5/19/09

Blog... what blog?

And the Number 1 overall pick goes to…
…The LA Clippers, in fact. The lottery process was pretty disappointing this year with the first eight picks come up as all chalk. The Kings (best odds at winning the Blake Griffin lottery) fell three spots down to #4 overall, and the only interesting moment was when they revealed the last three teams were the Clippers, Memphis, and Oklahoma City.
            Seeing OKC get the first pick would’ve been like a perfect storm of things for (no pun intended) the Thunder. Their next year’s starting line up would have had a combination of Russell Westbrook (one of the brightest rookie point guards in the league), Kevin Durant (perhaps the best pure-scorer in the league), Jeff Green (a high-potential forward entering his second year), and Blake Griffin (the #1 overall pick who just won nearly every collegiate award possible last year).
            Instead, the pick goes to LA’s second team. The Clips had the #1 overall pick ten years ago in 1998, and used it (unfortunately) on Michael Olowokandi. The situation really sucks for Blake Griffin. Instead of going to a team that had a very real chance of a run at the title in 2 or 3 years, he goes to a Clippers team that has some of the worst management in all of sports.
What’s worse is that the Clippers really have that “losing atmosphere” that can destroy even the most talented players. Elton Brand knew it and he left town as soon as he could. Baron Davis signed with LAC this year and immediately realized he was in for the worst year of his life. There is so much pressure on Griffin’s shoulders to turn this team around quickly, or else he’ll be enveloped in the cloud of negative attitude the same way Mr. Eko was enveloped by the Black Smoke Monster.
Brett Favre?
            To no one’s surprise, Brett Favre wants back into the league. To my surprise at least, some team actually wants him. Teams need to realize that Favre is past his time and is really nota very good quarterback anymore.
Many people are quick to point out his imploding over the last few weeks, but many people don’t realize his how bad his performance in the first few weeks really was. Favre was throwing up the same lame ducks he was in week one as he was in week 17 – the only difference is that Favre got lucky a few times in the early part of the season and he didn’t get lucky towards the end. It’s not the kind of thing that would ever show up in the box score, but when you realize that Favre is about to turn 40, has a partially torn bicep and contemplating having surgery unfamiliar to him, and working with a new system, it all points to the same message: Avoid Brett Favre.
But we know the Vikings are desperate for a quarterback to help Adrian Peterson develop. And we know Brett Favre would love nothing more than to stick it to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for their disrespectful behavior  (according to Favre) this past summer. I’m willing to bet that if the Vikings can beat the Packers next year, the reason won’t be Favre. ADP is a stud and the Packers defense is pretty poor. Favre doesn’t change that, no matter how many records he holds or games he has won in the past.
So about this Twitter business….
            Twitter has fulfilled its apparent destiny and really taken off in the last few months. But who is Twitter, a new, internet/mobile-based social networking site most popular with? It’s actually most popular among middle-aged/older people and celebrities, while it lacks support from the high school/college crowd that is so obsessed with Facebook and MySpace.
            The reason why? Twitter is just a dumbed-down version of Facebook: it allows you to update people on your status (a la Facebook status) without the creep/stalk potential that the real Facebook gives you. It allows older people, who may not be as computer-savvy as the younger generation, to stay connected without getting to complex or sharing too much information.
            Twitter’s also great because it lets you keep up with celebrities. There used to be a time when the only time you’d hear a celebrity or athlete speak is when they gave an interview, and even then you knew the answers were so scripted that you never get a feel for the athlete’s real personality.
Twitter changes all that. There is no middleman now between celebrities and fans. Celebs have full discretion over what they say and how they say it. There’s no fear of quotes being taken out of context or having to answer questions that they don’t want to.
My question is why companies feel they can somehow convert Twitter’s popularity into something positive for the company.  Every company seems to have a Twitter now, whether it’s appropriate for them to have one or not. Recently I interviewed for a travel agency to work in the Marketing department, and they told me one of my responsiblities would be maintaining the company’s Twitter account. Why would anyone need to know what this company was doing on an up-to-the-minute basis? That’s not it though. Hulu has a Twitter, Amazon.com has a Twitter. Monster.com has a Twitter. Does anyone know why? I sure don’t. Let’s leave the tweets to the celebs and athletes (aka people we care about).

MORE TO COME!!!

