Bowl Predictions

BCS disputes aside, I'm pretty excited for this year's bowl season. There are some good traditional matchups, as well as lopsided games that should result in upsets. Even though the entire nation is saddened by the absence of Iowa State, the Big XII is still represented well. After winning the 2005 Bowl Challenge without much fanfare, the Big XII can potentially repeat, while the Big Ten may be looking at another losing record. Here are my personal predictions:

*Biggest upset: Nebraska over Auburn
*Toughest call: Wisconsin vs. Arkansas


Poinsetta
TCU over Northern Illinois

Las Vegas
Oregon over BYU

New Orleans
Rice over Troy

Papajohns.com
South Florida over East Carolina

New Mexico
New Mexico over San Jose State

Armed Forces
Tulsa over Utah

Hawaii
Hawaii over Arizona State

Motor City
Central Michigan over Middle Tennessee

Emerald
Florida State over UCLA

Independence
Oklahoma State over Alabama

Holiday
California over Texas A&M

Texas
Rutgers over Kansas State

Music City
Clemson over Kentucky

Brut Sun
Missouri over Oregon State

Liberty
South Carolina over Houston

Insight
Texas Tech over Minnesota

Champs Sports
Maryland over Purdue

Meineke Car Care
Boston College over Navy

Alamo
Texas over Iowa

Chick-fil-A
Virginia Tech over Georgia

MPC Computers
Nevada over Miami

Outback
Penn State over Tennessee

Cotton
Nebraska over Auburn

Gator
West Virginia over Georgia Tech

Capital One
Wisconsin over Arkansas

Rose
Michigan over USC

Fiesta
Oklahoma over Boise State

Orange
Wake Forest over Louisville

Sugar
LSU over Notre Dame

International
Cincinnati over Western Michigan

GMAC
Southern Miss over Ohio

BCS Championship
Florida over Ohio State


And the conference standings:

ACC: 6-2
Big XII: 6-2
Big East: 4-1
Big Ten: 3-4
Pac 10: 2-4
SEC: 4-5

Best of the NBA

The all-star tandem of Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, and Craig Sager have to be the best in sports. A great mix of knowledge, humor, and style, their commentary is a welcome relief from dumbasses Bill Walton and Snapper Jones. Seth shook Sager's hand at a Timberwolves game four years ago and I bet he still hasn't washed it.

A Frustrated Sunday

Alright, Chicago defense, you now have permission to snap. Tonight was After forcing five takeaways and holding New England to 17 points, including a recovered fumble on the final drive to deny the Patriots a score only to have Rex throw an interception on their first offensive play, you may let out the rage on Grossman (who had all four turnovers himself). You could see it in their eyes--the defense can't take it much longer...

You've Got To Be Kidding Me...

During a time when Major League Baseball is trying to escape the steroid era and get back to what baseball should be, the experts reward a power hitter with the MVP. Despite the black eye baseball has endured the past five years, I guess people are still awed by the longball, and I find it almost comical that two descriptors clarifying why Howard won were:

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player on Monday after leading the majors in home runs and RBI.

He had the most homers in the major leagues since Barry Bonds hit a record 73 in 2001.

Is it a good thing to be compared to Barroid Bonds? As I already analyzed, Albert Pujols was probably more deserving. This is the third time Pujols has finished second in the MVP vote, the first two times to Bonds. How many times this season did I hear an ESPN analyst claim Albert Pujols is "the best player in the game" (and more often, "best hitter in the game") only to then declare his support for Howard because of his particularly great season. Shouldn't "the best" usually win this award?

Stacking the two up next to each other yields these certainties:

-Howard's lead in home runs and runs-batted-in outweighed Pujols' higher finish in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, and stolen bases.

-It went without much recognition that Howard finished second in the league in strikeouts with an incredible 181 whiffs. (Albert was 131st with 50 K's.)

-The often used argument of team success translating to player value did not come into play as the Cardinals made the playoffs with Rolen, Edmonds, and Eckstein fighting/sidelined by injuries. The Phillies failed to make the postseason.

-Defense isn't nearly as important as offense. Howard finished second in number of errors by all major league firstbasemen. Pujols won his first career Gold Glove Award.

Is it sour grapes? Yes. Am I still right? Yes.

UPDATE: Apparently this guy agrees with me completely. Wow, the numbers are very telling. It's not even really close; one of Howard's two statistical edges resulted in many more RBI opportunities, not clutch hitting.

NFL Surprises

1) As usual, I spent Sunday at my neighbor's place watching NFL games. He has two tvs side-by-side (a 42" plasma and a 17" LCD inside his fireplace) and the two midday games on air featured Houston and Seattle. My friends didn't understand why I was proud to sit there and watch both Seneca Wallace and Sage Rosenfels behind center on their respective teams. Sure, they might not have won, but they still represented ISU well.

2) On the flip side, it was horrible to sit there and watch Dallas beat Indy. Most Texans cheer excessively when Dallas makes a good play while losing, jump up and down and hollar the Cowboys' greatness when beating a lesser team, and will absolutely not let up when they knock of the lone undefeated, and nearly invincible, Colts. Although I had a hunch Indy would take a fall this week, due to recent subpar play, I still thought they were better than this. One thing's for sure: it's not Peyton's fault. Well, for the most part. He did overthrow recievers, particularly towards the end of the game when it would have made the difference, but the way he controls his team is unmatched. How many times did he approach the line and point out the blitz and bark commands regarding oncoming defensive formations only to have the offensive line let him down? Credit the Cowboys with fired up defense, but Peyton should have had more protection. The fact the Colts have won all their games by an average of less than a touchdown could be a bit worrisome, but I think P. Manning has replaced Tom Brady and an aging Brett Favre as the smart and talented quarterback to watch in the NFL; this just might be the Colts' year.

As for Dallas, I wished this season they had to play the Bears...

3) ...who are possibly a more all-around football team than people think. I still hear comments about how Chicago is one-dimensional with great defense and could be a better team if they got a 'real' quarterback. What these people don't know is that in addition to the #1 defense in the league, they are currently second in the league in points per game on offense. Grossman is third in the league in touchdowns (behind two guys named Manning and Brady) and happens to be first in TD %. The comeback against Arizona was an anomoly and Rex will be consistently reliable in time for the playoffs. But what really makes Chicago complete is their special teams. They lead the league in punt returns, kicking points, and last week had a record 108-yard missed field goal TD return for the second straight season. Robbie Gould is the hottest kicker in football right now having just broke the franchise record with 27 straight made field goals. He is the only kicker who hasn't missed (aside from Gramatica who is one for one on FG) with an amazing 10/10 on 40-yarders. Let's just hope they can keep this momentum going into the postseason and the Bears will be tough to beat.

4 News In Brief

A few of my recent favorite pieces from The Onion Sports--all brutally true and hilarious. Honestly, who comes up with this stuff?


John Madden Reminds Viewers Of Importance Of Quarterback To NFL Teams
DENVER—Color commentator John Madden spent the third quarter of the San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos game explaining exactly how important it is for an NFL team to have a quarterback. "You're definitely gonna need one of these guys on your team if you want to have any success in the NFL," Madden said, explaining how having somebody standing directly behind the center when the ball is snapped provides a feeling of stability and consistency. "If Denver, for example, didn't have a quarterback, they could maybe hand the ball off to the running back, but there's absolutely no way the Broncos could pass the ball to the receivers. Frankly, I don't know how the Raiders do it." Madden later went on to talk about how different football would be if there were no end zone and the field "just went on and on forever."


Lou Piniella's First Big Move As Cubs Manager Is To Resign

CHICAGO—During his formal introduction as Cubs manager Tuesday, Lou Piniella announced that his first and only managerial decision will be to step down immediately and permanently from his new position—a bold, unexpected move that he successfully carried out just moments later. "My time in Chicago has been great, and it feels like it was just yesterday that I started this job, but I truly believe that this move will give me a better opportunity to win," Piniella said at the press conference while ceremoniously removing a Cubs hat and jersey. "I'm very excited about leaving this team." After the announcement, Cubs GM Jim Hendry praised Piniella's sound judgment and pure baseball instinct, saying that "his ability to make quick, smart decisions like this one is exactly why we hired him."


Hideki Matsui Unable To Grasp Translator's Explanation Of Where Cory Lidle Is

NEW YORK—Hideki Matsui's interpreter Roger Kahlon has been unable explain to the Yankees' Japanese-speaking left fielder that former teammate Cory Lidle died instantaneously last Wednesday after flying his four-seat, SR20 aircraft into a high-rise apartment building in Manhattan's Upper East Side. "At this point, I'm pretty sure [Matsui] thinks Lidle is either in his four-bedroom apartment or on a 20-minute plane ride to upstate New York," Kahlon said, adding that in order to make Lidle's whereabouts clear to Matsui, he has even resorted to making one of his hands into a plane, the other into a building, crashing them together, and making explosion noises. "This kind of thing just doesn't translate very well." According to Kahlon, the last time he asked Matsui where Cory Lidle was, a confused Matsui answered, "The bullpen."


Larry Coker Fights For His Job By Swinging Helmet At Athletic Director, Chancellor

CORAL GABLES, FL—University of Miami head football coach Larry Coker, afraid of being scapegoated and fired in the wake of Saturday's brawl involving Hurricanes players and those from Florida International University, defended himself by suspending 13 players, taking full responsibility for disciplining his team, and swinging a Hurricanes football helmet at the heads of athletic director Paul Dee and chancellor Donna Shalala during a press conference Wednesday. "What happened was unfortunate and does not reflect our character as a team or my philosophy as a coach," said Coker, grasping the helmet by the faceguard and delivering repeated blows to Shalala's face and neck. "However, I believe that dismissing me at this time would in fact send the wrong message about discipline to our players and the wrong message about the University of Miami to the public." Dee was physically unable to comment or breathe after the press conference, but Shalala seemed to indicate that she would handle the matter internally as soon as she stopped bleeding internally.

