tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54976144694401887252024-03-14T00:33:06.735-07:00fanaddictfan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-82204916071311753752015-07-16T18:42:00.000-07:002015-07-16T19:09:44.308-07:00The NFL team with the most bandwagon fans: The Arizona Cardinals?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the lull of the NFL offseason, you may have noticed a recent study conducted by Emory University regarding fan tendencies in professional American football. The study came in several parts, with fans reacting strongest to the ranking of <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">fan bases—no surprises there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Claiming that their ranking was based off of factors of fan behavior, such as </span>attendances, price of tickets and revenue, the Emory team released results collected over the past three years to a pretty familiar tune, featuring the blue-bloods and heavyweights as the best fan bases of the NFL. Cowboy Nation can claim supremacy over NFL fandom. Deflate-gate has not deflated the Mass-holes' enthusiasm for their regional English team. The Giants won the battle of New York, but not by much. And surprisingly, the Ravens came in at fourth. It's not terribly surprising how the Emory crew rounded out the top of their list since the teams have enjoyed recent success, multiple Super Bowl championships, and relatively modern, large stadiums. The surprises in the list come later, featuring the Cheeseheads and Steeler Nation at seven and fourteen, respectively. I was personally surprised to find the 12th Man of the Seattle Seahawks at an alarmingly low number 26 spot on the list. Given the new Nike jerseys, Beats and Oberto beef jerky sponsorships for Richard Sherman, the loudest open-air stadium in the league, and not to mention successive trips to the Super Bowl including the SB XLVIII win, the Seahawks still find themselves in the 26 spot. The defense to this ranking was that on average, Seahawks fans relatively do not spend as much money on their team as other fans do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I currently live in Seattle and I'll admit, I went from owning just a Marshawn Lynch jersey when he arrived in 2010 to a full wardrobe of Wilson, Sherman, Harvin and two Lynch jerseys since the team started winning the big games. But I'm not the only one. Wilson, Lynch, Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas III and now Jimmy Graham have all enjoyed extended periods of time on the NFL's top 25 selling jerseys, meaning that football fans in general are willing to spend at least $100 for one item of apparel for the Seahawks. The rise in jersey sales led me to two conclusions: A.) the true Seattle Seahawks fan base is relatively small and B.) there are most definitely Seahawks bandwagon fans, but they are not incorporated into the study, or else Seattle would be higher on this list. Perhaps this is a good thing since Emory is willing to scope out the true fan bases, but then again, not all fans can afford to go to games because of financial reasons and the stadium's natural capacity. Could this explain why the Cowboys that play in a stadium that seats 120,000 people have the "best fans" while the proud Raider Nation only comes in at number 30 because they play in the small O.co Coliseum?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This led me to question the credibility of the Emory study regarding the aspects of fan culture that they used. Are the fan bases in the study divided between the real and bandwagon fans? And if so, did they get it right? As a former Arizonan, I didn't think much of the list cause at least it meant that Arizona Cardinals fans are better than Seattle Seahawks fans, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well not necessarily. While Emory was busy ranking all of the fan bases, they also took it upon themselves to find which team has the most bandwagon fans in the NFL. According to any sports fan you talk to, a bandwagon fan is someone who starts rooting for a team that has enjoyed recent success. According to their study, Arizona Cardinals "fans are most responsive to winning percentage in the NFL based on our [Emory's] statistical model of attendance." </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JCSpmoaM_78/VahZC6OX3yI/AAAAAAAAAX4/m5jwA9NMvCM/s1600/Cards_Fever_hits_the_V4b5bbf69-0062-4d3d-9694-990932ab75490000_20120924175044_640_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JCSpmoaM_78/VahZC6OX3yI/AAAAAAAAAX4/m5jwA9NMvCM/s320/Cards_Fever_hits_the_V4b5bbf69-0062-4d3d-9694-990932ab75490000_20120924175044_640_480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6MigPfoXn8Q/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6MigPfoXn8Q?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon reading a headline by CBSsports that a "Study says Arizona Cardinals have the most bandwagon fans in the NFL," I was honestly shocked. Recently before reading the aforementioned article, I saw a video on www.azcardinals.com titled "Arizona- Our State of Football." It is a pretty accurate crash course for anyone who is not familiar with the teams relatively short tenure in the desert which began in 1988, 90 years after the club's inception. Many people tend to forget that the Arizona/Phoenix Cardinals, previously the, St. Louis Cardinals, the Card-Pitt, and the Chicago Cardinals are the oldest professional football club in the NFL. But that is not why they have "bandwagon fans".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For many, the Red Birds have the feel of a team that showed up late to the dance. For example, they were the last NFL team to join twitter and as a result, they have the fewest followers (191.4K followers). The futility in the hot Tempe sun at Sun Devil Stadium in the 90's was forgettable. The new team in the desert performed in front of essentially thousands of Cowboys fans that saw a mediocre St. Louis team lose week in and week out. Because of 100+ degree heat, the Cardinals oftentimes had to resort to wearing their white uniforms, a slap in the face to the visiting Dallas Cowboys that couldn't wear their infamous white uniforms in front of masses of Cowboys fans at Sun Devil Stadium. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5MQaK2E2NEA/VahcStcXYKI/AAAAAAAAAYk/zwcqt3DUFz4/s1600/roy-green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5MQaK2E2NEA/VahcStcXYKI/AAAAAAAAAYk/zwcqt3DUFz4/s200/roy-green.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Longtime Arizona Cardinals fans will always remember the playoff run that the team embarked on during the 1998 season which saw Jake "The Snake" Plummer, an ASU product, lead the team past the Dallas Cowboys in the old Cowboys stadium during the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. That's the furthest the team got into the postseason until the 2008 season. By 2008, the Cardinals were already settled into their new University of Phoenix Stadium which opened in 2006, abandoning a shabby horseshoe stadium owned by a mediocre state school that held 12 sellouts in 18 seasons for a spaceship-looking, air-conditioned modern architectural marvel that has holdout every American Football game it has hosted. In terms of sellouts, the University of Phoenix Stadium has sold out every Cardinals' regular season game with an impressive streak of 92 games in a row, beginning with the first Cardinals game hosted at the stadium. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JA_U0w6QAvA/VahcQ-NZ3UI/AAAAAAAAAYY/-ykjPaVfUFU/s1600/571635180_ad44186c39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JA_U0w6QAvA/VahcQ-NZ3UI/AAAAAAAAAYY/-ykjPaVfUFU/s320/571635180_ad44186c39.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the Emory University study, the group mentioned that they based their rankings off of data that was mostly concerned with fan attendance to the responsiveness of winning and full stadiums. Considering that the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals went 100-188 during their 18 seasons at Sun Devil Stadium with only 12 sellouts, it would be easy to draw a correlation between losing and poor attendance. However, it is important to look past the losing factor because that is not what drove Arizonans out of the stadium. Let me ask you a question: imagine that your favorite team did not play in your hometown, but a new team recently moved to town. The new team is quite mediocre and play during the same time as your favorite team in 100 degree heat in a suburb that is a pretty long drive from your home. So would you rather stay at home and watch your favorite team play on TV with your family for free or would you rather spend a whole day in the baking sun while forking over several hundred dollars to see a poor excuse of a professional team?</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i_3N-7diE4k/VahcRFAY3II/AAAAAAAAAYc/itndT6VySSs/s1600/collegetitleuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i_3N-7diE4k/VahcRFAY3II/AAAAAAAAAYc/itndT6VySSs/s200/collegetitleuse.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Cardinals moved to their new stadium, they had been in the greater-Phoenix area for a generation. As a result, they brought a new uniform look featuring a mean cardinal mascot to the air-conditioned, indoor grass stadium for young, lifelong Cardinals fans. In typical Cardinals fashion, they christened the new stadium with a 5-11 record in the 2006 season, leading to the firing of head coach Dennis Green. The following season, new head coach Ken Whisenhunt chose to stick with the veteran quarterback Kurt Warner instead of the Matt Leinart. The decision turned out to be a winning move as Warner led the team to records of 8-8, 9-7 and 10-6 including a run to Super Bowl XLIII and one of the greatest postseason performances against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild-Card round of the 2009 season. But then again, what else would you expect from a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how did the fans react? For starters, the rebranding of an angrier bird logo was a hit in the valley. With two iconic faces of the franchise in Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner, many Cardinals fans bought their jerseys. Both of the players are true class acts and the Cardinals were blessed to have had them play together. Who could root against the unbelievably coordinated wide receiver who happens to be a single-father that donates $1000 to breast cancer research for every catch he makes in the month of October? What conservative Arizonan would root against a quarterback who loves Jesus more than football? Of course, the post-2006 Cardinals were not always peaches and cream, which brings forward the strongest argument against the Emory study. Kurt Warner definitely reinvigorated a mediocre franchise into winners, but when he did not start for the team, the team was it's usual wreck. In 2006, the Cardinals embarrassed themselves on Monday Night Football because "The Bears are who we thought they were!!" In 2010, a blow-out home loss on Monday Night Football to the rival 49ers was met with an agitated and repetitive, "That's fine" response by signal-caller Derek Anderson to the media. Two 5-11 seasons sandwiched a 27-21 regular season stretch, but you would not know it from looking at the capacity attendance attendance streak that remained intact at an impressive 40 home games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without Warner, Whisenhunt struggled in his last three season with the Cardinals, going 5-11, 8-8, and 5-11 as he failed to find a suitable replacement. The losing ultimately cost him his job, making way for Bruce Arians, a longtime assistant coach that finally got his shot at the head coaching spot during an interim period with the Indianapolis Colts. Arians is no fluke as he has led the Cardinals to 10-6 and 11-5 records during his two years with the team. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_EfVd-jVkOE/VahY5B8YWDI/AAAAAAAAAXs/Ng-ZWeCyo8E/s1600/cardsfans-660x372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_EfVd-jVkOE/VahY5B8YWDI/AAAAAAAAAXs/Ng-ZWeCyo8E/s320/cardsfans-660x372.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the Cardinals are a team that has experienced a brief period of consistent winning, a sharp contrast from how the team played in years past. They no longer hold an element of surprise to opponents and fans alike; however, I do not believe that these winning ways provide evidence of bandwagon fans. Sure, the 100-188 record with 12 sellouts at Sun Devil Stadium is put to shame by the 71-73 record with 92 consecutive sellouts at the University of Phoenix Stadium; however, that does not take into account that the team has undergone some major changes in recent years. The Bidwell family made winning decisions by building the University of Phoenix Stadium, signing Kurt Warner, hiring and firing Coach Whisenhunt and hiring Bruce Arians and Steve Keim. These are important decisions for a Benjamin Button-esque franchise that has been around forever but is only now going through its formative years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to address Emory, it is important to use data to measure fan tendencies; however, it is also important to understand and appreciate what it takes to win in the NFL and what makes the NFL the greatest American show on television. The move into an air-conditioned stadium undoubtedly helped raise attendance rates for the Cardinals, which just so happened when the team improved their talent. Lacking a high level of play in a few seasons at their new home, the Cardinals still managed to sell out 24 games when the team went a meager 5-11 for three seasons at the University of Phoenix Stadium. With the Red Sea guaranteed to make a full appearance in support of a greatly improved NFL franchise, these next few years will be the true indicators of whether or not more fans jump on the Cardinals bandwagon and if they in fact have the most bandwagon fans in the NFL.</span></div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-76966068132308870902015-04-12T12:21:00.001-07:002015-04-12T12:38:40.275-07:00Your 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks Are Bound to Surprise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If your problem with this prediction is that it is coming five games into the season, I’m glad that you didn't scoff too hard at the headline.</div>
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So why am I sitting here on my laptop on a beautiful Sunday afternoon writing about last year’s worst team in Major League Baseball? And why am I writing this five games into the season? Cause it’s not like two series are enough to judge a team, right?</div>
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Well, I am writing to you because I almost forgot I had a blog, so here I am. I hope you all didn't miss me that much, cause your favorite homer with four different homes is making a comeback during the 2015 season of America’s Past-time. </div>
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This would explain why I give a damn about the D-backs, cause I pretty much grew up in Arizona in case you didn't know/couldn’t tell. I’ll admit, last year was extremely disappointing. And I know that might sound a bit odd coming from a fan of a small market MLB team when there are other teams that have lofty expectations that must be met if people are going to keep their jobs.</div>
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Last year, I think that the D-backs organization changed for the better. They developed a tougher skin by season’s end. One would think that with Kirk Gibson at the helm, a team would be rougher and tougher when they have him around. Except Gibby got fired with a week left in the season, a slap to the face of sorts. I think he was a good manager and I thoroughly enjoyed his time with the team, especially during the surprise 2011 season. However, I knew that things weren't going to end well during the height of the D-backs—Dodgers rivalry, c. 2013, because this was a small team baring its fangs at a billion-dollar club, and that’s a lose-lose situation. And the D-backs did lose. They lost their grip on that division to Puig and the Dodgers, who went on a historic tear, going 40-8 in a stretch during that year. Now I have no qualms about losing out on the playoffs when a team is that hot cause there isn't a whole lot that can be done. What I do have qualms about is when a team responds poorly, which the D-backs did.</div>
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In 2014, I was pretty excited to see the D-backs get that sorely needed fresh start to the season. They were going to play the Dodgers, who must have called off by now, in Sydney for some odd reason. They lost both of those games, which was no big deal at the time, but the must have been jet-lagged or something at the start of the season, because 30 games into the season, the snakes found themselves at 8-22. The offense was anemic and the pitching staff performed much worse than anyone thought they would. The D-backs could never really recover from that and the season was over before it really even began. Because, as the old saying says, you can’t win a pennant in April, but you sure as hell can lose it.</div>
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After shutting down Goldy and shipping out some players, including the weird hick pitcher Wade Miley, the offseason finally arrived. It was crew expendable from then on with the exception of America’s First Baseman. Gibby was gone. Towers was gone. In come Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart. </div>
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<a href="https://cbswashington.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/sports-illustrated-cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://cbswashington.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/sports-illustrated-cover1.jpg" width="150" /></a>The other day, I picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated to check out the MLB preview. I’ll admit, I was pretty pissed to see Max Scherzer and his heterochromia grace the cover, cause I remember when that guy was still a Diamondback. I don't blame him for getting traded or going to DC for the money, but I do blame Sports Illustrated for jinxing him, cause they're not going to win the World Series. And the Diamondbacks aren't going to finish with a 65-97 record.</div>
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Let’s take a look at the new-look snakes. I love the addition of Chip Hale. I think that he will be a good manager. Apart from the manager, I think that the most heavily scrutinized and criticized part of the team is the pitching staff, especially the starting rotation. When I heard that Josh Collmentor was going to be the opening day starter, I slowly shook my head and put my palm to my face. He’s a solid pitcher and I’m probably one of the bigger fans of <i>The Tomahawk</i>, so it was good to see he would finally get to shine in a starting pitcher’s role. However, he just isn't the guy that you want as a number one pitcher. He’s had success with an average fastball and good changeup all because of his goofy wind up. I think this is why he enjoyed success in the bullpen, because hitters would be confused in the batters box during the one at bat that they'd have against The Tomahawk. In a starting role, Josh will have to face these batters at least three times a game, and that won’t suit him well. There is already some evidence to his struggles when he allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings.</div>