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12/14/08

'Tis the Season

“Tis the Season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la.” Indeed. But what else is this the season for? It is the greatest time of year, where we are blessed (or, according to some, cursed) with a month of parties, music, and genuinely kind spirits. But not everyone enjoys wearing their gay apparel. Even in this most wonderful time of the year, there is always room for a scrooge or two. So what else can we expect going into the final two weeks of the holiday season? Well, 'tis the season for:

Bad Free Agent Signings

I was working on an article earlier in the week but never got a chance to finish it. The article talked about the MLB free-agent class and how I felt the Yankees were making a big mistake throwing such a big pile of cash at C.C. Sabathia and AJ Burnett. The Sabathia signing isn't terrible, though he's a hoss and will help the Yankees at the top-end of their rotation, I don't think he'll be the shutdown starter he was with the Brewers. I also wrote that AJ Burnett would turn into this decade's Mike Hampton. Burnett always manages to get big free-agent contracts, despite a history of arm issues. AJ likes to pitch when it matters most to him (contract years) and then remarkably will have trouble staying on the mound after signing his name on the dotted line. Burnett has only pitched two full seasons in his career, both coming in contract years. He had good enough stuff to be the ace on any pitching staff in the league, but I question his competitiveness. It's tough to want to keep your body in good enough shape to pitch a complete season year in and year out, and it's much easier to only do it for one year and then get paid. Burnett has even earned a reputation around the league for only pitching if he feels he's at 100%, rather than trying to gut out a start or two. No one knows for sure if he really is dogging it in the middle of his contract. But it sure looks like it. We'll find out in July when he's either pitching in a rotation behind (or even ahead) of Sabathia, or if he's riding the pine because of a “bum” arm.

The Holiday Revolving Door Theory (HRD)

Robert from Cambridge, MA notes: If they leave the food out at holiday parties, there's a tendency for people to go through the courses of food, almost like a revolving door. When everyone is there, you start with the appetizers and hors d'oeuvres, then the main courses, then the cakes and desserts. But as a few people start to leave, you go back and get at the appetizers again, and as the party is really thinning out, you find yourself picking at the chicken wings and brownies, like a revolving door..

Robert is 100% right about this. The revolving door concept continues until one of two things happens: either they run out of food or you leave the party. But we can go one step further and say that the HRD continues into the following days for the host of the party, as noted when they spend the following Sunday watching football and eating nothing but reheated crab cakes and quiche bites.

The Return of Team Obliterator

This time it was supposed to be different. This time he was supposed to be alright. There was an owner that understood what it was like to be a hot shot. There was a quarterback that stroked his ego, even before he became a starter. But it's like an unstoppable force. Sometimes you see it coming, other times you don't. It doesn't matter though when you're dealing with T.O., Team Obliterator.

After nearly three seasons, TO has finally returned to his old self and started an apparent war of words with All-Pro Tight End Jason Witten. He's even said that Witten and Tony Romo have been having secret meetings, meetings where they come up with plays specifically to take TO out of the picture. Some say it's sad how TO can't seem to get along with any of his quarterbacks. Just a few months after crying in defense of Romo after the Cowboys lost to the Giants, TO is fed up once again.

People have been quick to vilify Owens, as someone who just wants the ball and would rather have a JUGS machine pointed in his direction for QB. I don't see it that way. TO is just insecure about himself, and has been ever since he entered the league. Owens is a player who cares for the game. He wants to do well, and he wants to be great. Everyone remembers him crying after losing to the Giants (some question the authenticity of his tears) but not as many people remember when Owens cried on field after making “The Catch II” to beat the Packers when he was still with the 49ers. Since then, Owens has only wanted to prove himself and solidify his elite status in the NFL. In Philadelphia, TO wanted that one huge, mega-contract that would show the league that he was one of the top receivers. He never got that contract, and all the controversy in Philly arose after management denied him of that contract, even after his gutsy performance in Super Bowl XXXIX.

In Dallas, TO just wants to win. Maybe he truly believes that with the ball in his hands, he can help the team win. But he does know that if he doesn't get the ball, he can't help the team. It's a helpless feeling as a receiver, because you can do everything right and still not get the chance to help your team. Maybe he's not going about it in the most politically-correct way, but at least we know that TO cares. Or maybe he's just faking it. Some people like to stir the pot, I guess?

Holiday Advice – Cologne/Perfume Gifts

If you were planning on buying a significant someone perfume or cologne, I advise you to proceed with caution toward scents that try too hard to smell like food. I bring this up because it is the the time for gift-giving and sometimes we find ourselves stuck without a gift to give, and sometimes we see a certain body-spray commercial featuring a chocolate man being molested by women, and sometimes we think, “Hey that's a good idea!” It makes sense, because you want to smell good, and you know that food smells good, so the obvious choice would be food-scented cologne, right? Especially when real colognes and perfumes have confusing scents like balsam, forest citrus, amber, and sandalwood (to name a few), food seems like a great, simple alternative that everyone will like. But you're about to cross a very thin line, and you need to ask yourself, “Am I ready to walk out the door smelling like a chocolate cake?” Most people would answer no.

