The Los Angeles Clippers came to town in 1984 from San Diego (and Buffalo before that). Nobody paid too much attention at first and you could basically get free tickets with the purchase of 5 gallons of gasoline. They’ve had their peaks and valleys over the years and enjoy larger attendance numbers today but you can still get tickets pretty cheap.  Sometimes still free with the purchase of something else. 

I have noticed changes through the city with respect to the “other” NBA team. There are more Clippers billboards now, and you even see people wearing their jerseys. After the new complex is finished in the LAX area there should be a big advertising blitz that draws even more attention to them also.

What am I trying to say?  Well, it just all feels really odd to me. My team is filled with both prima donnas and underachievers. Gone are the days of every player being a future hall of fame inductee.  Turning in unremarkable outcomes in recent seasons, players like Kobe Bryant garner more headlines for what they say then what they do. No one seems that excited about Phil Jackson anymore and the team is more of a tourist attraction now. “Real” fans have a tough time getting decent tickets to the games since they are a place for celebrities and wanna-bes to be seen as part of the fake L.A. scene.  (Fake L.A. scene as in the one that the transplants come here and try to make, not the one that really exists!) Only one of them, well actually two are real Los Angeles Lakers fans. 

I know, we are really spoiled in Los Angeles; more than one nearby MLB and NBA team, MLS soccer, surfing, close snowboarding, great food, awesome weather, and remarkable shopping.  I wouldn't trade any of this, I just miss the NBA basketball team that I grew up infatuated with.

My Tampa Bay Buccaneers played an exceptional first quarter today and then decided to fall asleep on me. Too bad the game has four quarters! Argh! I really thought they could make something happen this year. My #1 team(s) the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders never even made it to the playoffs - so the time has come for auxiliary cheering methods – jump on the bandwagon! I have planned out who I will be rooting for next week for sure (remaining season afterward to be determined):

Go San Diego Chargers! This is my number one choice of course, being a Southern California native. LaDainian Tomlinson is not only remarkable, but a role model with his quiet confidence. You never see him trash talking, he simply does his job and does it well! I am fully allowed to root for them as they were once the Los Angeles Chargers and I actually lived in Del Mar for a period. Also, I have been to Seau’s and had a cigar (alright, he isn’t there anymore but that’s not the point)!

Go Jacksonville Jaguars! I am so very impressed with David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew. Besides their impressive, spirited performances, I can rationalize rooting for them a few ways. I went to college in the great state of Florida and Maurice Jones-Drew is a California boy that went to UCLA. (And yes, I watched him in college and admired his performance then and even sat the next row over from him at a Los Angeles Lakers game once.) I mean seriously, David Garrard is a class act so how can you not root for him!?

Go Green Bay Packers! I have to admit, Brett Favre has made a believer out of me. How can you not be intoxicated by his enthusiasm and love for the sport? I could only hope to emulate a tenth of his work ethic.

So make fun of me if you want – I know the rest of you are rationalizing who will be your bandwagon team too! I’ve heard ‘em all from rooting for your division or particular conference to the state you most want to live in. An old classmate of mine always had these intricate webs of who his bandwagon team would be. It was sort of like a six degrees of Kevin Bacon game where he would talk about who his girlfriend’s cousin went to school with that was on the practice squad or something like that.

Alright, I am a staunch advocate for exercise and living healthy but why must these so called professionals continue to taunt “the big guy”? Did these people not get enough grief from the kids in school? What makes the announcers so freaking perfect that they have the right to judge anyone? Let’s not forget, this is a sport that was dominated by drink-swilling white dudes that were a bit out of shape until Tiger Woods came along.

Now that golf is a more mainstream sport, children look up to and aspire to be PGA Tour players. When they watch these events and hear the commentators make “fat comments” they see it as acceptable. Certainly this validates their own actions to make fun of a heavy classmate or taunt that kid down the street with a few extra pounds. Let’s grow up folks!

