Archive for the ‘Team Sports Covers’ Category
NHL Playoffs “Chippiest”
A recent article I read in USA Today claimed that this year’s NHL post-season is the “chippiest” it has been in six years. In 19 games there have already been 724 penalty minutes recorded. That’s nearing the 804 penalty minutes given out in 19 games back in 2006.
Some of this intensity can be accounted for when you consider that there are a lot of first-round series match ups that pair up regular season rivals. When that happens, the level of animosity is going to be ratcheted up several notches. That was clearly on display at the game three match-up of the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. At the end of the day, a hyped post-season is good for the bottom line; how many NHL tire covers do you think have already been sold?
Notre Dame Women’s Basketball
After losing in the championship game of the NCAA women’s basketball division 1 postseason, the Fighting Irish had a serious chip on their shoulder. This past postseason they played for redemption. They’d been hoping to square up against the Aggies, the team that defeated them in the final, but the University of Maryland women’s team took care of Texas A&M in the round prior to facing off against the Irish.
While it was not unexpected that the Irish would win against number two seed Maryland, it was pretty shocking that they were able to shut out the UConn women, a fellow number one seed. Irish fans should be very proud of their women. I hope they support them by purchasing tons of Notre Dame grill covers, tire covers, and other fan gear.
Kings Over Canucks
Going into the NHL post-season, the Vancouver Canucks were rated a Western Conference top seed. Thus far, the Los Angeles Kings have been able to push the Canucks to the brink of elimination. In their last match up, the Kings won the game 1-0.
Dustin Brown has been the star. He scored his fourth goal of the post-season in the third period, thus extending the Kings best of seven lead to three. Last year the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup finals, so I’m sure they’re looking to rally. It would be a shame if I had bought up all those Canucks NHL grill covers for a premature victory party.
Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye!
Last night my husband and I stayed glued to our television watching the championship game of the NCAA basketball post-season. Our alma mater didn’t play in the tournament this year, so we threw our support behind my brother’s current school, Kentucky. I don’t normally root for the heavy favorite, but I made an exception this time.
For what it’s worth, Kansas State really gave the Wildcats a run for their money. In the last few minutes of the game the Jayhawks really started to bite into the Wildcats’ lead, but could not muster up the power to overtake Kentucky. Too bad for all those Jayhawks fans; nobody makes ‘second runner up’ Kansas State grill covers.
What Will Happen to Tebow?
Tim Tebow inspired millions of followers with his iconic pose and prayer. It wasn’t enough to keep him in Denver once Manning was up for grabs. Tebow, provided there aren’t any further hold ups, will be playing for the Jets next season.
This led me to wonder, what will happen to the legions of Tebow fans? People all over the country scooped up Tebow fan gear, even though he may not have played on their favorite team. Do you think that these fans will continue to support him and buy Jets fan gear? Just out of curiosity, I’ll be keeping an eye on NFL tire covers sales to see if I notice any spikes on Jets memorabilia.
Pulling for UK
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually hoping the Kentucky wins the NCAA post-season. I’m not a fan of any of the teams that made the final four; however, my in-laws both work at UK and are pulling hard for their team. My husband and I will be visiting with them when the finals are on, so we’re going to root for UK to help blend in with the crowd.
It should be a fun time. Since I’m not emotionally attached to UK it won’t be devastating if they don’t take home the title. If they win, then I think I’m obligated to purchase some UK NCAA college tire covers for my in-laws…I think I should re-check that bet!
Traveling Through Virginia
The University of Maryland has three rivals in the state of Virginia: UVA, VA Tech, and JMU. While those schools have no love for UMD, they’re more focused on defeating each other. UVA and VA Tech in particular have a fierce rivalry.
While in the marching band I had the opportunity to travel to away games at each of the Virginia schools. I’ve joked to people that you can tell where you are in Virginia by the NCAA tire covers. For instance, the further south you go, the more Hokies tire covers you see.
Shocking Behavior
March Madness, unfortunately, brings out the worst in some college basketball fans. I recently read a news story that a basketball player was taunted with racist chants by a few members of the opposing team’s pep band. When I read that band members were the instigators, I was shocked.
When I was an undergraduate I had the privilege of traveling with the basketball team to the post-season. It was made abundantly clear to those of us traveling that we were representing our music program, our school, and our state. Bad behavior would result in being sent home immediately at our own expense. This isn’t to say we couldn’t have fun. I remember a time when we convinced fans outside the arena to give us NCAA grill covers and other memorabilia in exchange for playing a few tunes.
Moneyball
I don’t know why it took me so long, but I finally watched the film “Moneyball” this past weekend. As a film, I thought the movie was fantastic; Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill really brought their characters to life. What was far more interesting was the strategies put forward from Michael Lewis’ book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.”
The sabermetric approach is now used throughout the MLB. The closing credits of the film even mentioned that the system helped my beloved Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Though I can’t claim to understand all the analytics, I did walk away from the film with a new appreciation for the role of GM and a desire to run out and buy some Boston Red Sox MLB tire covers.
March Madness
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes folks, March Madness is upon us and I could not be happier. Though the men’s NCAA postseason is always exciting, I’m looking forward to seeing how far the Lady Terrapins from the University of Maryland can go. They just came off of a stunning win against Georgia Tech to clinch the ACC tournament title 68-65.
I’ll also be keeping my eye on the UConn women – perennial favorites- as well. I grew up in CT so I’ll always have a soft spot for the Huskies. My dream championship match-up would have the two teams playing each other, but that is unlikely to happen. Still, I’ll be ordering NCAA college grill covers from both universities, just to hedge by bets.