Another HeisMan

Congratulations to Sam Bradford of Oklahoma who won the Heisman award last night. This meant that Tim Tebow did not win his second Heisman, but more importantly, it meant that Archie Griffin is still the only player in history to win the award twice. I'm sure somewhere last night, Griffin popped some champagne after having the most credible threat at his record since Matt Leinart came close in 2005. I wonder if there's a secret club where record holders can celebrate keeping their records intact. A place where Griffin and the '72 Dolphins go to celebrate when there's a new Heisman winner or when the last undefeated team finally loses.. If a place like this were real, would athletes with negative accomplishments be allowed in? Like, would the '76 Buccaneers go there and watch every Lions game this year, with champagne chilling nearby, hoping against hope that the Lions get a W?

Travel Woes

With the wonderful winter weather comes the troublesome winter weather. For every wispy snowflake we see falling outside our windows, there's a blistering snowstorm knocking out someone's travel plans. I recently had the pleasure of flying to Boston during the tail end of a nasty ice storm, and realized my flight to LaGuardia was delayed by a solid two hours. I was lucky enough to charm my way into a flight going to DC while the people before and after me were stuck waiting for LaGuardia to clear up. When it comes to traveling, it bewilders how much we put up with when we choose to fly. The amount of wasted time while flying is unfathomable. On a direct three-hour flight, you could easily be spending just as much time being idle as you are actually flying. It makes you wonder if the airlines are in violation of the antitrust laws that try to fight  monopolies and price-gouging. But instead of price-gouging, the airlines have teamed up and decided to make flying as aggravating as possible, knowing that in most cases, we have no other alternative. PEBO Barack Obama needs to sign an 21st century Sherman Act to save us from these rogue airlines.

The NBA Axe To Start Falling

The NBA season is a little more than a quarter over and teams are starting to separate themselves from the top and bottom. The Celtics, Lakers and Cavs are all showing they'll be trouble for someone in the playoffs. But for every contender, there are the disappointments around the league. Philadelphia, after having successfully swindled Elton Brand out of a dynamic duo with Baron Davis in LA, have already fired their head coach Maurice Cheeks. Here are 4 other disappointments so far:

1.Oklahoma City Thunder – More like Oklahoma City Blunders! (Ha!) But seriously. With just 2 wins, they are the bizarro-Celtics, exactly mirroring their win-loss record . Ex-Sonic fans can at least take solace in knowing they don't have to deal with this atrocious team.
2.Washington Wizards – After spending bailout-type dollars to resign Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas, the Wiz are are just 4-17 and in the Eastern Conference cellar.
3.Minnesota Timberwolves – Who would've thought that a team with the leadership of veterans like Sebestian Telfair and proven-winner Mark Madsen would be struggling so much.
4.Scramento Kings – Vlade Divac and Chris Webber never looked so good.

Holiday Advice - Tip the Mailman

I recently came across a pretty heated discussion about whether or not mailmen deserve a tip during the holiday season. One side said that a small monetary gift, either cash or a gift card between $10-25 was appropriate, while the other side argued that tipping is overrated, and people shouldn't get paid just for doing their job. Here's my take on the matter: Mailmen are in a service business, and these are the people who handle your taxes, paychecks, bills, bank statements, packages, and personal letters. These people also do these routes every day, and they will remember who stiffs them during the holiday season and who was particularly generous. A small tip could mean the difference between the mailman who “accidently” leaves it in the mailbox down the street, or the mailman who decides to deliver your mail even if you forgot to shovel out your mailbox again. The mail isn't something you really want to mess with, and your mailman can mess with it better than anyone can fix it. So tip the mailman.

More BCS Ball-busting

If things work out the way the BCS people want it to, either Oklahoma or Florida will blow the other out, and we will have a clear national champion. The flip side of this is if everything goes wrong. If Oklahoma and Florida duel it out to a close, low-scoring game, and Texas destroys Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, there's a very good chance that we have co-national champions, and then all the hoopla about a playoff system will startup again (maybe more legislation on the issue). However unlikely, I'm just saying it could happen.



