Monday April 06, 2009

The Best Day of the Year

The Best Day of the Year
I know this is a Clemson blog but today I wanted to take a step away because this is the best sports day of the year. If you are a sports fan, today is your day.

The National Championship Game
Most sports fans love March Madness. They love filling out their brackets and love telling you about them. In that way, brackets are like grandchildren. Grandparents don’t want to hear about yours but can’t wait to tell you about their grand children.

Even if you are not a big sports fan chances are you will watch the national championship game tonight. Big sporting events bring in the fringe fans. Events like the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, The Masters and the World Series are big events because of the number of viewers. No sport has enough hardcore fans to make it a mega-event. That status comes when you bring in the non-fans and the fringe fans. That is what will happen tonight when the Tar Heels and Sparty square off for college basketball’s biggest prize.

Big sporting events also provide us with vivid memories. Even fans are not who huge basketball fans can remember Lorenzo Charles’ dunk or Keith Smart’s shot. The image of players and coaches cutting down the nets are lasting ones. That’s why tonight is so such a big deal.

The 2009 national title game is a big deal because of the storylines surrounding the game. It’s hard to think of a two seed as David vs Goliath but when that same team got beat on the same floor by the favorite by 35, the game has a big underdog.

This game also gives us the feel good storyline. The economy is bad everywhere but especially in Michigan due to the auto industry. But Michigan State has done a lot to unify the area in a home state Final Four storybook setting. Tonight we will see 72,000 people will pack Ford’s Field with about 65,000 pulling for Sparty. Some will be pulling for the underdog. Some will be pulling for the home team. It doesn’t matter why but the fact is there may not be a game that has this many fans pulling for one basketball team.

I saw two Michigan fans yesterday at the Walker Course and asked them who they would be pulling for tonight. Both Wolverine fans said Michigan State. Can you imagine a Clemson fan pulling for South Carolina in any situation?

Since this is a Clemson blog, the game tonight has Tiger fans’ interest since a conference foe and a rival in North Carolina is involved.

So tonight is the perfect storm. We all know who to pull against. We all don’t like the stinkin’ Tar Heels so it is easy to know who to pull against. But the underdog and feel good story of Michigan State gives us someone to pull for. It is a lot easier to pull for someone than to pull against the other team but tonight we have both.

Now if I can only stay up for a 9:21 PM tip.

Opening Day
Today is the official opening day of Major League Baseball. I know Braves fans are excited about the fantastic start last night but today is a big day for the other baseball fans.

Opening day means spring is here. I know some fans will argue that many teams can’t spend with the Yankees and Red Sox but even the most negative fan still has to love opening day. Today is the day where everyone is tied for first (excluding the National League East). Everyone is still undefeated and hope springs eternal.

Clemson has three former Tigers on opening day rosters including two fresh starts. Kris Benson is a great story. After arm trouble and surgeries in recent years, the former number-one pick has made the starting rotation for the Texas Rangers. I met Benson for the first time two years ago and I could tell from the 15 minute conversation that he was frustrated by the injuries. He was working hard with his rehab and it looks like the hard work has paid off.

Khalil Greene gets a new start with the St. Louis Cardinals. He has to feel energized about a franchise that is more of a contender. Few organizations have the support like the Cardinals have. I think this will work out very well for Khalil.

Jeff Baker remains a mainstay for the Colorado Rockies for the past four seasons but he was the subject of a lot of trade talks this past winter. Baker has seen his playing time increase including 299 at-bats last season.

I am not sure Benson, Greene or Baker will be in the post-season this year but at least they can think it on opening day.

The Masters
The third big deal in sports today is the first practice round of the Masters in Augusta. Like the national title game tonight, this is the kind of sporting event that brings in non-golf fans. Few sporting events are as consistent in bringing the drama that Augusta National gives us each year.

This year we have another former Tiger in the field and for a while Sunday it looked like we might have added a second. Lucas Glover had a chance to win at Houston which would have gotten him in the field this week. But Clemson fans will have D.J. Trahan to pull for at this year’s Masters. This will be Trahan’s third trip to Augusta as he will try to make the cut for the first time.

For Tiger fans today is not Clemson-Carolina or the ACC basketball tournament. But former Tigers will have be in the news again starting today and for most sports fans, today is the best day of the year.

The Week
From a Clemson standpoint, this is a big week. The baseball team gets two shots at South Carolina in the mid-week and has a weekend series with Miami. Thousands of Tiger fans will get back to Tigertown this weekend for Dabo Swinney’s first spring game as the Tigers head coach.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Sandy Wright, Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, Edward Putman, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Anna Rawl, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naemi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfahm,Vincent Lee, Martha Bryant Carr.