Help me pick a new team to follow
Hi.
Okay so I floated this idea on Twitter yesterday and it generated a surprising amount of interest. Here is the basic premise: next year, in addition to everything else I write, I think I want to blog about one team for the whole season.
I think what I’ll do is spend August doing some hardcore research, then start blogging about the team in earnest come September. Yes, I’m really that bored.
The only thing is, I don’t want it to be a team I’m very familiar with, and I don’t want to pick one on my own, so here’s what I’m thinking: why don’t you tell me why I should blog about the team you want me to cover?
Leave a comment, send an email, whatever. Just convince me why I should waste nine months of my life covering a team that’s probably going to miss the playoffs. Maybe I’ll take the four or five best answers and you can all vote for them, I dunno yet.
Anyway, team suggestions. Get on that.
Sounds good? Sounds good.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Chelsea.
Barring football, I suppose Tampa might be a good choice. Yzerman obviously has his shit together, and Stamkos is getting better. Hot up and coming team if I ever saw one.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
the Lightening might be interesting this year. Or maybe the Atlanta Thrashers or Phoenix Coyotes, to pick from the smaller names in your tag cloud to the right.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I suggest the Predators. This way they can actually have a fan.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
are you very knowledgeable about the caps? were looking for a stanley cup run, but we have some rookies coming up too…. i think that would be interesting…
July 19th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
oh man, i’m laughing already at the idea of reading your thoughts on an edmonton blog.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Random number generator:
I wiped the NW (as you’re probably familiar with them, and drawing Minnesota would be an excruciating torture.) and then took out the following teams, because most everyone is pretty familiar with them and their roster, and I assume you are too: Detroit, Chicago, San Jose, Philly, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal, Washington.
This leaves these teams 1-18:
1 ANA
2 ATL
3 BOS
4 BUF
5 CAR
6 CBJ
7 DAL
8 FLA
9 LAK
10 MTL
11 NJD
12 NSH
13 NYI
14 NYR
15 OTT
16 PHX
17 STL
18 TBL
I went here (http://www.random.org/) and set the limits as 1-18.
Winner: 17
Congratulations St. Louis Blues. Lets hope this isn’t like the time they won the draft lottery and got Eric Johnson in the drafts after Ovechkin then Crosby went #1.
Although I think you should just say screw it and blog about Nashville.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
I really think you should follow the Rangers. Your insights and persistent ridicule on their front office mis-management will make the disappointment that will be the 2010-’11 season that much more enjoyable.
Avery is clown, Lundqvist is handsome, Boogaard will make $40,000 a game, Gaborik is sure to get hurt and Tortorella might actually bite a reporter this year. I think you should do it.
July 19th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
DALLAS STARS!
July 19th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Just follow your Flames. You know Darryl Sutter is a genius.
July 19th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
The Devils would be cool for me, and you’d get Parise/Kovalchuk + Maclean adjusting to the NHL.
But I also kinda think the Kings or Lightning are the way to go. So Devils, Kings, or Lightning. not very helpful, am I.
July 19th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
as a rangers fan, I agree with matt - i would absolutely love reading you demolish that stupid team every day…
but that’s kind of an obvious choice. if you don’t go for the rangers, do columbus. maybe eventually when i talk to people about “the columbus blue jackets” their reaction won’t be “is that a real thing?”
July 19th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
You’re the Pred’s #1 enemy…who else is going to blog about them?
July 19th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
I think you should follow a team in the South of the US. Your choice who, really.
July 19th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
I’d love to read everything you could say about Rangers for a season. Like Matt said above, there is plenty of material…
July 19th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Atlanta Thrashers. I need a Buff fix. I also looked forward to the day Akim Aliu got to see Steve Downie in a real game for his revenge. Now that could happen. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
Make it happen.
July 20th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Definitely the Predators.
July 20th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Tampa seems like a decent pick, but they have potential this year. I’d hate to see you waste your blogging on a successful team.
My vote goes to St. Louis. They have arguably one of the worst logos in sports nowadays, and once Halak starts losing games who knows what he’ll do.
