November 2nd, 2011
The Texas Rangers lost Game 7 of the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, giving baseball fans a great and historic game, and the FOX network some huge ratings. (25.4 million viewers) While Texas and fans will admit this was a highly competitive match, they can’t help but be disappointed if they were rooting for Nolan Ryan’s favorite team to do the unprecedented and make history for the Lone Star State.
Let’s face it, Texas as a state, is often derided by the press (for various political issues) and so its sports are perhaps the Lone Star State’s saving grace in terms of mainstream America. We all cheered when the Dallas Mavericks finally won the NBA Championships earlier in 2011. However, it hurts to watch the Dallas Cowboys wallow in their billion dollar muck; the team most recently lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-7. (The Eagles actually took the lead 24-0 for three quarters of the game)
Dallas is a wildly uneven city when it comes to sports and championships. Some seasons they play phenomenally (for a time they were keeping up with New Orleans in 2009, finishing at 11-5), and sometimes they trip over their own boots. While the Dallas Mavericks‘ win reminded us of what Texas is capable of, the humbling of the Texas Rangers reminds us that glory in sports is transitive. At least we can count on the fact that there is a great deal of competition in Texas, and if one team is low on the teetering bar, another team is hopefully riding high. If you’re too blue about the Cowboys, then turn your attention over to the Houston Texans, who most recently defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, building momentum to perhaps their first AFC South Divisional Title.
One thing you have to give Texas though, is that this is a sports state that knows how to make history–win or lose. Game 7 of the World Series saw a great improvement by the Rangers, who were actually one strike away from winning the game and the series on a number of occasions. The Rangers played their best season yet and repeated their success last year by making it to the very end–indeed, their second World Series appearance in just two seasons.
Texas remains a team to watch, and one of the richest and most popular states for all professional sports. However, just like the weather, it’s hard to predict a successful season.
October 31st, 2011
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a hard year. Usually not making the playoffs would be enough to crush any team’s spirit, but that was the least of the Dodgers’ problems this year. After owner Frank McCourt lost just about everything he owned in divorce, the team filed for bankruptcy. But, the Dodgers have found their way out of adversity before; and they’re trying to hold on to what they have left and attempting to lure more fans into the stadium.
Among their many woes last year, attendance was also down — way down — for most of the year; and team execs are hoping to prevent that from happening by lowering ticket prices. Over 35,000 seats at Dodgers Stadium will have their ticket prices reduced by $20 each. With Dodgers Stadium having a total capacity of 56,000 seats, that’s about 96% of seats that have been reduced. And on the Dodgers’ 50th anniversary, which will also be celebrated this year and would usually be used as a huge promotional tactic in order to spike ticket prices.
The Dodgers haven’t pointed to any of the personal or financial drama that’s happening behind the scenes at the moment. David Siegel, Senior Director of Ticket Sales at Dodgers Stadium said in a press release, “A lot of factors got us to our pricing, but feedback from fans is at the forefront. You can’t ignore the fact the California economic climate is a factor. We decided changes needed to be made, and we made adjustments.”
And as for the remaining 4% of seats? Those are the premium seats, and the Dodgers have not made any statements about the ticket prices of those seats.
October 25th, 2011
Few wrestlers have made an impression in WWE history like Mick Foley. He may have started out as “Mankind” and “Dude Love” but eventually Foley’s persona transcended his gimmicks. He became known to fans as a god of the wrestling world, a humble and eloquent man who just happened to love hardcore fighting. What other wrestler slash family man would dare jump off a steel cage, crash through the ring, take 15 or so chair shots to the head and fall on a pile of thumbtacks?
Only Foley! So it was certainly big news when it was announced that Mick Foley and the WWE would part ways. Foley has been fooling around in TNA and in individual house shows for the last few years. However, it has recently been reported that Foley is set to return to WWE action as soon as November of this year!
While the news is not officially confirmed, the insider news suggests that this gentle/rough man/child is likely to return and fit into main event story lines. According to sources such as PWInsider.com, Mick Foley is already booked for Survivor Series, as well as Smackdown and RAW shows. Could he be returning in a general manager role or perhaps even in a few bouts?
