Playoffs!

In other news, the NHL playoffs will soon be upon us for the unofficial fifth Canadian season. It's been a long, long time since I've seen playoffs this balanced- I don't know if there's going to be a sweep in the first round, or at all (I know, we didn't have that many last year, either.) Unfortunately, I think my poor Habs are going to get steam-rolled by the Bruins. Boy, they play some straight-up awesome hockey, and it's fun to watch Thomas flailing around like an epileptic cat. I'd pick Boston or Pittsburgh to come out of the East, but that could just as easily be Jersey or Carolina, depending on which goalies show up.

In the West, I just don't know anymore. I thought Vancouver, with the way Luongo's been playing lately, had at least a round or two sewn up, but with St. Louis making that last-game vault up the standings, I'm not so sure. Mason is playing like a man possessed, and I wouldn't want to face them right now. Ditto for Chicago- if Khabibulin rounds into Tampa-era form, they could make some noise, especially with one of the best rearguards in the league. I've picked SJ to go all the way the last two years, and damned if I'm going to do it again- but if Marleau is healthy, and Joe Thonton finally has a decent playoff, Nabokov is more than capable of leading them to the promised land. And I've been wrong about the Red Wings before, but this is the one year I think they shouldn't be underestimated.

It should be a good Spring.

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March Meh-ness

In addition to being an astute political commentator (quit the snickering,) I also have a passion for many sports. When the NHL Playoffs come on, I'm glued to tsn.ca daily for my fix, obsessively checking my pool picks to see how many points I finish out of first place this year. I will scrutinize players, create pre-draft lists pages long, and then I'll shag it all and go on a team hunch (thanks a lot, San Jose.)

One event I just can't get into, however, is NCAA basketball. I just can't do it. Nothing intrigues me about it- some god-forsaken college from West Kentucky is facing off against some powerhouse team from some equally obscure school. Sure, they play hard, but I have no connection to the players, no unanimity in their plight. I don't care who wins or loses. Now, I of course love Cinderella stories, but how often do they happen? A 16th seed has never beaten a first seed; until that happens, I'll remain on the sidelines. Where's the competition if 90% of the games have a pretty much pre-determined result? And until I get an HDTV with some better cable, there's no point in scouring the myriad games for that magical 10%. It's not like I know which team is the underdog without the commentators telling me anyway.

Some people adore March Madness, and if you're into college basketball, I can see why. There are even people who don't pay attention all year, and pick it up just for the level of competition- but these folks are either more desperate or more knowledgeable than I (sometimes both,) and I have no desire to learn a bloody thing about the competition.

Alas. There's 10 games left in the regular season, my beloved Habs are petering out, and it's looking increasingly like a Detroit/Boston or Detroit/NJ final. Oh joy, oh bliss.

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