Happy New Year
December 31st, 2007, 2:33 pm · Post a Comment · posted by sschramm
I’ve always thought that writing blog entries (or columns) around a theme like “My new year’s resolutions” and filling them with lines like “I resolve to always pay cash for my performance-enhancing drugs” is a played-out, unoriginal idea. Since my New Year’s resolution was to shy away from played-out, unoriginal ideas, I’m just going to hit with a couple of thoughts from my travels through the area sports world during the past few weeks.
HOOPS HOTBED: Graham and Cummings met in the final of the Times-News Holiday Classic and for fans of high school basketball around here, it was worth the wait. These two teams have been aching to get at each other after last season’s playoff drama and some offseason transfers. Round one of what is sure to be a multi-volume rivalry went to Graham, 80-79. It had all the feel of an epic prep game, dramatic comebacks, clutch shots, no empty seats and heat and humidity approaching that of the Amazon. Basketball season has indeed begun.
Lost In the breathless accounts of the Cavs-Devils rivalry is the success of the Williams boys. The Bulldogs wrapped up the Capital Bank Classic by beating undefeated Western Alamance. That, combined with a win at Cummings, has helped the Bulldogs stake their claim as one of the area’s heavyweights. Don’t get excited about a Graham/Williams showdown, because it won’t happen. You can thank the Mid-State 2-A Conference and the 97 league games the Red Devils have to play for that. But anyway, the Bulldogs are no doubt going to be one of the top teams in the Mid-State 3-A and should be a team to watch come playoff time.
Speaking of teams that look like a million bucks, how about the Graham girls? They won the Don Amos / Mid-Carolina Bank Holiday Classic and have shown no let up from their Class 2-A runner-up campaign last season. Provided there are no Next-Ivory-Latta-McDonalds-All-Americans out there, this team should be the favorite in Class 2-A.
I’M JUST SAYIN’: So Saturday I was at the Meineke Car Care Bowl. In between cranking out what is sure to be award-winning prose, I couldn’t help but notice something disturbing playing out in the club level seats right in front of the press box. It started when I noticed a pair of nice, blond, female Wake Forest fans returning to their seats with what appeared to be red wine. Then I began noticing a couple of other Deacon fans doing the same. Red, white, it was all over the place.
This led to an epiphany regarding college football and beverages. If you feel the need to drink wine at a football game, you do not deserve a good football team.
Ok, I know that sounds harsh. I’m not saying that just because you can appreciate both the spread option and a nice Oregon Pinot that you shouldn’t have a winning program. If you’ve got both, then hey, you’re living right (Personally, it’s my idea of heaven). I’m just saying that, when your team falls on hard times, don’t expect sympathy.
Football is a game of controlled savagery. It is played by athletes would risk significant physical damage to play positions where many times anonymity comes with the territory. In football there is no subtlety. Subtlety is what wine is all about.
Aside from that, it’s the principle of the thing.
A 3-8 season should be washed down with natty light or Kentucky Gentleman (or Pepsi), not Stags Leap. The fans that risk arrest to smuggle in airplane bottles NEED a good team. The ones that pack a corkscrew, don’t.
This is not a knock on Wake fans. There are plenty of college football stadiums around the country, like maybe one a few miles down Highway 54, that would have lines out the door if fans could plop down a few bucks for a glass of a crisp Chenin Blanc.
NO MORE DRAMA: Was it just me or was 2007 one of the most forgettable sports years you can remember? Of course if you had ties to Boston or the University of Florida, it was more fun than Mardi Gras, Spring Break and a Walker Texas Ranger marathon rolled into one. But for the rest of us, it was kind of boring.
The biggest stories for me were steroids, obscenely-rich college coaching deals and an undefeated Patriots team with all the charm of rabies.
I mean, even the championship races in the major sports were pretty much devoid of drama. Did you actually think anyone was going to beat the Spurs, Red Sox or Hendrick boys? Was it a surprise to anyone that Florida slapped Ohio State around twice?
Here’s hoping that 2008 will be more fun. Maybe Dale Jr. will get one track with a new ride. Maybe the Panthers and Hurricanes will return to their championship form. Maybe the new American Gladiators will be better than the original. Then again, maybe not.
