Hockey - The most exciting sport of them all?

I used to be a casual New York Rangers fan. Besides the 1993-1994 season when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, the only other good thing about hockey for me was NHL 94. The NHL was fifth on my list of major sports in the United States. Number 1 was the MLB, number 2 was the NBA, number 3 was the NFL and number 4 was NASCAR.

Then 5 years ago something changed. I began my freshman year at St. Mary's College with the no interest in watching hockey because my New York Rangers were basically never on and I could have cared less about any other hockey team. Slowly, I started to watch San Jose Sharks games every now and then and I started to like the NHL more and more each day. 3 years later during my junior year something magical happened.

It was game 6 of the NHL playoffs that pitted the San Jose Sharks against the Dallas Stars. The game was exciting from the beginning and at the end of regulation the teams were tied 1-1. For the first time since that 1994 season I was hooked on hockey again. Sudden death overtime the most exciting way to end a sporting event that there is. Three overtimes later the score was still 1-1. I was on the edge of my seat, I couldn't stop watching, no one could have scripted a more thrilling and exciting sporting event. Finally but sadly (by that point, during that one game, I had become a diehard Sharks fan), Brendan Morrow scored the game winning goal for the Dallas Stars. Thus crushing the dreams of all the Sharks fans who had expected a Stanley Cup appearance for their team.

Fast forward to 2010. The NHL playoffs have now become my nightly must watch sporting event. They have constant action, incredible intensity, violence, and lots and lots of drams. If that is not the perfect combination of attributes for a sporting event to have, then I have no idea what is.

The blog is back!

The blog is back everybody. It's been a while but since I am currently watching the greatest sports network, that not nearly enough people are watching, I felt obligated to tell the world about it.

For those of you who have yet to experience the greatness of the MLB Network, you are missing out. I turned on the MLB Network about 5 minutes ago, after watching the end of the NY Mets game. My MLB Network viewing started with the highlights of the Mets game I had just watched (which was probably being shown on every highlight shown). After watching Ike Davis' awesome catch, the MLB Network then switched to the end of the Chicago Cubs - Florida Marlins game. Once the 9th out was recorded they then went live to the A's - Rangers game, where the A's made a 9th inning comeback.

It's the year 2010, my question is why did it take us so long to have live game look-ins. We have the technology but it has never happened before. If you love baseball and I know many out there do, you must and I repeat, must, watch MLB Network's MLB Tonight Live whenever you want to know and watch what is going on that day in baseball.

It's good to be back and there will be more to come.

P.S. This is for those of you who watch lost and follow baseball but do not religiously read and listen to Bill Simmons articles/podcasts, I give you this little tidbit from Bill Simmons. Justin Smoak the rookie sensation who was recently called up to the majors may have stumbled into the greatness nickname/cultural reference combination possibly ever. Justin Smoak for now and forever will be known as the Smoak Monster. What a perfect nickname!