The Super Bowl is the most over-hyped event of the year. There is no major news that comes out of Super Bowl week and the game does not live up to the hype, most of the time. I think the Pats will win on Sunday in a blow out. My prediction (sure to be wrong) is for a close game till the end and the Pats win 34-31.
Some sad news to report, the son of long-time Boston sports reporter Bob Ryan, Keith has died in Pakistan. Keith was a immigration and customs enforcement attaché from the Department of Homeland Security. After a year in Pakistan he was due to return to the U.S., but was found dead in the bathroom in his home. The Interior Minister said, “We expect it is suicide, but we are investigating.” Keith was 37 years old. My heart goes out to the Ryan family.
The UCONN Huskies men won two big games against ranked opponents this week at Indiana and home against Louisville. They won dispute two key players, Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins, who were suspended for breaking team rules. These two wins may get them into the NCAA tournament. Lets keep it going boys.
The big event this week is the Super Bowl. Like I said let the hype begin. The other big event of the weekend as I mentioned in my last blog is UFC-81 that features the UFC debut of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Brock Lesnar. Brock will face former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has faced many big time opponents.
Talk to you all next week after the Pats win it all.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
This week in sports
I have to agree with my fellow sports columnist Bob Lazzari that the NBA is unwatchable. The last four or five Celtics games have been awful. They have broken all the basic rules on defense, like jumping and not keeping their feet on ground. Their rebounding has been awful as well. The UCONN men are playing better than the Celtics right now, and that’s saying something. If you want to see good basketball, than the women’s game is for you, both college and Pro. The women play the game below the rim, which shows their skill level, and more technically sound.
If you listened to the January 15th Congressional hearing featuring Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Union Leader Donald Fehr you heard them say a number of things like there is no reliable test for HGH and storing blood is not practical. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): A scientifically valid and effective test for HGH does exists. Also according to WADA storing blood is practical. I have heard in the past that the players do not what a blood test for reasons I’M not sure of. Big bad athletes don’t like needles, I feel so bad. Come on guys and suck it up.
To Selig and Fehr the job is done for you, all you have to do is sign the world Anti-Doping code. It is all spelled out for you. But no US professional sports league has signed it. Why, because we want to be independent from the rest of the world. A quote from WADA, “To not test for HGH, when you have the resources and opportunity, is to give players a free pass to HGH abuse.”
I would like to clarify my comment that winter is the doldrums for sports fans. There is NBA basketball, NHL Hockey and men and women’s college basketball at night. There is the NFL playoffs and pro bull riding and bowling on the weekends. I’M talking about the weekdays from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. The only thing on is sports talk shows on ESPN and most of them I do not like. I would like to see more Darts and Snooker. I know ESPN and Fox Sports have done Darts before but its time to give it another try. I have never seen Snooker but what I have read it is a great sport that is a lot better then the pool that ESPN has on some times.
I cannot wait for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Pay-Per View on Super Saturday (Feb. 2). UFC-81 features the UFC debut of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Brock Lesnar. Brock will face former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has faced many big time opponents.
I know some of you will think I’M crazy for liking the UFC, but since the first UFC in 1993 no one has died in the octagon. Many people have died in the boxing ring in that same time. Two people have died in mixed martial arts (MMA), but these were in unsanctioned fights. The UFC is sanctioned in Nevada, California and by other state’s boxing commissions. I like it because it is as real as it gets, its not like pro wrestling, which is scripted. Also unlike boxing you know who the champion is in each weight class. There are a lot of MMA promotions out there, but the UFC is the biggest and best.
Two columns’ back I commented on UCONN Men’s coach Jim Calhoun being under rated. This time I would like to comment on women’s coach Geno Auriemma. I think Geno is over-rated; yes, he has won 5 national championships, but they have not won anything in the past three seasons. Most of the championships they have won had some of the best players of all time on the team like, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Rebecca Lobo just to name a few. He may be a great recruiter and motivator but sometimes he comes off as arrogant, such as forgetting the name of a big time opponent at a press conference before the North Carolina game. Then there was the time this season he told one of his freshman reserve players, not to screw up because they were #1 in the country and have a chance to win the National Title. Sometimes, I think all his success goes to his head.