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This sounds pretty hopeless. A struggling top-of-the-rotation pitcher who is probably best suited as a utility role in the bullpen or as a lumberjack. However, there is hope, because after trading Trevor Cahill, the D-backs finally brought up Archie Bradley.</div>
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<a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f9238b87106fd3401fcef24462a2b81e215f0b29/c=0-0-1992-1992&r=x408&c=405x405/local/-/media/2015/04/12/Phoenix/Phoenix/635643938684111553-dodgers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f9238b87106fd3401fcef24462a2b81e215f0b29/c=0-0-1992-1992&r=x408&c=405x405/local/-/media/2015/04/12/Phoenix/Phoenix/635643938684111553-dodgers2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>I love Archie Bradley.</div>
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I cannot stress how high I am on this guy. I think he’s everything one would want in a starting pitcher. He's strong, intimidating, and dauntless. Last night, he took to the hill against reigning Cy Young Award Winner Clayton Kershaw from those damn Dodgers. And Bradley dazzled. Over six frames, the debutante only allowed one hit. His counterpart struggled, which showed that this D-backs offense might actually be above average. </div>
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I think that as this season progresses, Bradley will assume the role as the top pitcher in the rotation. I think by the time he settles into a groove, Patrick Corbin will be fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery. That’ll put the young lefty in the second spot of the rotation, bumping Collmenltor down to three, which is where he belongs. I think that Chase Anderson, another young pitcher, will do well enough to stay in the rotation. I think that if he ends up being in the number five spot, the D-backs will actually have a better fifth man than most other rotations. That being said, either Hellickson or De La Rosa would have to be bumped out. Then they both might be bumped out for the flexible freak Bronson Arroyo. I think it’ll be Rubby first. Sorry Rubby.</div>
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So Bradley, Corbin, Collmentor, Hellickson, and Anderson is the potential rotation this team could have by summer. Basically a young right-handed David Price, an aspiring Andy Pettite, a poor-man’s Lance Lynn, a young pitcher who might return to top form or lose his grasp on his career, and a young strikeout machine. Or you could easily replace Hellickson for a veteran like Arroyo. I am totally fine with this rotation then. Maybe they won’t be that good this year, but I think that this group, especially with Bradley and Corbin at the top is a cornerstone to this franchise.</div>
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<a href="http://www.arizonasports.com/emedia/apimage/ap_8822e01f1569ea0e500f6a706700788f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.arizonasports.com/emedia/apimage/ap_8822e01f1569ea0e500f6a706700788f.jpg" height="127" width="200" /></a>The other cornerstone to this franchise is Paul Goldschmidt. I think he is one of the most complete hitters from a power position because he has shown great strength to all parts of the field, which is rare from a first baseman. He’s also a great defender who has some wheels—he can swipe a bag every now and then. The one question that people had about him was whether or not he’d be as strong after breaking his hand. This is why I needed a few games to answer this question for myself, even though I didn't have much doubt that Goldy would regain his form. So far, he has hit two home runs. So what. The significance of the two was that he was able to hit a homer to the swimming pool in Chase Field, showing us that he does have that opposite field power. If he can hit homers to right field, he can hit homers to anywhere in Chase Field.</div>
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Now for the rest of the team, I like Pollock in the leadoff spot, he has great speed and he is more than just a contact hitter. The rest of the outfield contains some combination of Inciarte, Trumbo, or Peralta. That’s a crowded outfield, but I think that having an extra bat out there is always a good problem as long as the manager can use the combination of the group to the best of their abilities. Inciarte is pretty intriguing and he has shown good contact and speed so far. Trumbo is going to have a productive season on offense because simply put, he’s one of the better power hitters out there and he’s bound to get a hold of a few pitches in the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Now that brings us to Peralta. I think he is one of the better young hitters out there. He has a certain swagger in the batters box that I like to see, plus he’s a strong left-handed hitter, so that’s always nice to have.</div>
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<a href="http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Yasmany-Tomas-press-conference-1502-Mitchell-300x225.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Yasmany-Tomas-press-conference-1502-Mitchell-300x225.gif" height="150" width="200" /></a>The infield looks pretty interchangeable. I think Chris Owings is a very solid defender who can work on either side of the middle infield. Aaron Hill is your typical aging veteran, but he does offer considerable power from the second base position. I haven’t seen enough of Nick Ahmed to judge him, but I’m sure the organization knows what they're doing by putting him out there. As for Jake Lamb, I think he is a solid young hitter. Maybe he’ll relish in the third-base position with Yasmany Tomas breathing down his neck. Regardless, the winner of that competition will provide the D-backs with decent power. I don’t care who wins out, but it’d be nice to see Tomas eventually contribute, or else the D-backs would look pretty stupid for throwing $68.5 million at a glorified bench warmer. And then there’s Tuffy at catcher. I think he’s a hard worker who definitely won't bitch as much as Miggy did.</div>
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Now of course, everyone can say “what about injuries?” Of course, I never wish to see a player get injured, but I think that for every group, except for starting pitching, this team has depth. The relief pitchers of Chafin, Perez, Ziegler, and Reed looks like it will be decent. I think Daniel Hudson is the new Josh Collmentor as the workhorse in extra-inning affairs. </div>
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<a href="http://www.myfantasysportstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/NL-West.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfantasysportstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/NL-West.png" height="120" width="200" /></a>Ultimately, I know that the division is loaded with talent. My money would be on the Dodgers to win the division and the Padres (yes, I think the Padres will be a good team) to win a wild-card spot. But after that, I truly believe that this Diamondbacks team could manage to finish third in the NL West. I think that will be around 75-81 wins, which would be great for a team that is technically in a rebuilding phase. I think that through the process, they'll overcome an incomplete San Fransisco Giants squad that can always get hot at the right time. And then I think the Rockies are bound to give up either Tulo or CarGo at some point. I just can't stand it when young talent is not put in a winning position. Regardless, I don't think the D-backs are going to waste their young talent anytime soon. These young guns will win games for Arizona. But as always, this is just my opinion.<br />
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Thanks for reading.</div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-57932129945598747732014-06-23T15:56:00.000-07:002014-06-23T15:56:08.258-07:00The Four Year Bandwagon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gHtRKTIIzj8/U6iasx1cZDI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Kzmlr9gNHpg/s1600/170361940-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gHtRKTIIzj8/U6iasx1cZDI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Kzmlr9gNHpg/s1600/170361940-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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What a sight: behold hundreds of American soccer fans promoting their national team during the tournament that makes the world hold its breath every four years. This is not to say that soccer, or football, isn't passionately observed other than during this month-long tournament. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it is simple and only requires a stretch of land, markings, two nets and a ball. Simplicity is key, but Americans are spoiled with excess because we always want more, which is why our relationship with the sport is complex: soccer is another one of those sports we can all gather around, but it is also too simple for our tastes.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-meWo4lKvKTk/U6icxbnlRfI/AAAAAAAAAUk/5xQm_Hi4LtA/s1600/OB-FG885_Footba_DV_20100115010106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-meWo4lKvKTk/U6icxbnlRfI/AAAAAAAAAUk/5xQm_Hi4LtA/s1600/OB-FG885_Footba_DV_20100115010106.jpg" /></a>If you mention football to any American, we'd be thinking of a sport that involves ball movement via hands for the most part. This physical sport has become America's present obsession, a modern day gladiatorial event if you will. However, if you observe what you are actually watching as you tune into Monday Night Football, you may realize that you are not watching too much action at all. For a sport with so much action, there is in reality just about 11 minutes of true actual playing time. Does that mean Americans prefer sports with less movement and action? Not necessarily, but it does mean that the sport is easier to follow. For example, in American football, the ball is so very easy to follow as you know it will go from center to quarterback to offensive specialist or sometimes defensive specialist or harmlessly to the ground. Simple. The sport was built for television because after each play, they can show a replay, fans in the stands, or an attractive cheerleader with a smile on her face even though she is getting paid less than minimum wage. This is because the rules permit the display of extra footage. Pair that with a sport that requires maximum focus to follow a ball shot across the field for two nonstop 45 minute periods and you have two sports whose only common denominator is a green field.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0zIRRrtxe8o/U6irk15H0PI/AAAAAAAAAU0/GV69rt-e5dE/s1600/cristiano-ronaldo-new-hair-style-fashion-transfer-real-madrid-manchester-united.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0zIRRrtxe8o/U6irk15H0PI/AAAAAAAAAU0/GV69rt-e5dE/s1600/cristiano-ronaldo-new-hair-style-fashion-transfer-real-madrid-manchester-united.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>When I was watching a recap of the USA Men's Teams dramatic 2-2 draw with Portugal, former Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy commented that the support the team had was outstanding and that it is great that so many Americans are supporting their soccer team. If this is the image that American fans are giving to the rest of the world, the world will soon realize our bandwagon nature. After winning the opening match against Ghana in dramatic fashion, the USA team had loads of momentum as well as tons of its countrymen willing and able to jump onboard the bandwagon. The next opponent was perfect: Portugal. The team that is headlined by the one players everyone knows: Cristiano Ronaldo. Every guys favorite player to hate because every girl loves him. After the US got off to a horrid start that saw them down a goal, they found their magic in the second half by scoring the equalizer and getting the go ahead goal. The finish line was less than a minute away when Ronaldo got the ball in stoppage time and delivered a beautiful volley that was headed into the net for the equalizing final play of the game. Americans were dumbfounded.<br />
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Whether or not the Americans advance further on into the tournament, they don't have what it takes to be a world class opponent in a very, very long time. In fact, they probably won't ever come close to winning the World Cup. This is because Americans are not true soccer fans. Sure, I can understand that a team isn't supported when they are doing poorly, but it is annoying when supporters start randomly appearing when a team does well. Especially after only one game. That's all it took. A win against Ghana and everyone was suddenly sold on the team. Ghana's FIFA ranking entering the World Cup was 37, so I don't see what the big deal is. Instead, after the 2-2 result, Americans were all distraught by the heartbreaker. Their words, not mine. Entering the World Cup, I thought that against Portugal, all the US could do was hope for a draw. I was wrong because in reality, the USA gave a winning effort that was wasted by an incredible late volley. Looking at this game though, three points would have been great, but one point is not something to be ashamed of. Instead of being satisfied with a position of controlling their own destiny, the Americans are upset and quickly jumping off the bandwagon because we can't settle with a draw. In a match that the USA should've lost, leaving with a point should be a huge result that Americans should be proud of. Instead, we were left wanting more.</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-42428444085449507482014-06-05T16:55:00.000-07:002014-06-05T16:55:13.237-07:00Best. Throwbacks. Ever.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Throwback Jersey is an item that should, and oftentimes are, brought back for marketing value in professional sports. The idea of selling a jersey that is old and outdated may seem like a money-pinching strategy; however, there are times when the original jersey and logo should never have been tampered with or replaced. When these old jerseys are brought back, it's right of any fan to purchase this old merchandise chock full of joy, tears, nostalgia, and tons of memories. This blogpost is about the jerseys that I think hold a certain place in the hearts of original, die-hard fans and should be celebrated with the appropriate throwback sporting event.<br />
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The Toronto Raptors are a relatively young franchise established in 1995. While they received flack for their raptor logo with its cheesy design, comedic appearance, lack of ferocity and inspiration from the 1994 movie <i>Jurassic Park</i>, the purple jersey the team featured was as good as they get. The front was a royal purple accented by a red highlight around the characters on the front and back of the jersey. What truly added some flavor to this jersey was the black back to the shirt. While the Raptors enjoyed a 2014 Atlantic Division Championship, the team has little history, so a restoration of purple in Toronto would not be a terrible, criticized idea or action.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sJoo2yUYriU/U5DTQpwSvtI/AAAAAAAAAGs/zcl5218MsWs/s1600/louis-tomlinson-nfl-ladainian-san-diego-chargers-110352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sJoo2yUYriU/U5DTQpwSvtI/AAAAAAAAAGs/zcl5218MsWs/s1600/louis-tomlinson-nfl-ladainian-san-diego-chargers-110352.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7R3T2r6MmLg/U5DS5IJXQUI/AAAAAAAAAGk/ykAVxEtxQqc/s1600/patriots-nike-throwback-jersey-vs-jets-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7R3T2r6MmLg/U5DS5IJXQUI/AAAAAAAAAGk/ykAVxEtxQqc/s1600/patriots-nike-throwback-jersey-vs-jets-21.jpg" height="143" width="200" /></a>The funny thing about certain throwback jerseys is that certain ones have been used on a regular basis within a franchise during a time when that team enjoyed the talents of a current day, all-time great. Through this decision of apparel, these jerseys, namely the San Diego Chargers baby blue throwbacks and the New England Patriots red throwbacks have become associated with all-time franchise greats such as LaDanian Tomlinson and Tom Brady, respectively. Though this may not be the intent by Reebok, Nike or the team, fans are slowly and sadly beginning to forget about the other all-time greats who graced these classy shirts as a younger generation has begun to build associations between these jerseys and players they are more familiar with.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7crdL0Hrak/U5DW5jXqKII/AAAAAAAAAG4/As1az_nExyA/s1600/ws-13-throwback-1-675x380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7crdL0Hrak/U5DW5jXqKII/AAAAAAAAAG4/As1az_nExyA/s1600/ws-13-throwback-1-675x380.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
The Chicago White Sox current uniform is actually above average as it holds many themes that other franchises with strong traditions possess. They have pinstripes and a logo that looks like it belongs in the original <i>World Series</i> newspaper; however, all of these themes are borrowed. They aren't original, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but the Sox had there own thing going on not too long ago. The red, white, and blue jersey is sort of goofy; however, it has an endearing look to it. The uniform held promise.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7qdIv5MKvc/U5DZGMH-GPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/bzKTdAJTIH0/s1600/Brooks+Orpik+2011+NHL+Bridgestone+Winter+Classic+_ZCH9-ASMHJl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7qdIv5MKvc/U5DZGMH-GPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/bzKTdAJTIH0/s1600/Brooks+Orpik+2011+NHL+Bridgestone+Winter+Classic+_ZCH9-ASMHJl.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wAgxXVjFsSo/U5DZF_gbIcI/AAAAAAAAAHE/fsmqIQN76Pc/s1600/the_best_nhl_winter_classic_jerseys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wAgxXVjFsSo/U5DZF_gbIcI/AAAAAAAAAHE/fsmqIQN76Pc/s1600/the_best_nhl_winter_classic_jerseys.jpg" height="200" width="155" /></a>One of the best throwback promotions in all of professional sports is the NHL Winter Classic. While this New Year's Day game is oftentimes overshadowed by the Rose Bowl, fans of the teams involved in the Classic are willing to fork over several hundreds of dollars to pick up an outdoor ticket in a baseball or football stadium and a throwback jersey. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks jerseys have proven to be the most successful from a marketing standpoint as many fans from each franchise have one.<br />
