Well tonight we get to see if Chicago can finish off Vancouver and if they made the right move in bringing their luggage for San Jose was a smart idea or an over confidant statement. Since it's the playoffs it isn't surprising to have a wide variety of people tune in to watch the game, especially as Sharks fans who have a vested interest in the outcome. Yet this got me thinking about the regular season and people's watching habits. While its perfectly reasonable to tune in to watch your team play or perhaps and end of season game that effects your teams standings, but what about all those other games played the other teams day in and day out during the regular season? How many of those do we tune into.
I know for me personally, I watch hockey just about every chance I get. The motivation is pretty simple since I am very much into fantasy hockey so an extremely interested to see how individual players perform. But the most interesting aspect of watching other teams battle day in and day out you get a great view of the teams from the outside. Without having your heart invested into the teams you get a chance to look at them through a somewhat more objective lens. It is enlightening to read the blogs pertaining to the teams and how their fans react and over react to each call and game. You can't help be left wondering if your own fan base acts the same way and I think in many ways we do.
While I think it's important for fans to have passion for their team, I think a fine line exists between opinions based on facts and one based on bias. You can easily state facts but even facts can be colored by bias when stated in a specific way to sell a certain message. Some of these comments and opinions you'll agree with and others, not so much. But in the end it's important to not let it get to you. As TM said, "You can't get too high and you can't get too low". So take what ever you read as just another voice in a sea of thoughts. Enjoy the games and be happy that we are blessed to be able to spend our time on watching such an amazing sport.
Also if you haven't seen what Five Hole Fanatics has written I highly recommend you check out what they wrote today.
http://www.fiveholefanatics.ca/2010/05/exposing-nonsense.html
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Be careful what you wish for
With the Sharks finish their series with Detroit many Sharks fans are left wondering who to prefer the Sharks face in the next round. It seems the majority of fans have been hoping for two things. The first is that the series lasts as long as possible, going to 7 games and a hundred OT periods. The second being that Vancouver eventually comes out on top.
The reasoning for the first theory is pretty sound. At this time of year every team is playing with injuries and the longer the series goes, the longer the sharks have to rest some of their wounds as well as the more likely it is for what ever team the Sharks eventually face to sustain more injuries. Just look to Sami Salo last night. OUCH! Just looking at some quotes from the Sharks meeting today you could see the same sentiment echoed.
As for wanting Vancouver for the next round, I believe is an interesting proposition. When you look at both Vancouver and Chicago both have been up and down in these playoffs. Both showing moments of greatness and others of rather poor performance. While the argument can easily be made that the Sharks can match up better against Vancouver the biggest thing to consider is that in the end it's just conjecture. Which brings me to the biggest point of this post. As fans we love to sit and hypothesize about how team A will match against team B, or what if this happened or what if that happened but in the end none of us truly know. Even if you looked at every stat available there are so many variables that literally anything is possible. It may be cliche but there is a reason they the games aren't played on paper. And if you don't believe it all you have to do is look to the Eastern Conference. Have you seen what Montreal has done lately?
While I am of the opinion it would be preferable for the Sharks to match up against Vancouver, I think it is rather careless to think the Sharks would be able to handle Vancouver easily. Don't be fooled by injuries and what the stats on paper tell you. Realize that every team that is still playing at this time of the year is dangerous, so be careful what you wish for...
The reasoning for the first theory is pretty sound. At this time of year every team is playing with injuries and the longer the series goes, the longer the sharks have to rest some of their wounds as well as the more likely it is for what ever team the Sharks eventually face to sustain more injuries. Just look to Sami Salo last night. OUCH! Just looking at some quotes from the Sharks meeting today you could see the same sentiment echoed.
As for wanting Vancouver for the next round, I believe is an interesting proposition. When you look at both Vancouver and Chicago both have been up and down in these playoffs. Both showing moments of greatness and others of rather poor performance. While the argument can easily be made that the Sharks can match up better against Vancouver the biggest thing to consider is that in the end it's just conjecture. Which brings me to the biggest point of this post. As fans we love to sit and hypothesize about how team A will match against team B, or what if this happened or what if that happened but in the end none of us truly know. Even if you looked at every stat available there are so many variables that literally anything is possible. It may be cliche but there is a reason they the games aren't played on paper. And if you don't believe it all you have to do is look to the Eastern Conference. Have you seen what Montreal has done lately?
