FOOTBALL VOID

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

I've been looking for sporting events to fill the FOOTBALL VOID with mixed results.

Basketball would be the natural filler for me, but in the NBA my team--the 76ers continue to be less than mediocre. The NBA All-Star weekend was disappointing overall with a weak slam dunk field (thought Lebron was going to spice that up?), a "Celebrity" Game where Michael Rapaport (who?) was the MVP with 4 points, H-O-R-S-E, and the most interesting thing about the NBA game was that they got over 100,000 fans in Dallas Stadium.

I've been getting more interested in College Basketball with March Madness on the way, especially in the Big East where Villanova (always want the Big 5 teams to do well) & Syracuse are at the top, although Georgetown recently beat Nova and this week almost finished a great comeback vs. Cuse. No March Madness ramifications, but We Are! Penn State! has won 2 Big 10 games in a row including beating Michigan (always enjoy beating the Wolverines in anything) yesterday.

Having worked for Penske at one time, I'm a casual fan of auto racing and tuned in to see Danica "Go Daddy" Patrick's NASCAR debut in-process last week just as she crashed out & this week she finished, but near the rear--3 laps behind the winner. I'm a "Tiger" golf fan, so his "sex addiction" has eliminated that as a possibility. Also Tennis never really captivates me until Wimbledon. Finally, I've not really gotten into the NHL (besides the Winter Classics which are very cool) since their Strike/Lockout.

This year we have the Winter Olympics to help with the FOOTBALL VOID. Our hometown hero, Allison Baver lost last night in one of her speed skating events, but will be watching as she still has a couple more shots at medals. Right now on ESPN, there's a 1980 Miracle on Ice (I was at a concert at Shippensburg when they announced that stunning upset of the Russkies) story that just got me warmed up for tonight's Team USA vs. Team Canada match-up, as we try to beat Oh Canada in the Olympics for the 1st time since 1960 (yes, 1960) which was actually The First Miracle on Ice. I know it's only a preliminary round game, but gotta fill the FOOTBALL VOID.