The dictionary defines rollercoaster as a verb meaning to experience a period of prosperity, happiness, security, or the like, followed by a contrasting period of economic depression, despair, or the like.
No verb could better define what the Maryland football team is going through this season. Moments of joy and hope followed by moments of despair and grief.
The team has beaten three different teams ranked in the top-25 in the country but it has also lost to its two arguably weakest opponents (Middle Tennessee and Virginia).
With a defense that can shut out the high-powered Wake Forest offense and an offense that can put up 30 points against a good California defense, there is no excuse for this team losing to two bottom-dwellers.
No one expected the team to defeat all these top-ranked teams. It's a pleasant surprise that any Terps fan would be estatic about.
However, everyone expected us to beat Middle Tennessee and Virginia who are both teams unworthy of carrying our jockstraps.
It is this kind of up-and-down turmoil that has made my friends and I want to skip the games in favor of tailgates and bars. We never know which team will show up on a week-to-week basis; the good throttling team who can compete with anyone or the weak team who couldn't even get close enough to attempt a field goal against Virginia.
I am still a Maryland fan through and through but all of my friends and I expect a letdown this week against N.C. State and will not be surprised if the Terps lose their homecoming game.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
My Terrapins Blog
The criticisms of quarterback Chris Turner that stemmed from the Middle Tennessee game were thrown away by Turner’s two-touchdown performance against the Golden Bears.
The criticisms and near-hatred of coach Ralph Friedgen that has stemmed from this entire season dating back to spring practice were tossed aside by his team’s overall domination of a stronger and more talented opponent.
And last but not least this Saturday marked an upheaval for the stomach of California running back Jahvid Best, who actually tossed his cookies on the grass of Byrd Stadium.
No one believed that Maryland even had the slightest of chances in this game against 23rd-ranked California, myself included. But for once Maryland lived up to its hype and talent.
Running back Da’Rel Scott continued his early success with two touchdowns and 87 yards and wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey caught another touchdown on a huge play.
The day was highlighted by cornerback Kevin Barnes’ hit on Best during a screen pass late in the second corner. Barnes his Best just around the ribs on a very clean hit which jarred Best’s helmet loose and left the running back breathless and with a very empty stomach after he vomited on the field.
Washington Post blogger Dan Steinberg made the observation that the University of Maryland is one of the first high-powered D-1 schools to have opponents vomit on both their basketball court and their football field (Virginia Tech’s Dorenzo Hudson vomited on the floor of Comcast Center right in front of Maryland coach Gary Williams last winter).
Despite the intestinal turmoil, the Terrapin football team showed glimpses of its true potential for this season in the weak ACC and if they continue playing at this high level there will be a lot more upheavals this season (either from upsets or from stomachs of opponents).
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back and it's about damn time. After a long "vacation" for the summer I am back with a vengeance and looking to get back into the blogging world.
Today's topic: THE VINCE YOUNG CONSPIRACY
In case any of you people have not seen or heard about it, Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, who was Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowler, and Rose Bowl MVP has not had the most glamorous past two seasons. Last year he threw only 12 touchdowns compared to his 17 interceptions and completed 62% of his passes.
However this season he has faced more criticism because of his increasing role in the Titan's offense. In his first game he threw two interceptions but also threw a touchdown. The Titans fans did not appreciate this sub par effort and booed Young.
Then when Young was hurt in an awkward hit and sprained his left MCL the fans cheered the final coming of career backup Kerry Collins.
After the game, Young left his house to evidently "go watch Monday Night Football at a friend's house" and the red alerts went off. Family members and Titans coach Jeff Fisher all worried when Young left his cell phone at home and was out of contact. This sparked a four-hour police-led search for Young which ended when his friend calmly let Young's family know his location.
Now there is a huge calamity over whether Young is mentally stable or emotionally tough enough to continue playing in this league.
Here is my point, long awaited as it is.
Why would we ever baby people who are paid millions of dollars every year to perform at sports? Who else gets millions of dollars every year without some emphasis on performance?
So if people don't perform well why should we coddle them and make excuses for their shortcomings?
These are elite athletes, they are recruited to colleges as elite athletes, they are picked in the NFL (or other sports') drafts as elite athletes and are expected to perform like elite athletes.
Now tell me if I'm wrong but, a 2-1 interception-to-touchdown ratio is pretty crappy for a NFL quarterback. Why is everyone taking this so seriously? He is under-performing and deserves some criticism.
Now everyone is questioning his mental toughness. Jason Campbell, the quarterback for the Washington Redskins has not performed as badly as Young has from behind the center, but he also has not lived up to expectations. Is he crying about it? NO!
Young needs to understand that, as Tobey McGuire said in Spiderman, "With great power [or in this case talent] comes great responsibility."
If he is as talented as everyone thinks, then why not expect him to perform well?
Granted its OK to feel badly because your home fans boo you, but you can't throw away your entire career because you can't take criticism. Everyone will criticize every move you make when you play at a high enough level. If you can't understand and accept that then you were never ready to play at this level.
Like "Nuke" LaLoosh says, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains."
Take the good with that bad because not everyone is expected to win every single game. They are expected to live up to a certain level of performance, but not perfection.
Stop crying, as me and my buddies like to tell each other, and get moving. Sorry Vince and sorry Mama Young but it's time to grow a pair and get over being sad about criticism.
Today's topic: THE VINCE YOUNG CONSPIRACY
In case any of you people have not seen or heard about it, Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, who was Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowler, and Rose Bowl MVP has not had the most glamorous past two seasons. Last year he threw only 12 touchdowns compared to his 17 interceptions and completed 62% of his passes.
However this season he has faced more criticism because of his increasing role in the Titan's offense. In his first game he threw two interceptions but also threw a touchdown. The Titans fans did not appreciate this sub par effort and booed Young.
Then when Young was hurt in an awkward hit and sprained his left MCL the fans cheered the final coming of career backup Kerry Collins.
