Sunday, July 17, 2011

Is NASCAR Really a Sport?

Anyone watching the ESPY's would have seen that NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson was a nominee for Best Male Athlete. Well, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate wasn't really a big fan of that.

After he found out about the nomination, he said this on his Twitter account, "Jimmy johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo..Driving a car does not show athleticism." 

He then went on to say how he could drive in NASCAR after a bit of practice, and it eventually ended up with Jimmie Johnson inviting him down to the track and Golden Tate apologizing, but for all intensive purposes, Golden Tate brings up a great question. Is NASCAR really a sport?

The guys drive around and stuff, but would you say they are athletes or are they just letting the car do the work for them? The car is the engineering marvel after all. 

Then we have to take into account all the work the crew does when taking the wheels off and putting them back on during pit stops and all the other mechanical work. 

They do drive at extremely fast speeds that are obviously not suitable on the road, but are they really ATHLETES???

I still have to say I believe they are athletes because driving in NASCAR is a skill. They take a lot of heat for being labeled as athletes, but I believe it's well deserved. They do put in the hard time and it's really not that easy to drive that kind of car. Any average Joe would need a tremendous amount of practice before he or she could even think of going on the track. 

Everyone just has to stop bashing the NASCAR guys. They have a tough job just like all other athletes do. Just because their bodies aren't taking the same type of physical pounding that a football player's body does, doesn't mean there isn't an art to it. That's where the driving comes into play.








Saturday, July 16, 2011

Jim Tressel Had Issues With Compliance In the Past

So maybe after all, Ohio State should have seen this coming. According to reports, departments in Ohio State did performance evaluations on then current coach Jim Tressel.

Let's just say...his performance did not come out flawless. The report said he did an "unacceptable" job reporting school violations. I guess that's exactly what transpired in the football program's memorabilia scandal.

It's hard to understand why an athletic department wouldn't take action when their famed football program has a coach that could potentially tarnish their reputation in front of the NCAA. Quite odd...

Then again, Ohio State president Gordon Gee has made himself look questionable in the past, calling Boise State "Little Sisters of the Poor." Oww!

Other programs in the future should see these reports as warning signs. Don't just blow these things off as irrelevant. Talk to the coaching staff about what's is going wrong and work to fix it.

I mean let's face it, the coach can do more damage to the school than the school can do to the coach. His actions directly represent the school. When Jim Tressel lied, he lied for Ohio State. In the eye of the public, he didn't lie just for himself, but he lied for Ohio State.

Curtis Granderson Not Receiving Enough Attention This Year

I don't know why, but Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson has received almost no media attention this year. He's been on a power tear and has really helped carry the Yankees.

Although he's only hitting .268 this season, he has 25 home runs and 66 RBI's this year. He's tied with Mark Teixeira for the team lead in home runs. He's also been able to steal 15 bases on top of that. 

The reason Granderson has been such a surprise this year is because of how terribly he played last season. The Yankees were expecting him to come in a give them a big boost, but he just didn't do it. 

This year, he's 1st in the AL in runs scored, tied for 2nd in the AL in home runs, and is 3rd in slugging percentage with a .569 slugging percentage. 

He's had a tremendous season and hopefully he gets some more respect this year.


Deron Williams Will Officially Play in Turkey If There Is a Lockout

Today, Deron Williams put pen to paper and made it official. If there's an NBA lockout, he will be playing for Turkish club Besiktas on a 1-year contract.

ESPN's Chris Broussard says the 1-year contract is reportedly around $5 million. That's a pretty hefty pay cut for a guy making three times the amount in the NBA.

He will have to get a great and likely expensive insurance policy because if he get's injured and he doesn't have an insurance policy, his contract with the New Jersey Nets could be voided.

Whatever, he's got a lot of money and he'll be in total control next year if he chooses to become a free agent.

If there's no NBA season next year, have fun in Turkey, Deron.

Uhh... Former Georgia Football Coach Involved in a PONZI SCHEME???

Former Georgia football coach Jim Donnan has been accused of operating a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme through a fraudulent business he created.

Reportedly, a company known as GLC Enterprises was launched as a start-up in 2004. The company thrived off of investments made by prominent sports figures that included former Oklahoma and Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, and Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville.

The court documents said that Donnan and his wife were able to secure investments from around 50 different parties. Between these 50 parties there reportedly around $82 million invested in GLC Enterprises and get this...$13 million of the money has not been found.

Talk about a SPORTS BERNIE MADOFF SCHEME going on here.

