Why Season Previews Are Problematic

I had been holding off on assessing the Fire's upcoming season until the last minute for two reasons. First, I suspected that front office turnover might jeopardize my column on the team's website, which was the original destination for the opinions bouncing around in my head, and it turns out I was right there. Second, there's always another shoe about to drop that could make your preview at least partially inoperable. Like saying the Fire made no major acquisitions in the offseason -- which was the major storyline I was thinking about -- only to have over 5,000 people show up to meet their new acquisition. I didn't want to fish myself out of that pond.

I just read Mike Biglin's preview in the Boston Herald, where he talks about how Ronnie O'Brien and Jose Cancela will bring skill to Toronto's midfield. A day or so before publication, O'Brien went down with an injury, and a day after, Cancela has been traded to Colorado. We'll put aside the rampant homerism, where Biglin talks of how New England has a "perfect blend of youth and experience." What is it with these guys? Their TV announcers are equally insufferable. I like how he offers up a second-place in the East as a show of objectivity. So DC is better than perfect?