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12/3/08

Dollars and Sense

Home-Field Advantage?
During Week 13 in the NFL, 15 games were played. Of these 15, 10 were one by the road team, only 5 were won by the home team. If that number doesn't mean much to you, imagine that out of every 3 random football fans who went to see their team play this past Thursday/Sunday/Monday, 2 went home pissed.

Considering the amount of money people pay to go to football games, not to mention the amount of time and effort it takes to get to the game, sit in the weather, and find ways around the 2 beer per person limit, the average NFL isn't getting very much bang for their buck.

Detroit Fans: We're #2!
According to some sources, on the list of most dangerous cities in America, Detroit is #2, behind only Camden, NJ. Can anyone blame the citizens of Detroit for resorting to criminal activities? In the past calendar year, the Tigers acquired the likes of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis only to finish dead last in the division, the Pistons get beat by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in 6 games and in the next season see Chauncey Billups shipped off to Denver and the end of their archetypal “team” mold, and the Lions are well on their way to 0-16. The lone bright spot in Hockey Town is a bright one, with the Red Wings bringing home the Stanley Cup.
Detroit isn't just the #2 most dangerous city though. It also deserves the #2 ranking as “Most Pitiful Sports City in America”. Coming in narrowly at #1 has to be Seattle. It's karma for Seattle though, after Mariner Moose single-handedly tried to end Coco Crisp's career last year.

Native-American turned Investment Broker
If you haven't visited your nearest casino in the last few years, it may be about time you did. Also, if you have your money tied up in traditional investment products (stocks, bonds, CD's, etc), it may be about time you took them out. Don't believe me? Consider the following:
The interest rate received on bonds, CD's, and savings accounts are all based of the rate the Fed sets. Lower rates set by the Fed means you get a lower interest rate on your savings, vice versa. With the economy as bad as it is, the Fed sets the interest rate very very low in an effort to discourage consumers from putting their money away in savings accounts and to encourage spending. The low amounts of accrued interest discourages saving, and if you factor in current inflation rates (estimated by economists at 5%), even funds in a high-yield savings account at 3.00% APY are losing about 2% of its purchasing power a year. By setting the interest rate low, the Fed is hoping people will find better use for their money investing it in other things, such as tangible goods, services or stocks. But with the way the Wall Street is right now and President-elect Barack Obama still to take office, it's too unstable for people to confidently say that the market has hit bottom and that it is time to invest.
So what's a person to do with all the money that they would have normally saved or invested in the market? Well, you could pay off your credit card debt (which I highly recommend). But if you're in the business of making more money of your money, I suggest going to Vegas and making a killing there. The reason is the effects of inflation and the rate the Fed sets are largely ignored by casino. When you bet on any game, you're playing against the casino and the odds, and if you can beat them, you are rewarded as such. In blackjack, if you beat the dealer you pay out 1:1 against your bet. Casino's don't adjust their odds based on how the current economy is, whether the economy is in a recession or boom. The risk is always going to be there, but the risk and return are both always going to be consistent. The main reason traditional savings opportunities are beneficial is that they have low risk with middle-of-the-road returns. But when the returns shrink and the risk is elevated on these traditional investments, by comparison the risk you take while gambling is reduced. Everything is relative, so although you may think that gambling is too risky, when the economy is about to bottom-out as it is right now, there is never going to be a more opportune time to try your luck.

NYPD Blues?
So the G-Men of New York have found themselves in quite a bit of trouble this past weekend. Plaxico Burress was at night club, allegedly with other Giants teammates, and discharged a firearm into his own leg. The story from there is hazy, but apparently he was picked up by teammate Antonio Pierce, taken to a hospital where he received treatment from a doctor while using a false name.
Already we're seeing the fallout of these events. Mayor Bloomberg has already demanded that Burress be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the law”. Plax has also been suspended by the team for at 4 games, and there could still be an additional suspensions handed out under the NFL's personal conduct policy. Antonio Pierce is being investigated, and his SUV was impounded today for police to search. The doctor who treated Burress has already been suspended by the hospital. Meanwhile, the Giants have continued their domination of the league and improved their record to 11-1. Dominik Hixon and Amani Toomer are making Giants fans forget all about their malcontent wide-receiver.
Last week, I said that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb should consider themselves on the hot seat, a statement which I think still holds true for the former (Reid) but retract for the latter. This week, I say Plaxico Burress doesn't wear a Giants jersey after this season. Yes, I realize they tied him up to a big contract this year, but the NFL operates in a way that teams can balk on a player's contract if the player balks on the law (read: Michael Vick). Given the way the Giants have played with him, and the way they dealt with a certain problematic tight end, I say Tom Coughlin finds a way to find Plax a new home.

