Things Heating Up With Teams From The Desert
Phoenix becoming another city the Bay Area is developing an intense rivalry with.
by Mike Martinez, April 15 2002
As bay area fans we all love to chant "BEAT L.A.!!" as well as "Dallas sucks!!". After all, what could be better then Barry Bonds taking Kevin Brown deep in a clutch situation or Owen Nolan rocketing a shot right through Ed Belfour's gaping five hole. Let's not forget Terrell Owens stomping on the Dallas Cowboys logo at Texas Stadium causing a leaguewide uproar. Rivalries indeed bring out the best in bay area fans. We have intense hatred for teams in cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, St. Louis, even Seattle. However there is a city covered in sand and dotted with cacti down in the southwest that could soon be added to that list: Phoenix. Why Phoenix you ask? Well first let's start with baseball:
For years the Giants vs. Dodgers was always considered one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. After 1997 however the Dodgers sank into mediocrity and have posed no threat to the Giants postseason chances. In come the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since 1998 the NL West has pretty much been a race between two teams: the Giants and the Diamondbacks. When you battle the same team for years for the division title, youre gonna breed contempt. Familiarity in personnel is gonna add fuel to that fire, namely former Giant Bob Brenly managing the Diamondbacks, former Giant Bob Melvin coaching for Arizona, and yet another former Giant Matt Williams playing third base for them. The Giants acquired former snake Reggie Sanders this past off season. In 1999 the Diamondbacks clinched the NL West title at Candlestick Park, with the Giants returning the favor the next season against Arizona at Pacific Bell Park. Since 1998 there have been a few heated incidents between the two clubs on the field, and a few verbal jabs as well. Who can forget Todd Stottlemyre starting a brawl with Charlie Hayes, or Matt Williams and Dusty Baker exchanging heated words at home plate.
Matt Williams and Dusty Baker throw verbal barbs in a game last season at Pacific Bell Park
Of course the rivaly also extended to the individual ranks. When Barry Bonds was chasing the single season homerun record last season, his closest competitor for the longest time was Arizona slugger Luis Gonzalez. But off the field is where it got interesting. Curt Schilling spewed some snake venom by talking to a reporter about how Barry Bonds is so despised around the league, and that even his own teammates don't like him. 2002 looks to be no different for these two teams. When the snakes slither thier way into Pacific Bell Park for the first time this season, many a Giants fan will be looking forward to it.
This Wednesday the San Jose Sharks begin thier first round playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes. Of the Sharks' four division rivals, most Sharks fans are in agreement that our rivalry with Phoenix is the least heated. However when you meet in a playoff series, that is where hatred is fueled. In the five games between the Sharks and Coyotes this season there was no more choppy play, pushing, shoving, or penalties than there normally are in your standard NHL game. That is not to say the two teams don't dislike each other. Claude Lemieux is despised everywhere in the NHL except in the city in which he happens to play for at the time. The same can be said about Sharks tough guy Bryan Marchment.
The Sharks and Coyotes meet in a first round playoff series that could spark and ignite an intense rivaly between the two teams and thier fans.
Another thing that adds intensity to a brewing rivalry is the matchup between the two teams. The Sharks and Coyotes are very evenly matched in numerous statistical categories. While the Sharks are rightfully favored to win this series, and they should, the Coyotes are gonna make it as tough on them as they can. Even if the Sharks take the series in four the result of the first round matchup could have Sharks fans cursing the Coyotes with the same passion and fury they do the Kings or the Stars.
Believe it or not, the Bay Area-Phoenix rivalry could extend to the NFL as well. Realignment has the 49ers in the same division with the Arizona Cardinals. While the two teams have not met very often in the regular season, along with the Cardinals not being very competitive for most of thier tenure in Arizona, there is potential for rivalry here. Remember, in today's NFL things can turn around for you quickly. Could we be talking about Jeff Garcia and Jake Plummer dueling it out for four quarters with big playoff implications? Will the day come when Bay Area fans have heated debates with Phoenix fans about who is the better reciever between Terrell Owens and David Boston? Maybe not this season, but once the two teams become equally competitive and more familiar with each other, things can change.
Until then, Bay Area fans, start getting ready the "cow skull on the road, rocks for a yard" barbs that you may be hurling at a desert dweller sometime soon. (BACK)
Email: thesharkiscookin@hotmail.com
