SUPER WEDNESDAY

North America (NA) started week 4 of the LoL Championship Series (LCS) with an action packed Wednesday. The results can be found here, however the predictability of the outcomes understates the excitement of the matches. I can honestly say that today has revitalized my love for, and interest in, the LCS. So much so that I've attached today's footage to the end of this post, and insist you watch as much of it as possible if you missed seeing it live. Briefly, here's some takeaways from today's matches. 

Early 3v1 Tower Push Meta

Reminiscent of the Korean proclivity to prioritize global objectives, the trend of pressing 2v1 lanes with early tower kills has streamlined into a predictable time table (around 3:45-4min). It's natural in one sense, given that the timing of minion waves and jungle clear allows for a timely 3v1 gank. Previously, it was instinctual to defend the tower at all costs by calling for your mid or jungle and likely dying to save it; often in vain. Now the current meta is to let the tower fall and simply execute the same play on the other side of the map. On one hand, it's a great play that creates a lot of potential for roaming and ends the laning phase early. On the other, there are the benefits of actually defending the tower and keeping the lane phase going. 

What's ideal for stopping a 3v1 tower push so early in the game? Jungler assistance in lane to keep the lane from being pressured so hard, or having your mid take teleport to allow for either a 3v3 or a 2v3 with the jungler free to cover mid or attempt the same play. Granted, you'd want champs that actually scale well from laning in a 2v1--Cho'gath comes to mind. 

Regardless of this trend fanning the flames of a supposed "NA Sheep" mentality, I'm happy to see a meta that enforces such early game aggression and roaming. At best, it better conditions NA teams for Asian early games. At worst, it's fun to watch until teams develop better strategies to counter it. 

The Rise of Vulcun

After Vulcun Command's (VUL) success last week, they've managed to get their record to 4-7. Whether it's Zuna's yelling or adapting to the pressure of competitive play, I consider them the most formidable of the newer teams. Despite being ranked below MRN (currently ranked 5th at 3-4), I feel their momentum and attitude will continue to propel them forward--for the time being, anyway. Time will tell if they're special, or merely finding their footing after playing so many games. 

I still expect them to lose to TSM in their next match, but hopefully it's a good match. 

AP Tryndamere

For those of unfamiliar with the idea of AP Tryndamere or why he's OP, here's why: 1.5:1 ap scaling heal, 1:1 ap ratio for his E (spinning slash). Maxing CDR and stacking AP makes him a godlike split-pusher and duelist. Despite the impending nerf to his heal that's currently on PBE, I'd expect AP Tryn to become even more popular as the NA sheeple begin to insta-lock him as much as possible. Luckily, there is a slight skill curve that will allow decent players to capitalize on band-wagon noobs. Not to mention he can be countered with either hard cc + focus, or having a team that is extremely hard to 4v5 against (thus nullifying the advantages of a split-pusher). 

As much as I love abusing AP Tryn, I'm not looking forward to seeing people try to play my guilty pleasure. At least the next patch has Quinn to look forward to. After playing her on PBE, I'll probably spend the RP for the skin bundle. 

Gagne Flying the Orange and Black Again!

Flyer fans get noisy! Gagne is back...

The Los Angeles Kings dealt Simon Gagne back to the Philadelphia Flyers for a conditional fourth-round draft pick. In the heading I said get noisy, but really this is only decent news for the Flyers at best. He might only be a serviceable second liner anymore, but if he gets back to form under the orange and black, Philly can get pretty excited about their team.  Gagne was a one-time 47-goal scorer in Philadelphia, and he scored 30 or more goals four times.

However, Gagne has yet to score a goal this season for the Kings, and his two seasons in Los Angeles have been marked by injury and disappointment. He has played 45 games, registering 22 points. Pretty shitty for such a versatile and hard working player. He did return from a concussion to play four games for the Kings in last spring’s playoffs, earning the right to have his name etched on Lord Stanley's Cup

But is his lack of production a systems problem in LA, or is old man Gagne (32) just too old to produce in this new fast paced game. In this short season, production is a necessity to survive. If he doesn't get his ass in gear real quick with the Flyers, they will continue to hopelessly pray that Bryzgalov starts actually do something between the pipes.

Where is the NHL at the 1/4 mark?

Every team in the NHL is at the 1/4 way  mark of this abbreviated season. Having a season this short is a mixed bag. Teams that made big off season acquisitions (eyes on you Minnesota)  found themselves at a disadvantage by not having a get to know you period where the first ten games or so don't mean shit.

