December 22nd, 2011
The 2010-2011 NBA season was one of the most dynamic and most exciting in the league’s history — especially for the fans. But, with a lockout that dragged through the entire summer and into the following winter, fans grew weary of waiting and some have now taken it out on the NBA. And, at a time when the NBA can hardly afford it; the league lost $300 million when a new collective bargaining deal couldn’t be reached. The NBA is definitely using the excitement of the Christmas Day start to pump up fans as much as they can and get them back in the doors — but is it enough?
While players certainly aren’t going to be playing for empty arenas it might be hard to get some of the fans back into the spirit of the game as much as they were last year, when arenas were filled to near-capacity every game. In last year’s preseason fans flocked in record numbers, either to the arena or to their televisions, to watch Miami Thrice take to the court. Even with the saved season, it looked as though getting fans back to that level of excitement could have proven to be a difficult task. And then the league denied the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers, and fans seemed to grow angrier. The league seemed to have once again, taken away their chances to watch some good basketball.
The fact that Paul ended up being traded to the Clippers seemed to have softened any soreness on the fans’ part, with his L.A. debut being the largest-viewed game on NBA TV since the debut of the trio in Miami. And with more rumors coming out and trades happening every day, there definitely is a lot to keep fans excited. Not to even mention the fact that the shorter season is going to put much more pressure on all teams, allowing younger teams to move smoothly along while some older, albeit more experienced teams, might start to lag for the first time in years.
There’s definitely a lot to watch for, and there will be a lot to talk about in the coming months. But will fans be as loyal to the game as they were last year? Or were too many lost along the lockout way?
December 16th, 2011
Ryan Braun recently tested positive for a “performance-enhancing drug”, leading to speculation that he could be stripped of his National League MVP Award. Braun is currently appealing results of the test and could face a 50-game suspension at the beginning of the new season. This could spell trouble for the Milwaukee Brewers, for which Braun plays left field.
Such speculation caused Sports Illustrated writer Michael Rosenberg to wonder why Baseball Writers Association of America, the ones responsible for deciding the National MVP, are allowed to decide such prestigious honors in the first place. Rosenberg stated that it should not be the place of columnist to officially “validate or voice” anything, especially a player’s achievements.
We do know that the BBWAA have already put Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro in the “ringer” for their past controversies. Naturally, the BBWAA has to decide something, since they demand a “clean and honest” sport, and yet are bestowing MVP prizes to suspected or confirmed steroid users.
However, there is at least some momentum going for Braun. After all, the BBWAA has never actually confiscated an award to this date, and it’s likely they will not set a new precedent. In fact, it’s quite likely that they will wait to hear what Braun’s extenuating circumstances actually were, before passing judgment.
What makes the situation unique is that if Braun is proven to be a steroids abuser, he will be the first player confirmed to “cheat” within the same calendar year of his victory–and that will also be unprecedented. So Braun could very well give up the prize, unlike other disgraced players who kept their awards because the scandal was years after the fact.
Ironically, Braun once told Alex Rodriguez that “The best thing he can do is come out, admit to everything and be completely honest…the situation will die a lot faster if he tells the whole truth.” Yes, and now Braun is in the same position, to defend an alleged illegal act with some (hopefully) sound logic as to why things are not as bad as they look. In any event, this is sure to affect the upcoming Brewers season for better or for worse.
Since the MLB team, the Brewers achieved a franchise-best record of 96-66 and also won their first National League Central Division title (they even advanced to the National League Championship Series) it’s safe to say that rocking the boat with Braun is sure to affect 2012.
December 8th, 2011
It’s not Christmas yet, so no wonder everyone in the wrestling world is feeling less than merry. Perhaps it’s the anxiety of the upcoming WWE Slammy Awards, or perhaps the looming Tables, Ladders and Chairs Pay-Per-View. Regardless, everyone involved in wrestling is feeling high anxiety. How about TNA star Hulk Hogan, who is filing a lawsuit against his ex-wife for defamation of character? The Hulk’s not alone, however; Hulk friend and former WWE competitor Brutus the Barber Beefcake is also suing Linda Hogan for “outing” allegations. It all coincides with Linda’s new book, Wrestling the Hulk – My Life Against the Ropes. Why not enjoy some drama outside of the ring for a change?
It may be the off the record, but recent statements made by former WWE star Batista were hard-hitting. He appeared on The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show to explain why he left the WWE–because he objected to the “family friendly” direction that was overtaking the WWE Attitude of old. He also took the opportunity to bash John Cena, whom he called “Mister Hokey, Mister PG… to me, he killed hardcore, edgy wrestling.”
Over at the MMA, Alistair Overeem promised that he’s ready to tear ex-WWE superstar Brock Lesnar apart, despite rumors suggesting that he would not show up for personal reasons. Overeem cockily told the press and MMA fans that he would “be sending [Lesnar] back to WWE for you.”
