FanNation

Predicting Champions

For the life of me, I really can't understand why people feel the need to issue throwdowns and write blogs that predict future World Series champions and Super Bowl winners.

If you do a season preview and make predictions, thats great. If you process some mock drafts for the rest of us to take a look at - I appreciate it, as long as its a good, competent read.

But this blog is targeted specifically at throwdowns popping up all over Fan Nation that have little to do with argument rhetoric and much to do about inane, easy to win topics. What am I taking aim at specifically? Something that looks like this:

Cowards

Meet the Mets. The Kings of Cowardice.

I am not in my happy place this morning. I wasn't in my happy place when I woke up. And this was supposed to be a good day. But the NY Mets go and blow it, with one of the more cowardly front-office moves in the history of the franchise that I, being 25 years old, can remember.

We all expected Willie to get canned one of these days. That is neither here nor there. We all know that had Wagner not tanked 3 saves and the bullpen held onto just 1 or 2 leads, the Mets would have been 13-5 over their last 18 and talks of a 'resurgence' would splash the back pages. But still, perhaps a firing was imminent.

Meet the Mets? Lets FIX the Mets.

The season may still be young, but the Mets are up to their old tricks. Despite beating the Phillies last night, there is an overall feeling of desperation amongst fans and media - some of which may be warranted. I was at the game last night. I haven't felt so tense at a game since the 2006 debacle in the NLCS. And that bothers me. Something has to give here. I have my 5 solutions to fix these Mets - for this year and for the long haul.

Champions

I work in downtown Manhattan, roughly 2 blocks from the Canyon of Heroes, where I will be tomorrow around 11 am (my boss willing). And my feet haven't hit the ground yet. I haven't felt like this since 1994 when my Rangers won the Cup, and I was only 12 years old. I didn't have the same appreciation, or understanding, of what had just happened. Now, I revel in it.

How many pundits picked the Patriots this past week? How many of them can we blame? Who figured that the Giants would pull off the 2nd best (or THE best) upset in the history of the NFL? Even I had my doubts.

A Boycott Won't Work Knicks' Fans.

Fans of the NY Knicks have the right idea when they clamor for a Garden boycott, or incessantly call for the ouster of Isiah Thomas. They have the right idea in demanding Dolan step down in favor of his father. But it's just that: an idea. I have a great idea: world peace. It's not happening...not unless divine intervention saves us all.

Why won't it work? Well the average fan can't attend Knicks games at the garden. Sure, there are die-hards to go to the games. There are your everyday fans lucky enough to have season tickets. But even if they all walked out, their tickets would be someone else's in a day. Who would buy them? The rich. The wealthy. The spoiled.