There are a lot of great storylines this year in college football and one of those is Kansas State QB Collin Klein. Klein, a senior for the Wildcats, has put his team in a position for a Big 12 Title and a possible spot in the national championship game. He is also very strong in his faith and has shared it on numerous occasions. I was just recently reminded of this in an interview that he did a couple of months back on "The Dan Patrick Show". Check out the interview (and check out him singing the Doxology):
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
"Winning the Big One": Reflections on Mark Richt
People that know college football know the name of Mark Richt, head football coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. They also know that he is follower of Jesus. In interviews that he's done throughout his coaching career, he's made clear that his faith is important in all aspects of his life including coaching. A great example of this is an interview that Yahoo! Sports writer Dan Wetzel did this week. The Bulldogs are in a great position to lock up the SEC East and have a shot of playing in the National Championship game if things fall into place. But even in the midst of that, Richt has his priorites in order.
You can read the article here. There were two quotes that I'll leave you with that stood out from me in the article that Richt said.
The first was: "If we're doing the best we can every day and we're doing it in a first-class manner so that when I go home at night I can lay my head on the pillow and God would be pleased with the decisions I made, how I treated players and the coaches, the media, my wife and kids, I'm OK with that."
The second was: "And Coach Bowden said (following FSU winning the national championship in 1993), 'You know why you don't feel any different? Because that's not really winning the big one. Winning the big one is when you accept Christ as your Lord and savior.'"
You can read the article here. There were two quotes that I'll leave you with that stood out from me in the article that Richt said.
The first was: "If we're doing the best we can every day and we're doing it in a first-class manner so that when I go home at night I can lay my head on the pillow and God would be pleased with the decisions I made, how I treated players and the coaches, the media, my wife and kids, I'm OK with that."
The second was: "And Coach Bowden said (following FSU winning the national championship in 1993), 'You know why you don't feel any different? Because that's not really winning the big one. Winning the big one is when you accept Christ as your Lord and savior.'"
Monday, October 8, 2012
Very Cool Opportunity: Giving the Invocation
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to give the invocation at a Wofford football game. The story behind it & the experience was an interesting one that I thought I'd share here.
It all started back around late August. My director was talking to the chaplain at Wofford and was asked about being a part of their orientation worship service. While talking about that, the chaplain suggested that I could do the invocation at a football game at some point this season. She said he should talk to me about it and he did.
When I talked with him, he told me that it was to be an "inclusive" prayer. When I asked what "inclusive" meant, he said that I just couldn't say at the end "in Jesus name we pray, amen." Aside from that, I could say whatever. After giving it some thought and praying about it, I said sure I'd do it.
A few weeks later, the chaplain asked me when I would like to do it. I gave him some dates in order of preference, with the top choice being the last game of the season vs Chattanooga (reason being home state and all). The chaplain comes back and says "We'll go with Furman. There will be a lot of people here and there will be a lot of Baptists."
There is a long standing rivalry between Wofford and Furman. Furman is a private university with Baptist roots (but don't really hold much to that anymore) that's just down the road in Greenville. These two schools actually played in the first college football game that was played in the state of South Carolina way back in 1889. So this is a big time game. Couple that with being "Family Weekend" on campus & "Church Youth Day" at the game, led to a lot of people (believe the attendance at the game was 9,170).
So with all that as a backdrop, I went to the game. I got there early because I knew there would be a lot of people and wanted to give myself some time before I had to be where I needed to be. I got a special parking pass and got to park in special parking area. I also got a "media pass" which allowed me to go up to the press box, which is where I would be giving the invocation.
Around 12:45pm I made my way up to the press box. When I got up there, I was met up there by the chaplain who then introduced me to the PA guy for the stadium (who is also one of the morning news anchors for one of the local networks). He went over with me how it would go basically telling that when it was time he would push the button on the mic, announce me, then lean out of the way and I would give the prayer. I would have no more than 40 seconds to give it (it really was down to a time frame like that). So I hung out in the press box until it was my time and then I went over and gave the prayer. It was short and to the point and then I was done. Afterwards, I got some food that was in the press box (I could've ate it earlier but I didn't want to eat right before I was going to give the invocation) then went out into the stands and found a seat to watch the game. Wofford ended up beating Furman 20-17 to keep their record undefeated.
It was a really cool experience and one I'll remember for a long time.
It all started back around late August. My director was talking to the chaplain at Wofford and was asked about being a part of their orientation worship service. While talking about that, the chaplain suggested that I could do the invocation at a football game at some point this season. She said he should talk to me about it and he did.
When I talked with him, he told me that it was to be an "inclusive" prayer. When I asked what "inclusive" meant, he said that I just couldn't say at the end "in Jesus name we pray, amen." Aside from that, I could say whatever. After giving it some thought and praying about it, I said sure I'd do it.
A few weeks later, the chaplain asked me when I would like to do it. I gave him some dates in order of preference, with the top choice being the last game of the season vs Chattanooga (reason being home state and all). The chaplain comes back and says "We'll go with Furman. There will be a lot of people here and there will be a lot of Baptists."
There is a long standing rivalry between Wofford and Furman. Furman is a private university with Baptist roots (but don't really hold much to that anymore) that's just down the road in Greenville. These two schools actually played in the first college football game that was played in the state of South Carolina way back in 1889. So this is a big time game. Couple that with being "Family Weekend" on campus & "Church Youth Day" at the game, led to a lot of people (believe the attendance at the game was 9,170).
So with all that as a backdrop, I went to the game. I got there early because I knew there would be a lot of people and wanted to give myself some time before I had to be where I needed to be. I got a special parking pass and got to park in special parking area. I also got a "media pass" which allowed me to go up to the press box, which is where I would be giving the invocation.
Around 12:45pm I made my way up to the press box. When I got up there, I was met up there by the chaplain who then introduced me to the PA guy for the stadium (who is also one of the morning news anchors for one of the local networks). He went over with me how it would go basically telling that when it was time he would push the button on the mic, announce me, then lean out of the way and I would give the prayer. I would have no more than 40 seconds to give it (it really was down to a time frame like that). So I hung out in the press box until it was my time and then I went over and gave the prayer. It was short and to the point and then I was done. Afterwards, I got some food that was in the press box (I could've ate it earlier but I didn't want to eat right before I was going to give the invocation) then went out into the stands and found a seat to watch the game. Wofford ended up beating Furman 20-17 to keep their record undefeated.
It was a really cool experience and one I'll remember for a long time.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Random Sports Reflections
Some random sports reflections in late June...
*I didn't do a version of "If I were in charge of..." for NASCAR but if I did, the first thing I would do is keep Sprint Cup races on broadcast television. FOX has the first half of the season & and shows all the Sprint Cup races on their station. When June rolls around, there are barely any races on broadcast TV the rest of the season (TNT has about 6 races or so during June & early July & then ESPN picks up the telecasts showing barely any races on ABC) . Like the problem I have with college football, if you take the championship (Chase for the Cup) off of broadcast TV (only 1 or 2 of the Chase races are on ABC, final race isn't one of those), you're not going to get the most people watching it. I do know that you have to deal with football once fall rolls around but at the same time if it is compelling enough people will watch.
*Speaking of college football, it is looking more and more like a playoff system will be in place in about 2 years. Having been a proponent of a playoff system, this is a good first step forward with a 4 team playoff. I do think they should (and eventually will) expand it to at least 8 teams. But the fact that all indications are one will be put in place is a huge step forward.
*Even though the countries that I was pulling for have already been knocked out of Euro 2012, I've enjoyed watching the tournament so far. Any time you can watch great soccer in a major tournament format is worth it. Even though I'm "late" to the sport (didn't pick up really watching it until I was in college), I've grown to like and enjoy watching it. I've even grown to defending the sport against people taking shots at it. I guess that really means you like a sport when you do that. For those that are like eh about soccer, I would suggest watching the semis & the finals of Euro 2012 (and be sure to watch when the World Cup happens in 2 years).
*I didn't do a version of "If I were in charge of..." for NASCAR but if I did, the first thing I would do is keep Sprint Cup races on broadcast television. FOX has the first half of the season & and shows all the Sprint Cup races on their station. When June rolls around, there are barely any races on broadcast TV the rest of the season (TNT has about 6 races or so during June & early July & then ESPN picks up the telecasts showing barely any races on ABC) . Like the problem I have with college football, if you take the championship (Chase for the Cup) off of broadcast TV (only 1 or 2 of the Chase races are on ABC, final race isn't one of those), you're not going to get the most people watching it. I do know that you have to deal with football once fall rolls around but at the same time if it is compelling enough people will watch.
*Speaking of college football, it is looking more and more like a playoff system will be in place in about 2 years. Having been a proponent of a playoff system, this is a good first step forward with a 4 team playoff. I do think they should (and eventually will) expand it to at least 8 teams. But the fact that all indications are one will be put in place is a huge step forward.
*Even though the countries that I was pulling for have already been knocked out of Euro 2012, I've enjoyed watching the tournament so far. Any time you can watch great soccer in a major tournament format is worth it. Even though I'm "late" to the sport (didn't pick up really watching it until I was in college), I've grown to like and enjoy watching it. I've even grown to defending the sport against people taking shots at it. I guess that really means you like a sport when you do that. For those that are like eh about soccer, I would suggest watching the semis & the finals of Euro 2012 (and be sure to watch when the World Cup happens in 2 years).
