How do you waste time during a long rain delay? Take a look at how the Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky Universitiy baseball teams handled the delay!
http://fauowlaccess.com/video/107/fau-and-wku-present-rain-delay-theatre.aspx
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Expansion of the NCAA Tournament
A huge topic as of late has been the talk of expanding the NCAA Tournament to a record number of 96 teams. This plan can happen as soon as next year. I have one question for the NCAA: Are you crazy?!
Yes, this whole thing is about money. Right now the NCAA is in the midst of a 11-year, $6 BILLION contract with CBS. It has an option to opt out of the contract after this years' NCAA Tournament and after yesterday's Final Four press conference, it seems like that will happen.While the press conference was originally supposed to be on what the options for expanding the tournament, whether it be 68, 94 or 96 teams, it clearly became one that focused on one specific number: 96.
In today's tournament, there are 65 teams, as one game is played earlier in the week, a game called the 'Play-In game.' In the new format, the tournament will be extended by a week and to make things more ridiculous, the seeding will also change.
In the current format, teams are seeded 1-16 in four regions, with the top seeded team playing the 16th, 2 vs. 15, etc. The new format would be as follows. The top 32 seeds, so those usually seeded 1-8 in the four regions, would be given first-round byes, therefore allowing the remaining 64 teams to determine who would face any of those 32 seeds in the next round. Does this make sense? Not really, but oh well.
What truly doesn't make sense is the fact that the NCAA won't do anything about the BCS, but it will ruin the best thing they have by including 32 more teams. The tournament creates BILLIONS of dollars of revenue. All the NCAA cares about is how much more it could make. It doesn't matter that some teams that qualify for the tournament won't deserve it, but it's ok more $$$.
Under the future rules, all of the teams in the NIT, including schools such as Northwestern, UNC and UCONN would have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Did they deserve to be included? No. They didn't prove themselves in the regular season to be deserving of a bid. The new format pretty much makes the regular season irrelevant and just seems like another way to get all the big schools in the tournament. It will get rid of the NIT and end something that made all smaller schools happy: the fact that if you won your conference regular season title, but lost in your conference tournament, you got an Auto-NIT bid. But it's ok forget about them, right?
NCAA before you do something you regret, sit back and realize the ramifications this expansion will have on the college basketball landscape. But as I have already said, neither something you nor I say will matter, so just sit back and watch the NCAA become even more greedy.
Yes, this whole thing is about money. Right now the NCAA is in the midst of a 11-year, $6 BILLION contract with CBS. It has an option to opt out of the contract after this years' NCAA Tournament and after yesterday's Final Four press conference, it seems like that will happen.While the press conference was originally supposed to be on what the options for expanding the tournament, whether it be 68, 94 or 96 teams, it clearly became one that focused on one specific number: 96.
In today's tournament, there are 65 teams, as one game is played earlier in the week, a game called the 'Play-In game.' In the new format, the tournament will be extended by a week and to make things more ridiculous, the seeding will also change.
In the current format, teams are seeded 1-16 in four regions, with the top seeded team playing the 16th, 2 vs. 15, etc. The new format would be as follows. The top 32 seeds, so those usually seeded 1-8 in the four regions, would be given first-round byes, therefore allowing the remaining 64 teams to determine who would face any of those 32 seeds in the next round. Does this make sense? Not really, but oh well.
What truly doesn't make sense is the fact that the NCAA won't do anything about the BCS, but it will ruin the best thing they have by including 32 more teams. The tournament creates BILLIONS of dollars of revenue. All the NCAA cares about is how much more it could make. It doesn't matter that some teams that qualify for the tournament won't deserve it, but it's ok more $$$.
Under the future rules, all of the teams in the NIT, including schools such as Northwestern, UNC and UCONN would have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Did they deserve to be included? No. They didn't prove themselves in the regular season to be deserving of a bid. The new format pretty much makes the regular season irrelevant and just seems like another way to get all the big schools in the tournament. It will get rid of the NIT and end something that made all smaller schools happy: the fact that if you won your conference regular season title, but lost in your conference tournament, you got an Auto-NIT bid. But it's ok forget about them, right?
NCAA before you do something you regret, sit back and realize the ramifications this expansion will have on the college basketball landscape. But as I have already said, neither something you nor I say will matter, so just sit back and watch the NCAA become even more greedy.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Why the loss of Ted Lilly might be as bad as thought
From an outsiders perspective, losing a pitcher who has arguably been your top starter for the past three years can be a bad thing. And while in most cases I would agree, I think the loss of Ted Lilly won’t be as bad as some may think.
