What? No NHL season? I hadn’t noticed. Having been spoiled as an avid hockey follower with a plethora of National Hockey League action over the past five seasons and a set of Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, I ought to be disappointed. Call me faithless, call me hopeless, whatever it is, but I prefer “enthusiast.”
Unfortunately, owners and teams cannot agree over millions of dollars. It’s pathetic when millionaires think they are being heisted because owners want salary caps. What a pitiful excuse to give up on an entire year of home-continent hockey and exercise your talents in foreign countries where everyone has already lost interest.
Will there ever be an NHL again? Certainly. Will anyone ever care again? That’s truly the question. Ticket prices will go up to accommodate someone, whether it is the ownership or management. The fans will suffer when they visit the box offices.
What is more enjoyable than traveling eight hours and finding you’ve barely got enough cash left after buying tickets for one of those large sodas in a commemorative cup? No souvenirs, no mementos, just a ticket stub and a bitter taste in your mouth.
They’re doing it in baseball, too, pleasing the players at the expense of the fans. Literally. The cost of attending a Cincinnati Reds game increased–again. For what? A fourth-place team dwelling in the basement every year and overpriced, outdated players on the field. I thought getting rid of Larkin freed up some of that tight budget Lindner has the management on. Oh but no, Griffey is still riding the pine on the Disabled List, making more in a year than I’ll ever dream of in a lifetime.
They’re constantly missing out on good talent, inexpensive hitters who are winning the World Series batting ninth in the American League, making less than half a million dollars a year on big budget payrolls.
Who’s making less than that now? Nobody on the Reds. The Yankees are looking into Nomar Garciaparra, converting him to play second base. I think they’re looking to milk the league’s resources of good shortstops. Steinbrenner’s evil empire is also looking to pick up Pedro Martinez from the World Series champions. People are going to quit caring if it comes down to the Red Sox and Yankees every year in the AL and the Cardinals and Astros in the NL.
And football? Carson Palmer made how much last year to parade around on the sidelines? According to CBS Sportsline, “Palmer can make roughly $40 million in bonuses and base salary over six years, with escalators that could take it to $49 million. He’ll get $18.25 million in the first three years through bonuses and salary.” One hell of a job for a twenty-four year old.
“Look ma, I’m making six million dollars a year straight out of college! Hey kids, don’t you want to be just like me and play football for a living? Just go to USC and you, too, can be a millionaire after graduation!”
Basketball goes without being said. LeBron James–hello, publicity stunt. No one really cares about the NBA, either. Once upon a time, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan owned the hardwood, and now you could hear rubber squeak in a 20,000-seat arena.
If the NHL doesn’t catch up with itself, they soon could fall to the fate of the NBA. But what do I know? I’m just a bitter hockey fan.