Sports for the Masses

The Baltimore Sun is my breakfast companion nearly everyday. The paper's big story recently has been Maryland's looming electricity rate hike and the ongoing efforts by the state to do something. On average, power is going to cost 72 percent more in Maryland on July 1st.

But this time of year, the first thing I check are the sports pages just to seen how dem O's, hon, have been doing. They didn't play last night, which can be construed as a good thing... at least they didn't lose. Since there was no hometown baseball news to fill the pages, the Sun crammed the sports section will other miscellanea.

Now, I love baseball. It's basically the only professional sports entertainment I watch. It's exquisitely difficult to play though you can be average-sized and still excel, whenever you score there's never a penalty that invalidates it, and I can still watch a major league game at Camden Yards for $10. (If I go on $8 night that's cheaper than a movie.)

But a lot of people complain how boring baseball is. So for them, the Sun writes about other sports. Interesting sports, thrilling sports, sports like...

Hockey.

I discovered the hockey season ended last night. How's that for irony: a game that, if not by definition, is at least enhanced by winter - you do need ice - just finished its season in the third week of June. And a team from North Carolina won the trophy. Who'd have thought? Next there'll be an NHL NASCAR.

Hockey must be the most boring sport ever created by man. The object of interest, the size of a coaster, zips up and down the ice in a blur. Ten white guys chase after it lamely attempting to pass it from one to another. I think the intended recipient actually gets the puck 10 percent of the time. The rest of the time, the puck sails by him for someone else to catch. Four or five scores in a game caps the excitement. Maybe fun to play but to watch? *YAWN*

And the hockey season is so long. It seems like the 4th of July weekend is the hockey off seaon. I'll never understand how the NHL can sustain itself.

Well, gotta go... the phone is ringing. I'm sure it's Michigan calling to revoke my citizenship and banish me forever.
K-