Turning the page

November marks new page for sports nation

By Ian Van Anden
Asst Sports Editor

This time of year marks a time when sports fans around the country redirect their attention. Late November and early December is a time of transition for the sporting world.

November is a month when champions are crowned, seasons start, and playoff hopes are made or destroyed. It is in November, that nearly every sport played in the United States grabs the headlines.

Let us start with the most overlooked sports league in the country, Major League Soccer (MLS). This is a sport that turns most foreigners into raving lunatics, especially Europeans. This year's champion was the Los Angeles Galaxy as they defeated the New England Revolution.

MLS has surged over the past couple years, especially after the United States' impressive performance in the 2002 World Cup. Despite its newfound popularity, MLS has not seen its payoff in the media.

The championship game was played on ESPN2, but warranted little attention, loosing out to stories about Terrell Owens and his antics. Even with the soccer season over, this does not mark the end of soccer for the next year.

This summer, the World Cup will begin again. The World Cup, which only takes place once every four years, is the soccer world's turn to shine. Soccer, after all, is the most popular sport in the world, whether as Americans we choose to acknowledge it or not.

Moving to the ice, where after a year long absence, the National Hockey League is making its grand re-entrance to the sports scene (NHL).  The 2005 NHL season has a new and improved face.

However, for the casual fan, it will take some time to adjust to this new NHL, there are so many new faces in new places. As part of their new collective bargaining agreement, the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) had to agree to a hard cap.

This cap means many stars are moving to whatever team can afford them. For instance, longtime Colorado Avalanche Peter Forsberg moved across the country to join the Philadelphia Fliers. 

But it is nice to know that this year a new Stanley Cup Champion will be crowned.         In this reporter's humble opinion, it is the most significant trophy in sports. Not only is your name engraved on the Cu,p but you also get to spend a day with it doing whatever you want. Name a single trophy that has that kind of sentiment attached.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been grabbing headlines across the world with their influx of talented foreign players. At the same time, the game has boomed domestically as the reign of King James and Duke Wade has set in.

Lebron James has successfully lived up to the hype. He is the first player that could fill the shoes of Michael Jordan. James who now at 20 years of age, is the face of a sport.

Don't forget about his supporting cast, which includes playmakers Dwayne Wade and Amare Stoudemire. NBA highlight reels are full of dunks, game winners, and unbelievable displays of pure athletic talent.

The new breed of the NBA player has rejuvenated the sport after the lull experienced after Jordan left the Bulls (for the second time).

If anything has been learned in this new era of the NBA, it is that even though this league is made-up of stars, that the team is most important. In the past two years, the NBA Champions have been extremely team oriented.

This is not saying that the Pistons (2004) and Spurs (2005) were completely void of prime-time players; they were just lacking keynote players. It definitely takes a team to win in the NBA or a great coach, which both teams definitely had.

The NBA is also the association of coaches. There is an elite fraternity of coaches in the NBA. This fraternity includes future hall of famers Larry Brown (Knicks), Phil Jackson (Lakers), Jerry Sloan (Jazz), and Gregg Popovich (Spurs).            Everyone on this prestigious list has a Championship Title, except Sloan, who has been to multiple title games only to fall to Jordan and the Bulls.

This year the retooled NBA has surged onto the scene. The 2005 season means that the new youths (James, Stoudemire, and Wade) have a chance to shine, with each having some heavy experience under their belts.

Stoudemire, however, is suffering from a season ending knee injury that has set his Phoenix Suns back greatly; they are off to a slow 3-4 start. With his absence, there is little doubt that the Spurs will win the Western Conference.

Wade is trying to lead a talent-laden Miami Heat team that has added the talents of Gary Payton, Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, and James Posey. The Heat is thought to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

Moving along to baseball, where Major League Baseball (MLB) has seen history made the past two years. Last year, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series Championship in 86 years. Then, in this past season, the Chicago White Sox won their first World Championship in 88 years.

November was a month to remember for ChiSox fans, who will never forget their epic race to World Series glory. In dramatic and dominating fashion, the White Sox swept the Houston Astros to clinch the title.