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The Philadelphia Phillies' throwback hat for their baby blue uniforms was the first fitted New Era 59Fifty hat I ever purchased. It now has sweat stains, foundation on the band from when I let a girl where it (dumb decision), and a sun bleached look to the brim, but it will always hold a special place on my shelf. One of the best features of MLB throwbacks is that they also feature a hat. If you know anything about me, I'm a hathead, so I appreciate any piece of headwear. One of the best features of these throwbacks in my opinion is the cap. Back in the day, hats were more "goofy" for a lack of better words, as they featured more simplistic designs. The intimidation factor of the logo was not evident yet, which is why the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels could don these seemingly childish hats. Whether or not they should continue to wear these hats is a different debate, but it's always nice to see a young fan wear an age appropriate hat while avoiding the obvious anachronism.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMv1kDK9I0Q/U5Dmq31RljI/AAAAAAAAAIA/E4PVLPXIAGY/s1600/Ian+Kennedy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMv1kDK9I0Q/U5Dmq31RljI/AAAAAAAAAIA/E4PVLPXIAGY/s1600/Ian+Kennedy.png" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-I7CKefuOU/U5Doqdo-O9I/AAAAAAAAAII/55AFM62Ej28/s1600/kurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-I7CKefuOU/U5Doqdo-O9I/AAAAAAAAAII/55AFM62Ej28/s1600/kurt.jpg" height="138" width="200" /></a>The tragic part of looking back at these throwback uniforms is that you realize the the sense of the adage: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Though the franchise may have needed a reboot of sorts by having an excuse of selling more merchandise, the decision itself damages the history the team had. The Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series, only four years after they were introduced as an expansion team. Not too long afterwards, the franchise decided to switch to a sedona red while keeping the same logo for the most part. The St. Louis Rams had a rough go for a majority of the 90's; however, they did win Super Bowl XXXIV thanks to Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. Unfortunately, the greatest show on turf was quick to do away with their uniforms as they went for a navy, gold approach. While the throwbacks may have needed some slight touch ups, they were classy and they did not have to be entirely scrapped.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9S52-cZKJ_o/U5EAWMmHy1I/AAAAAAAAAI8/X808ghSLnVg/s1600/filepicker-Nsk3BJ2QQrOPq4DXFnec_Charles_Barkley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9S52-cZKJ_o/U5EAWMmHy1I/AAAAAAAAAI8/X808ghSLnVg/s1600/filepicker-Nsk3BJ2QQrOPq4DXFnec_Charles_Barkley.jpg" height="200" width="147" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fQthz7SrvwI/U5D_vXG35FI/AAAAAAAAAIg/BcL-os_jCl0/s1600/hallady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fQthz7SrvwI/U5D_vXG35FI/AAAAAAAAAIg/BcL-os_jCl0/s1600/hallady.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a>A few franchises realized the travesties they committed once they got rid of their classic throwback uniforms. In an attempt to fix what didn't need fixing again, they restored the throwback uniform with a more modern feel. The ability in which they were able to execute this decision has varied, but overall, it is a nobel move by the franchise that also brings in loads of revenue as the franchise has an excuse to sell the original jersey, the mistake, and then the newer version of the throwback.<br />
The Toronto Blue Jays were able to restore their jerseys to back to the retro feel of the old throwbacks. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns' newer jerseys show an attempt at restoring what once worked, but to a lesser effect.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPIOLnTFXLA/U5EAWommHrI/AAAAAAAAAI0/_Pg3D8iZiEo/s1600/bledsoe_crop_exact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IPIOLnTFXLA/U5EAWommHrI/AAAAAAAAAI0/_Pg3D8iZiEo/s1600/bledsoe_crop_exact.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A46O89oVpEk/U5D_vdtEdaI/AAAAAAAAAIk/6DKN28ccuhA/s1600/USATSI_7324301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A46O89oVpEk/U5D_vdtEdaI/AAAAAAAAAIk/6DKN28ccuhA/s1600/USATSI_7324301.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DlmikBk-WHw/U5EC49hDUqI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/4KVlQmU4f-E/s1600/Orioles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DlmikBk-WHw/U5EC49hDUqI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/4KVlQmU4f-E/s1600/Orioles.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcnMBlBCwcM/U5EC43Zty5I/AAAAAAAAAJM/i6SlVSBOkVg/s1600/ripken-family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcnMBlBCwcM/U5EC43Zty5I/AAAAAAAAAJM/i6SlVSBOkVg/s1600/ripken-family.jpg" height="141" width="200" /></a>One of the best throwbacks in my opinion belongs to the Baltimore Orioles. The cap tells the story with a goofy looking bird sporting a baseball cap… on a baseball cap. The best part about the entire uniform is that the Orioles decided to bring the uniform back. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's awesome in all of it's oldies goofiness, don't fix it. Or bring it back. Throwback.<br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-3Otpk7hPspk%2FU5DgdUmYfFI%2FAAAAAAAAAHk%2F2UZ8GzU-X1I%2Fs1600%2Fbrewcrew.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Otpk7hPspk/U5DgdUmYfFI/AAAAAAAAAHk/2UZ8GzU-X1I/s1600/brewcrew.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Otpk7hPspk/U5DgdUmYfFI/AAAAAAAAAHk/2UZ8GzU-X1I/s1600/brewcrew.jpg" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Otpk7hPspk/U5DgdUmYfFI/AAAAAAAAAHk/2UZ8GzU-X1I/s1600/brewcrew.jpg" -->fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-7871442587781880372014-04-18T09:04:00.001-07:002014-04-18T09:04:12.665-07:00What's Old Is New: The Case for the 2014 New York Jets<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-51x9RNuS2mY/U1FM9J6xSsI/AAAAAAAAAFc/RQX8RkhXtEg/s640/blogger-image-1743916621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-51x9RNuS2mY/U1FM9J6xSsI/AAAAAAAAAFc/RQX8RkhXtEg/s640/blogger-image-1743916621.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The 2014 offseason in the NFL featured a number of changes in scenery for notable players. These offseason moves have most notably bolstered the outlook of the upcoming Broncos and Patriots upcoming seasons as well as dramatically improving the Buccaneers chances of a going over .500. Even the Browns look as though they'll have a ferocious defense, matching the prowess of their AFC North rivals. However, as much fun as all that is, this post is not about the aforementioned teams. It's about the two biggest moves of the entire postseason to the brightest lights of America. That's right, what's old is new: Michael Vick and Chris Johnson are headed to New York and the Jets are headed back to the postseason.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now if you follow football, you may think one of two things: no, you're stupid or no, those two guys used to be good and aren't anymore. I think all of that is fair; however, one could easily make the case that even if Geno Smith was under center, the Jets have a chance at clinching a wild card berth. He's not the best of quarterbacks, but he improved quite a bit along the way in his rookie campaign, leading the Jets to an 8-8 record and second place in the AFC East. Writing this post, I'm assuming that the 2014 Jets will have an improvement at the quarterback position, whether it's with Smith or Vick at the helm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Michael Vick, who will be 34 at the start of the season, is far past his prime. Defenses have been rattled by him during his years with the Falcons and at the start of his tenure with the Eagles. However, teams now know what to do with Vick: pressure. The former Hokie has never faired well under blitzes and pressure packages while in the pocket, but Vick's true weapon is escaping containment and gaining yards on the ground. Vick's speed and escapability brings about another concern: injuries. With a year of sitting on the bench, the dual threat quarterback should have relatively fresh legs, but I don't think he'll survive the season. By the time he's forced out, he'll already have the Jets in playoff position. When he finally is demoted and Smith is promoted to the starting job, Geno will have had the time on the bench to truly grasp and learn the game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So why would I be writing this post if I don't think Vick, the quarterback hauled in by the Jets, won't even survive a season? The truth is, he's not what makes the Jets dangerous. The defense is stout, but the true addition will line up five yards behind Vick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9A--wZfY7BM/U1FM-crYjvI/AAAAAAAAAFk/lC4A8o7zzQc/s640/blogger-image--247999761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9A--wZfY7BM/U1FM-crYjvI/AAAAAAAAAFk/lC4A8o7zzQc/s640/blogger-image--247999761.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The best acquisition of the New York Jets offseason is Chris Johnson. Simply put, he is most everything you'd want in a running back. Consistency. Speed. Physicality. Elusiveness. Strength. Chris Johnson is all of that. The former Eastern Carolina University running back has rushed over 1,000 yards in each if his first six seasons in the league. I personally don't think that there's a whole lot more you can ask from any player in the backfield. Surely, he didn't carry himself well with the media and New York has the biggest media exposure in America, but if he can be productive without becoming the main feature of the team, Chris Johnson will flourish. The defense already has to worry about Vick running on them, which will place a linebacker in containment, providing plenty of room for Johnson to have cutbacks and big plays.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So is there reason for optimism in the Big Apple? Most certainly. Can the Jets make something out of a berth to the postseason? That remains to be seen. To put it into perspective, Mark Sanchez managed to get the Jets to the AFC Championship game in his dirt two seasons. The defense was much better; however, it is still a quarterback driven league is what Sanchez did was impressive. Ultimately, Vick is better that Sanchez and Geno Smith has potential. The true difference maker for the 2014 Jets will be the explosiveness of Chris Johnson. It should be an interesting season.</div><br></div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-10585711562047047642014-04-01T01:36:00.001-07:002015-04-12T12:43:15.560-07:00Milwaukee, You're Better Than This<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Opening Day is unlike any other. Its festivities hold hope and promise for the new season. Anything can happen. The Chicago Cubs can capture their first World Series since 1908. The Boston Red Sox can win their fifth title in a decade, brushing aside a history of futility. The New York Yankees can once again prove that money wins championships by capturing their 28th World Series. Bottom line, anything can happen.</div>
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While the sun on the Opening Day of Major League Baseball can wash away so many memories by offering promise, certain demons cannot simply be forgotten after an offseason. The Los Angeles Angels have yet to return to the postseason despite having an absolutely loaded roster. The Toronto Blue Jays followed offseason hype with a terrible and dissapointing season. And Ryan Braun is still Ryan Braun.</div>
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Ryan Braun is the star player for the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun, a former NL Rookie of the Year and NL MVP, has slugged the Brew Crew into the postseason in 2011, but the team hasn't been able to duplicate its success. The outfielder was welcomed by a warm, standing ovation after he took to Miller Park for the first time since an ugly suspension that ended his 2013 season early. Shame on Ryan Braun and shame on any Brewers fan who put their hands together for Braun. </div>
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Now, why the harsh stance? You may recall Braun has been associated with a scandal involving Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and a Biogenisis Clinic. When asked about his involvement with PEDs after the 2011 Postseason, Braun strongly denied that he ever used PEDs. He added that he was willing to bet his life that the substances never entered his body.</div>
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Well, if his word was any good, Ryan Braun would be a dead man.</div>
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As it turns out, Braun is a pathological liar since he actually used PEDs a number of times. What gave Braun such confidence to say he never used the drugs was because the sample that was initially used to test him was mishandled to a degree. However, the truth (the actual truth, not Ryan Braun's version of the truth) is that the outfield slugger is and always will be a cheater. He even managed to cheat the system by choosing to drop his appeal for a ban for the rest of the season after the Brewers' season turned out to be a lost cause. </div>
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Enter Opening Day, 2014. While the rest of Major League Baseball is ready to boo and jeer at number 8 when he steps into their batter's box, Milwaukee gave him a hero's welcome. Why? Do they not have any sports coverage in Wisconsin? Well, obviously because they are convinced that Green Bay, WI is Titletown, USA; that you can win a college basketball championship with just white players; and that Ryan Braun is returning from the Heroes' Journey. That's got to be it. Joseph Campbell couldn't have created a better story to fit his frame of the generic hero: <i>Ryan Braun, the Messiah of Milwaukee. The Brewers' hero is great, but hardships present a change and he must leave. While in exile and paying his penance in the land of Florida, the hero discovers something, the elixir to great power and strength. Upon his return, he becomes an even greater hero with his newfound strength, willing the Milwaukee Brewers to the promise land. </i>That must be why Milwaukee fans are so excited to see him again.</div>
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Well, here's the thing Milwaukee: I know that recently this fan base came close to tasting the ripe fruit that is a National League Pennant, but do not stoop to the level of a crook, a villain, a liar. Ryan Braun can hit with the best of them. Great. He wants to improve. Good for him. He took PEDs to improve. That happens, people do that. If that was the end of the story to this point, perhaps Braun could be forgiven and everything would soon be forgotten. However, that's not what happened. Through this whole fiasco, we have all learned a little bit about Braun himself. In fact, we have learned a lot. Here is a man who blatantly lies to his fans as well as himself. He could probably convince himself that the Brewers are better than the Cardinals. Anyhow, the Braun situation has told us all too much about his true character. We were all here to see the story unravel, and for that, shame on you Milwaukee. You should be better than this. Just know that the face of your franchise would lie to you, right in your face. Keep that in mind next time you down a Miller Lite to wash away the sadness of yet another Brewers' loss.</div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-56822333262353761242014-03-29T21:44:00.001-07:002014-03-29T22:05:42.843-07:00Requiem for the 2013-14 Air-Zona Wildcats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's always difficult to stomach a tough loss. One could resort to blaming the referees or they could just man up and say that it wasn't their night. The pain seeps in more when you look back on all of the memorable highlights and wins of the season, only to come up short in a game. For the Arizona Wildcats, that loss came in the single-game elimination NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. All of the alley-oops and dunks couldn't lead the team to their ultimate goal: a National Title. It couldn't even lead them to a Final Four berth as they came up short in 45 minutes at the Honda Center. However, the beauty and retraction of the annual NCAA Tournament is that one loss and you're done. On the flip side of that coin, you only need six wins to take home the championship (unless if you are the 2011 VCU squad that went 5-1 only to fall to Butler in the national semifinal). This is a requiem for the 2013-14 Arizona Wildcats' Men's Basketball Team's season. Try saying that three times fast. Anyway, as a University of Arizona Athletics supporter, I have followed this team for a number of years. Sean Miller has done a superb job in recruiting athletes to get this team back to where it belongs: the National spotlight. However, Coach Miller has also followed up on the tradition of coming up short in the tournament setting. If you follow Arizona basketball, you might question me on this statement by saying, "Did this guy even see Arizona throttle a No. 1 seeded Duke team in 2011?" Why, yes, I did see Arizona eviscerate an overrated Duke squad by a score of 91-77. The tables turned when Lamont "Momo" Jones pulled up for a transition basket to put Arizona ahead and Jamelle Horne posterized Kyle Singler while Derrick Williams posterized the entire Duke defense. But I digress, because both Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne each missed three point attempts that would have sent the Cats to Houston. That was the last shot that the Wildcats had a high enough caliber team to scratch the surface of tournament success. Under Miller, the Wildcats have lost the Conference Tournament at the buzzer three times in five years and still advent won one since 2002. However, given the animal that is collegiate basketball and the leviathan that is professional basketball, there is that lure that pulls athletes away from the college game oh so early. This creates a rebuilding project every time a season ends, especially for the superior teams, which challenges every coach.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jEvxxJXOrk/UzegrAksfUI/AAAAAAAAAE4/-bggOxLSkpU/s1600/Wilbur+Texas+Tech+v+Arizona+8pz82ERiML5l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jEvxxJXOrk/UzegrAksfUI/AAAAAAAAAE4/-bggOxLSkpU/s1600/Wilbur+Texas+Tech+v+Arizona+8pz82ERiML5l.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a>Looking at this 2013-14 squad, I was excited because I thought there was no way they would not win a National title. I was looking forward to a new design on the 2014-15 Arizona Wildcat's jersey that had two stars on the top, one with '97 and one with '14. They were no doubt going to win the 'ship in North Texas. That was almost true, as the Wildcats featured a dominant frontline of seasoned sophomores Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski while also welcoming one of the nation's top recruits in Aaron Gordon. The back court featured juniors Nick Johnson and newcomer by way of Dusquene, TJ McConnell. A knock down shooting sophomore Gabe York waited to come off of the bench while an extremely talented and athletic Chester, PA native, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would come off the bench with him. There was no way they couldn't win. No way. Except for injury.<br />