One could argue that Lilly has been the most consistent Cubs pitcher since he came over from the Blue Jays three years ago. His 44 wins in that time frame, along with over 500 strikeouts and 3.67 ERA, has led the team since his arrival. His recovery from surgery won’t be as rough for the Cubs as many think, because both Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelaany have both looked solid this spring. Now spring may not be the best measuring stick on how an athlete will perform, it can show glimpses of what is to become.
With a relatively easy schedule for the first month of the season, the Cubs should be able to handle the absence of a pitcher they envision to be their No.2 in the rotation. If they can weather the storm without him, the Cubs may be in for a nice start to a season which can be based on hope.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
March Madness baby! (Illinois style, of course)
So the basketball playoffs in Illinois' top two classes start tomorrow. In the next couple blogs, I will preview them...sectional by sectional...
Class 4A
First is the Hinsdale Central SuperSectional which will have the winners of the Lyons and Neuqua Valley Sectionals face off for the right to go downstate.
Hinsdale (Central) Super-Sectional
Lyons Sectional
This Sectional is made up of four Regionals: Marist, Argo, Mt. Carmel and Oak Lawn. In the Sectional semis, the winners of the Marist and Argo Regionals would face off, followed by the winners of the Mt. Carmel and Oak Lawn Regionals.
Top 8 seeds: Lyons, Mount Carmel, Bogan, Simeon, Vocational, Morgan Park, Hyde Park, Brother Rice
This is the Sectional of all Sectionals, as it features three highly ranked teams, Morgan Park, Lyons and Mount Carmel. Now with those three teams, you would think that they make up a tough Sectional, but wait until you see the rest of the top teams...Simeon, Vocational, Hyde Park, Bogan have ALL been ranked this year. Even the ninth-seeded team in the Sectional, Julian, is one to fear. But when all is said and done, I think Mount Carmel, behind Tracy Abrams and Adonis Filer, moves on.
What makes this Sectional crazy is the possibility of some amazing Regional Finals. We could see Bogan vs. Morgan Park, Vocational vs. Simeon, Lyons vs. Brother Rice/Julian and Mount Carmel vs. Hyde Park.
Lyons: Up until a couple weeks ago, Lyons was the lone unbeaten team. Could that late-season loss to Oak Park might have been exactly what the Lions needed? Dan Lalonde is finally healthy and that might be scary for future Lyons opponents. Even without their superstar, the Lions continued to roll behind the outstanding play of Nick Zeisloft and Nick Burt.
Mount Carmel: The Caravan started out kinda rough without their star Abrams, who was out with an ankle injury, this year. But if anything the time without him made the team stronger as a whole because it gave players such as Filer and Billy Clark and Jon Gac a chance to grow as players. Now Abrams is fully healthy and ready to lead his team downstate. He has been dominant as of late and with that the Caravan might be tough to stop. Competing in the tough Catholic League, where two other teams from the conference are also in the top 5 teams in the areas, making it three total.
Bogan: This has to be probably the biggest surprise in the Sectional, if not one of the biggest surprises in the entire area. It could be said that the Bengals overachieved this year, but they also are very talented. They are led by Rico Richardson and Darius Golston. The Bengals played in one of the toughest conferences this year, as they have already faced teams like Morgan Park, Simeon and Vocational, all teams that happen to be a part of the Lyons Sectional as well. A Regional final vs. Morgan Park looms should Bogan win its first game.
Simeon: Compared to recent years, one could say that this year is a "down year" for the Wolverines. One thing that all Simeon fans can look forward to is the emergence and future of freshman star Jabari Parker. But Simeon isn't all about Parker. They have some excellent depth and that is led by Dayton-bound Brandon Spearman, who has not lived up to the high expectations placed upon him after a breakthrough summer. A potential Regional final against Vocational, who has beaten the Wolverines twice so far, is on the horizon.
Vocational: Despite having two of the top players in the Public League (guard Hollis Hill and forward Aaron Johnson), the 2009-2010 season has been an up-and-down one for the Cavaliers. Vocational will have had the longest layoff of any of the teams in the Sectional, as their last game was at the beginning of February. Vocational will be looking to pick up their third victory over Simeon if both teams advance to the Regional final.
