America's True Pastime Is Ready To Return

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been Baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard. Rebuilt. And erased again. But Baseball has marked the time. This field, this game. It's a part of our past Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good. And it could be again."- Terrence Mann (Field Of Dreams)

Baseball isn't just another sport we get excited for each year. It's our pastime, our passion. And, it's no coincidence that it's return coincides with the return of Spring. Spring is about rebirth. A clean slate. A chance to start anew. Like being a child again. That is why Baseball is so dear to us. It reminds us of our childhood, when the world was full of promise and hope. When anything was possible, and each day was a fresh start.

But baseball also links us to our heritage. You think about when your Dad took you to games as a child, just like he thinks about when his Dad took him to games when he was young. Sure, the venues have changed. But the game remains the same as it always was, acting as a beacon guiding our hearts to a place where hope and promise are still a possibility, no matter how dark the times. Because our nation has endured a great many things, both joyous and tragic. And through it all, there was baseball. It was that way in the past. It is that way now. And, it will be that way long after you and I are gone.

So as the days grow longer and begin to push back the night. As the breeze carries warmer air on it's wings. Know that is is here. Our pastime has returned. Baseball has come to make us feel good again!

-Mike Tursi

I'm Divorcing The Philadelphia Flyers

The following blog was originally written for The Hockey Herald and can be found there by following this link: http://www.thehockeyherald.com/?p=3000

After 30 years of marriage, I'm leaving the Philadelphia Flyers. The reasons can be filed under irreconcilable differences which culminated in today's non activity at the NHL Trade Deadline. This breakup was not brought about by today's inactivity alone. Rather, it was caused, over the years, by issues that led to the necessity of today's inactivity.

One of our major issues is the Flyers lack of fiscal responsibility. Though I said I'd stand behind them no matter what, I have become disenfranchised with them throwing dollar after dollar at players past their prime who, in the end, bring nothing but hardship and stress to our marriage. Some were fleeting, and easy to get over. Adam Oates and Paul Coffey immediately come to mind. Others were more difficult to forgive. I still bear the scars of Luke Richardson, Mike Rathje, Chris Gratton, and Scott Hartnell, to name a few. And after those players leaves, I'm left to pick up the pieces and tell them "Thanks for trying, at least I know you want to win."

Another issue we have is the Flyers failure to find responsible insurance to look after our most prized possessions. They haven't provided a quality goaltender since our tenth wedding anniversary, the end of Ron Hextall's first tour of duty. Over the past 20 years they bought bogus policies off of everyone from Dominic Roussell to Roman Cechmanek. But, when we needed the goaltending to be there the most, it was nowhere to be found. I still can't believe I let them talk me into Jeff Hackett!

The final reason, and this one may be a bit vain, is that their old friends, who are quite arrogant and stubborn, are always around. And, it's apparent that they mean more to the Flyers than I do. The Flyers say they need these people around because they are a link to the glory days, the foundation on which the Flyers legacy was built. But, I wasn't even born when those Stanley Cups were won. And the game has changed so much since then. I appreciate friendship and loyalty as much as anyone. But, know your friends limitations. Maybe the Flyers shouldn't have let Bob Clarke be the GM for so long. I mean, the man is still fighting The Cold War. I thought that when they replaced him with Paul Holmgren things would change. But, alas, it's just more of the same. Dinosaurs trying to survive in a world that no longer exists for them. The Flyers have insisted on giving these "Friends" important jobs in the organization. They wouldn't listen to my plea to move on from them in order to save our marriage.

After our last separation in 2004, when the Flyers and I were apart for a year. They came back and promised me they would be different. They would try to make our marriage work within the new rules of the NHL. But they quickly reverted to their old ways and signed Derian Hatcher, a typical "Flyers" guy. and so, that spring, without fail, they left me broken hearted once more.

It wasn't always this way. There were plenty of good times. The 35 game unbeaten streak when we were newlyweds. And even though we were robbed that night on Long Island by Bobby Nystrom, I knew that there were good times ahead. The runs to the Stanley Cup Finals in '85 and '87. Hanging out with The Legion Of Doom.

But, the problems began to outweigh the good times. And the Flyers most recent failures with their roster, both financially and in the misjudgment of talent, and their stubborness to move on from the past, has left me with no other recourse. And, today was the result of those failures. The Flyers are no longer able to do the things needed to make this marriage work. So, I must let them go. But know that I do so with a full heart. I won't find another team, that would be too awkward. Even though that Patrick Kane is a lot fun to watch.

-Mike Tursi

2010 Winter Games & NHL

Below is a link to my collaborative article with Crash The Crease blogger Dustin Leed. We discuss hockey's impact on the average sports fan during The Games, and the pros and cons of the NHL sending players to Sochi in 2014.

http://www.crashthecrease.com/2010/03/02/2010-winter-games-the-aftermath/

-Mike Tursi