Questions to be answered by the next person to post in the thread

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

[Maztinho 0]

Since Buckwild there didn't ask a question, I'll kick one out in his place... letting the announcer one ride too, since that's how we've started to roll.

 

Bear in mind I'm not searching back through about 7 pages I didn't read, so hopefully this hasn't been asked...

 

 

 

Q- Will Las Vegas ever be the home of a major league sport?

[CanadianChris 0]

No. Setting aside the sports betting issue, which is easily handled, Vegas isn't a large market, and there's too much else competing for tourists' attention. There won't be support for a publicly-financed arena, and nobody is going to want to build a stadium that will probably lose money when they could build a casino that will probably make money.

 

Someone give me a real answer for my last question. I'm going to try to get the image of the five smiling demons out of my memory.

[Hawk 34 0]

Vegas did have a pro sports team! Who could forget the legendary Las Vegas Outlaws?

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

No. Setting aside the sports betting issue, which is easily handled, Vegas isn't a large market, and there's too much else competing for tourists' attention. There won't be support for a publicly-financed arena, and nobody is going to want to build a stadium that will probably lose money when they could build a casino that will probably make money.

 

Someone give me a real answer for my last question. I'm going to try to get the image of the five smiling demons out of my memory.

 

My favourite, in no order, are Tom Cheek, Danny Gallivan, Vin Scully, Jim Hughson, and Paul Romanyuk. They're probably not the best ever, certainly not the last two, but they're mine.

 

Also, how easy do you think it would be to sweep the betting under the rug? That seems like a pretty big thing for the PR guys of a franchise to deal with (although I agree with the arena/casino statement), when the first thing that comes to mind with most people and Vegas is gambling.

 

Edit: Swap Scully and Romanyuk for Foster Hewitt and Chris Cuthbert. Order remains the same.

[Guest Vitamin X]

To be honest, Vegas' main attraction for people is the fact that it had been (don't know if it still is) the fastest growing city in the United States without a professional sports franchise, but the biggest problem that's present there is the fact that, and this may come as a surprise to some people of the tourist variety, but not to those who have been there and known people who grew up/lived there, but it's a very low income city and is pretty much only suited for supporting the UNLV basketball teams at the moment. Much like Miami, it's also a big concern for a fast-growing city in that the majority of people there have no real roots established in the town and thus won't have any basis for feeling connected to a local sports franchise.

[CanadianChris 0]

It is still the fastest-growing city in the U.S., but there's a big limit to how much it can grow in the future, being in a valley. I flew home on the red-eye the last time I was there, and looking out the window, it's really striking how the lights just suddenly end at the mountains. It also has no decent-sized surrounding towns that would help make it a larger market.

 

I was surprised to learn that Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump is now the 25th largest combined statistical area in the U.S., though.

 

As for the sports betting issue, the easy solution is simply to take any games involving the local team off the board. That what the casinos currently do whenever UNLV plays in college football and basketball. The stigma comes mostly from the days when a lot of the casinos had mob ties, which is no longer the case. The casinos are very diligent about making sure things are above board. With all the money the casinos now make legitimately, they don't want there to be even a hint of funny business.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Being in a valley didn't stop Los Angeles from sprawling, or a lot of other big cities in the U.S. (I think Phoenix is in one as well). I think the biggest limit to its success is also the fact that there's no real local business outside of the gambling industry- even some of the big casinos are funded by outside ventures, and so it pretty much leaves the city with a ton of low-income dealer/cocktail waitress/janitorial jobs, since there's very little local economy to speak of. Taking that into account, it's not viable for a major sports franchise to make it there, when people can't afford to come to the games (see: New Orleans), and again, it'll take some time for it to take off because of the people that live there. I think what first needs to happen in Vegas is that it needs to grow its local economy the best it possibly can while limiting crime and keeping the city's growth sustainable. Once the population growth stabilizes some, and people start up successful businesses there, then I think you can take a look at Vegas for a sports franchise. When that'll happen, I'm not sure, maybe in about 10, 15 years?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The big problem with Vegas as with Portland, OR is that there is no secondary market to speak of.

 

Five best announcers are probably Vin Scully, Harry Kalas, Red Barber, Ernie Harwell and Harry Caray. Yes, I'm dead serious about Caray, he was awesome before he went insane.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

The big problem with Vegas as with Portland, OR is that there is no secondary market to speak of.

 

Five best announcers are probably Vin Scully, Harry Kalas, Red Barber, Ernie Harwell and Harry Caray. Yes, I'm dead serious about Caray, he was awesome before he went insane.