Re: More Bang For Your Buck

Cale Kassel said: I'd be very interested to see what these number are at the end of the season and see what, if anything changes...

Per request, here are the final standings regarding regular season wins per million dollars paid in team salaries. More teams changed position than expected. Even though it wasn't quite the all-star break when the first numbers were posted, it is still a good representation of how the teams performed in the second half of the season.

*Take note of the AL Central: two of the largest gainers were the Twins and Royals while the two biggest drops were the Tigers and White Sox.

2006 World Series Champions!

I would like to announce my triumphant return to blogging. Triumphant, of course, because I am still celebrating the Cinderella-story World Series victory by my St. Louis Cardinals. Or am I already celebrating next year’s repeat? Or am I getting a little ahead of myself…
Regardless, no one outside of Redbird Nation expected them to win (or even get into the playoffs, for that matter) and they epitomized the mentality that once you make the post-season the regular season *doesn’t matter*. It wasn’t a juggernaut lineup or potent starting rotation or dazzling defense—it was timely hitting and timely pitching. Suppan, Rolen, Weaver, Taguchi, Wainright, and last, but certainly not least, Little David Eckstein all stepped up in a huge way at the right times. Then combine that with LaRussa pulling the right strings from the foxhole.
I do realize that by now any one of our few readers must be sick and tired of my plugs for St. Louis and right now you must be rolling your eyes (if you’ve even read this far), but I tell you, it is a tremendous feeling when your team finally wins it all. I became a Bulls fan at the height of their success, amid the Jordan era while winning championships, and it almost became expected and certainly less thrilling. But if you’ve been waiting your entire life for your team to get to the top, especially after fear they may have missed their chance two years earlier and came into this October huge underdogs, it is so much sweeter. Cale, you know what I'm talking about. (I will admit their drought hasn’t been my entire life, as their last WS title was in 1982—twenty-three days after I was born. I also looked up the date of my birth and it happened to be the very day St. Louis won its very first division title. You see, being a Cardinal was my destiny.)
Anyways, I will cease gloating and just sit here with the permanent grin that will last me through the off-season. Come April we get to do it all over again, with new heroes and new villains and new underdogs, and I can’t wait. Maybe next year we’ll get that White Sox-Cardinals October matchup. Maybe it’ll be the Cubs. Riiight. Either way, baseball truly is a sport unlike any other.


UPDATE: I think The Onion speaks on behalf of all non-Cardinal fans.

"Carelessness" doesn't describe it...

OK, so this will be my first “quick thought” blog.

I played tackle football for 5 years in my youth and was fortunate to be put at running back for most all of them. During my play, I came across a simple truth…and this truth was confirmed later during a brief career in intramural flag football at ISU:

Perhaps the best pleasure in the game of football, (challenged only by cleaning someone’s clock on a blindside Wagner-esque block) is to stand proudly in your opponents end zone, HOLDING the ball.

WHY DO PLAYERS INSIST ON DROPPING THE BALL JUST AS (or worse: JUST BEFORE) THEY UNCONTENDEDLY CROSS THE GOAL LINE?!?!

This happened again this week in the Alabama-Florida game and that makes 3 that I have seen this season. I’d say there is a close call on this exact play in roughly 5% of college football games. Sometimes the refs catch it and rule it a fumble and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes (as in today’s incidence) players are lucky enough to have truly broken the plane just a fraction of an instant before the carelessly drop the ball. But by dropping the ball just as you cross it, not only do you risk being the biggest goat and losing the game for all of your teammates, but you forfeit the greatest pleasure in the game.

-Confused in Tennessee

National League MVP

It's that time again, kids...time to debate who is the real MVP? The Ryan Howard bandwagon has taken off like a giant, turbo, ESPN-fueled rocket while Albert Pujols is solidly putting together possibly the best season of his career (despite fighting an injury). Both are quite deserving and it makes for an interesting debate. As the season comes to a close, most analysts consider this to be a two-man race, but two good articles on ESPN and Fox Sports both have narrowed it down to a roster of five men who have put up big numbers:

Howard--Phillies
Pujols--Cardinals
Carlos Beltran--Mets
Lance Berkman--Astros
Miguel Cabrera--Marlins

Of course, my St. Louis bias conflicts with who I consider "most valuable" as I've watched The Great Pujols drag this team towards another division title all year. I also just really like the guy. To counteract my favoritism, I'll turn to my old friend Microsoft Excel (which I'm sure you've learned I enjoy playing with) and statistically determine who is top of the class.
It was difficult to determine exactly how to create a comparison that would result in clear evidence of who had a better season than who, so I simply began by comparing their places among the NL League Leaders in particular catagories that most would consider influential to a team's success. As an arbitrary numeric system, I rewarded the players for placing in the top ten in the individual catagories; the point allocation was linear, giving 10 for a first place through 1 for tenth place and no points awarded for placing outside of the top ten. Shown is the rankings and point total: *All stats are accurate as of 9/14/06.

As you can see, Albert has the slight edge over Howard while both are significantly higher in total than the other three contenders. The major flaws with this comparison, though, is that it was near impossible to assign values to important catagories such as stolen bases, strikeouts, and defensive attributes. Neither ESPN.com or Fox Sports allows easy manipulation of fielding stats because it breaks each player down individually per position played and doesn't only include those players who qualify.
Since I am comparing a specific group of players to determine who had the best season among those five I think the better way to look at it is head to head rankings. For example: even though neither Howard or Pujols are in the top ten in the league in fewest strikeouts (and thus received zero points above), I certainly think the fact Pujols has only 43 K's (138th most in the NL) while Howard has 163 K's (2nd most in the NL!) should be considered. Five points were awarded for a first place rank and one point for a fifth place. I figured the following were the ten most useful statistics to use when determining an *all-around* value:

*Rankings for SO's and Errors are 1 for least and 5 for most.

Albert reigns once again, but this time Beltran's stock rises because his base stealing ability and high class defense are counted towards his total. I think this better reflects who is having the best all-around season and displays the players' versatility (or, rather, exposes Howard's dominant dimension of being a power hitter). You can see that the most consistent performer across the board is Pujols. I truly hope the voters consider defense when making their decision and don't lean towards Howard because of last year's outcome. Who knows, they still have a few weeks left and it will be a photo finish.

Verdict: Albert Pujols

Cheap Wins for ISU

Pat Forde did the same analysis of college football teams that I did with baseball teams in regards to million dollars spent per wins. Check it out-- they make note of Iowa State's effectiveness. (Notice that we earn nearly three times the profit from football that Texas Tech does.)

Post #100: The Andre Agassi Show!

If you missed his first-round performance Monday, you're in luck because he won and will be playing at least one more match on Thursday. The attendance at his first match set a new Open record and it was incredible to see everyone rally behind Agassi as Arthur Ashe Stadium exploded with every point won. He gave us a bit of a scare after losing the first set, rallying to win the second in tie-break, only to drop to 4-0 in the third set. Instead he came storming back to win the next five games and take the set in tie-break. It was all around great tennis. After the 3.5 hour match he looked more like a giddy, spry 21-year old rather than an aging 36-year old with back problems. He'll have quite a challenge next round against No. 8 Baghdatis but if he plays with this much fire the momentum should stay in his favor.
Again, I'll plead you tune in and witness the end of one of the greatest American eras in all of sports. If nothing else, the Open is a great event and Agassi is extremely fun to watch. Andy Roddick is also looking like he could make a deep run. But for at least two more days this is Andre's world and we're just living in it...

MLB Notes

-What a huge weekend for the NL Central (or should I say for St. Louis?). The Cards sweep the Cubs to make the season series somewhat respectable (8-11, respectively) while the Reds drop 5 straight. This just secures my belief that we will hold on to the division crown and restates why "Noone Knows If the Reds Will Win the Wild Card." (I must be the anti-Strader as of late because after my prediction about rookie Chris Duncan he hit a home run in all three games of the Chicago series.)

-Speaking of parity in Chicago, Baseball Tonight gave an update on the Cubs-Pirates game after a go-ahead RBI in the 11th from Derrek Lee in his first game back, only to be outdone minutes later after Ryan Dempster walked in the winning run. Ugh.

-I don't know which was funnier on SportsCenter tonight: Andruw Jones slipping and falling on his way to first base during a home run lap or Barry Bonds Kirby-esquely jumping to rob a HR and his bloated body getting a whole two inches off the ground. I can't believe it snagged the two spot in the Top Ten...

-The Cy Young races are far from over as it's extremely tight coming down the stretch. My AL pick changes daily between Halladay, Santana, and The Amazing Verlander. For most of the season I would have punched my vote for Brandon Webb in the NL, but Carpenter and Zambrano are both making a late season push while Josh Johnson came out of nowhere. Only September will tell.

-Here come the Marlins! If this upstart group of rookies can make the playoffs they just might replace Detroit as the new bandwagon. Only 1.5 games back--what a story...

-Ryan Howard is a stud. You bahlt!

Here Comes Lil' Duncan...

Here come the Reds...ha! I scoff at the idea that St. Louis will not win its sixth division crown in seven seasons. (I will at this time concede that I have absolutely no faith in any of our starting pitchers who aren't named Chris Carpenter.) What a gem-- four-hit shutout tonight. You bahlt.
That being said, it's time to give props to my man Chris Duncan as his surge into the major leagues has kept the Cards in contention and his continuing production will be required to make the playoffs. Edmonds is streaky, Eckstein is losing his mojo (.311 BA before All-Star break, .233 since), and teams will pitch around Albert. I've really noticed his big bat lately and wish he'd been slotted #2 all season. Let's measure his power hitting up to some other notable rookies.