Friday, May 11, 2012
If I Were in Charge Of.....College Football
It's time for another enjoyable installment of "If I Were in Charge Of". This week we look at college football. Growing up in the south, Saturdays in the fall was a given, watching college football. As I've gotten older I've got to see games in person. College football, like college basketball, has some good things but also have some things that would be beneficial to work on. So if I were in charge of college football.....
*Have a playoff. Out of all the changes in the various sports, this is one of the easiest calls to make. It looks like the powers that be agree with me (finally) and are looking to implement some kind of playoff in a few years. Their model would be 4 teams. My model would be more in line with nearly every other system in college football (1-AA, D-2, D-3, NAIA). I would have a 16 team playoff. The conference champions from the power conferences would get an automatic bid and there would be at large bids as well. The games would be played in early December until the "Championship Game which would then be played on New Years Day. For those who don't make the playoff, there will still be bowl games around but the championship will be decided on the field not by computers and voters deciding who will be in the title game.
*Cut and cap power conferences. One of the sad things that has come around in recent years is conference realignment. If I were in charge, some of that would be rectified. Missouri & Texas A&M (and also Nebraska) back to the Big 12. West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, back to the Big East. I would put a cap on power conferences having 12 teams. That way each conference can still have a championship game but old rivalries can be kept. Out of all the changes I would make, this is the biggest pipe dream of them all but it would be cool. Tradition in some ways doesn't mean anything anymore in college football but it'd be cool to get back to it.
*For student athletes, half of all sales of their jerseys would go into a scholarship fund to help them pay for expenses outside of their athletic scholarship. Schools are making money off them, it would be nice if they could get something in return to help out with expenses since they can't get a job otherwise (this could be applied to all college athletes).
*The championship game will be televised on broadcast television, period. The last several years ESPN has shown the national title game on their network. While I like ESPN, they're not broadcast TV. All championship games (regardless of sport) should be on broadcast TV. One should be able to watch it and not have to pay to watch it.
*Unless it's an instate school, teams from power conferences cannot play schools that aren't in the same division (i.e. 1-A school playing a 1-AA or D-2). If there is going to be an emphasis on the regular season matters, can't have Alabama playing Georgia Southern.
Well that's this week's installment. What do you think? Leave your suggestions of what you'd change and be sure to check out all the other installments of this series.
*Have a playoff. Out of all the changes in the various sports, this is one of the easiest calls to make. It looks like the powers that be agree with me (finally) and are looking to implement some kind of playoff in a few years. Their model would be 4 teams. My model would be more in line with nearly every other system in college football (1-AA, D-2, D-3, NAIA). I would have a 16 team playoff. The conference champions from the power conferences would get an automatic bid and there would be at large bids as well. The games would be played in early December until the "Championship Game which would then be played on New Years Day. For those who don't make the playoff, there will still be bowl games around but the championship will be decided on the field not by computers and voters deciding who will be in the title game.
*Cut and cap power conferences. One of the sad things that has come around in recent years is conference realignment. If I were in charge, some of that would be rectified. Missouri & Texas A&M (and also Nebraska) back to the Big 12. West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, back to the Big East. I would put a cap on power conferences having 12 teams. That way each conference can still have a championship game but old rivalries can be kept. Out of all the changes I would make, this is the biggest pipe dream of them all but it would be cool. Tradition in some ways doesn't mean anything anymore in college football but it'd be cool to get back to it.
*For student athletes, half of all sales of their jerseys would go into a scholarship fund to help them pay for expenses outside of their athletic scholarship. Schools are making money off them, it would be nice if they could get something in return to help out with expenses since they can't get a job otherwise (this could be applied to all college athletes).
*The championship game will be televised on broadcast television, period. The last several years ESPN has shown the national title game on their network. While I like ESPN, they're not broadcast TV. All championship games (regardless of sport) should be on broadcast TV. One should be able to watch it and not have to pay to watch it.
*Unless it's an instate school, teams from power conferences cannot play schools that aren't in the same division (i.e. 1-A school playing a 1-AA or D-2). If there is going to be an emphasis on the regular season matters, can't have Alabama playing Georgia Southern.
Well that's this week's installment. What do you think? Leave your suggestions of what you'd change and be sure to check out all the other installments of this series.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Random Sports Reflections
Here's some random thoughts and reflections running through my head...
*Congrats to Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber on throwing a perfect game on Saturday....even though it was against the Mariners and there was a sketchy called third strike to end the game by the ump. Humber is a strong follower of Jesus so it's always nice to see a fellow believer do well.
*On a more positive sports fan note, the Predators won their opening round series 4-1 against the Detroit Red Wings. It's the first time they've beaten their rivals in the playoffs and hopefully that'll be the start to a deep run in the playoffs.
*Yesterday I went to a college baseball game on the campus of the University of South Carolina Upstate. They were playing the Jacksonville Dolphins to end the three game series that the Spartans had won the first two games. Let me set the stage for you, it was the bottom of 8th inning and the Spartans were down 4-1. When it got to be the top of the 9th inning, the score was 12-4 USC Upstate with the lead. In the span of one half inning, there were 11 runs scored (all unearned) on like 5 hits, 2 errors, 2 batters hit by a pitch, 3 walks, and a passed ball. Along with the starter, there were 4 pitchers used in the innning including one who didn't even record an out. Wild ending to say the least.
*The incident that blew up on Twitter yesterday afternoon was Ron Artest (aka Metta World Peace) throwing an elbow to James Harden of That Team Which is Located in Oklahaoma City. I wasn't watching the game because it was the Lakers and that other team, two teams in which I have no interest in watching but I did hear about the incident and saw a brief lowlight this morning on the TV. Apparently, after a dunk (I believe) by Artest, he decided out of nowhere to give a little elbow check to Harden who was just standing there. Harden has a concussion and it's uncertain when he'll be back. Artest, for the moment, is not suspended but that's just a formality that he will be. Artest has a history of on the court incidents, including the infamous Brawl in the Palace in Detroit back when he was with the Indiana Pacers. He has a lot of rage inside of him and some thought that he had gotten over that with the whole name change thing. But ultimately, change needs to take place in the heart and not just by a name. That only comes through relationship with Jesus. Hopefully, that will happen for Artest.
*Congrats to Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber on throwing a perfect game on Saturday....even though it was against the Mariners and there was a sketchy called third strike to end the game by the ump. Humber is a strong follower of Jesus so it's always nice to see a fellow believer do well.
*On a more positive sports fan note, the Predators won their opening round series 4-1 against the Detroit Red Wings. It's the first time they've beaten their rivals in the playoffs and hopefully that'll be the start to a deep run in the playoffs.
*Yesterday I went to a college baseball game on the campus of the University of South Carolina Upstate. They were playing the Jacksonville Dolphins to end the three game series that the Spartans had won the first two games. Let me set the stage for you, it was the bottom of 8th inning and the Spartans were down 4-1. When it got to be the top of the 9th inning, the score was 12-4 USC Upstate with the lead. In the span of one half inning, there were 11 runs scored (all unearned) on like 5 hits, 2 errors, 2 batters hit by a pitch, 3 walks, and a passed ball. Along with the starter, there were 4 pitchers used in the innning including one who didn't even record an out. Wild ending to say the least.
*The incident that blew up on Twitter yesterday afternoon was Ron Artest (aka Metta World Peace) throwing an elbow to James Harden of That Team Which is Located in Oklahaoma City. I wasn't watching the game because it was the Lakers and that other team, two teams in which I have no interest in watching but I did hear about the incident and saw a brief lowlight this morning on the TV. Apparently, after a dunk (I believe) by Artest, he decided out of nowhere to give a little elbow check to Harden who was just standing there. Harden has a concussion and it's uncertain when he'll be back. Artest, for the moment, is not suspended but that's just a formality that he will be. Artest has a history of on the court incidents, including the infamous Brawl in the Palace in Detroit back when he was with the Indiana Pacers. He has a lot of rage inside of him and some thought that he had gotten over that with the whole name change thing. But ultimately, change needs to take place in the heart and not just by a name. That only comes through relationship with Jesus. Hopefully, that will happen for Artest.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
If I Were in Charge of.....College Basketball
This is part two of a series of posts on if I was the Director of the Department of Sports and what all I would do if I was in charge. Last time was about the NBA, this time it's college basketball. Last week was the end to another run of March Madness and partly from that run came the idea for this series. This entry will tie in well to last one as there will be some ideas that will be helpful in both arenas. So, if I were in charge of college basketball...
*No more one and done athletes. Like I mentioned with the NBA post, if a high schooler wants to jump straight to the pros fine but if he signs with a university he stays a minimum of three years and puts himself on track to graduate if he leaves early. Give a real emphasis to "student athlete" and not just "barely a student just so they're able to play one year and then leave".
*Scholarships are a 4 year commitment not a 1 year commitment renewed 4 times. I will probably use this instance as well when I talk about college football but the argument is good here as well. If a university is signing a student to a scholarship it should be for the length of the time that the student will be there. That student can be assured that their scholarship won't be yanked away and given to somebody else on a whim.
*With regard to automatic bids, power conferences can give them to regular season champs, mid-majors to tourney champs. Power conferences can still have tourney champions and get some bonus (better seeding in NCAA tourney) if they win but don't have to worry about a regular season power conference champion being an at-large bid in the NCAA tourney. For the mid-majors, their conference tournaments can be highlighted because of keeping the tourney champ as the automatic bids.