Production is at its highest price in this short season, as almost every loss has some divisional implications. The difference between a team with only two regulation losses and a team with only 3 or 4 regulation losses is the team with only 2 losses is hanging on to playoff positions, while the teams with only 3 or 4 are on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in. (Hell, even the Bruins with only 2 regulation losses on the season are 5th in the East.)

As for the power rankings, the West still holds the top spot with the Blackhawks still without a regulation loss on the season. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the 'Hawks are red hot and will not be pumping their brakes in the foreseeable future. Kane, Toews and Hossa are some kind of goal train just running down the tracks to lighting lamps. These kids are producing like a seasoned NHL crew of veterans.  Good luck stopping it. They have tied the NHL record for best start in a season. And each team before them to go 16 without a loss have hoisted the Cup. No biggie.

But lets take a second to take a look in at the Bruins. The Bruins have won a fistful of games with only one goal deciding.  The Bruins, thanks in part to their power play, simply aren’t potting goals commensurate with their skill level. The bruins having virtually the worst power play in the league is nonsensical. Not having Seguin and Krejci together more is becoming a bit tiresome too (figure it out Claude).  The B's have tallied only 37 goals  and only five teams have scored fewer. Low scoring means tight games which can become coin flips. Right now those flip are going our way, but one or two the other way and I am writing about how the Bruins need to figure their shit out or revamp.


There are quite a few teams making splashes so far. The Canucks made a strong run to pull themselves out of a terrible start to the season, but have let slip two 3rd period leads putting them into a 3 game spiral. Their usually high scoring offense is still in the dumps, as they only have a +7 goal differential.  I would also like to add that the Canucks are also super douchey, a team full of assholes and divas. The Sedin Sisters better lock it up and Kessler better earn his bucks or they will be looking at another early playoff ass beating (if they can hold on to make it.) Either way, 'nucks fans have shown that they can handle a disappointing season in the past.

Best Hockey Duo...A Retrospective

AJtheSecond in his greatest sports duo of all time blog invited me to explore the greatest hockey duo of all time. I will say this, for a non-hockey guy, the Gretzky Kurri duo was very well picked. Not a sexy duo with tons of fame for being such, and his argument has teeth.

However, as hockey fans will know, there are just too many situational factors that comprise a truly great hockey duo. With that said, allow me to take a crack at what I think are the greatest hockey duos of all time. For the most part, they will not be put in order because each fan will appreciate each duo differently. Here we go...

First up is Jagr and Lemieux

 

These sly sons of bitches locked up Lord Stanley's cup  during their run, in back to back appearances after dominating their division. Two natural born scorers that were blessed with the size to impose their will upon anyone who dare get in their way. Two of the leagues top scorers just doing what they did best.

P.S. Jagr also has a magnificent flow. Combine that with his always swangin gold chain he wears while on the ice and you have an absolute tang slaying knight on your hands.

Next up comes Gretzky and Messier

This combo is well known for many reasons aside from being a goal scoring machine nearly unrivaled in hockey history. Messier was the nasty corner man throwing sauce to the slot for Gretzky to do what he did best, which was bury biscuits. However, it is important to add that Messier was also willing to bleed for Gretzky. You want to hit the great one? Messier will beat your ass. You want to talk shit to the great one? Messier will beat your ass. Hell, looking at Gretzky funny caught you yet another Messier ass beating. Serious power duo with a string of Stanley Cups to prove it. 

And in my opinion, the greatest hockey duo of all time is...Stevens and Rafalski

For true puck fans you will understand the significance of this duo. First an foremost, they were the lead defensive pair for a team that hoisted Lord Stanley's cup THREE times and made nine cup final appearances. But more importantly than that, these two revolutionized the trap defense. These two running a back side neutral zone trap led to more huge hits than any other team produced. It even ended a couple careers (I'm looking at you Eric Lindros).

You know what...queue the vid!

And there you have it, a simple puck head's humble opinion as to who might comprise the greatest hockey duo of all time.

P.S. Any of you cried to yourself "but what about Crosby and Malkin?" should go jump off a cliff. Crosby is a douche. If you want a modern Pens duo, look to Neil and DuPuis.

