October 2nd, 2012
The NFL is off to a great start in 2012, even after a nervous couple of months involving an NFL Referee Association strike. Even after the NFL announced that it was hiring replacement officials, on September 26, 2012 a new agreement was finally reached, ending the lockout. Since then, we’ve seen some great upsets and some fantastic momentum going from some very unexpected teams.
Super Bowl XLVI Champions the New York Giants played the Dallas Cowboys at the start of the season on September 5. To the surprise of many, but not a surprise to pumped Dallas fans, the Cowboys defeated the Giants 24-17. As the season progressed, we saw a fair amount of wins and losses from our favorite teams. The Patriots, Jets and Bills are all tied for the top AFC East team, while the Ravens and the Bengals are tied for the top AFC North team. (As of October 1st, 2012)
The San Diego Chargers are barely retaining the top spot of the AFC West, but the real story of the entire NFL is the performance of the Houston Texans, a formerly low-ranked team that is now undefeated, besting the Colts, the Jaguars and the Titans. The Eagles are leading the NFC East while the Vikings are atop the NFC North. Two more teams to watch as we move into October 2012 are the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals; who are both undefeated with four wins in the season.
The Washington Redskins are playing 2-2 thus far, but everyone’s keeping an eye on them because of the “Redskins Rule.” This is a theory that suggests every time the Redskins win (specifically the most recent Washington Redskins home football game) so does the party which won the popular vote in the previous election win the electoral vote for the White House. Therefore, if the Redskins do win, historians are wondering if the Redskins Rule will repeat itself and Barack Obama will be reelected for a second term.
Regardless, this is shaping up to be an exciting season. Will we see an upset victory next year for Super Bowl 2013? Or will a familiar group of faces conquer Super Bowl Sunday? Or will the world end in December 2012? And if so, will the team with the highest score still claim the season? Whatever happens, we can’t wait!
September 10th, 2012
The first week of regular season was very much like the last week of preseason for Peyton Manning. While he may not have blazed up the field at the start of the game, he was steady and there wasn’t a mistake to be seen. As the game went on though, fans were happy to see their champion back in true form; and Manning was pretty please with himself, too.
“Obviously it feels good,” says Manning after a terrible injury kept him from playing at all last year; and a dramatic off-season had him going back and forth across the country while he determined which team he would play for. “It’s just one game and you try to keep it in perspective. But I know how hard I’ve worked to get to this point.”
And that hard work showed. Manning finished 19 of 26 for 245 yards, and he added two touchdowns on top of that. One of those was the 400th of his career, a milestone that only Brett Favre and Dan Marino have achieved in the past.
But while Manning went down in the record books, the Pittsburgh Steelers were falling apart. Ben Roethlisberger may have finished 22 of 40 for 245 yards with two touchdowns to boot; but he also threw an interception and was sacked five times. Pittsburgh had a real chance to take the game after Roethlisberger tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. But again, Petyon was there.
After a game review showed that Eric Decker lost the ball after it had already hit the ground, Manning stepped in. He led his offensive team on yet another touchdown drive, their third of the night; and passed another scoring pass to Jacob Tamme. With another two-point conversion to Willis McGahee, Manning helped his team go up 22- 19 with less than 10 minutes left. From there on in, it was Manning and the Broncos all the way to the final score of 31 — 19.
September 6th, 2012
In the NFL‘s season opener, it was the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants. The highly overrated team that didn’t even make it into the playoffs, against the Super Bowl champs. It was a game that many had decided was over before it was begun. And luckily, that kind of underestimating makes for great upsets, and great football games!
Tony Romo, the Cowboy that takes the most heat whenever things go wrong for Dallas, threw for a total of 307 yards, and three of them were touchdown passes. DeMarco Murray rushed for 129 yards; but the biggest stars of the game were Kevin Ogletree and Jason Witten. Witten had two receptions for 10 yards, even more impressive considering that he had just come back from a lacerated spleen injury.
Kevin Ogletree though, was the shining star of the game and what really carried it through for Dallas. He finished with 114 yards on eight catches; and he scored two touchdowns. And Ogletree is coming off some very serious injuries himself, after being shot in the head outside of a rental car office. He’s been struggling to make a name for himself and last night, he certainly did that.
