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Forget Where You’re From – Be Where You Are

Let’s pretend the Phoenix Coyotes were playing the Chicago Blackhawks in this year’s playoffs rather than the Detroit Red Wings.
Before I go further, let me explain something: There was once a time when the Phoenix Coyotes were called the Winnipeg Jets. During that time, I was a Chicago Blackhawks fan. I was born in Chicago, and raised as a Hawks fan: Goulet, Larmer, Magnusson, Esposito, Lysiak, Grimson, Smith, Chelios (hell, even Bannerman!) – those were my boys. My Hawks love continued after moving to Arizona. I was one of the few kids in school who liked hockey, and the only one who liked the Blackhawks (damn Gretzky and his trendy black-and-silver LA Kings). Losses would ruin my day, especially since I knew the inbred Canucks fan in my algebra class couldn’t wait to give me crap as if I gave up a soft goal or missed an open net.
So, you probably think I’d root against the Coyotes if they faced the Blackhawks. After all, I’ve never bonded with the Coyotes as I did with the Blackhawks (I always preferred the minor league Roadrunners).
But you’d be wrong.
I am a Phoenician, and have been since 1980. When the Coyotes arrived in the late 90s, I offered the team my loyalty.
That’s because there are certain things I understand: My home is where I am right now, and the past is the past.
If I put the Blackhawks before the Coyotes, I’d feel like a false Phoenician. It is up to me to help give [...]

Winter Olympic Sports – My 5 Favorites

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver are almost here, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I love the Olympics, and the winter sports have a slight emotional edge as my favorite.
That’s because my first sports memory was of the 1980 games in Lake Placid, and Team USA’s “Miracle on Ice” against the Soviet Union. Jim Craig was my hero – yes, I eventually became a goalie, but in the Arizona roller hockey rinks rather than Chicago’s ice rinks. Tony Esposito eventually replaced Craig as my hero, but Craig came first.
Anyway, to celebrate the coming spectacle in Vancouver, here are my five favorite events (I’m equally happy watching men or women in all – also I want to know YOUR 5 favorites!):
Hockey – After that intro, I’m sure you had no doubt it would be my top pick. I understand hockey better than I understand any other sport. I see goals before they happen, and am rarely surprised when a puck goes in. There’s nothing cooler than seeing a goalie make an awesome save, or an old-school defender delivering an open-ice hip check. Sure, I love all the scoring and the “odd tussle” (as Don Cherry might say). But give me a tense, low-scoring game with a pair of brilliant goalies dueling it out.
Bobsled – I shouldn’t even have to explain why this is cool. Really, skeleton and luge are also awesome. But the bobsled! Bullet-shaped, heavy, fast – there’s nothing like hearing it hurtle down a twisting, banked course. [...]

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