How the playoffs have gone horribly wrong

So there it is. The Finalists are now set. The Chicago Black Hawks will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Stanley Cup, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will tangle with the Golden State Warriors for the NBA championship.

In the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks can't seem to close the deal. For the fourth time in recent years they just lost a Game 7, this time on their home ice.

In the east, the NY Rangers had NEVER lost a playoff Game 7 before at home. They have now.

This was not the way it was supposed to work out. No, yours truly had no preferences, but I'm guessing the league was hoping for the opposite results. A New York City versus Los Angeles area Final. The two biggest markets in the country. The money would have poured in. Celebrities galore. Major hype. The optimum scenario from a financial and exposure point of view.

Instead they got Chicago and Tampa. Don't get me wrong, Tampa's a fine city and there's a lot to do in Chitown, as long as one doesn't wander into the wrong neighborhood, particularly after dark. Then things can get a little dicey.

In Tampa, one might have the pleasure of meeting Steve Yzerman, former Red Wing great, who currently holds the same position (GM) for the Lightning that Ken Holland has long occupied in Detroit. Stevie Y is going to the Cup Finals, while Holland is trying to figure out what to do with a few aging not-so-superstars, a bunch of kids and an unsettled goalie situation. Life is better for Stevie these days than the man serving the pizza baron.

Then again, in the Windy City, one might have the pleasure of meeting some of our President's home boys, up close and in person. Hmmm. Well, it's something.

Consider the NBA Finals. Cleveland against Golden State. If the league could have picked, they'd probably want the NY Knicks against the LA Lakers. It would be a bonanza. Trouble is, both those teams are currently terrible and don't look to be any good any year soon.

Cleveland's a great town if you like, um, um, the breathtaking shores of Lake Erie. There's nothing quite like standing at the water's edge, ducking the dive-bombing seagulls, and taking a deep breath to savor the always tantalizing aroma of dead fish and zebra mussels. Oh yeah. We're in Cleveland now. But dammit, they've got Lebron.

Yours truly has been in the Bay area a few times in recent years. There's Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and across the Golden Gate bridge is Muir's woods, a wondrous place to visit. Throw in the historic trolley cars, the serpentine beginning and hills of Lombard street where so many high speed car chases in the movies have taken place, and take the ferry to tour Alcatraz for a visit you'll never forget.

And then across the Bay Bridge is Oakland. This is also a great town if you like, um, um, being able to say you once visited the home of Hell's Angels. Other than that, well..... there's a few neighborhoods there as well that aren't exactly advisable for the faint of heart. But dammit, they've got Steph Curry.

Chicago and Tampa Bay.

Cleveland and Golden State (Oakland).

Who would have thunk it when the season started?