Fireworks Danger

This one will be quick somewhat. Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks got struck by a firework and passed away yesterday. It's not the first time for an incident to occur with a sports star. Jason Pierre-Paul lost part of one of his hands in 2015. July 4th is supposed to be something nice to celebrate. For some, it means getting boozed up and shooting fireworks in their yard. That is a combination that should never happen.

In regards to this Kivlenieks incident, shouldn't these athletes be aware of their surroundings? This isn't his fault or anything, but it's the kind of thing that creates all sorts of dread. Even if it was someone you don't know, what if it kills a citizen? A child? You have to go into that scenario and assume the worst can always happen. I have neighbors who are rather arrogant and almost seem oblivious to the dangers of fireworks with having about 20 or so people over. Can't expect everything to go smoothly.

What makes people inconsiderate is not understanding people who have pets. Dogs can get terrified of hearing the sounds of fireworks. I'd also bring up anyone involved in war. One guy I worked with back in 2016 was a Vietnam vet. Fireworks one night triggered a PTSD and he was very upset. Know the people around you before you start shooting off that stuff. There can be fun to be had for July 4th, but a little safety can go a long way.

Columbus loses a guy that could have been their future starter behind the net. Maybe we should start issuing licenses to shoot fireworks and have them in a spot where they can't get tilted towards someone.

Hockey Physicality

This blog piece is based on what happened between the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets. The Canadiens won the first game of the second round, but at a cost of losing Jake Evans with less than a minute to go. He scores an empty net goal and is demolished by Jets player Mark Scheifele. Quick scrum and medical staff come onto the ice. Evans gets put on a stretcher. The Montreal Gazette is reporting he will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Doesn't sound surprising.

I like a little bit of physicality in hockey. Fights are something I do enjoy when push comes to shove for the teams playing. But this is not the time to lose your cool and alter another player's career. Scheifele went full speed and charged around the head of Evans. There would have been a penalty and possibly a minor game misconduct for charging and maybe roughing if he didn't go upstairs. I have no idea how bad of a suspension it will be. My suggestion would be the rest of the round. That was Pierre Turgeon territory, though Turgeon's playoff goal in 1993 had more meaning.

There was nothing clean about it. The sport of hockey is a contact one, but there's a point to where it has to be played safely but also keep the physicality that fans enjoy. George Parros has not done a good job recently in my opinion. There should be a strict suspension. If there was to be a minimum, anywhere from three to five games. All I will say to end this is that one solution will not solve everything. It is something the NHL has to construct thoroughly. They won't win everyone over, but some safety can go a long way to prevent stuff like this. You just hope that Evans career isn't over.

Slap Shots, Lay Ups, Five Irons

Hard to believe, but we are turning a new leaf. Barring any potential consequences from protesters and rioters, normalcy could be coming very soon. Or at least, a different form of it. That's why we're seeing multiple sports mark their return, and it doesn't involve baseball.

A while back, the NHL set up a 24 team playoff format. But they are still taking the quarantine matter very seriously. The work to test everyone out every day and plan out the games is a work in progress. There is still the matter of getting the arenas open, not allowing fans in, and a few other things. The playoffs should last a good while and if I had to guess, end in August.

The NBA is still in the process of getting stuff ready, but should have games going this summer. Its plan is to start games at the end of July. They do lose some games (assuming) because of a new season starting at the beginning of December. All but Portland was ready to resume the season via voting. There are 22 teams involved in the restart and they are given eight regular season games. Potential playoff implications could occur. It's all going to be in Orlando, Florida. These guys are ready to finish what they started. Even if it means losing a little bit for next year, anything to end the season and crown a champion.

Golf is slowly coming back. At least some tours are marking their return this month. Obviously, there will be a lot of testing. No fans, of course. But it continues to fill the void that people have wanted for the last three months. All three sports, really. Even if its for a small amount of time, these players are anticipating the time to compete in these tournaments and bring viewers a few hours of entertainment. Anything to turn their mind off of reality.

It's unfortunate the greedy players of the MLB are holding back baseball's season. But no worry. The summer is going to melt away the worry of it with the return of basketball and hockey. And golf is just the tip of the iceberg. It's only a matter of making sure no huge spikes. Otherwise, game on.