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The first game Arizona lost was a 60-58 nail-biting loss at the hands of the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. A close, regular season loss in the midst of a "Gold-Out" is nothing to hang your head for, but Arizona lost there strength in their front court as Brandon Ashley went down with a foot injury. After the loss, things just weren't the same as the Cats barely beat Oregon at the McKale Center and later lost at ASU. In my opinion, losing to Arizona State deems your football or basketball season as a failure, so I personally wasn't too optimistic at that point. However, Sean Miller managed to change my mindset as the Wildcats demolished the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder by a score of 88-61. They followed up the win by dominating both Cal and Stanford at home, but the fast pace blowouts couldn't keep up. The Wildcats finished their regular season with a loss in Eugene to the Ducks. The Wildcats couldn't turn the tables in the PAC 12 Conference Tournament as they fell to UCLA. Onto the NCAA Tournament.<br />
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Despite four losses, the Cats managed to convince the committee that they were worthy of the second overall seed, hence the No. 1 seed for the West Region. After playing an uninspired game against the Weber State Wildcats, I wasn't terribly confident in having them win the whole thing. However, they were fortunate when they placed against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a fundamentally sound yet unathletic team. The Wildcats toyed with the Bulldogs as they advanced to the Sweet 16, set up for a rematch with the San Diego State Aztecs. In what proved to be a much more physical affair than their first game, the two teams played with drive and emotion with the Wildcats emerging victorious. Arizona would then be set up for a date with the Wisconsin Badgers, a team notorious for having four "white" starters. Again, fundamentals. The Badgers team that I saw was not more athletic. They didn't have a single dunk. I don't remember the last time Arizona did not dunk in a game. However, I digress. The Wisconsin players knew how to play, despite their lack of athleticism. They would have to shoot their arms off because they can't drive well, pass as much as possible because they can't set up their own shot, scoot their pivot feet around just enough so it wasn't a blatant travel, and make good decisions. They did all of that and in turn, beat the two most athletics teams in the tournaments field, Baylor and Arizona. It's tough to accept that.<br />
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So, now that the books are shut on this past season, the question begs: what now? After LaQuinton Ross drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer that put a nail in the 2012-13 team's coffin, I was quite upset yet optimistic. I realized that championships can't be won with even the most talented freshman class because those players lack experience. Next year (this year), the team would be much better though. They'd have a nice combination of Grant Jerrett, Angelo Chol, Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Aaron Gordon, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in their front court. Wait a minute, Jerrett and Chol didn't play for Arizona this year. No, Jerrett was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder and is currently in the D-League and Chol was crying on the bench after Arizona knocked out SDSU from the tournament. Realizing this, I can't help but wonder: What if?<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--glbBYEGryY/UzefVnTTvuI/AAAAAAAAAEk/uvQlOex6Ayo/s1600/5287153d68af1.preview-620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--glbBYEGryY/UzefVnTTvuI/AAAAAAAAAEk/uvQlOex6Ayo/s1600/5287153d68af1.preview-620.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a>This is what we as fans and spectators of collegiate basketball need to realize. There are so many what if's that dreaming will leave you dwelling on the past. To hardly even play in college as a freshman and then get drafted has become far too easy. To simply transfer and develop for a year on the bench has become far too easy. The counterargument is that the traditional powerhouse programs can just as easily reload with a talented recruiting class. The Wildcats have arguably one of the better recruiting classes in the nation as they will welcome Stanley Johnson, Craig Victor, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Tyler Dorsey, Dusan Ristic, and JUCO talent Kadeem Allen on campus this fall. So obviously, next year's team is going to win the National Title, right? Gordon will be replaced by Dorsey. Stanley Johnson will replace Nick Johnson and score more points. Even if Tarczewski leaves, an ambidextrous Ristic will take his role. Even if either Ashley or Hollis-Jefferson choose to leave for the NBA, they'll be replaced by the Victor-Allen tandem. So all is not lost, the 2014-15 squad still has a great chance at achieving what this year's team didn't accomplish. However, if college basketball has taught me anything, it is that senior leadership and superb guard play is what wins games in March. The Cats won't have that leadership unless players stay. Which they won't. They'll have the alley-oops and highlight dunks again, but they won't hold onto one of their better players long enough to season him into a leader. The players who become the senior leaders are the players who weren't talented enough to be drafted earlier in their collegiate career. If I have learned anything, the vicious cycle will continue. History will repeat itself when Stanley Johnson declares for the draft after he hangs up his custom Arizona-Jordan basketball shoes for the final time when the Cats fall short of the 2015 National Title, just as Aaron Gordon couldn't deliver this year. I'm sorry Sean Miller. It's the way basketball is played in the desert and you'll have to coach with the players' best well-being in mind. Perhaps Miller will capture that elusive Final Four berth and National Title when he replaces Mike Krzyzewski as Duke's next head basketball coach.<br />
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May the 2013-14 Wildcat's season rest in peace.</div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-45164611783309894542014-03-24T22:57:00.001-07:002014-03-25T21:09:41.938-07:00The Case for Mr. Turner<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tZv2vNBwEIQ/UzEayoZgx8I/AAAAAAAAAEE/ce5kACZQ-NE/s640/blogger-image-1440174950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tZv2vNBwEIQ/UzEayoZgx8I/AAAAAAAAAEE/ce5kACZQ-NE/s640/blogger-image-1440174950.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>If you've watched any college basketball lately, you would have heard of the outcry against one-and-done collegiate athletes by now. Now that the madness that is the first week of the NCAA Basketball Tournament has passed, a number of traditional powerhouses have experienced an early exit from the dance. With blue-blooded programs such as the Kansas Jayhawks and the Duke Blue Devils watching from home, one can't help but wonder about the effect of underclassmen declaring to play professionally. And I'm not talking about Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. I'm talking about elite collegiate players who are currently underperforming in the NBA such as Ben McLemore and Thomas Robinson, former Jayhawks All-Americans, and Austin Rivers, a former stand-out Duke guard. What if Kansas and Duke had those players still on their rosters? Kansas would be packing their bags to head out to Memphis for the Sweet Sixteen and America wouldn't know where Mercer was on the map because Duke steamrolled them. However, history writes with a different quill and we are forced to write off our brackets with red ink.<div><br><div>So, what does the parity of the NCAA Tournament have to do with the smiling gentleman at the top of this article? Well, first off, let me introduce him. His name is Josiah Turner, a former five star and No. 11 high school prospect ranked by Rivals on Yahoo!</div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WXz-rX2Ck5U/UzEa0EB0LqI/AAAAAAAAAEM/GH55duNMxgE/s640/blogger-image-556991146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WXz-rX2Ck5U/UzEa0EB0LqI/AAAAAAAAAEM/GH55duNMxgE/s640/blogger-image-556991146.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>The Sacramento native committed to the University of Arizona to play basketball for the Wildcats under Sean Miller. Unfortunately for both parties, Mr. Turner had troubles with drugs and alcohol. He underperformed during his freshman season at Arizona and was dismissed from the team shortly after the Wildcats were ousted by Bucknell in the first round of the NIT. All was not lost for Turner as he could still be drafted due to his tremendous upside and potential. However, the NBA did not accept Turner initially, leading him overseas to play for a professional Hungarian team. Due to bedbugs and other poor conditions in Hungary, Turner left for Canada to play professionally. With his attitude out of check, he was shown the door after a number of confrontations with his head coach. Now, Josiah Turner is playing in the NBA's Developmental League for the Los Angeles D-Fenders. With a spot on an NBA roster within reach, Turner's attitude has improved and so has his skillset. Just as he displayed his tremendous ball-handling skills in high school, Turner is now impressing at this level with much better decision making than he previously demonstrated in college. Turner would have been a junior if he had stayed at Arizona, but like his fellow recruit and former teammate Nick Johnson, both are on their way to an NBA roster.</div><div><br></div><div>So what's the point of talking about Mr. Turner? Am I upset that he didn't stay at Arizona for a few more years? No. If Josiah had a better attitude and stayed away from drugs during his freshman year, he would've been drafted in a heart beat. He was and is that good. However, Turner wouldn't have been good enough to develop into a good NBA player if he jumped straight from freshman year to professional life. That's no knock on his ability as more and more one-and-done players leaving college basketball for the NBA are underperforming. I think it would be better suited for these players who intend on spending one year at college to instead spend that year in the developmental league. Skip college altogether because these young men don't have much interest in earning a degree when they have dunk competitions in their futures. College life also holds too much temptation for some of these young men as they are lured by college girls, parties, and boosters.</div><div><br></div><div>It's time for college basketball and collegiate athletics to separate collegiate sports from professional sports. The NCAA champions education and athletics, not athletics over education. By becoming a student athlete, a student would play collegiate sports while being offered a scholarship in return, a win-win situation. If the athlete is so hell-bent on making money as soon as possible, let them be, but send them to developmental leagues that are more professionally oriented than collegiate athletics are. That's the case for Mr. Turner.</div></div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-44015502699193858302014-02-23T23:37:00.001-08:002014-02-23T23:37:15.990-08:00Television's Best Couple: Pasch and Walton<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pxigLmqu_To/Uwr2nmhokKI/AAAAAAAAADc/DQkvRXFZmfg/s640/blogger-image--881777769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pxigLmqu_To/Uwr2nmhokKI/AAAAAAAAADc/DQkvRXFZmfg/s640/blogger-image--881777769.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you have stayed up late to watch ESPN broadcasts on the West coast of PAC 12 basketball, chances are you've tuned in on one of Bill Walton's rant on how the Grateful Dead are the best music artists of all time. If you haven't tuned in on one of these games, you may wonder what rock music has to do with college basketball. Nevertheless, the calling of Dave Pasch and Bill Walton of PAC 12 basketball has become intriguing, comical, and ultimately wildly entertaining television.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bill Walton, the long-retired Portland Trailblazer and former UCLA Bruins all-time great never took the time to care about other's opinions of him. He still doesn't. In his new job, he'll say the damnedest things on air, go off on wild tangents, comment on how wonderful each PAC 12 city is, only to connect the knots in some loose way to basketball. I'll admit, the first time I tuned in to a game which he broadcasted, I thought he was an absolute idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about. I still think that. However, he has become quite entertaining. Like Dick Vitale, he's a commentator who goes off on certain, repetitive tangents in a recognizable voice and fashion. Many people don't appreciate this style of calling a game, but ultimately, it keeps the fan glued to his television. Both Walton and Vitale are respected men who don't take themselves seriously. In other words, they can take the jokes made about them because they realize they are jokes themselves. Do you think Dickie V was yelling, "Oh baby! What a diaper dandy! He's the three 'S' man! Super! Scintillating! Sensational!" when he was a coach? No. He has learned to have a good time (with Duke cheerleaders) by learning to make fun of himself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h835_dbT7tk/Uwr2pKZoBOI/AAAAAAAAADk/rgxBinGeQvc/s640/blogger-image--1882557927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h835_dbT7tk/Uwr2pKZoBOI/AAAAAAAAADk/rgxBinGeQvc/s640/blogger-image--1882557927.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">While Walton has already mastered this art, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, there needs to be that solid partner who makes sure nothing gets out of hand. Dickie V's significant other is Dan Shulman, a Canadian with a silky-smooth baritone voice by way of Western Ontario University. Shulman has been calling baseball and basketball for ESPN for quite some time now, becoming their primary play-by-play announcer for the biggest of games. With so many broadcasts alongside Vitale, the two have perfect chemistry, elevating the quality of some of the best college basketball games. Walton's partner is Dave Pasch. Pasch, whom I've known for quite some time since he is the Arizona Cardinals' play-by-play radio announcer, has experience with some of the more wild commentators around as he calls the Cards' games with Ron Wolfley, the husky-voiced former pro-football player who uses the most creative analogies in all of football. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm not saying that I've gotten the impression that Pasch likes Walton. The two still have yet to click as Pasch oftentimes needs to bring Walton back to the game when he's talking about something off topic. However, the little verbal fights and arguments that they have are amusing. It's almost like listening in on two fans who are talking and arguing about a basketball game that everyone else is watching. That is what commentating should be. That is entertainment. That is television.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Understandably, calling a game with Vitale, Wolfley, or Walton is no easy task; however, familiarity is key. Walton, still rough around the edges, is only in his second year calling games. Pasch is one of the more-experienced younger voices in sports broadcasting. Putting the two together is excellent for the long term run of ESPN. As games grow larger and larger in coverage, the entertainment quality of the broadcasters becomes more and more important. If Pasch and Walton work together for the long run, the two will develop chemistry. If the two split up, Pasch can go off for bigger and better things while the Walton project doesn't pan out. All in all, starting out on the relatively small-scale broadcasts of West coast basketball is a calculated and intelligent decision by ESPN since they can experiment their next big thing. While the rest of America, especially the East coast, has yet to listen in on this dynamic duo, us PAC 12 fans are enjoying the Pasch and Walton's bickering.</div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-2962580839615549842014-02-20T21:14:00.001-08:002014-02-20T21:14:47.610-08:00Do Not Storm the Court Against Your Rival<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LtHbMeCZgH0/UwbgxAyRrgI/AAAAAAAAADM/TzAvyji-XIw/s640/blogger-image-1033675147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LtHbMeCZgH0/UwbgxAyRrgI/AAAAAAAAADM/TzAvyji-XIw/s640/blogger-image-1033675147.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the last 86 matchups on Tobacco Road between the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke University Blue Devils, UNC holds a 44-42 advantage. This makes for one of the most balanced rivalries in all of college basketball. So here's a question: why would either program storm the court after beating the other?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now for those of you who believe that court-storming is a fun part of the game for college fans, you are mistaken. It occurs to signify a monumental victory against a powerhouse team that visited your home-court only to lose the game. The nature and idea of storming the court is a nice one; however, it is dangerous for the players and the amount of times has dramatically increased within the past few years. This is why the NCAA may disallow taking to the field in such a frenzied matter and why students should restrain themselves more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So let me present the question again: why would UNC storm the court after beating Duke? They're one of the most successful programs in all of college basketball history and this win is not monumental at all. Vegas had a line of only three points in Duke's favor and many people chose UNC to come out on top. So was it that much of a surprise that Duke lost AT Chapel Hill? I know I wasn't surprised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In my opinion, storming the court is almost like saying, "Hey, you're better than us, but we beat you on our turf." You can ask any fan of any team if their team is worse than their rival. You'll be hard-pressed to find many fans who can admit to that and I am certain you won't find any UNC or Duke fan saying that the other team is historically better. For all of the top programs in the country, I don't think you can find one instance in recent memory that they stormed the court. When a team is as good as UNC or Duke, they expect to win every home game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is why it is absurd that Tar Heel fans stormed the court after beating arch-rival Duke. The culture of these programs is that you expect to win every game that you play. I know Roy Williams expected to win this game. In conclusion, it is a shame that North Carolina stormed the court against their rival Duke, because they admitted to their rivals who play 8 miles away down Tobacco Road that they are the better team and program.