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New Ice in the Las Vegas Desert

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The temperature may be climbing outside, but inside the T-Mobile Arena it’s definitely all about the ice. At least, it will be when the Las Vegas Golden Knights take to the rink later this year in their inaugural season in the National Hockey League.
Hockey fans already know and love the sport for its fast paced momentum that can turn in an instant and—let’s be honest—the fights, the bone crushing checks into the boards and the overall physical nature of the game. The NHL believes that this will fit perfectly with the excitement of Las Vegas and will encourage locals and tourists alike to come out and watch a game and support the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. Here are the two main reasons I think this new team will be a rousing success!

1. MERCHANDISE AND TICKETS ARE ALREADY IN HIGH DEMAND
Full season ticket packages have already sold out, with just a few half season and quarter season packages remaining. Single game tickets won’t go on sale until August and are expected to sell out quickly as demand intensifies. That’s a lot of excitement already being built for this brand new hockey team.
Fans eager to root on the Vegas home town team can already buy official gear online, but with a small catch. No player specific merchandise is available since the roster hasn’t yet been determined. Later this summer, on June 21, 2017 the expansion draft will take place at T-Mobile, which will become the Knight’s home rink. Las Vegas will get to choose one player to take from each of the 30 current NHL teams.

2. THE GOAL IS TO WIN RIGHT FROM THE VERY START
The National Hockey League has been operating since 1917, although the sport of hockey itself dates back to the early 1800’s. And a few other organizations were around prior to the current NHL. With Las Vegas entering the ranks in the 2017-2018 season, 31 teams will play a grueling schedule over several months, all aiming to be the ones to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup come season’s end. Each hoping for the same goal they probably dreamt of as a young player—To get their name engraved on the base of that trophy, becoming a part of hockey’s rich tradition. Could Las Vegas be next? There’s no reason why not.
Like other professional sports drafts, the hockey expansion draft is set up in a way aimed to bring talent into the team right away rather than forcing years of building if starting with just rookie players. No doubt, it can be tough bringing everyone together at first, each coming from different teams and different styles of playing and coaching but these are professionals after all. They’ve spent their entire lives playing towards, and embracing, the next challenge in their hockey career and being a Knight is a wonderful challenge to have. When the puck drops at T-Mobile Arena it won’t just be the start of the first regular season game for the Golden Knights, it will be the culmination of years of work to bring a team to the Las Vegas desert. These guys will get it done and it’ll be a grand accomplishment for all of the men and women that have had a hand in making it happen.

To the Knights, whoever you may be. You are currently a NY Ranger, an Anaheim Duck, a Minnesota Wild, a Tampa Bay Lightning or an LA King. But Vegas is ready to welcome you all as Knights. Jerseys are waiting for your name, fans are ready to claim you as their favorite member of the team. The arena will be loud, and the moments will be yours to take. Years from now, fans will remember being there when your Knight legacy began. Vegas is steeped in history, of names in lights literally and figuratively, and now it’s your turn.
Under General Manager George McPhee, the future looks bright for the Golden Knights hockey organization. Maybe even bright enough to rival the neon lights of their home town, Las Vegas. You can bet I’ll be there in the stands when the first puck is dropped, cheering out for our new team. It’s exciting to be a part of such a momentous occasion. Will you be there too? If so, comment below and tell us who you hope will get drafted onto the team! And share this article on Facebook and Twitter, so your friends and family will know about the Golden Knights too.

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T-Mobile Arena

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The T-Mobile Arena Is Here

If you haven’t been down to see the T-Mobile Arena then I suggest you carve out a time slot on your calendar to make it happen, like yesterday.

T-Mobile Arena

The brand spank’n new facility is located in ‘The Park’ between two major casinos, the Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Even if your not looking to catch a sports game at the arena itself, there is a district surrounding it full of retail shopping and fantastic restaurants.

On a side note, I was just enjoying some local brews with a pal of mine at Beerhaus. Me and Misha played some life size Jenga, and he was surprisingly way better at it than me. He has a tree trimming company (LasVegasBestTreeService) so he must naturally be better with wood as it directly translates.

