by Tom Weppel
I had a chance to travel up to the area many around here consider the Great White North….Buffalo and Toronto. I was there on business, with a little pleasure mixed in. While there, I encountered a number of items that caught my attention.
As many of you know, the Jaguars pulled off a trade a few months ago with the Bills, sending Marcus Stroud to Buffalo in exchange for a couple of draft picks. The feeling in this area was that Stroud had worn out his welcome, having had a few troublesome injuries, while also being a malcontent. But if you listen to sports talk radio in the Buffalo area, you would think that Stroud is gonna be a savior to the Bills' defense! They have him on a high pedestal, ready to go and make their team so much better! This, while back here, the Jags were happy to get him out of here! Amazing what how a player going from one team to another can make such a difference…for now!
Meanwhile, as you all may or may not know, the Bills cut a deal to play eight games in the next five years in Toronto. That city is only about 90 minutes from Buffalo, with a population of about four million. Tickets for those games are in high demand, with the average price going for about $100. All the games there will be sold out, without question. The Rogers Centre seats a little over 55,000.
But the rabid Bills fans in Buffalo are NOT happy at all about this move! They feel like they have been totally slighted, after supporting their team for oh so long. In fact, many people, both in Toronto AND in Buffalo, believe that the Bills will eventually move the franchise to Toronto. It would be very interesting to see what culminates from the games that are played there, two of which will occur this season…one preseason game, and one regular season contest.
I would also wonder what would happen with the CFL. The Argonauts play in Toronto, and the TigerCats are just a half hour away, in Hamilton.
And so we shall see how things play out, with the Bills and the NFL possibly becoming international…
Last year, Rick Hendrick's stash of drivers won half of the races staged for the NASCAR season, culminating with his prize driver, Jimmie Johnson, winning the title. Then, in the off season, they brought Dale Earnhardt, Jr. into the fold, creating a powerhouse worthy of serious recognition. The feeling amongst the NSACAR faithful was that Hendrick's boys would simply dominate more so than last season.
But, lo and behold, winning has been only a wish. Jimmie Johnson has only won once this season, and Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Casey Mears haven't finished in first place yet. Obviously, things aren't joyous within the Hendrick compounds. Considering the millions of dollars pumped into each driver's program, the pressure is on, with lots of questions left to be answered.
The biggest concern falls on the shoulders of Dale, Jr., without question. Here's a guy who carries tremendous amounts of fan popularity, preceding from his father's roots. Dale, Jr. won in the past, yet didn't have the greatest relationship with his stepmother the last few years. Hence, the break off and switch to get out of the #8 car and into the #88.
People are wondering what's going on. Is Dale, Jr. simply not a good driver anymore? Does he not have all that's needed to compete with the rest of the players on the NASCAR circuit? Something needs to happen soon, or else you might see some serious changes with Hendrick Motorsports…
In Florida, interest in Major League Baseball still seems confined mainly to Spring Training. Every March, everyone is all excited with the beginning of exhibition games between the roughly 15 teams that still hold their practices in the Sunshine State. But for the two teams that reside in Florida, interest certainly isn't even close to what many other teams in the majors receive. The Marlins and the Rays seem to be nothing more than blown-up minor league squads filled with no-name players, all trying to make their way and put up the numbers for a few years until the can sign a big-dollar contract with a more-established franchise.
Certainly, the two teams have not had the greatest success in recent seasons, with neither even coming close to the top of their leagues and divisions. But if you look at the standings right now, two months into the season, you will see the Florida Marlins sitting at the top of the National League East, while the Tampa Bay Rays are shockingly leading the American League East. In fact, at the middle of this past week, both teams had the best records in their respective Leagues. Go figure.
Many people are waiting for the bubbles to burst, especially those in Boston and New York, where the Yankees and Red Sox are perennial victors. And while that is more a probability than a possibility, you must keep your eye on what these two teams will do in the month of June. Of course, the people that aren't even giving much consideration at all are the residents in Tampa and South Florida who aren't going to the games. The Rays and Marlins have horrendous attendance figures. They simply have no solid fan base from which to draw from. It simply seems that folks in those two markets have plenty of other things to do with their time than go watch the two best teams in the Major Leagues play a great brand of baseball. And so we shall see what the Marlins and Rays do in the coming weeks. If they continue playing well, it will be quite interesting to see if fans actually back the teams…
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
Article Published in the May 2008 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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