</div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-60352103283234438472014-02-20T18:28:00.001-08:002014-02-20T18:28:08.058-08:00Have You Ever Wondered about the Wonderlic?<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hipMut75shE/Uwa5tPAc8WI/AAAAAAAAAC8/UNI6IR8J9cw/s640/blogger-image--76031846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hipMut75shE/Uwa5tPAc8WI/AAAAAAAAAC8/UNI6IR8J9cw/s640/blogger-image--76031846.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-guN_5lgC5UE/Uwa5r2mbaKI/AAAAAAAAAC0/aaOILAPrdts/s640/blogger-image-1152335730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-guN_5lgC5UE/Uwa5r2mbaKI/AAAAAAAAAC0/aaOILAPrdts/s640/blogger-image-1152335730.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Wonderlic test has become the standard "quick" logic test used by the NFL during the combine to measure the intelligence of prospect players. It is timed for 12 minutes and has 50 muliple choice questions. The highest score by an NFL player was from Ryan Fitpatrick, a Harvard graduate who got a score of 48 out of 50. John Elway, the former Broncos and Stanford QB, scored 30 on the test. More prominent players, such as Tim Tebow (pictured), have scored alarmingly low. Tebow only got a 22 and NFL RB Marshawn Lynch, who went to UC Berkeley, only scored a 14. Isn't this a little bit alarming?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Wonderlic test was developed by E. F. Wonderlic in 1936 as a cognitive and personnel test for soldiers in the United States Army. To put into perspective as to how much importance the army places on cognition, a person cannot enlist if they have had a certain amount of concussions. Essentially, their thinking ability is of utmost importance as their decisions can effect the outcome of other people's lives. Doesn't the same apply to football?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The immediate effect of head injuries may not terribly noticeable, but the long term effects have been thoroughly researched and discussed. In this case, I'd be more than concerned if the men lined up on the field score fewer than half of the points of an average janitor (22). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm only in high school and I got a perfect score (50). Marshawn Lynch went to UC Berkeley and got a 14. He's lucky he's in the NFL, because I doubt he'd be qualified to flip hamburgers. I think the NFL needs to place more emphasis on the intelligence of their players instead of putting this test on the back burner. These men are going to war on the gridiron and they can't even think straight. </div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-54912143441625013592014-02-20T16:15:00.001-08:002014-02-20T17:31:12.833-08:00The State of Washington Basketball<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HCHVrKL8jw8/UwaapI1ye9I/AAAAAAAAACk/S7pN_Avu12s/s640/blogger-image--1762713301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-HCHVrKL8jw8/UwaapI1ye9I/AAAAAAAAACk/S7pN_Avu12s/s640/blogger-image--1762713301.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Take a look at this picture. Just a brief glimpse. You may notice several things: the heads in front of me, the upside down Cougar logo, the players on the court, the "State" on the bottom of the jumbotron, etc. The one thing I do want you to take away from this picture is the student section and attendance, or lack thereof. I took this picture only a few minutes prior to tip-off, and only a few hundred people were sitting in the stands, waiting for the game to begin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I don't blame the students for not showing up since it was a weekend afternoon, there was a heavy drizzle outside, and they were probably burying their nose in a book studying... Wait a second, that's exactly why students come to the game. People like to entertain themselves with sports because they are a means of escaping their everyday, ordinary lives. I personally can't think of many places that could benefit from the drug that is sports than Pullman, WA. And it's a possibility too. This season has been a forgetful one, but it also hasn't been the best of seasons for other teams in this area. Now is the time to capitalize on the weakened state of Northwest collegiate basketball. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Let's take a look at the other schools that WSU has to compete with both on the court and in recruiting. The University of Washington is their main rival, which also has the greatest recruiting capabilities while based in an urban setting. It seems almost impossible to compete with a school that has those tools, yet the Cougs have been able to do so as they regularly snatch a victory from the Huskies. The reality is that the Washington Huskies basketball program is extremely underachieving given the amount of quality players that pass through that program year Ina md year out. They have a number of players that would go on to become stars in the NBA that are from the Metro-Seattle area. However, the last time they made the Final Four was 1953. In fact, the last time they advanced to the Elite Eight was also 1953. So what is wrong with UDub basketball? Like the Cougs, they have issues in coaching. To put it into perspective, both of the State schools of Washington could dismiss their coaches by the end of this season. Lorenzo Romar has put together a number of fine regular seasons, but a of late, they have become a dissapointment to Huskie fans. The advantage they have over WSU is that they can recruit enough talent to save some face. It's time to hire a new coach who can recruit some of those players away from UW.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What other schools do the Cougs have to compete with for the Northwest recruiting pipeline. The two Oregon schools aren't doing particularly well. The Oregon Ducks started off the season on an absolute scoring tear; however, when conference play began, they realized they couldn't win games without defense. On the positive side, Oregon will have no trouble recruiting since they have the Nike headquarters closeby. As a result, they have become one of the recruiting capitals in college basketball, the other being Iowa State. On the other hand, the Oregon State Beavers seem like one of the more stagnant teams in the PAC-12 over the past few seasons. I don't think either team is in the current position to be a serious threat in recruiting if they play the way that they have been playing recently.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The closest recruiting threat that is closet to the Cougs is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga has been riding their wave of some tournament succes in the late 90s for about a decade now. Given the amount of national coverage that they recieve year in and year out, I actually think that they are a highly underachieving program at this point. Last year, they had a No. 1 seed, but they couldn't even make it past the Round of 32. I think that it is only a matter of time that Gonzaga loses their charm as a successful team from a poor conference. If the Cougs can get a coach who puts together a solid first season, he can expand his recruiting search into British Columbia, just like Mark Few for the Bulldogs. Canada has vastly improved in basketball as of late, and I think that they could prove to be a serious recruiting pipeline for the Cougs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All in all, the Cougars need to make a push in hiring a coach with a plan and a good recruiting résumé. While other coaches are seeing the end of their tenures approach quickly on the horizon, Washington State needs to be the first to make a move. If they can get the jump on the others, they'll have the best team in the Northwest in only a few years. The time is now. It's time to get the Northwest hooked on WSU basketball. Make a move.</div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-65173062982358668252014-01-26T22:19:00.001-08:002014-01-27T00:31:37.674-08:00Cougs Basketball: Drop the Bone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Checking my phone this morning, I saw that the Washington State Mens' Basketball team was going to host the Oregon Ducks later in the afternoon. As a season ticket holder, it's my duty as a two-year Pullmanite to go to these games and root for the Crimson and Gray. However, I was not looking forward to spending two hours at Beasley Coliseum for a few reasons. Firstly, I was going to have to miss the first half of the Arizona Wildcats' Mens' Basketball game as they would take on Utah. Secondly, I knew the Cougs were going to lose by large margin. And lastly, going to these basketball games has become painful.<br />
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<a href="http://media.kval.com/images/stock_Pac12_bball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.kval.com/images/stock_Pac12_bball.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Perhaps my standards have been set a bit too high as I grew up in Tucson, AZ and have grown accustomed to successful basketball teams year in and year out. But then again, Pullman has had a few successful basketball teams as of late, coached by Tony Bennett and future NBA stars like Klay Thompson. However, why would they retain a coach who is 21-30 overall in the past two seasons and 5-21 in Pac 12 play in these past two seasons? Let's take a step back away from the poor basketball that has been on the court since I became involved here and look at what this team and program is capable of. The Pac 12 conference is <i>The Conference of Champions</i>; however, football has been on an upward trend while basketball has been placed on the back burner. While this conference does boast the number 1 ranked team in the nation, they only have one team ranked in the AP Top 25 (Arizona). WSU has been spending plenty of money on athletics in order to compete in the conference, giving Mike Leach a large contract, building a beautiful press box at Martin Stadium, and adding a large office building next to the stadium. But wait a second… That money is being spent on football and football alone. Why put your resources into the football team when they have to compete in the strongest conference in the nation? The team has vastly improved as of late which was nice to see, but a New Mexico Bowl berth is hardly something this program can boast about. It is a stepping stone and this team is on the rise, but don't you think it would be a shame to see the Cougs put together one of the best offensive teams in their history, only to miss out on a Pac 12 North title to the powerhouse that is Oregon, to the defensive force that is Stanford, or to the rival that is Washington?</div>
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Now where am I trying to get with this rant? The bottom line is that now is the time. Not in football necessarily, since the conference is so strong right now. Rather, the Cougs should focus on building their basketball program. As a matter of fact, they had been enjoying success, even under Bone, as they made it to the NIT Semifinals in 2011. The truth is that this Pac 12 university deserves a better coach for their mens' basketball program. With Beasley Coliseum, a decently sized basketball arena that can get quite loud with 11,671 fans, many players would be more than happy to play in front of such a crowd. Since Pullman is not unreasonably far from British Columbia or Seattle, there are quite a few quality basketball players who wouldn't mind playing as a Coug. However, they would mind if there team was a Pac 12 bottom dweller.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics33/200/IY/IYKJMPYCKPMIDSN.20131018231014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics33/200/IY/IYKJMPYCKPMIDSN.20131018231014.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ike Iroegbu</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics33/200/VT/VTVMHOYQQKLLLHI.20131018231014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics33/200/VT/VTVMHOYQQKLLLHI.20131018231014.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Que Johnson</td></tr>
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This current roster is dealing with being a joke, and it's not all their fault. Sure, you can blame some of these players for not playing as well as they are capable of. However, you can also blame coach Ken Bone for not using the team correctly. For example, Royce Woolridge is not a point guard, he is a scorer. Running the point takes away his opportunities to score, which has greatly diminished his confidence. Instead, Bone should start Ike Iroegbu at the point so that the young freshman from Oak Hill Academy can get more playing time in order to cement himself and get comfortable in this role he'll have for the next four years. I also remember against Stanford, the Cougs had a small lead, but Bone inexplicably took out leading scorer Que Johnson, a redshirt freshman who was absolutely red hot, which took the Cougs out of the game as Stanford got on a big runs and never looked back. They shouldn't hold onto the ball for 30 seconds and then try to score with five seconds remaining. They should play faster with as many guards as possible along with forward DJ Shelton. The Cougs are not good enough to hold onto the ball and play possession basketball. This is exactly why they aren't winning: they aren't scoring points. And how do you score more points? You take more shots. The problem is Bone isn't running the team to their strengths but rather to their weaknesses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royce Woolridge</td></tr>
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So how do we approach this predicament? Well, the first part is simple: fire Ken Bone. WSU never should have trusted the former Portland State coach with their basketball program. What they should've done was hire a different coach coming from a small program in a more successful conference with consistent success, but also, more importantly, a coach who has tasted success in the postseason. Ken Bone was consistent at Portland State, building a respectable win-loss record; however, he was ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament twice in his last two seasons at PSU. One could argue that a coach who hasn't broken through with a smaller program could easily do so if he had the tools, and one could just as well argue that Bone found success by going far in the NIT. However, one of the more important aspects of coaching is recruiting. Bone is now working with his own players. He is working with players that should be tailored to his system, but the team is performing poorly as of these past two seasons. Last season, they only picked up four conference wins, two surprise wins coming from an LA school sweep. Four wins sounds poor, and it is, but it could've been a lot more. The Cougs were in most all of their games last season. They lost to #10 Gonzaga on a late layup, Washington by two possessions, at Arizona State by four, at USC by four, Oregon State by one, #23 Oregon by two, at Washington by four, and again against Washington in the Pac 12 tournament by two. You may find this as a stroke of bad luck; however, something doesn't add up. The Cougs only had one win that came down to the final moments as opposed to eight losses coming in the last minute. That is not bad luck, that is bad coaching. That is a poor utilization of your own players, players scouted and recruited specifically by the coach, only to come up short at the end of the game. I've heard countless times people exclaim at the end of a Cougs home loss saying, "Oh, we were so close" or, "We'll win next time." I am sick and tired of hearing that. How about we win those games. How about we get a coach who will come up on the winning end of these games.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2013/02/14/2020361652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2013/02/14/2020361652.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a>So what can the Cougs do to stop the bleeding? I'm sorry, but if you are okay with a team that makes SportsCenter by only scoring seven points in a half or getting blown out at home during their "Gray Out" to Oregon by a score of 71-44, you don't appreciate the competitive nature of sports. I'd say this is a culture problem as of now. Hearing those fans who consistently say, "better luck next time" don't realize that there has been a losing culture already slowly settling into this program. It is a weed, a virus, a leach (no pun intended) that will make a program into a joke. WSU is not on the same trend as losing close games. Instead, they are losing only slightly at halftime, before getting blown out of the water in the second half. The Cougs need to make a statement in order to climb out of the bottom of the Pac 12. A statement unlike any other is firing the coach. Even though the Cougs have lost all hope for this season (which is a shame really), they should fire Bone right now as I type this article. Actually, they should have fired him when I was writing this title. Bone has a base salary of $850,000 and is under contract till 2015-2016. WSU would show guts and that they are serious about their basketball program with this firing. An interim coach could inspire some of these players to play better and stay with the program until better things come so that Ike Iroegbu and Que Johnson don't think about transferring away. Another positive about an early firing is that other small time coaches who are looking for that "stepping stone" program will take notice. There are many coaches that would love to spend some time at a Pac 12 program as they build there way up or coaches who are currently assisting but would like to take over the reigns, kind of like Tony Bennett.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KB-e1363893470911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KB-e1363893470911.jpg" height="183" width="200" /></a>Bottom line. Washington State needs to stop fooling around with their future. They are becoming a joke. They have talent. They lose games they shouldn't. They are in a conference where they can be <br />
successful. They aren't making the effort they should to make this basketball program relevant. They have resources. They should make an effort. They should drop the Bone.<br />
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<b>Drop the Bone.</b></div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-43340878575106531542014-01-02T21:27:00.002-08:002014-01-02T21:29:51.432-08:00The Fan-Addict's Power Rankings: NCAAF RBs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1211/cfb-did-you-see-that-13/images/UA-KaDeem_Carey-TD-YP4_1430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/1211/cfb-did-you-see-that-13/images/UA-KaDeem_Carey-TD-YP4_1430.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
