The one thing that has troubled me with this Blog is that I have not written more, due in part to school, a hectic schedule, and some social drama issues.
Well, School is over, I’ve got nothing to do, and the aforementioned Social Drama Issue is moving back out to Colorado, so now I’ve got no excuse.
This was an amazing week in sports: The ‘Canes capping their run at Lord Stanley’s Cup, coming back from 3-1 in the series to win in dramatic fashion. Although I’m sure this could have been one of the stories of the year, the strike created a lot of ill will towards Hockey. Yes, Hockey Players don’t get paid NEAR enough for the punishment they take, but they tend to have longer careers than other professional athletes, and Americans just don’t have that kind of patience for what’s optimistically the 5th most popular Professional Sport in the United States.
The Miami Heat finished their own comeback, beating the Mavs in four straight, after dropping the first two. I really like the Heat, I mean, how can you not root for Shaq, an Ex-Celtic, and the Heir Apparent to Jordan.
The United States World Cup Soccer Team ate the big one, losing to Ghana 2-1. As John Stewart put it, they’re certainly one of the LESS impoverished African 3rd World Nations. I know America isn’t exactly a hot-bed of soccer talent, and that our country doesn’t have the widespread adoration for The Beautiful Game that others do, but it might help if the Soccer version of the most powerful country in the world won a game here and there, especially against a country with a Per Capita GDP of $2,500 dollars.
Former Boston Bruins Captain Joe Thornton was named the NHL MVP. Now, why can’t we get players like…. Oh wait. We DID have him, and we traded him for 3 almost-there, borderline, fringe-guys (well, I DO like Marco Sturm, but come on, him, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart put together don’t add up to Thornton).
Oh yeah, some guy named Roger came up from the Minor Leagues and pitched pretty well, giving up just 2 runs to the Red Hot Twins (not as dirty as it sounds).
Well, all of that is great, but me, I have bigger concerns. No, not which colleges I’m going to beg to let me in. No, not impressing girls and boys alike with my razor sharp wit, biting sense of humor, and undeniable charm. No, I’m all about Arena Football.
Arena Football 2 to be exact; specifically, The Manchester Wolves.
Now, before I went to this game, I had some preconceived notions about Arena Football. I thought it was where NFL Burnouts, Wanna-Bes, and Never-Weres congregated to live out some false dream of Football Stardom. And in a way, I was right. These ARE guys who couldn’t cut it in the NFL, but it’s mostly due to size. These guys are DEFINETLY athletes; it’s just that they’re not the freakishly muscled, absurdly fast, genetically gifted NFL stars. I’m willing to bet a bunch of these guys are Ex-High School and College Studs who just couldn’t take the physical demands of the NFL, and there is absolutely NO shame in that.
That said, the GAME of Arena Football is much different than the game of the NFL. In the Arena Leagues, you have 8 players on a 50 yard field, and you can have motion during the snap, making for some exciting plays. Imagine a Wide Receiver running straight at the Cornerback, with the Center snapping the ball right as the Receiver reaches the line of scrimmage at full speed. That’s pretty damn cool. Even the kicking game is different. The Field Goal Posts are a part of this metal frame, so any ball that bounces off of the large areas to the right and left of the goal are still considered live.
And to the owner’s credit, they realize they’re dealing with a sort of cheesy, fringe sport. They’ve marketed this just right, with slogans such as “Manchester Wolves: WE PLAY FOOTBALL.” There are endless promotions, and of course, scantily-clad women dancing suggestively at every opportunity.
I ended up getting 2 free tickets to the game about a week ago. I tried to invite a number of friends to attend, and many seemed interested up until the last minute. Then, the day of, I just couldn’t seem to get anyone. Here is sampling of the responses I got from people, people’s mothers, and people’s Away Messages.
“I’m sorry; she’s at a party at the Foreign Exchange Student’s House.”
“Hey man, I’m leaving to work at a Summer Camp; I won’t be back for a month.”
“Eating at Shorty’s, be back later.”
“Dan, you KNOW I’m Boston for a Saxophone Symposium. Do you REALLY think it’s feasible for me to leave this expensive seminar, drive an hour and a half north, and then pay to park, JUST to see an Arena Football game with YOU?”
So I ended up going on my own, and loving it. Before the game, I met the Principal of my High School outside the Verizon Wireless Arena, and he gave me ANOTHER free ticket. I passed both extra tickets off to a family of four, and even donated a couple of bucks to the Manchester West Raiders youth football program. I ate fried chicken, french fries, and soft-serve ice-cream, and enjoyed an hour of football with none of the emotional investment of an NFL Game.
Overall, a feel good experience.
I’ll probably Blog about the Red Sox game later, so be sure to check back.