After the game, Young left his house to evidently "go watch Monday Night Football at a friend's house" and the red alerts went off. Family members and Titans coach Jeff Fisher all worried when Young left his cell phone at home and was out of contact. This sparked a four-hour police-led search for Young which ended when his friend calmly let Young's family know his location.
Now there is a huge calamity over whether Young is mentally stable or emotionally tough enough to continue playing in this league.
Here is my point, long awaited as it is.
Why would we ever baby people who are paid millions of dollars every year to perform at sports? Who else gets millions of dollars every year without some emphasis on performance?
So if people don't perform well why should we coddle them and make excuses for their shortcomings?
These are elite athletes, they are recruited to colleges as elite athletes, they are picked in the NFL (or other sports') drafts as elite athletes and are expected to perform like elite athletes.
Now tell me if I'm wrong but, a 2-1 interception-to-touchdown ratio is pretty crappy for a NFL quarterback. Why is everyone taking this so seriously? He is under-performing and deserves some criticism.
Now everyone is questioning his mental toughness. Jason Campbell, the quarterback for the Washington Redskins has not performed as badly as Young has from behind the center, but he also has not lived up to expectations. Is he crying about it? NO!
Young needs to understand that, as Tobey McGuire said in Spiderman, "With great power [or in this case talent] comes great responsibility."
If he is as talented as everyone thinks, then why not expect him to perform well?
Granted its OK to feel badly because your home fans boo you, but you can't throw away your entire career because you can't take criticism. Everyone will criticize every move you make when you play at a high enough level. If you can't understand and accept that then you were never ready to play at this level.
Like "Nuke" LaLoosh says, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains."
Take the good with that bad because not everyone is expected to win every single game. They are expected to live up to a certain level of performance, but not perfection.
Stop crying, as me and my buddies like to tell each other, and get moving. Sorry Vince and sorry Mama Young but it's time to grow a pair and get over being sad about criticism.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Olympic Bans (and not the fair kind)
Sorry, no jokes in this post.
Everyone knows that Olympic athletes are tested for illegal substances in their systems before, during and after their competitions during and around the four-year Olympic cycles. This is all well and good because these are unnatural substances meant to give these athletes an unfair advantage over their competition.
But the line is not clear when it comes to athletes using prosthetic limbs.
ESPN THE MAGAZINE ran a superb article a few weeks back chronicling the advancement of prosthetic limbs for athletic use. It told the story of 13-year-old Anthony Burruto who has two prosthetic legs but his dominating pitching is ruling over the rest of his Little League. With the advancements in prosthetics, a dream of a career in baseball is not completely out of the question for this poor guy who lost both of his legs.
It also tells the story of South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius who also is missing both of his legs just below the knees. He uses carbon-fiber prosthetics which make it seem like he is bounding instead of running.
And while the Little League has made bunting illegal against Burruto to give him an even playing field, the Olympics committee has banned Pistorius because tests show that his legs are more efficient by using less oxygen than able-bodied runners.
Able-bodied?? That is an interesting description....
Is able-bodied not a description of someone who is capable of performing the same skills and functions as everyone else??
Just because he uses less oxygen due to a lack of lower legs, does that make him any less of an athlete than Michael Johnson or Maurice Green??
Will he not represent his country as well as his "able-bodied" competitors?
And then there is the bigger issue. Where do people draw the line?
Creatine is an acceptable substance but HGH is illegal.
Reading lips is acceptable but using unauthorized videotapes is illegal.
A titanium rod beneath the skin is fine for fixing an injury, but a metal leg is completely out of the question.
What about children like Burruto who are not capable of interacting on the same level as their friend? Are they not allowed to participate in Little League? Can they not play on their church CYO teams? Are they doomed to sit on benches and wait in the wings while their friends enjoy their natural freedoms??
No "able-bodied" person can say that sports didn't influence their lives positively or negatively. But for children like Burruto, the lines between fair and unfair can take away their rights to experience what everyone else is.
And that is freedom from personal constraints. People go to the gym and shoot hoops to relieve stress, but how can a person like Pistorius or a kid like Burruto do that?
Think about where you draw your lines.
Would you tell your child athletes to lay down bunts against Burruto knowing he can't field them fairly? Would you not allow Pistorius to represent your country if he was the best chance for a gold medal?
Everyone knows that Olympic athletes are tested for illegal substances in their systems before, during and after their competitions during and around the four-year Olympic cycles. This is all well and good because these are unnatural substances meant to give these athletes an unfair advantage over their competition.
But the line is not clear when it comes to athletes using prosthetic limbs.
ESPN THE MAGAZINE ran a superb article a few weeks back chronicling the advancement of prosthetic limbs for athletic use. It told the story of 13-year-old Anthony Burruto who has two prosthetic legs but his dominating pitching is ruling over the rest of his Little League. With the advancements in prosthetics, a dream of a career in baseball is not completely out of the question for this poor guy who lost both of his legs.
It also tells the story of South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius who also is missing both of his legs just below the knees. He uses carbon-fiber prosthetics which make it seem like he is bounding instead of running.
And while the Little League has made bunting illegal against Burruto to give him an even playing field, the Olympics committee has banned Pistorius because tests show that his legs are more efficient by using less oxygen than able-bodied runners.
Able-bodied?? That is an interesting description....
Is able-bodied not a description of someone who is capable of performing the same skills and functions as everyone else??
Just because he uses less oxygen due to a lack of lower legs, does that make him any less of an athlete than Michael Johnson or Maurice Green??
Will he not represent his country as well as his "able-bodied" competitors?
And then there is the bigger issue. Where do people draw the line?
Creatine is an acceptable substance but HGH is illegal.
Reading lips is acceptable but using unauthorized videotapes is illegal.
A titanium rod beneath the skin is fine for fixing an injury, but a metal leg is completely out of the question.
What about children like Burruto who are not capable of interacting on the same level as their friend? Are they not allowed to participate in Little League? Can they not play on their church CYO teams? Are they doomed to sit on benches and wait in the wings while their friends enjoy their natural freedoms??