Some sources even suggest his return could signify a new era in the WWE. How so? Some sources are legitimately reporting that the WWE is considering a return to more “hardcore” material in terms of violence and language. (Some even suggest the change has already been taking place, slowly but surely) That makes perfect sense, especially if fans are going to see a reunion of Mick Foley and The Rock, the two Vaudevillian hams who love to swear and make cheap sex jokes.
Hey, who’s complaining? WWE fans expect the outrageous. One thing’s for sure. Mick Foley is the definition of hardcore, and if he’s coming back the WWE is going to have a hard time toning things down! Oh lord, what will the poor Muppets do on Halloween Monday Night RAW? Can we expect more chairs to the head or maybe even a Mr. Socko Kermit feud?
October 23rd, 2011
The arenas are silent, except for maybe the odd rock concert; and the streets and pubs are empty of fan cheers. So, what exactly is going on in the NBA, and can we expect to see games any time soon?
Well, no one really knows just yet, with some people saying that talks are resulting in “something constructive” while others say that the two sides could be “derailed” once again. The problem? The NBA wants to get rid of the “Larry Bird exception,” the quasi-rule of the NBA stating that teams are allowed to resign their existing free agent players if that player has played for three years without being put on waivers or traded. This exception to the salary cap means that teams can currently go over the salary cap, as long as they sign existing players. It might be no surprise to find that the NBA doesn’t want this rule any longer, as it results in unequal teams and disadvantages. And it’s even less of a surprise that the players want to keep the exception in, and allow players to be paid what they have been.
So where do things stand now?
Right now, the same thing that’s been going on for months — the two sides are talking. The difference is that now they’re talking a lot — over 24 hours in 2 days, as a matter of fact. Both the NBA and the Players Association sat down with federal mediator, George Cohen, on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting on Tuesday lasted for 16 hours, while the one on Wednesday was still lengthy, but halved that of the day before, being only 8 hours long.
One source was quoted as saying that the negotiations were bringing things close to “a 50/50 split,” while another source indicated that the key issue of the salary cap could stall things quite a while longer.
What we do know is that the owners left the meeting to go back to their board of governors. In that meeting, they drafted a revenue-sharing proposal that they will present to the Players Association in a meeting this afternoon. Although the two sides have been advised not to speak publicly about the negotiations or the meetings/ Cohen was only quoted as saying that “Everyone is extremely focused on the core issues that confront them.”
Right now the outlook certainly doesn’t look good, and the first two weeks of the season have already been cancelled. The earliest it seems like they might be back is the end of November, and that’s a stretch even if everything goes well in talks from here on in. David Stern has already said that he would seriously consider cancelling games throughout Christmas if that was necessary. And it looks like that might be exactly what ends up happening. Unless the players start getting really upset when those checks don’t come in the beginning of November.
October 21st, 2011
A cheer could be heard coming from Pittsburgh on Thursday, at about the exact moment Sidney Crosby was cleared for contact by his doctors and coaches. That cheer is no doubt a predecessor for the bigger one we’ll hear once Sid is cleared to actually return to play in games — which he hasn’t been yet. And just when he will be, the coaches are still standing by their line, “We’re not putting a timetable on it.”
After Sidney exchanged his white helmet for a black practice helmet, there wasn’t much contact to be had. Of course, you can never expect a practice to resemble a real game, especially when it comes to hitting and fighting, but defenseman Ben Lovejoy did admit that “at first I was tentative about it and I didn’t want him to get mad.”
But if there’s anyone Sidney’s mad at, it’s no doubt himself and his own body’s inability to heal as quickly as he would like it to. Although Sidney has been cleared for contact during practice, he probably won’t be back this week as many people have hoped and even predicted; and it could even be much longer. Even with his improvements, Sidney has admitted that he still has a lot of work to do on his timing, shooting, reaction time and for the most part, just getting his legs under him.
There’s still so much hope though, and one cannot forget how far this superstar has come. Crosby certainly hasn’t, saying “It’s a progression thing. Even at this point it’s a lot better than it was. It can get better too, as far as my timing and seeing all those things.”
