woensdag 12 januari 2011

Besides the Dodgers...

A while ago I posted a comment on Facebook concerning NFL playoffs. This prompted a reply from one of my Dodger fan friends. He didn't know I followed the NFL as well.
To make things clear I'll list the teams that give me fuzzy feelings right here. Note that although I like these franchises, none of them can and ever will replace my big blue love for the LA Dodgers!

NFL
It took me years to understand this game. But once you put some effort into it, you get it, it's simple as hell! I remember in high school one of my classmates did a presentation about football. Sounded interesting, but the rules didn't land that time. Once we got NFL Europe I attended some games of the Amsterdam Admirals a few times and got the hang of it. The Admirals kicker was a guy named Vinatieri. It's because he played over here I became a Patriots fan. Fan is a big word, but I liked it when they won the Super Bowl. Nowadays, I'm not commited to a team. This years I would like the Bears to win.

NCAA Football
This is much more fun for me than the NFL. I love how the young guns play. They do stuff the NFL players won't do. And the half time show is the schools brass band. How great is that? The enthusiasm on the field is sometimes overshadowed my that in the stands. The 'Jump Around' routine at a Badgers game is awesome. Videos of this won't do it any justice. You have to be there! People over here in the Netherlands wouldn't understand that a college team would get so many people in a stadium. My favorite NCAA football teams: Badgers and Hurricans. If you ever want to read how they turned the MU football program around get a copy of Bruce Feldmans' 'Cane Mutiny'. A very interesting and fun read! You'll like the team instantly!

Van Blogger-foto's


NHL
Nope! I don't know, I can't follow that puck. It's too small. I follow the playoffs on the net and thought it was funny when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup because of the Disney movies, but other than that I just take in who won the cup and turn my eye to the young baseball season again.

NBA
Also not really my sport. Dribble, dribble, dunk, 2 points, dribble dribble, dunk, 2 points, dribble, dribble, blocked shot, rebound, 2 points, foul and so on. Sure, some actions can be great. I love what Kobe can do and that kid from the Clippers Blake Griffin. That guy is fantastic! But I could not watch an entire game. I check the scores and watch some highlights and I like the Lakers. I think because they were the dominant team when I grew up and I liked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Airplane! :)

Soccer
Really football, but everybody understands 'soccer'. For this type of sport I stay close to home. I'm a Feyenoord fan. And that's hard! The last national title was won in 1999. The last eight years were kinda crappy and they are in 13th place (of 18 teams) right now and the season is halfway. And I like the national team of the Netherlands, but that's a no brainer. MLS I don't really follow, sorry!

Well that's it for team sports. Individual sports I enjoy: Tennis (Edberg in the old days, Federer now), Golf (Ballesteros then, Tiger now), Poker (Hellmuth) and then there's some other ones I won't bother you with.