Growing up in Tennessee, it may not look like it but I'm a huge hockey fan. I've mentioned before how as a teen I grew to love hockey and even more so when the Predators came to Nashville. I have been to a few games since the Preds started back in the fall of 1998, including one this year when I was home for spring break (which they won in a shootout against Phoenix).
But as great as regular season hockey is, it's even more so in the playoffs. I hope one of these days to go to a playoff game but in the meantime I watch it on TV.
To me, there's nothing like watching playoff hockey. The action is intense and even more so if it goes into overtime. If you've never seen a hockey game before, the playoffs are a great time to start. And if you'd like a team to root for, you can jump on the Predators bandwagon :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dueling Pitchers: First Royals Game of 2010....in Review
It's the time of the year where spring is in the air and baseball teams are on the field. Yup, it's baseball season and with that comes going out to the ballpark and yesterday was the first opportunity of the year for that. I almost went the entire first homestand of the Royals without going but I ended up going because A) it was the Red Sox they were playing, B) it was a pitching matchup between Josh Beckett and Zack Grienke and C) it was free jersey night.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temp at first pitch was around 70 degrees which is probably 30 degrees more than it has been the last two first games I've been too in the previous two years. It felt like a late May day and definitely no complaining. Normally I'm wearing layers and trying to stay warm whereas this time around it was this time around wearing short sleeves and shorts.
At the game was me, my friend Kyle and a friend of his from class. The seats were in the outfield, out in left field, to the left of the Red Sox bullpen. It was a good game....unfortunately for the Royals...the Red Sox won 8-3. Some highlights:
*It was a pitcher's duel for probably about 5 innings. Beckett was pretty much on for most of the game. Grienke wasn't as much but held on a lead until giving up some runs. Beckett ended up winning the game and is still undefeated against the Royals.
*It was the first Red Sox game I had been to since 2008. That game I also saw Josh Beckett start and win the game.
*Sitting out by the fountains, you can't hear as well as normally can around the stadium...which is kind of to be expected.
*The fans in the outfield are a lot more rowdy than they are in other parts of the stadium. I learned this some last year at the first game of the year and it was confirmed again. There was some drunk guys who were yelling out at Rick Ankiel (the new CF) when he would make plays like "You're awesome Rick!" and stuff like that. It was almost like reverse heckling. Of course there was some regular heckling of Red Sox players and Red Sox fans. I was glad I went with the Royals gear and not with the Red Sox gear.
*There was also an "incident" that happened during the game. There was one drunk guy who sat below us who kept getting up and leaving every so often (mainly because the vendors didn't walk through the outfield as much as other areas so to get beer one had to get up and get it). I can't remember it it was in the fifth or sixth inning but I was looking out towards right field and all of a sudden I feel somebody just come crashing down on me. It startled me more than anything. When I turn around, I see it's this drunk guy from below us. He was trying to step down on the seat to try and get to his seat but he stumbled over the rail and fell onto me. He was all like "I'm sorry dude. Are you alright dude?" I answered I was fine, I was shocked more than anything. I felt bad for the guy as he was wasted. He ended up finally making it to his seat but then about an inning later he was gone again and never came back.
The Royals are now 0-1 in games I've been to this year. Hopefully, they'll win the next time I go and see them.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temp at first pitch was around 70 degrees which is probably 30 degrees more than it has been the last two first games I've been too in the previous two years. It felt like a late May day and definitely no complaining. Normally I'm wearing layers and trying to stay warm whereas this time around it was this time around wearing short sleeves and shorts.
At the game was me, my friend Kyle and a friend of his from class. The seats were in the outfield, out in left field, to the left of the Red Sox bullpen. It was a good game....unfortunately for the Royals...the Red Sox won 8-3. Some highlights:
*It was a pitcher's duel for probably about 5 innings. Beckett was pretty much on for most of the game. Grienke wasn't as much but held on a lead until giving up some runs. Beckett ended up winning the game and is still undefeated against the Royals.
*It was the first Red Sox game I had been to since 2008. That game I also saw Josh Beckett start and win the game.
*Sitting out by the fountains, you can't hear as well as normally can around the stadium...which is kind of to be expected.
*The fans in the outfield are a lot more rowdy than they are in other parts of the stadium. I learned this some last year at the first game of the year and it was confirmed again. There was some drunk guys who were yelling out at Rick Ankiel (the new CF) when he would make plays like "You're awesome Rick!" and stuff like that. It was almost like reverse heckling. Of course there was some regular heckling of Red Sox players and Red Sox fans. I was glad I went with the Royals gear and not with the Red Sox gear.