If you listened to the January 15th Congressional hearing featuring Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Union Leader Donald Fehr you heard them say a number of things like there is no reliable test for HGH and storing blood is not practical. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): A scientifically valid and effective test for HGH does exists. Also according to WADA storing blood is practical. I have heard in the past that the players do not what a blood test for reasons I’M not sure of. Big bad athletes don’t like needles, I feel so bad. Come on guys and suck it up.
To Selig and Fehr the job is done for you, all you have to do is sign the world Anti-Doping code. It is all spelled out for you. But no US professional sports league has signed it. Why, because we want to be independent from the rest of the world. A quote from WADA, “To not test for HGH, when you have the resources and opportunity, is to give players a free pass to HGH abuse.”
I would like to clarify my comment that winter is the doldrums for sports fans. There is NBA basketball, NHL Hockey and men and women’s college basketball at night. There is the NFL playoffs and pro bull riding and bowling on the weekends. I’M talking about the weekdays from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. The only thing on is sports talk shows on ESPN and most of them I do not like. I would like to see more Darts and Snooker. I know ESPN and Fox Sports have done Darts before but its time to give it another try. I have never seen Snooker but what I have read it is a great sport that is a lot better then the pool that ESPN has on some times.
I cannot wait for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Pay-Per View on Super Saturday (Feb. 2). UFC-81 features the UFC debut of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Brock Lesnar. Brock will face former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has faced many big time opponents.
I know some of you will think I’M crazy for liking the UFC, but since the first UFC in 1993 no one has died in the octagon. Many people have died in the boxing ring in that same time. Two people have died in mixed martial arts (MMA), but these were in unsanctioned fights. The UFC is sanctioned in Nevada, California and by other state’s boxing commissions. I like it because it is as real as it gets, its not like pro wrestling, which is scripted. Also unlike boxing you know who the champion is in each weight class. There are a lot of MMA promotions out there, but the UFC is the biggest and best.
Two columns’ back I commented on UCONN Men’s coach Jim Calhoun being under rated. This time I would like to comment on women’s coach Geno Auriemma. I think Geno is over-rated; yes, he has won 5 national championships, but they have not won anything in the past three seasons. Most of the championships they have won had some of the best players of all time on the team like, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Rebecca Lobo just to name a few. He may be a great recruiter and motivator but sometimes he comes off as arrogant, such as forgetting the name of a big time opponent at a press conference before the North Carolina game. Then there was the time this season he told one of his freshman reserve players, not to screw up because they were #1 in the country and have a chance to win the National Title. Sometimes, I think all his success goes to his head.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Weekend TV update
Weekend TV Update
This weekend’s big event is the Winter X Games that started last night. The events to looks for in this 4-day festival of fun are snowmobile cross on Saturday. Snocross is supercross on snow. Snowmobile freestyle on Sunday, think motocross freestyle with a bigger motor, nuts. Last night there had a new event called speed and style, which combed the two events. I did not like it so much.
Snowboarder X on Saturday my pick of the weekend. It is like roller derby on snow, it’s crazy and nuts.
Also this weekend is the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, but the best part is the skills challenge on Saturday. The events are the fastest skater and hardest shot and other key skills. The thing I like about hockey’s All-Star Saturday night is that it is a team event and not just individual player as the NBA All-Star Saturday is.
The big basketball game this weekend is UCONN is at Indiana in a big time match up. UCONN needs to show that they can step up on the Road.
No football this weekend, so try something new.
That’s my take.
Jamie
This weekend’s big event is the Winter X Games that started last night. The events to looks for in this 4-day festival of fun are snowmobile cross on Saturday. Snocross is supercross on snow. Snowmobile freestyle on Sunday, think motocross freestyle with a bigger motor, nuts. Last night there had a new event called speed and style, which combed the two events. I did not like it so much.
Snowboarder X on Saturday my pick of the weekend. It is like roller derby on snow, it’s crazy and nuts.
