Welcome Back??? - 7/18/13

It's been quite a while since I've taken the time to add to "Coach Meech's Highlight Reel." Besides time constraints and other commitments, my blogging pursuit of relentless perfection has greatly prevented me from putting my thoughts on athletics down in this blog. For quick hits, you can still check Twitter (@TheMeech), but every now and again you just have to ramble. So without any further ado.....

I'll start with the MLB All-Star Game. I read yesterday that the ratings for the game were rather high but I still just don't get it. What draws the fans in to watch what amounts to nothing more than a glorified exhibition game? Then there's the idea that homefield advantage in the World Series is on the line in the All-Star Game. Commissioner Bud Selig believes that this will add intrigue to the game and maybe for some that aren't more than casual fans, it does. For this rest of us, this is absolutely ridiculous. Homefield advantage is important in the postseason. I can't imagine how angry I would be if I had worked my tail off for 162 games and finished with the best record. Then in Game 7 of the World Series, my team has to go on the road and into a hostile environment because the other league won the All-Star Game. It totally takes a big piece of the reward for pushing so hard in the regular season out of the equation. So basically, you're going to punish your teams for playing hard all season so you can get a few extra ratings points for a meaningless July exhibition? Great job devaluing the game, Commish.

The NHL offseason has been absolutely refreshing after last summer's (and fall/winter) non-stop lockout discussion. From Roberto Luongo staying put to Daniel Alfredsson leaving Ottawa after nearly two decades in Canada's capital, it's been nonstop excitement. Despite the surprise retirement of Ilya Kovalchuk, I'm still pretty excited about the offseason for Jersey's Team. Trading for the goalie of the future (Cory Schneider), signing two solid wingers (Ryane Clowe & Michael Ryder), and bringing back a few of the youngsters for one more chance at the big club (Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby) have all been solid Lou Lamoriello moves. I still don't understand why people keep questioning Lou every offseason. He is the steward of the Devils' ship and he regularly makes moves and wins games, defying the odds on a regular basis. When will people just trust in Lou and let the offseason run its course in Newark? I'm not thrilled about losing David Clarkson & Kovalchuk but that's just the way it goes. Clarkson went home to Toronto and it hurts but nowhere near as much as losing Zach Parise to Minnesota last offseason. As for Kovalchuk, I can't say I'm completely surprised. He didn't even want to come back this year after spending the lockout playing for SKA St. Petersburg in his native Russia. Lamoriello had to practically convince him to come back. As the Kovy retirement continues to sink in, I keep thinking more and more that Lamoriello never really wanted to sign Kovalchuk to a monster 15-year contract. It seemed counter to anything the Devils have ever done and had the handprints of a desperate ownership all over it. I'm really just angry with myself. From the moment it became clear that we were going to sign him to such a large contract, I was angry. I didn't want us to break the bank for Kovalchuk, no matter many goals he could score for us. After the first year, I started to soften up only because the reality was setting in, that we were building the future of the organization around this one player. I still didn't think it was the right move but I didn't question Lou. But what did it get us? A massive departure from the Devils' way and in the end, we got three seasons, 89 goals, one trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, two years without postseason play, lost a first-round draft pick, and lost Parise & Clarkson. On the plus side, the Devils avoid having to pay out $56 million of real money over the next five seasons and only take an annual $250,000 salary cap hit through the 2024-2025 season. I bet the Los Angeles Kings and their fans are smiling, thrilled that Kovy didn't take their 15-year offer and run off to Russia after just three seasons.

This is always the most frustrating time period for me as a sports fan. The dog days of summer roll along with no football, no hockey, and only midsummer baseball games to pass the time. Every once in a while, an event occurs that rescues me from the doldrums like the Olympics or the World Cup or the Women's World Cup (Can't get enough of Alex Morgan & company). NFL training camps start next week though and most major college football conferences held their media days this week so hope is on the horizon. Soon enough, sports will be back in full swing and business will pick up once more.

