Life's Not Fair, The BCS Should Be

A lot of people talk about what is wrong with the BCS. Most people say it's a joke and there needs to be a playoff system. I myself am a BCS playoff system with bowl games for the lesser teams kind of guy. Personally I don't care about the BCS and if it never changes I would be fine with that. But I heard an argument not too long ago that if they are going to keep the BCS, why not just make every conference a BCS conference? Some of you might think this is crazy, but is it?

Think about it. First of all, non BCS teams are 3-1 all time in BCS bowl games. Utah has won two BCS games beating Pitt 35-7 in 2005 and Alabama 31-17 in 2008. On a geographical note there are 16 states who don't have a BCS team and another 9 that have just one BCS team. Football should be widespread enough that fans everywhere can see their teams in the BCS games. Perhaps the most important thing to contribute to this theory is the fact that the BCS committee has decided that strength of schedule does not count towards the BCS poll. So therefore Texas can schedule UTEP and Florida can schedule Florida International year in and year out and still be ranked in the Top 5. BCS teams are playing the same schools as non BCS teams, so why should it matter what conference they are from.

This leads me to my next argument. TCU deserves a shot in the BCS National Championship game. Not over Florida, they have won 22 straight games, are the defending National Champions and are the clear cut number 1 team in the nation. TCU doesn't deserve it over Alabama because in order for the Tide to get there they will have beaten that number 1 team. That only leaves one team for it to be and yes that's right, that is the Texas Longhorns.

Take a look at the two teams. Both are 12-0 and have played great seasons.

Both teams have Heisman type players in Colt McCoy and Jerry Hughes (yes I am a firm believer that defensive players should win more Heisman trophies.)

Both get excellent play from their quarterbacks. Colt McCoy from Texas has 3328 yards 27 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and a QB rating of 152, while Andy Dalton from TCU has 2484 yards 22 touchdowns 5 interceptions and a QB rating of 156.

Both teams score quite a few points. Texas is at 43 points per game while TCU sits at 41. On the other side of the ball Texas gives up 15 points per game while TCU gives up just 12.

But the thing that sticks out most to me is the schedules that each team has played this year. Throw out the fact that they both beat Wyoming by a combined 66 points. But look at the fact that TCU beat two BCS conference teams in non conference play (Clemson and Virginia) this season while Texas scheduled none. Also the fact that TCU beat three top 25 opponents in Clemson, BYU and Utah, while Texas defeated just two in Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. And for those of you who are quick to write off the BYU win, remember that BYU scored more points and beat Oklahoma before Texas did. And Texas beat Oklahoma without their starting Quarterback, Tight End (leading receiver) and Left Tackle. 12-0 looks good either way but when you break it down and look at how each team got there, it looks like TCU had the tougher road.

In no way am I trying to downplay the season that Texas has had this year. I feel like Texas deserves to be right where they are but I also feel that TCU deserves it more. But let me ask you a question. Take away the names from both of the resumes that I just gave you and tell me which one do you think deserves it more? You'll have a hard time not picking the Horned Frogs.

"WE Are The Aggies, The Aggies Are WE"

This is a reply to a post from The Battalion that i read the other day. Here is the original article. Hope you enjoy my reply. http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2009/10/19/Sports/Somebody.Needs.To.Take.The.Fall-3806088.shtml

It has come to my attention that some people are unhappy with the football program at Texas A&M University, under head coach Mike Sherman. I can guarantee you that almost 100 percent of these people were the same people calling for Coach Fran's head not even two years ago. They're the same people that wanted R.C. Slocum gone back in 2002, the same year he beat number 1 ranked Oklahoma. To be fair these are the same people that just a mere three and a half weeks ago were praising a 3-0 start and a quick turnaround for the Aggs. These people are called "Fair Weather Fans." They are only "true" fans when their team is winning, which to me is not a fan at all. But I'm not here to preach about how these people aren't true fans. I'm here to prove them wrong.

I've heard that there were other coaching options available at the time we hired Mike Sherman, and he wasn't the best option we had. In that case let me just start with a little profile of Mike Sherman. On top of being a successful assistant coach for many years, a few being under both R.C. Slocum and Jackie Sherrill during which he recruited the great Leeland McElroy (top 10 all time leading running back in Texas A&M history), Mike was an NFL head coach for the Green Bay Packers. In his six years in Wisconsin, he compiled a 57-39 record, which included 5 consecutive winning seasons, 4 of which resulted in playoff births. While coaching at Green Bay he coached players like Brett Favre, Ahman Green and Bubba Franks.

