Seeing Green

A week from today will be St. Patrick's Day, and in every place full of Irish people, whether full or half-blooded, green is everywhere. From leprechauns to dyed bodies of water, March 17 is where people enjoy seeing green. And professional sports is no exception.

The NBA introduced the St. Patrick's Day uniform program during the 2005-06 season, and ran throughout the second to third week of March. The initial participants were the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks, cities with high Irish populations. The Toronto Raptors became the fourth participant in 2008, but three years later, they decided to replace their green uniforms with a camouflaged green version in honor of Veterans Day. 

The Knicks' green uniforms were also used during Christmas Day games. They received much publicity during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend, where 5'9'' Nate Robinson, playing the role of Kryptonite (or 'Krypto-Nate'), wore the Knicks green jerseys and neon green sneakers to beat Dwight Howard (dressed in his Superman cape) in the Slam Dunk Contest. 

The NHL's New Jersey Devils have been honoring the holiday by rocking their retro 1980s uniforms during St. Patrick's Week. The uniform prominently features green on the logo and the pants, in contrast to the current black and red scheme they use today. Their retro uniforms were used regularly from 1982-92, before trading green for black. Currently the Minnesota Wild are the only team with a green sweater; they use them as alternates, while the Vancouver Canucks use green as trim color to their uniforms. 

Major League Baseball also had some instances of teams sporting green caps and jerseys during St. Patrick's week, even if it's still Spring Training. The Chicago White Sox took it a step further by wearing green caps and white pinstriped jerseys with green trim on September 17, as part of their 'Halfway to St. Patty's' promotion. The most prominent example came from the Boston Red Sox, who wore green caps and uniforms in April 2007 to pay tribute to the late Celtics president Red Auerbach, and in June 2008, when the Celtics won the NBA championship. 

Unfortunately, the NFL has no such practice, considering that they are in an offseason during spring and summer. But at least the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets wear green. 

Now, is anyone ready to rock green next week?  I'm sure you are.

NBA Midseason Report (Part 6)

We've reached the All-Star Break aka the midpoint of the NBA season. Some teams have so far exceeded expectations, others didn't. We look at all 30 teams at a glance on how the first half of the season has been. 

Sacramento Kings

The 11-22 record the Kings carry is an indication of the turmoil that continues to ravage Sacramento and its fans. A coaching change, inconsistent play, and lack of faith from the city has been a cause of concern for the Kings. Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, better grow up fast.

San Antonio Spurs

Old what? The Spurs showed that they still have enough fuel left, as seen in their Southwest-leading 24-10 record at the midway point. Tony Parker has emerged as the de facto leader with Tim Duncan entering the twilight zone. But Manu Ginobili's health will be a big concern. It remains to be seen whether their aging legs will be up to the task in the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors

Perhaps they need Jose Bautista and Phil Kessel to resurrect the team. The Raptors are stuck at 10-23 and not even their new 3-D court would please their fans. Enough of that. It will be another rebuilding year for Bargnani, DeRozan and company.

Utah Jazz

Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap were underrated stars in a city famous for raising the decibel levels during home games. They may not be in the mold of Karl Malone, but they aren't bad either in holding court inside. The Jazz, with a 15-17 mark, hope to ride the shoulders of their two main cogs if they were to return to the playoffs. 

Washington Wizards

Do we need explanations for their 7-26 record? Whether it was the 0-8 record to begin with, the Flip Saunders dismissal, the Andray Blatche Twitter bash, or the lack of chemistry, the Wizards are so darn bad. Period. Trade Blatche, please?

So there you have it. We've wrapped up the first half. Now we'll see how teams respond, improve, and sustain their level of performance in the second half, in the hopes of a better finish. Good luck.