While I am of the opinion it would be preferable for the Sharks to match up against Vancouver, I think it is rather careless to think the Sharks would be able to handle Vancouver easily. Don't be fooled by injuries and what the stats on paper tell you. Realize that every team that is still playing at this time of the year is dangerous, so be careful what you wish for...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Hockey???
I don't really know much about hockey. All I know is that you have to get a puck into one of the goals with a hockey stick.
I found out hockey is about 4000 years old, and it was played is Egypt, Rome, Scotland, and South America.
I also found out some of the most famous teams are: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, and New Rangers.
It seems like a fun game to play, but not entertaining to watch.
c=
I found out hockey is about 4000 years old, and it was played is Egypt, Rome, Scotland, and South America.
I also found out some of the most famous teams are: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, and New Rangers.
It seems like a fun game to play, but not entertaining to watch.
c=
Thursday, May 6, 2010
WWWWH
So who am I? What is this? Why does this exist? When did this begin and when will it end? How will this work?
That's a lot of questions to start things off on this blog. But that's part of the goal here at Teal Theory, to pose questions and hopefully answer them or at least give you something to mull over.
So let's start at the beginning. I am The Robber Baron. A college student in Southern California who has been a life long Sharks fan. I know it may seem strange for someone who has lived their entire life in Orange County to love the Sharks but you can chalk it up to me seeing the Sharks logo at the impressionable age of 9 while in San Francisco. While I have always had an affinity for the Sharks I didn't seriously follow the Sharks though until the 2003-2004 playoffs. Living in a house with 0 sports fans and no cable TV or internet I didn't have much of an opportunity to follow the Sharks until that season when I got my first newspaper subscription and could follow the Sharks reading the LA times. It wasn't much but it was enough to start me down the road to true fandom. After the Sharks made the conference finals I forever remember watching my first hockey game on ESPN and falling in love.
What you are looking at is a blog about the Sharks, hockey and everything else. While this is starting out as a project for a class I hope that maybe this turns into something I decide to carry on after fulfilling my class requirements.
The reason I chose to blog about the Sharks is that I already spend vasts amount of time following hockey and reading blogs and I figured I might as well put my thoughts and musings out there for the general public to observe.
This may seem like a strange time to start a hockey blog during the middle of the playoffs and when the Sharks are on the brink of eliminating Detroit, but for those who took the time to read just 2 paragraphs up, I'm doing this for a class. And if I don't start this now, then when? After the Sharks win the cup? That's a little too bandwagon for me, although this already looks pretty bad as is.
I'm hope that this blog will serve as another voice for the Sharks community which has grown so much over the years and that it will give a different perspective on the sport we all love.
That's a lot of questions to start things off on this blog. But that's part of the goal here at Teal Theory, to pose questions and hopefully answer them or at least give you something to mull over.
So let's start at the beginning. I am The Robber Baron. A college student in Southern California who has been a life long Sharks fan. I know it may seem strange for someone who has lived their entire life in Orange County to love the Sharks but you can chalk it up to me seeing the Sharks logo at the impressionable age of 9 while in San Francisco. While I have always had an affinity for the Sharks I didn't seriously follow the Sharks though until the 2003-2004 playoffs. Living in a house with 0 sports fans and no cable TV or internet I didn't have much of an opportunity to follow the Sharks until that season when I got my first newspaper subscription and could follow the Sharks reading the LA times. It wasn't much but it was enough to start me down the road to true fandom. After the Sharks made the conference finals I forever remember watching my first hockey game on ESPN and falling in love.
What you are looking at is a blog about the Sharks, hockey and everything else. While this is starting out as a project for a class I hope that maybe this turns into something I decide to carry on after fulfilling my class requirements.
The reason I chose to blog about the Sharks is that I already spend vasts amount of time following hockey and reading blogs and I figured I might as well put my thoughts and musings out there for the general public to observe.
This may seem like a strange time to start a hockey blog during the middle of the playoffs and when the Sharks are on the brink of eliminating Detroit, but for those who took the time to read just 2 paragraphs up, I'm doing this for a class. And if I don't start this now, then when? After the Sharks win the cup? That's a little too bandwagon for me, although this already looks pretty bad as is.
I'm hope that this blog will serve as another voice for the Sharks community which has grown so much over the years and that it will give a different perspective on the sport we all love.
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