No "able-bodied" person can say that sports didn't influence their lives positively or negatively. But for children like Burruto, the lines between fair and unfair can take away their rights to experience what everyone else is.
And that is freedom from personal constraints. People go to the gym and shoot hoops to relieve stress, but how can a person like Pistorius or a kid like Burruto do that?
Think about where you draw your lines.
Would you tell your child athletes to lay down bunts against Burruto knowing he can't field them fairly? Would you not allow Pistorius to represent your country if he was the best chance for a gold medal?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Fantasy Sports
At the bidding of my father, and because it's actually a good idea, this week is about the advancement and fan-obsession of fantasy sports.
I can't say I'm a total nutjob for fantasy sports because I only do football and baseball. But in the last 10-15 years, fantasy sports have become almost as important as sexual gratification to the American male population. We enjoy nothing more than to rub in the extra 10 yards that Ladanian Tomlinson gained because it made the difference between a 1-point loss and a 1-point win. And bragging about that upset might be more gratifying when you wake up the next morning....
But I digress.
Before it found an incredible following, fantasy sports were for nerds with too much time and not enough cash. I remember being in my early teams and having my Ohio-an cousins talking about fantasy football which they had to record statistics on paper and calculate their scores manually. As I watched them, I thought, "Who the heck cares how many yards Emmitt Smith gains, especially when the Cowboys lost the game anyway?
But today the whole system is online and incredibly easy. My friends and I have yearly fantasy football leagues, my family has a yearly baseball league. This year I even did college football (finishing 2nd, I might add) and a player league for the NCAA tournament (5 players plus 1 player from a 13-or-below team). The possibilities are limitless.
Now in most leagues, especially with friends or family, the smack-talk is witty, hilarious and caustic to the recipient (btw props to my father who went 0-10 in the first week of the fantasy baseball season). But the problem for me is that people put too much into it. Sure we all wager a couple bucks that probably won't mean life or death for our financial situations, but making inappropriate sexual remarks (do not take the above too seriously) or dolling out lewd names is just pathetic.
In our fantasy baseball league, a huge deal was made about the number of innings that a team must contribute each week. But will it really make a difference?? Probably not.
Our hopes and dreams each week rest way too much upon our fantasy sports outcomes. Sundays are wasted checking and rechecking scouting reports, before, during and after every single football game. People risk friendships over meaningless league rules.
It's more mayhem than the Wannen-household during one of my sisters' many sleepovers. Ask my dad, they kill his spirit.
Why care so much about a "sport" that doesn't even affect the outcome of the teams you root for?
If I win in fantasy sports will the Redskins get rid of Daniel Snyder and become a real team? NO!
If I win this fantasy baseball league, will the Orioles finally finish above .500 for the first time in a decade? Of course not (as I write this a small, single tear rolls down my cheek, and this evening I will dream about Peter Angelos selling the team to Cal Ripken when I'm 30 years old).
Stop being idiots about a game that is more hit-or-miss than my buddy Dan's chances at taking home a girl from the bar. It's not life or death, unless you're my buddy Dan.
I can't say I'm a total nutjob for fantasy sports because I only do football and baseball. But in the last 10-15 years, fantasy sports have become almost as important as sexual gratification to the American male population. We enjoy nothing more than to rub in the extra 10 yards that Ladanian Tomlinson gained because it made the difference between a 1-point loss and a 1-point win. And bragging about that upset might be more gratifying when you wake up the next morning....
But I digress.
Before it found an incredible following, fantasy sports were for nerds with too much time and not enough cash. I remember being in my early teams and having my Ohio-an cousins talking about fantasy football which they had to record statistics on paper and calculate their scores manually. As I watched them, I thought, "Who the heck cares how many yards Emmitt Smith gains, especially when the Cowboys lost the game anyway?
But today the whole system is online and incredibly easy. My friends and I have yearly fantasy football leagues, my family has a yearly baseball league. This year I even did college football (finishing 2nd, I might add) and a player league for the NCAA tournament (5 players plus 1 player from a 13-or-below team). The possibilities are limitless.
Now in most leagues, especially with friends or family, the smack-talk is witty, hilarious and caustic to the recipient (btw props to my father who went 0-10 in the first week of the fantasy baseball season). But the problem for me is that people put too much into it. Sure we all wager a couple bucks that probably won't mean life or death for our financial situations, but making inappropriate sexual remarks (do not take the above too seriously) or dolling out lewd names is just pathetic.
In our fantasy baseball league, a huge deal was made about the number of innings that a team must contribute each week. But will it really make a difference?? Probably not.
Our hopes and dreams each week rest way too much upon our fantasy sports outcomes. Sundays are wasted checking and rechecking scouting reports, before, during and after every single football game. People risk friendships over meaningless league rules.
It's more mayhem than the Wannen-household during one of my sisters' many sleepovers. Ask my dad, they kill his spirit.
Why care so much about a "sport" that doesn't even affect the outcome of the teams you root for?
If I win in fantasy sports will the Redskins get rid of Daniel Snyder and become a real team? NO!
If I win this fantasy baseball league, will the Orioles finally finish above .500 for the first time in a decade? Of course not (as I write this a small, single tear rolls down my cheek, and this evening I will dream about Peter Angelos selling the team to Cal Ripken when I'm 30 years old).
Stop being idiots about a game that is more hit-or-miss than my buddy Dan's chances at taking home a girl from the bar. It's not life or death, unless you're my buddy Dan.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
If They Only Had Some Heart....
When you attend college and root for your school's athletic teams, it is often said that you bleed the respective school colors (for me that's Maryland red, white, black and occasionally yellow).
But this year, I think my heart is only pumping out black and white, like really old televisions.
The Maryland men's basketball team is very young but does have some good veteran leadership in forwards James Gist and Bambale "Boom" Osby, who both are up there in ACC statistics as well. They have an enthusiastic point guard in sophomore Greivis Vasquez, who makes more mistakes per game than Robin Wright Penn makes in "Jenny's" life during "Forrest Gump". Playing the supporting roles are a plethora of players who on any night, can step up and have a great game that helps their team or who can disappear into nonexistence.