Sports Return... Is It Ready?

Are we to that point where we can see some normalcy? Some think so and I kind of agree. There hasn't been any sports going on in about two months. Hard to imagine.

NASCAR returns this upcoming week and will do a race at Darlington. I do believe there won't be any fans, which is better safe than sorry. The following week will have the usual Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte. Anything to have the real sport back and get to return to 200 miles an hour racing in real life.

Baseball is getting underway in Taiwan and South Korea. For the MLB, it's only a matter of getting teams and players to agree to whatever is being proposed. Whatever it is, it better be good enough support from all sides. The same can be said for the NHL, which could do supposedly a 24 team playoff format. I'm not sure that proposal would work. The MLB is considering five rounds for their draft, and the NBA could do one that is virtual, similar to the NFL approach from last month.

Maybe this will keep people from going to places for only a few hours. It can serve as a good distraction from the complications of life. Things are starting to re-open in some states. Maybe it's a sign, considering the NBA has some teams reopening their facilities to practice. There's that talk that it could get worse, but we can't always assume it will be a big disaster. I don't think people are that stupid. There are some, but collectively, I don't think so. But we'll have to see. If things are better, then maybe we can get out of pandemic mode. If its worse, then we'll continue with what we have now. But we have to get some normalcy at some point.

The Real Space Jam

This is becoming a bit like the movie, but this isn't fictional, nor is it funny. The Oklahoma Thunder and Utah Jazz game was canned the night before and players and staff were quarantined. All because Rudy Gobert of the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. Whatever plans the NBA had in mind was gone and they have now suspended the season to figure out what to do and to have an idea on what can be salvaged in order to finish up the season.

Reports now are that Gobert mocked the coronavirus. He went on to touch various stuff in the locker room, including teammates belongings. And the news is that Donovan Mitchell has the virus. Whether he got himself or from Gobert, I don't know. But it's uncharted territory. Plans were made to not have fans in the arenas in some areas such as San Francisco with the Golden State Warriors. But it leads to a new situation that goes beyond the NBA.

What does the NHL do? The MLB when regular season play begins? And the NCAA? March Madness is one of the big money makers for college and brings tons of fans over. Rooting for the underdog is a huge incentive and loyal fans traveling to see their group try and hang with the best. The route of no fans in the games except essential staff families is happening. A few leagues like Ivy has canned their tournaments. I know kids want to win a championship, but at what cost? Until one of their own gets sick? I know the NCAA and CBS want to make millions, but they might need to take a loss if they postpone it or at worst, can the whole thing. Even a broadcaster can get sick.

With baseball, the only one that is affected for the moment is the Seattle Mariners. Where they'll start the season in two weeks, no one knows. Spring training field when they face the Texas Rangers? Or another stadium? I read that Globe Life Field will not be ready in time. I'm sure something will be found, but other teams could get affected. Same with the NHL. They could follow what the NBA is doing. They could and more than likely suspend the season today. This isn't to take lightly.

I know this blog is more about talking video games, sports, TV, film, and whatever is on my mind. But with this virus becoming more notable by the minute, I don't think there is much choice but to talk the coronavirus. It's already postponed a few movies. People stunned about Tom Hanks getting it. This is getting scary serious with all the stories and incidents over the last week or so. Classes getting cancelled for schools.The best you can do is always washing your hands and avoid contract with many things. If you are quarantined, you will have to explain to your employer.

This panic is far from over.

Viral Cancellation

This coronavirus is a bit more serious than people realize. I think this outbreak will be gone within a month or so, but it's hurt a lot more than some may realize. One of the big aspects is the stock market. It's not going to make the world go into a depression, but enough to make everyone panic.

Tons of events have been canned as a result. The most recent one has been E3 in Los Angeles. It has been going since 1995, but a few factors do kick in. Not as much interest and several companies not being interested in the event. The coronavirus accelerated it to the point where a cancellation probably was their only choice. Other game conferences have been canned as well. Whether E3 comes back next year, I don't know. If it doesn't, it had its time in history and tried to press on in an era full of Internet and live streaming.