Big Time Sports Duos

So ESPN is doing their daily "let's all worship Michael Jordan for his birthday" segments for the next couple weeks. MJ was probably the most relevant and successful athlete of the 90s, and it IS black history month, so I guess they've got something there. I was tuning in today hearing Skip Bayless push the chips in against Stephen A. Smith and they raised an interesting question: Did Jordan's pairing with Scottie Pippen constitute the greatest sports duo of all time? I think you can make a case it may have been the most internally successful duo in terms of wins. I think you could make a case it was among the most effective duos in terms of execution. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the presence of Phil Jackson and his "triangle" strategy (who won another three rings with another great basketball duo in Shaq and Kobe Bryant) really hurts the argument it was the hands-down greatest coupling. Here is my countdown of the best bromances in north american sports history:

Honorable mention: John Stockton and Karl Malone


These guys were money, but I think they really only deserve recognition because of the longevity. Together, they endured the ups in downs in Utah. Stockton's sensational ball-handling skills, aggressive man defense, flopping ability, and court vision played well off Karl Malone's natural athletic talents, court smarts, and determination in the paint. Stockton ended his career the NBA all time assists and steals leader, both records that will probably never be broken. Malone would end his career chasing a ring as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Detroit Pistons would deny him in a Finals appearance. Stockton + Malone is arguably as good as Jordan + Pippen, but they don't have the rings and so they don't have the glory. Still, they mattered.

5. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade


My dislike of LBJ is well documented, but you've got to the respect the man called "the King." As far as I'm concerned there's only one King in sports, and that's Mariners' pitcher Felix Hernandez. I've always liked Wade's game, however, and I think he's more or less a class act, serving as an excellent role model for basketball-worshipping black men and a fine ambassador for the city of Miami. LBJ might be the most athletically gifted man in the world at the moment of this writing, but he would still be suffering question marks in the "champion" column had he not jumped Cleveland's burning ship and landed on Miami's beach. Forget Chris Bosh and forget Erik Spoelstra. Forget all the other irrelevant role-players. Bottomline: this duo allowed what might be basketball's greatest athlete of all time to finally get over the hump. If they can manage another five rings, history will surely consider them much better than Jordan-Pippen. But it'll never happen.

4. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush


You can't talk about sports duos without mentioning these guys. Two Heisman talents on the same team. USC was in the mud before these boys showed up and made college football in the mid 2000s sexy. Leinart was constantly fighting for his job and that chip on his shoulder facilitated absurd statistics from the QB position. Reggie Bush was a hot commodity out of high school, and with Leinart lighting things up at the sticks and down the field, he could put his bottomless and near undefendable versatility on full display. While they've both disappointed in the NFL, they embarrassed nearly everybody who dared to challenge them on the college football field. If not for the coaching talent of a squat old man in Texas and the sheer will of another NFL fizzle by the name of Vince Young, their 2005 USC team would undoubtedly be considered the greatest of all time. Fucking chokers.

3. Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri


I don't know hockey. I know the basic mechanics and the basic strategy and how, basically, you win the game. I don't know the history, I don't know the dynamics, and I don't know how their front offices work. But god damn it, I know about Gretzky and Kurri. Gretzky, like Jordan, is considered the GOAT of his sport. Records for days. Situational statistics that boggle the mind. As a player for Edmonton and beyond, he could do it all. But he did it best with his BFF Jari Kurri on his wing. They stacked up Stanley Cups and laughed in the faces of their enemies. They epitomized teamwork. They were fantastic. Maybe one of these days Jeff can explore this relationship a bit more utilizing the proper jargon, but if you don't know hockey like I don't know hockey, at least wiki these two. Complete bad asses.

2. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice


Yup. You knew this was coming. And with good reason. In the 80s, Coach Bill Walsh couldn't get the ball rolling in San Francisco. Haters would tell him his system couldn't work. Morons would suggest he ditch the west-coast. But once "Cool" Joe Montana got his bearings and their defense actually stopped sucking, Rice would emerge as the single greatest wide receiver in the history of the league. Joe made some big time throws and showed up on the big stage like nobody we'd ever seen before. Quarterbacks today are compared against each other to the finest detail, and the "Jesus" bar will always be Joe Montana. Tom Brady is close. Peyton Manning is in the conversation. But Joe Montana did "the things" that you can never be considered a great quarterback without being able to do. That's his legacy. Meanwhile, all Jerry did was execute, execute, execute to the tune of 4 world championships. He was a monster athlete with the perfect combination of size, strength, speed, and smarts. A decade and a half of accomplished defensive backs and defensive coordinators who had to face him, at the mere mention of his game, usually utter the same pathetic reply, "uncoverable." And we're not talking Randy Moss style uncoverable. Not Larry Fitzgerald or Marvin Harrison uncoverable. Jerry Rice is at the top of the mountain and every other receiver since has barely started the climb. Paired with Joe Montana, he changed the NFL forever. As an NFL fan, no matter what team you cheer for, you owe them.