Unfortunately, he probably won’t be back for the long stretch the Pittsburgh Penguins are facing. On Monday they’re in Winnipeg to face the Jets, then they’re in Minnesota on Tuesday. The Penguins will return home for their game on Thursday against Montreal and will stay on home ice for their game against New Jersey on Saturday. And at this point, it looks like it might take a miracle to get Sid back in time for that stretch.
October 13th, 2011
October 2011 will be remembered for the end of an era for the Oakland Raiders, as team owner Al Davis died October 8th, 2011 at the age of 82. NFL owners even gave the outspoken owner and football fan a moment of silence. It will certainly be hard to forget Davis, a man who actually tried to sue the NFL, the same league and sport that made him a fortune and a football legend.
Unlike many other wealthy suits that simply watched football and managed oil companies, Davis lived football, immediately pursuing a career as a line coach at Adelphi College in the 1950s. He went on to coach the Raiders in the 1960s, and eventually became the AFL commissioner and the Raiders principal team owner. At his death, he officially owned 67 percent of the team.
Upon his death, many Oakland fans are wondering just what will become of his legacy–the Oakland Raiders? The Raiders have long had a reputation of mystery, a brand quality that David himself helped to build. Officially, Davis’ wife and child will inherit the principal rights to the team. Perhaps it was no coincidence that his son Mark Davis was seen inside the owners box during the last game featuring the Raiders against the Texans. Mark watched as Oakland continued to demonstrate great potential, this time beating the Texans 25-20.
While the Raiders haven’t exactly dominated their competition, their win loss record is at least respectable this early in the season. They defeated the Denver Broncos at their season debut, but lost to the Bills a week later. Their biggest victory was against the New York Jets, which quickly amassed a status of “the team to beat” after defeating Dallas earlier in September. They lost against the Patriots a week later, but then finished their five week schedule by defeating the Texans.
Now Mark stands to inherit a good team, as he embraces the role of managing general partner, though Amy Trask will continue to make many of the Raiders’ business decisions. Many followers are entertaining the idea of relocating the Raiders to Los Angeles and perhaps a big new stadium–a lucrative business opportunity that Mark Davis also has to entertain.
Furthermore, Mark and company also have to figure out how to restructure the team, as Davis was actively involved in making important decisions about personnel and coaches. For years, insiders have been saying that Oakland was crumbling in terms of scouting and that Davis was not exactly opened to discussion on radical new changes.
There it stands. A new era is upon us. Is this going to be a new beginning for the Raiders?
October 7th, 2011
It’s hard not to tune into the WWE as of late, as there are all sorts of shenanigans going on, from walk outs, from unscripted “shoot” interviews lambasting management, to muppets! (Sorry, just had to once again plug the upcoming Halloween show on Monday October 31st) All this plus a growing threat from the TNA organization. So the WWE is a shaky company to say the least. Since The Rock is a part time player at best, and there’s only one mainstream star like John Cena, we are thinking that it’s time for the WWE to bring (back) the big guns–and we’re not talking the lovely Trish Stratus.
Rather, we want to hear more about these three big returns to the WWE locker room.
1. The Big Show
The seven-foot tall Paul Wight is already back in action, though up until now we have only seen one incident, though it was a hot one. The Big Show returned to Smackdown on October 7th and became the #1 contender for the championship after confronting and choke slamming Mark Henry–the same man who put him on the injury list for four months. The Big Show has been a “big name” in wrestling ever since his WCW days as The Giant. He is precisely what the WWE needs to get back its “big man” edge. There are too many little men running around the ring to truly call it the World Heavyweight Championship.
2. Chris Jericho
Christopher Irvine, a.k.a. Chris Jericho, is another big name in wrestling and has been a contender ever since Y2J first erupted in the 1999-2000 “season” of Monday Night RAW. When we last saw Jericho he was goofing off with The Nexus, The Great Khali and Bret Hart (bizarrely enough). He left after a so called injury, but maintained that he would only come back when he could commit himself 100% to wrestling. Well that time is now, where the WWE needs another face to shake things up. Jericho is far from disinterested in a WWE return; in fact, he tweets about WWE happenings regularly. He also has a long rivalry with Triple H, so we say it’s about time for Y2J’s “second coming.”