The first time watching a game at Tropicana Field I was very impressed. Here was this architecturally interesting dome that had some great modern amenities. Compared to my Chavez Ravine (pre-refurbishing – before the new rows and seats were added), it had the luster of a new car. Comfortable seats, plenty of interesting vendors, and I was pumped to be there. But all of the locals complained! I came to realize that the city had a strange love-hate relationship with the Rays. One fan told me that he didn’t like them because of the timing they released their inaugural season tickets. He felt they somehow were undermining the Bucs when they weren’t very good. Others told me they hated the dome. Huh? How can you hate the dome? I was told baseball should be played outside. I agree – its just that the area has severe thunderstorms in the summer. The thought of a full-time open-air baseball stadium in the area was odd to me. Regardless, almost no one I encountered in the area had a favorable view of Tropicana Field. I thought it was just fine. In fact, I quite enjoyed every game I attended there.

The rumor I hear from my pals in Tampa is that they are proposing a new, retractable-roof venue near the water. I think it’s a great idea as long as they handle parking efficiently. Either way, I hope the area will come to appreciate their team more. I know there are fans that do, but I got the overall impression the prevailing sentiment is lackluster.

In the first half I noticed that there are some really strong young guys that are following in the footsteps of that great, Super Bowl winning D. Barrett Ruud has over 100 tackles for the year. Phillip Buchanan has about 59 tackles on the year and an interception today (his second this season). In addition, Jermaine Phillips has 83 tackles for the season. Don’t forget Jovan Haye and Gaines Adams with 6 sacks apiece. I was so excited when the broadcasters were announcing those stats that I almost tripped on my way to the kitchen! Luke MCown is proving to be a viable backup as well. While he does make some rookie mistakes, he completed 21 of 28 passes against Carolina. Overall, his completion percentage is just over that of Jeff Garcia. I sit in excited anticipation for the game next week. I only wish I could fly out and actually be there! Fire them cannons!

I really have to mention someone else that impressed me this weekend, the last of the NFL regular season. While I have never been a New York Giants fan, I have to give them and Eli Manning a lot of credit. They refused to go quietly and I really thought they had a realistic shot at winning Saturday. I have always been of the opinion that Manning was in the league due to nepotism, but he has silenced much of my doubt. I grudgingly admit that he made me a believer in his skill. Next week’s game in Tampa should be interesting.

One last note – how about those Jacksonville Jaguars? They are the epitome of impressive and I’ll be pulling for them in the AFC. They’ll need all the support they can get in that tough conference.

I remember Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy. I recall how cool Pat Riley was as the head coach. I can still hear that Red Hot Chili Peppers song about the Los Angeles Lakers…

All those championships, the teamwork, the feeling you got when you watched them play – I can’t seem to find any of that today. Now my team seems to be riddled with prima donnas and disappointment. I can still remember where I was when Kobe Bryant was accused of hurting that young woman in Colorado. I believe that was the beginning of the end. While I kept an open mind at first, I eventually soured to the whole thing. This young star had lost some of his luster in my mind. After things blew over and he started bad-mouthing Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson my attitude toward him was tainted further. This is not endemic to Los Angeles either; other players have made mockeries of the teams that pay them millions. Now don’t get me wrong – I can totally appreciate trying to get the most salary from your employer. I am also a staunch proponent to speaking up when you think something is wrong. But honestly, some of these NBA divas go too far! I guess when I hear complaints about one of the best centers to ever play the game and a hall of fame caliber coach; I have to scratch my head.

There is a bright spot in the sea of disappointment though – LeBron James. This young man is truly a class act. I must admit, I was skeptical when he was drafted in at such a young age. However, this gentleman has proven himself to be a real role model and a credit to his profession. I can only hope others will follow his lead and rekindle my love for the NBA.

Congratulations, LeBron - on being a shining example and your 9,000 point milestone!

At any rate, as we approach week 17 it is time to get everyone’s two cents and crazy predictions. This is the time in the season where we get those wild scenarios about teams that need help getting into the playoffs. You know, like they need four teams to lose and another two in different divisions to win. Someone is bound to blow the fact that they have control of their own destiny as well. The New England Patriots will also be interesting to watch and see if they can get into that elite class that is only occupied by the 1972 Miami Dolphins. They are playing the New York Giants so if they sit their starters out there is always the chance they’ll lose…we’ll see.

While I was going through the web to see what would be the interesting, meaningful games to watch this weekend I came across a most disturbing article. Alright – many of you will mock me for this but it has to be said. The title of this piece was something to the nature of a “Girlfriend’s Guide to Football”. It started out by informing us that football is played in four quarters of fifteen minutes each. I won’t even go into the remaining absurdities telling girls not to ask about home runs or baskets! Can we just get something straight? While I do not claim to be Rich Eisen or even Jim Rome, I am not ignorant to the NFL simply because I am female. I don’t assume that all men cannot cook and hate to shop.