*Have the automatic qualifiers ranked as the higher seeds (1-8) and at large bids as the lower seeds (9-16). This is probably the most out there one but I think it make things interesting. It would assure mid majors that are really good that they will not be ranked no lower than an 8 seed and at large teams that were so so would be ranked no higher than a 9 seed. On top of that, the last 8 at large teams would be the ones playing in the "First Four". Automatic qualifiers from mid major schools shouldn't be the majority in the "First Four". It should be teams that were on the bubble that should be playing in Dayton. Make them earn their way into the tourney.
*Gus Johnson should call March Madness games again. This year, Gus wasn't calling games because he doesn't work for CBS. There should be a contract that allows him to work March Madness games. I know that Jay Bilas for a time worked March Madness games while working also at ESPN. They could do the same for Gus. March Madness isn't the same without Gus. That should be fixed.
That is part two of "If I Were in Charge of". Feel free to go back and check out other posts in this series and leave a comment on how you would change things if you were "in charge".
*No more one and done athletes. Like I mentioned with the NBA post, if a high schooler wants to jump straight to the pros fine but if he signs with a university he stays a minimum of three years and puts himself on track to graduate if he leaves early. Give a real emphasis to "student athlete" and not just "barely a student just so they're able to play one year and then leave".
*Scholarships are a 4 year commitment not a 1 year commitment renewed 4 times. I will probably use this instance as well when I talk about college football but the argument is good here as well. If a university is signing a student to a scholarship it should be for the length of the time that the student will be there. That student can be assured that their scholarship won't be yanked away and given to somebody else on a whim.
*With regard to automatic bids, power conferences can give them to regular season champs, mid-majors to tourney champs. Power conferences can still have tourney champions and get some bonus (better seeding in NCAA tourney) if they win but don't have to worry about a regular season power conference champion being an at-large bid in the NCAA tourney. For the mid-majors, their conference tournaments can be highlighted because of keeping the tourney champ as the automatic bids.
*Have the automatic qualifiers ranked as the higher seeds (1-8) and at large bids as the lower seeds (9-16). This is probably the most out there one but I think it make things interesting. It would assure mid majors that are really good that they will not be ranked no lower than an 8 seed and at large teams that were so so would be ranked no higher than a 9 seed. On top of that, the last 8 at large teams would be the ones playing in the "First Four". Automatic qualifiers from mid major schools shouldn't be the majority in the "First Four". It should be teams that were on the bubble that should be playing in Dayton. Make them earn their way into the tourney.
*Gus Johnson should call March Madness games again. This year, Gus wasn't calling games because he doesn't work for CBS. There should be a contract that allows him to work March Madness games. I know that Jay Bilas for a time worked March Madness games while working also at ESPN. They could do the same for Gus. March Madness isn't the same without Gus. That should be fixed.
That is part two of "If I Were in Charge of". Feel free to go back and check out other posts in this series and leave a comment on how you would change things if you were "in charge".
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
If I Were in Charge Of.....the NBA
I was thinking yesterday about starting a new series on this blog (and hopefully sticking with it). This is the first post in a series on "If I were in charge of....". The basis for this series came from some thoughts I had about changes I would make in different sports organizations and leagues. So if there was a Department of Sports position in government (or in England a Ministry of Sports position, which I would prefer better, sounds cooler & is a nod to the Monty Python skit the Ministry of Silly Walks) and I was named the director and had the authority to make changes, in this series I would list some of those changes I would make.
The first league I would look at would be the National Baskeball Association, otherwise known as the NBA. Growing up, I was a big NBA fan but in recent years my fandom has diminished significantly. I think there can be some things the NBA can do to fix that. So with that in mind, if I were in charge of the NBA.
*Put an NBA team back in Seattle. My first priority would be to get a team back in Seattle. I would make David Stern publicly apologize for the way he and the NBA treated the fans in Seattle in allowing the franchise to leave and go to Oklahoma City. I would take the Hornets (which really should have stayed in Oklahoma City in the first place) and move that team to Seattle. I would essentially make it a three way deal. Deal 1) The Sonics name, championship and records would fully be Seattle's and not shared in any way shape or form with the Thunder. 2) The Thunder in essence would be like the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL when they moved from Cleveland, their own franchise with their own records not connected with Seattle. 3) The Hornets name & records would then be sent back to Charlotte and they can drop the Bobcats name and be the Charlotte Hornets again. I would also give exceptions to the salary cap to any member of the Thunder who was on the Sonics team before they moved if they sign with Seattle (i.e. Kevin Durant could come back to Seattle).
*Drop the one and done rule. In partnership with the NCAA in regards to college basketball (which I'll address in another post how I would change things there), I would get rid of the rule for basketball players to have to wait a year before they can declare for the draft. If guys want to declare right out of high school let them do it. Now those that know me know that this is a change in stance from probably a decade ago when I was all against guys going straight from high school to the pros. But after seeing the last few years of college basketball and the ridiculousness of the one and done players, something needs to change and so I am okay with dropping the rule. If NBA teams want to draft high school players, fine. But that leads me into my next change.
*Develop the baseball system. What do I mean by that? In baseball a player can declare for the draft out of high school or he can choose to go to college. If he chooses to go to college, he has to stay there at least three years. I would implement that system for basketball. No more John Walls or Derrick Roses or Kyrie Irvings. If you want to go to college, you go for three years minimum. At least try to get a degree. If you want to go straight to the pros fine. That also means a more developed minor league system. I would fully develop and fund the NBA D-League and expand it to 30 teams. That way each NBA franchise would have one team that could funnel players to and from. Those drafted out of high school would have to spend a minimum of one year in the D-League. If they're good enough to be a one and done in the D-League great. Otherwise, they're getting developed and not taking a roster spot from a veteran and just sitting on the bench (like a lot of guys drafted out of HS were like towards the end of that era of drafting HS players). If it works for MLB and college for baseball, I think it can work for the NBA and college for basketball.
*Have 4 nights each month called "family nights". That would mean prices from seats to concessions would be set at affordable prices so that a family of 4 could sit in really good seats and watch a game and not stuck in the nosebleed sections. The franchises can make more than enough money the rest of the season that it wouldn't hurt them to have these kind of nights and would help develop the fanbase so that everyone could enjoy the games.
*Have stars competing in the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend again. The fact that LeBron James has never competed in an All-Star game is ridiculous. He would compete at least once. If you're considered a superstar, you should compete in the Slam Dunk contest. All the greats back in the day did, it should be the same for today.
Well that's the first (in hopefully a continued) series on "If I were in charge of...". If you have changes that you would make if you were in charge of the NBA, feel free to leave a comment below.
The first league I would look at would be the National Baskeball Association, otherwise known as the NBA. Growing up, I was a big NBA fan but in recent years my fandom has diminished significantly. I think there can be some things the NBA can do to fix that. So with that in mind, if I were in charge of the NBA.
*Put an NBA team back in Seattle. My first priority would be to get a team back in Seattle. I would make David Stern publicly apologize for the way he and the NBA treated the fans in Seattle in allowing the franchise to leave and go to Oklahoma City. I would take the Hornets (which really should have stayed in Oklahoma City in the first place) and move that team to Seattle. I would essentially make it a three way deal. Deal 1) The Sonics name, championship and records would fully be Seattle's and not shared in any way shape or form with the Thunder. 2) The Thunder in essence would be like the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL when they moved from Cleveland, their own franchise with their own records not connected with Seattle. 3) The Hornets name & records would then be sent back to Charlotte and they can drop the Bobcats name and be the Charlotte Hornets again. I would also give exceptions to the salary cap to any member of the Thunder who was on the Sonics team before they moved if they sign with Seattle (i.e. Kevin Durant could come back to Seattle).
*Drop the one and done rule. In partnership with the NCAA in regards to college basketball (which I'll address in another post how I would change things there), I would get rid of the rule for basketball players to have to wait a year before they can declare for the draft. If guys want to declare right out of high school let them do it. Now those that know me know that this is a change in stance from probably a decade ago when I was all against guys going straight from high school to the pros. But after seeing the last few years of college basketball and the ridiculousness of the one and done players, something needs to change and so I am okay with dropping the rule. If NBA teams want to draft high school players, fine. But that leads me into my next change.
*Develop the baseball system. What do I mean by that? In baseball a player can declare for the draft out of high school or he can choose to go to college. If he chooses to go to college, he has to stay there at least three years. I would implement that system for basketball. No more John Walls or Derrick Roses or Kyrie Irvings. If you want to go to college, you go for three years minimum. At least try to get a degree. If you want to go straight to the pros fine. That also means a more developed minor league system. I would fully develop and fund the NBA D-League and expand it to 30 teams. That way each NBA franchise would have one team that could funnel players to and from. Those drafted out of high school would have to spend a minimum of one year in the D-League. If they're good enough to be a one and done in the D-League great. Otherwise, they're getting developed and not taking a roster spot from a veteran and just sitting on the bench (like a lot of guys drafted out of HS were like towards the end of that era of drafting HS players). If it works for MLB and college for baseball, I think it can work for the NBA and college for basketball.
*Have 4 nights each month called "family nights". That would mean prices from seats to concessions would be set at affordable prices so that a family of 4 could sit in really good seats and watch a game and not stuck in the nosebleed sections. The franchises can make more than enough money the rest of the season that it wouldn't hurt them to have these kind of nights and would help develop the fanbase so that everyone could enjoy the games.
