Who's your FAVORITE professional sports team....

[BadaBing]

but more to the point , Why ?

 

I know we all have our " love them and hate them's" , so lets keep this orderly. I grew up in Detroit , played alot of sports as a kid , but my favorite was hockey . I remember telling people that I learned to skate before I learned to walk , which may be true.

 

In the freezing winters , I can remember watering down the lawn and waiting for it to freeze over during the night , the next morning out skating in my own ice rink.

 

My team ? , the Red Wings. With my transister radio glued to my ear , the likes of Gordie Howe , Alex Delveccio , Gary Bergman , Norm Allman , Bryan " Bugsy " Watson , Roger Crozier , et all , ahh , the old days.

 

Picking up chicks ? Haha... take them out for a spin around the rink , show some moves on the skates , Invite them to your game , crash some poor bastards into the boards. In like Flint!

 

My Red Wings , although they didn't fair too well in those days , they were still the best of the bunch.

 

I miss the good old days

 

BadawonderingifhecanstilllacethemupBing

 

[greg]

Wrexham Football Club

Mainly becaude I love Football (Im actualy not a big sports fan) They aren't the nearest league club to where I grew up that would be Chester City however I would be difficult for any self respecting Welxhman to support them.

My bestfriend was 2 years older than me and his cousin used to organise a minibus to all the games. It was a fantastic way to grow up sitting in a minibus with a bunch of lads alamost twice your age listening to punk records so loud the van nearly fell apart.

Shame the team has always been shit? But I wouldnt change it for the world

 

I also closely follow the Fortunes of Liverpool and Rangers

[CosmicSurfer]

Ahhh... The Red Wings.... One of the Original 6. Those were HOCKEY players in those days.

 

Of course, Back then the Red wings were a bunch of "WannaBe's" when compared to the REAL Hockey Team of the NHL... The Montreal Canadians... In those days I would make a bet with all Suckers in my High School... and I was no welch... I gave them every chance to win... I made it at the Beginning of the season, before even the first puck dropped. A simple Bet on the Winner of the Stanely Cup... I took the Montreal Canadians.... They took EVERYBODY ELSE.

 

What more can I say... I won that bet 5 years in a Row.

 

There was a time when i could name every Playaer on every Team ... Now I can't even name the teams... an I don't Care.

 

After the NHL expanded from 6 teams to 12, I quit watching Pro Hockey in Disgust, Protest and Rejection of the 2nd rate games that resulted. In the Original Six, they had the Best of the Best (98% Canadian & 2% American Players)... In a 12 team league the quality of the game went down by a enough to make me give up my obssesion altogether... Cold Turkey.

(Maybe too many American college players??)

 

Original Six (Montreal Canadians) Trivia?

Can anyone Name the Teams that Made up the Original Six?

Who was the Toughest Policeman on the Ice?

Who was the Fastest Skater?

Who wore the 1st Face Mask in Goals?

Who was the Winningest Coach? or Was it Coaches?

Name the Brothers with the most goals?

Which one caused a Riot?

 

Enjoy

CS

[limbo]

VITESSE Arnhem, football/soccer tream from Arnhem, Holland. (Saw the movie 'A bridge too far', that's Arnhem).

Also not a logic choise. I grew up in the south of Holland and Arnhem is in the mid east. I moved to Nijmegen and lived there for a while. Nijmegen is approx 20 km's from Arnhem and both cities don't like each other at all, especially if it comes down to football. It was not very wise to wear my colours in nijmegen, although each home game I did wear them on my way to the railway station.

I wasn't that much into football anymore, doing other things, when Vitesse played Real madrid in the Uefa cup 3rd round. I went to watch that game, really enjoyed it, despite losing 1-0 with a Hierro goal. I started to go and watch them on a regular base and ended up having a season card for 5 or 6 years before moving to Thailand.

In the area I watched and followed Vitesse on home and away games (whenever possible) I saw the likes of Gillhaus, Cocu, Mackaay, Westerveld, Machlas, Glen Helder, van der Gouw (European topscorer in a Vitesse shirt) play for Vitesse.

After they got into the first league or Eredivisie in Holland, each year they played Uefa Cup safe one season. I saw them play vs Norwich City, Real Madrid, Inter Milan a.o.