Also this weekend is the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, but the best part is the skills challenge on Saturday. The events are the fastest skater and hardest shot and other key skills. The thing I like about hockey’s All-Star Saturday night is that it is a team event and not just individual player as the NBA All-Star Saturday is.
The big basketball game this weekend is UCONN is at Indiana in a big time match up. UCONN needs to show that they can step up on the Road.
No football this weekend, so try something new.
That’s my take.
Jamie
Monday, January 14, 2008
This week in sports
It is doldrums of winter for sports fans. With little else going on The NFL playoffs are the best part of the season. The fact that in the playoffs you have one game to prove you deserve to be go on or if you loose you are out is what keeps the excitement and interest in the game. As John Madden said, “ It’s the finality of it all”. For example who knew that Indianapolis would loose to San Diego, not me, that’s for sure. With March Madness it’s the same, survive and advance, or won and done. I can’t wait for the month of March, I love March Madness.
I watched Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and at his press conference and I have one piece of advice for him: BE QUIET. Every time he opens his mouth he sticks his foot in it. At his press conference on Jan. 7th, Clemens played a 12-minute phone call with his former trainer Brian McNamee. Clemens had secretly taped this call with out McNamee knowing. In the tape Clemens was not clear about what he wanted and McNamee repeatedly asked Clemens “What do you want me to do?” This phone call, which Clemens taped, was on Friday, Jan. 4th, on Sunday, Jan. 6th before the press conference Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee in Harris County District Court in Texas. The lawsuit listed 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the Mitchell Report. Clemens claimed the statements were "Untrue and Defamatory."
On February 13th, Clemens and McNamee will testify in front of The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The hearing was postponed from January 16th, giving lawmakers more time to gather evidence and to coordinate their investigation with the Justice Department. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested. The January 15th hearing before the same committee about the Mitchell Report featuring Commissioner Bud Selig, Union Leader Donald Fehr, and George Mitchell, the reports author, will go on as planned January 16th. Stay tuned for an update after the February 13th testimony.
I’m glad to see University Presidents are coming out saying, “Schools need to regain control of the college football post-season”. For years the Presidents have been opposed to a playoff system. Their opposition is largely for academic reasons and because the season is already too long. I have heard two different proposals; a Final Four system and an Eight-Team playoff. I have talked about this before and I have suggested a playoff but I think you need all 11 conference champs to make it work. I also think all conferences need to have champion games so you do not have
co-champions. I truly hope this is the start of people talking seriously about this subject.
Congratulations to LSU for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Title. At the end of the day you won it on the field of play and that’s what counts.
I know this is a sports column, but my other interest is in politics. This year is a presidential election, and the race for the white house is the tightest in a long, long time. I cannot belive I picked the winners of both parties in the Iowa Caucuses and the Republican winner of the New Hampshire Primary. I think both races will come down to the end at both parties’ conventions next summer.
On a sad note, former U.S. figure skating champion Christopher Bowman died Thursday of a possible drug overdose. Bowman was one of the great showmen that elevated figure skating in the late 80’s and early 90’s to the level of popularity it enjoys today. His rivalry with Todd Eldredge drew me to the sport and Men’s figure skating has not had a rivalry like it since. God Speed “Bowman the Showman”
I watched Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and at his press conference and I have one piece of advice for him: BE QUIET. Every time he opens his mouth he sticks his foot in it. At his press conference on Jan. 7th, Clemens played a 12-minute phone call with his former trainer Brian McNamee. Clemens had secretly taped this call with out McNamee knowing. In the tape Clemens was not clear about what he wanted and McNamee repeatedly asked Clemens “What do you want me to do?” This phone call, which Clemens taped, was on Friday, Jan. 4th, on Sunday, Jan. 6th before the press conference Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee in Harris County District Court in Texas. The lawsuit listed 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the Mitchell Report. Clemens claimed the statements were "Untrue and Defamatory."
