Views From the Bench

Views From the Bench
by Lisa Hummel

Hey, sports fans … it’s that time again. The time of year when some predictions are being created and some predictions are being proven, and still other predictions have been surpassed by superior play.

Let’s start with the predictions that are being created.

Tip-off for this year’s version of the NBA began on November 2, with the 26 of the 29 teams going head-to-head for the first batch of regular season games. With a somewhat bland pre-season, the 1999-2000 NBA season is, by most accounts, expected to fare in much the same fashion as last year’s — with the NBA Preview issue of Sports Illustrated (November 1) speculating that, for the second year in a row, the championship trophy will call San Antonio home. While many league insiders and ‘predictors’ agree that the Spurs should have no difficulty defending their crown, citing the ability of San Antonio’s power duo of Tim Duncan and David Robinson to dominate the league, a strong, collective few feel that Portland’s Blazers, led by the duo of Scottie Pippen and Damon Stoudamire, will give the Spurs quite a battle over the ownership of the championship crown.

On a side note, many speculators (Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com included) predict that the once-favored, almost-mythical dynasty of recent years, the Chicago Bulls, will finish last in their Central Division — and 29th out of 29 overall. My, how time — and the retirement and ship-jumping of some key players and coaches — changes things. Time will also tell if these predictions hold any value.

Next, let’s discuss the predictions that are being proven … or at least are currently being tried out.

By print time, the victorious October 30 opening night for the Harrisburg Heat is not far removed from the players’ minds — as, with their marginal victory (24-12 over the Buffalo Blizzard), they find themselves in the very beginning stages of their season-long quest for the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) title. With a great start behind them, the Heat seem to be following in the footsteps of last year’s team, and hope to build themselves a record that will get them into the play-offs — something that’s becoming an annual routine for the team. When MODE spoke to Heat General Manager Greg Cook a few issues back, we asked him to do some predicting on the matter, to which he replied, "We’ve made the play-offs every year since we’ve been around, and we’re hoping to keep that up."

A team that is also making waves on the local sporting front, the 1999-2000 Hershey Bears, boasts the first line-up since 1982-1983 to start the season with at least three straight wins. The team, which has won eight Calder Cup trophies in their 60 year existence was 8-4-1 at press time, a record that placed them second in their Mid-Atlantic division. With quite some time to go in their American Hockey League (AHL) season, it remains to be seen whether the Bears can match their 1996-1997 Calder Cup winning performance. The Bears play last year’s champion, the Providence Bruins, February 2 at the Hersheypark Arena. Let’s see if the Bears can give them a run for their money!

And that’s a look at the sports world.