<a href="http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatreport/files/2012/12/uspw_68493481-560x413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatreport/files/2012/12/uspw_68493481-560x413.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>1. Ka'Deem Carey: </b>Carey is the best running back in the nation, hands down. He possesses the three most important traits that all of the greats have: burst, vision, and durability. If you'd like to check out any game film of his that demonstrates Carey's rushing prowess, take a look at the Oregon game film. he carried the ball 48 times en route to a 206 yard and 4 TD performance to upset the #5 team in the country. The average of 4.3 ypc during that game may seem pedestrian in the day of explosive running backs in college football; however, Carey brought the fight on every single carry. Towards the end of the game, when it seemed as though the most valuable player of a decent Arizona Wildcat's team should have been resting on the bench, Carey bullied Oregon defenders who were ready to say goodbye to any hope of winning the PAC 12. I understand that Ka'Deem will not be found at the top of many lists for collegiate running backs due to a lack of west coast coverage; however, his career at Arizona is chock full of marquee moments. He has been Mr. Consistency, rushing for 100+ yards in his past 16 games and rushing over 100+ yards in 22 of 25 games these past two seasons. Has he missed a game due to injury? Not yet (knock on wood). If he indeed does declare for the NFL draft, his last season at Arizona was a quality one as he was the reason for most of their wins, finishing with 1885 yards, 19 TDs, and an excellent rushing performance in the Advocare V100 Bowl at Independence Stadium with 169 yards and 2 TDs over Boston College and their Doak Walker winner in Andre Williams. I think he should be the first running back drafted and when NFL GMs watch his game film, he will be the first, taken early in the draft. A late 1st round pick or a 2nd round pick seems to be fair for the Arizona record breaker who can be a durable, consistent workhorse in the NFL.<br />
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<a href="http://cbssports.com/images/collegefootball/USATSI_7587199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://cbssports.com/images/collegefootball/USATSI_7587199.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/files/2013/09/bishop-sankey-vs-arizona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/files/2013/09/bishop-sankey-vs-arizona.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/files/2013/09/bishop-sankey-vs-arizona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b>2. Bishop Sankey: </b>Being the second best running back is good enough to be the second best running back in the nation. That is how strong the PAC 12 is. Sankey, who has already declared for the NFL draft, was actually considered the better PAC 12 running back by many during the early stages of the season by both educated and uneducated fans. Smarter fans mentioned that he had a greater knack for the home run play than Carey while some east coast analysts and lesser watched fans took to the stat sheet to say that Sankey was the better running back. Now that both Sankey and Carey's seasons are over, Ka'Deem has eclipsed Sankey while playing one fewer game. However, 1870 yards is nothing to scoff at, and I hope NFL scouts will watch Sankey's game film against some of the better defenses. He has lacked consistency, with a terrible 22 yard rushing performance against Arizona State, but he also demonstrated a level of vision and explosiveness similar to Carey's against great defenses in Stanford and BYU. I expect Sankey to be drafted in the 3rd round and if he is taken by a team with a solid O-line, he is going to enjoy his fair share of success at the next level.<br />
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<a href="http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/graphics/2013/07/carlos-hyde-td-ac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/graphics/2013/07/carlos-hyde-td-ac.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/awikkRcSi38?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><b>3. Carlos Hyde: </b>Hyde is an absolute beast. When I watched him play this season, he reminded me a lot about Chris "Beanie" Wells, a former 1st round Buckeye. I think when all is said and done, he will be a much better running back than Beanie Wells was in the NFL (not that that says much). Through 10 games, he has rushed for 1408 yards this season with 7.7 ypc. That rushing stat line is made even more impressive when you realize that Hyde is not a lil fellow who likes to take the ball on the edge to run. No, he is a bruiser in a stout 6'0", 242 lbs build. He also has excellent balance and speed for a big man, which has given him a knack for finding the end zone. Just take a look at his #SCtop10 run against the Iowa Hawkeyes. I have never seen a big man with as much body control as he displays in that play. Having Braxton Miller as his QB serves as a nice distraction as teams focus on stopping the QB running game as well as Hyde's own; however, you could very well make the argument that Hyde could have more yardage if his team relied on him more. All in all, I think he is strong and durable enough to become a solid running back in the NFL. I expect him to be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round. Whoever drafts him will have to take some time to clear up his troubled background, but I think he has greatly matured this season.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wareagleextra.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/10Auburn10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://www.wareagleextra.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/10Auburn10.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>4. Tre Mason: </b>Mason is a big play running back. He's extremely explosive and produces with the big play. However, I wouldn't take him over the other two RBs in front of him because I think many of his yards can be credited to the scheme that Auburn runs. With a dangerous running QB in Nick Marshall in Gus Malzahn's clever and sneaky offense, a lot of attention is drawn away from Mason on each individual play. With 128 attempts for 848 yards, more than half of his 1621 yards on 283 attempts came when the game's margin was 15+ points, meaning that Mason runs wild when the game is not close. Putting up as many yards as he has in the SEC is impressive, but it's not as impressive when you take the yardage you should be able to take on the ground against lesser teams such as Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic. It'll be very interesting to see how he'll run against Florida State's defense on January 6th. If he can earn big play yardage against Florida Sate, he would prove his explosiveness against a top defense and cement himself a title as an explosive pro prospect. As it is now, I expect him to be drafted in the 2nd round, but used as a third down back in his first season.<br />
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<a href="http://media.salon.com/2013/12/heisman-williams-football.jpeg-1280x960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://media.salon.com/2013/12/heisman-williams-football.jpeg-1280x960.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://heismanpundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Dre-Williams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://heismanpundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Dre-Williams.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>5. Andre Williams: </b>People on the east coast may trash me for putting the Boston College product, but I am by no means biased against him. After all, I almost went to Boston College High School. I have a great respect for the university, it's football program, it's head coach Steve Addazio, and it's MVP Andre Williams. However, if you take away his rushing performances against NM State, Maryland, and NC State, all of which possess a mediocre defense, then Williams wouldn't have enjoyed the 897 yard spurt to his 2177 yard total that really catapulted the hype he received late in the regular season. With a hot streak entering a regular season finale against Syracuse, Williams was stonewalled and injured by the Orange defense. With time to get healthy after receiving his Doak Walker Award, Williams was stoned again by a sub-par Arizona Wildcats' defense in the Advocare V100 Bowl to end his collegiate career. I think I speak for many when I say college football appreciated Andre Williams' senior campaign. His story is an excellent one meant for the story books as he has demonstrated determination in his rise on BC's depth chart and on the field as a physical running back. I think he will enjoy some success in the NFL as a short-yardage running back, taken in the 3rd round.</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-56637547498370796892014-01-02T13:27:00.002-08:002014-01-02T13:27:45.927-08:00The Fan-Addict's Power Rankings: NCAAF QBs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://cbssports.com/images/collegefootball/Jameis-Winston-Florida-State-No-Helmet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://cbssports.com/images/collegefootball/Jameis-Winston-Florida-State-No-Helmet.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>1. Jameis Winston:</b> The Heisman Trophy winner rightfully took home the hardware this past season after an outstanding freshman campaign. Even though he has been spoiled by outstanding talent all around, you could sense something was special about this kid ever since his 25/27, 356 yard and 4 touchdown performance against the Pitt Panthers in Florida State's first game of the season. Putting all of the negative attention Winston has garnered aside, he has performed effectively in all of his games, blocking all of the negative attention. Given Florida State's offense, Winston figures to make a smooth transition into most pro schemes. I expect him to declare for the draft at the end of next season and I think he will be drafted early in the 1st round.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nepatriotsdraft.pixafy.netdna-cdn.com//wp-content/uploads/2013/05/USATSI_6702744_154511498_lowres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://nepatriotsdraft.pixafy.netdna-cdn.com//wp-content/uploads/2013/05/USATSI_6702744_154511498_lowres.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>2. Teddy Bridgewater: </b>I've been high on this kid ever since his freshman season because I think he has all the tools to succeed as a quarterback. He is deadly accurate and athletic; however, he also demonstrates a drive and will to win. Just look at last year's Sugar Bowl. Louisville has not faced many challenges this season and the team could not execute late in their lone loss to an upstart UCF team. However, Bridgewater has consistently demonstrated his knack for football and his smart decision making. I personally think that he was too highly touted at the beginning of the season because the media covered him as if he was the lone bright spot for a very solid Louisville team. Give him credit for maintaining a workmanlike approach to football and not making a stint on the social scene. Teddy is a smart, humble quarterback who showed tremendous upside this season, especially in his last two games against Cincinnati and Miami (FL). He refused to be tackled before converting a key 3rd-and-long late against the Bearcats and he was superb against Miami, leaving the Hurricanes scratching their heads and wondering what could have been if Bridgewater had been their signal caller instead of Stephen Morris. I expect him to be drafted early in the 1st round.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://johnny-manziel.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Johnny-Manziel-31-2000x1314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://johnny-manziel.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Johnny-Manziel-31-2000x1314.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>3. Johnny Manziel: </b>Manziel has always attracted attention, both positive and negative. After winning <br />
<a href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51f968a7ecad047d38000001/the-18-most-outrageous-things-johnny-football-has-done-in-honor-of-his-21st-birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51f968a7ecad047d38000001/the-18-most-outrageous-things-johnny-football-has-done-in-honor-of-his-21st-birthday.jpg" width="200" /></a>the Heisman Trophy last year, everyone wanted to see how he would develop. Sophomore slump? Nope. Maturation as a passer? You betcha. Manziel and Texas A&M have not enjoyed the success they experienced last season, but Manziel has become a much better passer. We all knew he could scramble, improvise and throw on the run, but this season, he has been able to sit in the pocket and make all sorts of throws. College football's public enemy #1 can come off as arrogant, but he is a competitor nonetheless. Just look at his last game of the season, a comeback 52-48 win over Duke in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. He has benefited by throwing to Mike Evans, a quality NFL prospect, so given the team Manziel is drafted by, he could enjoy similar success with a good receiving corp. My bet is that he will land on a team that has talent, but just missed out on the playoffs since I think he will go in the middle of the 1st round. Any NFL team that picks him up will be sure to straighten out his behavior off the field.<br />
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<a href="http://dblcoverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ncf_a_marcus-mariota_mb_576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://dblcoverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ncf_a_marcus-mariota_mb_576.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>4. Marcus Mariota: </b>Even though Oregon did not win the PAC 12 in a year that may be considered disappointing by some in Eugene, Mariota has demonstrated that he has the natural tools to succeed in college football as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks we have seen in a while. He has a good pocket presence and makes good reads and throws. He is also deadly fast. His decision to stay at Oregon for another year is a good one because I think that he needs time to develop more facets to his game, or else he won't be able to adjust to the NFL with just speed and a knowledge of the zone read offense. I think he draws comparisons to Colin Kaepernick due to similar build and a similar style of play. However, when Kaepernick came out of Nevada running the pistol offense, he wasn't ready for the NFL. His throwing motion was raw, and it still is to an extent, and he managed an college-style offense. I expect a team to take Mariota very early in the 1st round in next year's draft, but that team would be wise to develop his football IQ for professional offenses and defenses by sitting him for a years.<br />
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<b>5. Derek Carr:</b> Everyone was thinking, "Not another overrated Carr" when Fresno State and its signal caller gained national recognition. The thing is, the younger Carr is better than his brother and has proved it over his senior season. It's been a long time coming for Carr to prove his mettle as he is one of the few highly touted senior quarterbacks in college football; however, he has grown with Fresno State. His teammates have gotten better and he returned the favor this past season by slinging the ball for 5082 yards and 50 TDs with 8 INTs. He has the physical tools to perform;
however, my concern is how he will manage NFL defenses since they are much,
much better than anything he has seen in the Mountain West. His performance is
the Las Vegas Bowl was not a red flag, per se, but it did show that he needs
developing. That is why I think he will be drafted late in the 1st round by a
team that has a solution at quarterback, but would like to develop Carr for
seasons to come.<br />
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-15045720298074581382013-04-08T21:32:00.000-07:002013-04-08T21:32:21.073-07:00Team of Destiny? Yes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zc_vft.GO67B5wWSE0Q3xg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00NjU7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/388/2013/04/09/166102903-jpg_035915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zc_vft.GO67B5wWSE0Q3xg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00NjU7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/388/2013/04/09/166102903-jpg_035915.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://gamedayr.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kevin-ware-cutting-down-the-nets-louisville-title-570x716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://gamedayr.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kevin-ware-cutting-down-the-nets-louisville-title-570x716.jpg" width="254" /></a>Congratulations to the University of Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Team for winning the 2013 NCAA Div. I Men's Basketball Championship. Watching this tournament was a treat and watching this finals match-up of the Michigan Wolverines and Louisville Cardinals was a pleasure. Both teams deserved to be in this spot and both teams were a part of a special championship game. Louisville won this game, but let me tell you, Michigan did not help themselves. Earlier this month, I saw a graphic of the Final Four coaches. Boeheim and Pitino are obviously solid; however, the coach that had the most concerning credentials was John Beilein. The team that he has is extremely talented, but extremely young. He is the one that needed to be the "X-factor", but the key decisions that he made during the final did not help his team out. The NCAA Player of the Year, Trey Burke of Michigan, was taken out of the game early by Beilein after he picked up his 2nd foul. Burke's absence was the reason Louisville was able to come back from a double-digit deficit and change the course of the game. A player like Spike Albrecht could only do so much for the Wolverines during his little shooting spurt, but experience counts on these national stages. Michigan could have won the game, but the sports gods smiled upon Pitino and his Cardinals. They wouldn't be stopped and they Won for Ware. Great game. Well deserved title to the Louisville Cardinals.<br />
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-77320964585719336272013-03-03T20:30:00.000-08:002013-03-03T20:30:29.799-08:00ASU's Sparky Gets a New (Demonic) Look. Thanks a lot, Disney<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you have seen my blog before, you'll probably sense that I am not very fond of Arizona State University. Leaving that aside, I do know quite a bit about the university since I am a former Arizonan. From my sense, people never had a whole lot of beef against ASU other than the fact that they have the highest undergrad population in the country, have consistently been named one of the best party schools, have the highest rate of STDs in a college campus, have a plethora of California chicks and bros that decided to attend their safety-safety school, have an alarmingly high number of alums that went on to be pornstars, and have a Devil as a mascot. In this post, I want to zoom in on their mascot Sparky.<br />