*There was also an "incident" that happened during the game. There was one drunk guy who sat below us who kept getting up and leaving every so often (mainly because the vendors didn't walk through the outfield as much as other areas so to get beer one had to get up and get it). I can't remember it it was in the fifth or sixth inning but I was looking out towards right field and all of a sudden I feel somebody just come crashing down on me. It startled me more than anything. When I turn around, I see it's this drunk guy from below us. He was trying to step down on the seat to try and get to his seat but he stumbled over the rail and fell onto me. He was all like "I'm sorry dude. Are you alright dude?" I answered I was fine, I was shocked more than anything. I felt bad for the guy as he was wasted. He ended up finally making it to his seat but then about an inning later he was gone again and never came back.
The Royals are now 0-1 in games I've been to this year. Hopefully, they'll win the next time I go and see them.
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!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
2010 Major League Baseball Predictions
Spring is almost here and so it's time for predictions for MLB. Of course these predictions are purely mine and are a mix of what I'd like to see and what I think, which means there's definitely room for error.
AL East:
Boston (division winner)
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto
AL Central:
Chicago White Sox (division winner)
Kansas City (wild card)
Minnesota
Detroit
Cleveland
AL West:
Seattle (division winner)
Texas
Anaheim (LA) Angels
Oakland
NL East:
Philadelphia (division winner)
Atlanta (wild card)
NY Mets
Florida
Washington
NL Central:
St. Louis (division winner)
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh
NL West:
Arizona (division winner)
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Playoffs:
ALCS: Seattle vs. Chicago White Sox
NLCS: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis
World Series: Seattle vs. Philadelphia
Champs: Seattle
AL MVP: Justin Morneau
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
AL East:
Boston (division winner)
NY Yankees
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto
AL Central:
Chicago White Sox (division winner)
Kansas City (wild card)
Minnesota
Detroit
Cleveland
AL West:
Seattle (division winner)
Texas
Anaheim (LA) Angels
Oakland
NL East:
Philadelphia (division winner)
Atlanta (wild card)
NY Mets
Florida
Washington
NL Central:
St. Louis (division winner)
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh
NL West:
Arizona (division winner)
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Playoffs:
ALCS: Seattle vs. Chicago White Sox
NLCS: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis
World Series: Seattle vs. Philadelphia
Champs: Seattle
AL MVP: Justin Morneau
NL MVP: Albert Pujols
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
Sunday, February 28, 2010
What A Game: Men's Hockey Gold Medal Game
I was going to write a post on the USA men's hockey team. I think all that can be said is in the game that just took place. Though I'm disappointed that the team lost, I think it says a lot about how the team played. It's a much younger team than previous times and one that wasn't expected to do much. Most thought it would be Canada, Russia, Czech Republic and Sweden would be the top teams. For the U.S. to do what they did (go undefeated in pool play, get to the gold medal game, score with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period to tie the game), I think it says a lot about their heart.
It's a great lesson in playing hard and that even though they didn't win the gold, they were successful in what they accomplished. I hope the NHL allows their players to play in 2014, it makes it way more entertaining and I think showcases the NHL in more ways than if they didn't.
It definitely was a great way to close out the Olympics. Now the countdown is on for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London [and my birthday as well :)]
It's a great lesson in playing hard and that even though they didn't win the gold, they were successful in what they accomplished. I hope the NHL allows their players to play in 2014, it makes it way more entertaining and I think showcases the NHL in more ways than if they didn't.
It definitely was a great way to close out the Olympics. Now the countdown is on for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London [and my birthday as well :)]
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Great Story on an Olympic Speedskater
I can't believe that the Olympics are almost over (last day is tomorrow). It has been a great two (or so) weeks of action with lots of drama and stories to go around. I will definitely blog about the U.S. men's hockey team but that will come tomorrow or Monday.
One story that stood out to me was that of Chad Hedrick, the speedskater. I remember him from previous Olympics especially in Turin where he had great success on the ice but he kind of a rough reputation off the ice. Given the way the stories go with Olympic athletes, I didn't hear anything about him until four years later. Then I read an article at the start of the Olympics in Vancouver about how he gave his life to Christ recently and how he and his family have began walking with the Lord. It was a really cool testimony which he is vocal about how his life has been changed because of Christ. This Olympics was his last and he went out with a medal in his final race (team pursuit) with a silver medal.