I'm not a James Bond guy, but there is worldwide appeal. Europe is a big market. And probably one of the reasons why the No Time to Die film got pushed back to November. One of the most affected is Italy. There have been a lot of cases in that country and with quite a bit of casualties. I'm surprised there hasn't been any other films that haven't got the push back to another date because of this. You would think some Disney material or anything for kids that would appeal worldwide would be a pressing concern.

Sports is growing to the point where the idea of an empty NBA arena could be a likelihood. I don't think they would like it themselves, but cancellations of games could happen, though no one wants to see that. Possible relocations to other places. Locker stuff for them, NHL, MLB, Soccer, have come down to not having the media in and only doing one on one interviews. This is a way to prevent the spread of the virus so 30 media aren't getting infected when they go into a locker room. I'm sure there's other events for other sports or events.

When it comes to local stuff, be aware of your surroundings. Keep your hands clean and stay clean all around. Hopefully, we've reached the end of this panic. With warm weather coming in soon, it should disappear. Stay healthy folks.

Geeks and Jocks: Episode 17

A new podcast episode for Geeks and Jocks. A lot to talk about.
https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Geeks-and-Jocks-Episode-17-Summer-Recap-2019-e5ntdh

You can find my podcast on these sites:

https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj
https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84YmFhZTg0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ejDLYL3QCQslc1q25pRgF
https://www.breaker.audio/geeks-and-jocks
https://radiopublic.com/geeks-and-jocks-GKzY7Q

YouTube Videos: May 10-16

YouTube Videos: May 3-9

A Trophy for the Capital(s)

Never in my life had I ever seen a team in the Washington DC area win a championship. The last time that happened was at the start of 1992 with the NFL's Redskins Super Bowl. For that franchise, it has been nothing but mediocrity since. The NBA's Wizards have been on the rise the last ten or so years, but can't advance past the second round. Even with the move from Montreal, MLB's Nationals have been disappointing despite success the last six years.

This is where the NHL's Capitals come in. With their win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, they got their first Stanley Cup wins and their first trophy ever. Similar to the Wizards, they have done well, but have had nothing to show. No joke, they've had best records in seasons and they fail to either the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers, or some other team that sneaks up and gets the best of them.

You could tell after they got past the Penguins this year, it could have been an easy ride for them. Getting through Tampa Bay was not a cakewalk either. I did not expect this Stanley Cup Final to be finished that quick. The Golden Knights were a force to be reckoned with. Unstoppable was what I would say regarding their three series prior to the Final. It is still an expansion team, but this should be the standard for what all teams in any sport should look up to. They did a lot more than MLB's expansion teams from the 90s.

Where does this land for the Capitals? If you're Alexander Ovechkin, you just landed yourself a spot in the Hall of Fame when you're finished. It also means for DC, ending a lot of heartbreak since 1982. Looking at Pro Hockey Reference, they have had so many first and second round exits, the question was whether they would win a Stanley Cup at all. A few other guys have cemented their legacies as well. This is something they will savor for the rest of their lives.

Hockey has a new place for the Stanley Cup.

Hockey's Support For Each Other

There will always be rivalries. There will always be hate between certain players. However, there will always be a care from each other. With hockey, it has shown the support and love that they have following and since the tragedy of the Humboldt Broncos. It is going to be felt for a long time due to a number of players being very young and the amount of heartbreak from the various families that may have lost loved ones.

For a quick question to what happened, a tractor trailer crosses into an intersection and crashes into the Bronco bus on April 6. The death toll stands at 16 at the moment, which includes players, coaches, statistician, radio person and athletic trainer. The other 13 are left with injuries, with some still in the hospitals. For this Saskatchewan hockey team, the support and thoughts from all over the world is something to be amazed.

It really reflected with the NHL. A number of these players originate from Canada, and hockey is possibly their most popular sport in all their provinces. Some of these players, and coaches probably grew up near where the Broncos played. A lot of the NHL teams, if not all of them, paid tribute to them whether in the playoffs or final games of the season. It's not just families that are devastated. The entire league is upset. These are very young people. Kids in a nut shell. They live on those buses, something players and coaches think about. They spend hours upon hours on a bus and they knit themselves together to have this bond that you don't really see in professional sports, NHL at times included.