3. Brock Lesnar
Not a hoax, not a dream! Seven years after his acrimonious split with McMahon and company, Brock Lesnar is returning! Although it’s a bit premature to say he’s headlining Wrestlemania. Brock is still tied to UFC, but he is going to be returning to the WWE video game universe as a “featured star” in WWE: 12. The company approached Lesnar and asked for his permission to use his likeness, name and character for an advertising campaign. Commercials for the game are coming very soon. Could a fulltime return or even a crossover promotion with UFC be far off? We sure hope so because it’s about time for a Goldberg vs. Lesnar Wrestlemania rematch!
September 30th, 2011
Here’s what we think will be the three biggest games this week:
Dallas vs. Detroit
After the Dallas Cowboys have taken two huge wins in the past two weeks (perhaps to make up to the fans for their lackluster performance in Week 1,) they’re going to be a tough team to beat. The Lions though, might just be up for the challenge, coming off their game against the Vikings last week in which they played their best game of the year. Whatever side you’re rooting for, this match-up is going to make for one of the most-watched games this Sunday!
New York vs. Baltimore
With one win against the Baltimore Ravens in the past 14 years, and a pretty abysmal season thus far, this game seems to be one to watch just in case the Jets can pull it out. No one’s expecting the Ravens to exactly blow the Jets out of the water either, though so it should be a good show to watch all around.
Jacksonville vs. New Orleans
All eyes in Jacksonville will be on the Jags’ running back, Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jaguars have had a tough time this season so far, even running into trouble last week against the Carolina Panthers, a team that once was an easy-win for the Jags. If Jacksonville wants to take this game, they need to go for touchdowns — and lots of them! But the Saints certainly aren’t going to make it easy for them.
September 21st, 2011
There was lots of football excitement to go around on college campuses this week! Here are what we consider to be the best five.
West Virginia 37, Maryland 31
Although West Virginia was the better team for most of the game, Maryland came back with a vengeance with a late interception. While Maryland still couldn’t pull out a win, it was one of the most exciting games this week to watch!
Oklahoma 23, Florida State 13
Oklahoma made this game look easy to win, but don’t doubt that it was a tough-fought battle. With Kenny Stills back on the field and Landry Jones there to throw to him, this team didn’t need much else to win the game on Saturday.
Alabama 41, North Texas 0
A shutout doesn’t usually bring much excitement to any game. But anyone who’s a fan of Trent Richardson or Eddie Lacy got all they needed as they watched these two both got in the most rushing yards during their careers.
Nebraska 51, Washington 38
This game was another one that you had to keep a close eye on to make sure you didn’t miss any of the action. While it looked as though the Huskies were going to be the victors of the competition, their special teams only had to make a few fumbles in order for Nebraska to capitalize on them and take the win.
Boise State 40, Toledo 15
Kellen Moore of Boise State was enough to get any college football fan out on a Friday night. Never one to disappoint, Moore threw five touchdown passes.
September 19th, 2011
If you didn’t think that Tony Romo was tough before, there should be no doubt in your mind after the Cowboys’ game on Sunday against San Francisco. Early in the game, Romo took a hit from Ahmad Brooks. Fans may not have thought that it was a major injury, seeing as how Romo came back to the field to finish out the game; but it was later revealed that he had suffered a cracked rib and a punctured lung. And he’s not the only one hurting on the Cowboys’ roster.
Two players aggravated injuries that were on the mend — Miles Austin injured his hamstring while Phil Costa once again aggravated his right knee. In addition to that, Felix Jones also injured his shoulder. While all this news may make for a pretty bleak future for the Cowboys, the coach and players seem to think they just need a few days off.
Tuesday is usually a day of rest for the players, as they use the day to recoup from the weekend’s game. But with all the injuries, Coach Jason Garrett is also giving them an extra day to get them really rested and in shape. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a complete day off. Although they won’t be on the field doing vigorous exercises and workouts, the team will be in the locker room, lifting weights and doing a little rehab work so that they’re ready for Monday night’s game. And, according to the coach and Romo, they will be.
Romo stated in the locker room on Monday morning that he was in no more pain than he was after the game on Sunday. And while Romo will be monitored throughout the week, with testing to come later, Garrett said in a statement, “I would not think there’s any reason to think he won’t be able to play Monday.”
Let’s hope that the rest of his team is with him.
|
|
