What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
Word out of New York is that the NBA is no closer to a labor solution after player union executive director Billy Hunter and NBA commissioner David Stern met on Thursday.
That’s hardly a shock. So far, neither the players nor the owners have given any indication they are eager to get back to playing basketball. Unless something changes by next week, odds are the start of the regular season will be postponed.
But all of the news isn’t bad for area sports fans. On Friday, the puck drops on another Portland Winterhawks season.
We’re not suggesting that watching teenagers play hockey — even some of the best in the world — can match NBA basketball as a spectating experience. But the Winterhawks are worth paying attention to.
Heck, the Winterhawks are raising a couple of championship banners before taking on Everett at the Rose Garden. When is the last time a Rose Quarter team could do that?
2
We realize that the Pac-12 is only playing hard to get, that sooner or later the conference will add more teams.
But we applaud the university presidents for putting the brakes on discussions about adding Texas and Oklahoma.
Not only is it good to play hard-to-get with Texas and its Longhorn TV Network, but the decision not to expand gives us hope that the presidents will consider what is best for college athletes and for the fans who feed the beast.
College football’s popularity was built upon passionate regional rivalries. Would regular games between Washington and Texas be fun? Sure. Call us old (we mean traditionalists), but we happen to think that regional bragging rights still trump national exposure.
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