If St. Louis does indeed hold on and fend off the Reds, his name must be mentioned at least once in the Rookie of the Year discussions.

A Late Night of Boredom

So I'm sitting here watching latenight TV and the only decent thing on is The World Series of Pop Culture. The theme is fictional locales in tv shows and movies and contestants from neither team knew the name of the golf course in Caddyshack! The guy didn't even have a guess and the opposing female spit out "The Century Club?"... Now, maybe I'm over-estimating how many people out there are familiar with Bushwood, but have you ever seen that SNL skit where all the business men are quoting Caddyshack and the one guy gets left out because he hasn't seen it? I've come to understand that Caddyshack has a reputation that most young to middle-aged men should be familiar enough with the flick to quote it, let alone know the basics. I realize I'm a sucker for old 70/80's dry slapstick humor, but Caddyshack is in a league of its own. Great setting, hilarious script, phenomenal cast. Maybe we ought to add "skinny skiing" and "going to bull fights on acid" to our list of "real" sports...


UPDATE: The following question was "what is the name of the coffee shop the group frequents in Seinfeld?" Once again, blanks across the board. How can you possibly claim to be a master in pop culture trivia and know nothing about Seinfeld?

UPDATE #2: Four questions later they were asked to name the "floating" city that Lando Calrissian oversees in The Empire Strikes Back, which of course neither of them knew. That's it, I'm changing the channel.

Hidden Agendas and Cups of Piss

The Floyd Landis Saga continues as the cyclist stands by his claims that he is innocent of doping accusations. The whole situation seems curious but I really don't know enough about how chemical enhancers work to make a judgement. It has been reported that he took eight urine samples and three blood tests and only one came out positive (the infamous "A" sample). I would have to think this synthetic testosterone would be traceable in his system for a longer period of time, and he even points out the fact it doesn't work instantly if taken only once. In an interview shown today on ESPN he said he wanted to clarify that his testosterone level is actually low, not high, and that the discrepency is related to his ratio. I'm still waiting for SportsCenter to present a clear explanation of exactly what is illegal about his urine and how these synthetic substances work. For now, Landis is making this a larger issue by hinting at some form of conspiracy with the objective of his dethroning. At first I was in denial until the "B" results came out, then I sunk into extreme disappointment, but now I just don't know what the hell to think because he looked pretty convincing on tv. I hope this ends with a definite conclusion and doesn't leave us wondering what really went on in France.

Re: Definition of "Sport" 2

What timing: before I decided to switch and make my previous post, I began writing my two cents and below it said 5:33 p.m., the exact same time Scott started his response.
However, I'm afraid Mr. Strader and I don't meet eye to eye, but rather my definition would very closely resemble Seth's. (Not accidentally, I might add, as Seth and I have discussed this topic before.) I realize that there are many competitions that I would normally consider a "sport" just like anyone else, but I think that might change on a person to person basis. (i.e. I'm still waiting on Cale's rebuttal to our NASCAR bashing of late, something I do not consider a "sport.") I agree with the idea of setting a series of criterion and then placing competitions, much like Seth did. Assuming my definition would be structured the same, as I believe it would be, here are a couple alterations I would make.

First of all, I would not consider running a sport, and certainly not sprinting. I know, I know, I'm flirting with angering a bunch of people (this is where you refute me, Cale) but I have run for distance and for speed in years past. In regards to a marathon, endurance is the most prominant aspect (both physical and mental). It requires strength, power, and timing, but too many of the other factors are borderline. Frankly, running is a fairly natural ability--some people are simply naturally faster than others. It is that running is highly "skilled" that I take issue. Now, we're talking about professionally trained runners here, so this goes beyond the schoolyard, but if we are going to include how fast a person can run we must include how high a person can jump. The high jump is done by people who train to enhance an already existing natural ability (although I agree it lacks endurance). In addition, marathons barely include full-body agility, physical quickness, coordination, and strategy is minimal. Sprinting, on the other hand, is completely void of any strategy whatsoever. And realistically, the 100 meter dash lasts around ten seconds making it difficult to argue physical and mental endurance play much of a role.

I'm glad you brought up boxing, Strader, as it was the most evident omission from the list. I would absolutely consider boxing a sport as outlined by the criteria, but only if it lasts until knockout. I agree that boxing is otherwise a judged competition and should not be included. (Again, strictly adhering to the criteria regardless of how I would catagorize it in the back of my mind.)

Another addition to the list of sports, albeit fairly new and obscure, would be Ultimate Frisbee. It is tough to find a competition that is better described and fits the description of a "sport" so well. Read down the list of descriptors and doesn't it just scream Ultimate Frisbee? (The only one up for debate is requirement of strength.)

Despite recent public attention within the past five years regarding cheerleading a legitimate sport, I shall have to disagree. This goes back to my statement that the majority of participants will consider their competition a sport, just like your boxer, marathon man, and jockey, Strader. Cheerleading will never get my approval because, although it requires every single bit of Rule #2, it is purely subjective. Maybe I'll change my mind once ESPN starts airing competitions to see who can build the highest human pyramid or who can get tossed the farthest or who can sleep with the most high school quarterbacks. Just food for thought.


Maybe a different angle to look at this delimma is whether or not to consider the participant of said competition an "athlete." This whole premise started as defining an "athletic sport," as I often think of true, natural sport as being hunting, fishing, etc. Strader's dart player would certainly not consider himself an athlete. In fact, this summer I went to a recruitment function and asked the smallest, weakest looking kid if played in any athletic sports and he said, "I'm just a golfer." All of the track and field participants would surely call themselves athletes but would the ping pong player? I dunno, just thought I'd open another door...

Countdown Until "B" Results

10 Hours, 4 minutes, and 32 seconds...

Definition of "Sport"

I think all of us have probably thought about this before, so I wanted to post my answer to the question: What determines if a sport is truly a “sport”?

Definition of an “Athletic Sport”:

A competitive game or event can be called an “athletic sport” if it satisfies the following (2) rules:

(1) The primary measure to determine success must be some objective, quantifiable measure other than:
-Beauty
-Form
-Style
-Aesthetics
-Emotion

(2) ALL of the following attributes must help facilitate success:
-Strength
-Power
-Agility (full-body)
-Physical Quickness
-Mental Quickness / Reaction
-Skill
-Timing
-Coordination
-Strategy
-Physical Endurance
-Mental Endurance

Making the cut:
-Baseball
-Soccer
-American Football
-Basketball
-Volleyball
-Racquet Sports (Tennis, Badminton, Racquetball, AND Ping Pong)
-Running
-Biking
-Rollerblading
-Wrestling
-Hockey
-All Downhill and Cross Country Skiing

Barely making the cut:
-Sprinting (possibly lacks endurance but I think 100 yard sprint is long enough to requir endurance)
-Air Hockey and Foosball (very close on full-body agility)

Missing the Cut:
-All judged events - Gymnastics, Dancing, Diving, Skateboarding, Rollerblading, Snowboarding, and Skiing for style (Rule # 1)
-Auto Driving, Hunting, “Sport” Shooting, Fishing, Archery (lack power and full body agility)
-Golf, Bowling, Billiards, Swimming, Darts (lack mental quickness/reaction)
-Power lifting (lacks mental quickness/reaction and endurance)
-One time events – Javelin, Shot-put, Pole Vault, High Jump, Long Jump, Ski Jump (lack endurance)
-All Card Games (lacks pretty much every criterion)
-Competitive eating or drinking (lack strength, power, full-body agility, mental quickness/reaction)

Comments: First I need to say that I tried to develop the criteria first and then apply it to the “sports” in question. I didn’t have a list of sports and non-sports and try to make criteria which would generate my pre-determined outcome.

Also, I’m not arguing that events lack merit simply because they don’t meet my criteria. I’m simply saying they should not be referred to as “athletic sports.” Many of the events and competitions that fell short are great “games”, “competitions”, or “arts”…just not “sports”. I’ve always felt that golf is one of the best competitions due to its combination of physical ability, mental ability, and skill.

I’m curious to hear differing opinions or suggestions.

Re: Seinfeld Rules of Volleyball

First off, well freakin’ done. The Seinfeld references were a nice touch, but mostly reading about the faux pas of sand volleyball was like reading gospel.

I’m not trying to one-up you here, as your Seinfeld knowledge far surpasses mine, but if I may be so presumptuous, I’d like to tack on one more…

The Low Talker: A low talker can cause a great deal of confusion – as Jerry discovered in the “Puffy Shirt” episode (“But I don’t want to be a Pirate”) – and the sand volleyball low talker (coincidentally usually a woman) is no exception. There are several situations where vocal restraint just adds confusion (or liability), so please do everyone a favor and open your throat, push from the diaphragm, and speak up. Call a ball that is in between “zones”, help a teammate judge if a ball will be long or short, tell the opponents if a ball was out of bounds, let your teammate know if you are ready to “kibosh” a good set, and above all, announce the score before you serve! It’s a simple rule really: Don’t serve the ball until you’ve (audibly) said the score. I really struggle to determine exactly what goes through a person’s mind when they fail to announce the score. If they in fact know the score, maybe they want to “keep it in the vault” so they can sneak in a few points later. Or maybe they don’t know the score and are counting on some revelation during the next point. Maybe they just figure that no one will ever bring it up again. Or maybe they are taking procrastination to the extreme with the attitude of “why figure it out know when we can figure it out later?” Well, I’ll tell you why: because it’s going to be a lot goddamn harder to figure it out after you play more points. I feel that failure to announce the score should be an automatic side out (or point in the new-age rally system).