It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie (Weis)
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick announced that Charlie Weis would stay at ND another year, after finishing 6-6 this year and just 7 games over .500 in his 4 years as head coach. In related news, Matt Millen was seen giving Mr. Swarbrick advice on how to run a program into the ground.

Big Paycheck for the Little Guy
Dustin Pedroia got an extension for the Red Sox worth upwards of $40 million over six years. Pedroia is coming off an MVP season in just his second season in the league. Many fans remember Pedroia as a go-getter his rookie year as well, but few fans remember what it was like to be DP at the beginning of his rookie year. At the end of his first full month as a starter in April of '07, Pedroia was batting just .182 and fans were calling for his head. The Sox had a capable player sitting on the bench in Alex Cora, and Boston fans are notorious for calling out a player when he's down. Francona stuck with the 5' 9” rookie, who then went on to hit .415 in May, and never below .299 in any of the following months. Needless to say, Francona made the right call.

Funny or Mean?
As a nod to tradition, Pete Carroll has decided that his USC Trojans would wear their red home jerseys this weekend when they got into the Coliseum and play UCLA. The tradition dates back to when USC and UCLA shared the stadium, and both teams would wear the home jerseys. Pac-10 rules state that if USC wears their home jerseys, they will be penalized 2 timeouts, one for either half.
UCLA coach Rick Neuheisal has already said that he digs the idea, and that if USC were penalized he would call timeouts at the start of each half to even things out. Some people have questioned whether or not Neuheisal would actually do this come gametime, but take it one step further. What if, to really stick to USC, who could win this game quite easily, UCLA wore their away jerseys? UCLA fans should consider it a slap in the face by USC if the Trojans wore their home jerseys on Saturday. I get it that USC used to play their home games their, but it's not their house anymore. And what better way to get back at someone, than to slap them right back in the face?


Something to look forward to next week:
Top 10 list of players who wish they were somewhere else right now.

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11/24/08

R&R - Rants and Rambling

In the description I said that this blog would be about a wide-range of topics, not just sports but also current events and technology and pop culture and so on. Therefore I present the first (of hopefully many) installments of R&R. So let's see what's been going on in the world in the past week or so.


Tony Romo returns to the Cowboys and leads them to two straight victories.
This proves that you can't overstate the importance of a quarterback to a good football team. Look at this Cowboys team when they lost Romo, and look at them when they got him back. The difference is greater than Lindsay Lohan pre-Mean Girls and post-Mean Girls. Romo comes back, and this team instantly looks like a team that can challenge the NY Giants for the NFC East.

The NFL sees its first tie six years, followed by the McNabb uttering the worst sound bite heard in six years.
Donovan McNabb has been bashed insistently for the last two weeks about this, so I won't spend too much time on this. Let me just say this though: It is absolutely inexcusable for McNabb not to realize there are ties in the regular season. To have your quarterback, your quarterback that is the leader of your team, your quarterback that was in the league the last time there was a tie, for him not to realize that the game was going to end after the 5th period, well that should turn more heads than if Megan Fox walked into the room. I've been a McNabb fan for a while. I always thought one year he'd break through and take the Eagles to the promise land, but I'm seriously starting to question how long he's going to stay with Philly. Those fans will only take so much of him, and I think he's starting to wear out his welcome.

Blackberry Storm is introduced by Verizon
I really dig cell phones. The guy in the new Sprint commercials (allegedly Dan Hesse - CEO of Sprint) is right when he says these devices can do a lot. Even magic apparently. The Blackberry Storm is a touch-screen smartphone, but adds this wrinkle: the touchscreen clicks. When "buttons" on the touch-screen are pressed, the screen clicks down, giving the user feedback and letting them know that, indeed, the button has been clicked. Blackberry has addressed the problem that most touch-screens haven't, in that people don't know when a button has been pressed on most touch-screen phones. Some say it isn't a big deal and you get used to it, other phones send a little vibe shiver when buttons are pressed, but none actually click. I like this feature in the Storm, but think it lacks a key feature that its competitors (read: Palm Treo Pro, iPhone, HTC Touch Diamond and HD, Blackberry Bold, HTC G1) have. Mainly Wi-Fi connectivity. Being able to connect to Wi-Fi is a big deal, considering the amount of public areas that are being outfitted with public Wi-Fi, but since the Storm does have a large 3G network, it still has a high-speed (yet slightly slower) connectivity option).