On February 13th, Clemens and McNamee will testify in front of The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The hearing was postponed from January 16th, giving lawmakers more time to gather evidence and to coordinate their investigation with the Justice Department. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested. The January 15th hearing before the same committee about the Mitchell Report featuring Commissioner Bud Selig, Union Leader Donald Fehr, and George Mitchell, the reports author, will go on as planned January 16th. Stay tuned for an update after the February 13th testimony.
I’m glad to see University Presidents are coming out saying, “Schools need to regain control of the college football post-season”. For years the Presidents have been opposed to a playoff system. Their opposition is largely for academic reasons and because the season is already too long. I have heard two different proposals; a Final Four system and an Eight-Team playoff. I have talked about this before and I have suggested a playoff but I think you need all 11 conference champs to make it work. I also think all conferences need to have champion games so you do not have
co-champions. I truly hope this is the start of people talking seriously about this subject.
Congratulations to LSU for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Title. At the end of the day you won it on the field of play and that’s what counts.
I know this is a sports column, but my other interest is in politics. This year is a presidential election, and the race for the white house is the tightest in a long, long time. I cannot belive I picked the winners of both parties in the Iowa Caucuses and the Republican winner of the New Hampshire Primary. I think both races will come down to the end at both parties’ conventions next summer.
On a sad note, former U.S. figure skating champion Christopher Bowman died Thursday of a possible drug overdose. Bowman was one of the great showmen that elevated figure skating in the late 80’s and early 90’s to the level of popularity it enjoys today. His rivalry with Todd Eldredge drew me to the sport and Men’s figure skating has not had a rivalry like it since. God Speed “Bowman the Showman”
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
sport column #5 (Soccer)
I have been watching a lot of soccer recently (specifically the Women’s World Cup and the English Premier league) and also just read the book “How Soccer Explains the World” by Franklin Foer. There is a chapter on how soccer relates to and tries to explain the American culture wars. Well, this got me thinking about this subject.
First, Franklin makes a good point that because soccer was not invented in the US like Baseball, Basketball and American Football, the American people have not accepted it as it’s own. If you’re a part of the first generation of immigrants, the love of soccer has come over with you but if you were born in the USA, I think it’s harder to love the sport. As I said before in this column, Americans like to play soccer not watch it. I think the media has a lot to do with it. Don’t get me wrong there is more soccer on TV now then there was five years ago, but it’s not on regular TV, you need to buy more packages from your cable provider to get the good stuff (no offense MLS). I’M talking about the European leagues. I know that ESPN shows the European Champions Leagues every two weeks in the fall, but its in the afternoon when we are all at work! If you can’t see these club teams in their domestic leagues on the weekend you will have no idea how they are doing coming into the Champions League games.
I think another reason Americans like to play soccer and not watch it is because it is divided into two 45-minute halves with no timeouts. There are no brakes or timeouts, and if there is one for an injury or the like, time is added onto the end of the half to make up the time lost. You have no idea when the game or half will end because the Ref keeps the time on the field. I feel that the American people have a low level of concentration. Every American sport I know of has timeouts. Yes, soccer has halftime but we like to talk about what we just saw and soccer does not let us do that.
As I said before I watched the Women’s World Cup. This was the first time it was televised all the way through and not just the USA’s matches. I love women’s soccer; it is a lot less physical then the man’s game and a lot more technical. Back in 2001 to 2003 the women had the own league in the US (Women’s United Soccer Association) it folded after the 2003 season because of financial trouble. In 2008 the league is coming back for a another try, I hope it works this time and can find a better TV home then the last time.
It may look like I’M putting down MLS (Major League Soccer) but I’M not. The league has a lot of great players and great games but the problem I have with it is that the local team, The New England Revolution’s games are not Televised outside of Boston, so I can’t watch them unless their on ESPN, which is not all the time. The other problem I have with the league is that it doesn’t stop playing for international game dates. So the leagues best players are with their national teams and not with their club teams. For example the English league doesn’t play any games when the England National Team or any other National Team play on a FIFA (World Governing body) international game date.
This week in China is the Special Olympics World Summer Games. This week’s spotlight on one of these great athletes. This profile come from the Special Olympics website and written by Tim Wendel.
