NASCAR cheapens their championship

From where I sit it looks like NASCAR is getting desperate...

The latest changes to the championship are pathetic.  It's only cheapening the sport. It now means one driver can win every race on the schedule, but if he has a poor showing at Miami in November he doesn't win the title. That's just dumb. Is this a race or not? The point of having races on different courses picking up points is to find out who the best driver is over the year, not just who gets all the breaks in the last race. What happens if there's a massive wreck and the 4 drivers are unable to continue? Or the teams have to work to get the cars back on the track? We could end up having 4 beat up cars limping around the edge of the track engaging in a battle for 35^th, all to win the championship. The point of car racing isn't to crate a 'game 7' style finish to the season. Each race is it's own 'game 7'. That's the point. It's a winner-take-all event, following a weekend of battle. If there's a tight case to the championship, great. If there's not, so be it. If it wasn't like that, there wouldn't be the celebration you see after every race at any level. This is just a stupid gimmick and cheapens the entire sport.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Scrivens gives Oilers a record performance

From where I sit it looks like the Sharks might have sore arms after Ben Scrivens performed heroics...

via edmontonjournal.com

100 shot attempts. That's one every 36 seconds or so. Yes, Scrivens made 59 saves, but that leaves 41 shots that were either blocked (22) or missed (19). It's an impressive feat in a couple of ways. Scrivens was in a shooting gallery, with only about 30 of those saves being difficult. Equally amazing were the Sharks refusing to back off. Even as the seconds ticked off the clock San Jose kept shooting. Edmonton fans have had precious little to really get excited about in the past few seasons. But, on Wednesday night there were repeated standing ovations for Scrivens. When even the opposition coach and players concede the performance was amazing, you know it's been a special night. Yes, the Oilers need to play better defensively, don't expect to win giving up 100 shot attempts every night. Sure, the offence has to do more to keep the puck at the other end of the ice. But, that doesn't matter at this point in time. Right now is a chance to marvel at a record setting performance.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Super Bowl Media Day is useless

From where I sit it looks like the Super Bowl is almost here, mercifully...

Thankfully, that means an end to this ridiculous build up to the big game. I fully understand why the NFL does it, anything to sell tickets and generate interest. But that doesn't preclude the fact that it's boring. Even the famous media day doesn't accomplish much. What was learned during the Tuesday afternoon Q-and-A session? I don't mean that Manning doesn't want to retire, or that Richard Sherman is quick on his feet. But what was really learned about the up coming game? Not much. The bigger issue was the same as it's been for far too long...namely how the hell do some of these people get accredited? It's idiotic. It's a mindless feature that's become a big deal. It shouldn't be. I'm more interested in the actual game, than a bunch of inane questions. The teams aren't going to reveal anything useful. In fact, the best quip as of late was Manning a couple weeks ago explaining what 'Omaha' means. Can we please just get to Sunday and play the game?

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

NHL monitoring security in Sochi

From where I sit it looks like the NHL is keeping a careful eye on security in Sochi...

I really don't blame them. Honestly, it's a scary situation. I really don't think there will be an attack, but that doesn't mean terrorist groups aren't taking advantage of the situation to at least get some publicity. Even the perceived threat of terrorist action has the sporting world keeping a careful eye on the security measures in Russia. Several groups have made threats against athletes, all that serves to do is bring more attention. On the plus side, apparently Sochi is a 'gay free' zone, at least according to the mayor. I sincerely doubt even a city that small (under 350,000) doesn't have any homosexual people. Even if he's right, there will be soon. The US delegation will see to that just by itself. That doesn't cover up the fact that after the game are over, international focus will shift away from Russia and on to more pressing issues. Meaning, state condoned persecution will resume. That's almost as scary as the threats of terrorism.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Another boring Pro Bowl

From where I sit it looks like the Pro Bowl tried some new ideas, and got the same boring result...

via philadelphia.cbslocal.com

Yes, the game was closer and more defensive than normal. And it was amusing to watch teammates clobber each other. However, those weren't players from my favourite team, so I wasn't too concerned about it. However, if I was a Browns fan I would be very upset to see Josh Gordon sending T. J. Ward spinning with a low hit. Yes, it spiced things up a bit to have a draft, but football is still a collision sport, even at the Pro Bowl. How awful would it be to have a star injured by his own teammate in a meaningless game. Secondarily, the Pro Bowl is the NFL's all star game. Without all it's stars. The record setting quarterback? Beast mode? The Legion of Boom? None of them were there. They were on their way to New York for the Super Bowl. It's not easy to get sports fan to sit and watch an all star game at the best of times. For all it's the chance for stars to showcase their talents, it's played in a half-assed way with little emphasis on actually winning. It's certainly not a good way to market to the casual fan. The Pro Bowl is bad, the NHL All Star game is worse. The NBA is a glorified shoot around. MLB tries to make the game count, but still few players take it seriously. It's useless and boring. Wake me up when they start playing real games again.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Super Bowl tickets drop in price...a little

From where I sit it looks like Super Bowl tickets are getting cheaper...

via guysgab.com

Well, sort of cheaper. The price on resale sites has dropped to $1,700 for cheap seats. Keep in mind, face value for those is $500, with the top ticket face value at $2,600. Even as a Seahawks fan, those prices make me gag. Seattle played 8 home games this season, plus 2 pre-season games. For the cheapest price of a single ticket to the Super Bowl, you can get a lower bowl season ticket to the Seahawks. Yes, I would love to go to the Super Bowl. But honestly, that will never be in my price range. And judging by the quick price drop, a lot of people seem to feel the same way. The other thing to keep in mind, is how much the quality of the home experience is constantly improving. That's not just the game we see on the screen, but everything that's available. For starters, the Super Bowl ads are half the show. Add to that all the information through various on-line sources that allow access to instant review and updates to stats. What's Lynch's yards per carry? How about Wilson's? Has Manning thrown more to his left or right? And how many times has he said 'Omaha'? Plus the food is really all you can eat and there's no line-ups. It will always be expensive to go to the Super Bowl. And it will always be a sell out. But now the game is facing a challenge. It's quickly becoming more fun to stay home. 

 

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Good choices made for NBA All-Star game

From where I sit it looks like the fan got the NBA All-Star voting right...

via nba.si.com

At least for the most part. As long as fans are the ones selecting the starting line-up for any sport there will be problems. This is nothing more than a popularity contest. With the exception of Kobe, it's a good list of the top players. Which is exactly what an all-star game is. The NHL will be doing the same thing next year after a 2-year break thanks to the lock-out and Winter Olympics. And just like the NBA and MLB it will be a chance for everyone to see who the most popular players are regardless of their current standing in the game. Kobe has played 6 games this season and looked old in all of them before getting hurt again. At least he's doing the right thing and encouraging the NBA to pick someone else. I'm sure a suitable replacement will be found (Tony Parker, Damian Lillard, James Harden). In the mean time, there will be the traditional complaining about the voting process. Let's face it, this is an All-Star game. Not a real game. The players show up, put on a show that bares only a passing resemblance to an actual game, and leave. Just like every other all-star game I'll tune in for 5 minutes, get bored and move on.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.