Friday, March 31, 2017

Cinci Centric Soccer Analysis Update


bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/03/30/heres-how-cincinnatis-soccer-passion-stacks-up

Soccer weather in America is a Wild Card.  Cinci is a lesson in that.

When I think of soccer markets and youth soccer markets, I think of St. Louis, Latino enclaves, North Carolina ........and then Cincinnati.
                                                              Well, at least I thought that before.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Toronto Atlantic Travellers

Would this not be a good name for the next NHL hockey team fitting within the framework of my travel team idea?

It happened before in the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in the NBA of ago.

Just think about it:  A team in Toronto (it's second one) in cahoots with Halifax.
Canada deserves more hockey.  Like Halifax and Saskatoon along with Quebec City.
And all this Vegas, Arizona and Miami stuff going on without a northwest brand hubbed in Seattle or Portland.....well, it's just silly.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Las Vegas Raiders has come True

 click:




Just had the Warriors jump step to San Fran.  I guess it's good they're still Golden State.
I mean, dayamn!!!  What next?  The A's?!

Didn't even give a chance for the ice to freeze over... .

Friday, March 24, 2017

Nifty Names. A Local Twist


Look at some of these.

I just wanna' call the list OG. Teams of today and ago...

I say this with a tone for pride and not as a disparaging snipe:  local yockle unique names.
Can we get a Barn Donkeys next expansion?  ..for Portland, Charlotte?
                     So many.  Google them.
The Sound Tigers of Bridgeport hockey
Iron Pigs
Batavia Muckdogs
Hartford Yard Goats
Altoona Curve
Bowling Green Hot Rods
Mobile BayBears
Modesto Nuts
Richmond Flying Squirrels

Montgomery Biscuits.  Wow.  Love.
Akron RubberDucks
Biloxi Shuckers
Savannah Sand Gnats
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The New Orleans Zephyrs renamed their AAA squad (Marlins) the Baby Cakes.  Gold.
Hot off the press:

Monday, March 20, 2017

Hockey and Hoops near Hampton Roads?

One awesome arena could lure in two big league brands 200 miles south of our nation's capital.

Why not build the best arena in the world for the hook that would seduce the NBA and NHL?

What kind of amenities would be offered up like none other?


See: 

East Coast Whalers of Norfolk and Hartford. A Two-Place Team in the NHL


How bad ass does this sound?:  East Coast Battle Group
Hampton Hooplah?  Norfolk Vikings?
Eastern Seaboards, Virginia Beach Cruisers, Newport Express, Virginia Admirals, Generals

Saturday, March 18, 2017

I demand these. NOW for the Big Five

And I will insist to be free of declaring pairings.

The NBA in Louisville.
Seattle, honestly I don't care.
And really, I'm not demanding a dang fatootin' thing.

The NHL in Portland/Seattle.  Arizona?!  Las Vegas?!  Panther-sized yawn, yo.

More important things to worry about, right?
Big League baseball.  I really don't care.  I'll likely live to see that Portland and Charlotte birth.
Montreal?  Two schits.  I wonder if the likes of Monterrey on the other side of the creek will see MLB regularly before we round the next century.

NFL:  yeah, I don't care about the Colts and I do give a hoot about Bengaldom, but if you put a Kentucky Downs team in Louisville the grumblings of the aforementioned and Titanland would be nifty.

MLS:  you're doing your thing.  The American Soccer landscape is slippery.  My native land of the Queen City flaunted that fact to you.  That list of 10 or so will surely be someday.   San Diego, St Louis and Cinci shifted into the argument with lightning speed, despite their proximity to other markets.  It helps that MLS has expressed a stronger desire for rivalries knocking up against each other.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

The Next Second Team City

Is it Dallas?  Is it Chicago?
What about Toronto in the NHL?

A second NBA team in Chi-town?

Are the leagues going to expand their footprint before doing such a thing anymore?
....Well, Los Angeles, the second largest market, having had no NFL teams for 20 years, got two more.  The Rams didn't move to Portland or the Chargers didn't move to Toronto, now did they?

I don't think so, but....
If so anyway:
     NBA:  Chicagoland Flights
NFL:  Chicagoland Troops
     MLB:  New England Colonials (Boston)
MLS:  Chicago Blue ....Chippers
     NHL:  West Coast Ghosts (San Fran)
                             Spitballin'
But it's really, and rightfully going to be Toronto.



Just some thoughts:  Boston and Chicago rule their states in a clear monopoly.  There's argument in Texas, Pennsylvania and California for their megacities.  So, before doubled up Dallas for another team, there'd be the San Antonio area.