1. The Greatest Sports Duo of all time is Bill Russell and Bob Cousy


There isn't a legitimate argument against this ranking, and I'm not sorry to say that. I'm proud. If you don't think this is the indisputably greatest sports duo of all time, don't let me hear you calling yourself a sports fan or I will find you and embarrass you. There's never been anything like this combination in north american sports since, and in the age of salary caps and small market competitiveness and national fanbases that travel, we may never see anything like it again. Bob Cousy was the quintessential point guard. Bill Russell was the quintessential center. And in a game that's had its up and downs, scandals, and legion of superstars and phenoms, these two endure as the historical perfects of their relative positions. Most importantly, they won. They didn't win them all, of course, because nobody ever does. But this pairing was, for their time, virtually unstoppable, amounting to 6 world championships. They were politically relevant too, playing in the city of Boston in a time of civil unrest over race matters and communism. With all the divides in Boston, all the ethnic and generational angst, Russell and Cousy symbolized progress in a changing world. They were poise. They were patience. They were brilliance. They were a microcosm of America's overwhelming strength and determination. They were the cornerstone of America's first sports dynasty. They turned their teammates into all-stars and they always showed appreciation for their fans. They loved each other and they loved the game. They are sports royalty and the greatest duo in sports ever.

So that's it. I hate making lists, but I couldn't think of a better way to lay them out. There goes five duos that can be considered as good or better than Jordan and Pippen. There are other good duos that are worth mentioning, but fuck those guys. These five are the best of the best.

Is this bro a hero, or a complete dickhead?

This video comes to you from a high school hockey game in Minnesota. This senior goalie was benched for the season in favor of a sophomore. On this senior night game, when the coaches tried to throw the senior tender a bone, he threw a bone right back. Threw one back indeed.

There are some murmurs that this goalie was ranked number 1 in the state, but was benched in favor of the coaches son (who is not as good, presumably). When he got his one shot to play for the season, he put the puck in his OWN net, which tied the game. He then proceeded to flip his coaches the bird, and saluted them to put the final touch on his shennanigan.

What do you think, is this kid an entitled douche or is he in his right?

P.S. Seeing as how none of the players on his own team did not jack shit about it, I'm guessing his team at least knew he was going to do it.

Swimsuit Models

Kate Upton is not the most beautiful woman in the world. Fact. But she does have the notoriety of being one of only two women in the history of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues to make two covers. Some people say she's got too big of a belly. Some people say she's got a pig face. Bottom line is, she's still sexier than 99% of the competition. Gotta respect that.

Seahawks Over Everything

So we're now officially over a week past the business of Superbowl weekend. Our Seattle Seahawks, of course, could not complete their rally in the 4th quarter of the divisional round and fell to Matt Ryan's Atlanta Falcons. Weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens, at the 11th hour, emerged league champions. I'm not going to recap their playoff run but it is suffice to say that defeating Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and the number one ranked Niners defense all in one go is praise worthy. What I am going to talk about is how, thanks in large part to the steady development of Pete Carroll's defensive cornerstones, and the surprising electricity of quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks have finally returned to powerhouse status. We don't have the rings(yet). We don't have the sexy fanbase with palm trees or year-round bikini weather. We don't have the championship pedigree like the Bill Walshes, Jimmy Johnsons, Chuck Nolls, or Bill Belichicks. But what we do have is youth, playoff experience, a high football intelligence, perhaps the only true homefield advantage in the league, and favorable division matchups.

This Seahawks team is fucking good and it's only gonna get better. For the first time since 2005, we have zero question marks at the quarterback position. Our only real concern there is how much value we're going to be able to fleece out of league bottom dwellers in the inevitable Matt Flynn trade. Our secondary is built to perform against today's receiving tight ends and downfield threats. Our defensive front has some vulnerabilities, considering the lack of quality depth behind Chris Clemons, but our LBs are stout against the run, and some smart drafting or power moves in free agency will clear up these weak spots. Our receivers are not the biggest, strongest, or fastest, but our offensive paradigm is good enough to create mismatches all over the field. Russell Wilson still has maturing to do, and if you're a defensive coordinator in the NFC West, that's scary.

From now until the start of training camp, I'm going to cover free agency moves and concerns relevant to the Seattle Seahawks' future success. I'll break down the draft exhaustively. I'll point out our enemies' moves and how best we can prepare to usurp the Niners as the royalty of the NFC West.