Chris Jericho killed our excitement about a possible WWE return on 1/2/12 (have you seen the mysterious promos?) by tweeting “Haven’t watched Raw in a month and I haven’t seen the mystery promos. Sorry…don’t know and don’t care so u can stop asking.” This finalizes (for most fans) Jericho’s thoughts on the WWE, as he has already stated that he has no interest in returning.
Last but not least, the tension is so high, some WWE officials are running a fever. Is it true the WWE wants to produce a new daily talk show for their WWE Network? It appears as if this news story is true, and the WWE wants to make the talk show “in kayfabe”, meaning it’s all related to WWE storylines.
It’s feeling edgy in TNA and in WWE locker rooms, but all that bad blood just makes the live wrestling events that much more exciting!
November 30th, 2011
The Green Bay Packers is the team to beat this year, as the Packers have built an impressive 11-0 season record as of November 28, 2011. (They also have a streak going of 17 wins) While maintaining an undefeated streak is not exactly unprecedented, it is great news for a season that holds no other favorites. Thus far, the Packers have bested such formidable teams as the Saints, the Panthers, the Bears, the Broncos, the Falcons, the Rams, the Vikings, the Chargers, the Buccaneers, the Lions and the Giants.
Their toughest game to date was their defeat over the Detroit Lions, (27-15) a game in which the Packers wisely capitalized on their competitor’s inexperience. The losing team’s roster seemed distracted and eventually suffered eleven penalties, eight of which were in the game’s first half.
At this point, most experts and fans are resigning to the fact that the Packers will make it to the Super Bowl, and perhaps even win, depending on the competition. In fact, they could reach their first milestone this coming Sunday, as they aim to “cinch” the NFC North. If they win, they will make it to 12-0, and will force the Lions out of contention. Even if they start losing games, they would still hold an advantage over fellow competitor the Chicago Bears.
So the million-dollar question is, what is keeping the Packers going at such a high speed? Why are they clobbering the rest of the NFL? Some fans are crediting their amazing offense led by Aaron Rodgers, who brings just the right amount of trajectory and spin to his throws. Others credit the team’s youthful roster as well as their veteran experience in coaching and defense. Of course, more than a few fans suggest that the Packers are merely dominating a very weak NFL season.
Indeed, we are watching a season of disastrous performances, most notably by the Colts, who have yet to win a single game. The only other team attempting a (near) perfect score is the 49ers, who have a record of 9-2. Perhaps it is too early to tell if we’re going to see a Green Bay-San Francisco Super Bowl, but it’s never too early to speculate! What do you think?
November 27th, 2011
Well, the final quarter of the NFL season has begun and it’s a full on soap opera, complete with heroes, villains, crazy people and mature schemers who don’t know when to quit. The world is talking about Favre – again – as rumor has it he may take a Bears quarterback job. According to some sources (including ESPN’s Michael C. Wright) “Favre would listen if the Chicago Bears made a pitch.”
Favre is currently retired (again) after playing an underwhelming season with the Minnesota Vikings. He reached a few milestones (including, 10,000 pass attempts, as well as 500 touchdowns and 70,000 yards). Unfortunately, one more episode of Super Bowl glory was cancelled, as the quarterback was injured by Bills linebacker Arthur Moats. Favre missed the rest of the game and became inactive for a time. When he returned on the 20th, playing the Bears, he suffered a concussion at the hands of defensive end Corey Wootton.
Favre couldn’t finish the season against the Lions because he couldn’t pass a concussion test. Not surprisingly, he left the Vikings and the entire NFL by January 2011. Now word has it Favre might be interested in joining the Bears and coming out of retirement to save his third NFC North team (again).
Does this move make any sense? Logically, yes, because Favre has experience with both the Packers and the Vikings, and that’s who Chicago will be taking on this abbreviated season. This is a very important season and what wins games is what ultimately matters. Right now, the Bears are struggling and need to solidify their grip on an NFC wild-card spot.
Of course, the downside to this is that Favre may not be suited to the role and may not fit in with the present team. In fact, Coach Lovie Smith said on record, “We’re not looking on the outside. We won’t have a quarterback tryout or anything like that.” Not that the inside track is doing that much better–current starter Caleb Hanie has thrown six interceptions and counting.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are playing the role of ticking time bomb, psycho of the week, as they suffered 11 penalties against the Saints this past weekend. (Though all that foul play didn’t save them from a 31-17 loss) The appalling performance has even led some big names to discuss censuring or even fining Jim Schwartz for allowing such conduct. All this plus our heroes, the Green Bay Packers, continuing their undefeated streak now up to 12-0–what a season! Thus far, 2011 is making for strange bedfellows, wacky plot twists and lots of drama–and we’re hooked!
