The Gun Counter

Our local Junior A team had its last home game Sunday. Last year was the first year I've been able to set aside cash for season tickets for any sporting event (and $150 isn't too bad for 27 games worth of tickets), and I must say I got my money's worth. The game play isn't as fast as the NHL, sure, but it's still fun to watch. I would have liked for them to get into the playoffs again, but this wasn't their year after a couple of disastrous losing streaks. The guys are strictly amateur-status (I'd rather see them get paid a real paycheck, but I understand the allure of playing for scholarships/ business decisions behind amateur leagues, too) and overall the team has the tendency to make me feel old, but I can't wait for next year. It's almost enough to make a guy want to go learn to skate properly and play goal in the local rec league. (Thankfully I'm too broke for that.)

It also beat paying for cable tv just to watch sports, too.

Now, it's time for a two-and-a-half month wait until the local Prospect League baseball team starts up. That ought to keep me in good shape for live sporting events until hockey starts again.

We have an AHL team (Lake Erie Monsters, affiliated with the Avs) here. They do a great job giving fans a top-notch in-game experience. In fact, I understand they've won awards for sports marketing at the collegiate/minor-league level. Ticket prices are reasonable, Friday home games feature $1 hot dogs and sodas, and there are often family skates on the arena ice after home games. The Monsters' throwback jersey (too rich for my blood) this season is the old (and I mean old) AHL Cleveland Barons' logo (the one from when the Barons were "the seventh best hockey team in the world," not the one from the unlamented crew affiliated with the Sharks), in Monsters colors. Nice to see.

People tell me they wish there were NHL hockey in Cleveland. I tell 'em, "No you don't -- tickets would cost 3x as much and the entertainment wouldn't be appreciably better." The fan base here won't support an NHL team anyway. Youth and high school hockey are pretty big, and there are enough hardcore fans that the Monsters can draw 4,000-5,000 fairly consistently, which is enough to be going on with for a minor-league club.

The Akron Aeros (Indians' AA farm team) have a fantastic park (Canal Park) in downtown Akron, and we try to catch a game or two every year.

Yep, I'm down the road a piece from Peoria and St. Louis as well, so it's completely possible to be cheering for guys one night at a Rivermen game then the next night at a Blues home game. Hockey isn't everyone's sport, but I do love watching it along with baseball. I'd try my hand at playing, but it's a bit tough to get into even an adult learn-to-play league at 37. I always wanted to be the next Mike Liut or Grant Fuhr as a kid.