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<b>A Brief History of Sparky the Sun Devil</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/02_197108_10150100194956854_22208101853_6906742_7275395_n_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/02_197108_10150100194956854_22208101853_6906742_7275395_n_0.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparky in 1970</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/04_sda_newblackunis_sparky_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/04_sda_newblackunis_sparky_0.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparky in 2011</td></tr>
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ASU's mascot wasn't always a fiendish, pitchfork-wielding imp. Arizona's Second University was initially called Tempe Normal School and their mascot was the Normals. Soon, they became a state school and toggled through a bulldog then owl mascot. After a while, an ASU alum that was fired from Disney was given the task of creating a new mascot for the school. He then sent ASU a devilish caricature of Walt Disney, which has since become the image of ASU and has been named Sparky the Sun Devil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/01_188868_10150100195156854_22208101853_6906749_1911405_n_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://asunews.asu.edu/files/images/01_188868_10150100195156854_22208101853_6906749_1911405_n_0.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparky in 1965</td></tr>
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Over the years, Sparky has gone through quite a few changes; however, the constant has always been the Sun Devil logo<br />
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<b>Sparky the Sun Devil (circa 2013)</b><br />
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This new look is unnecessary. It is tasteless, scary, and designed by Disney (pretty ironic). A classic case of "If it ain't broke, don't break it" in the sports world. The old Sparky had almost a stuffed animal charm about him, but now, it seems as though I am looking into the eyes of Lucifer himself. The mascot was intended to be more "child-friendly", but it looks more like a child's worst nightmare. Before, it seemed as though the devil-mascot debate has always been a silly argument, but now, this mascot gives it a devilish twist. At least it's Sunday so I can go pray.</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-24052586118232398762013-02-24T18:19:00.002-08:002013-02-24T18:19:58.019-08:00How many points is home-court advantage?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How many points is home-court advantage. Putting a number on this stat is extremely difficult so let me begin by stating how home court yields an advantage. When a team plays at home, they have both the fans and refs by their side. As much as people will deny that the fans influence the referees, no human being will willingly make 15,000+ fans hate their guts whenever they call a foul or blow their whistle. As a result, the referees are more likely to call fewer fouls against the home team and more against the home team. The fans will then attempt to distract the opposing free-throw shooters and offense in order to make an impact on the game.<br />
<a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/583/736/hi-res-143062535_display_image.jpg?1347305913" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/583/736/hi-res-143062535_display_image.jpg?1347305913" width="200" /></a><a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/926/498/hi-res-159729054_display_image.jpg?1359306681" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/926/498/hi-res-159729054_display_image.jpg?1359306681" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
In this post, I will be looking at the more consistent teams with a high average home attendance in order to formulate an average of how many points home-court advantage yields based on home-and-away conference match ups.<br />
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Now let me explain the process of this calculation before I give you a number. So let me show you the equation:<br />
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Home Margin—Away Margin= Difference<o:p></o:p></div>
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Difference/2= Home-Court Advantage</div>
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In order to make this number as accurate as possible, I took scores from schools that are renowned for having a daunting home-court advantage like Gonzaga, Kentucky, Florida, Arizona, Duke, UCLA, etc. I then sampled from 106 games in which the team played home and away against the same opponent to formulate this number: (drumroll please)</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b> 4.8679 points from Home-Court Advantage</b></span></div>
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This pretty much explains why the teams that I have listed have won some thrillers this year when they played at home. By using this stat, maybe we can project the scores of any neutral-site, regular-season rematches during March Madness</div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-30190997397653165742013-02-10T19:21:00.000-08:002013-02-10T19:21:18.103-08:00Home Court... Hurts?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Is it possible that playing at home can negatively impact the home team? I'd like to say no, but I can't help but think yes. In college basketball, most any team can give another a scare and this season, most any team can pull off an upset. All AP top 10 teams have been upset at least once, most of which have come on the road; however, playing in front of the home crowd does not give a team that is picked to win the extra push necessary. Any basketball coach will tell you that it is difficult to win on the road and that they put in more preparation for road games. What a coach won't tell you is that the team will not focus as much for a game that has "already been decided". Oftentimes you will see a team not play as hard as they should and then receive a scare from lower competition. Other times, you may observe a team that is trying to impress the home crowd by playing a more stylish brand of basketball with no-look passes or alley oops. Sometimes, it doesn't work out and the away team will capitalize. Judging from the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team today and other home games at the McKale Center, they haven't played the brand of basketball that they would like. Instead, there was a crowd watching their every move, just waiting to explode. That will oftentimes get you mixed results if the other team came to play. Either you will have a closely contested game that goes back and forth seeing the home team as the eventual winner, or you will see the away team come bursting out of the gates to quickly silence the home crowd and grind out a road win. Today, as the Wildcats played the Cal Golden Bears, there was no sense of urgency, especially at the start of the 2nd half, by the home team. Before fans could return from concessions to their seats, Cal had come bursting out of the gates to grab a 10-point lead. The crowd was stunned and the team never recovered as the Golden Bears pranced away with a 77-69 win over the 7th ranked Arizona Wildcats. With tickets had to come by in Tucson for these basketball games, each fan is waiting for a Mark Lyons trey, a Solo fade away, or a Nick Johnson alley oop that they see so often on TV. The players know what the fans want to see and every now and then, you catch them not prepared or trying to impress. In a season like this one, you cannot afford to do that.</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-66425947911814305832013-02-10T18:52:00.001-08:002013-02-11T21:27:46.842-08:00I'm Back!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'd like to apologize for my lack of posts over the past several months. Since the summer of last year, I have moved from Tucson, Arizona to Pullman, Washington. There hasn't been much to cover here in the Palouse other than WSU's disappointing 2012 football campaign as well as an extremely mediocre season from the basketball squad. Things down south in Tucson have looked quite good as the Arizona Wildcats football team finished 8-5 with a ridiculous victory against Nevada to conclude their season with the New Mexico Bowl trophy. The men's basketball team has also been performing well with a consistent ranking in the AP top 10. The Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks have both been very active in the offseason, with the Blue Jays drastically improving their roster with many acquisitions. However, the D-backs have made changes that don't seem to make the team a bona-fide contender in the NL West. The Arizona Cardinals started off their 2012 campaign with a surprising and encouraging 4-0 starts, only to finish the season 5-11, which led to the dismissal of Coach Ken Whisenhunt. The Phoenix Suns have become a doormat of the Western conference and the NHL lockout began and ended. Plenty of sports news is still to come and I will attempt to post more frequently. You can also follow me on twitter @thefanaddict</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-88151200953136949432012-09-01T23:27:00.000-07:002012-09-03T15:29:11.201-07:00Arizona beats Toledo in OT for the first win of the RichRod era<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The RichRod era has begun in Arizona and it started off with a great offensive performance; however, something was missing: scores. The Wildcats amassed 624 total yards, but managed to only score four times in their 24-17 OT victory against the Toledo Rockets. The offense was superb and fast paced, oftentimes running a play once the referee set the ball, but there were too many mistakes. Toledo isn't a bad team and should be a favorite to win the Mid-American Conference, but they should've been pummeled. The Cats offense had so many opportunities to score TDs, but two were called back by penalties and the Cats fumbled three times in the redzone. Arizona should have won in regulation, but John Bonano shanked a 26 yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have given the Cats the victory. Instead the game went to OT, where the Cats recieved the ball first and scored on a beautiful Matt Scott scramble-and-throw to Terrence Miller for the 10 yard go-ahead score. The Cats defense would hold on and give Arizona its first victory of the RichRod era. The offense looks to be one of the most productive offenses in the Pac 12 as well as Arizona history with Matt Scott throwing, running, and handing the ball off to Ka'deem Carey, who looks to be an explosive RB that the Arizona program has lacked for quite a while.</div>
fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-18762428291560800442012-09-01T16:27:00.000-07:002012-09-03T16:30:55.149-07:00NCAAF Preseason: A look at the 2012 Heisman Candidates and Hopefuls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://frontofficenews.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/matt-barkley.jpg%3fw=640" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://frontofficenews.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/matt-barkley.jpg%3fw=640" width="320" /></a><strong>The Favorites: </strong></div>
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<strong>#1. Matt Barkley, USC:</strong> Barkley is entering his Senior year as quarterback at USC and he has all of the tools to win another Heisman for the Trojans. With two dangerous wide recievers, a talented backfield and a stout offensive line, Barkley looks like a favorite to win the trophy and he can only blame himslef if he doesn't. Even if he doesn't win the trophy, he'll still be the top QB of the 2013 NFL Draft</div>
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<a href="http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0803/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0803/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2012/0803/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest/dm_120803_ncf_montee_ball_latest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong></strong></a><strong>#2. Montee Ball, Wisconsin:</strong> Now that the nation knows who Montee ball is, Heisman Voters will be on the look out. This guy is special and will be a top tier NFL running back, but the college system of ranking the best player always leans towards the QB. Without a star QB on Wisconsin, Ball should get many touches and that means more TDs. I don't think he'll get 39 TDs again, but he'll put up Heisman-worthy yards.</div>
<a href="http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Geno+Smith+vji-YETY75mm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Geno+Smith+vji-YETY75mm.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong>#3. Geno Smith, West Virginia:</strong> No one will benefit more from West Virginia's move to the Big 12 than Geno Smith. Putting up monster numbers in the Big East is cool, but it's hard to attract Heisman talk unless you are a title contender. The Mountaineers move to the Big 12 does make them a title contender, which will put Smith in the spotlight. If he can perform against top-tier football teams every week like he did against Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Smith will be a dangerous Heisman contender.<br />
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<a href="http://fishduck.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/agyemanoregon-deanthony-thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://fishduck.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/agyemanoregon-deanthony-thomas.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a><strong>#4. De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon:</strong> The one thing I can't stand about the Heisman is that it tries to give NFL prospects a ton of publicity before the NFL draft. The voters always seem to forget that this award is for the best college football player, not the best NFL prospect. De'Anthony Thomas is a player who has potential to break all college football rushing records, but it is very possible that the Heisman voters will not crown him the title of "best college football player" just because he won't succeed in the NFL.</div>
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<a href="http://media.mlive.com/spartans_impact/photo/leveon-bell-18jpg-d3d3077bf162312c_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://media.mlive.com/spartans_impact/photo/leveon-bell-18jpg-d3d3077bf162312c_large.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong> #5. Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State:</strong> Michigan State looks to be a very good and physical team in the Big 10. This means that they will shut down opposing defenses and hand the ball off to Le'veon Bell 30-40 times a game. He is huge for an all-down running back at 6'2", 244 lbs and figures to be one of the top running backs selected in either the 2013 or 2014 NFL draft. If Michigan State can muster some respect around the nation as a football power and maybe even recieve a Rose Bowl berth, Bell will be the greatest benefactor.</div>
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<a href="http://espn991.com/files/2012/08/Teddy-Bridgewater-Louisville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://espn991.com/files/2012/08/Teddy-Bridgewater-Louisville.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong>The Darkhorse: </strong><strong>Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville:</strong> Every year, there is a darkhorse contender in the Heisman race. Last year, it was RG3, who actually took home the hardware. For this year, I bet the darkhorse will be another dual-threat QB, this time from Louisville. If Louisville absolutely dominates the Big East and goes to a BCS bowl game, it's all because of their QB, Teddy Bridgewater. He is accurate and fast, but would benefit by bulking up a bit.</div>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-35866674729078429712012-08-14T13:35:00.000-07:002012-08-14T13:35:55.279-07:00A Brief History of Washington Sports: Washington State Cougars Football<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres/948271/948271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres/948271/948271.jpg" width="149" /></a>This is the first post of many that will briefly cover the history of a Washington sports team. In this post, I will cover the Washington State Cougars Football team. I recently attended a fall football scrimmage for the 2012 team and my impression of this team is quite different than those of the fans here in Pullman. From what I gathered after listening in on a few Cougs fans' conversations, it seems as though Wazzu expects great things from this season, mostly due to the arrival of head coach Mike Leach. A hire like Leach is a huge deal for this school considering all of his accolades and what he brings to the table; however, fans everywhere will be blinded by hype. These fans expect a bowl bid and a 6-6 or 7-5 record in Leach's first season; however, we must look at history to see what the future holds for Cougars football. <br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2008-1018-002-WSUMartinStadiumpan.JPG/640px-2008-1018-002-WSUMartinStadiumpan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2008-1018-002-WSUMartinStadiumpan.JPG/640px-2008-1018-002-WSUMartinStadiumpan.JPG" width="320" /></a><strong><u>Martin Stadium:</u></strong> 2012 will be the 40th year in which the Washington State Cougars have played in Martin Stadium. Named after former governor of Washington, Clarence D. Martin, Martin Stadium held its first game on September 30, 1972. The stadium originally had a capacity of 26,500 and is currently the smallest stadium in the Pac-12 with a capacity of 35,117. I've been to some of the world's nicest and largest sporting venues and I must say, I was unimpressed. Washington State is currently working on adding a press box which makes the stadium look nicer and more 21st century; however, it is just way too small. It now looks as though they added a press box to a Texas high school football stadium. The lack of size gives this stadium almost no intimidation factor, but Martin Stadium does make for a tough playing field during the winter time due to snow.<br />
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<a href="http://img.fanbase.com/media.fanbase.com/8/15326/13316fdf4b61e681698b35c632fcc184d5210886.jpg?x=246&y=197&sig=491b2717bac9b34377676c49ab88813d" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.fanbase.com/media.fanbase.com/8/15326/13316fdf4b61e681698b35c632fcc184d5210886.jpg?x=246&y=197&sig=491b2717bac9b34377676c49ab88813d" /></a><strong><u>Three Straight Ten Win Seasons:</u></strong> In 1997, the Cougs made it to the Rose Bowl under QB Ryan Leaf and Head Coach Mike Price; however, they lost to the Michigan Wolverines and finished 10-2 with an AP Ranking of #9. Leaf left for the NFL, leaving Price with a promising group of players. In 2001, the Cougars would reach the ten-win mark once again, finishing with a 10-2 record and #10 in the AP poll after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sun Bowl. The following year, the Cougars would become co-champions of the Pac-10 with a 10-3 record and a trip to the Rose Bowl. The Cougars would lose the Rose Bowl to the Oklahoma Sooners and finish at #10 once again in the AP Poll. The following season, Price would leave for a coaching job at Alabama, which lead to the promotion of Bill Doba to Head Coach. Doba would take the Cougs to the Holiday Bowl, where they beat the Texas Longhorns and finished the season with a 10-3 record and an AP Poll ranking of #9. However, the following season was a great dissapointment as the Cougars finished with a 5-6 record, ending their streak of ten-win seasons.<br />