With talent, swagger, youth and veteran leadership this team has shown it can compete with the best teams in the country despite not receiving any respect from analysts early in the season. This team beat North Carolina when they were #1 back in January at Chapel Hill and played UCLA and Duke (twice) close.
And with just over a month left in the season and the team climbing ESPN's bracketology rankings, a NCAA Tournament birth seemed almost certain. But during this season, like David Carradine in the second Kill Bill movie, the Terps took five steps forward before their heart(s) and futures stopped.
The Terps had a number of opportunities to seal the deal but couldn't quite figure out a way to do it. Immediately after they upset North Carolina, the led against then-No. 3 Duke by nine points at halftime yet blew the lead on their home court. After beating some bottom dwellers and losing to Duke at Cameron Indoor, the Terps blew a 14-point lead against Virginia Tech. And the final dagger came last Sunday against Clemson where they led by 20 and somehow lost in the final seconds.
These blown opportunities really cost Maryland as they traveled to Virginia in a must-win situation last night. But Cavaliers senior Sean Singletary really stepped up his game and outplayed the entire Maryland team for his final home game.
And just like that, the Terps are now in a more impossible situation than Tom Hanks actually rescuing Matt Damon in "Saving Private Ryan". They probably have to win the ACC Tournament in order to make it to the dance and that path most likely leads through UNC and Duke. And unfortunately for the Terps the tournament takes place in North Carolina.
But this year, I think my heart is only pumping out black and white, like really old televisions.
The Maryland men's basketball team is very young but does have some good veteran leadership in forwards James Gist and Bambale "Boom" Osby, who both are up there in ACC statistics as well. They have an enthusiastic point guard in sophomore Greivis Vasquez, who makes more mistakes per game than Robin Wright Penn makes in "Jenny's" life during "Forrest Gump". Playing the supporting roles are a plethora of players who on any night, can step up and have a great game that helps their team or who can disappear into nonexistence.
With talent, swagger, youth and veteran leadership this team has shown it can compete with the best teams in the country despite not receiving any respect from analysts early in the season. This team beat North Carolina when they were #1 back in January at Chapel Hill and played UCLA and Duke (twice) close.
And with just over a month left in the season and the team climbing ESPN's bracketology rankings, a NCAA Tournament birth seemed almost certain. But during this season, like David Carradine in the second Kill Bill movie, the Terps took five steps forward before their heart(s) and futures stopped.
The Terps had a number of opportunities to seal the deal but couldn't quite figure out a way to do it. Immediately after they upset North Carolina, the led against then-No. 3 Duke by nine points at halftime yet blew the lead on their home court. After beating some bottom dwellers and losing to Duke at Cameron Indoor, the Terps blew a 14-point lead against Virginia Tech. And the final dagger came last Sunday against Clemson where they led by 20 and somehow lost in the final seconds.
These blown opportunities really cost Maryland as they traveled to Virginia in a must-win situation last night. But Cavaliers senior Sean Singletary really stepped up his game and outplayed the entire Maryland team for his final home game.
And just like that, the Terps are now in a more impossible situation than Tom Hanks actually rescuing Matt Damon in "Saving Private Ryan". They probably have to win the ACC Tournament in order to make it to the dance and that path most likely leads through UNC and Duke. And unfortunately for the Terps the tournament takes place in North Carolina.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Free Agency
A little over 15 hours ago the NFL free agency period began marking the one of the most exciting and most disappointing events in sports.
Every fan gets incredibly hyped up over meaningless signings of players who might not even make an impact anyway. Look at the Redskins two years ago when pariahs Adam Archuleta and Brandon Lloyd were supposed to come and save the team on either side of the ball. Neither saw significant time by the end of the season and Archuleta was released after that year and Lloyd was just released after another unproductive season.
But then there are the success stories like Randy Moss and Wes Welker this season in New England. Moss broke the single-season touchdown reception record and Welker was at the top of the league in receptions. Neither player did anything remotely spectacular last season but given a change of scenery, they both bloomed into big-time threats.
The problem with free agency is that it gives the players and the owners a chance to look for greener pastures. If a player doesn't perform up to the team's expectations, the coaches and owners see if they can find a better solution. If the team sucks and the player wants to play for a winner, he can see if there isn't some team who could use his talents.
But there's no loyalty! Today there aren't too many Brett Favres, Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys who will play on their respective teams until the day they walk away from the game. It just doesn't happen that often that a player stays on the same team through the good and bad moments. People are too driven by money and championships to consider the fans or sporting area that they just left.
The hype of teams is almost unbearable at times. San Francisco was terrible last season and they even turned to former Maryland quarterback Shaun Hill (who had one good week and then tanked after that). But now they have signed seven free agents already today and none of them will probably make an enormous impact.
So beware of the free agency hype until it actually pans out for your team. And get ready because we can all do the same thing (freaking out about signings) in a little over a month when the clock starts on the NFL draft
.
This video was for my journalism class again. It was taken at the University of Maryland pool and contains video of the Maryland State Championships in swimming. Ron Chamberlain was also the meet's co-director.
Every fan gets incredibly hyped up over meaningless signings of players who might not even make an impact anyway. Look at the Redskins two years ago when pariahs Adam Archuleta and Brandon Lloyd were supposed to come and save the team on either side of the ball. Neither saw significant time by the end of the season and Archuleta was released after that year and Lloyd was just released after another unproductive season.
But then there are the success stories like Randy Moss and Wes Welker this season in New England. Moss broke the single-season touchdown reception record and Welker was at the top of the league in receptions. Neither player did anything remotely spectacular last season but given a change of scenery, they both bloomed into big-time threats.
The problem with free agency is that it gives the players and the owners a chance to look for greener pastures. If a player doesn't perform up to the team's expectations, the coaches and owners see if they can find a better solution. If the team sucks and the player wants to play for a winner, he can see if there isn't some team who could use his talents.