Morgan Park: Wayne Blackshear. What else is there to say? Blackshear has been a BEAST this year. But it isn't just Wayne that has been huge for the Mustangs. A freshman, Markee Williams, has shown that he has some amazing talent and Morgan Park is not a one man team. The team is coming off of a Public League tournament championship, so to see whether they can continue their hot streak will be fun to see. Billy Garrett Jr. is also a major contributor for a team that may face off against Bogan in a Regional final.
Hyde Park: Hyde Park is led by star guard Fabyon Harris. They rode him to a spot late into the Public League playoffs and will look to get back on track. A tough potential match-up with Mount Carmel looms in the Regional final, hosted by the Caravan.
Class 4A
First is the Hinsdale Central SuperSectional which will have the winners of the Lyons and Neuqua Valley Sectionals face off for the right to go downstate.
Hinsdale (Central) Super-Sectional
Lyons Sectional
This Sectional is made up of four Regionals: Marist, Argo, Mt. Carmel and Oak Lawn. In the Sectional semis, the winners of the Marist and Argo Regionals would face off, followed by the winners of the Mt. Carmel and Oak Lawn Regionals.
Top 8 seeds: Lyons, Mount Carmel, Bogan, Simeon, Vocational, Morgan Park, Hyde Park, Brother Rice
This is the Sectional of all Sectionals, as it features three highly ranked teams, Morgan Park, Lyons and Mount Carmel. Now with those three teams, you would think that they make up a tough Sectional, but wait until you see the rest of the top teams...Simeon, Vocational, Hyde Park, Bogan have ALL been ranked this year. Even the ninth-seeded team in the Sectional, Julian, is one to fear. But when all is said and done, I think Mount Carmel, behind Tracy Abrams and Adonis Filer, moves on.
What makes this Sectional crazy is the possibility of some amazing Regional Finals. We could see Bogan vs. Morgan Park, Vocational vs. Simeon, Lyons vs. Brother Rice/Julian and Mount Carmel vs. Hyde Park.
Lyons: Up until a couple weeks ago, Lyons was the lone unbeaten team. Could that late-season loss to Oak Park might have been exactly what the Lions needed? Dan Lalonde is finally healthy and that might be scary for future Lyons opponents. Even without their superstar, the Lions continued to roll behind the outstanding play of Nick Zeisloft and Nick Burt.
Mount Carmel: The Caravan started out kinda rough without their star Abrams, who was out with an ankle injury, this year. But if anything the time without him made the team stronger as a whole because it gave players such as Filer and Billy Clark and Jon Gac a chance to grow as players. Now Abrams is fully healthy and ready to lead his team downstate. He has been dominant as of late and with that the Caravan might be tough to stop. Competing in the tough Catholic League, where two other teams from the conference are also in the top 5 teams in the areas, making it three total.
Bogan: This has to be probably the biggest surprise in the Sectional, if not one of the biggest surprises in the entire area. It could be said that the Bengals overachieved this year, but they also are very talented. They are led by Rico Richardson and Darius Golston. The Bengals played in one of the toughest conferences this year, as they have already faced teams like Morgan Park, Simeon and Vocational, all teams that happen to be a part of the Lyons Sectional as well. A Regional final vs. Morgan Park looms should Bogan win its first game.
Simeon: Compared to recent years, one could say that this year is a "down year" for the Wolverines. One thing that all Simeon fans can look forward to is the emergence and future of freshman star Jabari Parker. But Simeon isn't all about Parker. They have some excellent depth and that is led by Dayton-bound Brandon Spearman, who has not lived up to the high expectations placed upon him after a breakthrough summer. A potential Regional final against Vocational, who has beaten the Wolverines twice so far, is on the horizon.
Vocational: Despite having two of the top players in the Public League (guard Hollis Hill and forward Aaron Johnson), the 2009-2010 season has been an up-and-down one for the Cavaliers. Vocational will have had the longest layoff of any of the teams in the Sectional, as their last game was at the beginning of February. Vocational will be looking to pick up their third victory over Simeon if both teams advance to the Regional final.
Morgan Park: Wayne Blackshear. What else is there to say? Blackshear has been a BEAST this year. But it isn't just Wayne that has been huge for the Mustangs. A freshman, Markee Williams, has shown that he has some amazing talent and Morgan Park is not a one man team. The team is coming off of a Public League tournament championship, so to see whether they can continue their hot streak will be fun to see. Billy Garrett Jr. is also a major contributor for a team that may face off against Bogan in a Regional final.