Sipho Mjoka Special Olympics South Africa
Sipho Mjoka’s passion is swimming and the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, have become his coming-out party. The 18-year-old from South Africa took gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle finals on Friday, 5 October, and will race again in the 100-meter free on Saturday.
Before a packed house at the Shanghai Pudong Natatorium, Mjoka brought the crowd to its feet by winning the Division 5 Finals in 29.40 seconds.
“He swam a fantastic race,” says Brenda Saville, head swim coach for Special Olympics South Africa. “He’s always been a coach’s dream for me. He listens and then goes out and does his best. What more can a coach ask for?”
Abandoned by his mother as a child, Mjoka grew up in an orphanage in Durban, South Africa, which he still calls home. Ann Janssens, who is on the Board of Directors at the home, flew 16 hours to see her favorite student race.
“Certainly it’s a long way to come,” she says, “but I had to be here to see him race. Our orphanage has about 200 children and he’s one of the ones you look out for and hope things work out for in the future.”
Beaten as a child, Mjoka took medication that eventually caused permanent brain damage. Years later, he is still bothered by headaches and often struggles in school. Sports became his outlet and he runs as well as swims.
“Coming here, being in these Games, is more than I ever could have dreamed of,” Mjoka says. “It got me out of my world.” Asked if he enjoyed the Opening Ceremony, competing in a distant land, Mjoka smiles and simply says, “Yeabo” – South African lingo for yes.
First, Franklin makes a good point that because soccer was not invented in the US like Baseball, Basketball and American Football, the American people have not accepted it as it’s own. If you’re a part of the first generation of immigrants, the love of soccer has come over with you but if you were born in the USA, I think it’s harder to love the sport. As I said before in this column, Americans like to play soccer not watch it. I think the media has a lot to do with it. Don’t get me wrong there is more soccer on TV now then there was five years ago, but it’s not on regular TV, you need to buy more packages from your cable provider to get the good stuff (no offense MLS). I’M talking about the European leagues. I know that ESPN shows the European Champions Leagues every two weeks in the fall, but its in the afternoon when we are all at work! If you can’t see these club teams in their domestic leagues on the weekend you will have no idea how they are doing coming into the Champions League games.
I think another reason Americans like to play soccer and not watch it is because it is divided into two 45-minute halves with no timeouts. There are no brakes or timeouts, and if there is one for an injury or the like, time is added onto the end of the half to make up the time lost. You have no idea when the game or half will end because the Ref keeps the time on the field. I feel that the American people have a low level of concentration. Every American sport I know of has timeouts. Yes, soccer has halftime but we like to talk about what we just saw and soccer does not let us do that.
As I said before I watched the Women’s World Cup. This was the first time it was televised all the way through and not just the USA’s matches. I love women’s soccer; it is a lot less physical then the man’s game and a lot more technical. Back in 2001 to 2003 the women had the own league in the US (Women’s United Soccer Association) it folded after the 2003 season because of financial trouble. In 2008 the league is coming back for a another try, I hope it works this time and can find a better TV home then the last time.
It may look like I’M putting down MLS (Major League Soccer) but I’M not. The league has a lot of great players and great games but the problem I have with it is that the local team, The New England Revolution’s games are not Televised outside of Boston, so I can’t watch them unless their on ESPN, which is not all the time. The other problem I have with the league is that it doesn’t stop playing for international game dates. So the leagues best players are with their national teams and not with their club teams. For example the English league doesn’t play any games when the England National Team or any other National Team play on a FIFA (World Governing body) international game date.
This week in China is the Special Olympics World Summer Games. This week’s spotlight on one of these great athletes. This profile come from the Special Olympics website and written by Tim Wendel.
Sipho Mjoka Special Olympics South Africa
Sipho Mjoka’s passion is swimming and the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, have become his coming-out party. The 18-year-old from South Africa took gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle finals on Friday, 5 October, and will race again in the 100-meter free on Saturday.
Before a packed house at the Shanghai Pudong Natatorium, Mjoka brought the crowd to its feet by winning the Division 5 Finals in 29.40 seconds.
