Tampa Bay Times columnist Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports:
2 Weeks Ago
3 Weeks Ago
2 Weeks Ago
Worst celebration
Sunday was Hockey Day in America as the country celebrated the great game of hockey. Saturday was Hockey Day in Tampa Bay as the Lightning celebrated the game locally.
So the whole weekend should have been a blast for Tampa Bay hockey fans. But excuse them for feeling a bit sour these days because of the discouraging Lightning season.
Cheering for a struggling team is never fun. But is there anything more disappointing than cheering for a struggling team that was supposed to be really, really good? That’s what Lightning fans have been subjected to this season.
Sunday night’s overtime win notwithstanding, the Lightning has robbed its fans of what was supposed to have been an incredible season. This was a team that was supposed to cruise through the regular season, dominating opponents on its way to a deep playoff run.
Instead, every night is a white-knuckle experience for Lightning fans, and not in a good way. The team has sleepwalked through the first four months, and even if it does rally to make the postseason — a scenario that seems rather far-fetched at this point — you can’t really call this season enjoyable for Lightning fans.
Bottom line: This Lightning season has been a killjoy for Tampa Bay. What’s to celebrate about that?
Best coverage
Okay, even though local fans might not have been all that jazzed about Hockey Day in America, it was covered nicely by NBC and NBCSN, which showed four NHL games. As much griping as fans did when the NHL chose to go with Versus then NBC with its national hockey contract, you can’t argue that the networks have done a splendid job covering the sport. You could argue that not being on ESPN hurts the NHL in that ESPN doesn’t consider hockey a priority on SportsCenter. But it’s hard to imagine ESPN would dedicate as many resources as NBC does to hockey.
The highlight of NBC’s Sunday coverage was fine work done by analyst Brian Boucher on the Rangers-Capitals game. The Rangers broke a 1-1 tie when Mats Zuccarello scored midway though the third period right after a faceoff in the Caps zone. Boucher, who was stationed between the benches, pointed out that it looked like a set play. During a break in play, he leaned over the Rangers bench and asked Zuccarello, who said it was not a set play but that he and his teammates simply read the action. That’s what a hockey reporter between the benches is supposed to do. Outstanding work.
Worst event
This year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest stunk. I thought this thing should have been retired about 10 years ago, and last year’s exciting contest between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon hasn’t changed my mind about that. But basketball fans seem to like it and if the NBA wants to keep having it, I (and you) don’t have to watch. Problem is, you don’t know it’s a bad dunk contest until it’s over. Like this year.
Worst miss
There was only one thing that made the NBA All-Star Game interesting, and that was whether or not former teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant would make peace. The two celebrated on the bench after combining on a scoring play and TNT didn’t show it live? We had to wait until several minutes later to see it on replay? Absolutely inexcusable.
Most interesting comment
The topic of who is better, Michael Jordan or LeBron James, came up on Sunday’s Sports Reporters on ESPN. You could argue all day, but former New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden had an interesting take, suggesting that if you’re talking about all things on and off the court, he would take LeBron. No question, LeBron is much more engaging personally and engaged socially off the court.
"If you’re talking about basketball, on the court, ferocious competitor and we don’t have to go to dinner together?” Rhoden said. "It would probably be Jordan.”
When it’s described like that, I think I’d rather be LeBron.
Worst loss
What a bad break for the Gators basketball team. They have won eight in a row, including a 22-point rout of Kentucky and Saturday’s gutsy victory at Mississippi State. But their March Madness hopes took a huge hit last week when starting center and USF transfer John Egbunu blew out his knee and will miss the rest of the season. During CBS’s Inside College Basketball, analyst Seth Davis was asked if the Gators are the team to beat in the SEC. "I’m not going to quite go there,” Davis said. "Losing John Egbunu is a huge loss. He’s their leading rebounder and shot-blocker. More than any other player they have, he gives this team their identity.”
Best pairing
I’m not a big fan of ESPN’s "crossover,” which is when NBA analysts call college games and college analysts call NBA games. But I have to admit that watching Dick Vitale and Bill Walton call last week’s Cavaliers-Pacers game was a blast. These are two of the most unique voices ESPN has in any sport, and listening to them talk felt like listening to two crazy — yet favorite — uncles talking over Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaking of Dickie V, good for him for calling out all the Kansas fans headed for the exits with the Jayhawks down by 14 to West Virginia with less than three minutes left last week.
"Those fans, I say shame on you!” Vitale said. "You’re not a loyal Kansas fan. These kids deserve better.”
Kansas rallied and won in overtime.
Best news
I’m totally cool with President Trump turning down ESPN’s offer to pick a March Madness bracket because, frankly, I didn’t care for President Obama doing it. Why? Because I don’t care about anyone else’s bracket, including the president’s. One rumor I saw this week is that Trump won’t pick a March Madness bracket, but he could pick a playoff bracket for the Kontinental Hockey League.
Three things that popped into my head
1 The NHL Network is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie Slap Shot. For the record, Slap Shot is the greatest sports movie ever. Don’t come to me with Hoosiers or Field of Dreams or Bull Durham or even Kingpin. I’m not debating this!
2 Ran into now-former Sun Sports broadcaster Todd Kalas at Rays camp last week and it reminded me just how strange it will be watching the Rays this season without hearing his voice.
3 My new favorite tennis player is Genie Bouchard, who agreed to go on a date with a Twitter follower if the Patriots came back to beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl. She paid up by taking the University of Missouri student to an NBA game. Well, a Nets game.
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