The Cowboys also showed that they’re here this year to make people stand up and take notice. Their defense was just as good as their offense, sacking Giants’ quarterback New York Giants Eli Manning three times and continuous pressures. Manning did manage to get a touchdown in the final minutes but at that point, it was too little too late and Dallas had the ball from there on in. When the final score showed 24-17, it was in Dallas’ favor.
What does the season opener spell for these two teams? Hard to say. Maybe the Giants were a bit over-confident going into it. Maybe the Cowboys had more to prove. Whatever is said about either team, an upset in the very first game bodes for an exciting season, indeed!
September 2nd, 2012
Before going into CBA negotiations on Friday, Commissioner Gary Bettman had already stated that there was going to be a lockout on September 15 if the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement. When both sides sat down though, it was only for 90 minutes before talks were stopped, and things now look grimmer than ever for the NHL season.
When Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHLPA came out of the meetings, he said that talks had been “recessed.” He continued on to say, “The response that was made to us was that if the players are not prepared to make an automatic reset on their aggregate salary levels — that is to say, as we understand it, a meaningful, absolute reduction in dollar terms for next year as compared to last year — that they see no point in discussing or responding to the proposals as we put forward at the meeting today.”
Clearly meaning that until the NHLPA isn’t willing to do whatever the NHL, the league will take their pucks and go home. But Bettman doesn’t see it that way. He claimed that the union was “stonewalling” the proceedings and that “there seems to be no rush to make a deal.”
Bettman has agreed to go up to 46 per cent from his original 43. And the union probably doesn’t want to go any lower than 52 or 53 per cent from the 57 per cent where they are now. So where do things stand as of now?
Talks were scheduled to happen in New York this week, but now that things have been “recessed,” it’s unclear as to whether or not that’s going to happen. And as for whether or not there’s going to be a lockout in just under two weeks? All signs are pointing to “Yes.”
August 26th, 2012
It’s highly suspected that Rick Nash will play for Davos in Switzerland. Joe Thorton, who headed overseas with Nash during the last lockout, would most likely go with him this time, too. And it’s been speculated that Nikita Kikitin, Fedor Tyutin, and Artem Anisimov — all players for the Columbus Blue Jackets — would go to the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia should the NHL lock the doors.
But, is the matter really so simple? When NHL players can’t play in the U.S. and Canada, can they really just pack their bags and start calling a European team home?
Nope, it doesn’t work like that, no matter how much it seemed like it did last time we were in this situation. Yes, during the lockout eight years ago, players did easily pick up their stick and head over to European teams. And those teams seemed not only happy, but overly eager to have them. The chances are though, that things will not go so smoothly for the players this time.
One of the problems is that during the 2004 — 2005 NHL non-season, the European teams had lots of spots open for NHL players to come. And having world-renowned players play for them was a huge boon, so they were more than encouraging of players making the move. This time though, European teams have already filled up for the next season, and there’s not a lot of room for those in the NHL.
The restrictions on those European teams don’t help the NHL players either. Different leagues operate differently in Europe, but the maximum for imported players only ranges from 2 — 7 per team. This certainly doesn’t leave a lot of room for the hundreds of players that could be heading over there.
But there’s another factor that will come into play this time that wasn’t present eight years ago. That’s the fact that things don’t seem so bitter between the NHLPA and the NHL this time. In 2004, things were very bad and it was pretty clear from the get-go that an entire season would be lost.
However, things aren’t so cut and dry this time. Negotiations are on-going and there is very little, if any, of the mud-slinging that we saw between Bettman and Goodenow last time. All of this adds up to uncertainty on the part of the European teams. The last thing they want is to recruit a bunch of new players that are only going to leave mid-season.
Players may already be looking to go to Europe, but it’s clear that those leagues overseas aren’t nearly as eager this time to accept them. Will this put more pressure on the NHLPA to accept the NHL’s deal? Or will they still stand by their proposal, which is much more logical than the NHL’s, despite the fact that Europe may not be as desirable this time around?
Only time will tell. And unfortunately for all those involved, that time is running short.
August 23rd, 2012
It was thought that Jason Kidd would happily finish out his career as a Dallas Maverick. It was there that he obtained the Rookie of the Year award along with Grant Hill in 1995. And the Mavericks may not have been able to win the NBA Championship in 2011 without him. But the tides have turned in Dallas. J-Kidd has now gone to play for the New York Knicks and understandably, Mark Cuban is not happy about it. What might not be so understandable is Cuban’s juvenile stance that he will not retire Kidd’s jersey because of it.