It’s actually quite astonishing that the T-Mobile Arena was finally completed. There have been multiple attempts to get the stadium built in different locations on or near the strip since 2007. Finally, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and MGM Resorts International came together in a joint venture to see the project through to the end. On April 6, 2016 the doors to T-Mobile Arena opened to the public. The main act for the opening ceremonies was none other than the Vegas native band The Killers.

It’s not a big deal or anything, but I freaking love the Killers.

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Wild World Of Las Vegas Sports

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Las Vegas: Battleground For Awesomeness

Have you ever wanted to witness giant monster trucks launch them selves twenty feet in the air? How about enjoying the world’s best cowboys riding massive bulls and bucking broncos? Has anyone ever asked you either of these crucial questions? If your response is ‘no’ then it’s time for me to take you into the wild world of Las Vegas sports. If you answer was ‘yes’ then I suggest you keep reading as well.

Las Vegas is a very special place in that there are many atypical types of entertainment and events not readily available anywhere else in the world. Sometimes I am forced to believe that Las Vegas has so much to offer at any given point in time that it’s own residents become overwhelmed. They become overwhelmed to the point that forget about all the world class experiences waiting for them in their own backyard.

What are all these ‘Wild’ sports that I speak of? Where and when do they take place? All will be revealed below.

Not So Mainstream Sports

  1. Monster Jam World Finals

This is as good as it gets. Monster Jam is an annual monster truck competition to determine who is the best in the world. The 3-day event is held at Sam Boyd Stadium every March.

Since 2014 the top 32 monster truck drivers face off in two separate competitions, the Racing Championship and the Freestyle Championship.

The Racing Championship race track is built for speed. Monster trucks will go as fast as 75 mph on straightaways and the track itself extends outside into the parking lot. The Freestyle Championship is full of jumps and obstacles. This event is a crowd favorite because of wild crashes that occur.

If you don’t make it to any other sporting event on this entire list, please make a concerted effort to experience Monster Jam. I promise that it is unlike anything you have ever seen. I go every year with the guy who trims my trees and does my landscaping. He actually introduced me to monster truck racing when I first moved out here. I haven’t met anyone more excited about this sport then Chris. If you have any questions about anything monster truck related then contact him at his Henderson Tree Service Company. He would be thrilled to talk to you. He’ll more than likely give you a killer deal on some of his tree services.

Monster Truck

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Area 51 and Baseball

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Aliens & Baseball – Killer Combination

Spring is one damn beautiful season. New life can be seen everywhere. Flowers begin to bloom, steams begin to flow and baseball is here to stay for the next 6 months straight. I absolutely adore the beginning of every baseball season. The phenomenal weather, the aroma of freshly cut grass, the sound of baseball bats cracking after connecting with the ball and endless amounts seed shells being spit directly onto the ground. Then there is the game of baseball itself. The game is both methodical and strategic, slow but fast, and has an infinite number of ways to be played.

Cashman Field

Well, if it isn’t clear yet let me just come out and write it plain as day. Baseball is fucking awesome, in the truest sense of the word. Unfortunately, lovely Las Vegas doesn’t have a major professional baseball team for its wonderful residents to support and watch. However, we have been graced with the next best thing in the Las Vegas Area 51s, a Triple-A (AAA) Minor League Baseball team.

If you have never had the opportunity to attend a game then this article is written specifically for you. I’m about to make you a Vegas 51s fan for life.

Area 51? You Mean Aliens?

The best place to start is always at the beginning. Most everybody has heard something regarding Area 51 and that it has something to do with aliens. Area 51 is actually a United States military facility located north of Las Vegas about 70 miles. There have been many rumors and much speculation regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial activity at Area 51 since the 1950s. Most everybody also has an interest in alien conspiracy theories. It was only natural that our Las Vegas AAA Baseball team change its name from the ‘Las Vegas Stars’ to the ‘Vegas 51s’ in 2001. Complete with an alien logo and an alien looking mascot named Cosmo.

Cosmo

Currently, the Vegas 51s are in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and affiliated with the Major League Baseball (MLB) team the New York Mets. The 51’s play their home games at Cashman Field located in Las Vegas at the intersection of N Las Vegas Boulevard and E Washington Avenue.