*Have stars competing in the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend again. The fact that LeBron James has never competed in an All-Star game is ridiculous. He would compete at least once. If you're considered a superstar, you should compete in the Slam Dunk contest. All the greats back in the day did, it should be the same for today.
Well that's the first (in hopefully a continued) series on "If I were in charge of...". If you have changes that you would make if you were in charge of the NBA, feel free to leave a comment below.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Reflections on Brandan Davis
Last night, there was a big area wide event here in Spartanburg. BCM along with Cru (Campus Crusade) and FCA had their monthly worship event at USC Upstate. Last night they had a special guest speaker. Because of this, it was promoted on all the local college campuses. The guest speaker was former University of South Carolina Gamecock football player Brandan Davis.
Brandan has written a book "The Faithful Walk-on" that has just recently been released and is going around talking about the book and sharing his testimony and this was the first stop on his tour. When he opened, he talked about how he has a motto to start off the day. It is a way of reminding himself of all that God has done for him and is motivation to start off the day right.
He shared briefly about his background, growing up being a star athlete in high school and caring pretty much only about girls and football. He talked about during a preseason fall camp one year he got really sick, cramping and throwing up. He shared that he nearly died from that experience. It ended up being a catalyst for eventually accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
Because his grades weren't so good, he ended up going to college at Carson Newman and played football there. He shared briefly about his time there and some of the growth that took place in his life. He shared about how when he truly began following Christ, he changed spiritually, mentally and in knowledge of Scripture and wanting a desire to read more. He shared several scriptures including 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Proverbs 3:5-6.
He then talked about sensing God's call to transfer to USC and the story behind initially being rejected (to the business school) and finally getting accepted to school there and being a religious studies major. He walked on to the football team and later earned a scholarship.
He then shared about two models that he lives by. The first is focus because there will be times of stress and it's important to keep focus on what's important. The second is CHANCE which stands for come hard and never come easy.
One big thing that stood out was he shared about smiling. He said that when we smile, we can let the light of Jesus shine through. He talked about a story in the Clemson game in 2010 where a Clemson player was taking some cheap shots and such. So after one play he took his mouthpiece out of his mouth and smiled a great big smile and said a kind word to the Clemson player. Later, the player came up to Brandan and apologized saying that he had gotten caught up in the rivalry. Brandan said "Yeah, we still won though," and the audience here laughed.
It was really cool to hear Brandan's story and I look forward to reading his book. You can buy it from Amazon. Here is the link. It is such a blessing to hear stories like his and how God is continue to use him. He is looking at seminairies and will be looking at starting seminary in the fall. It was a great time last night and I hope that the students there were encouraged by Brandan's story. I know I was.
Brandan has written a book "The Faithful Walk-on" that has just recently been released and is going around talking about the book and sharing his testimony and this was the first stop on his tour. When he opened, he talked about how he has a motto to start off the day. It is a way of reminding himself of all that God has done for him and is motivation to start off the day right.
He shared briefly about his background, growing up being a star athlete in high school and caring pretty much only about girls and football. He talked about during a preseason fall camp one year he got really sick, cramping and throwing up. He shared that he nearly died from that experience. It ended up being a catalyst for eventually accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
Because his grades weren't so good, he ended up going to college at Carson Newman and played football there. He shared briefly about his time there and some of the growth that took place in his life. He shared about how when he truly began following Christ, he changed spiritually, mentally and in knowledge of Scripture and wanting a desire to read more. He shared several scriptures including 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Proverbs 3:5-6.
He then talked about sensing God's call to transfer to USC and the story behind initially being rejected (to the business school) and finally getting accepted to school there and being a religious studies major. He walked on to the football team and later earned a scholarship.
He then shared about two models that he lives by. The first is focus because there will be times of stress and it's important to keep focus on what's important. The second is CHANCE which stands for come hard and never come easy.
One big thing that stood out was he shared about smiling. He said that when we smile, we can let the light of Jesus shine through. He talked about a story in the Clemson game in 2010 where a Clemson player was taking some cheap shots and such. So after one play he took his mouthpiece out of his mouth and smiled a great big smile and said a kind word to the Clemson player. Later, the player came up to Brandan and apologized saying that he had gotten caught up in the rivalry. Brandan said "Yeah, we still won though," and the audience here laughed.
It was really cool to hear Brandan's story and I look forward to reading his book. You can buy it from Amazon. Here is the link. It is such a blessing to hear stories like his and how God is continue to use him. He is looking at seminairies and will be looking at starting seminary in the fall. It was a great time last night and I hope that the students there were encouraged by Brandan's story. I know I was.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Random Sports Reflections
*It seems that even with the NFL in the off-season, it is still dominiating headlines. The main thing being Peyton Manning going to Denver. After a couple of weeks of meetings with different teams, Peyton decided to go with Denver. In some ways it wasn't surprising but in some ways it was given that the other two teams in the running was San Francisco (which was in the NFC Title game last year) and Tennessee (the state where he went to college). The domino effect was that Tim Tebow was then traded from Denver to the New York Jets, which in and of itself was kind of a shocker given they already have a starting QB in Mark Sanchez & there was a team in Jacksonville which seemed like a great fit (not far from where Tebow went to college, could step right in and be the starter). It will be interesting how Tebow will fit in with the Jets. I know he'll want to be the starter but it'll be hard to supplant Sanchez unless he gets hurt or plays really really bad. It'll also be interesting how the faith aspect will come into play given the Jeremy Lin phenomenon that took place for a few months before dying out. Will Tebow garner as much or more than Lin did? Will it be for a sustained period? It's only March but there's enough stories that'll probably last until training camps start.
*I've been keeping up with March Madness and my brackets have been decent to poor. One of these days I'll have a bracket that's like top notch. The final four is Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas & Ohio State (out of which I consensusly picked 3, missed out with Louisville). I do get the feeling this is shaping up to be another 2008. That year of course Kansas beat UNC on it's way to the title game. Kansas also faced off against a team coached by John Calipari. Kansas wasn't thought of to win the title. John Calipari's team had the best player in the country. See what I mean? Don't be surprised come Tuesday morning if it's Rock Chalk Jayhawk being bantered about. What would be even more eerie is if Calipari then decided to take the NY Knicks job and then it's found out that Anthony Davis had some kind of academic issues and then Kentucky was put on probation like Memphis was with Derrick Rose. Food for thought...
*The MLB regular season started today in Japan with the Mariners and the A's. I caught the game from about the 6th inning on. A couple of things: 1) I love watching live sports in the morning. It's nice to be able to tune in and see sports live while eating breakfast or getting ready for work. 2.) I am getting old. There was a statistic given during the game that Ichiro was the first M's player to get 4 hits in an opening day game since Ken Griffey Jr. did it in 1990. 1990 as in 22 years ago. Yes I am getting old. 3.) For what it's worth, the M's are in 1st place. 161 games to go but it's a good start.
*I've been keeping up with March Madness and my brackets have been decent to poor. One of these days I'll have a bracket that's like top notch. The final four is Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas & Ohio State (out of which I consensusly picked 3, missed out with Louisville). I do get the feeling this is shaping up to be another 2008. That year of course Kansas beat UNC on it's way to the title game. Kansas also faced off against a team coached by John Calipari. Kansas wasn't thought of to win the title. John Calipari's team had the best player in the country. See what I mean? Don't be surprised come Tuesday morning if it's Rock Chalk Jayhawk being bantered about. What would be even more eerie is if Calipari then decided to take the NY Knicks job and then it's found out that Anthony Davis had some kind of academic issues and then Kentucky was put on probation like Memphis was with Derrick Rose. Food for thought...
*The MLB regular season started today in Japan with the Mariners and the A's. I caught the game from about the 6th inning on. A couple of things: 1) I love watching live sports in the morning. It's nice to be able to tune in and see sports live while eating breakfast or getting ready for work. 2.) I am getting old. There was a statistic given during the game that Ichiro was the first M's player to get 4 hits in an opening day game since Ken Griffey Jr. did it in 1990. 1990 as in 22 years ago. Yes I am getting old. 3.) For what it's worth, the M's are in 1st place. 161 games to go but it's a good start.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Random Sports Reflections on Leap Day
Today is Leap Day, otherwise known as my birthday. Hope all of you celebrate Leap Day accordingly and responsibly.
*I'm getting excited for March Madness. Even though the first part of the college baskeball season I really didn't keep up with things, I have in the last month or so. Living in a city with pretty decent mid-major schools (USC Upstate, Wofford), I've got to watch some pretty good basketball. I'm hoping both teams win their conference tourneys and make the Big Dance. They have the ability to if things fall the right way. Emphasis on the "fall the right way".
*Baseball season is about to get going as well. It's weird not living in an MLB city for the first time since 2004 (Although Atlanta is only a few hours away). I'm excited to see how the Royals will do. They might actually do something this year hopefully.
*It's cool that in pro sports there are guys at the highest level that are living out their faith for Jesus and it's protrayed (mostly) in a positive manner in the media. From Tim Tebow, to Jeremy Lin, to Clayton Kershaw, there are lots of examples. I hope that trend will continue. It's good to hear positive stories about athletes than negative ones.
*I'm getting excited for March Madness. Even though the first part of the college baskeball season I really didn't keep up with things, I have in the last month or so. Living in a city with pretty decent mid-major schools (USC Upstate, Wofford), I've got to watch some pretty good basketball. I'm hoping both teams win their conference tourneys and make the Big Dance. They have the ability to if things fall the right way. Emphasis on the "fall the right way".
