On Our Minds

Scott Says:

• The NHL has actually been in the news as of late for something other than a gruesome hit.  The reason has been numerous proposals to clean up the game.  I feel very conflicted on this topic because the game of hockey needs certain aspects and should rid itself of others.  For example, the idea that fighting is bad for the sport makes no sense.  If you ever go to an NHL game, you will realize that their are two times that the crowd will stand up and cheer.  These two times are a goal and a fight.  It brings excitement and passion to the game.  On the other hand, dirty hits are one of my biggest pet peeves.  Proposals are being brought up to penalize hits to the head more harshly.  It is important that steps like this are taken to legitimize the violence of the sport.  Hockey is violent, no doubt, but what always drew me to the game was how there was a purpose to the violence and you paid if you violated that purpose.  The sport needs to travel back to those roots.

Dan says:

• The WBC is wearing on me.  I found myself watching a replay of the US vs Canada game two days after the fact.  I must be anxious for the MLB season to start if I’m getting pumped up when Joe Votto hit a homerun for a team I didn’t even want to win.  Don’t get me wrong, I still think the whole thing is kind of strange.  And, when it’s the front page of ESPN, I can’t help but to think it must have been an awful day in sports.  At any rate, I’m trying to give it a shot…so maybe, just maybe, I’ll see some crazy things happen that entice me to keep watching.