I think we ought to add more rules as new situations arise (sort of a “living document”), but in the meantime, the Seinfeld Rules should ensure enjoyable, quality, fundamental sand volleyball. So study the rules, play all volleyball according to their will, and fearlessly go out into the world and spread their message.

News in the World of Sports

Jolting Joe in Danger?

Honestly, probably not. Considering that the closest anybody has ever been is 44 (Pete Rose) and Chase Utley is still 10 away from that. But who doesn't love the thrill of the chase. This is a great story and I hope he makes a run at Pete and Joe. Pay attention to Chase, he's not quite done.

Heartbreak in Sooner Nation

Rhett Bomar decided he needed some more money so he "sold" cars and pulled down $18000. The real problem of course is how does OU deal with this major setback. Many have the tabbed as a legitimate national title contender with a solid QB and now that is not the case. We saw what happens without a good QB in OU, maybe ISU can sneak one past the Sooners...

Even I've Been On the Trading Block

While sifting through my stacks of college/FH paperwork I came across the following email that had been printed out and given to me years ago. I found it humorous enough to post. Oh, how relieved I am this deal never actually occured. (And thanks for the vote of convidence, Strader.)

From: "Scott Strader"
Tue, 03 Jul 2001 03:44:34
Trade Talks

AMES (AP)--Apparently Luke Foster, FarmHouse rush chairman, was approached by the Alpha Sigma Phi rush chairman today asking if FH was rushing a Kelly Guiter, "because we want to rush him too." FH has currently forged a deal in which the Alpha Sigs would be allowed to retain the rights to Guiter along with Chris Gardner, Travis Mitchell, and a right-handed relief rushee to be named later. FH will receive a Homecoming General Co-Chair, a 6-foot-5 basketball player, a bass-baritone, and an undisclosed amount of cash rumored to be in excess of $10 million. Attempts to claim Ryan Satterly on waivers fell through because he is being sent to a rehab assignment at AAA-Iowa. Satterly's agent declined comment.

The Seinfeld Rules of Sand Volleyball

It's been the summer of sand volleyball and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. The evening weather's been beautiful, the sand soft, *most* games are friendly and competitive. However, VB definitely contains the good, bad, and ugly, and it's far time someone stood up to all the schmucks out there who are unawares of their faux pas. While on a plane to Houston, I began by listing my personal pet peeves that arise during a typical sand volleyball game. I realized the list of things that bother me got pretty long. I then went to an anger management session to relieve some stress. Now I've trimmed the list and ready to teach the world what not to do when playing VB with your fellow peers--or at least not when playing with me. Considering a few of us have been discussing Seinfeld daily while playing recently, it became the outlet of my complaints (pardon the long post). All I ask is that you look in a mirror and if you realize you fall under one of these personas, knock it off. Let us meet the cast...

Jerry: this is that player that seems completely indifferent when the ball happens to pass by his or her way. Maybe they make a feeble attempt to bump a ball that is just out of reach, maybe they don't. I've always wanted to drag my foot through the sand and divide the court into as many segments as there are players and give ownership to each and every player to protect their rectangular section. The Jerry in the group will stand there stationary as the ball catches his corner, watching the player next to him desperately try to save a point while faceplanting into the sand directly at his feet and he'll simply look down at you and say, "That's a shame." Why lift a finger to help out his team when he knows in the end he'll be Even Steven? Jerry has never been one to actually care about anything, so why would volleyball be any different? After the score starts stacking against you and you begin preaching to your team that some points will come if only teamwork can pull off a bump, set, and spike in succession, he'll back away, wave his hands, and wish you "good luck with aaallll that..."

George: he was the most successful when he did the opposite of his instincts, but that only lasted a couple of episodes. George was always giving advice, but it was never anything he himself would be willing to do. This player is usually giving orders but succumbing to hypocrisy by not taking his own advice. He'll be the one yelling at you if you hit it over without utilizing all three shots, yet his first chance at the net he's trying to kill anything that comes close. He often gets annoyed when teammates make unforced errors via mis-hits, but it's ok when his serve return is a bump that struck his upper arm and bounced perpendicular out of bounds and over the fence. George is also a rather angry individual, never successfully hiding his rage. ("George is gettin' upset!") This player is typically bad for team chemistry, using petty comments or body language to let his teammate know he isn't pleased with their recent play. Don't let George "into the bloodstream" and "infect your staff" or he will suck the fun out of playing a friendly game and cause discontent among others. Besides, who wants to play with a "pear-shaped" loser?

Elaine: we all know how she dances, and that in no way translates into volleyball. Listen and listen closely: DO NOT KICK THE BALL. You know who you are out there, but you persist anyways. I have no bigger pet peeve out in the sand box than if Elaine and her "little kicks" show up. Pick up the damn ball and toss it to the next server. Not only does kicking the ball spray sand into the face of the person in front of you but it rarely goes where intended--a kicked ball more often than not ends up as wasted time while someone has to chase and corral what someone thought would be a more efficient way to transport the ball from the ground to the server. If you want to use your feet go join the US World Cup team--they could use the help.

Kramer: Michael Richards has made a living off physical comedy, using his body to generate memorable laughs. Hey, Mr. Purposefully-Throw-Yourself-Into-The-Sand-And-Roll-Around-Or-Fall-Into-The-Net-Guy, you aren't Michael Richards. You may lack coordination. You may lack speed. You may lack simple volleyball skills. However, acting the buffoon doesn't impress. Although the real Kramer's exaggerated behavior onscreen is hilarious, out in the sand a tough, well-fought point won will bring more smiles than an overdramatic point lost. More than once this summer a lengthy, exciting volley developed with people making incredible shots to keep it alive, going back and forth, the intensity growing as everyone wonders who will falter first, only to have it end by some moron (far too juiced from the excited cheering from the masses) run screaming at the ball and hammering it directly into the net or over the fence. The best is when he follows it up with a primitive yell, breaks into a laugh, and then realizes noone is laughing with him. And why is he usually on my team? Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good effort, and laying out into the sand is often necessary and complimented. The second type of Kramer is the one who makes a spectacular dig and manages to save the point, yet he remains laying in the sand until the appropriate props are given. As of late, I've almost began physically picking people up off the sand when this happens. Kudos to a great hit but keep playing, dammit. It's all in vain if the other team hits it right back to the spot where we have a man down (this is especially vital when playing 3-on-3 or 4-on-4). Yes, we saw it, you don't need to overdramatize it for "effect." The funny thing about the Kramer is that he shows up more often when the "femininas" are around. If you care more about generating a cheap laugh from the opposite sex than a friendly competitive, fundamental game get out. I'm sure any Latvian Orthodox Father would agree with me in that you don't have the Kavorka, but rather are a run-of-the-mill Hipster Doofus.

Kenny Bania: whether it be about Ovaltine or the shopping cart with one bad wheel, Bania is always a sure miss--much like the volleyball serve of a few hacks I know. Under normal VB point rules a failed serve eliminates any possibility to earn points, but under rally rules (which is how we play in sand) a failed serve gives the opponent a free point. I understand noone is flawless and bad serves do happen, but if you consistently cannot put the ball into play do something about it. I know a girl who serves it long 75% of the time; one time I decided to count and on her sixth rotation to the serve spot she finally managed to keep one in bounds. Amazing. (People still repeat the rhyme from a couple summers ago, "when in doubt, Stu's are out.") Personally, I think if you are even hitting one out of three out of play that is not effective. Too many Bania's try to put power behind the ball or crazy spin on the ball, but the reality is that aces only happen (rarely) by a lack of communication by the other team. And there is nothing worse than a serve into the net because at least sometimes serves that will most likely go out of bounds are still kept in play by the returning side. I can only imagine the response of a dude who insists on slapping it ineffectively overhand actually listening to my advice of giving underhand a chance, and upon discovering it is easier to complete serves turns to me, wide-eyed and excited, "that's gold, Kelly. Gold!" It's ok to try and improve your serve gradually, but begin with a style that provides consistent results. Every time someone rotates into the back-right corner and my expectations of a shitty serve are answered, it makes me want to puke. "Puke, that's a funny word. Mind if I use that?"

Tim Watley: have you ever noticed some guys are just all over the place? The Watley of the group starts the point as the server, then he's middle-left backrow, then he's at the net. "I think he converted to front row purely for the spikes." Read the Jerry description above and you'll know how I feel about every player having their own area of which they are responsible. Frankly, he just wants in on the action regardless of position much like Tim Watley wants "joke immunity." All too often the Watley will be out of position and the vacancy gets exposed. Amid points I often give friendly reminders to get back to his spot, but when he doesn't I usually have to cover his ass; there is nothing worse than when it ends with the opponent cleverly tapping it to my unoccupied spot and suddenly I'm the anti-dentite bastard. I realize most don't enjoy playing backrow and the net gets more action and setting and spiking can be fun, but that's why we rotate, jackass. And you ask if this offends me as a spiker? No, it offends me as a volleyball player.

Mickey: I'm not picking on little people, but I'm afraid to say some people just aren't built for spiking. I'm tall, but I also jump like a white guy, so I focus on placement and out-of-position defense and "hitting it where they ain't." If you are vertically challenged or lack power, just play it safe. I don't come across a Mickey very often, but when I see a short guy (or often, gal) continue driving it into the net with big swings I can't help but roll my eyes.

Man-Hands: sure the references are getting a bit obscure, but this character exists nonetheless. Do you know anyone who seems to punch the ball rather than bump with their forearms? How about one who uses hard swats with their palm to get the ball into the air rather than setting the ball with two hands gracefully with precision? This is Man-Hands. I'll bet if Jerry's "lobster-claw ripping date" was up for a game of volleyball, she'd also have a tough time keeping it in the yard. These players simply have no touch. I especially enjoy the breed that clamps their hands together to form one mighty fist of fury, pumping it outwards from their body directly into the ball. Now I'm no physicist, but I don't believe making contact with the ball with a row of knuckles at a 45 degree angle is the best approach with the goal of placing the ball anywhere with any sort of accuracy. Come on, Man-Hands, it's a women's sport to begin with--slap on some moisturizer and soften that form. "Would you rather her have no hands?" "Would she have hooks?" "Do hooks make it more attractive, Jerry?" "They'd be kind of cool lookin'..."