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<strong><u>Recent History:</u></strong> Following their ten-win 2003 season, the Cougars haven't had a single winning season. Doba proved that he could not make a new winning team with a new batch of young players; however, in 2006, he led the team to a 6-6 mark but they were not invited to a bowl game. After a 5-7, 2007 campaign, Doba was fired. He was replaced by Paul Wulff. He was awful. The team had a 9-40 record with him at the helm and finished at the bottom of the Pac-10/12 twice. Wulff was fired after a 4-8, 2011 campaign. Washington State hired Mike Leach as head coach during the offseason. Leach brings an 84-43 record to Pullman and a reputation as the best head coach for the spread offense passing attack. This system should fit nicely with the current group of players. I doubt the team will make it to a bowl in 2012, but they are headed in the right direction after a 7-year stretch of mediocrity and poor football. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Leach</td></tr>
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-84420147818270444842012-08-12T14:49:00.001-07:002012-08-14T12:06:25.021-07:00NCAAF Preseason Preview: Pac-12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mG8nhak0uiE/T0_fwbsZakI/AAAAAAAABC8/QN5owi-pC5s/s1600/logo_Pac_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mG8nhak0uiE/T0_fwbsZakI/AAAAAAAABC8/QN5owi-pC5s/s200/logo_Pac_12.jpg" width="158" /></a>The Pac-12 will look to prove that it belongs as one of the stronger conferences in college football as teams like Oregon look to retain their dominance of previous years while USC looks to recapture their dominant form of years past in this conference after a bowl ban due to NCAA sanctions. These two schools will attract a lot of attention to the west coast for football; however, there are other teams on the rise in the Pac-12. With four new big-name coaches joining the conference, fans are likely to see a change in this conference for the better. It will look as though the Pac-12 will continue to produce the best offenses in all of college football; however, the cream of the crop must reach a BCS bowl in order to compete with the SEC and Big 10 to prove that west coast offenses are the way to go in the year of 2012 in college football. Here is a preseason ranking of all twelve teams in the North and South divisions of the Pac-12:<br />
<strong><u>North Division</u></strong><br />
<a href="http://media.oregonlive.com/ducks_impact/photo/deanthonytdjpg-fedd87e2f9c2a181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://media.oregonlive.com/ducks_impact/photo/deanthonytdjpg-fedd87e2f9c2a181.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong>1. Oregon Ducks: </strong>The Ducks left off the 2011 season with a Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. They return with a talented but young roster and a great offensive-minded coach in Chip Kelly. The Ducks have had great success with Chip Kelly as head coach with three consecutive conference titles; however, this is the first season Coach Kelly does not have LaMichael James. James left for the NFL, which should be an enormous loss for this team considering he was a Heisman candidate; however, the Ducks have found success last season without him. James suffered an injury midway through last season; however, the Ducks managed to put up big offensive numbers with De'Anthony Thomas at RB. Thomas (aka The Black Mamba), a sophomore, will put up huge numbers in the Ducks' offense with his blazing speed and his shifty moves. The Black Mamba ran for 155 yards and 2 TDs in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin... on only 2 attempts. He will be the key to success for Oregon even if sophomore QB Bryan Bennett underperforms. The Ducks already have an opportunistic defense that is much better than other Pac-12 defenses; however, the offense puts them head and shoulders above the rest. <u>Projected record: 11-1</u><br />
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<a href="http://www.pac12sportswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Price-Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.pac12sportswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Price-Pic.jpg" width="151" /></a><strong>2. Washington Huskies: </strong>Head Coach Steve Sarkisian has taken these Huskies from the bottom of the conference into serious contention. Last year, the team looked as though the loss of Jake Locker to the NFL would be too much of a letdown; however, QB Keith Price outperformed Locker. Now a Junior, Price looks primed to become one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12. There are a few areas of concern for the Dawgs though. The lost RB Chris Polk to the NFL (even though he wasn't drafted) and there defense was awful last year. The Huskies managed to score 56 points in last year's Valero Alamo Bowl and they still managed to lose because their paper-thin defense surrendered 67 points to Baylor. Their running game and defense look to be the only areas of concern. Other than that, the Huskies show a lot of promise for the 2012 season. <u>Projected record: 8-4</u><br />
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<a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/files/2012/06/11FB-Maynard-in-pocket-010-MJB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/files/2012/06/11FB-Maynard-in-pocket-010-MJB.jpg" width="139" /></a><strong>3. Cal Golden Bears: </strong>Never underestimate Cal in the Pac-12. They have an under-rated tradition in football, and this year, they have quite a bit of potential. Coming off a 7-5 regular season and a Holiday Bowl loss to Texas, QB Zach Maynard and RB Isi Sofele both look primed for a big season. The lefty QB had flashes of brilliance last season; however, he always looked a bit unpolished. This offseason, he has worked on his throwing technique. RB Isi Sofele enters his Senior year looking like a solid NFL prospect who has both speed and power. Cal has a rich RB history, so Sofele figures to be key to any success in the 2012 season; however, Cal can also count on Zach Maynard to have a quality season with WR Keenan Allen leading the recieving corp. <u>Projected record: 8-4</u><br />
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<a href="http://www.pac12sportswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Stanford-Stepfan-Taylor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.pac12sportswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Stanford-Stepfan-Taylor.jpg" width="133" /></a><strong>4. Stanford Cardinal: </strong>Head Coach David Shaw needs to have a successful season with Stanford, or else it will prove that the loss of Andrew Luck is too great as the Cardinal slip back to mediocrity. I don't think Stanford will have a poor 2012 campaign; however, I do believe that they will slip quite a bit. If you take away Andrew Luck from the Stanford offense, you basically take away the passing game. This is the best-case scenario for the Cardinal since their offense is run-first system. The O-line does have a few holes that need to be filled, but they should still control the ground with RB Stepfan Taylor. Taylor is probably the most NFL-ready RB coming out of the Pac-12. Stanford will continue to play solid defense, which will lead to a decent record and maybe even a bowl, but the loss of Luck will be greatly evident since they don't even have a starting QB. <u>Projected record: 7-5</u><br />
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<a href="http://searchingforakilismith.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/935559.standalone.prod_affiliate.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://searchingforakilismith.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/935559.standalone.prod_affiliate.5.jpg" width="137" /></a><a href="http://mit.zenfs.com/214/2011/11/Connor-Halliday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://mit.zenfs.com/214/2011/11/Connor-Halliday.jpg" width="150" /></a><strong>5. Washington State Cougars: </strong>I just moved to Pullman this Summer and you can easily tell what the talk around town is: Mike Leach. Coach Leach won't lead the Cougars to a BCS bowl, but his high-flying passing offense should keep the Cougs competitive. The QB competition between Sr. Jeff Tuel and So. Connor Halliday is probably one of the better ones in the Pac-12 since both look as if they would be able to put up big numbers in Leach's spread offense. The biggest are of concern for Wazzu is the defense. It sucked last year and it still looks like their Achilles heel for this season. If the defense can stop the bleeding and allow the offense to play shootout every week, they won't win a lot of games, but they'll stay competitve in most of them. <u>Projected record: 5-7</u><br />
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<a href="http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sean-Mannion-Beavers1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://www.nwsportsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sean-Mannion-Beavers1.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong> 6. Oregon State Beavers</strong>: The Beavers had an awful 3-9 record last year, but they still show some promise. So. QB Sean Mannion played well last year, but he threw too many INTs. With some more experience, Mannion could have a good year with WR Markus Wheaton. I'm not saying the Beavers will have a good season since their defense was terrible last season, but they do have some talent on offense (like the rest of the Pac-12). <u>Projected record: 2-10</u></div>
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<a href="http://trojanempire.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/usc-football-matt-barkley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://trojanempire.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/usc-football-matt-barkley.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong>1. USC Trojans: </strong>2012 will be the first year Matt Barkley will be able to play in a bowl game. I'm betting that it's gonna be the National title game. USC is loaded on offense and defense. They have the best corp of WRs in the conference, the best QB, and a talented backfield thanks to the arrival of Silas Redd. The defense will continue to be one of the best in the Pac-12 due to speed and size. The reason as to why the Trojans will be successful is because their team is built like SEC and Big 10 teams. If USC beats Oregon on Nov. 3, it will prove that the other power conferences are too strong for other the spread offenses in the Pac-12. <u>Projected record: 12-0</u></div>
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<strong>2. Utah Utes: </strong>As a newcomer to the Pac-12 last year, Utah still managed to finish 8-5 and a Sun Bowl victory. That was mostly without their starting QB Jordan Wynn. With Wynn back, Utah is primed to win quite a few games. They possess one of the better defenses in all of the Pac-12 and can shut down spread offenses that do a lot of running. On offense, they can do a lot more than just handing the ball to RB John White who had a monster 2011 campaign. The offense looks to have a nice balance of running and passing, which works in their favor since the defense won't let any game turn into a shootout. <u>Projected record: 9-3</u></div>
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<a href="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c1910342/media_center/images/rendered/blog/wysiwyg/Matt-Scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c1910342/media_center/images/rendered/blog/wysiwyg/Matt-Scott.jpg" width="155" /></a><strong>3. Arizona Wildcats: </strong>The arrival of Rich Rod at the U of A will put an emphasis on offensive football. Too bad the Cats' problems last year came in defense. Just like the other upper to mid-tier Pac-12 teams, the Cats will have a good spread offense. They just need to hope that their own defense can stop the bleeding if any game turns into a shootout. Sr. QB Matt Scott and So. RB Ka'deem Carey look as though they'd be a good fit for Rich Rod's spread offense. The defense doesn't look as though there is an increase in talent, but more players have more experience and the starting role for every defensive position is a competition. The defense won't be good, but they'll be good enough to stop the bleeding. The offense should be a bit more run-oriented and able to put up points. <u>Projected record: 7-5</u></div>
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<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5da9e48970c-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5da9e48970c-500wi" width="200" /></a><strong>4. UCLA Bruins: </strong>The Bruins have the strength to out-muscle other teams; however, they don't have the speed on offense and their defense isn't nearly as good as it should be. New Head Coach Jim Mora Jr. should focus on the defense, since they let up a bunch of yards and points last season. Sr. QB Kevin Prince should bring some experience to the UCLA offence; however, he doesn't throw to well, is fragile, and likes to run way to much. RB Johnathan Franklin is the bright spot for the UCLA offense, but he is more of a bruiser than a speedster, which is bad for any shootouts that the defense may get the offense into. The defense could easily get better since they are bigger and stronger than most Pac-12 defenses, they just need proper coaching. <u>Projected record: 5-7</u></div>
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<a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/1972426/126321772_extra_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/1972426/126321772_extra_large.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong>5. Arizona State Sun Devils: </strong>I must admit, I am extremely biased against the Sun Devils, but 2012 doesn't look too good for ASU. Last year's roster was very talented and they still managed to shrivel to a 6-7 record. This year, they have a new coach in Todd Graham, but no proven starting QB and an offense that will likely revolve around Sr. RB Cameron Marshall. Their defense also looks worse than it did last year, which is never a good sign in football, especially in the Pac-12. <u>Projected record: 4-8</u><br />
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<a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/083/304/107103795_crop_650x440.jpg?1291668712" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/083/304/107103795_crop_650x440.jpg?1291668712" width="200" /></a><b>6. Colorado Buffaloes: </b>It's never nice to pick on the team that doesn't do well and criticize them when they already know they're bad, but the Buffaloes are going to have to wait for quite a while until people will start to talk about them seriously. Last year, they went 3-10 and this year figures to get worse. The Buffaloes lose their two best players from last year in QB Tyler Hansen and RB Rodney Stewart. Their defense is pretty bad and there are to many vacant leadership roles for a batch of inexperienced players. <u>Projected record: 2-10</u><br />
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According to my predictions, the Pac-12 will send seven teams to a bowl game, which is pretty good. However, Pac-12 teams are known for their poor play in bowl games. Last year, only two teams from this conference won their bowl game. Due to a relatively dull choice of non-conference games on their schedules, we'll have to wait until Bowl season to see how these spread, pass-first, fast-paced offenses fare against larger defenses from other power conferences. If the Pac-12 can prove that these offenses can thrive in the game of football, there is potential that the offensive mind-set may be changed in all levels of football.<br />
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fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497614469440188725.post-21172577765659372562012-07-06T08:12:00.003-07:002012-07-06T08:12:50.305-07:00China shouldn't block my blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have never once said anything bad in my blog about China... in fact I have never even mentioned China in my blog, yet they have chosen to block blogspot just cause they can. Well you know what? I am currently blogging in China and I'd like to talk a little bit about their sports in this post. The Summer Olympics are approaching, meaning that there is an international fervor about the upcoming event. This doesn't exclude China. The Chinese have been looking forward to the Olympics a bit more than most countries, considering their successful results from Beijing 2008, where they won the most gold medals. An extremely popular sport here in China is basketball. Their national team is not that good at basketball and neither are most Chinese citizens; however, Yao Ming has left a permanent footprint on the Chinese sports culture since many Chinese people still follow the NBA and are even willing to wake up early in the morning and watch the NBA Finals. Ping-pong, badminton, tennis, soccer, and golf are also relatively popular sports in China, since the Chinese appreciate skill-sports as opposed to physical-sports, such as baseball, hockey, and football. Especially football. I brought a football to China and they won't allow me to throw the ball since they think it's dangerous. The Chinese have such little interest and exposure to this sport that they think the violent aspect of football is the simple action of throwing. It also seems that they have little loyalty for the sports that they actually appreciate, such as soccer. The Chinese National Soccer team is seen as a joke to most Chinese people. When I walk into the Adidas store, I'll spot a Rajon Rondo jersey, a D. Rose jersey, and the world-famous Kobe Bryant jersey. I'll even see all of the countries whose soccer teams sport Adidas (including Japan, whom the Chinese are not too fond of); however, a Chinese soccer jersey is nowhere to be seen. The Chinese would rather support other winning soccer teams, such as Spain, rather than their own country. A few hours after the Spanish won the Euro Cup, all of the Spanish Adidas Soccer jerseys were sold out. The culture is simply different here. Children are focused on school rather than sports, which makes some sense, but I still think that there needs to be a healthy balance of sports and education in China. Strengthen your mind AND your muscle.</div>fan-addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936025568319413606noreply@blogger.com0Shanghai, China31.230393 121.47370430.3614965 120.21027649999999 32.0992895 122.7371315