*Baseball season is about to get going as well. It's weird not living in an MLB city for the first time since 2004 (Although Atlanta is only a few hours away). I'm excited to see how the Royals will do. They might actually do something this year hopefully.
*It's cool that in pro sports there are guys at the highest level that are living out their faith for Jesus and it's protrayed (mostly) in a positive manner in the media. From Tim Tebow, to Jeremy Lin, to Clayton Kershaw, there are lots of examples. I hope that trend will continue. It's good to hear positive stories about athletes than negative ones.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Random Sports Reflections
As I take a few minutes out of a cold, rainy Monday in the Upstate of SC to ponder about some stuff...
*True to form, I picked the AFC & NFC title games correct just like last year. Well if that holds to form, whoever I pick for the Super Bowl should win right? Haha, hmmmm probably not so fast on that one. Lot of time to think through that. I am glad that Baltimore isn't going. That would've been a rough game to watch. It's like the Yankees playing in the World Series, not worth watching cause I don't like them. Instead we get a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. I'll have my thoughts & predictions of that game next week.
*Sad to hear about the passing of Joe Paterno over the weekend. It is a tragic story in many ways and one that can at times leave one speechless. I refrained from blogging about the story when it came out last November. Partly because I didn't know what to say & partly because it seemed that everyone else was talking about it. I didn't know what I could contribute that was any different. The whole scandal is a reminder of how we live in a fallen world. I hope that JoePa was a believer and I hope that would give comfort to his family as they mourn his loss. And I hope that there is continued prayer for the people of Happy Valley and the Penn State community for those who are having to deal daily with the effects of the actions of Jerry Sandusky. And I hope that there are believers in that area who are able to share Christ and let Him work & heal broken lives there.
*If you haven't yet, check out the site SportsYapp. They are a part of Sports Spectrum, a magazine that talks about Christianity and sports. They have a podcast that's updated fairly regularly and have done some interviews with some players, reporters and announcers sharing their testimonies like Dave Pasch, Clark Kellogg, Chris Broussard and Brett Kern. There's a link to the latest podcast here on my blog (it's on the right side of the page, just scroll down and you should see it.) Really good stuff and I suggest giving a listen sometime.
*True to form, I picked the AFC & NFC title games correct just like last year. Well if that holds to form, whoever I pick for the Super Bowl should win right? Haha, hmmmm probably not so fast on that one. Lot of time to think through that. I am glad that Baltimore isn't going. That would've been a rough game to watch. It's like the Yankees playing in the World Series, not worth watching cause I don't like them. Instead we get a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. I'll have my thoughts & predictions of that game next week.
*Sad to hear about the passing of Joe Paterno over the weekend. It is a tragic story in many ways and one that can at times leave one speechless. I refrained from blogging about the story when it came out last November. Partly because I didn't know what to say & partly because it seemed that everyone else was talking about it. I didn't know what I could contribute that was any different. The whole scandal is a reminder of how we live in a fallen world. I hope that JoePa was a believer and I hope that would give comfort to his family as they mourn his loss. And I hope that there is continued prayer for the people of Happy Valley and the Penn State community for those who are having to deal daily with the effects of the actions of Jerry Sandusky. And I hope that there are believers in that area who are able to share Christ and let Him work & heal broken lives there.
*If you haven't yet, check out the site SportsYapp. They are a part of Sports Spectrum, a magazine that talks about Christianity and sports. They have a podcast that's updated fairly regularly and have done some interviews with some players, reporters and announcers sharing their testimonies like Dave Pasch, Clark Kellogg, Chris Broussard and Brett Kern. There's a link to the latest podcast here on my blog (it's on the right side of the page, just scroll down and you should see it.) Really good stuff and I suggest giving a listen sometime.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Random Sports Reflections
Lot to talk about (hopefully I'll get back into a regular blogging routine in 2012) so it's bullet point time:
*I can't say that I'm disappointed about the BCS Championship Game, because it being the BCS, one should not be surprised. I've said it before & I'll say it again, if every level of football except Division 1 football can have a playoff and do well with it, why not them too? I had several discussions on facebook about it, almost to the point that I got sick of it. I don't fault my friends who are Alabama fans who are happy about being in the national championship game but the BCS is a messed up system. Would a playoff be perfect? No, but at least a championship would be decided on the field and not by computers and voters. Maybe someday there will be one but we'll see.
*Lots of Tim Tebow talk going around. It seems every week (or even every day) there is new Tebow talk. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Brett Favre and the media attention he got in the past few years. It seems a lot of writers and media come up with a story, slap Tim Tebow's name on it and boom. Given the 24/7 nature of news (sports or general), it's a given. But there comes a point when a lot of it is just rehashed news (he's not seen as the QB of the future, his faith being mocked, etc) pointing back at events that were a month or more ago. It will be interesting to see how long this media frenzy will hold up. When the offseason comes, will the Tebow talk still continue? Should be interesting.
*Albert Pujols signed with the Anaheim Angels (still refuse to call them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) this morning. I can't fault him for signing the 10 year 250+ million dollar contract. I just fault him for signing with the Angels, mainly because they're a rival of the Mariners & it means for the next 10 years (barring him waiving the no-trade clause) I'll have to root against him. Well I guess there's Tim Tebow to root for.
*I can't say that I'm disappointed about the BCS Championship Game, because it being the BCS, one should not be surprised. I've said it before & I'll say it again, if every level of football except Division 1 football can have a playoff and do well with it, why not them too? I had several discussions on facebook about it, almost to the point that I got sick of it. I don't fault my friends who are Alabama fans who are happy about being in the national championship game but the BCS is a messed up system. Would a playoff be perfect? No, but at least a championship would be decided on the field and not by computers and voters. Maybe someday there will be one but we'll see.
*Lots of Tim Tebow talk going around. It seems every week (or even every day) there is new Tebow talk. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Brett Favre and the media attention he got in the past few years. It seems a lot of writers and media come up with a story, slap Tim Tebow's name on it and boom. Given the 24/7 nature of news (sports or general), it's a given. But there comes a point when a lot of it is just rehashed news (he's not seen as the QB of the future, his faith being mocked, etc) pointing back at events that were a month or more ago. It will be interesting to see how long this media frenzy will hold up. When the offseason comes, will the Tebow talk still continue? Should be interesting.
*Albert Pujols signed with the Anaheim Angels (still refuse to call them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) this morning. I can't fault him for signing the 10 year 250+ million dollar contract. I just fault him for signing with the Angels, mainly because they're a rival of the Mariners & it means for the next 10 years (barring him waiving the no-trade clause) I'll have to root against him. Well I guess there's Tim Tebow to root for.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sports Analogy: The Draft
I thought about writing this post last month when the NFL draft was going on but it's still appropriate with the upcoming drafts of the other major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL). When thinking about the draft, it works well with the situation of life that I'm in right now. I just finished my Master's of Divinity degree and am in the process of looking for a full time ministry position. In many ways, it is similar to a college athlete who finished his collegiate career and waiting for the time of the draft.
There is the declaration that you are available, the answering of questions, the checking over of one's background and credentials. And then there is the wait. We see the players as they wait to hear their name called and find out where they will be going to play. In a lot of ways, that is how I'm feeling right now. Sending out resumes, answering questions, and waiting. Waiting to get a call saying I have been hired, that I've been "drafted".
Just as certain teams look for a particular need to fill for their teams, the same is true in ministry. God has designed me with gifts and abilities that work well with certain ministries (college/young adult, discipleship). And I know that He has the right place for me to serve. I just pray and wait for the call.
Wherever I get "drafted", I'm excited about the next phase of my life and what God has in store for me. Until then, I wait for the call...
There is the declaration that you are available, the answering of questions, the checking over of one's background and credentials. And then there is the wait. We see the players as they wait to hear their name called and find out where they will be going to play. In a lot of ways, that is how I'm feeling right now. Sending out resumes, answering questions, and waiting. Waiting to get a call saying I have been hired, that I've been "drafted".
Just as certain teams look for a particular need to fill for their teams, the same is true in ministry. God has designed me with gifts and abilities that work well with certain ministries (college/young adult, discipleship). And I know that He has the right place for me to serve. I just pray and wait for the call.
Wherever I get "drafted", I'm excited about the next phase of my life and what God has in store for me. Until then, I wait for the call...
Monday, January 10, 2011
Predictions for the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
The time for the national championship game is here. It's funny how late it is now that the 1-AA national championship along with NFL Wild Card Weekend is already done. Hmmmmm......maybe yet another reason why there should be a playoff.
Anyway, the big game is here. Oregon and Auburn. Pac-10 vs SEC. And as someone who has lived in both areas, I know what the conference fan bases are like. It's true that the Pac-10 get slighted out east & are better than the perception is. And the SEC is really really good and it plays out on the field as such.
The two teams are offensive powerhouses. Oregon is a full throttle offense that doesn't want to stop. Auburn has the Heisman Trophy winner in Cam Newton. Each team's strength is their offense and their defense, while not bad....isn't as good. So many people are predicting a shootout.
Two questions are key to this matchup. One, how will the layoff affect these teams & which team will overcome that. The other is which defense will stop the other's offense.