Cuban said so himself during a radio interview. “I was more than upset,” Cuban said when referring to Kidd’s decision to move to New York. “I thought he was coming back. J-Kidd’s a big boy, he can do whatever he wants. But you don’t change your mind like that. I’m sure I’ll get over it at some point, but as of right now, I wouldn’t put J-Kidd’s numbers in the rafters. You can’t put a guy’s number in the rafters when he decides he doesn’t want to be there.”
But can’t you? When great players decide to retire they’re numbers are usually retired, with their jerseys hanging in the rafters. And even though they didn’t go to play for someone else, they still chose to leave. And while you might not be able to compare Kidd to the likes of Bird, Johnson, and Shaq, who’s number is to be retired this season, there also aren’t a whole lot of other great players coming out of Dallas. And the rafters there could probably use a little boost.
As for Mark Cuban’s personal grudge against Kidd? It doesn’t really stand. Cuban might be angry that Kidd left, but it happens all the time in the NBA. And if Cuban really wanted to hold onto his point guard, he should have offered him more money. And Cuban can’t really be that upset that Kidd didn’t tell him about his plans to move either. Kidd tried to call Cuban to let him know, but Cuban was apparently in a museum with his kids and didn’t answer his phone.
It does seem that Cuban is just being petty. And the fact that he’s more than willing to retire Jason Terry’s number since Terry was completely transparent in all of his dealings? That just shows that Cuban’s actions are just as petty as his feelings.
August 16th, 2012
It may have been an exhibition game. And it may not be officially taken into account when the stats are all tallied up. But for the United States’ national soccer team, Wednesday night meant everything. It was the one they’d been waiting for their entire lives. It was this night, on August 15, 2012, that the United States beat its regional rival, Mexico at Aztec Stadium.
“The goal was for the U.S. fans and the whole U.S. We made history,” said Orozco Fiscal, a United States defender whose parents are both from Mexico. That goal he’s talking about is the only one that was made the entire game. And it was the one he made in the 80th minute of play, after an extremely hard-fought game.
Before he so deftly put that ball in the net, the U.S. had gone 0-23-1 against Mexico over the course of the 75 years. After Mexico had outshot the States 15 — 6 and were up 10 — nill in corner kicks, it looked like they’d soon be 0 for 24.
Klinsmann, who took over the coaching position from Bradley last year, said that he was of course thrilled that his team had made history, and finally beat their rivals Mexico. But, there’s much work to do before the World Cup, and he’s hoping that this win gives his team what they need for the big win.
“We know we have to improve in many, many elements,” Klinsmann said after the game. “We have to keep the ball longer. We have to create more chances. We have to do a lot of work still. But I think this gives us a lot of confidence.”
And while that might be true, it was the chance that Fiscal made when he kicked that shot in last night that truly made all the difference.
August 13th, 2012
Last year Padraig Harrington declared that it would be Rory McIlroy, and not Tiger Woods, that would prove himself as the greatest golfer of all time by beating Jack Nicklaus’ record of winning 18 majors. At the time, no one really took him too seriously, even though he had just won the U.S. Open. Yesterday though, McIlroy was going for his second major with the PGA Championship. And now that he’s won it, many are saying that he will in fact, turn out to be the greatest golfer ever.
It might just be two majors, but at only 23 years old, McIlroy’s the youngest player since Seve Ballesteros to do so, proving that he’s already got a knack for making history. It was on Saturday that he began to prove that he could actually do it; and it was clear from the moment he stepped onto the course at Kiawah Island that he wasn’t letting anyone get in his way.
He didn’t make a birdie all day long, and when he stood on the 18th tee, seven shots in the lead, it was just a matter of minutes before he won his second major. It was then that he turned to his caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald, and said, “I’m going to win this one by eight, as well.”
The McIlroy that appeared on the course at the PGA Championship all weekend long though, was not the one that we had seen so often earlier this year.
“I was a little frustrated with how I was playing earlier on in the year, but a few people in this room were probably pushing the panic buttons for no reason,” McIlroy said after the Championship. “It’s just great to be able to put my name on another major championship trophy, and looking forward to April next year and getting a crack at another one.”
