You now see a picture of Minnesota basketball player Kevin Garnett, from a mural in the Minneapolis airport. When people ask me, "How was your week in Denver?" I always reply, "Great - I got to see a big picture of Garnett!" (Okay, I actually don't say that, but I bet I had you going... Anyway... My friend, Jason Knavel, recently wrote on his blog about how he doesn't like the NBA (Pro Basketball) very much, and then listed his top 10 favorite sports to watch. I'm slightly jealous of a guy who thinks up a top-ten list before I do. So, in the spirit of "catching up," here are my top ten favorite sports and events to watch on television - though I actually don't watch as much TV anymore.... but for the sake of doing a list...Oh, and while you go through this list, feel free to click to learn more about each specific sport or team...
#10 - Cleveland Indians baseball. Some of this stems from nostalgia - I will always love the Tribe. If we were to look at this poll back in 1995-1999, I would have ranked the Indians at #1 or #2. But, just as teams change, so do people. The Tribe at its best ranks right just below the Buckeyes at their best. Actually, I take that back. I think that the fact that major league baseball (not in capital letters for a reason) has NO salary cap has actually made me disdain that form of the sport. The fact that Steinbrenner can buy the Yankees into the playoffs every year is not only unfair, it's pretty much old news.
#9 - The NFL Draft. That's right... I'd rather watch the suspense and hear the banter surrounding the NFL draft than watch just about any baseball game, golf tournament, or poker tournament. I guess in a former life or an alternate universe, I was Mel Kiper. I love playing general manager, and Pull and I were doing pretend drafts back in 5th grade.
#8 - Unfortunately, there is no #8. As a consolation prize, click here.
#7 - March Madness (The NCAA Basketball Tournament). I've always loved the college basketball tournament. I remember when I saw Lorenzo Charles score the winning bucket in 1983 for Jim Valvano. I mean, I have history with the NCAA, and I do a bracket every year, usually not for money. Best moment was when Ohio State made the final four a few years ago with Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd. Too bad Redd didn't make it in the pros.
#6 - College Football games of any kind. I do love to follow College football as probably my most favorite sport regardless of team or location. I love the atmosphere, the feel of the season, the smell of fall, and yes - I like the fact that college players still seem teachable and not full of themselves like they are in the NFL. They still have something to play for - like a job one day.
#5 - Ohio State Basketball. I actually think this one will climb to #3 or #2 over the next couple of years. With such a great recruiting class, Ohio State looks like they'll return to the national picture and contend in the NCAA Tournament!
#4 - Ohio High School Football!. I still think it's great, and love following teams from Northeast Ohio like Lake, St. Ignatius, Massillon, Buchtel, and Canton McKinley. Over the last few years, I also like to follow players who have already committed to Ohio State, like Garfield's Chris Wells, one of the nation's top high school running backs.
#3 - NBA Basketball. Yes, I know it's no longer cool to claim that you watch pro basketball. I have heard probably a hundred people say how it's not the pure game anymore, or how big the egos are, or how the game is just different now and full of show-offs. I'd like to take this opportunity to let all of those people know that there are (shockingly) more teams in the NBA than just the Portland Trail Blazers. The CAVS and the rest of the NBA are actually very fun to watch. The league has more talent and character and personality than ever. Note: I am also from Akron, home of Lebron James. 'Nuff said.
#2 - Cleveland Browns football. That explains why I'm so frustrated on Sundays during pro football season, and why I actually like fantasy football. But the Browns are hopefully headed down the right track with new coach Romeo Crennel and many new players.
#1 - Ohio State Buckeyes college football games. I think that's obvious. If not, I'll have to blog a lot about OSU this coming year.
1 comment:
As much as I disdain Ohio State, I think that the college basketball recruiting class they have put together for 2006-07 is phenomenal. I am actually excited to watch Greg Oden playing college hoops (rather than jumping straight to the NBA as he would have if not for the new CBA) and I may even enjoy watching Ohio State a bit. But only a little bit!
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