I'm okay with Auburn. They're not Alabama or Florida to me so I don't have a problem rooting for them. Now Oregon on the other hand I can't root for. As a Washington fan, there are three rivals for me. Washington St (Wazzzu), USC and Oregon. So, weighing everything. I'm going to pick the Tigers to end up winning this game.
Auburn 48 Oregon 41
Anyway, the big game is here. Oregon and Auburn. Pac-10 vs SEC. And as someone who has lived in both areas, I know what the conference fan bases are like. It's true that the Pac-10 get slighted out east & are better than the perception is. And the SEC is really really good and it plays out on the field as such.
The two teams are offensive powerhouses. Oregon is a full throttle offense that doesn't want to stop. Auburn has the Heisman Trophy winner in Cam Newton. Each team's strength is their offense and their defense, while not bad....isn't as good. So many people are predicting a shootout.
Two questions are key to this matchup. One, how will the layoff affect these teams & which team will overcome that. The other is which defense will stop the other's offense.
I'm okay with Auburn. They're not Alabama or Florida to me so I don't have a problem rooting for them. Now Oregon on the other hand I can't root for. As a Washington fan, there are three rivals for me. Washington St (Wazzzu), USC and Oregon. So, weighing everything. I'm going to pick the Tigers to end up winning this game.
Auburn 48 Oregon 41
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Reflecting on Video Games and College Basketball
Last Saturday, I participated in a video game tournament that made for a really good story and one I thought I would share with you. To preface, in January I started listening online to a sports radio show out of Nashville called 3 Hour Lunch. I spend my middays working on homework and listening to their show. Well, I found out that they were holding a video game tournament and it just so happened to take place while I was back in Tennessee for spring break from seminary. So I signed up and looked forward to it.
The tournament was held at The Score which is a video game store in Cool Springs. Not only do they buy, sell & trade games but they have places where you can play games including the "arena" which is in the middle of the store and has like stadium seating and two big screens projecting games. It was pretty cool. So I got there kinda early and just kinda hung out and looked around. It was to start around noon but didn't officially get going until around 12:15.
The rules were then laid out for the tourney. It was a single elimination tournament playing NCAA Basketball 10 on XBox360. The brackets were just like the real brackets. Each participant would draw the name of a school from a box in the order in which they signed up online. The team you drew was the team you played with. There weren't 64 participants so if there was a matchup and there weren't two participants then you got a bye. It was to be 5 minute halves on varsity and played on neutral courts.
So each person's name was called and drew a name. I was probably the 10th person or so to be called. I went up drew a name and got....East Tennessee State. Yup, a 16th seed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. I wasn't the only one who got bad draws. A lot of the ones who went early got bad draws. At the end 3 of the 4 #1 seeds finally got picked and I think only 1 of the #2 seeds. There were a lot of high seeds that were pulled.
When I first walked in, my goal was to make the Sweet 16. When I saw a lot of teenagers there, I adjusted my goal to not getting embarrassed. I found myself playing in the first round against a kid who was probably 8 or 9 years old. He was wearing a Kentucky jersey and was there with his dad who was also wearing a Kentucky shirt. Needless to say, there was irony in the kid drawing Kentucky.
So it was Kentucky vs. ETSU in round 1. And I met my first goal....I didn't get embarrassed. In fact, I ran the kid right out of the gym. Even with him having John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, me and my Bucs beat the Wildcats and advanced into the 2nd round. How do you ask? Well I did the only thing I could do with a team that wasn't that talented or had great 3 point shooting, I played an up-tempo game and ran, ran, ran. I would get a rebound and sprint down the court and get a layup. I'd inbound the ball and get it to my point guard, who happened to be my best player, and just went coast to coast with a layup. He couldn't ever stop it so I kept doing it. I was like, well if it works, keep doing it.
So, I got one win. I was happy and waited around until the next time I played. In the 2nd round I matched up against Texas. This was an interesting matchup as I was going against one of the hosts of the show, Brent. He had never played the game and so during the loading time, he asked me a few questions and I told him what to do (like what's the shoot button, what's the pass button, etc.). This was a tough game as he got ahead on some quick buckets. But I just went with the same gameplan as in the 1st round and it worked according to plan. I sped up the game and in the end pulled out another victory. 2-0 for ETSU and onto the Sweet 16.
So I made my original goal, at least make it to the Sweet 16 and I earned it with two victories. Now I had a matchup with Temple. This game was with one of those many teenagers that were running around. I was kinda worried but I was like, I'm playing with house money, I got nothing to lose. So again, played same up-tempo style...and it worked again. I got so far ahead that in the game the fans started chanting "Warm up the bus". 3-0 and onto the Elite 8
It was getting nervous time as I got ready to play in the Elite 8. I went up against a guy who had West Virginia. This was going to be hard because 1) he was a good player and 2) he had a talented team. So I had to buckle down and play well. In the first half I got ahead but then went cold and he was head by a point at half. In the second half I got down at one time by 6. I then switched up how I was playing defense and that coupled with him missing shots crawled back into the game. With 8 seconds left, I was down by two. I went the length of the court and tied it up with 3 seconds left. He then inbounded the ball went the length of the court and hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game. It was a tough way to lose but in gracious fashion I shook his hand and congratulated him on the victory. He later ended up winning the the whole thing so I lost to the champ.
In the end, I didn't do too bad. I took East Tennessee State, a 16th seed to the Elite 8. I was the highest seed to advance to the Elite 8 and did so winning 3 games with no byes. I was even complimented on two occasions including the guy who beat me as saying that I was "one of the best ones here". And though I didn't win a prize, I did a pretty good job and I have a great story to tell.
The tournament was held at The Score which is a video game store in Cool Springs. Not only do they buy, sell & trade games but they have places where you can play games including the "arena" which is in the middle of the store and has like stadium seating and two big screens projecting games. It was pretty cool. So I got there kinda early and just kinda hung out and looked around. It was to start around noon but didn't officially get going until around 12:15.
The rules were then laid out for the tourney. It was a single elimination tournament playing NCAA Basketball 10 on XBox360. The brackets were just like the real brackets. Each participant would draw the name of a school from a box in the order in which they signed up online. The team you drew was the team you played with. There weren't 64 participants so if there was a matchup and there weren't two participants then you got a bye. It was to be 5 minute halves on varsity and played on neutral courts.
So each person's name was called and drew a name. I was probably the 10th person or so to be called. I went up drew a name and got....East Tennessee State. Yup, a 16th seed from the Atlantic Sun Conference. I wasn't the only one who got bad draws. A lot of the ones who went early got bad draws. At the end 3 of the 4 #1 seeds finally got picked and I think only 1 of the #2 seeds. There were a lot of high seeds that were pulled.
When I first walked in, my goal was to make the Sweet 16. When I saw a lot of teenagers there, I adjusted my goal to not getting embarrassed. I found myself playing in the first round against a kid who was probably 8 or 9 years old. He was wearing a Kentucky jersey and was there with his dad who was also wearing a Kentucky shirt. Needless to say, there was irony in the kid drawing Kentucky.
So it was Kentucky vs. ETSU in round 1. And I met my first goal....I didn't get embarrassed. In fact, I ran the kid right out of the gym. Even with him having John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, me and my Bucs beat the Wildcats and advanced into the 2nd round. How do you ask? Well I did the only thing I could do with a team that wasn't that talented or had great 3 point shooting, I played an up-tempo game and ran, ran, ran. I would get a rebound and sprint down the court and get a layup. I'd inbound the ball and get it to my point guard, who happened to be my best player, and just went coast to coast with a layup. He couldn't ever stop it so I kept doing it. I was like, well if it works, keep doing it.
So, I got one win. I was happy and waited around until the next time I played. In the 2nd round I matched up against Texas. This was an interesting matchup as I was going against one of the hosts of the show, Brent. He had never played the game and so during the loading time, he asked me a few questions and I told him what to do (like what's the shoot button, what's the pass button, etc.). This was a tough game as he got ahead on some quick buckets. But I just went with the same gameplan as in the 1st round and it worked according to plan. I sped up the game and in the end pulled out another victory. 2-0 for ETSU and onto the Sweet 16.
So I made my original goal, at least make it to the Sweet 16 and I earned it with two victories. Now I had a matchup with Temple. This game was with one of those many teenagers that were running around. I was kinda worried but I was like, I'm playing with house money, I got nothing to lose. So again, played same up-tempo style...and it worked again. I got so far ahead that in the game the fans started chanting "Warm up the bus". 3-0 and onto the Elite 8
It was getting nervous time as I got ready to play in the Elite 8. I went up against a guy who had West Virginia. This was going to be hard because 1) he was a good player and 2) he had a talented team. So I had to buckle down and play well. In the first half I got ahead but then went cold and he was head by a point at half. In the second half I got down at one time by 6. I then switched up how I was playing defense and that coupled with him missing shots crawled back into the game. With 8 seconds left, I was down by two. I went the length of the court and tied it up with 3 seconds left. He then inbounded the ball went the length of the court and hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game. It was a tough way to lose but in gracious fashion I shook his hand and congratulated him on the victory. He later ended up winning the the whole thing so I lost to the champ.