Is it said this draft is deep on DBs and (O/D)lineman, but not much else. I present this week's free agent wishlist:
1. Jake Long (Offensive Tackle, MIA) to strengthen our depth, give us the flexibility to ditch Giacomini, and allow Carpenter to stay at guard where he is a more natural fit. Another option? Sebatian Vollmer (OT, NE).
2. Mike Wallace (Wide Receiver, PIT) to establish a deep pass threat beside Sidney Rice, adding a bit of complexity to this offense. Another option? Dwayne Bowe (WR, KC).
3. Desmond Bryant (Defensive End, OAK) to serve as a solid rotation player who can definitely wreak havoc and force errant throws. Another option? Dwight Freeney (DE, IND).
4. Anthony Spencer (Linebacker, DAL) who excels both against the run and pass at that second level, and can hit the quarterback literally every down if unleashed. Another option? Paul Kruger (LB, BAL).

I would say our positional priorities at this point are, in order of importance:

DE > WR > LB > OT > PR > QB

As moves are made, I'll update these priorities accordingly.
Go Seahawks.

Puck is Back!

Hockey is Back !

While I understand that very few really knew it was gone, let me welcome those of you who missed the fastest game on earth in its absence.

The abbreviated season is off to a tremendous start. The Eastern conference is full of power-house teams that are playing great puck. However, at the moment, it is the West that seems to be running in front of the power polls. Chicago, Vancouver, Anaheim, San Jose and Detroit are all occupying top spots in the power rankings.

The Chicago Blackhawks still have yet to lose in regulation a quarter of the way through the regular season. They also logged their first shut-out in what seems like eternity. (Over 630 days, almost two full seasons of play) Hossa, Toews, and Kane are absolutely on fire, and don’t expect them to cool down. They also have a 7 point lead in the central division standings. 

The “local” team, the Vancouver Canucks, is making a serious run following a terrible start. The Sedin Sisters are not producing like the nucks are used to, and even Kessler seems to be off to a mediocre start. This might change though as they are picking up points.

The Boston Bruins (who are my team and it will be obvious) are looking great as the season reached the 25% mark with only one regulation loss. Although their power play is not doing what it needs to do to put goals up, their penalty kill is leading the league at over 92%. And although not one player is running away with points, the entire bench is making it happen.

That will be it for now. I am hoping that the puck fans out there will help the hockey coverage on this site thrive, and show why the NHL has the best fans in sports. Leave comments, complain, argue or whatever you will. All issues will be addressed in future posts.

LOL Season 3 Pro Circuit Has Begun

Being the inaugural LOL ESports posting, I suppose it's only natural to take a moment to justify why a video game belongs in a blog devoted to sports. Starting with facts before I wax poetic, the season 2 championship last year had 8.2 million unique viewers with a widely advertised prize pool of 2 million dollars*. Moreover, LOL is the first game to spread pro-league, salaried circuit gaming outside of Asia. To misquote the effervescent Joe Biden, "this is a big fucking deal" and serves as an interesting case study in seeing the future of ESports outside of Korea. The success Riot has had so far in monetizing it's large--and ever growing--player base in a free-to-play (f2p) game is interesting enough; throw in regular matches between it's top teams in each region and you're living in a geeky fantasy world come to fruition--e.g. living off playing video games and being treated like a sports star

This is very different from the traditional--i.e. last 15 years--pro gamer, who may have steady income from sponsors but relies on tournament winnings to get by. I haven't found or bothered to look for official numbers on salaries, but things like this are enough to indicate the times are a'changing. Not to imply a correlation between the monetization of ESports and a paradigm shift of how pro-gaming is structured, but the season 3 circuit is new in the US and worthy of attention.

*For more info on the S2 championship, look here.

TLDR; watch this video to get better acquainted with S3 and it's relation to the community.

So, as the title suggests...the first season 3 pro circuit matches have officially started today. Here's a link to the match schedule if you want to peep today's results or upcoming matches.



Notes on 2/7/13 results:
-Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) finishing 2-0 is good to see, as they've done a great job reprising the NA dominance they once cherished back in season one.
-TSM going 1-1 and losing to CLG is not surprising, as they've been off point since the season two championship last year.
-I've always considered Curse and Dignitas about the same skill level, so Curse taking the series isn't reflective of much change in the perceived power dynamics of NA team ranking.
-Good to see LCS teams* (GG University and Vulcun) playing more established teams, though the winners of their matches were not surprising.