Joe Girardi Think Blue Jays Were Stealing Signs

Yankees manager Joe Girardi believes the Toronto Blue Jays were stealing signs from his ball club. He believes someone near second base was using illegal means to obtain signs and relay it back to the hitters.

It also happened to be the inning where Bartolo Colon was hammered and taken out of the game.

Anytime a team says a another club is taking signs those can be some damaging allegations. This may lead to an MLB investigation and possibly some bad blood between these two teams.

Hopefully, we don't see another Red Sox-Orioles brawl break out. Although, lets fan it....the fans LOVE brawls.

Friday, July 15, 2011

France vs. Sweden to Play in Third Place Match At World Cup

After disappointing losses, France and Sweden will play each other for the third place crown at the World Cup. France was defeated by the United States and Sweden lost to Japan.

Probably a tough match to play considering it's only for third place at this point, but they both had good runs. France looks like a stronger team. They played well up until the last 10 minutes against the United States when they let in 2 goals in a span of 4 minutes.

Kudos to both these teams. Whatever happens in their match they both had good tournaments and they look to be international powers in the future at the World Cup stage.

Woman Files Lawsuit Against Sister Over Duke Basketball Tickets

A woman named Katina Dorton filed a lawsuit against her sister today over tickets that she says are hers. Her attorney says that she's a graduate of Duke University.

Her attorney is saying that Dorton's sister had no right to transfer the tickets and use them because she never consented to it.

Family feuds over basketball tickets. Makes for some pretty entertaining stories.

Will Shaq Be a Good TV Analyst

Today, Shaquille O'Neal signed a deal with Turner Sports to come on as an analyst for the network. Many already view the Big Diesel as an entertaining character and some see him becoming an analyst very similar to Charles Barkley.

Shaq has always been entertaining throughout his career. Whether it's the victory parade after his Lakers won the championship or his stint as a police officer in Miami, we'll always be sure to expect the unexpected from Shaq.

My favorite TV memory of Shaq was when he did an interview with Stephen A. Smith. Smith asked him a question about Eric Dampier and Shaq proceeded to say, "I didn't know we were talking about the WNBA."

He should spice up the usual boring commentary from NBA analysts.

James Harrison Finally Apologizes for Comments

James Harrison finally had the guts today to say he was sorry about the comments he made to the Men's Journal magazine.

It's a little too late, but he says he was feeling a little emotional after thinking and expressing his thoughts about the Super Bowl loss. He then went on to directly apologize to Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall for calling them out.

James Harrison didn't really do the Steelers a favor here and he's got to understand that. You can't talk trash about your own team only to attempt to recant your statements a day later.

He's probably lost a little bit of trust in that locker room and his teammates have got to wondering about him right now. They've got to resolve their trust issues before the season begin.

Georgia Tech Loses 2009 ACC Title

NCAA Investigators came down hard on the Yellow Jackets. Both the men's football and basketball programs were found to be at fault.

The NCAA also fined Georgia Tech $100,000 for failing to cooperate with their investigation. Most importantly though they were put on 4 years probation and stripped of their 2009 ACC Title.

The violations were found to be major violations and put a big hit to the program. Former receiver and current Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas reportedly received close to $312 in value of clothing from former Georgia Tech quarterback Calvin Booker.

These should prove to be very bad for the Georgia Tech athletic department. They were found to have broken major rules and could be severely restricted in the future.

Four years probation for a Division I program is pretty difficult to swallow considering Georgia Tech plays in the always tough ACC.

Hopefully they can figure things out despite the harsh punishments.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Marlins Fans Are Finding it Hard to Show Up to the Games


The Florida Marlins announced yesterday that they are shutting down the upper deck of the stadium for the rest of the season. If you haven't seen footage of their games, it seems they have barely a handful of fans in the upper deck. 

They have the worst home attendance of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, so this isn't surprising. The Sunshine state just doesn't seem to be a big fan of the MLB. Until a few years ago when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays actually became good, their bleachers were also close to empty. 

It's also important to understand that Florida has been one of the hardest hit states by the economic recession and has a high level of unemployment, especially in Miami.

Could we be looking at the Marlins relocating in a couple of years??

Why is it Impossible to Predict Golf Tournament Winners



Every since Tiger Woods has been out of the golf picture, it's been basically impossible to predict winners of golf tournaments, especially majors.

Analysts try to use stats and rankings, but really there's always a new guy coming on to the scene. First, it's Rory McIlroy winning the last major and now Luke Donald taking the #1 ranking in golf, but none of those guys consistently win tournaments. They are good, but not dominating good.