Enough of that, now we'll look at some of the other possible candidates for the job. Kevin Sumlin is now the head coach at the University of Houston. He is famous for beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys earlier this season. He runs a pass heavy offense and just puts 11 players on the field for defense. He holds a 6-3 Conference USA record. The reason Mike Sumlin would not have been the best guy for the job is fairly simple. Prior to his job at U of H Kevin Sumlin had never been a collegiate head football coach. Why would a rebuilding major college football program hire a first year head coach to turn around the team?. Yeah it doesn't make much sense to me either.

Another name that I have heard thrown around is Bobby Petrino. Despite a whopping 8-10 record at Arkansas (Sherman is only 7-11) Petrino also came with a ton of concerns. He was always rumored to be looking for another job (while at Rutgers he was rumored to be in talks with Auburn, LSU, the Oakland Raiders and then eventually the Atlanta Falcons, all after signing a 10 year deal with Louisville). In fact in his 27 years of coaching Petrino has held 16 different coaching positions. Is that somebody we want at Texas A&M. The next Billy Gillespie who leaves us for the next best thing?

The other name I've heard is Chris Petersen, the head coach at Boise State. Petersen has a 41-4 record at Boise State. Petersen is 1-0 in BCS games at Boise State. Boise State is currently the number 5 team in the nation. Enough Said! Why would Chris Petersen leave the Broncos, a year after beating the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, to take over a rebuilding football team. Come on folks.

The second major argument I have heard is that Mike Sherman had enough talent around him to win games already. I was told to stop believing that the cupboard was bare when he got to Texas A&M. First of all let us remember that Mike Sherman took over a program that hadn't finished in the top 25 since 1999. Take a look at the top 5 teams in the country. Four out of the top 5 teams start 15 or more upperclassmen (Florida 17, Alabama 16, Texas 15, Cincinnati 18). The Aggies not only start just 12 upperclassmen but 6 of their 22 starters are freshmen. No top 5 team starts more than 2. It doesn't get more more bare than, starting 9 underclassmen (whom all of them Mike Sherman recruited.)

Since taking over as head coach, Sherman has produced a top 20 recruiting class in 2009 and currently has the number 11 recruiting class in the nation for the class of 2010. Yeah sounds like coach Sherman doesn't know what he is doing to me too...

The truth of the matter is, that some people don't know what they are talking about when it comes to sports, and they tend to overreact to a situation they really don't understand. Fair weather fans are some of the best there are when your team is winning. When they're losing on the other hand, they would rather whine and blame "the top" instead of supporting and seeing through the storm. If you want to walk the plank, that's your business, but don't bring the rest of the ship down with you. True Aggies show support through the best and worst of times. If you cannot do that, we do not need you.

One final note, to Coach Sherman and the rest of the Fightin' Texas Aggies, I believe in what you are doing and look forward to seeing success in the near future. Keep up the good work.

Oh How The Mighty Will Fall

The New York Yankees will not win the World Series in 2009. They have the management. They have the coaching. They have the talent. What they don't have right now, is competition. A few weeks ago it was obvious that the Yankees could put on the afterburners and just coast into October. That seems to be just what they're doing. The Yankees are just walking into the postseason right now, and they will not win the World Series.

Sunday night I watched as Johnny Damon caught a fly ball in the outfield. He then proceeded to turn and throw the ball into the stands. This would have been completely acceptable if there had been three outs in the inning and it would not have allowed one of the Orioles runners to score from second base. Normally I would not think much of this. Damon has done this before, it's just a mental mistake that is part of his game. But there are a plethora of many things the Yankees are doing that are causing me to question their playoff spirit.

The next night Melky Cabrera cost the Yankees a run when he ran into Angels third baseman, Chone Figgins. Big bats got the Yankees through the game and eventually got them the win but the mental mistakes are beginning to add up, and this is not the time for that to happen.

The brawl from last night just about sums it up. If you're Jorge Posada you have to expect that you are going to get thrown at in that situation. Two of the Blue Jays players had just been hit, and the Blue Jays have nothing to lose. The Yankees on the other hand have everything to lose. An injury could have occurred in that brawl, your manager got punched in the face, and not to mention your starting catcher is going to be suspended. To me, having anything throw you off in the final two weeks of the regular season doesn't seem like a good thing.