As of now, a GoFundMe has made 15 million dollars in support of the families. Whether there will be charges on the truck driver is another story that won't be concluded for a while. It's about as deadly as you can get from a non plane crash tragedy involving a sports team. There will be lots of heavy hearts and whoever wins the cups in Canada and America will certainly be honoring their wins to the Humboldt Broncos.

Hockey may be a sport you see more hits and knockdowns, but their support for each other rivals anything the other sports have.

Another Year, Another Capital Disappointment

When a team does well almost every year, that team's fanbase expects a championship almost all the time. For Washington D.C., they haven't seen anything major since the Redskins 1991 football team win a Super Bowl. Since that time, the Redskins have been putrid for a very long time. The Nationals in baseball have started to pick up as a serious team. However, we are looking at the Capitals, the hockey team that can't get past the hump.

Since 1982, the Capitals have been one of the more stronger teams in the NHL. Starting from 82 until 96, they would make the playoffs every year, often losing in the semi-finals or conference finals. After an off year, the 1997-98 team would make its only Stanley Cup appearance, where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings. For the next six years, they would make the postseason three more times before the 2004-05 lockout. Since 2007, they have been one of the more dominant teams, but have squandered big series against teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins.

In all honesty, this should be a team that could get past the hump and show a bit of energy. They fought back a three to one Penguins lead in the series to tie it up, and then lose once again in a game 7. Alex Ovechkin is one of the biggest names right now in not just the NHL, but hockey in general. Washington had one of the best defenses and set of goalies this year. The main scoring groups are young and can stay together for a long time. How much more disappointment can there be for them?

Time will only tell if they can beat a Pittsburgh or a New York team. This is one of their biggest obstacles. Can they get past a lot of these mental mistakes? Can they get past all the stuff that they hear from the fans, the press, etc.? Blocking it out could work. You would think so. Ultimately, the Capitals have to focus on hockey come September/October. Frustration is going to mount and either they get that championship or they start losing key players to trades, retirements, and or injuries.

Right now, Ovechkin has at the very least five to eight more years left barring any injuries. Washington has a very tough division which include the Rangers and Penguins. Their conference also has the Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and whatever surprise team gets in at times. The time to get serious on being contenders is now. If they don't, time will tell when they have another good era that can get them a Stanley Cup.

Who is the Face of Major League Baseball?

ESPN did a poll on people's top 50 favorite athletes. Within it, it was a mix of current and past players from various sports. Out of a number of unrepresented, baseball was at the bottom. The best one was out of the top 10, and that was Derek Jeter, who hasn't played a game in two and a half years. Out of the rest, only Babe Ruth and Pete Rose made the list. It has caused the big question and the title of this blog. Who exactly is the face of Major League Baseball?

There are a lot of players to consider that are in their prime, young faces that can last a very long time in the league. You can pick a lot of them. One example mentioned on ESPN was Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. He is essentially a five tool player. There's a reason he is a two time MVP. He's got power and speed. There is patience at the plate and averages less than three errors a season since coming into the league in 2011. Unfortunately, one problem persists. Trout is with the Angels. They haven't been putrid during his career, but only one playoff appearance hurts him being one of the premier faces. The American League is a tough one. This year, everybody in the East has a chance. The Cleveland Indians in the Central have a good chance to make it back to the World Series. Detroit might have a chance just to get in the postseason. The West has the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, two teams that could really make an impact on the season if there isn't any big setbacks. Trout seems like the easy choice, no doubt, but on a team that has been mostly average or mediocre, it's hard to know. The article on ESPN did mention he's not looking to be a face to the sport, but it could change at some point in his career.

As far as American League players go, there's not too many I can think of right off the bat. There's a few Detroit Tiger players. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are guys you could possibly think as a face of baseball. The downside is that they may have another four to six years left in their careers before they decide to call it quits. One of the Baby Bombers of the Yankees could be one. Boston has Jackie Bradley Jr and Mookie Betts that could last a long time in the MLB. Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros could be one if he stays consistent in his career and has no off years. There's a few other players on that team like Jose Altuve, George Springer and a couple others that could really show off the new generation of ball players and give sports a reason to show them as the face of baseball.

