With no NHL hockey in the foreseeable future, I’ve been finding other things to amuse me lately. Lamentation about the lack of NHL hockey is not one of those things, so do not look for an opinion on the lockout here. Instead, come with me as we journey through the wonderful world of Chris’s new sporting landscape!
– I’m far from a UFC fan. I generally find the sport to be an unwatchable, barbaric bloodbath and its fans to be mostly intolerable. I make an exception for GSP. Even if I don’t care for a sport, seeing Canadian athletes succeed in sports where Canadians are few and far between is awesome. Watching Georges St. Pierre prove that even after 18 months off he’s still quite probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts is doubly awesome. Extra marks to Georges for being one of the classiest athletes you’re ever going to watch.
– I’ve written previously about my adoption of German hockey team EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams. That ain’t going so well. A win on Friday against the Nürnberg Ice Tigers lifted the club out of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga’s basement, but they remain 5 points out of a playoff spot, having played two more games than those same Ice Tigers who currently hold down the 10th and final place. The next two games will be crucial for Grizzly Adams, as they take on the Krefeld Penguins on Sunday and last-place Red Bull Munich on Friday, both of whom are also out of the playoffs. Win those two, and they’ll be in prime position to push for the playoffs. Lose, and they’re looking at a tough uphill battle in the second half of the season. Related: I have pretty awesome friends who chipped in to buy me this spectacular specimen of a Halloween special jersey. A jersey review is forthcoming!
– If Mike d’Antoni brings his “seven seconds or less” run-and-gun style to the Lakers, they may just become the most fun-to-watch NBA team since d’Antoni parted ways with the Phoenix Suns a few years ago. I’ve never much cared for the Lakers. In fact, I’ve almost always rooted against them. For at least this season, though, I’ll overlook my distaste for gold and purple and cheer them on, that Steve Nash might get his long-overdue championship. (This is acceptable under the Ray Bourque to Colorado clause of the Fandom Treaty of 2001.)
– Manchester United can bite me. I understand why people cheer for them. If you wanted to follow European soccer in this country, they were pretty much your only option for many, many years. That is no longer the case. A couple of years ago, when the Vancouver Whitecaps were preparing to enter MLS, I was watching more European soccer to get a better understanding of the game. Norwich City caught my attention via the tweets of an enthusiastic supporter who was also a Canucks fan. When I realized that Norwich not only employed a Canadian forward, Simeon Jackson, but that he was an integral part of rocketing them up the ladder (from the 3rd division to the Premier League in only two years), I was hooked. And so it was with immense satisfaction (and no small amount of shouting at the television) that I watched the Canaries knock off the giants from Manchester 1-0 on Saturday morning courtesy of Anthony Pilkington’s excellent header (pictured above). They didn’t even look out of place doing it! There’s a special kind of glee in seeing a minnow you support knock off one of the titans of world football, and it’s always hilarious knowing you can taunt supporters of the big clubs when you win, but they look embarrassingly petty if they try to do the same.
– The CFL West Division Final is Sunday at 1:30pm at BC Place Stadium. The atmosphere in the playoffs is miles ahead of a CFL regular season game. The Lions have a Grey Cup to defend, and it’s going to be loud as hell. Be there.