Hyde Park: Hyde Park is led by star guard Fabyon Harris. They rode him to a spot late into the Public League playoffs and will look to get back on track. A tough potential match-up with Mount Carmel looms in the Regional final, hosted by the Caravan.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Video blogs
This post was actually brought upon after watching my friend Lisa put up some hilarious video blogs on Facebook. But it is not only Lisa who has become a big fan of blogging. Blogging has become a big hit with athletes as well. Athletes like Donovan McNabb, Curtis Granderson and Greg Oden amongst others. Do a Google search for 'athlete blogs' and 6.42 MILLION results come up. That's MILLION! Now granted alot of those results are probably the same people as posted before, but that is still alot of results.
What makes the blogging world even more interesting is that blogs could be about anything and everything. Some people post about their lives, while others post their thoughts on certain issues. This is the same for athletes as well. From what I saw, some players only post during the season and don't do anything with their blog in the offseason. Then there are athletes like Etan Thomas, a basketball player, who blogs about politics for the Huffington Post.
The creation of things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook have in a sense made people who we thought so highly of, more human. The 'big, bad athlete' is really no more. He is just like you, me or any other joe-shmo.
What makes the blogging world even more interesting is that blogs could be about anything and everything. Some people post about their lives, while others post their thoughts on certain issues. This is the same for athletes as well. From what I saw, some players only post during the season and don't do anything with their blog in the offseason. Then there are athletes like Etan Thomas, a basketball player, who blogs about politics for the Huffington Post.
The creation of things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook have in a sense made people who we thought so highly of, more human. The 'big, bad athlete' is really no more. He is just like you, me or any other joe-shmo.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
ESPN analysts
Today in class, we talked about how some people may feel there is a double standard in regards to people like Bob Knight working at ESPN. Well couldn't that, in a way, be said about many of the people that ESPN hires?
Now let me say right away that I am not the biggest of fans when it comes to former athletes/coaches transitioning to the broadcast/media world once they are done with their time involved in the game. Just because you were a coach or player, successful or not, does not qualify you to be someone who can sit there and spew information you think is relevant to others. Now yes, in some cases, these people may have better insights than the normal fan because they were a vital part of the game in the past. But with all of the people that ESPN or CBS or who have you trots out in front of me, it begs me to ask whether I could do a better job.
To me Lee Corso is a man who is just a puppet for the 'Gameday' show. He sits there and talks alot, sometimes it being worthwhile and sometimes not. I would rather listen to Kirk Herbstreit b/c I have more respect in his analyzing abilities. I also cannot stand someone like Dick Vitale. He is another puppet, in a way where he just yells and creates worthless phrases. At times, what he says is valuable but often times it makes u wonder...He also is ACC biased to no extent. I would rather listen to someone like Stephen Bardo or Steve Lavin, two underrated (in my opinion) analysts. So essentially, I feel that the stations that broadcast sports should allow more people are are either fans or people that played when they were younger. Just because you played/coached professionally doesn't make you a better analyst.
Now let me say right away that I am not the biggest of fans when it comes to former athletes/coaches transitioning to the broadcast/media world once they are done with their time involved in the game. Just because you were a coach or player, successful or not, does not qualify you to be someone who can sit there and spew information you think is relevant to others. Now yes, in some cases, these people may have better insights than the normal fan because they were a vital part of the game in the past. But with all of the people that ESPN or CBS or who have you trots out in front of me, it begs me to ask whether I could do a better job.
To me Lee Corso is a man who is just a puppet for the 'Gameday' show. He sits there and talks alot, sometimes it being worthwhile and sometimes not. I would rather listen to Kirk Herbstreit b/c I have more respect in his analyzing abilities. I also cannot stand someone like Dick Vitale. He is another puppet, in a way where he just yells and creates worthless phrases. At times, what he says is valuable but often times it makes u wonder...He also is ACC biased to no extent. I would rather listen to someone like Stephen Bardo or Steve Lavin, two underrated (in my opinion) analysts. So essentially, I feel that the stations that broadcast sports should allow more people are are either fans or people that played when they were younger. Just because you played/coached professionally doesn't make you a better analyst.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Impressed
I must say I am quite impressed with news sources like ESPN right now. ESPN, for the past day (right now included), still has something about soccer on its front page. In the news section on the right hand side, the story about Clint Dempsey's injury has been up for an entire day. Could the times be changing?..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