Maura: this is not in reference to those players you just can't get rid of (although I've known one or two in my day), but instead are those imbeciles that refuse to let points die. Even though the serve was short or the other team hit it four times Maura continues to hit it back over the net. This isn't like a submarine where everyone has to turn their keys for the point to be over. The only things this person accomplishes is wasting a bit of time and often leading to confusion as to whose turn it is to serve. The only explanations for this behavior are: 1) she honestly didn't realize they hit it four (or more) times because it was a cluster of people, 2) she wasn't paying any attention, 3) she doesn't know the most fundamental rule of volleyball, 4) she was just dicking around. All I ask is that when the ball is dead, simply catch it and toss to the next server. (And God help you if you kick it...) The worst situation is when two Maura's happen to meet across from each other at the net and we wait patiently while they play meaningless one-on-one for a few strokes before play may resume. Much like George did, I think I have an airtight case to end this relationship.

David Puddy: "nice work. High five! " Greasemonkey mannerisms are definitely allowed in the sporting world and volleyball is no exception. I enjoy a good compliment, high five, or heterosexual pat on the rear, but celebration is best served in moderate doses. Puddy drove others crazy with his face painting, obnoxious cheering, and incessant high fives. Volleyball is a game that is very back and forth, so keep the in-your-face celebration to a minimum. Remember, for every hard spike there is some one one the receiving end and letting out loud "woo!"'s or "yeah, baby!"'s can really piss people off. Next time maybe they'll aim right for that overconfident mouth of yours. I've seen friendly games go sour and this is often the cause; avoid excessive commentary and keep it modest. But I know, I know, you "gotta support the team." Try doing it with fundamentally sound play.


All in all, the keys to good volleyball are knowing how to handle yourself, being prepared by staying on your toes, and knowing your limits. I'm no pro by any means, but I've played enough to know some of the things you should avoid. Stay away from the above characters and you'll do great.

Floyd, Say It Ain't So

Well, Radar, here it is: for once the French might possibly be right. Floyd Landis is under investigation for high levels of testosterone during the Tour de France. Personally, I refuse to believe it until there is solid proof he knowingly took enhancers. However, what makes this story different from the accusations of Lance is that it was the American team that reported his test results, rather than a bunch of jealous, idiotic Frenchmen making ridiculous claims. This has the potential to make us look awful. I'll keep my fingers crossed while anxiously awaiting the verdict...

Trade Deadline Move?

I was shocked at the latest trade deadline move the other day. No, not Odalis Perez being traded. I'm talking about Harold Reynolds being let go by ESPN as a Baseball Tonight Analyst. I was shocked, in fact, I didn't believe what I was reading. Harold is close second behind Peter Gammons in my book for baseball analyst. The ABC "Family" of networks refused comment as to why he was let go, but I'd sure like to hear them justify it. Rich Sutcliffe, John Kruk, no offense, just don't strike me as great minds in baseball. Buster Olney and maybe on some days Orel, but Harold will be missed.

Re: 3 Different Topics

"Is it just me, or is the whiniest major sport NASCAR?"

No, Stradabolt, it isn't you. While watching my nightly ESPN News they aired three separate interviews with crybabies Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. complaining about bumping and "unsafe driving" and how "he gave me the FINGER." (Yes, that last whine indeed happened.) Auto driving should be lucky it is even appearing on this blog as one of these days something will spark me to go into my rant about how ESPN should not even be showing NASCAR at all because of my lack of respecting it as a legitimate sport, and until these "athletes" can toughen up and handle the competition, I will continue to disrespect it. Hell, I saw worse accidents occur during the Tour de France. As Mr. Strader so eloquently phrased it, "kwitcher bitchin'!"

"If You Get Hurt and Miss Work...

it won't hurt to miss work."

Every time I see that Aflac commerial with Yogi Berra I have to laugh.

"It's that one that you need. If you don't have it, that's why you need it."

Why aren't there more comedic ads featuring retired professional athletes? If I had to make a list of my all-time favorite sports commercials, this would be up there (right with the one where Jordan plays against his younger selves and the new catchy MLB-Chevrolet jingle.)

"And they give you cash, which is just as good as money."

Genious.

College Football

Watching the ESPY's last night really made crave some college football. There truly is nothing like it. When they showed highlights of the Rose Bowl, I was just giddy. Now granted we may never see another game like that for 20 years or more, but man. For those of you lucky enough to watch the whole thing, embrace it. I had to miss the whole third quarter and yes I am still bitter about that. Anyway, this year may lack the star power of last year without names like Young, Leinart, Bush, and Tate. Wait scratch that last one. But there is no clear cut favorite. Last year it was USC and Texas all year, but neither team is a lock for a National Title. I'm researching more about this fall so I can write some good pieces with picks and predictions.

Here's hoping ISU gets their defense worked out so we can, well, not suck.

The World's Game

I just got back from Los Angeles, where the women are beautiful and the weather is perfect (some guy in the hotel elevator actually responded to my “what’s up?” with “nothing…just trying to deal with this heat” on a day that had a high in the 80s and no humidity). I stayed at the Embassy Suites in Downey, and they offer free drinks from 5:30-7:30 – some of you may recall my appreciation of open bars. So upon drinking my fill of Jack-and-Cokes and watching 2 hours of ESPNews, I started to realize how much of the sports world about which I’ve neglected to comment and started taking mental notes, which soon turned into written notes. I’m now going through my 18 pages of “Embassy Suites” notepads of scribblings and figured deciphering them and transforming them into a blog would make a good Sunday afternoon task.

The World Cup

Sorry this article turned into such a marathon, but I’ve a lot to say. To start, a co-worker forwarded me an article from the Quad City Times titled “We’ll Never be Good at Soccer.” The article and my responded comment can be found at:

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/06/27/sports/doc44a0c8d6538a9517348897.txt

Most of this article is ridiculous (which is why I posted a comment) but the end is actually kind of fun to think about…if America’s best athletes played soccer. I especially like the thought of Kevin Garnett at Goal Keeper.

The truth is, (men’s) soccer in this country has a long way to go before we can be serious contenders for The Cup. But that’s a far cry from saying we will “never be good.” Our showing in 2002 was quite good. Since then, we climbed to 5^th in the FIFA rankings. And although very little good can be drawn from this Cup, we did tie the champs…and please don’t say “yeah, but it was an ‘own goal’ by Italy” unless you watched it. Had the Italian not hit it, McBride would have scored. More importantly in that game than the own goal is that we that played the entire second half with 9 players to Italy’s 10.

As for The Cup in general, I think there are some major issues that need to be evaluated.

The flopping was absurd. At some points I half expected some smoke and pyrotechnics and some pro-wrestlers to run onto the field and flop around with the rest of them. I once had a discussion trying to answer the question: Which athletes would you least like to fight (wrestlers, boxers, hockey players, football players, etc.)? Well after watching this Cup, it’s pretty obvious which athletes I would most like to fight: you don’t even have to touch an international soccer player and he’ll end up rolling on the ground screaming. I say “international” because I never once saw a US player flop. Now I don’t really blame the players for this, but rather the referees. A flop should never be rewarded. A ref should only call a foul if he actually SAW a player foul another. That doesn’t happen in a flop, so I don’t understand how fouls were consistently called when untouched players go down screaming. It also seemed like the refs also would never call a foul if the player fouled didn’t go down. If he kept his feet, then they would let play resume, which only encourages players to go-a-flailing at the first hint of contact. The worst is when a player goes down screaming AND makes sure to grab the ball on the way down so the ref is forced to call a foul or a handball, which almost always results in a foul. I feel a flop should be an automatic yellow card. A flop in “the box” should be an automatic red card.

This Cup has been well publicized for its excessive cards. I’m not Mr. Soccer, so I’m always kind of learning as I watch. But after watching a ton of the games, I still don’t really have a good answer for: What determines if a hard foul should get a yellow card, red card or, the more unpopular option in this Cup, no card? It’s obviously discretionary, but to my amateur eye, it could be a lot more consistent with at least a somewhat clear criteria. During some matches I watched (USA-Italy specifically), it truly felt like the ref had some kind of bipolarity with the fouls he gave cards to, and the much more excessive fouls he didn’t. In my opinion, a yellow card should be reserved for the absolute worst/most dangerous fouls that happen in the play of the game and red cards should be reserved for Zidane-esque incidents.

I absolutely hate watching penalty kicks. I say that because in my very limited playing of soccer, I was put at goal keeper (can’t we just say goalie?) 90% of the time. The penalty kicks are just completely unfair to the goalie. He has no chance, except to be lucky and guess right. I especially hate when a player gets fouled in the box with no real chance to score, and is then essentially awarded a free goal through the penalty kick (i.e. USA-Ghana). I think after a foul occurs in the box, the ball should be placed at the point of the foul…just like it is after a penalty anywhere else. The only difference would be that no players may be between the shooter and the goalie. I also think they should do away with the penalty kicks deciding a match in the elimination round. If it gets to 90 minutes and the game is tied, then they should just keep playing until someone scores. I felt that in the Championship, Italy wasn’t even trying for a goal, but was instead just trying to stall until the pk’s. The game should never be set up to encourage teams to stall. I also felt that if they had played the game out until one team scored, France would have won, even without Zidane.