If you like being surprised and having parity in sports, you should watch golf now. Maybe if you go out and play with a few friends, you'll know who will win based on who's the best of the bunch, but it's different in professional golf.

Everyone knows the same tricks and analyzes the surroundings. If I were to guess, I'd say winning is based on mental toughness and a little bit of luck here and there.

The guys in Las Vegas have a tough time predicting the odds on these tournaments.

Roger Clemens Gets Off Without Any Jail or Guilty Plea After Mistrial Declared



After about a year of gathering evidence on Roger Clemens to charge him with perjury, the prosecution in without a doubt one of the most high profile trials apparently made a huge blunder.

The government prosecutors in the Clemens trial supposedly used evidence in court that the judge explicitly told them they could not use. The piece of evidence was reportedly a tape of a conversation between Andy Pettitte and the wife of Roger Clemens. After Roger Clemens' defense attorneys identified the blunder they quickly motioned for a mistrial, which the judge granted.

ESPN's legal analyst Lester Munson said the judge was "furious" at the prosecution. Wow! Imagine waiting a year to gather evidence on one of the most famous sports celebrities in the country only to make one mistake and have to whole trial go to waste. One of those prosecutors is probably running and taking an early vacation.

Most people following the case seem to agree that it will be difficult to try and prosecute Roger Clemens again because that would be considered "double jeopardy." This protects individuals accused of a crime from being prosecuted twice for the same time.

Whoops!! Roger Clemens is probably popping champagne right now.

Randy Moss is Back....According to His Agent



After a terrible season last year where Randy Moss bounced around to three teams, Randy Moss's agent says HAVE NO FEAR!!! The real Randy Moss is apparently back.

He says the "Old Randy Moss" is ready to return and says Moss is in "freakish shape." Well, if Randy really is back then I guess he will be like he was in this video below. One thing we know about Moss, "I PLAY WHEN I WANT TO PLAY!"





Jeter Says His....Calf?!? Was the Real Reason He Didn't Play in the All-Star Game



After receiving a lot of heat for not playing in the All-Star game, Derek Jeter has released a public statement as to the real reason why he didn't play in the All-Star game. 

According to him, he was nursing his calf and wanted to rest it. 

Probably should have said that in public before he took all that heat and had to have Commissioner Bud Selig defend him. 

His reasoning looks a little sketchy, but at least he wasn't bailing on the Yankees. 

Most Valuable Teams List Released for 2011

Forbes released the list of the most valuable teams today. Interesting to note there's no NBA teams in the top 15. Mostly soccer and football teams.

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mli45fdhk/no-1-manchester-united#content?partner=yahoosports

One New Orleans Saints Running Back Will Get Cut. Who Will It Be?



Let's look at the Saints running back situation. Four running backs. Chris Ivory, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mark Ingram. Most teams only carry three running backs so someone is getting cut.

The Saints just drafted Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory had a breakout year running for 716 yards on 5.2 yards per carry. So that leaves Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

Pierre Thomas had an awful season last year. He only played in 5 games and totaled a measly 269 yards rushing. Reggie Bush didn't fare much better though. He played in 8 games and had only 150 yards rushing and 208 yards receiving. Not good for either back.

Bush is due to make around $11 million this season. I like him as a player, but even he would agree he's not worth that much. I would keep Bush if he's willing to take a sizable pay cut.

By comparison, Pierre Thomas really has not shown the ability to stay healthy and has frustrated the Saints coaches. He always seems to be injured and just hasn't been reliable when he needs to.

Maybe all four guys can be kept if Bush takes a pay cut, but what's the point of keeping Pierre Thomas when you just drafted Mark Ingram, who's a very similar player.

The Saints have to convince Reggie Bush to take a pay cut and then cut their losses and jettison Pierre Thomas.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Why did the Timberwolves Wait So Long to Fire Coach Kurt Rambis



If you ask me the Timberwolves were a little out of line waiting this long to fire Kurt Rambis. We already heard the reports before the NBA draft that he might be fired, so why did they wait so long. Anyway if you are going to fire a coach, do it immediately after the season ends, not months later. 

Did they wait this long just to prove a point to the media? I mean this whole decision making process involving Kurt Rambis just didn't make sense. Ok, I agree he should have been fired considering the Wolves had the lowest winning percentage in the NBA the last two seasons. 