 

In that area also we also got a new stadium, the Gelredome, the first football stadium that had a pitch that could move in- and out of the stadium, so the pitch had sufficient wind over it. Ajax Amsterdam is already up to probably it's 40th pitch in about 5 or 6 years!!!

 

Now I'm lucky to see them once a year (very recently vs Liverpool!) on Thai tv.

 

Chhers,

Limbo

[Zaad]

Especially 2-3 seasons ago the big 3 (PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord) had serious difficulties with Vitesse and if they just kept improving their game and squad they could have been an outsider for the title. Unfortunately they were forced to sell key players and they aren't anymore what that used to be.

I always enjoyed watching their games.

 

As for my favorite sports team...Benfica..well, what can I say.

It's a Portuguese club which keeps dreaming about the past and hopes to repeat someday what they did many years ago with Eusebio.

This club has a history full of cups, but they aren't even half of what they were 20-30 years ago.

Winning the title in Portugal seems just this tiny step too far for them. And in Europe they seem to have this tradition of losing in the 3rd round of whatever cup against whatever opponent.

But hey, it's my club and I won't let them down.

I'll keep hoping for better times.

[BadaBing]

Yes , the " Habs " were above the other 5 in those days when it came to talent and winning. Something I always find amusing , was the nickname for Maurice's little brother Henri , the " Pocket Rocket " , today that's the name of a popular vibrator... ::

 

BadabuzzingBing

[Steve]

American Football, Baseball and Basketball: Eagles, Sixers and Phillies. Went to HS in Philly. The 'worse' all around fans in terms of rowdiness. Blue collar, workingclass, union types of fans and they act it! I saw many fights at the Spectrum, fans kicking Boston fans asses if the Celtics lost. Fights int he bathroom at Phillies games. Vendors fighting Eagles fans for keeping the change that was supposed to be passed back to the vendor. Oh, those were the days. Vet stadium and Spectrum had jails built inside them so the cops wouldn't have to miss the game! Lakers, 2nd favorite basketball team and Raiders 2nd favorite football team.

 

Ice Hockey: Canadiens. Hated the Flyers ironically. Loved the Habs style of play. The era I remember the most was LaFleur, Lapointe, Dryden and Robinson.

 

Football/Soccer: Arsenal. I shouldn't admit this with so many Americans on this board but watch Arsenal and football/soccer more than American teams nowadays. Thanks to LOS and traveling through Asia in the '90s and for the lack of American sports on cable, I started watching football/soccer, adopted them after watching them lose, strangely enough. Thought they were robbed after a man was sent off and were downt to 10 men. I think it was Vieira's first season and he was the one sent off. Didn't know a thing about them at the time and adopted them and since then have been a loyal supporter.

 

Overall, its Arsenal over all of them, but a place in my heart for my childhood teams.

[Guest]

Aside from football and Man Utd (whoever they are), I lived in Toronto in the early 90's for a couple of years and adopted the Blue Jays and Maple Leafs as my teams.

 

My stay coincided with the Blue Jays winning the World Series (or is it the North American Cup) for the first time. I lived downtown and thoroughly enjoyed the celebrations. Went to a few games at the Sky Dome but I can't really say that I got into baseball.

 

Now hockey was different. I had the use of season tickets at the Maple Leaf Gardens quite a few times and just loved the atmosphere. A 1930's building with loads of hockey memorabilia. The Leafs were crap, but I remember a guy called Doug Gilmore (I think). Played his heart out.

 

Also remember seeing a game on TV against the Chicago ??(can't recall). At one point the match was stopped for about 40 minutes for fighting - on the ice!!!! Fantastic entertainment.

[gobbledonk]

Despite recent poor form, I'd have to nominate the Wallabies, Australias Rugby Union side. Until the slump, they had a magnificent record of snatching victory from the jaws of certain defeat, often right on the fulltime siren.

 

Thats the kind of 'never-say-die' attitude that sport is supposed to foster, but its all too rare in teams where the onus is on 'playing the percentages' ....

[Steve]

the team is the Chicago Blackhawks and those Blue Jays beat my Phillies. And you made a referene in the other thread about Arsenal being nervous and possible losing to the scum. Soccermad1, you know how to make friends don't you! :: Joking of course.....partially! ::