In the end, I didn't do too bad. I took East Tennessee State, a 16th seed to the Elite 8. I was the highest seed to advance to the Elite 8 and did so winning 3 games with no byes. I was even complimented on two occasions including the guy who beat me as saying that I was "one of the best ones here". And though I didn't win a prize, I did a pretty good job and I have a great story to tell.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflecting After First Weekend of March Madness
I can safely say that this first weekend of March Madness is probably one of the craziest in my lifetime (30 years). The first day alone saw buzzer beaters, overtime, upsets galore and lots of excitement. Most of my brackets are busted (thanks to Northern Iowa's win), the only ones that aren't are homer brackets (meaning go UT and U-Dub!). Several things that stood out this weekend...
*The two teams I root for made it to the Sweet 16 and potentially could make the Final Four. Going into the tourney I thought only one had that chance (U-Dub) but Tennessee played well their first two games and were helped by upsets in the toughest region. Both will face the #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 but don't be surprised if these two underdogs make the Final 4
*A new phrase has joined the English language..."Going sharpie". This was coined by CBS analysits Greg Anthony and Seth Davis on their tweets. It means a team is pretty much going to win so they write in permanent marker on their brackets (Sharpie). I like the phrase. I will say this...my college roomates and I did something like this as a tradition starting back a decade or so ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long ago). Instead of a Sharpie, we used highlighters to mark our brackets we had posted on our living room wall. Orange or Yellow= correct pick, Green or Pink=incorrect pick. So if you hear me using the phrase "going sharpie" now you know the context.
Hopefully next weekend will live up to the standard that the first weekend set. If it does, then it should be a doozy of a weekend.
*The two teams I root for made it to the Sweet 16 and potentially could make the Final Four. Going into the tourney I thought only one had that chance (U-Dub) but Tennessee played well their first two games and were helped by upsets in the toughest region. Both will face the #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 but don't be surprised if these two underdogs make the Final 4
*A new phrase has joined the English language..."Going sharpie". This was coined by CBS analysits Greg Anthony and Seth Davis on their tweets. It means a team is pretty much going to win so they write in permanent marker on their brackets (Sharpie). I like the phrase. I will say this...my college roomates and I did something like this as a tradition starting back a decade or so ago (wow...can't believe it's been that long ago). Instead of a Sharpie, we used highlighters to mark our brackets we had posted on our living room wall. Orange or Yellow= correct pick, Green or Pink=incorrect pick. So if you hear me using the phrase "going sharpie" now you know the context.
Hopefully next weekend will live up to the standard that the first weekend set. If it does, then it should be a doozy of a weekend.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Reflections on March Madness 2010
It's Wednesday and it's the eve of March Madness. The next four days starting tomorrow is one of my four favorite days of the year, especially Thursday and Friday. I love watching the tournament and the excitement that comes with it. I have filled out brackets but before breaking down the brackets, here's some random reflections on college basketball.
*I'm not the first to say that the selections committee did a not great job and I won't be the last. It's a tough job but they could've done better than stacking the Midwest region with the overall #1 seed and the East with the #2 seed and making the South and West lighter. Also, Tennessee should've gotten higher than a 6th seed in the Midwest, you beat the #1 and #2 overall teams in the country and that gets you only a 6th seed in the toughest region?
*With all the talk about raising the amount of teams to 96 and such...I'm neither for nor against that yet. I will say this, if I was running the show this is what I would do. I would make the 31 automatic bids the top seeds (so roughly 1-7 or 8 seeds). That way A) it doesn't penalize the teams that won their way into the tournament like the mid-major schools and B) you still have the top teams in the top conferences as the 1 or 2 seeds because typically if they're that good they'll win their conference tournament. You then have your remaining 34 at large teams be the lower seed 8-16 with the last two "bubble" teams play in the play-in game. Of course that will never happen but it's a nice thing to think about.
*One thing that I have been reminded of in recent weeks is something that I talked about a while back in one of my video posts. I talked about how at least I am trying to talk positively about the teams I root for and not talk negatively about teams that are rivals or those I don't necessarily like. And for the most part, I've done a good job. If my team has won, I was excited and said great things about my team but I didn't denegrate the other team. If my team lost, I said they put up a good effort and gave the winning team their due. What has disappointed me is that I've seen, read and heard those friends of mine who haven't done that. They have made it a point to say bad things about the other team for no reason it seems like. Case in point. I have several friends who root for Kentucky. In the last few weeks when Tennessee played them in basketball, they made it a point to make snarky (a word I use sometimes that means like a sarcastic putdown) comments both when Kentucky lost and when they won. I don't know why they felt they had to say those things, maybe they're around Tennessee fans who make those kind of comments around them and they feel they need to respond in kind, I don't know. I know my tendency deep down is to respond like that if people are saying those kind of things and I kinda wanted to respond to them like they were responding but instead I thought about what good that would do and instead chose to say good things both about my team and theirs. I think definitely those who are pastors and ministers like myself need to be reminded that our words do mean something and they have an impact like our actions, and that includes being a sports fan. One cannot separate being a fan and being a follower of Jesus, because it's all wrapped into the person God has made you and called you to be. I'm not perfect in this but I'm trying and hopefully that will end up being edifying to God.
Now...onto the brackets. Just like last year I filled out 14 brackets (10 on ESPN, 3 on Facebook and 1 on Yahoo). I went with a variety of ways of filling out the brackets. Some were scientific (Strength of Schedule, Average of RPI and Strength of Schedule, Records vs. Top 25) and some were simply not scientific (Mascots, Numbers out of a Hat, Completely Random, First Impressions). Here are some thoughts on the brackets:
*I'm not buying some of the easy upset picks that a lot of the "experts" are going with, and not just because I'm a Tennessee guy. I don't think Tennessee or Vanderbilt will be upset. In fact, I think Vandy will be a sweet 16 team. Some sleeper teams I'm picking are Utah St., Washington, Minnesota and Cornell.
*I have seen a lot of Big 12 games living in Kansas City. It is a tough conference and Kansas is a very tough team. They have talent + experience which to me is a deadly combination. I think a lot of people think that Kentucky is the top team like a lot of other people think Kansas is the top team. I've seen both teams and there's no question, Kansas is better. Kentucky does have talent but Wall is too much of a kamakaze point guard who has a propensity to turn the ball over and have a Kobe Bryant mentality of shooting shots. Cousins is a player who could just as easily take his team out of a game as well as keep them in it with his attitude. Their best player to be honest is Bledsoe. When you're top three players are all freshmen, I do think that's not a formula for tournament success (see Michigan in 1993 with Fab 5). Kansas has the depth and talent with Collins, Aldrich, and the Henry twins. Along with that talent they have experience with Collins and Aldrich being seniors. That will play a factor to me as the tourney goes on.
I have two brackets in which I'm thinking are my best. In my first bracket I have in my final four: Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Villanova and in my second bracket I have the same with the exception being Baylor instead of Villanova. I have in the championship game in both brackets Kansas and West Virginia with Kansas taking the title.
Good luck to everyone filling out the brackets and hope you enjoy watching some basketball!
*I'm not the first to say that the selections committee did a not great job and I won't be the last. It's a tough job but they could've done better than stacking the Midwest region with the overall #1 seed and the East with the #2 seed and making the South and West lighter. Also, Tennessee should've gotten higher than a 6th seed in the Midwest, you beat the #1 and #2 overall teams in the country and that gets you only a 6th seed in the toughest region?
*With all the talk about raising the amount of teams to 96 and such...I'm neither for nor against that yet. I will say this, if I was running the show this is what I would do. I would make the 31 automatic bids the top seeds (so roughly 1-7 or 8 seeds). That way A) it doesn't penalize the teams that won their way into the tournament like the mid-major schools and B) you still have the top teams in the top conferences as the 1 or 2 seeds because typically if they're that good they'll win their conference tournament. You then have your remaining 34 at large teams be the lower seed 8-16 with the last two "bubble" teams play in the play-in game. Of course that will never happen but it's a nice thing to think about.
*One thing that I have been reminded of in recent weeks is something that I talked about a while back in one of my video posts. I talked about how at least I am trying to talk positively about the teams I root for and not talk negatively about teams that are rivals or those I don't necessarily like. And for the most part, I've done a good job. If my team has won, I was excited and said great things about my team but I didn't denegrate the other team. If my team lost, I said they put up a good effort and gave the winning team their due. What has disappointed me is that I've seen, read and heard those friends of mine who haven't done that. They have made it a point to say bad things about the other team for no reason it seems like. Case in point. I have several friends who root for Kentucky. In the last few weeks when Tennessee played them in basketball, they made it a point to make snarky (a word I use sometimes that means like a sarcastic putdown) comments both when Kentucky lost and when they won. I don't know why they felt they had to say those things, maybe they're around Tennessee fans who make those kind of comments around them and they feel they need to respond in kind, I don't know. I know my tendency deep down is to respond like that if people are saying those kind of things and I kinda wanted to respond to them like they were responding but instead I thought about what good that would do and instead chose to say good things both about my team and theirs. I think definitely those who are pastors and ministers like myself need to be reminded that our words do mean something and they have an impact like our actions, and that includes being a sports fan. One cannot separate being a fan and being a follower of Jesus, because it's all wrapped into the person God has made you and called you to be. I'm not perfect in this but I'm trying and hopefully that will end up being edifying to God.
Now...onto the brackets. Just like last year I filled out 14 brackets (10 on ESPN, 3 on Facebook and 1 on Yahoo). I went with a variety of ways of filling out the brackets. Some were scientific (Strength of Schedule, Average of RPI and Strength of Schedule, Records vs. Top 25) and some were simply not scientific (Mascots, Numbers out of a Hat, Completely Random, First Impressions). Here are some thoughts on the brackets:
*I'm not buying some of the easy upset picks that a lot of the "experts" are going with, and not just because I'm a Tennessee guy. I don't think Tennessee or Vanderbilt will be upset. In fact, I think Vandy will be a sweet 16 team. Some sleeper teams I'm picking are Utah St., Washington, Minnesota and Cornell.