Overall I'd say the NA season is off to a good start, though the EU circuit seems to have more suspense regarding the outcomes. Whether this is reflective of better dispersion of talented players, the Euro meta that better emphasizes team play, or my comparative lack of familiarity with the EU scene will become more apparent in time.



*League Of Legends Championship Series teams that were not grandfathered into season three from season two, but had to compete for their spots as salaried pro teams.

My Bears...

After learning about how romantic Jay Cutler can be, I think we can officially say that Mr. Cutler may be more Autistic then Joe Flacco and Eli Manning. Sadly both of those quarterbacks have something that I cannot put my finger on, what could it be.Oh yeah, a fucking Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP. Please don't mind me while I weep into my pillow.

Joe Flacco has a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP. LET ME JUST REPEAT THAT.

True despair is not known unless there is hope to go along with it. Despair tells you to give up, to give in, then the cruel siren call of hope whispers in your ear to give it one more day, one more chance.

7-1

Are you kidding me. How does a team not make the playoffs with those records? I can tell you how, they are the Chicago Bears, and like every other Chicago sports team (I am looking at you, Derick Rose's knee) there is so much promise and it never delivers. How can you spend 100 million on salaries in baseball and not make the playoffs? You are the Cubs (or the Mariners).

The Bears are the only franchise in the history of sports to turn an iconic stadium into something that looks like a toilet?

7-1

How the fuck are you a professional football team who's offensive line is about as functional as road cones, but at least with road cones there is a chance that a d-lineman might trip over one before power slamming Jay Cutler into the field turf of Soldier’s Field. You have to give it to Culter, he is putting his life at risk every snap he takes behind that line and it has shown each year when he eventually gets injured and our backup has a throwing motion that starts on Tuesday and finishes the following Monday. Watching Jason Campbell throw is the equivalent of watching your teams hope and dreams die before your very eyes.

Where is the booze? I need a fucking drink right now.

7-1

And we hired a coach from the CFL. Most of our defense are members of the AARP. But we still have Jay, Brandon, and Matt. Thats all you need right? RIGHT?

The lies we tell ourselves so we can 'sleep' at night.

Obligatory Introduction Post

I’m kicking off this blog with an introduction of sorts. I watch a lot of sports, and I know a few guys who watch a lot of sports; I’ve had a few blogs where I’ve scribbled inconsequential things over the years, and a lot of these same guys have too. So I thought, fuck, why don’t we all get together, put together a sport-centric/random-observation blog under the same banner? We’d make it a collective outlet for our cynicism, grave social commentary, biting sarcasm, surreptitious bigotry (and sexism), and comedic failures. What should follow is that effort.

I’m a big football guy, as are most of the writers I’ve reached out to. Expect football pieces. We’re in the offseason, but for some guys that’s one of the best times of the year. We also like college sports. Every single writer I’ve talked to is or has been a long term resident of the Pacific Northwest, so expect pieces on the Cougs and the Huskies. And expect these pieces to be relentless. We plan to cover near every sport imaginable from basketball to ski-ball to golf to UFC, and we plan to do it in a way that has some flavor. We might even sprinkle in some e-sports coverage. League of Legends is making moves and that’s kinda exciting.

Most of the writers have family roots across the nation. I encouraged them to cover their other teams out in Chicago, Indy, California, Boston, the south, and internationally. I honestly don’t give two shits about Duke, or the Cubs, or the Pacers, and especially not those frauds at Notre Dame, but what with the Sonics seemingly on the return and the Mariners ostensibly sucking much less sometime in the perceivably “near” future, it couldn’t hurt to get to know teams like these as well. As a Seahawks fan, you can’t read enough about teams you might be playing: the more you know, the easier it is to troll the fuck out of opposing fanbases. Really that’s any sport. But Seattle sports fandom in particular can be a love-hate relationship. As in you love your team and fucking hate theirs.

Anyhoo, you’ll get to know names as the pieces come up. Some are going to be articulate perspective pieces. Some are going to be statistics crunches. Some will just be a link to a picture or video with an attempt at funny in 30 words or less. Every contributor is probably going to have pieces that fit into all of the above. It’s gonna be a grab bag. Posts will go up as we submit them. In closing, I just want to say that none of us contributors, to a man (or woman?), give a god damn what you think about anything. Feel free to post comments, and shit up our pieces with your inane criticisms and critiques, but if you disagree with anything we write or claim to believe, you are 100% wrong. Remember that.