Hometown Bias Is a Beautiful Thing

People enjoy sports in different ways, but for me it occurs in 3 ways:

1. Appreciation of impressive athletic feats
2. Stats and fantasy sports
3. Taking part in the "us vs. them" battle for supremacy, i.e. competition

Number 3 manifests itself in a variety of ways. Obviously there's the win-loss component of the games themselves (or even within the games themselves), but fans also have their own battlefield: the war of fandom. This encompasses having the most badass rituals, the coolest paraphernalia, and, perhaps above all, talking the most incisive and cerebral smack. The following post takes a look at this most noble of traditions.

Pitchers and Belly Itchers

April's in the books, leaving only 5 more glorious months of baseball. Picking up where last year left off, no-hitters remain en vogue in this pitchers' era, with another 2 no-hitters already this year. Stars have been injured, prospects have been recalled, and the Indians are apparently the number one team in the league. Worst of all, "The Pride of Durham" Sam Fuld's batting average is now at a non-Sam Fuldesque .245. Someone make sense of the insanity!!

Indeed, Granite Staters can fly. We've been self-Harrison Bergeron-ing  ourselves for years to fit in.

Oh right, that's my job. For a glimpse into some future trends to watch for, it's the second edition of Pitchers, Belly Itchers, Batters and Broken Ladders, plus some bonus waiver pickups.

Ice Hockey

The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. Pucks flying, overtime-ing, bodies colliding, and Philly goalies bench-riding. Though hockey is a distant fourth in popularity among the Big 4 sports, fans of the game will argue at your face that it's the most thrilling sport to watch, particularly in the playoffs. In consideration of the multitude who haven't come to this realization yet, I give my "Ice Hockey" primer.

For each of the 4 remaining teams in the playoffs, I will pick a goalie, fat guy, medium guy, and skinny guy that match up with the player types in this most delightful of NES games. Sure, Blades of Steel is also amazing, but nothing beats the combination of whimsy and chess-like strategy of "Ice Hockey."

Let's begin!