Somehow those commercials advocating High Fructose Corn Syrup are still on the air.
If you've seen one of these commercials in the last few weeks, you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, the basic premise of the commercials goes like this:

There are 2 friends talking, and one of them tries to serve something with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the other says something like "Don't you know it has HFCS in it?", to which the other "friend" responds, "There's nothing wrong with it, it's made from corn, nutritionally the same as sugar, and fine when used in moderation." At the end of the commercial you see that the add was put out by the "Corn Refiners Assiocation" (the people that make HFCS) and there's a website where you can "learn" more.

I couldn't hold any more disdain for this commercial. In a country where obesity is the greatest disease, HFCS is as big a contributor as any fast food chain. I'm no scientist, so feel free to fact check me, but there is plenty wrong with HFCS. The main reason food producers use HFCS is that it is cheaper than sugar, and helps keep consistency better than sugar. Also, HFCS act differently in the body than sugar. Yes, nutritionally it is the same, but HFCS have the ability to trick the human body into thinking it is still hungry. The fructose in HFCS does not stimulate insulin, which is a hormone that regulates the body and makes it feel full. As it takes longer to realize you are full, you eat more than you need, which depending on your lifestyle, leads to adverse effects. The worst part about HFCS is how widespread the use of it is. Cheaper than refined sugar, HFCS is one of the primary ingredients in nearly everything Americans eat on a daily basis, including, but not limited to, soft drinks, fast food, condiments, cereal, bread, juice, and canned fruits.

Just my two cents. I'm not trying to preach or tell people how to eat/live their lives so do your own research if you care about HFCS. If not, just ignore this then.

Taylor Swift's new album dropped; Kanye's comes out tomorrow.
Just a little more than a year after Kanye's last album, Graduation, hit stores, Kanye's release another album that looks like it'll be just as big a hit. I give him credit. The man has been hard at work, except when he's playing Connect 4.

Rich Rodriguez tells Michigan fans "get a life"; proceeds to lose to Ohio State by 35 points.
Maybe Rich Rodriguez doesn't understand how important this rivalry is. Since being in Michigan hasn't been enough to fill him in, let's see if we can help him understand what it means from the Ohio side.

Last week I flew out to Columbus on Wednesday to visit a buddy and see the OSU/Michigan game. He told me to bring a video camera and get ready to go out on Thursday night for "something special". I'm not familiar with Ohio State, but for anyone is, they know what comes next.

Thursday night around 11pm, we went to a place on Ohio State's campus called "Mirror Lake". Mirror Lake is a small man-made pond in the center of campus, usually inhabited by some 20-odd ducks. Students usually pass by it on their way to class, or stay for a minute to feed to ducks or watch the fountain, but this time of year most students don't because of how cold Columbus winters are. What I saw that night will forever change what it means to be fan in my eyes.

When we got there that night, what used to be a pond filled with ducks, became a small swimming pool filled with students. From 11pm to 1am I would have to guess that at least 10,000 students came by and jumped in and out of Mirror Lake. My buddy tells me that the traditions is about 20 years old, and every Thursday before the Michigan game, students come and jump-in to pledge their allegiance to the Buckeyes. It's tough to describe the atmosphere that night, but try and imagine swimming in the ocean in April. The water is probably 50-60 degrees, and you think it's cold. The temperature last Thursday in Columbus was a high of 36 degrees, and the jump took place at midnight. Unbelievable. I can't even put it into words. Take a look at this video for a better idea of what its like. If that doesn't show Rich Rodriguez how much this rivalry means to the other side, well perhaps Rich should go back to West Virginia.

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11/15/08

NEXT

ESPN the Magazine puts out a special issue each year, titled NEXT, about the next up-and-coming stars in sports. Previous NEXT athletes have included LeBron James (2003), Adrian Peterson (2004), Reggie Bush (2006), and Dwight Howard (2007). To say the least, if you're featured in this issue, the future looks bright for you.

But honestly, I've heard enough about these athletes. Every year there will be another pitcher, quarterback, point guard etc to laud over because those sports always get the most coverage. It's not covering something (or someone) new or exciting if the it's the same thing year after year, but with just a different name.

Here's the real NEXT that ESPN should cover: Which sport will be the next to join (or even replace) one of the current big 3 sports. Football, baseball, and basketball (in that order) have the largest fan bases in America, and every sports-jock radio show or sports section you pick up will cover these sports more than anything else.

But how long can it last? The average America, your Joe-Sportscenter, can't really be satisfied with just 3 sports to obsess over, can he? 3 sports can't successfully canvas the 4 seasons, could they?

