College and Minor League Baseball - Because Every Blog Can't Be About Hockey

I've always been a college and minor league baseball fan. Growing up in Greenville, NC, we often made the short drive to Kinston to see the Single-A Carolina League Kinston Indians and ECU always had a very good baseball program. In college, at NC State, it was a common occurrence for a group of us to go over to Doak Field on a Friday afternoon after class and catch an ACC ballgame. I got to see major leaguers like Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Paul Wilson, and JD Drew play against the Wolfpack. Under Ray Tanner and later Elliott Avent, the 'Pack always played at a pretty good level.

Now, living in Raleigh, we're blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to both college and minor league baseball. The Triple-A Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) play in a great ballpark in downtown Durham. There are great seats for less than $10. After the game, Tyler's Taproom (free plug!) is a great place to have a post-game beverage. Over in Zebulon, the Double-A Carolina Mudcats (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) do a great job in making the games a family friendly event. Typically, the MLB teams send their to prospects to Double-A so the talent level tends to be pretty high.

The ACC is almost always among the top 2 or 3 conferences in college baseball. Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Clemson are threats to go to the College World Series on a yearly basis. Over the last few years, UNC has had a top-5 program and made yearly trips to Omaha (yes, it really pained me to write that, but there's that whole intellectual honesty thing). Heck, even former also-rans like Duke and Maryland have really stepped up their programs. Nearly every weekend between late February and May, one of the local teams will be playing at home.

This past Sunday, my wife and I decided to head over to Doak Field on the NC State campus to take in the third game of the Wolfpack's season opening series against LaSalle. State's hitting was pretty good, as the 'Pack scored 15 runs. Both teams' pitchers had control problems all day, though, and it made for a very long game. The best thing about the afternoon: 62 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Being outside in such great weather was the perfect cure for the late winter blues.

So, as the weather warms up, take the family and catch a game at the local ballpark. The tickets and the drive are both reasonable. The popcorn and sunflower seeds are just as good as they are in the big league parks. Besides, you never know which player on the other team may be named in some future generation's Mitchell Report. So, what are you waiting for?

Olympic Hockey USA-CAN Preview

As a kid who grew up in the South, my first real introduction to hockey was via my extended family from PA and via the Olympics. In 1980, for the Miracle on Ice, I was only 5 years old, but the legend of that team has not only survived the test of time, but has even grown through the years.

Tonight, almost 30 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice upset of the USSR, the USA Olympic Hockey team plays a game against the heavily favored Canadian Olympic team. The Canadians are stacked from 1-to-20 on their team. From Sidney Crosby, to Martin Brodeur in net, to Chris Pronger on defense, Canada is the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal on their home soil.

The US team is in a transition period. Longtime stalwarts Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Jeremy Roenick, and Keith Tkachuk have been replaced by younger players like Zach Parise, Erik Johnson, and Ryan Miller. The team is a bit green in major international competition with only a few holdovers from the 2006 Olympic team.

It's important to know that tonight's game is only for seeding into the knockout round. The winner will have a bye into the quarterfinals. The loser will have to win 4 games (think ACC Tournament bracket). All of the pressure is on Canada tonight. There are thousands in attendance inside the arena and millions of Canadians equally absorbed in front of their TVs.

Tonight's game will be a great measuring stick for the US squad. I'll predict that Canada strikes early for a 2-0 lead after the 1st period. The US will adjust and make it 2-1 in the 2nd, but Canada will pull away for a 5-2 win. I'll predict the line of Marleau-Heatley-Thornton (all of the San Jose Sharks) to have a big game. I also predict that if the US and Canada meet during the knockout round, that it will be a much tighter game.

I also predict that some bastard in Vancouver still has my laptop and I hope they get what's coming to them....

Hurricanes at the Olympic Trade Deadline

Today, the Hurricanes traded Matt Cullen to the Ottawa Senators for Alexandre Picard and a 2nd round draft pick. Unfortunately, these are the type of moves that GM Jim Rutherford has to make given his circumstances. The 'Canes horrific start to the season has made it nearly impossible to envision a playoff run. Even worse, the team has been up against the salary cap all year long. The math is simple:

Underachieving team + Small market + Aging roster + Recession = Fire sale

So what does this trade mean? Fan favorites like Cullen (and in the future, Ray Whitney) will be shipped to contenders for picks and/or prospects. So far, the Hurricanes have three 2nd round picks in the 2010 draft (they acquired Buffalo's pick from San Jose for Niclas Wallin last week). Picard is a restricted free agent after this season. Basically, the rest of this season is a tryout for him to see if the 'Canes are interested in keeping him around for the long term.

The roster has its core young talent like Eric Staal, Cam Ward, Brandon Sutter, etc. The old guard is on its way out. The mission statement is to have a younger, faster, cheaper team in 2010-2011. It will remain to be seen how far the youth movement goes throughout the rest of this season and into the offseason. Will other veterans be traded? Will unrestricted free agents like the recently departed Cullen and the soon to be traded Whitney return in the offseason? Will the 'Canes get a top 3 draft pick? Only time will tell.

Welcome Back My Friends, To The Show That Never Ends

This blog is about my thoughts and observations on the sports world. I have no insider information. I'm just a fan. Here are my fan credentials....

I love my alma mater, NC State, and have been a season ticket holder in football there for years. I've attended over 30 college football games over the last three years. I love ACC basketball. I'm an avid hockey fan and a season ticket holder to the Carolina Hurricanes. I love football and open wheel racing, especially Formula One and Indycar. I can tolerate NASCAR and baseball. I've become interested in MMA. I watch too much ESPN, so I think that I have a pretty broad sports knowledge.

So let's see where this wave takes us. I'm so glad you could attend....