 

No, no, no. The big problem with Portland is hipsters.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Also, the big influx of immigration and growth it's currently receiving, and the fact that the city is transitioning in its economy with all the out of state people. Portland has the Vancouver/Salem/Eugene markets, no worse than say, Baltimore for example, which is a smaller city and have sports teams in all the ones we don't have a team in.

[Red Baron 0]

I don't see why Portland can support an NHL team. Take Atlanta or Florida. No one cares about them.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Carl Lewis

Carlton Fisk

Carl Yastrzemski

Roberto Carlos

Carlos Delgado

 

No Mailman?

[CanadianChris 0]

Totally forgot, LOL. Says something about his career. OK, scratch Delgado and put Malone in.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I don't see why Portland can support an NHL team. Take Atlanta or Florida. No one cares about them.

 

We have a WHL team, the Winter Hawks. They're awful, and I hate the name, but they're there. Also, a minor league soccer and baseball team, and a lacrosse team. The Portland Beavers (Padres' AAA affiliate) are by far the most popular, the second most popular event in town behind the Blazers, of course. But yeah we'll take Florida's. There's no hockey in the American Pacific NW as it is, anyways. Big empty space between San Jose and Vancouver.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How about Steve Carlton?

[CanadianChris 0]

I actually thought of Steve Carlton, but I drew the line at last names.

[CanadianChris 0]

Next question: What do you consider to be the worst moment and/or lowest point in the history of your favourite team(s)?

[Guest Beastalentier]

In the cases of my baseball and hockey teams, one could make a good argument that every moment is the worst moment.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Tremendous question. All answers will be within my memory. I'll leave history lessons to Al.

 

Tyson bites Evander. His career going to shit after that was just that moment followed through to its natural conclusion.

 

Chicago drafts Rex Grossman. No bullshit, that son of a bitch tanked the franchise this decade.

Via injury: We saw QBs like Jon Quinn.

Via bad play: 0.0 QB rating. Bluto's GPA. This past season.

 

 

 

 

 

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Worst moments, by team:

 

Toronto Raptors - Vince misses the shot that would've sent the Raptors to the 2001 Eastern Conference finals to face a very beatable Bucks team. He had a good look too so it was heart-breaking.

 

Ottawa Senators - TIE: Elias beating Lalime in game 7 of the East finals in 2003 and getting destroyed by the Ducks in the finals last year.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins - Mario retiring in 1997.

 

Indianapolis Colts - TIE: The playoff loss to the Steelers a few years ago and this year's embarrassment against the Chargers back-ups.

[Slayer 0]

Vikings - Anderson's shank. Didn't lose the game per se, but was the defining moment of the game

 

Reds - The fall of Pete Rose

[Guest Vitamin X]

I think we should actually answer this by what we can remember, and not the overall history of our favorite teams.

 

Packers- I can't think of a winner between SB XXXII, 4th and 26, Vick destroying the "Lambeau Legacy", or the 2007 NFC Championship game. The 4-12 2005 season is also up there, but that's just a bad season, everyone's had to deal with those at some point.

Blazers- I haven't been a Blazers fan long enough to justify it, but if I were, probably the 2002 WCF against the Lakers. As a Laker fan, losing to Detroit in the Finals in `04. Although I could care less about that now, but at the time, it kinda sucked.

Rockies- Oh, maybe the past decade or so which was bad enough that I stopped watching baseball entirely until last season? Yeah, it's kind of like being a Cardinals fan in the NFL, or Saints, except without so much as really bad luck but actual terrible play.

 

[bob_barron 0]

NHL:

 

Toronto: The John Ferguson Era.

 

Vancouver: The years after they made the cup, from 96-2001 where they were just a go nowhere listless franchise, and didn't even have Trevor Linden.

 

NBA:

 

Nets: The death of Drazen Petrovic.

 

MLB:

 

Braves: June 2006, and the 10-game losing streak. That was where you knew the division run was coming to an end.

 

NFL:

 

Saints: The 2005 season. With the Saints it's pick any season, but watching them go 3-13 not even knowing if they'd ever go back to New Orleans, losing two BS games, and playing the Giants in a "home" game at Giants Stadium, well that one season was a big pile of suck.

 

NCAA:

 

Memphis Tigers: Darius Washington's missed free throws. Granted, the post-Price pre-Cal era was abysmal, but those missed free throws still kill me.

