I went to the Bucks tip-off luncheon yesterday at the Hyatt and the team formally introduced its 2009-10 version to some cheers, some hopes and a little, let's face it, whistling in the wind.

This is a franchise that has had a recent history of disappointing everybody. The last time the Bucks were a real good team George Karl was the coach and Anthony Mason had yet to put his big, fat butt on the Milwaukee bench. We have suffered. For two decades, this has been a poor basketball team, interrupted by one exciting season when the century turned.

What we have gotten used to with the Bucks is a sad rhapsody of dashed hope, confusing expectations, sorrowful fodder for the talk show mavens and a lingering taste on our tongue of the way things might be someday.

There have been slogans galore. "Ready to Rise." "Green and Growing." "Our Team. Our Town." "Every Day is Game Day." And this year we have: "Work Hard. Play Hard." Maybe those slogans sold a few extra tickets early in the season. By the time the season wound down, the slogans had become a joke.

Having said that, the Bucks and the NBA are my favorites. I love football. I like baseball. But the NBA really gets my juices flowing. The funny thing is that I played football and baseball, but never played basketball. And still, it's my favorite, by a long shot. And my choice is not without reason.

Herewith, 10 reasons to favor the Bucks / NBA over football and baseball:

1. The Best Athletes in the World. Think about it. Basketball places a premium on size, speed, endurance, hand-eye coordination, toughness. It's breathtaking watching some of the things these athletes can do. Is there anything more beautiful than a lob pass to a soaring forward for a smashing dunk?
2. Getting Sprayed With Sweat. In other sports, fans feel removed from the action on the field. In basketball, you've got a chance to get close. Even if you don't get blasted with sweat, you can see faces and emotions. You can see the elation and the disgust. You can see the anger in a coach or the players' shame in a failed play. It's priceless to be up close.
3. Dizzying Speed. Say what you will about football and baseball, they are sports where speed happens only occasionally. In the NBA, you can go dizzy watching the movement of the ball and the players. It takes your breath away.
4. Cheerleaders. This is especially true in Wisconsin. There are no cheerleaders in baseball and the Packers cheerleaders are virtually non-existent. Other NFL teams make a big deal out of their cheerleaders. The Bucks have Energee!, good-looking young women who add to the atmosphere of the game. My only complaint is that they should be at their posts for the whole game, rather than making brief appearances.
5. The Siegfried and Roy Factor: In baseball or football, you get a chance to watch a superstar perform his magic only sporadically. In basketball, you can watch LeBron James or Kobe Bryant for lengthy stretches of time. The only problem is that you might find it hard to breathe while watching these magicians. They are that good.
6. The NBA Gets It. Every now and then, baseball and football conduct raids on social networking sites like YouTube. They don't want any clips of their sports available on those sites. By contrast, the NBA uses sites like YouTube to market its game. Is it any wonder that basketball is played around the world while football and baseball aren't?
7. Food. This is not a statistical category. But based on experience and conversation, the food at a Bucks game is better than the food at a Brewers game and about 1,000 times better than the food at a Packers game. Never forget that the Bucks feature Palermo's pizza. Can't beat that.
8. Odd Couples. Nowhere but in the NBA could you find Herb Kohl and Mark Cuban on equal footing.
9. Sharp Dressers. NBA players look good. Real good. So do their fans. They know how to dress. Football players are dressed up when they wear shoes with laces. Baseball players have baggy pants and facial hair. Take a look at Dwyane Wade in a navy blue pinstripe suit, white shirt, silver tie and buffed loafers. Talk about breathtaking.
10. The Edge of the Seat Factor. In football or baseball, you can slouch in your seat, talk on your cell phone, go get another bag of peanuts, gaze at the girl five seats away, bend over to put another empty beer cup in the pile underneath your seat, turn around to see who's in the luxury boxes or watch the wave as it travels around the stadium and you can still watch the game. In basketball, if you blink, you will probably miss something spectacular.