The Red Sox (the team the Yankees will more than likely play in the first round) seem to have everything going for them, and the timing could not be better. With the strong outing from Daisuke Matzuzaka last night, and the incredible hot streak they have been on, matched up with the extreme pressure the Rangers are placing on them in the Wild Card Race, i have no doubt that the Red Sox will be geared up and ready to go for the Yankees in the American League Division Series.

The New York Yankees will not win the World Series.

Make or Break

Its every college football teams dream to complete and undefeated season and win a BCS National Championship. For some of those teams that undefeated dream has come to an end already but as we have seen in the past you can make the national championship. So in light of the Oklahoma debacle this past weekend i have come up with each Top 25 team's possible make or break game this season.

1. Florida Gators vs (18) Florida State Seminoles November 28
I was disappointed to discover that the Gators wont get their shot at revenge against the Ole Miss Rebels (not that i thought they would pull that off anyway) this season. I see Florida rolling through weakened LSU and Miami teams until the last week of the season when they match up in the in-state rivalry with Florida State.

2. Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears November 14
Yeah Baylor has never finished higher than 10th in the Big 12. Yeah when you think of Baylor you don't even think of sports much less football. But it seems like year after year for some reason the Longhorns seem to struggle against the Bears, especially now that the Bears actually have some talent and the game is in Waco. I see the Horns beating a weakened OU squad and a very tough Oklahoma State team, so if they can get past Baylor they may walk into the National Championship.

3. Oklahoma Sooners vs Tulsa Golden Hurricanes September 19
Since the Sooners have already taken a big loss to BYU they can ill afford another one. If they are fortunate enough to get healthy and beat the Horns and the Cowboys of OSU, the other game that could be trouble is Tulsa. The in-state rivalry has gotten pretty exciting over the past few years with the Hurricanes throwing the football all over the place.

4. USC Trojans vs Oregon State Beavers October 24
Lets face it, the Trojans are going to get everyones' best effort week in, and week out, but they manage to pull off most of those games. The last few years have been a little different when they have played the Beavers. JaQuizz Rodgers has the Trojans number and looks to give them a call this coming season.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers November 27
First of all this game is in Auburn. Second of all Auburn has dominated this rivalry over the past few years. Auburn doesn't have quite the team they've had in the past but Alabama has a Quarterback who has never started a game in the rivalry.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Wolverines November 27
The Ohio State Buckeyes have dominated this rivalry in the last 5 years including last years defeat which was the largest deficit since the 60's. That string has to end sometime though and the Wolverines have vastly improved with the addition of Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. They will still be tough to beat behind Terrelle Pryor but look for this game to be a lot closer.

7. Virginia Tech Hokies vs (21) North Carolina Tar Heels October 29
The Hokies like the Sooners have already suffered a loss this year. They have a pretty tough road to the National Championship now but it eventually will lead through UNC. A vastly improved team under Butch Davis, the Tar Heels have posted Top 15 recruiting classes each of the last two years.

8. Ole Miss Rebels vs Tennessee Volunteers November 14
Without playing Florida I really could not find a game where I thought Mississippi had a chance to lose this season. They play LSU but I just couldn't see the Tigers pulling that one off. So i went with a flat out hunch and picked Lane Kiffin to lead a tough UT team to victory.

9. Penn State Nittany Lions vs (6) Ohio State Buckeyes November 7
Barring a Penn State slip up and a Buckeye loss to USC next week, these two team should be undefeated coming into this ballgame. Penn State is a very solid football team but Terrelle Pryor is out for revenge after taking a tough loss last year in a defensive heavy football game.

10. Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Missouri Tigers October 17
This to me is just like Ole Miss but a lot more ifs. If OSU can get past (2) Texas and (3) Oklahoma then the game that could keep them from an Undefeated season would be the Missouri game. Once again just on a hunch.

11. LSU Tigers vs Vanderbilt Commodores September 12
12. California Golden Bears at UCLA Bruins October 17
13. Georgia Bulldogs at (15) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets November 28
14. Boise State Broncos vs Nevada Wolfpack November 27
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Wake Forrest Demon Deacons November 7
16. Oregon Ducks vs (19) Utah Utes September 19
17. TCU Horned Frogs vs (20) BYU Cougars October 24
18. Florida State Seminoles vs Miami Hurricanes September 7
19. Utah Utes at (20) BYU Cougars November 28
20. BYU Cougars vs (19) Utah Utes November 28
21. North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Miami Hurricanes November 14
22. Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones September 12
23. Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Michigan State Spartans September 19
24. Nebraska Cornhuskers at Missouri Tigers Oct 8
25. Kansas Jayhawks at Colorado Buffaloes October 17

Random Thoughts

A friend asked me to write about a few things so here goes. The first two are for him and the rest is just my random thinking.