At any rate – I’ll continue to have NFL.com as my homepage and spend hours obsessing over scores and plays. And in the meantime can those of you who believe women have no idea about sports can you do me a big favor? At least give us the chance and ask us first!

We got to the stadium early enough to see the kickers practice and other players come out and stretch. Having great seats in one of the end zones, we had an awesome view of the action on the field. As we were waiting for kickoff, Derrick Brooks came over to the edge of the field near us to stretch. From about five rows back some 49ers fans yelled at him – saying that he “sucks”. What? Seriously? Derrick Brooks? Were they nuts? While I understand ragging on the opposing team, I don’t understand when fans are outright disrespectful (and oh so wrong) like that. Here is a guy that has been to the Pro Bowl for most of the seasons that he has played, has a Super Bowl ring, and will more than likely go to Canton. My normally laid-back spouse couldn’t contain himself and asked Mr. Brooks to show them his ring and we’ll see him in the Hall of Fame. I swear he smiled at us - there was no way he didn’t hear the whole exchange.

At any rate, saying Derrick Brooks sucks is like saying Bryant Young, Brian Urlacher, or Reggie White sucks. These are all excellent defensive players that have had long, fruitful careers. I thought about it for a while and eventually felt sorry for the fan that delivered this tirade. It was too bad that he couldn’t think of a better insult. You know, like something about his mother.

Alright - so I am getting off track. Thursday’s game on the NFL Network was the Los Angeles St. Louis Rams vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. The mighty Steelers won in what turned out to be a pretty good game to watch. I was working through most of the game but had time to notice that Steven Jackson is a really big dude and Ben Roethlisberger has a really big head. Not that I am perfect by any stretch of the imagination as I am sure people would have plenty to say about me if I were on television.

Alright, so I am off track again. What I was going to say with all of this is how interesting the NFL has become. Growing up with the sport pre-salary cap, you always had the old stand-bys that won. The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, and Pittsburgh Steelers made appearance after appearance in the post-season and nearly every other team was just window dressing. Later, when the cap came along things slowly changed. The shift has been interesting and it has taken me a bit to become accustomed to teams from smaller markets and without storied pasts gaining prominence.

So what is the point? Well, I noticed how Marc Bulger had some miscues and thought about when he Kurt Warnered the actual Kurt Warner and took the starting job. It is quite interesting how the Los Angeles St. Louis Rams were once unstoppable and are now laughable. (Although I don’t feel sorry for them – see a previous post explaining my love for their owner.) Now, the two dominant NFL teams are one that couldn’t win for many years and another that rocketed from near obscurity. It sure is peculiar how things change. The San Francisco 49ers stink and the New England Patriots are a dynasty, oh and wait – the Indianapolis Colts are the reigning Super Bowl Champs. Go figure!

Well, today it finally happened! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finally returned a kickoff for a touchdown! Woohoo! From a new face nonetheless! I looked outside and there are no donkeys flying but it has been a bit cold…

This game against the Atlanta Falcons was vintage Buccaneer defensive football! With the first touchdown coming courtesy of a Rhonde Barber interception, the D continued to cause turnovers and embarrassment for the Falcon offense. It was quite an emotional game that had the players duking it out on a few occasions! More importantly, the Bucs clinched the NFC South title.

It is always so much fun to watch your team pummel their opponents (37-3)!

Miami Dolphins!

The hapless Miami Dolphins can sleep tonight! They will not go winless this season as they managed to stave off the Baltimore Ravens in overtime. When Matt Stover’s 44-yard field goal attempt was no good, the Dolphins answered with their longest drive this season! Yeah Dolphins!

Jacksonville Jaguars!

In a most remarkable feat, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at home – in the snow! It is no small accomplishment that a Sunshine State team was able to hold off the Steelers under these conditions. This broke the Steelers unbeaten-at-home streak.

Overall, the state of Florida can celebrate tonight. Not only because they are not buried in snow, but because their NFL teams showed everyone that they won’t go away quietly. I am really proud of my second favorite state in the nation! Yeah Florida sports!