He plans on sharing his story with others after hanging up the skates. I wish him the best and hope that God continues to use him in sharing Christ with others.
(Here's the article that I read, done by Tim Ellsworth, who's also the director of news and media relations at my alma mater Union University)
One story that stood out to me was that of Chad Hedrick, the speedskater. I remember him from previous Olympics especially in Turin where he had great success on the ice but he kind of a rough reputation off the ice. Given the way the stories go with Olympic athletes, I didn't hear anything about him until four years later. Then I read an article at the start of the Olympics in Vancouver about how he gave his life to Christ recently and how he and his family have began walking with the Lord. It was a really cool testimony which he is vocal about how his life has been changed because of Christ. This Olympics was his last and he went out with a medal in his final race (team pursuit) with a silver medal.
He plans on sharing his story with others after hanging up the skates. I wish him the best and hope that God continues to use him in sharing Christ with others.
(Here's the article that I read, done by Tim Ellsworth, who's also the director of news and media relations at my alma mater Union University)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Reflections on the Winter Olympics (Opening Weekend)
Everyone who knows me knows how much I love the Olympics. This is even more so the case of the Winter Olympics. I was born on February 29, 1980, five days after the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid (FYI, my due date was originally the 22nd, which was the day the "Miracle on Ice" took place). I was still too young to remember the 1984 Olympics but in 1988 I remember watching the Winter Olympics that were in Calgary and really fell in love with it. It was awesome to watch both Olympics in the same year. I was disappointed when they separated the two and moved the Winter Olympics to a non-Leap Year after the 1992 Olympics.
I've had some great memories watching the Winter Olympics. One of my best memories is in 2002 when I was a senior at Union and watching the Men's Hockey Finals in the upstairs of Hurt Commons with friends. It was cool watching the U.S. and Canada play each other.
This year, the Olympics are in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city. I was there for a week back in 2005 on a mission trip. If I still lived in Seattle, I would make the trip up to go to the Olympics. If I wasn't in seminary right now, I'd definitely have done it. By the way, if you've never been to Vancouver, you should visit.
Aside from the tragedy of Friday with the death of the luger from Georgia, it has been a good start. The U.S. team has gotten 4 medals after yesterday and will hopefully add to the total. I was very happy that Poland got a silver in Ski Jumping (Normal Hill), which is one of my favorite sports in the Olympics.
I'm excited for the next two weeks to watch some Olympics. I think there will be some memorable moments and hopefully I'll have time to blog about it.
I've had some great memories watching the Winter Olympics. One of my best memories is in 2002 when I was a senior at Union and watching the Men's Hockey Finals in the upstairs of Hurt Commons with friends. It was cool watching the U.S. and Canada play each other.
This year, the Olympics are in Vancouver. It is a beautiful city. I was there for a week back in 2005 on a mission trip. If I still lived in Seattle, I would make the trip up to go to the Olympics. If I wasn't in seminary right now, I'd definitely have done it. By the way, if you've never been to Vancouver, you should visit.
Aside from the tragedy of Friday with the death of the luger from Georgia, it has been a good start. The U.S. team has gotten 4 medals after yesterday and will hopefully add to the total. I was very happy that Poland got a silver in Ski Jumping (Normal Hill), which is one of my favorite sports in the Olympics.
I'm excited for the next two weeks to watch some Olympics. I think there will be some memorable moments and hopefully I'll have time to blog about it.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Super Bowl XLIV Prediction
It's almost time for Super Bowl XLIV. The game is on Sunday and so it's time for my pick. This postseason I've done really well with picking as I've gone 7-3. I'm assured a winning record for the playoffs but it'd be nice to pick the winner of the Super Bowl as well. Last decade (in case you were wondering, from Super Bowl 34 to 43) I went 5-5 in picking the winner of the Super Bowl. We'll see how the new decade shapes up.
We get a great matchup in the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. In the regular season, I picked this as the Super Bowl matchup, though after Week 16 I thought otherwise (more on that later). We get two high powered offenses, two big name quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees) and what should be one exciting show.
In breaking down the matchup, it seems a lot of people are favoring the Colts because of Peyton Manning and rightfully so. He is arguably one of the best quarterbacks ever. He is the franchise player for the Colts for over a decade. This team rides on his arm. On the other side, you have Drew Brees, who wasn't a slouch at all at QB. He revived the Saints franchise and has been both a leader on and off the field. As much as what Peyton means to the Colts, Drew means as much as the heart and soul of the Saints.