November is the month where hopes are reborn. It marks the first time teams can seriously impact their squads through free-agency. Baseball may be the sport with the most interesting off-season.

With free-agent signings, big name trades and rumors surrounding the league, hardcore baseball fans rarely have time to rest before the new season begins. This November is no different; with big name free agents like AJ Burnett, Rafael Furcal, Johnny Damon, and Paul Konerko.

Not to mention the buzz around Red Sox left-fielder Manny Ramirez. One of the best pure hitters in the game is notorious for his constant trade requests and subsequent rebuttals where he claims to want to stay in Boston. The drama continues in the MLB 05-06 off-season.

This off-season Major League Baseball should not disappoint. Expect to see moves not rumored and signings that are otherwise unthinkable. Teams are looking for any edge that might send them over the hump and into the MLB record books as World Series Champions. 

The National Football League (NFL) in the most powerful sport in this great nation. November marks the mid-season of the football season, as teams on the bubble look to stop making excuses and start producing some big-time results.

The NFL has become the league that is most parodied, as every year it seems there is a new group of teams at the top of the standings. The Colts, Patriots, and Eagles seem to be the exception to the rule, but even the Patriots and Eagles have struggled this year.

The biggest stories of this year have taken place mainly off the field. The Terrell Owens' antics have finally pissed off the league enough that he won't be seeing playing time on Sundays for the rest of the year. The Eagles have suspended their "star" wide receiver for the remainder of the season.

The other off the field nightmare is in Minnesota, where the Vikings have seen their team collapse. After Randy Moss departed in the off-season, the franchise believed that the off-field issues would leave with him. The Party Boat Scandal completely dismissed that notion.

This year's schedule has seen teams fail and teams succeed. The Colts have been 2005's keynote team. Indianapolis has enjoyed a perfect record, as they stand at 9-0; their defense has come full circle and offense is still high octane.

With the Super Bowl almost in sight teams are trying to trim down on their mistakes and make that final push to the playoffs. The next three Sundays will be telling for the playoff picture as it will begin to come into focus.

The Colts are the clear favorites out of the AFC, but there is no clear front-runner in the NFC. The Dallas Cowboys (East), Carolina Panthers (South), Chicago Bears (Central), and Seattle Seahawks (West) all lead their respective divisions.

What does all this mean for Monmouth College students? Well for you sports nuts out there it means that there is plenty of information to latch onto and keep up with. For the some of you, there will be plenty of bandwagons for you to jump on. But it means so much more. Sports have weaved themselves into the very fiber of the American culture.

College sports are in a season of upswing as well. College football is in the midst of the march towards the National Championship, with two lone undefeated teams that seemed destined to meet in the Rose Bowl.

Texas who is led by a stellar defense and its Heisman candidate Vince Young running the offense, are currently sitting at 10-0 breathing down the neck of the current number one team in the nation, the University of Southern California (USC).

USC has two Heisman hopefuls as their quarterback and last years winner Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush are chasing the most coveted award in college football.

College football has made for an interesting storyline in 2005, but November will begin to end those stories and start a new chapter as we enter the "Bowl Season." The always controversial Bowl Championship Series (BCS) will look to have its first clean bowl season in recent memory. The flawed system will be lucky to survive much longer or even stay clean this year.

November also marks the beginning of college basketball hype. Teams are now beginning their opening tournaments with the regular season looming only weeks away.

College basketball might be the sport that evokes the most passion from open to close of its season. Fierce rivalries and an intense playoff system makes college basketball hard to hate.

It is only November, but just the mention of college basketball makes this avid fan salivate over March Madness where anything can happen. Over the next five months, teams across the country will compete for a chance to play in this nations best postseason set-up

At this same time of year, Monmouth College campus is going through a similar transition. With fall sports ending and winter athletics in the baby steps of their season, there is little for the MC fans to cheer about.

Yes, I am not completely oblivious. The football team is in the playoffs! In my own defense, they are playing eight hours away, not an easy trip for your everyday college student to make.

If you find yourself in the many that cannot make it to Collegeville, MN to watch the Scots compete in their first-ever Division III playoff game, there is plenty going on in the sports world around you.