What cities are your choices for seconds?  Sizeable areas (including some twin towns) are the Bay, D.C./Baltimore, Philadelphia and Dallas.  A Philly American League and Dallas National League squad in the future?  Not far from each other is an area in central Texas comprised of Austin and San Antonio.  Austin will get NHL before Houston, right?  San Marcos is a small city in between the two.  Is some kind of football team a good place to tailgate there as a weekly venue?
So much to talk about.

wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas

Friday, March 10, 2017

Will there be a Sims Baseball.....if not MLB The Show Video Game Expansion Option ???


MLB The Show by Brian Mazique contributing for Forbes:
forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2017/03/07/mlb-the-show-17-franchise-mode-is-almost-perfect
[What's Still Missing]
There's still no option to relocate teams or to add expansion teams. NBA 2K and Madden have added one or both of the options, but The Show has yet to take that step. Some may be reading this and thinking: "the game isn't even out yet, how can you be critiquing a mode?"
It's simple. It's safe to say those features won't be included in this year's game because if they were, it would have been revealed at this point. As we sit just three weeks away from launch, I assure you relocation or expansion will not be in MLB The Show 17.
Some fans are pure traditionalists. They only want to play with the real major league baseball teams, but a large portion of us would love the option to locate and create expansion teams with the same create-a-team suite used in Diamond Dynasty.     - - -

Wouldn't a Sims future MLB feature addition be FANtastic?  Imagine if cities like Indianapolis, Memphis, New Orleans, Nashville, Louisville, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Montreal and Portland ..or even Honolulu had a way to lego up their stadium choices.  ... I mean, well, you know, the fans thereof?

The gamers could solicit free architectural graphics from firms wanting their name to get out there even bigger and better.....from any number of cities, to include Mexico City, Monterrey, Berlin or London.  At least let fans pick their favorite parts of existing ball parks and play puzzle Picasso with their wishes.
Would ya' name it the Pines of Portland?

Monday, March 6, 2017

NBA: When Cincinnati?

Which really is asking..... which cities will come before Cinci?

Louisville is looking consensus.  Kentucky's first big league brand in the modern era.

Cincinnatian NBA fans should be nervous about these two city names:  St. Louis and Kansas City.
My money is on KC and their newer arena.
When bigger league volleyball? ...in the blog
And quite plainly, this should be said to the likes of Cinci, Pittsburgh and Baltimore:  
Missouri is without the NBA.  So, KC or St. Louis?



Because of alignment, out for the Western Conference, the likes of Seattle, San Diego and Las Vegas are of little concern for this argument.


Cinci, Pitt and KC are NBA ready, seat-wise.  This, downtown Cincinnati

Friday, March 3, 2017

Awesome leagues yet to be seen

I have posts dedicated to these ideas going a little while back, but these are the leagues I want to see.

And in the next 50 years, for the big five leagues, we could see a minor league farm team dedicated to each team.  I'd also love some kind of lady counterpart.    



Minor League Football (stop mocking the College in college football)
Not enough junk in the trunk // too compact
Pacific Pro League is starting 2018.  NFL Europe wasn't so very hot.  I think a ladies league of flag football would be nifty enough.  I'd prefer those gals in track suits more so than sporting lingerie in a big stadium super setting.

The WNBA is on track.  Wouldn't you say?

Women's Major League Baseball                
              corresponding to their MLB brother clubs

Women's Major League Soccer

Women's Club Hockey teams corresponding to NHL.   And when volleyball explodes........

Portland MLB. Blue Socks? Oaks? the Woods?

Oaks
Woods
Pioneers
Lumber
Beavers?
Many o' time they have been reborn the Beavers in minor league ball.
Rockies affiliate, briefly.
Oregon Mountaineers
Pilots were in Seattle before they were Mariners
       

For now, you have your short-season A-ball team in the suburbs.

Would you share the West Coast Angels?




Wednesday, March 1, 2017

What about Two NHL teams for Canada's Pop. Three ... Plus the Quebec Bulldogs ???

Now, I'm neither credentialed as, or pretending to be a Canadian cultural enthusiast or hockey fanatic.  I just throw out my two cents.

But word has been out for awhile that Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver could support a second NHL team with ease.  Hockey is blood in Canada.  The studies and claims are out there, ... University of Toronto etc and so forth.  Go get 'em.

There was a team in ancient NHL history called the Quebec Bulldogs.  I wonder if the fans would go for that, or would they feel a more nostalgic appeal for Nordiques and Expos?



Could there be 3 or 4 second teams in NHL Canada?  


I mean, I know there is a big expansion drive to put more NHL on the map to grow the sport, so it really won't happen for a long long time, but it's fun to think about.


AHL Relocations

 wikipedia

Doubled up in Montreal.
Sometimes I advocate a broader reach in naming, if not locating.  But I'd never say that Toronto and Montreal couldn't/shouldn't have two. ....and I would argue the extra big time teams OUT of the likes of LA and NYC.
In my opinion Quebec Rocket might work better, but who cares.  Not a question.

                                     wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hockey_League

What's the pool of candidates for Vegas 'Nights aside from Chicago?