The National League has it a little easier, but it's still a difficult task. Instantly, two players come to mind. That is the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper and the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant. Harper has been a very energetic player who can provide enough  pop at the bat. However, he has issues that has lead to ejections. Hopefully, he matures to where he can be a little more disciplined and improve on his average a little bit. Bryant has lit up the MLB in his first two years, and winning the World Series is icing on the cake. He has that offensive power despite the high number of strikeouts. His defense could be a little better, and cutting out the errors would help in the long run. He's got an MVP, and Rookie of the Year. This star will keep shining and so will the Cubs for the next five to six years. Bryant might be the guy who can lead baseball into the new generation.

With the rest of the NL, there are some players that I could see as face of baseball. The West has the pitchers in the LA Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner, and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Grienke. These guys are tough as nails players that will strike you out looking over and over. Someone on the Mets starting rotation could potentially be one. Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins could be one if he could stay healthy. Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates is one of the veterans that reeks of being the face of baseball. There is quite a bit of young players and seasoned veterans that could really shape the sport and be the one that people can think of when they think Major League Baseball.

This may seem fine and dandy, but one of the problems I see is MLB Advanced Media and the MLB website. Depending on where you live, you are stuck with whichever local team or teams you can get on cable unless you watch ESPN and Fox telecasts or pay for a subscription on MLB's website. My personal thoughts is that baseball does not have a strong presence on social media. When it comes to YouTube, Advanced Media is one of the most strict and almost dictator like companies. They take this stuff extremely seriously. Even when they have tried on their own uploading games or clips, it's a mess. Good luck finding anything that hasn't been uploaded, (and probably never will) or isn't a week or so old. You know how the NFL honored the late Dennis Green? Through fan voting, they put up for free the entire Thanksgiving 1998 game of Green's Vikings against the Dallas Cowboys as an effort to show each team's best three games. Major League Baseball will never do that.

The NHL and NBA put up a better presence of YouTube than MLB. There's a channel that has all sorts of hockey fights and they have been on that site since the early days. You can probably find short clips of some great games like Kobe Bryant and his 81 point performance back in the mid 2000s. With MLB, good luck finding a short clip that isn't someone from the fucking stands recording on their cell phone. You really have to weed through the site to find games, and it's not even if I had to guess, two percent of all the games that have telecast since at least the 1940s. Unfortunately, MLB Advanced Media controls everything. They're not putting up an effort for people to watch baseball clips. Nobody is biting to subscribe on YouTube. As of now, MLB only has over 700 thousand subscribers on their channel. The highest for any individual team is the New York Yankees at 12 thousand. That's embarrassingly sad. The lowest is the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at one point four thousand. People balk at the sport and don't buy into what they are trying to do. They are trying, but very, very barely.

For the NBA, they have a huge presence with a subscriber base that is ten times more than MLB as of 2017. And that could rise more in the future. The Golden State Warriors YouTube channel has nearly 400 thousand, a few hundred thousand away from what MLB has. The NBA knows how big social media is. They are probably one of the more looser sports leagues and allow people to upload clips of stuff like Tracy McGrady and his 2005 comeback against San Antonio. Seeing some of the great dunks can easily be found. This is a league that knows its audience and wants to keep that and make it grow to high levels. Even the NFL has put up a better effort in two years than MLB has in five, six years. They are a little strict, but they don't hate the Internet.

Moving on to the MLB website, it's a convoluted mess. Odds are you're not going to find anything unless it's less than 24 hours old. Even finding older stuff is next to impossible. The thing is Advanced Media wants you to go to that site. Without anywhere else to go to, you really have no choice. Regarding players being the face of baseball, you don't hear much from them unless you watch SportsCenter highlights of stuff that is older than a day. You don't see commercials of baseball players often unless you're on the local cable channel that covers the specific team. You can easily see NBA players on TV all time promoting the latest footwear or food. There's NFL players with stuff like State Farm Insurance. Even NASCAR has drivers like Kevin Harvick promoting products on channels when a race isn't going on. MLB has none of that. There might be a commercial here and there, but there's nothing major. I've seen pretzels at grocery stores with Mike Trout's face on it and that's it outside of baseball cards and video games.