 

Question:

 

Chicago Cubs, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Blackhawks, Sacramento Kings- who ends their drought first?

[Mike wanna be 0]

Blackhawks. Cubs have a tough NL path to the series, Kings are in the West with the Lakers, Suns, Mavs, Spurs...Cardinals have the fading Seahawks in their division, but the NFC isn't bad enough for them to slip through. Chicago's got a good shot to make the playoffs the next few years as their young studs improve, and those odds improve as the Sakics and Selannes retire.

 

Worst moments:

 

NHL, Toronto: Getting shellacked by the Flyers at least twice a playoff series the two years before the lockout.

NBA: Jordan's retirement, because I stopped caring about the NBA at that point.

NFL: Kris Jenkins juuuuuuuuuuust missing blocking the game-winning FG in SB XXXVIII, followed closely by Kasay's kickoff going out of bounds after they tied the game.

MLB: Mets collapse in 07, closely edges out the loss in the Subway Series that led to a bunch of overpaid has-beens getting dragged in.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

What do you consider to be the worst moment and/or lowest point in the history of your favourite team(s)?

 

Packers - 4th & 26. The reason this frustrates me the most is because unlike those other big disappointing moments where the Packers clearly got outplayed, in this one the Packers had it in the bag and let it slip away. Extremely disappointing.

 

Blue Jays - The final weekend in 1987. Toronto has the division lead going into Detroit and gets swept handing the AL East over to the Tigers. That was heartbreaking, even moreso than in 1985.

 

Raptors - Two words: Rob Babcock.

 

Senators - All of those playoff defeats to inferior Maple Leafs teams.

 

[CanadianChris 0]

My answers:

 

Senators -- The last-minute loss to New Jersey in 2003 was pretty heartbreaking, but I'm going with the game seven tank job against Toronto in 2004, when I realized that this team will NEVER beat the Maple Leafs.

 

Blue Jays -- I'll go with the final weekend in '87 as well, although seeing a supposed playoff contender win only 67 games in 2004 for no good reason is up there.

 

Lakers -- Magic Johnson's retirement.

 

Broncos -- I could say it's the 55-10 Super Bowl loss to the Niners (although they were clearly outmatched before the game even started) or the blowout AFC title game loss to the Steelers three years ago at Invesco, but losing to San Fran in the season finale two years ago, at home, being favoured by 11, where they made the playoffs if they won, and then having their young emerging safety murdered that night is my choice.

[MFer 0]

Pistons-'Sheed leaving Horry wide open in the corner at the end of Game 5 in the '05 Finals.

 

Red Wings-Losing to the arch-rival Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals in '96 after winning a NHL record 62 games.

 

Tigers-Even with all those 100-loss seasons from the mid-90s through the early 2000s, the worst for me now is the Tigers pitchers suddenly forgeting how to throw to 1st base in the '06 World Series.

 

Lions-Paul Edinger (from MSU no less) kicking a 54-yard FG in the Silverdome to knock the Lions out the playoffs in 2000. Ford then proceeded to bring in Matt Millen and Millen subsequently blew up the team to the tune of a 31-81 record since '01.

 

UM football-Appalachian St.

 

UM basketball-I don't remember Webber's time-out all that well, so I'll go with Michigan losing to Minnesota in the 1st round of the Big Ten Tournament in '06. They only needed another win or two to get in the NCAA Tournament, and they completely shit the bed, settling for another NIT berth. Going on 10 years now without qualifying (which is really technically 13 years due to forfeited wins), one of the longer current droughts for a BCS-conference team.

[sfaJack 0]

Next question: What do you consider to be the worst moment and/or lowest point in the history of your favourite team(s)?

 

Cubs -- 2003 NLCS, Game 6, obviously. Not the Bartman play though. Two batters later, Alex Gonzales drops a double play ball that would have gotten them out of the winning and (very likely) into the Series. When he dropped that ball, I knew there was no way they were winning that game or the next night. Just terrible.

 

Cowboys -- This year's playoff loss to the Giants. Easily the most disappointing sporting event I've ever been to because 1) they were definitely the better team and 2) they were dominating the Giants until that last minute drive before halftime. Once NY tied the game, it totally killed the crowd and you could just feel the Cowboys tighten up and play scared football.

[Guest]

LA Kings- Everything.

 

Dodgers...Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort. They and their contracts helped to ruin this team for quite the little run.

 

Lakers- Magic's retirement.

 

Jags- Hmm...falling a game short of the Super Bowl twice.

 

USC Football- Down period in late 90's. It was sad.