The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, From A Sports Fan's Perspective

We consider this part of the season "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". This time of the year is filled with good tidings of great joy. When most think of this part of the year, they think of the holidays. The latter part of December brings Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. It is the time of the season where families get to come together and celebrate. There is nothing like being with your family, enjoying food, fellowship, and gifts. Most of the time everyone is in a great mood, unless they are not looking forward to Aunt Beth's annual "you gave me that as a gift?" gift. I absolutely love this time of year in more ways than one.

This time of year can't get any better for a sports fan. The only other time I can compare it to is the spring when March Madness is ending, the NBA season is coming down the stretch, and the major league baseball season is about to start. I am a huge baseball fan so I am biased there. There is so much going on this time of year in the sports world. Around the holidays has something for all sports fans. For football fans, the NFL only has a few weeks left in the regular season, fantasy football playoffs are in full force, and college football bowls are getting kicked off. Hockey fans can enjoy the regular season, along with the New Year's Day NHL Winter Classic. Every year on January 1, the NHL has an outdoor hockey game featuring 2 NHL teams. This years Classic features the Flyers and the Rangers. There is also something for basketball fans to enjoy. College basketball season is in full tilt and teams are finishing up their non-conference games and preparing for conference to start up. The NBA is usually in mid-season form, except this year it was post-poned due to the lockout. Teams will not have an official start day until Christmas. Just when you think there is nothing for baseball fans, you are wrong. The baseball winter meetings take place. This is where most of the negotiations for the free agents take place. This year saw some of baseball's bigger names sign with new teams. For example, Jose Reyes left the Mets for the new Miami Marlins and Albert Pujols left the defending champions Cardinals for the Angels.

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year. There is nothing better than getting to spend quality time with your loved ones. This time of year is also a sports fans dream with all that is going on. So this holiday season, while you are enjoying time with the family and trying to figure out what that gift is that Aunt Beth just gave you, turn on the TV and enjoy a good game or two. Nothing brings a family closer like chugging a few eggnogs and pulling for your favorite team!

NHL Realignment

by David Caudle

Rarely do you overhear a conversation that sounds like, “did you catch that great hockey game last night?” Hockey is not a commonly watched or supported sport in the south. However, cities like Nashville, Tampa, and Dallas do have strong fan bases. The NHL in general is always pushed aside for leagues such as the NBA and NFL. Hockey did steal the spotlight in 2004 with the infamous NHL Lockout. Since the lockout has resided, the NHL is in full swing and is gaining more support every year. The NHL has always tried to please the players and fans, and this may be why it is sometimes considered “the greatest sport on Earth.” Going along with pleasing the players, the NHL has recently realigned the conferences. This realignment makes travel easier and shorter by putting teams in the same geographical region within the same conference. The realignment also lets the teams have a “home-and-home” with every other team in the league. The following chart displays the new conferences: (courtesy of yahoo sports)

Conf. A Conf. B Conf. C Conf.D

Anaheim Chicago Boston Carolina

Calgary Columbus Buffalo NJ Devils

Colorado Dallas Florida NY Islanders

Edmonton Detroit Montreal NY Rangers

Los Angeles Minnesota Ottawa Philadelphia

Phoenix Nashville Tamp Bay Pittsburgh

San Jose St. Louis Toronto Washington

Vancouver Winnipeg

This system is going to be a big change for all teams, but it can be assumed that this was a much needed plan. The only teams I see as “losing” in this deal are the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. These Florida teams have to travel to Canada AND the New England area to play the teams in their conference. They will travel to each team at least three times during the season, totaling 15 trips to the North.The other main miscue with this realignment is the loss of rivalries. Teams like Vancouver and Chicago will only meet twice in the season. The Boston Bruins also lose two rivalries in the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers. The playoffs start within the conference and the top four teams will play in the divisional playoffs. Overall the realignment was needed and it was known that it was going to come sooner or later. Hopefully this change will enable fans to commute to more of their favorite teams home AND away games giving the teams the support they deserve.

*David is an expert on all things hockey, ultimate frisbee, and Alabama Crimson Tide football. He grew up playing ice and roller hockey his whole life. He is currently a sophomore as Mississippi State studying Pre-Med. We are excited that he will be providing us with his hockey expertise as he will bring great insight to the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @david_caudle .

In This Cold and Flu Season, Grizz Fever is Contagious

There is no doubt the city of Memphis is a basketball town. Memphis Tigers basketball has always been the city's first love. On March 26, 2001 the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis. The city was ecstatic back then and has been ever since. I guess you could call it Grizz Fever. Just like any city, when things tend to go wrong, cities tend to rally around their teams. It brings the fans together. No matter the race, age, or social class, everyone is a fan of that one team come game night. Teams play a huge role in bringing cities together.

For example, the city of New Orleans rallied around the New Orleans Saints in 2006. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city and wiped out many homes, business, and the place was unrecognizable. That 2006 season, the city rallied around their Saints all the way the NFC Championship Game. Did the Saints win the Superbowl that year?No. But it did give the city a sense of pride and something to cheer about while all of the rebuilding was going on.

The Grizzlies are getting ready to start up their season on December 26 vs. the Spurs. How ironic is it that the Grizzlies are starting off their season trying to recapture "Grizz Fever"vs the team that started "Grizz Fever" a year ago. As we all know, last year in the playoffs the eighth seed Grizzlies beat the first seed Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. I still get chills to this day thinking about it. The Grizzlies had to play hard all the way through the last game of the year just to get into the playoffs. It had been 2006 since the Grizz had last made it into the playoffs. The city was ecstatic just to be in playoffs. So when the Grizzlies pulled off the game 1 upset in San Antonio vs the #1 off of a game winning shot by Shane Battier, "Grizz Fever" was in full force. The city had a certain buzz to it wherever you went. As we all remember too vividly, the Grizzlies went on to win that series but lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.

The city had rallied around the Grizzlies and it was something I had never seen in the city before. Every single person was rooting for the Grizzlies. A ton of people who don't usually go to Grizzlies games found themselves in the FedEx forum come playoff time. The city was in the middle of a rough patch. The economy had been down for a years. People were losing their jobs and companies were having to be shut down. Not to mention Memphis was experiencing flooding around the city at the time. The Mississippi River had gotten so high that Tom Lee Park was under water. The Grizzlies were a bright spot for the city at that time. Fans could get away from all the negative things going on in their personal lives for a few hours. They were able to leave all that stuff outside when they would head into the FedEx Forum to watch "Their Grizzlies".

Grizz Fever caught on last year. Now that the new season is approaching, the city is looking to continue it over from last season. The city still has its fever bottled up from the end of the playoffs, I know at least I do. We are ready to send our team further in the playoffs than they went last year. Get your thunder sticks and growl towels ready because Grizz Fever is about to hit the city again and it is contagious!