We might be able to live with 3 sports, but for argument's sake, let's say they couldn't. Which other sport could successfully join the ranks of our nations elite pastimes? Which new sport could compete with the Super Bowl, March Madness, the BCS-debacle, and the Little League World Series for our nations undivided attention? After extensive research, we can boil down the suitors to 3, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.

The Longshot: Nascar

Auto racing has always been a part of this country's rich, illustrious history. Today, we have both Nascar and Indy racing, with Nascar getting considerable more attention with the advent of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. There's a good amount of name recognition right now in Nascar, including a nice mix of veterans and rookies. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logono, to name a few. This sport could really take off if they somehow managed to get Danica Patrick over from the IRL. Rumors have been fluttering around that, but so far they've just been rumors.

Why it won't work: The Point System
Nascar just doesn't fit into our sports system. For starters, the point system is wayyy to complicated. No one knows what it means, and no one can really figure it out. Anytime you see Nascar standings, you see the leader, everyone else, and how many points behind they all are. Does anyone even know how many points are a lot or a little? If someone told you that Jimmie Johnson held a 141-point lead over Carl Edwards with 1 race left, would you know that meant JJ is a better lock to win than Bernard Pollard for "Season Killer of the Year" award? Doubt it.

How they can fix it: KISS [Keep It Simple, Stupid]
According to Nascar 101 on Nascar's official website, "a race winner can earn a maximum of 195 points" per race. There are points awarded for leading laps, leading the most laps, and overall finish. This is never going to work. A fringe fan of Nascar is never going to take a peek at the standings and think, "Oh my gosh, JJ only needs to lead 14 laps and finish in 32nd to beat out a first place finish by Carl Edwards and win the Sprint Cup by 13 points." If people can't even figure out what 12 items means in a grocery store, they sure as hell can't get this straight. Ditch the algorithim that is your point system, and then we'll talk Nascar.

The Darkhorse: Hockey

I'll admit that of the 3 sports I'm going to talk about here, hockey is my personal favorite. I love the free-flowing style of play, the tough-as-nails players that play it, and that Crosby kid is something else. But for whatever reason, hockey has fallen off the map in recent years. Sure, the strike probably sent a lot of it's niche fans packing, but it's always been just that: a niche sport. Hockey reminds me of a girl who you used to be in a relationship with, but now you see her for booty calls only. When you see her it's late at night, you're probably drunk, and you can't think of anything better to do. Yup, that pretty much sums up the relatinoship most sportsfans have with hockey.

Why it won't work: Canada
I'm pretty sure the real reason why no one cares about hockey and hasn't yet broken from niche sport status is because our little brother Canada is so good at it. Everyone knows that Canada's best could beat America's finest any day, any time. And no one ever likes getting beat up by their younger siblings. Another, more valid reason, why hockey gets no love is the timing of its season. Hockey opens its season around Week 8 in the NFL, which is about the same time the NBA is tipping off. This means that by the time the NHL season really gets underway, the NFL regular season is ending and the playoffs starting, and college football is getting ready to crown a champion. Not to mention the entire NBA season runs side-by-side with the NHL. The timing just means that someone is going to get ignored, and unfortunately its the NHL.

How they can fix it: More gimmicks
The NHL spent the longest time appealing to it's private fan base. And then they lost them. Every single one of them. Bickering over dollars and cents. Which is probably the last thing that their true fans would ever worry about if they were making the same kind of money league was pulling down. Well since you've lost them for good, don't even try to get them back. Start appealing to the younger generation, the ones who love flashy uni's, student-priced tickets, and towel cannons shooting cheap cotton 20 rows into the upper deck. Keep dolling out the swag, and you'll find more seats getting filled each day. Who knows, maybe they'll even start caring about sport, like your old fans did.

The Favorite: Lacrosse
That's right. Lacrosse. The sport that has a swelling, young fan base coming out of the Northeast is getting ready to spread across the country. With the exception of the incident with the Duke team a few years back, lacrosse has done nothing but build momentum to take off. Among high schools and colleges, lacrosse is quickly becoming the most popular sport, behind only football in terms of enrollment numbers.

Why it will work: The youth movement
Everything new in this country picked up steam because the youth was behind it (Barack Obama anyone?) Lacrosse has slowly been building steam with the youth because it's easily one of the best casual sports, the same way 1-1 basketball or pickup football is. Hockey's too tough, because half the year it's too warm to play and you have to buy extra equipment for street hockey. And Nascar, obviously you can't bomb around your neighborhood at 200 mph. With lacrosse, it's just a stick and a ball and a wall, or a friend if you have one. What could be simpler?

