This week's column

I can remember as a high school student, if not even younger, when the old Lancaster County basketball league ended its season, it was time to make the trip to Hershey for the league championship game. It was like an annual rite of the winter.
Then the old Lancaster County league became the L-L League. And after years of playing its championship games at local colleges, they decided to return the finals to Hershey and the “old barn.”
I’m a firm believer that championship games, no matter the sport, should be played at the biggest site available. In other words, the football championships, no matter the class deserve to be played on the turf in Hershey. Ditto for wrestling. Track is in a perfect spot, Shippensburg and I wouldn’t mind seeing baseball at one of the local stadiums.
You just get that championship feel, which I don’t think you can get at a local high school or college.
So when the old arena was replaced with the Giant Center, the L-L League moved its championship games to the new place, with limited success.
The games apparently were not a success financially for the league, so they have decided to move the league finals to the local area in either a high school or local college. And because of the expected crowds, it doesn’t look like the finals will be played on the same night. That’s too bad.
I’ve been to the Giant Center for a new hockey games, a couple of basketball games and the state wrestling finals. In my mind, the jury is still out on the place because I don’t think it has the atmosphere (the smell too) that the arena had. There’s no place to be a “rail bird” is one problem I have.
While I have been on the floor for wrestling, I haven’t been on the floor yet for basketball. Why not you ask.
The reason is simple, I didn’t want to sit on the floor when my team isn’t playing. I want to be able to enjoy the “new barn” when I have a reason to be there.
Over the past few years, Columbia has come close to playing on the big floor. And now with the Tide’s winning streak at 16 games, I was rally looking forward to sitting on the floor in the league finals.
Well, I guess I will have to wait until the district playoffs to do that.
Like I said earlier, championship games deserve to be played in the best places and Hershey is the best. I also understand the financial aspect.
But then again, sometimes you have to look at the teams that played in the finals and how many fans they would draw.
The Giant Center sounds like a perfect place for Columbia to pack.

Odds and ends...

• Ran into the best basketball concession in the L-L League the other night at Lebanon. The chicken corn noodle soup was just a tad heavy on the noodles, but still good.
Lebanon also gets the nod for the best pre-game and in-game music, in the non pep band division.
• Hard to believe, but in less than a month, you’ll hear the four best words in all of sports: “Pitchers and catchers report.”