But there's no loyalty! Today there aren't too many Brett Favres, Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys who will play on their respective teams until the day they walk away from the game. It just doesn't happen that often that a player stays on the same team through the good and bad moments. People are too driven by money and championships to consider the fans or sporting area that they just left.
The hype of teams is almost unbearable at times. San Francisco was terrible last season and they even turned to former Maryland quarterback Shaun Hill (who had one good week and then tanked after that). But now they have signed seven free agents already today and none of them will probably make an enormous impact.
So beware of the free agency hype until it actually pans out for your team. And get ready because we can all do the same thing (freaking out about signings) in a little over a month when the clock starts on the NFL draft
.
This video was for my journalism class again. It was taken at the University of Maryland pool and contains video of the Maryland State Championships in swimming. Ron Chamberlain was also the meet's co-director.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Darth Clemens (plus some showing off)
When you think of the all-time villains there are some obvious ones. Vader and the Emperor can never be forgotten, Anton Chigurh from "No Country" is up there as well (the silenced shotgun is incredible!) but you wouldn't necessarily put Roger Clemens in this category.
Before I go any further, I believe that Clemens is guilty as sin. If he's not I'm sorry for this blog that further implicated him, but some of this stuff will be true regardless of his guilt.
His personal trainer, Brian McNamee, has sworn that Clemens used steroids and HGH. Now McNamee had nothing to gain by feeding Clemens to the steroid-induced "dogs" but he did it instead to get to the truth after Clemens was named in the Mitchell Report.
Andy Petitte, Clemens' "former best friend" has testified that Clemens discussed Performance Enhancing Drug use with him and Petitte has already admitted to PED use.
Clearly Clemens "can't handle the truth".
He has done everything he can think of to avoid being implicated, even throwing his poor wife under the bus and having her admit to steroid use. He has used his mother and grandmother as moral compass accessories to prove why he's such a straight arrow. Here is a piece of what he said: "I've always believed that hard work and determination were the only ways to be successful. And to reach goals. Shortcuts were not an option. This was instilled in me since I was a young boy by my mother and my grandmother."
He even tried to awe people with his talent, fame and physicality.
But now he's in over his head. The Congressmen he is testifying in front of don't care that Clemens is already a Cooperstown candidate. They don't care about his mother and grandmother being more moral than Mother Theresa. They only care about the truth which seems strongly against Clemens right now especially since a photograph has surfaced which proves some of his statements about a certain Jose Canseco house party false.
Why he doesn't just admit and apologize like everyone else is beyond me. Who is chastising Petitte about his steroid use?? Is he the new face of evil? No because he simply said "I made a mistake".
Petitte will get his mulligan to prove his value to the baseball world but will Clemens be rewarded with his after all is said and done on Capital Hill?
Clemens is not falling off the Hall of Fame ballot because if schmucks like McGwire and Bonds are going to be on it, then how could Clemens not be? His seven Cy Young Awards aren't going anywhere. The only thing that would be affected would be his reputation.
And for Roger, his reputation is clearly all that he really cares about through all of this nonsense.
Now to show off a little.....
Here is a video of some interviews I did asking why people thought Clemens was guilty
And here is just a little video we made in journalism class. Just a sequence of a good guitar player around campus.
Before I go any further, I believe that Clemens is guilty as sin. If he's not I'm sorry for this blog that further implicated him, but some of this stuff will be true regardless of his guilt.
His personal trainer, Brian McNamee, has sworn that Clemens used steroids and HGH. Now McNamee had nothing to gain by feeding Clemens to the steroid-induced "dogs" but he did it instead to get to the truth after Clemens was named in the Mitchell Report.
Andy Petitte, Clemens' "former best friend" has testified that Clemens discussed Performance Enhancing Drug use with him and Petitte has already admitted to PED use.
Clearly Clemens "can't handle the truth".
He has done everything he can think of to avoid being implicated, even throwing his poor wife under the bus and having her admit to steroid use. He has used his mother and grandmother as moral compass accessories to prove why he's such a straight arrow. Here is a piece of what he said: "I've always believed that hard work and determination were the only ways to be successful. And to reach goals. Shortcuts were not an option. This was instilled in me since I was a young boy by my mother and my grandmother."
He even tried to awe people with his talent, fame and physicality.
But now he's in over his head. The Congressmen he is testifying in front of don't care that Clemens is already a Cooperstown candidate. They don't care about his mother and grandmother being more moral than Mother Theresa. They only care about the truth which seems strongly against Clemens right now especially since a photograph has surfaced which proves some of his statements about a certain Jose Canseco house party false.
Why he doesn't just admit and apologize like everyone else is beyond me. Who is chastising Petitte about his steroid use?? Is he the new face of evil? No because he simply said "I made a mistake".
Petitte will get his mulligan to prove his value to the baseball world but will Clemens be rewarded with his after all is said and done on Capital Hill?
Clemens is not falling off the Hall of Fame ballot because if schmucks like McGwire and Bonds are going to be on it, then how could Clemens not be? His seven Cy Young Awards aren't going anywhere. The only thing that would be affected would be his reputation.
And for Roger, his reputation is clearly all that he really cares about through all of this nonsense.
Now to show off a little.....
Here is a video of some interviews I did asking why people thought Clemens was guilty
And here is just a little video we made in journalism class. Just a sequence of a good guitar player around campus.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
ESPN's Worst Highlight
Over the past two weeks, ESPN has been doing it's "greatest highlight" schpeel. A segment of every Sportscenter is devoted to seeing which highlight fans voted greater than another.
But right there is your fatal flaw! Today's fans know squat!
The fans decided the final 16 clips through voting over the past couple of months and they turned out to be these http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/highlights/index?lpos=spotlight&lid=tab7pos1.
Then every day the fans decide between two highlights to see who moves on. But if the fans were too stupid to pick the right contenders, how could they pick the winners?