“He swam a fantastic race,” says Brenda Saville, head swim coach for Special Olympics South Africa. “He’s always been a coach’s dream for me. He listens and then goes out and does his best. What more can a coach ask for?”
Abandoned by his mother as a child, Mjoka grew up in an orphanage in Durban, South Africa, which he still calls home. Ann Janssens, who is on the Board of Directors at the home, flew 16 hours to see her favorite student race.
“Certainly it’s a long way to come,” she says, “but I had to be here to see him race. Our orphanage has about 200 children and he’s one of the ones you look out for and hope things work out for in the future.”
Beaten as a child, Mjoka took medication that eventually caused permanent brain damage. Years later, he is still bothered by headaches and often struggles in school. Sports became his outlet and he runs as well as swims.
“Coming here, being in these Games, is more than I ever could have dreamed of,” Mjoka says. “It got me out of my world.” Asked if he enjoyed the Opening Ceremony, competing in a distant land, Mjoka smiles and simply says, “Yeabo” – South African lingo for yes.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
New Hampshire Primary
Good afternoon
I told you I would pick the winners of the New Hampshire Primary, so here there are.
Democrat winner is Barack Obama and Republican winner is John McCain. Should be fun.
I was wrong about the UCONN Women having a test vs Purdue. There beat them by 50 points on Sunday. This is why there are number one.
I will have more on Roger Clemens in my next column by the end of the week.
Have a great day.
I told you I would pick the winners of the New Hampshire Primary, so here there are.
Democrat winner is Barack Obama and Republican winner is John McCain. Should be fun.
I was wrong about the UCONN Women having a test vs Purdue. There beat them by 50 points on Sunday. This is why there are number one.
I will have more on Roger Clemens in my next column by the end of the week.
Have a great day.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Weekend TV update
Hi all
Just what to say I can’t believe I picked the winners of the Iowa caucus. I will pick next Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, on Monday.
Weekend TV viewing
NFL Playoffs all weekend long. No Pats until next weekend.
College Basketball Conference play begins. UCONN Men at Notre Dame will be a good match up on Saturday at 9 P.M. on ESPN
For the woman’s UCONN at Purdue, CBS, 1:30 p.m. will be a good test.
Also this week the Pro Bull Riders tour in at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Saturday 8 P.M. on Versus
Sunday 4:30 P.M on NBC and 8 P.M. on Versus
Just a note the race for the Fed-Ex Cup year two begins on the PGA Tour this weekend.
Have a great weekend!
Just what to say I can’t believe I picked the winners of the Iowa caucus. I will pick next Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, on Monday.
Weekend TV viewing
NFL Playoffs all weekend long. No Pats until next weekend.
College Basketball Conference play begins. UCONN Men at Notre Dame will be a good match up on Saturday at 9 P.M. on ESPN
For the woman’s UCONN at Purdue, CBS, 1:30 p.m. will be a good test.
Also this week the Pro Bull Riders tour in at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Saturday 8 P.M. on Versus
Sunday 4:30 P.M on NBC and 8 P.M. on Versus
Just a note the race for the Fed-Ex Cup year two begins on the PGA Tour this weekend.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Weekly update
Happy New Year every one!!! I hope you all had a good holiday season and refreshed for the New Year.
The National Hockey League presented the first outdoor game in the United States on New Year’s Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. 71,217 fans attended the game and one sign in the crowd summed it up best “ LOOK MOM, NO ROOF”. The game did a 2.6 overnight Nielsen rating on NBC, which is the best regular season rating for an NHL game since 1996. This rating is comparable to the New Year’s Day bowl games that were down across the board from last year.
I think this was a great idea for the NHL, with the show coming down and the wind whipping around the stadium it made for great TV. I have read that a lot of people checked it out, which made new fans for a league that needs it. I hope the NHL does this again but I think they should do it every other year and do it in different cities. I think if you do it every year the novelty of it will wear off.