Unless you follow MLB overall or a specific team and/or player, you're not going to find much on Twitter or other sites unless they did something good or blew a game. If baseball wants to get recognized again, it's going to have to do a lot of things. The front offices need to realize social media is a big deal. They really need to figure this out quick. MLB Advanced needs to really put an effort to show that they care on YouTube, but I doubt they ever will. They got to let people be confident in showing clips of great plays over the years and get used to the idea of people wanting that form of media.  There can't be any laziness, which can easily be seen the last six to seven years.

MLB needs to get out of the early to mid 2000s. Their archaic approach is not a good one, and they really need a new generation of followers considering a lot of the baby boomers are going to pass away in the next year to 20 years. I know it means they have to get out of their comfort zone, but in today's world, it means more than just money and ratings. If they can't do that combined with the overpaid salaries of players and executives, MLB might not exist in another lifetime or generation, depending on how their luck runs. Perhaps they should look at how the NBA does things. It could set up a blueprint for how to be a top sports league on the Internet.

NCAA Hates the East Coast?

The NCAA has an interesting championship game for tonight when Gonzaga faces off against North Carolina. One could say it should favor the Tar Heels, but with the way the Bulldogs have played, they might have a chance. This begs the question, however. Why does the NCAA hate the East Coast? As usual, the game begins at 9:20 PM for anyone that lives in that part of the United States.

I get that it's tradition and all, but this really needs to stop. If it were a Saturday night game, there wouldn't be too many issues. Monday night is pretty bad for anyone that has to go work that starts anywhere from six to nine in the morning, give or take. Not to mention any children that have to get to school the next day. They can't even watch the entire first half. I understand getting ratings, but wouldn't it make more sense to start the game at 8:15 PM or maybe 7:30 PM for that matter?

Major League Baseball received a lot of criticism for their World Series coverage in the 2000s. The big complaint was games starting after 8:30 at night. They have tried to address it, but problems still arise. Some from MLB, and other times, the teams who turn a three hour game into a three and a half, maybe four hour game. I do not see a daytime World Series working. At the very least, starting at 7:00 PM would certainly get people to at least watch most of a game. They should be lucky that last year's Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs actually got more than 40 million viewers for Game 7. That's lightning in a bottle that probably won't be replicated again.

I'd say the Super Bowl is the only championship game in all sports that starts at a decent time. The NFL knows exactly when to start and knows that the audience will be there, no matter what, until the last play of the game. For NCAA Football, it's not the best with their time choice, but not as bad as basketball. It should go for at least a 7:30 PM game. I'm not even sure that the NHL is worth criticizing since it isn't a ratings juggernaut. However, 8:00 PM is not a horrible timeslot to begin a game. Depending on penalties, shootouts, and other calls like off sides, it shouldn't take that long.

Much like the MLB, the NBA has endured a lot of criticism for its still current approach to scheduling Finals games. With exceptions of Sunday games, their games begin at 9:00 PM. That is the sweet spot if you were a TV show like Cheers or the original CSI.  Much like last year's World Series, it has been lightning in a bottle the last few years for the Finals. Seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors duke it out for six, seven games has seen big numbers since the Michael Jordan years. NBC struggled after Jordan retired for a second time, and ABC had a hard time early on attracting audiences since getting the rights for the NBA for the 2002-03 season.

For them to get the rights in 2002, ABC struggled. Their first five years saw some pretty bad numbers in 2003 and 2007 for the Finals. Sandwiched in between were series that had notable teams and players, but saw some declines that were noticeable until the last few games of a Finals that went more than five games. It was still not as good as NBC ratings for the NBA. Starting with the 2008 Lakers and Celtics Finals, it has seen a steady growth in ratings due to the growth in a lot of big name players and teams that hadn't won or had the makings of a championship team.

Anyway you slice it, sports like the NBA can justify starting late at night because of the growth. The NCAA had its best ratings for the Final Four in over a decade and could rise following. It hurts anyone that lives on the eastern or even central time. But if it is a close game towards the end, the networks and leagues know everyone is going to watch. Those last few innings in the World Series last year was very intense and had the ultimate drama.

Is it really hating the East Coast? I don't know. I feel like it is, especially when lots of people have to get up to go to work or school. Until the numbers see a huge decrease (which seems very unlikely), networks and leagues can keep justifying starting late. Greed can sometimes not be a happy thing.