
Seahawks Seizing Control
Is there any team scarier than the Seahawks right now? Even if the 49ers manage to salvage the NFC West division title and the Seahawks do not get to host a game in the house of horrors known as CenturyLink Field (perhaps the best field advantage in the NFL), is there any other team that the rest of the NFC post-season participants wants to meet less? The only reason rookie quarterbacks Russell Wilson has not received more attention is the stand-out play of fellow first-year QBs Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, who came into the league far more heralded.
Bowl Season
Is it just me or do the non-BCS college football bowls seem even more anti-climactic than usual? It may have to do with the scheduling or how the holidays fall–after all, haven’t we already grown accustomed to the “tradition” of such games as the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl…you know, that tradition that the BCS was designed to protect? I almost can’t type it without including *snicker*. Oh, wait, I did.
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