November 21st, 2011
It wasn’t a great week, or a great year for Tiger Woods. This golf superstar recently suffered a humiliating defeat on Thursday, November 17, 2011, which was his second in two days. The former #1 golfer in the world made history all right–this was the first time he lost his first two games in match play since 2004.
Despite Woods’ poor performance, the United States still led the Presidents Cup. Woods later commented, “It was a tough day. Just trying to hit the greens was a heck of an accomplishment.” Along with his partner Steve Stricker, the duo failed to make a single “birdie” against Melbourne.
However, the defeat wasn’t the worst part of it. Later, Woods was forced to meet his former caddie – the same one he fired and the same one who publicly insulted his former boss. As it turns out, Adam Scott, is now the employer of Steve Williams. Is this an ironic coincidence or is this psychological warfare?
According to spectators, this game (which saw Woods and Stricker fail to win a hole) is said to be the worst Woods has ever played in terms of the margin of defeat. Oh sure, Woods did shake hands with his former caddy, though the exchange was somewhat rushed and overly cordial. He even gave some positive comments about Williams later on, suggesting “There’s some great things that Steve and I did, and that’s how I look at it…Life goes forward and I’m very happy with what we have done in our career together.”
Now what is Tiger Woods thinking as a 2012 victory all but slips through his hands? He is definitely getting back into action and attempting to shake off some of that pro golfing “rust.” He is already set to play at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January. As of this moment he is currently ranked #50, and has been winless for two years–the longest losing streak of his career.
What do you think? Is Tiger Woods capable of coming back and regaining his momentum? Is it all just personal demons or has his time in the spotlight already peaked?
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November 17th, 2011
No one has forgotten about Milan Lucic’s Saturday night hit on Buffalo goaltender, Ryan Miller; and it was one of the biggest topics of discussions at yesterday’s NHL general managers meeting. Should Lucic have been suspended for the hit? Or was it simply a matter of charging, something that Lucic served two minutes for during the game?
First, let’s set the scene. It was Saturday night in Boston when Milan Lucic saw the chance he’d been waiting for — a loose puck and a length of empty ice in between him and the Buffalo net. Just as Lucic raced toward the puck, goaltender Miller stepped out of the crease at the same time to play the puck and give it to his own players. Unfortunately, what happened was that Lucic ran right into him, sending Miller to the ice and his helmet flying. Lucic was given a two-minute charging penalty, whereas Miller sustained a concussion.
With all the talk about head shots and concussion injuries in the NHL as of late, the question is, should Lucic have been suspended for the hit instead of just going to the box? Or, did Miller put himself in a vulnerable position after stepping outside the safety of the crease? It was one of the issues at the heart of the general managers meeting yesterday.
The majority of the managers believed that Lucic should have been given a suspension, one of the most vocal on the matter being Darcy Regier, GM of the Buffalo Sabres. He said after yesterday’s meeting that he believes these types of hits on goaltenders will be called differently in the future.
However Brendan Shanahan, senior VP of player safety and hockey ops, felt otherwise. Shanahan pointed out the facts that Lucic did not appear to be fighting or attacking Miller (he didn’t raise his stick, his arms, or his elbows,) and he did not directly hit Miller in the head. He did agree that Lucic should have made more of an attempt to avoid colliding with Miller. Shanahan also pointed out that he did not create the rules of the league, he only enforces them. He ended his statement by saying that “As a message to the players around the league, if anybody does think that it’s a tactic that is a smart gamble on their part, it won’t be.”
After speaking to Lucic personally and finding no intention to harm, Shanahan stated there would be no change made to the original ruling. The Sabres are reporting that Miller will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Some say though, that this may be in part due to the fact that Miller was allowed to return to play immediately after the hit, only being pulled later once he complained of neck pain.
What are your thoughts on the ruling? Should Lucic have been suspended, or was Miller fair game after stepping outside of the crease? Check out the hit on YouTube here, and then let us know what you think!
November 14th, 2011
Everything was set for the New York Jets to redeem their recent series of losses. As they took on the New England Patriots (another team on the decline) this past week, they eyed a meaty franchise, and had the chance to shift the balance of power in the AFC East.
However, the Jets ran out of fuel as the game went on. You can thank Deion Branch for securing a significant lead for the Patriots, as he scored on an eight-yard pass in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 30-16, advantage Patriots. The final score was 37-16, which was not quite a murder but at least a pummeling. New England solidified its reputation as the dominant division team.
Of course, it’s not impossible that the Jets could recover and win a divisional title—it’s just that the goal has jumped farther back in the horizon. As of November 14, 2011 The Jets are now 5-4 compared to the Patriots 6-3. The Jets will have to start winning more games than they lose at this point in the season, if they are to compete for the playoffs. Given the number of losses thus far, it’s not looking likely.