I mean the very first matchup pitted Flutie's game-winning Hail Mary against a Tiger Woods' chip in. A chip in!??? Every golf tournament these days has a chip in. Tiger has probably lost count of all the chip ins that he has made through his stellar career. How could you pick that as one of the 16 greatest highlights of sports history!?
Thankfully Flutie's gift from Above soundly defeated that atrocious excuse for a highlight (let it be known that if the shot was a hole-in-one and that shot gave Tiger the tournament win, then, and only then, would this highlight be suitable).
This kind of terrible matchup, continues through the competition. But the kicker is that there are occassional good matchups and one highlight that deserves to be in the competition has to go home early. As much as I hate Duke, how can you pit Christian Laettner's turn-around winner against California's "The Band Is On the Field" return??? Are you telling me Bill Buckner's error deserves to be in this competition as much as "The Immaculate Reception"???
And now to the good part...... my revised plan for the Greatest Highlight.
There will be 3 rules and the number of rules shall be three. "Four thou shall not count, nor should thou count two unless of course you continue on to three" (for all Holy Grail fans out there).
1) A team of 9 writers and columnists (so there can be the one guy persuading all the others not to rush their judgment) from at least the last 30 years will decide the Sweet Sixteen highlights. These journalists should also have to apply for the positions with good cover letters describing why they deserve to choose the greatest highlights.
2) No highlight, unless it clearly and greatly affected the outcome of the game should be under consideration (this way plays like Woods' chip or Hammerin' Hank passing the Babe's homerun record will not take up valuable spots. P.S. I have nothing against either of these moments but I don't think they deserve spots.)
3)Any fan who wants to vote has to pass a sports IQ test to vote on ESPN.com, this would consists of basic questions like who played third base for Pittsburgh in 1960? "See he's saying 'Hellooooooooo'."
If we adhere by these rules, then I think we can truly decide what is the greatest highlight.
But right there is your fatal flaw! Today's fans know squat!
The fans decided the final 16 clips through voting over the past couple of months and they turned out to be these http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/highlights/index?lpos=spotlight&lid=tab7pos1.
Then every day the fans decide between two highlights to see who moves on. But if the fans were too stupid to pick the right contenders, how could they pick the winners?
I mean the very first matchup pitted Flutie's game-winning Hail Mary against a Tiger Woods' chip in. A chip in!??? Every golf tournament these days has a chip in. Tiger has probably lost count of all the chip ins that he has made through his stellar career. How could you pick that as one of the 16 greatest highlights of sports history!?
Thankfully Flutie's gift from Above soundly defeated that atrocious excuse for a highlight (let it be known that if the shot was a hole-in-one and that shot gave Tiger the tournament win, then, and only then, would this highlight be suitable).
This kind of terrible matchup, continues through the competition. But the kicker is that there are occassional good matchups and one highlight that deserves to be in the competition has to go home early. As much as I hate Duke, how can you pit Christian Laettner's turn-around winner against California's "The Band Is On the Field" return??? Are you telling me Bill Buckner's error deserves to be in this competition as much as "The Immaculate Reception"???
And now to the good part...... my revised plan for the Greatest Highlight.
There will be 3 rules and the number of rules shall be three. "Four thou shall not count, nor should thou count two unless of course you continue on to three" (for all Holy Grail fans out there).
1) A team of 9 writers and columnists (so there can be the one guy persuading all the others not to rush their judgment) from at least the last 30 years will decide the Sweet Sixteen highlights. These journalists should also have to apply for the positions with good cover letters describing why they deserve to choose the greatest highlights.
2) No highlight, unless it clearly and greatly affected the outcome of the game should be under consideration (this way plays like Woods' chip or Hammerin' Hank passing the Babe's homerun record will not take up valuable spots. P.S. I have nothing against either of these moments but I don't think they deserve spots.)
3)Any fan who wants to vote has to pass a sports IQ test to vote on ESPN.com, this would consists of basic questions like who played third base for Pittsburgh in 1960? "See he's saying 'Hellooooooooo'."
If we adhere by these rules, then I think we can truly decide what is the greatest highlight.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Hockey Fever
It might be because the one hockey team I ever paid attention to during my life is finally in the playoff hunt or it might be because I'm so sick of Mitchell Reports and Congressional Hearings that it makes me want to be like Clemens and throw my metaphorical wife under the bus for the performance enhancement prosecutors........
But, behold, my friends and I have developed hockey fever.
I know that hockey is the major sport equivalent of curling at the winter Olympics, but watching Washington Capitals games is an addictive and thrilling experience. The have one of the most skillful and flashiest players in the league in the form of $100 million dollar-man Alex Ovechkin. His incredible goal while falling onto his back has dominated highlight reels around the internet for the past year and a half and still causes jaws to drop every time it is shown.
But my opinion of hockey is developing from the fluidity of the game. It's not like football (except for maybe a two-minute drill) or baseball with stoppages between each play, and it's not like the NBA with people walking up the court shooting a 25-footer and then heading back to pretend to play defense. Every offensive push is a coordinated display of weaving, sharp passes and laser-like shots and on the defensive side, every shot brings the possibility of a brave soul flinging his body in front of the shot to help his team.
The younger teams in the league are a lot of fun to watch because hockey more than any other sport is a young man's game. The average age for the Caps is just over 26-years-old and that is skewed because of 37-year-old goaltender Olaf Kolzig.
The young players really bring a lot of energy and they storm up the ice quickly to make as many goal-scoring opportunities as possible.
At the All-Star Weekend, two weeks ago, even the skills challenges are changing to favor a younger audience. With break-away and shootout challenges to inspire crazy moves (Ovechkin did his best Tiger Woods impression by bouncing the puck on his stick and then trying to slap it out of midair for the goal but was unsuccessful). And even the accurate shooting competition is relating to skeet-shooting as there are breakable plates hanging in the corners of the goal.
The high energy and higher scoring brings an incredible excitement to the game and the shootout format to decide overtime is one of the most exciting moments in sports.
