| Dead Zone
By Patryk Fournier February 14th, 2005 |
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Greg Lewis' fourth quarter Super Bowl TD was significant not only because it resulted in millions of dollars changing hands when the Eagles covered the spread, it was also the last meaningful offensive play before we officially entered the "Dead Zone" of sports. The Dead Zone is the stretch of time from the end of the Super Bowl to the start of NCAA March Madness basketball. With the NHL's lockout, this year's Dead Zone is made all the worse. Baseball spring training doesn't start until March, the NBA is at the midseason point and the games don't quite have the urgency yet of a playoff race and the PGA is still a few months away from any of the major tournaments. As a sports fan having to deal with the Dead Zone is like bumping into someone from high school that you never really bothered to get to know. In both cases there's not a lot to talk about, there's a lot of awkward moments trying to find some kind of common ground and there is a general pleading that the situation will pass quickly. Even when the NHL is normally being played, the stretch from the start of February to mid-March is about as dormant as a Paul McCartney half-time performance. So let's not blame this all on the NHL. The gravity and importance of a sporting event is often characterized by the scale of betting generated. Sports wise, the Super Bowl and March Madness clearly lead the way in big gambling events so it's no surprise that everything bookended by these two colossal events is going to pale in comparison.
It's easy to look at this certain situation and give up all hope as a sports fan. This stretch of about five weeks has the potential to be a bigger catastrophe than pairing up Tara Reid with a full bottle of Peach Schnapps. Don't give up so easily. Before you hand over that remote and give up your nights to Trading Spaces, The Bachelor, Desperate Housewives and American Idol let me make an impassioned plea to hold your ground and battle through these next few weeks. In order for this to work you're going to need to approach this with an open mind. If you have a positive attitude I may be able to help you get through the Dead Zone unscathed. Here are a few suggestions on how to survive the Dead Zone: As an example, this past weekend's Pro Bowl would have been a great way to satisfy your football fix. Wait, that's really not the best example. The Pro Bowl is like putting together a movie with an Oscar studded cast and then letting the guy from "Dude, Where's My Car?" direct it.
February 18 - 20: NBA All-Star Weekend - I would argue that the NBA has the strongest all-star weekend of all the major sports. The game itself is like any other all-star game, all offense, no defense - but really this is what the NBA does best. The game takes on more of an And 1 Street Ball feel, which makes for high entertainment value. The other highlights of the weekend include all the periphery events where you get to enjoy the comedy of little Frankie Muniz posting up the likes of Justin Timberlake and Tim McGraw in the celebrity game and the wildcard of the whole festivities, the Slam Dunk contest. The NBA has retooled this event over the last few years redirecting the focus towards the young up and coming stars. The problem with this is that the name recognition is gone. Although with the right field of youngsters this event could gain its way back to the grandiose scale it last held when Vince Carter captured the dunk crown. You'll definitely want to tune in if the contest has three or even two of the following participants: Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith, LeBron James. Any Phoenix Suns Game - This is about as exciting as basketball gets. Think the Tampa Bay Lighting of basketball. The Suns are a throwback to the offensive days of the NBA. Their philosophy is simple: outscore the opponent. The best part is they're led by a Canadian. Steve Nash is the NBA's midseason MVP and the guy who makes this team go. Nash plays a fearless up-tempo style of game that leads to Stoudemire, Quentin Richardson, Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson getting tons of offensive chances. Any LeBron James Game - As important as Nash is to the Suns' success, LeBron is already the most complete and is quickly making a case to be called the NBA's best player. He's a triple-double threat each and every night. He gets players involved with his passing skills and he throws down some of the best fast break dunks in the league. The hype for King James was well deserved. He's entering the stage of his career where Michael Jordan really propelled into stardom. The stage where you tune in just to see what he'll do next. Classic Sports - Remember when players didn't hold out, when there weren't expansion teams popping up every year and when the NHL actually produced high-scoring games and 100-point scorers on a regular basis? ESPN Classics can help you remember happier times. It's absolutely amazing to watch the glory days and skill of mullet Jaromir Jagr and then realize how far his play has fallen off since then. Champions League Soccer - If you're a casual fan or even a non-fan who hasn't given the game a true chance use the UEFA Champions League as your introduction to the best club level ball anywhere in the world. This annual tournament brings together the best teams from all the top leagues in Europe (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France). Over the next few weeks Real Madrid, Juventus, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Barcelona, etc. will all be in action against each other. With the time zone difference the games usually play out during weekday afternoons, so if anything it's a great excuse to skip out on work early. These are just a few suggestions to help you survive the next few weeks. You can consult your own remedies like video games or junior sports to pass the time and before you know it March 15 will be here and the start of NCAA March Madness.
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