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March Is Madness!

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It’s Time For The Big Dance!

March Madness

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Division 1 Basketball tournament is arguably the greatest tournament in the history of everything. The best part is that the 2016 tournament is right around the corner. This mystical event captures the attention of everyone, no matter their level of interest in college basketball. The wide spectrum includes the obvious die hard college basketball fanatics, middle-aged stay at home moms who have never picked up a basketball and even nihilists who believe in absolutely nothing.

The tournament promises nothing to no man. Yet, the very same tournament delivers the best comeback defeats, Cinderella stories, and non-stop action year after year. I ask myself every March “What did I do to deserve something so great and so beautiful? How could I live in a place and time where a person can experience so much joy?!” I am pumped for the 2016 tournament to begin and I wanted to pay tribute by writing about the history of the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball playoff system. I will also highlight some of the greatest games, plays and moments during the 77 year history of the Big Dance.

 

Brief History

So it all began back in 1908 in the great state of Illinois at the High School level. A state wide tournament was created to have the best 8 teams compete against one another. Peoria High School was the first champion with their 48-29 victory over Rock Island High School. As the tournament generated interest the number of teams increased to 16 and High School basketball games started selling out.

NCAA Logo

In 1939 the first national college championship game was played between Oregon and Ohio State University. Oregon pulled out the victory with a score 46 to 33. At that time only 8 teams were allowed into the playoff tournament. This continued for a while. It wasn’t until 2001 when the number of invitees reached 65 teams total. The tournament itself wasn’t even broadcasted on television until 1969. The tournament format has changed several times with the most recent change taking place in 2011 where a total of 68 teams are now selected to partake. The tournament has always been single elimination and remains that way. The stakes are high and the chance of the same team winning the tournament multiple times are highly improbable, regardless of how talented that team may be. With that being said, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has won the national championship title 11 times. 10 of these titles where under the same head coach John Wooden over a twelve year span.

There is an ongoing debate on who actually coined the phrase “March Madness.” The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) credits Henry Porter due to a paper he wrote about the tournament that he titled “March Madness” in 1939. Henry Porter also happened to be employed by IHSA, so take that for what it’s worth. However, one of the first places where the term was documented was in an article about unsuccessful animal experimentation back in 1907. To be honest, it doesn’t much matter to me. I’m just glad that it’s here to stay.

Basketball Player

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Professional Sports in Las Vegas…..Yes, Please!

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Las Vegas

You don’t have to live in Las Vegas to scratch your head and ask yourself “why are there no professional sports teams in Vegas?”

Excellent question. In fact, it’s one of the most deeply philosophical, thought provoking questions in the history of man.

I admit that I’m nervous, even a bit scared to tackle such a quandary. Yet I will attempt to answer this most powerful question with no regard to my own well being. “Why?!” you ask yourself again. Well because that’s how much I care about you, each and every one of you. It could also be that I live in Las Vegas, love sports emphatically, and really, REALLY want professional sport’s teams here. However, those are minor motivating forces and are not statistically significant.

Before I get into the heart of the argument in favor of professional sports in Las Vegas I want to provide you with the landscape of existing sports teams. Here is a list of the current semi-professional sports teams that are located here in Las Vegas.

  1. Las Vegas Knights – Indoor soccer team established in 2006 under the Premier Arena Soccer League.
  2. Las Vegas Sin – Indoor football team established in 2011 under the Legends Football League.
  3. Las Vegas Legends – Indoor soccer team established in 2012 under the Professional Arena Soccer League.
  4. Las Vegas 51’s – AAA baseball team established in 1983 under the Pacific Coast League.

(Click Here to check out my article on the Vegas 51’s)

It is also important to note that college basketball has a strong following in Las Vegas. The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) has an excellent basketball program and Las Vegas hosts several college basketball tournaments each year including the Mountain West Conference Tournament, West Coast Conference Tournament and the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.  Las Vegas also sponsors a nationally televised college football bowl game every year called The Las Vegas Bowl.

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