Ok, so about Zidane. I’m still stunned when I think about that head butt. It’s not the fact that it was about the cheapest of cheap shots – which could have had a much more serious result. Or the fact that the game was on the line (most likely the biggest game of his life). Or that a reaction like that to any spoken word is simply bizarre and never justified. It’s the fact that the audience of the game is over 1 Billion people (more than 10 times the audience of Super Bowl XL). If there was ever a time to keep your cool, that would be it! As for those who argue or even suggest that his response was justified based on any family insult or “ethnic slur” that Materazzi said, I eloquently respond with: ETHNIC SLUR MY ASS! I seriously challenge anyone to come up with an insult or “ethnic slur” which would cause ME to do something that outrageous in front of a billion people during the biggest night of my life. I actually feel grateful Zidane was exposed in front of the entire world for exactly what he is: a douchebag.

That’s pretty much it for The World Cup. I actually wrote notes about almost every sport, but this took more time than and turned into a larger article than I intended, so I’ll just leave it at that for now.

Enough is enough...

Today I was mulling over college football previews and stumbled across some very disturbing news. If you go to ESPN.com and go to the college football section, you can a free peak at what Blue Ribbon has to say about Iowa's upcoming season. Two things jumped out at me while skimming the article. The first came in the early part of the article. They mentioned how great Kirk Ferentz is, which he is, but then started in on how great Iowa football has been and that they'd only been held to less then 20 points twice, against a very talented Ohio State team (my opinion) and Iowa State. But its okay, Drew Tate left with a self inflicted (my words again) concussion. Okay, so if everybody is healthy they're a great team, but if not, well they can lose every once and a while and make a Jan. 1st bowl game. I thought that was too much already, but it got better, I guess.

Later it discussed their potential for success and how they thought the season would play out (last few paragraphs). Let me give a little background information to prepare you for this. Iowa plays Montana, Syracuse, Iowa State, and Illinois their first four games. "Fortunately for them, the schedule provides relief with four likely blowouts before they play host to Ohio State." Blowouts, three I would believe, but one of those teams beat Iowa last year, pretty handedly. I hope Hawk fans look past Iowa State this year, which they probably won't because they know they got rocked last year, but if they do, they're in trouble. Iowa State may struggle a little this year because their schedule is awful tough, but against the Hawks they should be ready, we always are. So here's to you Hawk fans, may Drew Tate continuing winning games, for Iowa State...


NOTE: On the bright side, Blue Ribbon had Todd Blythe, Brett Meyer, and DeAndre Jackson (DB and KR) all on 1st team Big XII. Rankings weren't out yet for how we would fair in the North, but this is promising. No Curvey though, strange...

The 5 Reasons Why Noone Knows If the Cincinnati Reds Will Win the Wild Card

I logged on ten minutes ago prepared to write a post entitled "The 5 Reasons Why the Cincinnati Reds Will Win the Wild Card." Then I decided to check out MLB.com only to find the headline coincidentally bearing news about an eight-player trade between the Reds and Nationals. Suddenly I'm not as confident. Sure it bolsters their bullpen, but they are losing a couple important bats. The combined stats for Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns from the first half of the season:

BA-.271, OBP-.353, HR-25, RBI-80, BB-82, SB-30 (But 151 strikeouts. Yikes.)

Kearns helps protect Adam Dunn in the lineup, so it is that much more important Ken Griffey is healthy and productive. Royce Clayton (age 36) should fray part of the loss, but he will provide a mediocre output at best.

Hell, now I'm not so sure, so I've altered this entry to explain why I am completely clueless as to whether or not they are the real deal. (This is dedicated to our friends, the Lebo-Beyers, out in Ohio.)


1) It's hard to keep playing better than expected.
Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, Scott Hatteberg, and Brandon Phillips are exceeding expectations by having higher than normal numbers. It'll be interesting to see if this pitching staff can continue balancing a potent offense. In recent years the Reds have had the most explosive offense but lacked pitching to keep them in games, and even with Bronson and Harang throwing great, they are both a measly 9-6. They do have a real deal in Edwin Encarnacion who is legitimatly having his breakout season after an average rookie year and should consistently get better. However, as the season moves on and Cinci becomes less of a suprise upstart team and becomes a favorite for second in the Central, the expectations will increase and the young players may buckle under the pressure during the final wild card push.

2) Team chemistry may change.
I'm not sure how much I buy into the "intangibles" of team sports, but I do know that having confidence in eachother and preaching teamwork can give guys a boost. Thus far, the Reds have been playing well *together* with a consistent lineup and a pitching staff that keeps challenging eachother. Integrating five new players, with the loss of a key component in Kearns, can shake up the good thing they had going.

3) It will be difficult to repeat a 11-3 record against Houston and St. Louis.
Their record against the rest of the NL Central is pretty typical (15-17), but to climb higher in the ranks they must begin taking more games from the lowly Cubs and Pirates. The Astros and Cards know what it takes to reach the playoffs and will be tougher wins the remainder of the season.

4) Ken Griffey is a perennial question mark.
Some days he looks like the old Griffey, some days he looks like the Tin Man before his joints were oiled. His 18 home runs and 50 RBI's definitely help the cause, but he isn't hitting for average (.255) or seeing the ball as well (8th on team in walks with 17). As mentioned above, if the Reds want to contend they need a healthy KG. He hits the DL, so does the team.

5) History has a way of repeating itself.
Nothing would make me angrier than if Houston goes on yet another late-season tear to squeak into the postseason. Clemens and Pettitte will begin winning games, Lance Berkman will keep up this pace, and Brad Lidge will regain his form (I hope not) making them a threat to take a run at the division. Experience may win out and those damned Astros, who are built like a playoff team, can turn on the afterburners. The Dodgers, Giants, and D-Backs will be amid the dogfight til the end while I'm rooting for the unlikely Rockies who are having a season very similar to the Reds. On the flip side, though, the trend of wild cards from the Central may continue and the Reds are ready to replace Houston in that role.

Overall, the NL race should be much tighter than the AL, and who the hell knows what's gonna happen? I suppose that's why they play the games. Fire up!

Keys to the Second Half

Dayn Perry, a journalist I am less than fond of, wrote an article on questions for the second half. So here are my thoughts on these questions.

1. The AL East - Watch out Boston and New York, these Blue Jays are for real. The money the spent this offseason looks like it will pay off. Troy Glaus, Halliday, Rios (when he's healthy), Wells, etc. These guys can play and with the Yanks injuries I would not be surprised to see the Blue Jays and Bo Sox fighting it out for the title come Sept. This should be an exciting race, and I'm picking the Blue Jays.

2. The Cards - Yes, they can hold on. Is there any doubt? The NL Central is pretty week, considering the Red Birds only competition will be from the Reds and Brewers, I really don't foresee another division title being a problem. They've had their struggles, but La Russa knows what he's doing, he'll have this team ready for October.

3. The Trade Deadline - The joys of speculation. For the past few seasons it seems the build-up to the trade deadline never lives up to the hype. In fact, I think you could say the biggest trade made last year was the White Sox getting Geoff Blum from the Padres. He did win Game 3 for the Sox. I feel this year will be a bust again. Dontrelle WIllis is not leaving Florida. I would bet on that. Alfonso is the biggest name likely to move, since the Nationals failed to excel this year. Maddux will also be shipped out, as should most veterans on the Cub Scouts roster, change is needed. Expect a ho-hum trade deadline, again.

4. The Cubs - The first thing that needs to happen in Chicago is to kick some people in the ass. Seriously, this team is horrible. Dusty Baker shouldn't, thought likely will, take the fall for lack luster play from a less the stellar roster. The Cubs need to trade for Prior and Wood by sending some minor leaguers to the DL. The real question is, can a team so used to losing, change that?

5. AL Central - White Sox, two reasons. 1) Kenny Rogers always struggles the second half, and as the ace, if he goes down, so will the rest of the staff because...2) they're a young staff and fatigue and a few struggles will affect them more than the veteran staff of Chicago. Just look at the Sox rotation, besides Beurhle and Contreas, the ERA of Garcia, Garland, and Javier are very high, but their records and mindset are still good. Watch out if the South Side team gets hot, there could be trouble with Mo-Towns magical season.

Side note: How about the Twins, these guys really are playing lights out and don't look to stop anytime soon. My prediction, and it is a bold one, is that White Sox win the Division, and Minnesota takes the Wild Card. I think they get hot(ter) and with the aid of Chicago beat up on the Tigers who miss the playoffs.

6. NL Wild Card - I'm feeling crazy today, so here goes another off the wall prediction. The Braves will win the Wild Card. Yes, I know, crazy, but the GM has committed to winning even this year, their rotation has made great strides, and they can't keep swinging so poorly all year. The bullpen may need some help, but watch out, they always find a way, and why would this year be any different.

7. The A's - Will they stay healthy? Yes. Will they win the West? Yes. Will it piss me off how they will just go on a tear and take off with first in the West? Yes. There really is no better second half team than the A's (outside of Houston, but not this year).

8. NL West - The Dodgers win a close one, with San Diego not far behind. I know Brad Penny can't every game like he did in the All-Star game, but man, WOW.

9. The Royals - They have turned this year around, and by that I mean they're not the worst in baseball anymore (enter Pirates). They're making progress and if their young talent develops, they may be a threat in the next few years. Watch out, they'll make noise this year.

10. I feel like I addressed this one...

To recap, my picks are:

AL East: TOR
AL Central: CHW
AL West: OAK
AL Wild Card: MIN

NL East: NYM
NL Central: STL
NL West: LAD
NL Wild Card: ATL

This season should be one of the most exciting in a while, sit back and enjoy.

"Awww. Is that it?"

It appeared Public Enemy #1, AJ Pierzynski, didn't notice the FOX Broadcasting camera looking him directly in the face. After a mix of cheers and boos upon his introduction (I'd say approx 40-60, respectively), he turns to his teammate and says the above smiling in a sarcastic tone for all the world to see. I honestly think he was disappointed.