The Bottom Line: If a sport is easy to play. People will play it. If people will play it, people will want to be good at it. And from this, sprouts competition, teams, rivalries, and everything else we love about sports. Lacrosse has it. And that's why it's NEXT.

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11/14/08

No Reason

Like most Americans, I love sports. But they are, by no means, perfect.

You could embody all seven of the deadly sins in the sports realm. Ladies lusting over the likes of Grady Sizemore and Tom Brady; the eternal greed of Scott Boras; the sloth that is Prince Fielder; the list goes on and on.

But my biggest beef with sports is when every0ne (and I mean everyone) notices something wrong with sports, yet nothing is done to fix it. When there is something so blatantly wrong in any given sport, there is no reason why it should not be changed. This is especially true when the solutions are just as blatant. Maybe the head honchos in each sport are just stubborn. Maybe they relish in the fact that their system is imperfect. Or maybe they are just oblivious to these issues. Well, if this is the case, I will gladly take it upon myself to enlighten them. They are as follows:

1) NFL Overtime Rules

Last night, the Patriots played the Jets for first place in the AFC East. Regulation ended with Matt Cassel conducting a very Brady/Favre-esque last-second drive, culminating with a pass to Randy Moss to tie the game and send it to overtime (note: guess who Randy Moss was covered by? None other than former-Patriot Ty Law, who the Jets signed a little more than 48 hours before the game). Move to overtime. The Jets win the coin toss, drive downfield, and win the game without the Patriots ever touching the ball.

There is no reason: the NFL hasn't abandonded their OT rules and adopted the college football overtime.

How many times can you remember your team losing in OT without ever getting a chance to rebuttle? And even if your team wins like this, doesn't it feel a little cheap? Almost like you're playing a game of Monopoly and you flip over the board before everyone realizes you just landed on Boardwalk and owe someone $5000 when you only have a pewter racecar to your name?

It's not like the solution to this is real difficult to think up. College football's already done the work for you. I'm even willing to say that college football has the most exciting OT of any sport. Even better than the shootout in hockey (more on that later). Every team gets a chance at the ball, and after 2 OT's, teams have to go for 2 on conversions. Absolutely breath-taking. Everytime. I can understand if the NFL wants to alter those rules a bit, (perhaps back up the starting field position by 10-15 yards) but something must be done! Each off-season the NFL meets to discuss rule changes to make the game better. Why hasn't this been resolved yet? Here's looking at you Roger Goodell.

2) NCAA Football BCS vs. Playoffs

As if this hasn't been discussed enough. You've heard it all too many times, but I'd just like to reiterate this point one more time.

There is no reason: there isn't a playoff to determine the national champion in college football.

Here's another situation where all the league has to do is look directly below them to find a viable solution. Division 1AA (or whatever it's called now) uses a playoff system to determine the winner each year, which has been Appalachian State the last 3 years. And no one's complaining down there.

There have been arguments across the board by pro-BCS advocates. It'll make the season too long, the regular season would mean less, fans would care less week to week, there are too many endorsements for the bowl games. Whatever. If President-elect Barack Obama, says the one thing he would change in sports is BCS system, I'd listen.

A college playoff would be the most exciting thing 3 weeks in sports since March Madness. Imagine all the new rivalries that would come out of this. You can't tell me that the regular season games would be meaningless, either. Since USC lost to Oregon St. this year and tumbled down the rankings, how many of you have actually watched their games? Or realized that they're playing unbelievable defense. The current BCS ranking system has turned the regular season into a waiting game to see when a team will get upset and blow their shot at a national title. After that first loss happens, no one cares if they finish 12-1 or 6-7. It just doesn't matter. Change to a playoff, and every game will determine your seed, if you face this team or that team in the playoffs, and people will once again care.

3) NHL Point System

Personally, I would like to see the NHL become relevant again in sports pop-culture. And I think it could do it with a little time. Hockey is one of the more visually appealing games to watch and attend, given the prices of tickets across the league. But here's a tip for NHL. Ditch the one point for an OT-loss.

There is no reason: NHL teams should get a point just for losing in OT.

Since when do we reward our athletes for being second best? Never. So why in today's NHL, with the grittiest athletes of any sports, should we give them half the reward of a win, for a loss? Especially as teams get closer to the playoffs, teams can start jockeying for ties in regulation, rather than gunning for wins. The OT-point also devalues the shootout, which should be the most exciting one-on-one showdown in all of sports. The NHL needs to draw that line between winners and losers, and stop rewarding teams for being good, but not good enough.

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