Frankly, I wouldn't blame Kurt Rambis if he thought the last few weeks were a little disrespectful to him.  

It's pretty clear GM David Kahn has no idea what he's doing. If Kyrie Irving were available at #2 he would have drafted his third point guard in a span of three years. Really, the personnel the Timberwolves have had on this team and lack of experience is just as much a cause of their struggles as Kurt Rambis was. 

The owner just has to swallow his pride and get rid of GM David Kahn as well. They just have to start this thing from scratch again because it isn't working with or without Kurt Rambis. 

Josh Childress Tells Players Considering Playing Overseas to Think Again



In a recent interview, Suns forward and former Greek professional player Josh Childress said those with guaranteed NBA contracts should not go overseas and risk an injury.

I guess as a top level player like Dwyane Wade or Deron Williams, it would be wise to take out an insurance policy to protect against injury, but I understand where Childress is coming from. For those with big contracts, why go overseas when you can just stay in shape and work out here knowing that you have a ton of money that won't be touched even by a new labor deal.

For free agents it's a different story. I would advocate going overseas because you have nothing holding you back in the States and it's a chance to continue playing and making money even during the lockout.

It really depends on your contract status, not one socially deemed solution. Big name players with contracts should stay back and free agents should go out an explore their job prospects overseas.

NCAA Football 12 vs. Madden 12


I've always been a Madden guy, but I hear NCAA Football 12 is sick. NCAA Football video games always frustrate me because the game had a lot of glitches and flaws. I remember playing an NCAA Football game on Xbox against someone and it was almost impossible to use the HIT STICK. I think in my years of playing I only got like two successful hit sticks down. 

But supposedly a lot of those glitches have been fixed and the graphics are incredible. I'll probably have to play it first before I believe anything, but it's looking better. 

The previous Madden games had some flaws also, especially online but a since a couple of years ago a lot of that has been fixed. What do you guys think?

Is Nate Robinson Seriously Considering an NFL tryout?



Actually, a lot of people don't know that Nate Robinson got a college scholarship playing football before he converted full-time to playing basketball.

He'd probably be a really fast corner, but I'm skeptical about whether he remembers anything about coverage and zone schemes. I'm guessing he'd just try and show off maybe some punt return skills or man to man coverage for now. Good Luck Nate!

Would Carlos Beltran to San Francisco Work?



So the rumors about Carlos Beltran possibly being dealt to the Giants are really heating up. Giants manager Bruce Bochy chose Beltran over a clearly more qualified candidate in Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen for the All-Star Game.

Maybe this was a good-will gesture to get Beltran to lift his no-trade clause if the Giants strike a deal with the Mets at the trade deadline. After the All-Star Game even Giants closer Brian Wilson was hinting that the Giants might try and add someone at the trade deadline.

Seems like a good fit. Beltran has a .285 batting average and would be an upgrade over the Giants right fielders. He'd be more likely to lift his no-trade clause and go to San Francisco because they are a contending ball club that just won the World Series, compared to the Mets who just have to be thinking about their financial woes at this point.

I would not be surprised to see Beltran in a Giants uniform in August.

Women's World Cup vs. Men's World Cup Fan reaction Video

So in honor of the tremendous run the USA women's team has had in the World Cup we have to bring back the memories of the video Men's World Cup in 2010 and compare it to this women's one. These were both amazing videos compiled that showed actually how much the United States really does care about World Cup soccer for both the men and women. The first one is the women's goal involving Abby Wambach and Ali Krieger and the second one is the men's after Landon Donovan scored the goal in stoppage time. Which one do you think was better? Enjoy!!!



Funny remix of Lebron's "The Decision" by DJ Steve Porter

This is in honor of the one year anniversary of "The Decision."

Why does Bud Selig continue to try and Pump Up the All-Star Game


Every All-Star Game in all sports is boring. I mean c'mon. It's just guys the fans voted in having fun. In baseball, they just pitch one or two innings and then call it a night. 

Bud Selig has been trying to put an end to that for a while. A few years ago he instituted a rule saying the winner of the game gets home-field advantage in the World Series. That's just a useless rule. The guys in the All-Star game haven't played with each other before and most of them are just second-stringers because the main players are either injured or not allowed to play. 

For crying out loud, David Letterman even took the time on his late-night show to make fun of the fact that nobody good is playing:

Do the Cowboys Need to Be Concerned about Dez Bryant


Deion Sanders seems to think the Cowboys should be concerned about Dez Bryant. This is more of just a smokescreen though. 