I'll always be a big wrestling fan but the WWE has had lots of trouble holding my regular attention for quite some time. I always think back to growing up during the Attitude Era in which there was WWE(F), WCW, and ECW are fighting for your television time on a weekly basis. Everybody outdid each other and the wrestling was top-notch. Things went downhill for a bit after WWE overtook WCW and ECW went under. But after the beginnings of the "brand extension," WWE came back with a vengeance in 2006. Things have been pretty up and down since then as the company continues to work on its national sponsorship appeal with a TV-PG rating. I always wonder when the WWE will up the blood and violence after they cultivate the next generation of fans. I try to cling to that hope but I eventually arrive at the conclusion that the company is a publicly-traded commodity that needs national sponsorship and appeal to sustain itself. I fear that the Attitude Era is truly a by-gone time. I don't need all the blood and swearing back but it would really be nice to see good wrestling come back. I always think that gets lost when people look back on the Attitude Era. For as charismatic as those stars were and for all the stunts that were pulled, there was always high-quality wrestling on each of the weekly shows. WWE teases me every once in a while with this. There was the rise of CM Punk over 2011-2012. There were the two phenomenal Shawn Michaels/Undertaker matches at WrestleMania XXV & XXVI. Then there were two Triple H/Undertaker classics at the next two 'Manias. There was the push of The Miz and a nice time where John Cena was actually nowhere near the WWE Title picture. Things have been pretty down for most of 2013 with the exception of WrestleMania but here they go again, trying to bring me back. Rob Van Dam has returned to WWE, and as one of my all-time favorites this has intrigued me greatly. His match with Chris Jericho this past Monday night was simply a great wrestling match. Then, there was the announcement that Daniel Bryan will receive the opportunity to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at Summerslam. I have no doubt that Bryan Danielson (I mean, Daniel Bryan) will wrestle circles around Cena, but will the company actually let him beat the bellcow on a big pay-per-view stage and win the title? Furthermore, will the company let Bryan win and then piss all over it by having Money in the Bank winner Randy Orton run out and cash in the briefcase?

Finally got around to seeing Man of Steel. I think Zach Snyder & Christopher Nolan did Superman justice with this reboot but it still wasn't on the same level as the Dark Knight/Batman trilogy. I thought they did a great job examining the psychology of Superman as an outsider and what came of Krypton. But the fight scenes were a little too over the top with effects (way too sci-fi, I think) and the idea that Superman killed Zodd was interesting. Overall, a pretty solid reboot (infinitely better than the ill-fated Superman Returns in 2006) but certainly no Batman.

Naturally, this gets me excited already for the James Bond followup to Skyfall. Probably won't see that until late 2014 at the earliest but still have to get fired up. If you want to see the role that many believe landed Daniel Craig the coveted James Bond role, watch 2004's Layer Cake. Interesting production.

I also keep wondering what Boston Celtics fans are thinking. It's clear that the rebuild is in full swing but it still has to hurt watching your "Big Three" of Allen, Pierce, & Garnett are exit after one championship and two Finals appearances in five years. Despite some turbulent times, those three players (along with Rajon Rondo and coach Doc Rivers) made the Celtics relevant after being an NBA punching bag for most of the 1990s. With only Rondo left, it should be interesting to watch GM Danny Ainge rebuild this ball club. I'm still really impressed that the C's managed to lure Brad Stevens from Butler to be their next head coach. I'm curious to see if Stevens's approach will work at the next level as he was nothing short of a magician at Butler. I also wonder if he and Rondo will get along or if Ainge will have to trade him too. At least Boston has the Red Sox back to playing winning baseball after the aberration that was 2012 under Bobby Valentine. I wonder things are going for Bobby V as Sacred Heart University's athletic director.

That'll cover it for now. Definitely gotta come back sooner rather than later. Let's see if I can write another post within a week. Let's get after it!