So try to make it out to your local rink and experience the hard-hitting, fast-paced game that is making a comeback.
But, behold, my friends and I have developed hockey fever.
I know that hockey is the major sport equivalent of curling at the winter Olympics, but watching Washington Capitals games is an addictive and thrilling experience. The have one of the most skillful and flashiest players in the league in the form of $100 million dollar-man Alex Ovechkin. His incredible goal while falling onto his back has dominated highlight reels around the internet for the past year and a half and still causes jaws to drop every time it is shown.
But my opinion of hockey is developing from the fluidity of the game. It's not like football (except for maybe a two-minute drill) or baseball with stoppages between each play, and it's not like the NBA with people walking up the court shooting a 25-footer and then heading back to pretend to play defense. Every offensive push is a coordinated display of weaving, sharp passes and laser-like shots and on the defensive side, every shot brings the possibility of a brave soul flinging his body in front of the shot to help his team.
The younger teams in the league are a lot of fun to watch because hockey more than any other sport is a young man's game. The average age for the Caps is just over 26-years-old and that is skewed because of 37-year-old goaltender Olaf Kolzig.
The young players really bring a lot of energy and they storm up the ice quickly to make as many goal-scoring opportunities as possible.
At the All-Star Weekend, two weeks ago, even the skills challenges are changing to favor a younger audience. With break-away and shootout challenges to inspire crazy moves (Ovechkin did his best Tiger Woods impression by bouncing the puck on his stick and then trying to slap it out of midair for the goal but was unsuccessful). And even the accurate shooting competition is relating to skeet-shooting as there are breakable plates hanging in the corners of the goal.
The high energy and higher scoring brings an incredible excitement to the game and the shootout format to decide overtime is one of the most exciting moments in sports.
So try to make it out to your local rink and experience the hard-hitting, fast-paced game that is making a comeback.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Kevin Everett
The heart-warming story from this year’s NFL season has nothing to do with Tom Brady’s marriage proposal at media day nor does it have anything to do with any Patriot-related themes.
Kevin Everett, the Bills tight end, has made one of the most heroic and remarkable comebacks that anyone has seen in recent years.
Mainly a special teams player thus far into his career, Everett went to make a tackle during the second-half kick-off during the Bills’ season opener against the Denver Broncos. His helmet struck the shoulder pad and helmet of receiver Domenik Hixon and Everett fell awkwardly, face-first onto the turf. He was later diagnosed as being paralyzed from the neck down.
The video is everywhere these days and as I watched it more and more this week, I began to notice how it seems like Everett is twitching while lying on the ground. A sickening and horrifying sight that brings chills to any athlete. A spinal cord injury is just about the worst nightmare for anyone who has ever played a contact sport.
What makes Everett’s tale the feel-good-story of the year is what started after he was carted off the field. He was given “bleak, dismal” chances of recovering and was told he would probably never walk or even use his arms again.
Now just about five months after he was injured, Everett is walking and using his arms to tell his story to just about anyone who will listen.
Instead of dwelling on how his playing career is over at the age of 25, he is looking forward to appreciating his life, which for a while was in question of continuing. A lot of people would sink into a depression and have trouble letting go, but Everett is making the most out of his refreshed life.
"I was so used to working out and being around my teammates, that's kind of hard," said Everett. "But I'll be ok. ... I don't see it as God picking on me or anything. I just see it as one door closes, another one's going to open. I just have to figure out what it is."
He is currently working with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and is talking about looking into coaching. He also is preparing to get married which is probably just as painful as all that rehab he underwent.
Three days after being injured Everett was moving his limbs. A month after the injury he was walking with the assistance of a walker. Two weeks after that he was standing up without assistance.
That kind of recovery is remarkable especially when you consider that he couldn't even pick himself up while lying face-first on the turf. He is a remarkable athlete and as people are discovering he is an incredibly remarkable human being.
Five months is an extremely short period of time. It flies by faster than you realize and in that short amount of time, a person suffered a life-threatening injury and recovered from it.
What are you going to do in the next five months?
Kevin Everett, the Bills tight end, has made one of the most heroic and remarkable comebacks that anyone has seen in recent years.
Mainly a special teams player thus far into his career, Everett went to make a tackle during the second-half kick-off during the Bills’ season opener against the Denver Broncos. His helmet struck the shoulder pad and helmet of receiver Domenik Hixon and Everett fell awkwardly, face-first onto the turf. He was later diagnosed as being paralyzed from the neck down.
The video is everywhere these days and as I watched it more and more this week, I began to notice how it seems like Everett is twitching while lying on the ground. A sickening and horrifying sight that brings chills to any athlete. A spinal cord injury is just about the worst nightmare for anyone who has ever played a contact sport.
What makes Everett’s tale the feel-good-story of the year is what started after he was carted off the field. He was given “bleak, dismal” chances of recovering and was told he would probably never walk or even use his arms again.
Now just about five months after he was injured, Everett is walking and using his arms to tell his story to just about anyone who will listen.
Instead of dwelling on how his playing career is over at the age of 25, he is looking forward to appreciating his life, which for a while was in question of continuing. A lot of people would sink into a depression and have trouble letting go, but Everett is making the most out of his refreshed life.
"I was so used to working out and being around my teammates, that's kind of hard," said Everett. "But I'll be ok. ... I don't see it as God picking on me or anything. I just see it as one door closes, another one's going to open. I just have to figure out what it is."
He is currently working with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and is talking about looking into coaching. He also is preparing to get married which is probably just as painful as all that rehab he underwent.
Three days after being injured Everett was moving his limbs. A month after the injury he was walking with the assistance of a walker. Two weeks after that he was standing up without assistance.
That kind of recovery is remarkable especially when you consider that he couldn't even pick himself up while lying face-first on the turf. He is a remarkable athlete and as people are discovering he is an incredibly remarkable human being.
Five months is an extremely short period of time. It flies by faster than you realize and in that short amount of time, a person suffered a life-threatening injury and recovered from it.