Let's face it. Deion is probably irked that Dez Bryant just blew him off as his mentor and came lashing out in public. If Deion really wanted to make a point he could have called Bryant and told him what he thought instead of just spilling everything in public. 

Dez's issues have been more petty than anything else. Sagging pants? Lawsuits about payment of jewelry? He has a multi-million dollar contract and he can fix his pants. These are not long term issues that will affect him going forward.

Anyway if the Cowboys were concerned with Bryant they might want to look back on the dumb issues they seemed to focus on in his rookie season. The whole should pads incident with Roy Williams and then that $54,000 dinner. 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/28/payback-time-dez-bryants-54896-dinner/

Justin Bieber Will be at the ESPYS. Ugh!!


Before I write anything else let me make something very clear. I AM NOT A JUSTIN BIEBER FAN AND NEVER WILL BE. I'm not a fan of the guy and I think the only reason he has become famous is because of the female population of the world. 

The fact that ESPN is even interviewing him during the ESPYS is a disgrace. Why must Bieber Fever attack sports.

What's Going on with James Harrison?



Not only does James Harrison have an extreme dislike for Commissioner Goodell, but he's taking it out on his teammates as well!!

After expressing some harsh criticism of Roger Goodell, Harrison proceeded to call out Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger saying, "Stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain't that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does."

That burns. But it didn't stop there. He went on to call Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall a "fumble machine."

However, Roethlisberger than said that Harrison called him to say his quotes were taken out of context. Well, I hope they were. Considering he held out to be paid and get that $51 million contract, he shouldn't be calling out Ben Roethlisberger.

I understand where he's coming from against Roger Goodell. The man fined him around $100,000 last year, but I really don't understand him trashing the star quarterback and running back in public.

Did Japan Have a 5 inch Height Disadvantage against Sweden?


While watching the Japan vs. Sweden semi-final match today, I couldn't help but notice a remark made by the ESPN telecast. I don't know if any of you caught this, but one of the analysts said the average height of women on Japan's team was 5'4 compared to the average height of women on Sweden's team of 5'9

Wow! If Japan overcame a 5-inch height disadvantage then it's pretty obvious this team deserves a place in the final against the United States. Who knows, could they prevail again in the final?

The United States faces.....Japan?!?! in the Final



Well after the historic performance against Brazil by the US women in the Women's World Cup, we were resigned to the fact that the US would defeat France and reach the final. The US was undefeated against France coming into this match with an 11-0-1 record, so this wasn't much of a surprise. 

They came through in convincing fashion 3-1 against France. But the biggest story was on the other side of the draw in the Japan vs. Sweden game. Sweden had actually defeated the US 2-1 in group play. Japan had reached this point by pulling the biggest upset in the tournament defeating Germany 1-0 in the quarterfinals. 

Japan had a dominating second half against Sweden after letting up an early goal. The final score came out to be 3-1. Japan seems to be playing with a lot of confidence so the US has to be on their heels and ready to play. 

At least the Owners and Players Agree on One Thing



Most of you are probably tired of the constant news about the NFL lockout and how long it's been. Well, I guess I'm proud to say there's one thing the owners and players seem to agree on.

NFL veterans and owners both seem to acknowledge that the rookie wage scale is way too high. The amount of money paid to first-round draft picks has significantly increased over the past few seasons and both sides understand this needs to stop.

I guess we're one step closer to achieving an NFL season. Yay!!

How will Francisco Rodriguez fit in with the Brewers?



Hard throwing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was traded today to the Milwaukee Brewers for 2 players to be named later. 

Well... it seems we have an issue here. The Brewers already have a very established closer in John Axford. Both Rodriguez and Axford have 23 saves each this season for their respective ball clubs. 

Brewers manager Bob Melvin may have suggested today that Rodriguez and Axford may operate as co-closers. Another possibility could be to move Rodriguez to the role of set-up man. 

To Rodriguez, who has been a lifetime closer, this may seem like a downgrade, but he has a $17.5 million player option after this season, so he can decide whether he wants to stay. 

Who's Ready for the ESPYS Tonight?



Tonight is the annual ESPYS awards. For those of you who want a complete overview of the greatest sports moments of the year, this event is for you.

It's a great time to celebrate the great athletic accomplishments we have witnessed all year long. It's also a great time to shed some light on those sports that we don't necessarily talk that much about like soccer, tennis, and NASCAR.

The ESPYS are the closest thing we have in sports to the Oscars or Grammys. It happens only once a year so enjoy it.