*I have seen a lot of Big 12 games living in Kansas City. It is a tough conference and Kansas is a very tough team. They have talent + experience which to me is a deadly combination. I think a lot of people think that Kentucky is the top team like a lot of other people think Kansas is the top team. I've seen both teams and there's no question, Kansas is better. Kentucky does have talent but Wall is too much of a kamakaze point guard who has a propensity to turn the ball over and have a Kobe Bryant mentality of shooting shots. Cousins is a player who could just as easily take his team out of a game as well as keep them in it with his attitude. Their best player to be honest is Bledsoe. When you're top three players are all freshmen, I do think that's not a formula for tournament success (see Michigan in 1993 with Fab 5). Kansas has the depth and talent with Collins, Aldrich, and the Henry twins. Along with that talent they have experience with Collins and Aldrich being seniors. That will play a factor to me as the tourney goes on.
I have two brackets in which I'm thinking are my best. In my first bracket I have in my final four: Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Villanova and in my second bracket I have the same with the exception being Baylor instead of Villanova. I have in the championship game in both brackets Kansas and West Virginia with Kansas taking the title.
Good luck to everyone filling out the brackets and hope you enjoy watching some basketball!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Prediction on the BCS National Championship Game
Tonight is the BCS National Championship Game. Not to be confused with the "other" BCS game which included two undefeated teams which I dubbed the "other National Championship game" between TCU and Boise State which was played on Monday. This one is between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas.
Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand the BCS system and that there should be a playoff. But be that as it may, this is what we're stuck with for now.
In this game, we've got two teams which personally I either don't care about or don't like. Which means on the surface, I don't have a real rooting interest in this game. I'm not going to root for Alabama, simply because I don't like Bama. They're a rival to Tennessee. I don't care if they're in the same conference. They're a rival. Same goes for Florida. There's no scenerio where I would root for Florida. Any other SEC team I'm fine with but not those two.
On the other hand, I don't really care about Texas either. At one time, I didn't like Texas because of how they treated their one time starting QB Major Applewhite by benching him for Chris Simms but time has smoothed it out to where now I'm indifferent to them.
So in predicting this game I went with both sides, both sides being stats and gut feeling. The stats come down to this. The SEC is 5-0 in BCS National Championship games while the Big 12 is 2-4 in BCS National Championship games. Those lend themselves to Alabama. However, Alabama is winless in BCS games (0-2) including losing last year to Utah. Texas however is undefeated in BCS games (3-0) including winning the National Championsip game back in 2006. Also, the #2 team has won the last 4 matchups and 6 out of the last 7.
So there's the stats, here's the gut feeling. When I first heard the matchup, I immediately thought about the 2006 Rose Bowl game. There are several similarities between this year's game and that one. Both are being played in Pasadena. Both feature Texas as an underdog against a team that everyone expects to win the game. Both feature the opposing QB who has been successful (Matt Leinart: Heisman winner, Greg McElroy undefeated). Both feature a highly touted running back with the opposing team (Reggie Bush/Mark Ingram).
After weighing the stats and my gut feeling, I came to this conclusion. It'll be a hard fought game but in the end I think Texas gets the win. 41-38 Longhorns. In the words of Yogi Berra "It's deja vu all over again..."
Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand the BCS system and that there should be a playoff. But be that as it may, this is what we're stuck with for now.
In this game, we've got two teams which personally I either don't care about or don't like. Which means on the surface, I don't have a real rooting interest in this game. I'm not going to root for Alabama, simply because I don't like Bama. They're a rival to Tennessee. I don't care if they're in the same conference. They're a rival. Same goes for Florida. There's no scenerio where I would root for Florida. Any other SEC team I'm fine with but not those two.
On the other hand, I don't really care about Texas either. At one time, I didn't like Texas because of how they treated their one time starting QB Major Applewhite by benching him for Chris Simms but time has smoothed it out to where now I'm indifferent to them.
So in predicting this game I went with both sides, both sides being stats and gut feeling. The stats come down to this. The SEC is 5-0 in BCS National Championship games while the Big 12 is 2-4 in BCS National Championship games. Those lend themselves to Alabama. However, Alabama is winless in BCS games (0-2) including losing last year to Utah. Texas however is undefeated in BCS games (3-0) including winning the National Championsip game back in 2006. Also, the #2 team has won the last 4 matchups and 6 out of the last 7.
So there's the stats, here's the gut feeling. When I first heard the matchup, I immediately thought about the 2006 Rose Bowl game. There are several similarities between this year's game and that one. Both are being played in Pasadena. Both feature Texas as an underdog against a team that everyone expects to win the game. Both feature the opposing QB who has been successful (Matt Leinart: Heisman winner, Greg McElroy undefeated). Both feature a highly touted running back with the opposing team (Reggie Bush/Mark Ingram).
After weighing the stats and my gut feeling, I came to this conclusion. It'll be a hard fought game but in the end I think Texas gets the win. 41-38 Longhorns. In the words of Yogi Berra "It's deja vu all over again..."
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
To Go Perfect Or Not And Other Random Sports Reflections
I can't believe 2009 is nearly coming to an end. There's been a lot of sports stories that I haven't been able to cover as I would like. Given that I'll have a lot more flexibilty in my schedule it is looking like next year, it'll be a better time with posting and reflecting. I hope tomorrow to do a decade in review of reflections regarding sports. Today I wanted to hit on some things I've been mulling over.
*I (along with millions) are very disappointed in Jim Caldwell and Bill Polian in their decision to not go for an undefeated season. Anytime the '72 Dolphins celebrate is a bad time. What gets me is it seems like multiple contridictions that those two were about. They don't care about history yet Polian in an interview said they wanted to have the record for longest winning streak in the regular season and the most wins in the decade. Hmmmm, how are those better than an undefeated 19-0 season? The mantra of any sport is to take it one game at a time and to not look ahead and yet when you rest players you're looking ahead to something that may or may not happen. Herm Edwards got it right, you play to win the game. You don't play to rest players to play in a game you may not even make it to. The most condemning aspect of their rationale is they've done this two other times in the past four years. What happened to them? They lost and didn't make the Super Bowl. The one year they played hard to the end, they won the Super Bowl. I haven't done my playoff predictions but I'm going on record, Colts aren't making the Super Bowl and it goes back to a game in December deemed "meaningless" by Caldwell and Polian.
*I saw my first NBA game on TV on Christmas Day...and it was like I hadn't really missed it much. I still hold the NBA in not high standards after the debacle with Clay Bennett and David Stern allowing the Seattle SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma City. Honestly it's disappointing because there's probably some good action going on. But when I think about how that transpired and how uncaring Stern was to the people of Seattle and state of Washington and the tradition of the Sonics, it makes me sad. Until that is rectified, I will continue to be ambivilent about the NBA at best.
*As much grief that Brett Favre got about his waivering, I hope Urban Meyer gets the same amount of grief. I think it's one thing to take a break to take care of health and family, it's another to say you'll retire, to then say you'll take an indefinite leave of absense to then say you'll more than likely be back next season. As much as I didn't like Steve Spurrier when he was at Florida, I can be pretty sure in saying even he wouldn't do something like this. It seems Meyer cares more about himself than the school and when that becomes the case that ends up hurting the school.
*I (along with millions) are very disappointed in Jim Caldwell and Bill Polian in their decision to not go for an undefeated season. Anytime the '72 Dolphins celebrate is a bad time. What gets me is it seems like multiple contridictions that those two were about. They don't care about history yet Polian in an interview said they wanted to have the record for longest winning streak in the regular season and the most wins in the decade. Hmmmm, how are those better than an undefeated 19-0 season? The mantra of any sport is to take it one game at a time and to not look ahead and yet when you rest players you're looking ahead to something that may or may not happen. Herm Edwards got it right, you play to win the game. You don't play to rest players to play in a game you may not even make it to. The most condemning aspect of their rationale is they've done this two other times in the past four years. What happened to them? They lost and didn't make the Super Bowl. The one year they played hard to the end, they won the Super Bowl. I haven't done my playoff predictions but I'm going on record, Colts aren't making the Super Bowl and it goes back to a game in December deemed "meaningless" by Caldwell and Polian.
*I saw my first NBA game on TV on Christmas Day...and it was like I hadn't really missed it much. I still hold the NBA in not high standards after the debacle with Clay Bennett and David Stern allowing the Seattle SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma City. Honestly it's disappointing because there's probably some good action going on. But when I think about how that transpired and how uncaring Stern was to the people of Seattle and state of Washington and the tradition of the Sonics, it makes me sad. Until that is rectified, I will continue to be ambivilent about the NBA at best.
*As much grief that Brett Favre got about his waivering, I hope Urban Meyer gets the same amount of grief. I think it's one thing to take a break to take care of health and family, it's another to say you'll retire, to then say you'll take an indefinite leave of absense to then say you'll more than likely be back next season. As much as I didn't like Steve Spurrier when he was at Florida, I can be pretty sure in saying even he wouldn't do something like this. It seems Meyer cares more about himself than the school and when that becomes the case that ends up hurting the school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)