Jam Finished...Who's Next?

We found out on Home Turf Wednesday that the Bakersfield Jam were calling it quits and leaving the NBA D League just three years after the club was started. Another Bakersfield sports team bites the dust leaving me concerned about the sports climate in this city.
It's no stretch to point out, Bakersfield is a great High School sports town...parents are dedicated to their kids, they'll enroll them in three sports a year and not miss a game. We'll pack 2,000 plus in for a high school basketball or even more for a football game, but when it comes to minor leagues, we just don't care.
I know you'll throw the Condors on me, but they're an exception. Hockey is foreign to Bakersfield, nobody grew up playing it and thus it intrigues sports fans here in town. Plus the chance of bloodshed at a game and two players dropping gloves helps pack the house. But even ask the Condors and they'll probably admit, attendance was less than they hoped this season.
But when it comes to other minor league sports, Arena Football, D-League basketball, we're just not the market for another side show. Even minor league baseball, the longest standing franchise in the city is on the rocks, with the possibility of the Bakersfield Blaze leaving at season's end.
Since 2006 when the Jam started, we had four minor league teams. The Bakersfield Blitz of the AF2, the Jam of the NBADL, the Condors of the ECHL and the Blaze of the Cal League.
As it stands now we've lost a second soldier in this ever growing battle for attendance and overall fan support, and the Blaze could be next. We love our high school sports, football especially, but we can't get behind minor league teams for some reason. Maybe we have too many options on TV, maybe we're too busy with jobs and kids sports, but we're very close to becoming the Syberia of the minor leagues.
And Wednesday night, call it fitting but the lights kept going out at Sam Lynn Ballpark forcing the postponement of the Blaze-Modesto game. Ironic? I think so. The lights may be going out for good on that franchise soon, and we'll become a one-trick pony again.

Forgive Me

Maybe it was the week at DisneyWorld making me believe that dreams can come true. That's the great thing about sports, they can make us believe in the unreal but more often than not harsh reality is served. Just like Michigan State was served last night be UNC.
Treated to a healthy dose of Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansborough and a dessert dish full of Carolina Blue. No happy ending here for Michigan State, this was a horror film.
The largest crowd ever to watch a college basketball game didn't get to see much of a game as Michigan State coach Tom Izzo pointed out. And kudos to UNC for taking that crowd out of the game before they even thought about becoming a factor.
Glad to see the better team won, I thought MSU had a chance at the upset. So much for that, gotta get those damn Disney thoughts outta my head.

NCAA Title Game

I totally had Michigan State in the final, the first time I filled out a bracket. I really did, I said it on air. Then I managed to erase everything and start over thus finishing with a sub par effort even by my standards.
It seems everywhere this season it was a guessing game. On brackets all over the country people were surprised, and I was glad to see it. One prediction I did get correctly, was the parody between the top teams in the country. Notice there wasn't a true Cinderella this season. Michigan State's the closes thing we have, and they're a 2 seed. At least we had Villanova too.
Excited to see the Big East not make the Championship game. After all their smack talk it goes to show it doesn't matter what you do in the regular season, but can you perform when the lights on the big stage go on.
Should be a good championship game. Lots on the line for Michigan State. Things are so bad economically in Michigan that Michigan Wolverine fans are reportedly cheering their green rivals on tonight. Unfortunately a championship for that state won't do much to change things. But for maybe one night someone out of work in Michigan might be able to focus on something other than harsh reality, and maybe something as unreal as the Spartans knocking off North Carolina.