Breaking News:
The Miami Dolphins just fired Head Coach Cam Cameron. This is not news and definitely not breaking news. The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 this year. They just hired Bill Parcells as their Exec. Vice President of Football Operations who just fired GM Randy Mueller Monday so the Head Coach was next to go. The Dolphins yesterday named Jeff Ireland their new GM.
Today is the first presidential contest of the year, the Iowa Caucus. Both the Republican's and Democrat's races are too close to call. My predictions (sure to go wrong) are for Republican’s Mike Huckabee and for Democrat’s Barack Obama. It will be great political theater. Show starts at 7 P.M. Centeral Time, we should know who wins by 9 P.M. Eastern time.
That’s my take
The National Hockey League presented the first outdoor game in the United States on New Year’s Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. 71,217 fans attended the game and one sign in the crowd summed it up best “ LOOK MOM, NO ROOF”. The game did a 2.6 overnight Nielsen rating on NBC, which is the best regular season rating for an NHL game since 1996. This rating is comparable to the New Year’s Day bowl games that were down across the board from last year.
I think this was a great idea for the NHL, with the show coming down and the wind whipping around the stadium it made for great TV. I have read that a lot of people checked it out, which made new fans for a league that needs it. I hope the NHL does this again but I think they should do it every other year and do it in different cities. I think if you do it every year the novelty of it will wear off.
Breaking News:
The Miami Dolphins just fired Head Coach Cam Cameron. This is not news and definitely not breaking news. The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 this year. They just hired Bill Parcells as their Exec. Vice President of Football Operations who just fired GM Randy Mueller Monday so the Head Coach was next to go. The Dolphins yesterday named Jeff Ireland their new GM.
Today is the first presidential contest of the year, the Iowa Caucus. Both the Republican's and Democrat's races are too close to call. My predictions (sure to go wrong) are for Republican’s Mike Huckabee and for Democrat’s Barack Obama. It will be great political theater. Show starts at 7 P.M. Centeral Time, we should know who wins by 9 P.M. Eastern time.
That’s my take
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
This week in sports
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Sorry this is a little out dated. With the holidays be hide us I will be updating more often.
December and January are not the best time to be a sports fan. The NBA and the NHL don’t get interesting until after the All-Star games in late January or early February.
The NFL has just finished up their regular season with most of the playoff teams set.
College Basketball doesn’t get interesting until the first of the year, when they start their conference play. College basketball teams also take ten days or more off for final exams. And then in December there is no college football.
There is some big news like the 20-month investigation into steroids and other performance enhancing drug abuse in Major League Baseball. This all came out in the middle of December with the Mitchell Report. First off, at least half the players named in the report are no longer in baseball. The question coming out of The Mitchell Report will be if baseball does any thing with this information. The commissioner said, “This report is a call to action, and I will act”. Lets hope so.
It will be interesting to see what the players who were named in the report say in the next few days and weeks. The players were asked during the investigation to defend themselves but did not for whatever reason. Roger Clemens came out after the investigation and declared that he did not take Steroids or HGH. Andy Pettitte also came out after and admitted that he took HGH.
In early January the powers that be for Major League Baseball will go in front of a congressional committee. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested.
I would like to answer some of my fan mail. I will write the question then the answer below.
Q: How good is Jim Calhoun? Over-rated? Is he a bully instead of a motivator?
A: Jim Calhoun is a top ten coach. He has two National Championships where Gary Williams, Head coach of University of Maryland has one and Jimmy Boeheim, Head Coach of Syracuse has one and and John Thompson , Head Coach of Georgetown has one, just to name a few. So, in my opion he is not over-rated he is probably under-rated. The bully part I’M not sure, I would have to go to a practice to see how he is with his players with out TV cameras around. I do know this, in 21 years at UCONN, Calhoun has been ejected only five times. Also, there are 14 UCONN alumni playing in the NBA right now. This is more than any other NCAA program. So just by that he is a motivator and an all time great.
Q: Has Pat Summit made the wrong decision to not play UCONN?
