Here's another chance for all you blogger's to give a shout out about your favorite team.

We all know about the first to hoist the Cup, the first team to win consecutive championships, and the first to have a player throw a no-hitter.

Give me your favorite teams most off-the-wall stat or play or game. I'll come back and look deeper into the most bizarre ones I hear. And remember, the craziest or most creative will always win.

The Boston Red Sox. The NY Yankees. The San Antonio Spurs. The North Carolina Tar Heels. The New England Patriots. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The USC Trojans.

As I reel off these names, can you hear it? Can you hear that faint rumbling?

It seems more and more supposed 'fans' can hear the call. It is the call of the bandwagon and it seems that it is blowing its horn more loudly than ever. Even here, in the NW corner of Minnesota, I see Bo Sox hats and Irish caps. (Don't ask me why.)

These fans go around blowing their own horn about their 'favorite' team, but can't name a single historic player. You ask them to name someone who stood out over 10 years ago and they just stare into space until drool runs down or they glare at you for questioning their fanhood.

It just pains me to see so many people just jump freely from team to team. I mean, players do it enough, fans shouldn't have to too.

What has happened to loyalty? To pride? To honor?

All I have to ask you wagontrain fans is this: Who will be your favorite team 2 years down the road? 5 years? In fact, I'll just come by and see after the next championship game. And don't hide your new hat.

Note: To all you loyal fans out there, if you know anyone like this inspire them to be like you. They are in obvious need of guidance.

Here's my first crop of bloggers for the new year:

1. Fightin_Fugee explores the win for the US at the World Juniors and wonders where the exposure is at.

2. Mike Gwizdala wonders where the love is for the Celts.

3. Gaucho93 breaks down the Jordan Factor in Randy Moss and TO.

 

Well there's the first of the year to come. I hope its a great one and make sure to check these guys out.

I decided I would go through the biggest sports leagues in the US and pick out all the teams people either love, or love to hate.

MLB- New York Yankees

This was an easy first choice. The Yankees have one of the largest fan bases in all of the world, much less the US. And all they ever seem to do is win. (until the start of this year) But hey, if you don't like the Yankees, you have to hate them. Any team that has Steinbrenner buying the players should be hated, shouldn't they?

NFL- New England Patriots

They have been one of the most dominant forces to come to the football field in the last 10 years. They seemingly are always a favorite to win the Super Bowl and millions have already jumped on the bandwagon. They are lead by America's poster boy, Tom Brady too. But when they come to play your favorite team, you pray that your hometown boys will just beat the #### out of them.

NBA- San Antonio Spurs

This one was a little tougher. There isn't as much of a clear-cut favorite, so I picked the Spurs. The Spurs have been about as good as any fan could hope for. That's why the rest of the league hates them. Every year they make the playoffs and just roll on through to the Finals, with seemingly no effort. It just makes me, as a T-Wolves fan sick, and it should to the rest of you non-Spurs fans as well.

NHL- Detroit Red Wings

This is one of those leagues where its almost impossible to pick one. The Canadiens used to be one of the most hated teams, but their recent unsuccess has lead to them being more of a laughing-stock. I went with the Wings because they are always in the running for the Presidents Cup and they just seem to roll on through to the playoffs, year after year. Man I love how my Wings work.

NCAA Football- Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This was a little tougher, but I decided to go with these guys because of all their tradition. They have some of the most diehard and crazy fans. But hey, what other team is always overrated and everybody wants their shot at them. The Irish are always the ones topping that list. (USC is an up and comer in this one.)

NCAA Basketball- Duke Blue Devils

Alll Duke ever seems to do is win. That's why last year was so sweet for so many non-Duke fans. We all remember the Christian Laettner shot and how it killed so many fans to see him make it. Every year, fans around the world either unite for Duke to win the NCAA or band together to make Duke lose. Your on one side or the other, there is gray area at all with these guys.

Golf- Tiger Woods

Most of the nation absolutely loves Tiger. People stalk him around the course, want to take pics of him, say every shot he takes is going to be drained. But there is still a small group of Phil's and other golfers fans that would love to see Tiger on sel####estruct. They are praying for that one day when Tiger implodes and their guy can dawn that green jacket.

Well, that's the end of my list. Let me know what you think, or if you have any other suggestions.

I am not writing a post here and merely looking for anyone who wants to pay their respects to the victims of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. As many of you know the bridge 35W that crosses over the Mississippi River fell into the river on Wednesday and numerous people have been hurt or lost their lives. Feel free to leave a comment or at least just say a prayer for the families.

Yes all the people around the United States are talking about now are game 1 of the NBA Finals and how poorly the NHL did in its ratings. Everybody thinks that the ratings for the NHL are terrible and it shows the terribly low interest of hockey in the United States today. There is however are a couple of  problems with this assumption.

1. Many hockey fans, when the playoffs come around, gather together and watch the games in a group. You can easily see this if you have ever checked a "Hockey Night in Canada" game during the playoffs because they always show the large groups of people that are gathered around in one area, such as the town hall. At the town halls there can be as many as a few thousand people there. Take for instance, when the Oilers were in the playoffs last year, the "Hockey Night in Canada" crew showed the arena in Edmonton and the entire arena was packed with fans intently watching the Jumbotron just like the game was actually there (the game was being played in Carolina at the time.) Does that only count as one household? Also many of the fans in other areas have groups of 10 to 15 people come over and they watch the game together. I know this because I did this throughout the entire postseason on for almost every game, there were about 12 to 20 people at my house.

2. Another problem is that the games are put on networks that many people don't have access to. They are on Versus. Don't give me the #### that the games were on NBC for part of the time. Hockey fans have grown to distrust the NBC network after they had turned off two overtime games for other programs, the one was to show an hour long PRESHOW for the freaking Belmont Stakes. I mean come on, you have to show the rest of an overtime thriller. Overtime in hockey is one of the most exciting events in hockey. Also the NBC announcers are terrible and are extremely poor and they put the hockey being played into such dumb terms that a savvy hockey fan will turn it off thinking it is more meant for a basketball fanatic who doesn't even know that hockey is played on ice (at least until they let Don Cherry be there for the Finals.) The only other stations that carry the games are Canadian and the majority of Americans do not get Canadian stations (sorry but you guys who don't get "Hockey Night in Canada" are very disprivlidged. Don Cherry is always fun to listen to and the announcers actually use intelligent hockey conversation plus the talk in between periods is always good.)

3. Another problem with the current ratings is that they don't include our neighbors to the north. The current ratings also don't include podcasts and internet streams either. The biggest one of these two is that it doesn't include Canada. Millions and millions of Canadians watch the Finals every year to gain their ever so important bragging rights over their interprovincial rivals. Hockey is Canada's sport and having them not included in the ratings will greatly lower the number.

4. Finally, many Canadians and northern Americans tuned out of the Finals this year because of who was playing. True hockey purists didn't want to see a team previously named after a comedic childrens hockey movie. Then many other turned off the sets because they couldn't bear the thought of seeing the Sens pull out a win and put their beloved Leafs, Islanders, Rangers, Sabres, Flames or Oilers to shame and win a championship. Many fans, especially in Canada, have a fierce bondage to their team and have developed a rivalry (in particular the Leafs, who have the largest fan base in Canada with having the control over the Toronto area) against the Senators. Also many hockey fans didn't want to see two recent expansion teams play each other for the 'ship.

Those are just my thoughts on the fact that everyone should take the ratings a little less seriously and focus more on the hockey that's being played.