While the world seems to be going to hell, it’s nice to have a distraction in the San Jose Sharks hockey team.

Plus it’s nice to have a local sports team that can make a splash on the national level. The San Francisco Giants are doing better than expected so far this season, but are still very much rebuilding and are not the first choice series.

Plus they blew most of their money on Barry Zito, who’s earning his $15 million contract by losing every game he starts.

The team is like a boat in the fog heading for the Bay Bridge.

The Oakland A’s have dedicated fans but just cannot go far in the playoffs.

The once-great San Francisco 49ers seem to be in a permanent rebuilding mode. The last couple of seasons have seen the team trying to build a franchise around Alex Smith, their quarterback, only to have his backup, Shawn Hill, make a few impressive starts and now both have to fight for the starting position.

The Oakland Raiders are the perfect example of how not to run a franchise.

On the college level, none of the big colleges (think Cal, Stanford and San Jose State) have something to get excited about.

The Warriors are back to missing the post-season again.

Not the Sharks. They have been making the playoffs consistently for the last few years. While they have issues with advancing past the second round, at least the Bay Area has a team that makes it to the second round of any playoffs.

Sports provide an escape from reality. Look around.

Our economy is in a borderline recession, our tuition is rising again, the dollar is pathetic in the world economy and the United States is stuck in an endless war that has cost us over 4,000 of our soldiers.

Really, what is there worth cheering for?

The Sharks are the Bay Area’s escape. For 60 minutes, we can forget about how the world seems to be going to hell.

While hockey is not the most popular sport out there, it’s certainly more fun. Come out and cheer for the Bay Area’s best sports team. It’s all we have, really.