One of the things I think that has gotten overlooked and what I think will play a factor is the running game. As much as it's been a pass happy league the last few years, running the ball is important (and I don't count bubble screen passes as runs) and I think will play a role in this game. When I look at the two teams' running games, Indy has a solid running game in Joseph Addai and the rookie Donald Brown. But, the edge goes to the Saints in that their running back duo (Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush) has been a little more consistent this season and has the ability to break a run for a big gain.
Another key will be special teams. The Colts have the oldest player to start a Super Bowl in K Matt Stover. He's reliable but won't be able to kick long field goals. That will factor in. The Saints K Garrett Hartley is young, has the leg but has missed some key field goals (though he did hit the game winner in OT in the NFC Championship game). Return game edge goes to the Saints (Reggie Bush/Courtney Roby vs Chad Simpson/T.J. Rushing).
Obviously a key story is Dwight Freeney and his injury. I think regardless of whether he plays or not, he will not be 100% and that will be a factor. He is known for his speed and with his ankle not 100% he won't have the full speed he needs to disrupt things. That in turn will upset the balance of the rest of the defense.
Important stat: In the regular season, the Saints had a +11 giveaway/takeaway while the Colts had a +2.
It has been a tough decision to figure out who to root for and who will win. For me, there are three factors in which I went with the decision I did. First, the Colts decision to basically quit on the last two games of the regular season. I thought then it was wrong and still do. I wouldn't want to reward them with a Super Bowl for doing something like that and deep down I think they won't win and that will be rectified. Two, though many people are picking the Colts, if you're not a Colts or Saints fan, the rooting interest might be steered more towards the Saints. Three, in a Madden simulation of the game earlier this week, the Saints won that game. That simulation has predicted the winner of the Super Bowl 5 out the last 6 years.
As much as I love Peyton (being a UT guy), I think the choice for me is clear....
Who Dat rolls to the victory
New Orleans 38 Indianapolis 30
MVP: Drew Brees
We get a great matchup in the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. In the regular season, I picked this as the Super Bowl matchup, though after Week 16 I thought otherwise (more on that later). We get two high powered offenses, two big name quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees) and what should be one exciting show.
In breaking down the matchup, it seems a lot of people are favoring the Colts because of Peyton Manning and rightfully so. He is arguably one of the best quarterbacks ever. He is the franchise player for the Colts for over a decade. This team rides on his arm. On the other side, you have Drew Brees, who wasn't a slouch at all at QB. He revived the Saints franchise and has been both a leader on and off the field. As much as what Peyton means to the Colts, Drew means as much as the heart and soul of the Saints.
One of the things I think that has gotten overlooked and what I think will play a factor is the running game. As much as it's been a pass happy league the last few years, running the ball is important (and I don't count bubble screen passes as runs) and I think will play a role in this game. When I look at the two teams' running games, Indy has a solid running game in Joseph Addai and the rookie Donald Brown. But, the edge goes to the Saints in that their running back duo (Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush) has been a little more consistent this season and has the ability to break a run for a big gain.
Another key will be special teams. The Colts have the oldest player to start a Super Bowl in K Matt Stover. He's reliable but won't be able to kick long field goals. That will factor in. The Saints K Garrett Hartley is young, has the leg but has missed some key field goals (though he did hit the game winner in OT in the NFC Championship game). Return game edge goes to the Saints (Reggie Bush/Courtney Roby vs Chad Simpson/T.J. Rushing).
Obviously a key story is Dwight Freeney and his injury. I think regardless of whether he plays or not, he will not be 100% and that will be a factor. He is known for his speed and with his ankle not 100% he won't have the full speed he needs to disrupt things. That in turn will upset the balance of the rest of the defense.
Important stat: In the regular season, the Saints had a +11 giveaway/takeaway while the Colts had a +2.
It has been a tough decision to figure out who to root for and who will win. For me, there are three factors in which I went with the decision I did. First, the Colts decision to basically quit on the last two games of the regular season. I thought then it was wrong and still do. I wouldn't want to reward them with a Super Bowl for doing something like that and deep down I think they won't win and that will be rectified. Two, though many people are picking the Colts, if you're not a Colts or Saints fan, the rooting interest might be steered more towards the Saints. Three, in a Madden simulation of the game earlier this week, the Saints won that game. That simulation has predicted the winner of the Super Bowl 5 out the last 6 years.
As much as I love Peyton (being a UT guy), I think the choice for me is clear....
Who Dat rolls to the victory
New Orleans 38 Indianapolis 30
MVP: Drew Brees
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