Playoff viewing limited in paradise

Mon, May 12, 2008    to del.icio.us

I don't expect any sympathy from this, because technically, I have been in paradise the past week.

But for a sports fan — specifically a hard-core follower of the Detroit pro teams — Cancun, Mexico isn't an ideal location.

Doctor, doctor! I've suffered badly from playoff viewing withdrawal!

Yes, my job title is a sports writer, but I have not seen a second of live action of either the Detroit Pistons' second-round or the Detroit Red Wings' conference finals playoff series. From the two-day-old articles I've read in USA Today or the 10-second highlight clips I was able to catch on television, it looked like I missed some exciting, hard-fought victories.

Granted, traveling to Mexico's party capital for my sister's wedding is a valid excuse and a nice alternative, but a part of me was torn. On my second night there, I stumbled across a sports betting area in a neighboring hotel. My eyes lit up when I saw eight flat-screen televisions with satellite feeds from American sports networks.

And better yet, it was in English!

I'm all for expanding my cultural horizons, but a guy can only take so much Mexican-league soccer on Fox Sports en Espanol or ESPN Deportes. In fact, on the regular cable lineup at our resort, the only sports on television on a regular rotation were soccer, tennis, golf, and believe it or not, poker.

I barely understand the lingo of Texas Hold 'Em in English, so forget about it in Spanish.

It's very interesting comparing the athletic tastes of Cancun to some of the other spots on the globe that I've been fortunate enough to visit. For instance, while in the Bahamas a year ago, I couldn't believe the excitement and knowledge the locals had for basketball. While visiting a downtown market, I passed two Bahamians who got into a heated argument on whether Kobe Bryant would ever reach the legendary status of Michael Jordan. Their thick island accents made it difficult to determine who made the better case.

I was also shocked at the number of locals who recognized and made a comment over the Richard Hamilton Pistons' jersey I wore while there.

Maybe it's an assumption, but basketball seemed to have a passion on the island. Maybe that's why Michael Jordan has a mansion there.

In Cancun, I'd rate soccer — or futbol as they call it — to be the king of all sports. The Miami Hearld: Cancun edition and other area newspapers always had soccer as the dominant story, and like I witnessed, it also held true on TV.

Of any of the major American sports, you'd have to believe baseball has to have a passionate fan base there, only because of the strong Latin American player presence in the game. Meanwhile, this time around, my Hamilton jersey didn't receive any attention. Could it be because the locals simply don't have anyone to relate to in the sport? There is only one Mexican-born player active in the NBA right now, Denver's Eduardo Najera.

Anyways, for those of you who would call me a shallow, sports-crazy male, bite your tongue — I took full advantage of what Cancun had to offer (including the free drinks) and wasn't glued to the television at night, despite the temptation.

I mean, I can witness a game-altering 3-pointer any day. How often do you see a Mayan war dance on stage?

But I finally gave in during my last night in Cancun on Friday, when there were no activities on the agenda and everyone was in wind-down mode for their flights the next morning. Yes, while I was over 2,500 miles away from Michigan, I got to watch Todd Jones nearly blow a 6-2 lead in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees.

Maybe I should have stuck with those Spanish-speaking futbol networks.