The Jets looked sloppy against the Patriots; they suffered three turnovers during a disastrous second half, prompting head coach Rex Ryan to say that [they’re] “not going to beat many teams, after making the mistakes that we made.” This week, the Jets are scheduled to play in Denver against the Broncos. Ryan joked that he should keep a pessimistic attitude, since the last time he guaranteed failure the team made the playoffs. “So yeah, we have no chance.”
The Jets’ comeback story may or may not happen this season, but that’s not stopping New York fans from supporting their favorite team. The only thing that Sunday’s game accomplished was putting some spirit back into the collective lungs of the Patriots, as they played well and set yet another record. Now, Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have 117th wins together, and are thusly the most successful coach-quarterback pair in NFL history. They even beat the record established by Don Shula and Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins. Is the franchise coming back?
Wait a minute, this is supposed to be about the Jets! What do you say, New York out of contention?
November 8th, 2011
It had to hurt when long time Chicago Bears fan Barack Obama was visited by the Green Bay Packers in the aftermath of their Super Bowl XLV win. Obama stated that if the Chicago Bears won he would actually attend the Super Bowl, a comment to which Green Bay Packers corner Charles Woodson replied, “The President don’t want to come watch us at the Super Bowl, guess what? We’re going to see him!”
And see him they did, as Green Bay went on to win the Super Bowl, and did meet the president as well as the Mayor Jim Schmitt and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. In fact, the team so unselfishly presented the president with gifts: the first, a Green Bay Packers Jersey with Obama’s name on it, and the second an autographed shirt Charles Woodson jersey reading “See you at the White House. Go Packers!” After the first meeting in which Obama went to the team, the second meeting came true–the Packers visited the White House.
He was also given an honorary stock share of the organization, making him part owner of the team. Obama joked whether he could trade Aaron Rodgers to the Bears, to which Woodson reminded that a minority owner could not make such a request.
It seemed like the end of a good year. There was always “next year” for the Cowboys, the Saints, the Patriots and all your other favorite teams. Wouldn’t you know though that history appears to be repeating itself, as Green Back is now the only team in the NFL with an 8-0 win-loss record.
Their closest competition is the San Francisco 49ers who are holding a strong 7-1 win-loss record. After the two leaders of the league, there are the second tier of teams holding six wins, including the Bengals, the Ravens, the Steelers, the Giants, the Lions, the Saints and, strangely enough, the Texans. Meanwhile former Super Bowl champions the Indianapolis Colts hide their faces with a 0-9 record, followed by the Dolphins and the Rams, each with an embarrassing one win record.
Things could change by the end of the year, though at this point it’s hard to imagine any team catching up with Green Bay. The Packers are said to be the best team in the sport at the moment, thanks to stellar performances by the team, including Aaron Rogers. Are the Packers destined to repeat their previous Super Bowl win?
And if they meet the president this time around, is Obama paying or is Woodson?
November 3rd, 2011
A devastating plane crash in September was the last of a series of deaths and tragedies that plagued the NHL and the global hockey world throughout the summer and early spring. When the Yak-42 plane took off on September 7, only to crash shortly after, it killed 44 people including the majority of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team, flight attendants, flight crew, as well as the coaches and staff of the Lokomotiv hockey team. The only player of the team to survive the crash later died in hospital. Now, more news has been uncovered in the investigation and it turns out, the pilots of the plane are mostly to blame.
Alexei Morozov, who was leading the investigation into the crash, found that multiple pilot errors were to blame for the crash. Two pilots were controlling the plane during takeoff, and it was one of those pilots pressed on the brakes, at the same time yanking the plane upwards, much too quickly and much too sharply. Morozov said that the takeoff should have been aborted the moment the pilots realized that something had gone wrong, but it was fear of being reprimanded for it that kept them from doing so. Pilots on Russian planes that attempt multiple takeoffs, second runs, or stop at unscheduled airports run the risk of getting in hot water with their employers, facing things like the loss of bonuses and other consequences, all in an effort to save Russian airlines a little bit of money.
Other pilot errors include the fact that one of the pilots was taking seizure medicine known as phenobarbital, a substance that is banned for use by Russian pilots as it is a sedative. That same pilot is also being blamed for possibly having too large of an ego, and that he liked to take control of situations on the plane on his own and make the decisions. However, it was both pilots that activated the brakes at the wrong time during takeoff, and desperately tried to lift the plane by throwing both their body weights onto the steering wheels. Unfortunately, this only exacerbated the problem, as it caused them to push even more heavily on the brakes.
But the Yak-Service airline isn’t completely blameless either. After all, they were the ones that failed to notice that the second pilot was using a banned substance during medical examinations; and they were also the ones that caused the pilots to desperately fear the consequences of aborting the takeoff. Morozov put most of the blame on the airline, claiming that they didn’t train their crew properly, nor did they make sure that their planes were following proper safety standards. Other violations with the airline were also found shortly after the crash, forcing them to shut down in September.
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