Tiger Woods was also on the course throughout the weekend, but he was never a major factor in either helping or hindering McIlroy’s win. “He’s very good,” Tiger said after the tournament. “He went through a little spell this year, and I think that was good for him. We all go through those spells in our careers. He’s got all the talent in the world to do what he’s doing. And this is the way that Rory can play.”
But you can’t talk about a possible greatest golfer of all-time without comparing him to Jack Nicklaus, as well as Tiger Woods. Graeme McDowell, McIlroy’s closest confidante on tour, says that he’s not sure McIlroy is worthy of Tiger status just yet.
“It’s tough to say that Rory is a Tiger Woods type player,” McDowell said. “Tiger Woods is a once-in-a-lifetime player, and Rory is at least a once-in-a-decade type player. He’s that good….He’s going to be a superstar of the game, which he already is. But he’s a real superstar now.”
With this past weekend’s performance, McIlroy has already proved that much, at least, is true.
August 10th, 2012
Water polo is a sport that many weren’t even that familiar with until it made its Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000. And it’s a sport that even fewer pay any attention to, except come Olympic time. But this year, U.S. put water polo on the map. And to make the pot even sweeter, it turned out to be a tale of two sisters that did it.
Huge water polo names such as Heather Petri and Brenda Villa both put in a good effort in their gold medal match against Spain; but it was sixteen-year-old Maggie Steffens that, with her five goals, led to an 8 — 5 victory for the United States. Steffens is not only a fantastic goal-scorer, but she’s also got the drive and determination of someone who’s been competing in the Olympics for years. In fact, this is her first. As a competitor, anyway.
She was sitting in the stands during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, watching her older sister Jessica compete against the Netherlands for the gold. Sadly, Beijing was not the year for America either; and they lost gold to the Netherlands by just one goal. Having won two bronzes in the event already at the time, and then taking silver, America had still come just short of gold.
This year told a different story though and perhaps even a sweeter one; as Jessica was finally able to earn her gold, and with her sister, too.
Maggie’s drive and determination is matched by her gratitude, her patriotism, and the love for her sport. “I wanted this for myself, but I wanted this for Brenda and Heather to be able to retire and go out with the happiness of winning gold,” she said after the event. “and for the ’08 girls, to fill that void, and get the gold medal.”
Water polo may not be a sport that we’re still not entirely familiar with. But the Steffens Sisters have done a great job of putting it on the map!
August 2nd, 2012
If there is a black mark on any Olympics event, it’s often caused by doping use and/or doping charges. This year that black mark was almost a distant memory of Olympics’ past; that was, until Ye Shiwen got into the water for China.
John Leonard, the executive director of the American Swim Coaches Association, has been the first to point out that he believes Shiwen was using performance-enhancing drugs when she got into the water on Saturday. Leonard says that her swim that night was unlike any other that she had done during the entire week.
Leonard’s arguments revolve around the fact that the 400 meter, Shiwen’s first swim, was full of a kind of power and stamina that was just simply “impossible.” He backs up his statements by saying that she didn’t have anywhere near that kind of performance when she swam three nights later, during what should have been much easier swims.
“She backed off, obviously,” says Leonard, perhaps pointing to the fact that when Schiwen took things a bit easier in the water, she was already under suspicion for doping charges, and didn’t want to make them any worse. “She never took a hard stroke at any point in time. She was told to do what it takes to win, nice job. But if you look at the tape from the 400 IM, it’s two totally different swims.”
Leonard has both his share of supporters and critics in his allegations. “The swimmers themselves can’t say anything,” said a former Olympic athlete that was in London. “They’ll just look bitter. But something needs to be said.”
And according to a college coach for American football, who couldn’t comment on whether or not Shiwen was under the influences of drugs, said that her swim certainly “doesn’t fit with anything I know about physiology.”
Of course, not everyone agrees with Leonard. Some executives in USA Swimming have chosen not to comment on Leonard’s statements; but perhaps not surprisingly, China is the loudest in stating that Leonard’s comments are simply unfair.
“Some people are just biased,” said Jiang Zhixue, China’s anti-doping chief. “We never questioned Michael Phelps when he bagged eight gold medals in Beijing.”
And that may be true enough. Sometimes people really are just that good.
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