A: No, Tennessee doesn’t need UCONN, they already play a tough schedule. Tennessee plays 14 Top 25 teams this year to 7 for UCONN. From a fan point of view, I’M disappointed that they’re no playing each other, next to Red Sox Vs. Yankees, UCONN Vs. Tennessee is the best rivalry in sports. We will see in March how this plays out.
Q: Should Johan Santana be a Red Sox?
A: No. They won the 2007 World Series Championship without him. They should not give up someone like Dustin Pedroia for someone like Santana who has never even won in the postseason.
Q: Has the rest of the NFL caught up to the Patriots with a “ blueprint”?
A: Yes and No. Yes I think the rest of the NFL is catching up with the Pats. But every time you think they are down and loosing they come back and win. Every game is different, one time they may pass the ball 50 times, the next game they may run the ball 50 times. I don’t think there is a blueprint to beat them or it would have been done already.
Great questions,!!
I would like to compare your answers to mine so I shoot the same questions back at you and others who are interested.
Check the blog regularly as I will be up dating it more often in the New Year.
That’s my take; I would like to hear yours
Jamie Lazaroff
Sorry this is a little out dated. With the holidays be hide us I will be updating more often.
December and January are not the best time to be a sports fan. The NBA and the NHL don’t get interesting until after the All-Star games in late January or early February.
The NFL has just finished up their regular season with most of the playoff teams set.
College Basketball doesn’t get interesting until the first of the year, when they start their conference play. College basketball teams also take ten days or more off for final exams. And then in December there is no college football.
There is some big news like the 20-month investigation into steroids and other performance enhancing drug abuse in Major League Baseball. This all came out in the middle of December with the Mitchell Report. First off, at least half the players named in the report are no longer in baseball. The question coming out of The Mitchell Report will be if baseball does any thing with this information. The commissioner said, “This report is a call to action, and I will act”. Lets hope so.
It will be interesting to see what the players who were named in the report say in the next few days and weeks. The players were asked during the investigation to defend themselves but did not for whatever reason. Roger Clemens came out after the investigation and declared that he did not take Steroids or HGH. Andy Pettitte also came out after and admitted that he took HGH.
In early January the powers that be for Major League Baseball will go in front of a congressional committee. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested.
I would like to answer some of my fan mail. I will write the question then the answer below.
Q: How good is Jim Calhoun? Over-rated? Is he a bully instead of a motivator?
A: Jim Calhoun is a top ten coach. He has two National Championships where Gary Williams, Head coach of University of Maryland has one and Jimmy Boeheim, Head Coach of Syracuse has one and and John Thompson , Head Coach of Georgetown has one, just to name a few. So, in my opion he is not over-rated he is probably under-rated. The bully part I’M not sure, I would have to go to a practice to see how he is with his players with out TV cameras around. I do know this, in 21 years at UCONN, Calhoun has been ejected only five times. Also, there are 14 UCONN alumni playing in the NBA right now. This is more than any other NCAA program. So just by that he is a motivator and an all time great.
Q: Has Pat Summit made the wrong decision to not play UCONN?
A: No, Tennessee doesn’t need UCONN, they already play a tough schedule. Tennessee plays 14 Top 25 teams this year to 7 for UCONN. From a fan point of view, I’M disappointed that they’re no playing each other, next to Red Sox Vs. Yankees, UCONN Vs. Tennessee is the best rivalry in sports. We will see in March how this plays out.
Q: Should Johan Santana be a Red Sox?
A: No. They won the 2007 World Series Championship without him. They should not give up someone like Dustin Pedroia for someone like Santana who has never even won in the postseason.
Q: Has the rest of the NFL caught up to the Patriots with a “ blueprint”?
A: Yes and No. Yes I think the rest of the NFL is catching up with the Pats. But every time you think they are down and loosing they come back and win. Every game is different, one time they may pass the ball 50 times, the next game they may run the ball 50 times. I don’t think there is a blueprint to beat them or it would have been done already.
Great questions,!!
I would like to compare your answers to mine so I shoot the same questions back at you and others who are interested.
Check the blog regularly as I will be up dating it more often in the New Year.
That’s my take; I would like to hear yours
Jamie Lazaroff
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