If St. Louis is out of the question, go with Columbus (the other Nash, no he doesn’t play for the Suns) or the Islanders as they get smothered in the bottom of the Atlantic. Nashville really only has some wacky names going for them (Erat, Tootoo), I’m sure you could have fun with that.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Maybe it’s too easy to do Los Angeles because they are a (or becoming) a high profile team but I say do them anyway.
They might prove a challenge if you’re looking to apply sarcastic edge humour to them as they are fairly sound top to bottom.
Even management refused to cater to the demands of Ilya Kovalchuk (good on them).
I’m not a Kings fan but I’ll be following them a little more closer this year and living in Canada I don’t get much info on them.
Thanks.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
the Kings might be the most interesting team to watch. They’ve got a lot of homegrown players that are getting better each year and are having more of an impact in the lineup. Basically they’re the perfect poster child for the “new NHL” with the salary cap forcing teams to draft well and groom their own players.
If you want to beat a dead horse, you could always cover the Coyotes.
July 21st, 2010 at 1:57 am
I suggest the Atlanta Thrashers or the New York Islanders.
The ingredients of fan disinterest, financial trouble, horrendous short term track records, mild threat of relocation, and on ice cheerleadering is tantalizing.
Plus I like a Charles Wang’s wallet/Don Waddell’s hockey sense/Garth Snow’s resume/Rick Dudley’s porn goatee joke as much as the next guy.
At worst you can foam at the mouth over Tavares/Kane and still get some sleep knowing they might not suck FOREVER!
July 21st, 2010 at 1:59 am
The Rangers would be a natural transition for a Flames fan, but I’m in favor of Boston: a hilarious GM, an easily mockable fanbase, the presence of Seguin and Savard…you’ll never run out of material.
July 21st, 2010 at 2:14 am
P.S. Awwwww man I am too late. I don’t even have a sarcastic comment about the Lightning, they are pretty likable.
July 21st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I believe you should cover the Florida Panthers.
Not only do you get to see Dave Talon try to rebuild another successful team from the ground up, but you get to see a marketing department try to sell tickets while the Heat are obviously going to be the main attraction.
Plus, you get to b*tch about Steve Bernier missing open nets!
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:05 am
You should try following the Hurricanes. I think the amount of humor coming from your Staal/Ward rages would be great to follow, and it’d be pretty cool to see the amount of insight you could give on a sort of chaotic team that is more bipolar than Sutter’s decisions.
Regardless, you should get into one of the lolsouth teams for sure. Nashville/Phoenix/Atlanta/Florida teams are all fine, but the Canes would be my favorite to see.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Going outside the box on this one… go ECHL instead! I suggest following the Las Vegas Wranglers… aside from awesome special uniform nights (girl scout unis, rod blagojevich prison unis, etc) they’re a lot of fun to watch, especially when they’re playing the Alaska Aces. One game I went to last season included the Wranglers goalie getting run three times, and finally snapping and whaling on the guy who took him out with his blocker for about a minute before he was pulled off (game misconduct, and suspended of course). Best part? They were wearing camo uniforms for military appreciation night. Are they as skilled? Well no, but they’re a lot of fun to watch.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Oh, and they’ve made the playoffs for the last 5 or 6 years running. Kelly Cup, but still.
July 25th, 2010 at 4:47 am
I am a hardcore Wings and Canucks fan and I think you should cover Tampa Bay… they have the most flipside potential this year and with guys like Levalvier Stamkos and StLouis you wont be dissapointed. Not to mention Hedman going into year number 2. I like Yzermans pickups so far and resignings. He’s looking to be a good GM allready. Give them a year or two they will be back at the top.
July 31st, 2010 at 1:55 am
Do the Sabers. they have been stuck in good mediocrity forever. They will never go anywhere and have a dependable fanbase. + be amazed by Ryan Miller.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Just blog a whole division… More specifically the southeast because it garners 0 attention outside of Washington.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Phoenix. You were the only person to predict they would make the playoffs last season, so pick them to win the Cup this season.