Then again, perhaps he just couldn't see the camera due to poor vision, which seemed the case on Friday against the Red Sox when he slid far to the side of the bag and completely out of the basepath, taking out the shortstop and allowing the winning run to reach base. Man, he really oughta get those eyes check...

Why I Love This Game

A modern day Moonlight Graham

"Son, if I'd only got to be a doctor for five minutes, now that would have been a tragedy."

The End of an Era

Risking taking attention away from the MLB all-star game, I thought I would share how sad I am to see Andre Agassi retire. For those of you who caught his final match at Wimbledon (I've seen it re-aired atleast three times now) you know what I'm talking about. He has been such a fantastic icon for the game of tennis over the past two decades and even though retirement was inevitable, it will be difficult to see him go. After his three-set loss to #2 Nadal on Centre Court, he gave one last trademark 'four corners bow' and a rare on-court interview. The crowd showed immense appreciation, Nadal was gushing over what it means to play a legend, and Andre himself had tears in his eyes while sharing how much he loved all the years spent at the All England Club, thanking the fans for all their support. It was one of those soul-touching moments that reminds me why I watch sports to begin with.
I absolutely can't wait until September to witness an entire country rally behind Agassi at the US Open for one final run. The 2002 US Open was magnificent as Pete Sampras won the last tournament he would ever play, fittingly against Agassi, and I hope this year we can send off the other half of this dominant American tandem victorious. I recommend you take this fleeting opportunity to see the end of a great American era.

The Onion Sets A New Comedic Low

Rookie Tragically Misinterprets Suicide-Squeeze Sign

Hilarious.

Too Bad One Vote Doesn't Make a Difference

Let's break down our panel's all-star ballots and see just how many of our votes went towards a winner:

KG: 25% (AL 1/8, NL 3/8)
CK: 25% (AL 0/8, NL 4/8)
SS: 31.25% (AL 2/8, NL 3/8)

Now I would consider our MLB IQ to be strong to quite strong and it pains me to see such deserving gents go unappreciated by the common fan. It's stunning that the picks that helped me sleep the best the night I voted, Pujols aside, were for Joe Mauer, Matt Holliday, and Jermaine Dye--all denied starting spots. It was good to see them all placed on reserve, but runaway victories for guys like Pudge, A-Rod, and Soriano just verify the "Big Name Theory." (Can anyone explain how seven South-Siders can be on the All-Star team and Joe Crede not be one of them?! This panel had him starting unanimously.)
This of course leads me to my next complaint; last year I voted for a deserving Podsednik, but anyone who voted for Pierzynski over Liriano should be forced to explain themselves. AJ's not having a bad year by any means, but everyone knows this guy for all the wrong reasons and I was hoping Mr. Joe Everyman would clearly see Ozzie's mistake by not including this kid and give him a helping hand. 9-1 with a 1.98? Tis a shame...
I've been a bit hard on Ozzie lately, so I won't sink my teeth into his questionable selections, but I will agree with Cale on the ludicrous pickup of Beurhle and raise an eyebrow at the absence of Hafner. My hat goes off to the job Phil Garner did as I really think he put together a roster that can actually win this game. Every player I saw fit to be an all-star he gave due credit. I especially applaud the opposite route he took in only choosing one of his own players, especially having a couple very good pitchers on his club. Garner has some powerful bats coming off the bench so it should be interesting.
Finally, I'm giving a shout-out to my man, Reggie Sanders. I sometimes reevaluate the rule entitling every team to an all-star, but I'm OK with it. (I would still debate that it should be in the hands of the players.) In this case, the manager just plain got it wrong. Usually every team has atleast someone putting up uncharacteristic season numbers or a career of not-quite-good-enough campaigns. Sanders is of the latter, and the selection of Mark Redman is a slap in the face of a player who has distinguished himself as a producer and leader for many different teams. Earlier this season Reggie became only the fifth player ever to join the 300-300 club (home runs and steals) and it would have been great to see him rewarded.

The Snubs Are In...

It happens every year, several well qualified players missed out on the cut and a few made it without merit. A few stick out in my mind...

The Deserving
Travis Hafner - Clevland - his numbers warrant at least a reserve spot - high OBP, slugging
Joe Crede - Chi Sox - his defense and batting are pretty darn good, he hits over .300 and over 50 RBI with gold glove D
Fransico Liriano - Minnesota - The biggest snub, bar none, he is by far the best pitcher in baseball, I cannot understand this one
Justin Verlander - Detroit - a fine rookie putting up solid numbers, numbers deserving of an all star spot
Michael Barrett - Cub Scouts - his numbers are better than Lo Duca, should be there with McCann

The Not Welcome
Mark Buerhle - Chi Sox - numbers aren't deserving of an All-Star nod compared to what he should be, better pitchers out there
Jose Contreas - Chi Sox - same as Buerhle, he'll find his form again, but Jenks is the only deserving Sox pitcher
Mark Redman - KC - wow, really makes you question the every team gets a rep idea

I would also like to add my two cents on fan voting. I hate it. The very idea of fans choosing the best players is absurd. Fans shouldn't control this aspect of the game. Too many deserving players miss out year after year while people who happen to play for Boston or New York get almost automatic selections. (Sadly the White Sox are starting to act like this and I don't like it one bit) Let managers and players pick, hell even let the media choose, except Jay Mariotti and the NYT. This needs to be addressed, sadly it will probably take some great snub to take hold and who knows when that will happen.

A bit of sad but true humor...

DL to sign Mark Prior to 2 year, $8 million deal

Well let's just hope they don't get Kerry Wood either, they could be tough to beat...

In Defense of Ozzie

Wow, you say, who would do such a thing. Well, I guess I'll take a stand and voice my support for Mr. Gullien. Ozzie has a mouth, no question. It gets him into trouble quite often, no doubt. But these outbursts are Ozzie being Ozzie. He never likes to mince words and voices his opinion, whether we want to hear it or not. Politicians in DC should take note of Ozzie's style and quit feeding lines and tell us what they think, not what we want to hear. Ozzie's insensitive comment about Jay Mariotti ws rude, inapproriate, but not that far off. Have you ever heard Jay speak or talk about Chicago sports, the guy sucks. He refuses to interview in the White Sox clubhouse because of a supposed threatening from some players. Why don't you be a man and deal with instead of hiding behind your column. As for his outburst agains Sean Tracey, uncalled for a young pitcher, but he was not demoted for not hitting Blalock. Riske was on his way in, end of story. People have written over and over how Ozzie better watch his mouth or else he may be looking for a new job. I don't buy it. Ozzie is a proven winner and they way he carries himself is part of that and I would hate to see that change.

Following Suit...

Nice idea of posting All-Star picks, so I believe I will follow in your wise foot steps and do the same.

AL Ballot

1B: Paul Konerko - South Siders - consistent and dependable
2B: Robinson Cano - Yankees - for a rookie on the NYY playing this well, I give him the nod over a position loaded with stars
SS: Miguel Tejada - Baltimore - a bright spot on a dismal team
3B: Joe Crede - South Siders - he could hit .270 and should still make the team with his defense
C: Joe Mauer - Minnesota - is there really any question?
OF: Jermaine Dye - South Siders - I hate to pick so many Sox players, but JD deserves this more than the other two...
OF: Alex Rios - Toronto - Wells would work here too, but Rios is a solid hitter with power
OF: Magglio Ordonez - Detroit - I'm not sure I completely sold on Mags, but good enough for sure
SP: Mike Mussinia - Yankees - Pitching well for his age and providing an anchor for the Yanks rotation

NL Ballot

1B: Albert Pujols - St. Louis - duh...
2B: Dan Uggla - Florida - good call Kelly - this guy is great
SS: Joes Reyes - NYM - speaking a great guys, with the glove and the lumber...
3B: David Wright - NYM - I thnk Rolen is great, but here I give the nod to Wright...namely just to spite you, I love Rolen...
C: Michael Barrett - Cub Scouts - My oddball pick, he did a lot when the Cubs needed him, including hitting AJ...
OF: Carlos Lee - Brewers - Another ex-Sox making his name known...
OF: Carlos Beltran - NYM - putting up great numbers and playing to win...
OF: Matt Holliday - Colorado - I hate to copy your OF Kelly, but this guy is another solid player, good pick
SP: Tom Glavine - NYM - This guy has been stellar this year, lets hope it continues in to the second half

The talent level in the league this year seems suprisingly high, lots of good players all over the field. I'm glad I don't have to pick the teams...

KG's MLB All-Star Ballot

I just punched my all-star ballot a good 28 minutes before the deadline just so I could determine exactly who is the most worthy. There were definitely some tough choices, but I think I gave credit where due and served justice to the big-names without the big-games.

American League

1B: Travis Hafner, Indians
2B: Mark Loretta, Red Sox
SS: Miguel Tejada, Orioles
3B: Joe Crede, White Sox
C: Joe Mauer, Twins
OF: Vernon Wells, Blue Jays
OF: Jermaine Dye, White Sox
OF: Magglio Ordonez, Tigers

National League

1B: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
2B: Dan Uggla, Marlins
SS: Jose Reyes, Mets
3B: Scott Rolen, Cardinals
C: Brian McCann, Braves
OF: Matt Holliday, Rockies
OF: Carlos Beltran, Mets
OF: Carlos Lee, Brewers

• I hate to deny David Wright, but Scott Rolen is just too good. He may be behind in HR's and RBI's, but his BA and worldclass defense (not to mention his explosion when Pujols went down) gives him my slight edge.
• One of the most even positions was AL second baseman of which there was no standout. Loretta, Robinson Cano, Brian Roberts, Jose Lopez, and Tadahito Iguchi all had similar numbers and team success. (I actually considered writing in Ty Wigginton.)
• Alfonso Soriano is a noticeable omission, but he has been pretty two-faced. He's put up huge numbers in homeruns, RBI's, and stolen bases, but his batting average, strikeout total, and shaky play in left field found him on the bench.
• I have to give Honorable Mention to Chase Utley for NL 2B--I flipped a coin.