What are you going to do in the next five months?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
And then.....
..................and then they get blown away by the woeful New York Knicks. So much for not jinxing that streak.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Wizards
As previously stated I am a fan of the hometown teams.
And this appeared to be a great season for the Washington Wizards with their core of players returning and with their superstars, guard Gilbert Arenas and forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, returning from late injuries from the previous season.
But the Wizards lost their first five games and looked terrible doing it. Arenas, one of the flashiest and most dazzling players in the NBA last season, was slow to return from a knee injury and then quickly went back on the injured list and had another knee surgery on Nov. 21. This is the same Arenas who for almost a year now has threatened to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Wizards and possibly leave "his town".
But without their star, the Wizards are 16-11 and are now in the best record in the Eastern Conference at four games over .500 (20-16) and rolling. Recently the Wizards took on the NBA best Boston Celtics with their fabulous three-starred attack. On Saturday the Wizards won a thrilling come-from-behind win at home 85-78.
A team that has always been criticized for its porous defense, held the juggernaut-like Celtic offense to a season low in both points and field goal percentage. Defense has been the key for the Wizards' success as they have now held their opponents under 100 points in 6 straight games.
The team has rallied around its defensive leaders, Butler, Jamison and guard DeShawn Stevenson, and shown that if Arenas wants to leave at the end of the season, he is more than welcome to get out.
Butler and Jamison are giving league-leading/All-Star performances on a nightly basis and Stevenson has turned his success on defense into renewed energy towards being a legitimate offensive threat as well. Jamison is one of only two Eastern Conference players to average a double-double.
Their role players are doing wonderfully as well. Center Brendan Haywood has stepped up his game since getting the permanent starting role. When center Etan Thomas had heart surgery to repair a valve and was lost for the season, Haywood reinherited the full-time gig at center and has flourished. Guards Antonio Daniels and Roger Mason Jr. have come off the bench and done incredibly filling in for Arenas with great passing and outside shooting, respectively.
Although team leaders continue to advocate that the team misses Arenas' impact on the game, I am a little doubtful as to his influence over the way the team plays upon his return.
For leadership, you have veterans like Jamison and Daniels to lead this team. For point guard play, Daniels is averaging over 5 assists per game and just over 1 turnover. For clutch shooting, Stevenson hit a huge game-tying three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Monday's game to tie it late. Then Butler hit two consecutive shots and two free throws to give the Wizards the lead and extend it to three points.
Arenas is known for his colorful personality and impressive scoring prowess, but that seems to be a small cost for the Wizards who are playing great "team" basketball, which only exists amongst the best teams in the league. They actually learned to play defense after years of unfulfilled promises and they can now score when they need to.
Boston forward Kevin Garnett said after Saturday's win that the Wizards are playing better basketball without Arenas. And Garnett knows something about being a star player on a bad team after his fiascos in Minnesota with the Timberwolves.
So if "Agent Zero" wants to choose not to play this season and opt out of his contract for money instead of being part of a great basketball team, he can go play H-O-R-S-E out in his million-dollar driveway and yell "hibachi" for decidely smaller crowds.
And this appeared to be a great season for the Washington Wizards with their core of players returning and with their superstars, guard Gilbert Arenas and forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, returning from late injuries from the previous season.
But the Wizards lost their first five games and looked terrible doing it. Arenas, one of the flashiest and most dazzling players in the NBA last season, was slow to return from a knee injury and then quickly went back on the injured list and had another knee surgery on Nov. 21. This is the same Arenas who for almost a year now has threatened to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Wizards and possibly leave "his town".
But without their star, the Wizards are 16-11 and are now in the best record in the Eastern Conference at four games over .500 (20-16) and rolling. Recently the Wizards took on the NBA best Boston Celtics with their fabulous three-starred attack. On Saturday the Wizards won a thrilling come-from-behind win at home 85-78.
A team that has always been criticized for its porous defense, held the juggernaut-like Celtic offense to a season low in both points and field goal percentage. Defense has been the key for the Wizards' success as they have now held their opponents under 100 points in 6 straight games.
The team has rallied around its defensive leaders, Butler, Jamison and guard DeShawn Stevenson, and shown that if Arenas wants to leave at the end of the season, he is more than welcome to get out.
Butler and Jamison are giving league-leading/All-Star performances on a nightly basis and Stevenson has turned his success on defense into renewed energy towards being a legitimate offensive threat as well. Jamison is one of only two Eastern Conference players to average a double-double.
Their role players are doing wonderfully as well. Center Brendan Haywood has stepped up his game since getting the permanent starting role. When center Etan Thomas had heart surgery to repair a valve and was lost for the season, Haywood reinherited the full-time gig at center and has flourished. Guards Antonio Daniels and Roger Mason Jr. have come off the bench and done incredibly filling in for Arenas with great passing and outside shooting, respectively.
Although team leaders continue to advocate that the team misses Arenas' impact on the game, I am a little doubtful as to his influence over the way the team plays upon his return.
For leadership, you have veterans like Jamison and Daniels to lead this team. For point guard play, Daniels is averaging over 5 assists per game and just over 1 turnover. For clutch shooting, Stevenson hit a huge game-tying three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Monday's game to tie it late. Then Butler hit two consecutive shots and two free throws to give the Wizards the lead and extend it to three points.
Arenas is known for his colorful personality and impressive scoring prowess, but that seems to be a small cost for the Wizards who are playing great "team" basketball, which only exists amongst the best teams in the league. They actually learned to play defense after years of unfulfilled promises and they can now score when they need to.
Boston forward Kevin Garnett said after Saturday's win that the Wizards are playing better basketball without Arenas. And Garnett knows something about being a star player on a bad team after his fiascos in Minnesota with the Timberwolves.
So if "Agent Zero" wants to choose not to play this season and opt out of his contract for money instead of being part of a great basketball team, he can go play H-O-R-S-E out in his million-dollar driveway and yell "hibachi" for decidely smaller crowds.
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