No, not surprising at all, but come on! "Michael Arace commentary: Nash pays for lack of respect Columbus gets" Monday, January 28, 2008 5:21 AM By Michael Arace THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH ATLANTA -- We know our city to be a thriving sports market, the epicenter of a college football cult, a place where pro sports are intently tracked, a city with one major-league team that has a healthy following of well-schooled hockey fans.
If well-schooled hockey fans means that they know that the guy still standing after a fight is the winner then, okay, we have well-schooled fans. Otherwise, no.
This depresses me. If a sports reporter working in an MLS city doesn't think enough of the Crew to call them a major league team... I shudder to think of what everyone ELSE thinks of MLS.
Well, he is certainly doing his best to enhance Columbus' inferiority complex. "Until the Blue Jackets become a consistent playoff team, they will remain second-class citizens at the league's gala events.... Unfortunately, there are times when the city in general, and the Blue Jackets in particular, are not held in any esteem. They will remain expansionist trash, even Nash, who is one of the brightest stars in the game -- as he proved to anyone who bothered to watch last night." Except I don't remember the Edmonton Oilers being so hot when Wayne Gretzy won the league most valuable player for three years in a row (ultimately eight years in a row) before Edmonton got swept in the Stanley Cup finals in his fourth year. "Those last two goals Nash scored were highlight goals," Iginla said. "I was thinking he'd get the MVP, but I guess being on the losing side hurt." Well, duh. Arace makes a good point about last year's losing side MVP, but still, MVPs on losing teams are rare. I'm really sorry Nash didn't win the car. You're upset because Arace doesn't include the Columbus Crew as a major league team? I would be a lot more upset that he just poored gasoline on Columbus' inferiority complex flames. Do we really want to know what Arace would say about what the rest of the world feels about the Crew, or MLS for that matter? He did use the phrase "spot-on", however. He most know something.
The real truth of the situation is many think Columbus' only pro sport is OSU football. There's plenty of average sports folks that have no idea there's NHL or MLS in Columbus.
I consider myself to be one of them. Never was a hockey fan, never will be. And ever since the strike a couple years back, that mindset has been solidified. Atleast MLS can get our All Star game on ABC. Even the WNBA gets their All Star game on ABC (atleast they did in the past)....
I think that blog should have as "it's" goal to stop being a piece of s#&@. That would be a good goal.
this is a funny video. it will be so sickly awesome if guille and magic start clicking early and we just ******** the shit out of every team this year
He also forgot about the Destroyers(if you consider that Major League). Email him and let him know what you think: marace@dispatch.com
Back to that blog: Did anyone catch that comment from the Chicago fan about "driving back to Chicago is like watching the evolution of man at 75 mph"?? Wow. If stealing banners from fans who did absolutely nothing to provoke you, starting fires in the stands, going up to random fans wearing opposite colors and assaulting them, and being hauled away by the police, all in the name of supporting your team is "evolved", then i'm happy with my status. (I know that not all Chicago fans are like this, but unforunately, as we all know, it only takes one moron to spoil the bunch. Unfortunately, Chicago seems to have groups of these people.) Someone else (eboe??) mentioned San Jose. That astonishes me, that they can have a great on-field product, several marquee players, several MLS Cup titles to their name, yet be forced to move to greener pastures because they're ill-supported in the stands. I remember seeing their attendance listed as anywhere from 8-12K. At the same time, ours seemed to be at least 13K.