Define "Unsuitable"

Alright men, let out a simultaneous groan. The young lovelies at this year's Wimbledon are being forced to cover up their curves. Why else would we watch?

More Bang For Your Buck

After hearing on ESPN about how amazingly low the Marlins payroll is ($14 mil), I thought it would be interesting to analyze how much each team achieves based on how much dough they shell out. (I am also long overdue for pointing out the fact that Boston has been 2nd in salaries for a few years now despite how much they complain about Steinbrenner's bottomless checkbook.) A couple things I noticed were how much teams like the Cubs, Giants, and Mariners pay their underachieving players while Detroit and St. Louis can be considered overachieving teams judging by their position right in the middle of the pack.
One way to examine the payrolls is determine how many wins they earn per million of dollars spent. It is not linear, as expected, but interesting nonetheless.

Bang For Your Buck

Remember that shortstop trade carousel that occurred two seasons ago? David Eckstein to St. Louis from Anaheim, Edgar Renteria to Boston from St. Louis, Orlando Cabrera to Anaheim from Boston. Last season, the first with their new teams, little Davy Eckstein shined the brightest and both Renteria and Cabrera had significant production dropoffs. At the time of the trade, the popular choice as loser in the deal was the Cardinals, having lost a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove. However, Eckstein is currently making a bid for his second all-star start in a row and having another great season. I thought it may be fun to check in on how all three are doing this season, especially after casting my all-star vote for Renteria after he has returned to his old form for the Atlanta Braves. The key value in my mind is the difference in salaries as Eckstein came cheap but at high end results. (The departure of Renteria also allowed more money to keep other key players.) I'll point out that a third ex-Red Sox shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, is having a tremendous season while Boston's current SS, Alex Gonzalez, is hitting .260 with an OBP of .308. Props to Theo Epstein, but he doesn't know a potentially talented shortstop when he sees one.

Return of the Black Sox?

Ozzie Guillen on Jay Mariotti:

"Jay, I think I made this guy a lot of money and he's famous. If not for Ozzie Guillen, no one would have heard of him."

"Jay's a piece of shit. If he wants to know, he should be talking to me here right now. If he were a man, he'd be here with you guys right now. Jay's a piece of shit."

"That's the way he is. He's garbage, still garbage, going to die as garbage. Period.''

Ozzie Guillen on calling someone a "fucking fag":

"I've been here for 20 years, but people have to know that I grew up in a different country. That's not an excuse. I called the guy that name, but, no, that's the way I grew up, that's the way I've learned that language."

"I have been here enough to know you can use so many words in the States. That's not an excuse, but I wasn't calling people that. I was calling him that."

''I will apologize to the people I 'offended' because I should have used another word." [Sarcastically holding up his hands and making quotations with his fingers while saying "offended"]

Ozzie Guillen on his requirement to attend sensitivity training:

"I don't think I'll be going -- I don't think that'll happen.''

"I never lie. First of all, I said I'll have to take an English class first to understand what they're talking about. Believe me, this is the last day I talk about this. Anybody who wants to play games or put me in a position. ... I'm going to continue to manage, but I'm going to start getting nasty with the media."

"I don't need this job. I don't need to kiss anybody's butt to keep it.''


The list of bad Ozzie quotations could go on and on. The bottom line is that he should feel fortunate he has a great team playing for him--if the White Sox weren't the defending champs and one of the best teams in baseball right now I think he'd have been punished more harshly by the league and front office. (It'll get harder for Reinsdorf to defend him after comments like the last one above.) Frankly, I am one of many who is just getting sick of hearing about the guy. He's flirting with that line that separates the Shaq's and the TO's, the say-it-as-it-is tough guys and the nonsense, egomaniacal distractions. Guillen needs to direct his attention from Jay Mariotti to the AL Central division race.
Now, I realize the comparison to the old Black Sox is farfetched, but they are slowly obtaining a reputation of dirty play. The sweep of the Astros in last year's summer classic was convincing enough, but there were a couple key controversial plays involving A.J. Pierzynski (of whom in Sports Illustrated was voted "Most Like To See Get Beaned" by his fellow major leagers). Ozzie let out the rage on a young pitcher after he didn't retaliate by intentionally hitting a batter, leading to his return back down to the minors the very next day. Three days ago he was suspended for ordering his pitcher to intentionally hit Chris Duncan, son of St. Louis pitching coach, Dave Duncan. The latest accusations come from the Cards blowout in Chicago concerning illegal sign stealing. This isn't the first time they have been accused of using a camera in center field to steal the catcher's signs, but it is the most evident. I didn't believe this story at first and hung my head at the idea of my beloved Cardinals making excuses for getting pounded in a largely hyped powerhouse matchup, but the evidence is quite convicting. According to one of the St. Louis players, they became suspicious partway through the second game of the series with the score 13-3 and changed the set of signs after the 5th inning. The numbers don't lie: The Sox were 40-for-88 with 15 extra-base hits and 33 runs before the change, going 4-for-36 with one run scored afterward. Looks fishy to me...
This really is a shame because I jumped on the White Sox bandwagon last year and cheered for them to win a world championship. This season I am beginning to root for a collapse. I'll be the first to admit how good they are (particularly Dye, Thome, and Konerko, of whom I think are standup, classy players) but until Ozzie says something worth hearing about, I'll stand on Mariotti's side of public decency. We've seen him put up, now it's time for him to shut up.

Place Your Bets...

on the big series in Chicago this week. The two best teams in baseball last year face off today at 7:05 for a three-game series. This will be big for either team as St. Louis is staving off Cincy and the White Sox need to gain ground on Detroit. It's too bad the Sox will not have to see either of last year's MVP or Cy Young as both are tentative to return for the series with the Tigers. I guess it is also nice we won't face Contreras. If both can control Rolen/Encarnacion and Thome/Dye it should be an interesting series.

I'm picking (rather biased): Cards 2, Sox 1


UPDATE #3: Yup. I was wrong. It might be even harder to lose 1-0 after a rookie pitcher throws a one-hitter, but that single mistake happened to be a game-winning homerun. The kid damn near threw a perfect game. Ouch. Maybe we'll get even in the World Series...

Cards 0, Sox 3


UPDATE #2: Ah hell. St. Louis went from having a top two team ERA in the league to giving up 33 (!) runs in two games. Wow. I never really considered the White Sox an offensive juggernaut, but they can really crush a pitcher's self-confidence. I expected as much from Konerko and Thome, but where the hell did Crede come from?! Tonight we send out a young gun from the minors to give our rotation a rest--here's to hoping he gives up less than four HR's. The only attractive feature of this series is all the buzz generated from the analysts considering this a good potential World Series preview.

Cards 0, Sox 2


UPDATE: After a complete slaughtering of the St. Louis pitching staff (20 ER) and a four-run ninth that meant absolutely nothing, the Cards need to erase yesterday out of their memory. Kudos, Chicago, we got the message.

Cards 0, Sox 1

Thoughts in the World of Sports

This week has seen a number of intriguing sports stories thus far. So let's jump right in...

Big Ben and his bike

This story is really hard for me to take. I love Big Ben as a player and have the utmost respect for his ability and his character. But this really seems like a bonehead move on his part. The whole helmet 'thing,' where he was quite defiant about wearing a helmet since PA law does not require one. I am sure he is regretting that now. The fact of the matter is this: You are a pro athlete, you get paid to throw a football, you saw what happened to Kellen Winslow and even worse, Jay Williams, why would you risk so much for a motorcycle. Terry Bradshaw was right, wait until you retire and enjoy it all you want. You're 24 years old and a recent Super Bowl Champ, with so much going for you, why risk it for a bike ride. From a public policy stand point, the risks certainly outweigh the rewards.

USA Soccer

Wow, here come the Americans making sure the world knows we'll never be a threat in World Cup soccer. I watched part of the game on Monday and the Czech simply out hussled and out played us. Simple as that, I'm not sure we have the talent, or maybe the coaching to compete with the rest of the world. I'm hoping against Italy we can pull out something to show we're not a flop. I mean even Togo scored a goal against S. Korea. What I'm most disturbed about is the fact that Bruce Areanes spent Tuesday calling out his players. Why do that to a team? Maybe you should figure out some way to get the ball in the net. The Czech team managed to get corner kicks close to the net or at least get a shot off, but the US could not, they seemed content to waste opportunities. Maybe we should stick with the World Baseball Classic...

Update on my baseball picks

Well it seems as though as soon as I blog something, the team I count out comes back and the team I pick flops. See Atlanta and Cincinnati. The Reds have played extremely well lately and are only a game or two behind the struggling Cards. I would blame it on Albert Pujols being hurt, but I'm surprised by this teams struggles without him. Scott Rolen needs to play better if they want to keep winning. And the Braves, they're now 10 games out of first and losing steam. I still think they may make a run, but it may be too little, too late.

Stanley Cup

It is too bad to see Edmonton's storybook season come to an end. They played so well for most of the playoffs but now just seem to running out of gas. This team looks solid enough to make a run again next year. And what's up with OLN broadcasting these games. This is the Stanley Cup, you wonder why nobody is watching this? Put it on a cable channel most people get or even better ABC or CBS or something. OLN? The NHL better rethink this idea soon.

NBA Playoffs

I thought I was starting to care about the NBA for a while. I was wrong. I still don't care.