Super Bowl XXXIV was one of the better big games of my generation. The game came down to the final yard, on the final play, and the Tennessee Titans fell just short. The victor in that game, took an even greater fall. The St Louis Rams have fallen straight to the bottom of the league. Recently on Scott Van Pelt's radio show he named the Rams as one of the teams in the NFL that are currently occupying the land of "Stank-oni" (formerly knows as "Pootown.") He did happen to mention that the Rams were "living on the outskirts of Stank-onia." New head coach Steve Spagnuolo brings his NY Giants super bowl ring, and his defensive mindset to a 2-14 team who gave up almost 30 points per game last season. Second round draft pick James Laurinaitis should see some playing time to help out that struggling D. On the other side of the ball last year things were not much better. As a team the Rams scored a whopping 14 points per game. With a line like they had, it was nearly impossible to unleash their two biggest weapons in Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson. In fact Bulger found himself flat on his back with the football 37 times last season. First round draft pick Jason Smith should have an immediate impact at the Tackle position. Don't expect too much out of the Rams this season but somewhere down the road they might find their way back to the playoffs.

15,793 career yards passing. 134 career passing touchdowns. His favorite target was a top 10 draft pick, yet he went un-drafted. He was signed by the Browns but was later released. So what happened to Graham Harrell? Why is there no NFL team that is willing to take a chance on this quarterback. The truth is that passing heave system quarterbacks just don't work out in the NFL. Defenses in the NFL are just too quick for the air it out styles that quarterbacks from Texas tech possess. Kliff Kingsbury was a great college quarterback at TTU and 6 years later he's an assistant coach at the University of Houston. Teams obviously want a Tom Brady, NFL system, type quarterback, who is mobile and poised and has a cannon for an arm and precision out the behind. Tom Brady's not the type of guy to just throw one up and let Randy Moss go get it.

For those of you that think the punishments, laid down by Roger Goodell, are too harsh, you are sadly mistaken. I've heard the argument that he has too much power, and he is taking away the careers of these young men. So Mike Vick missed a few seasons and Plaxico Burress and Donte Stallworth are about to do the same. Big Deal. What happens if somebody like you or I was charged with a felony? First of all we would actually do real time in prison, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. As far as job goes, we would no longer have one, and not only that, we would not get a decent paying job when we got out of prison. Football players have a special talent but that does not excuse them from being civilized. Doctors have special talents, some of them even save people's lives, but I guarantee if a doctor gets charged with intoxicated manslaughter he is going to prison for a while and probably wont have a medical license if he gets out.

With that being said, I'm sick of hearing about how much of an outrage it is, that Michael Vick is back in the NFL. Though from the previous paragraph it is obvious I think punishments should be more strict, the fact still remains that Vick served his prison time and he is going to serve his suspension. He served the necessary time that a judge, and Roger Goodell, saw fit for him to serve and he deserves the right to come back onto the field. I guess what I'm trying to say is I really don't care what the people at PETA have to say.

Finally, I'm really excited about the start of football season. But for once I'm not talking about College Football, the NFL, or even the CFL for that matter. I'm pretty excited about the LFL. The Lingerie Football League kicks off on September 4th with a matchup between the Miami Caliente and the Chicago Bliss. There's only one thing I could think of that would be better than men lining up and knocking the crap out of each other and that would be seeing women do it...in their underwear. I might even go as far as to attend the Denver Dream vs. Dallas Desire game on September 25th. I'm ready for some football.

Top 10 Sports Commercials

The next topic in my series of Top 10's, is my Top 10 favorite sports commercials of all time. Most of them are pretty recent considering I've only been alive 20 years and I didn't really pay attention to commercials for a majority of that time. So here we go my 10 of my favorite sports commercials.

10. Be Like Mike (1992) "Just one day if I could be that way."
Who doesn't want to be like Mike?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AGiq9j_Ak

9. Jimmy Rollins, Air Swing Man Remix (2009) "You think baseball's about feelin' good"
Just a classic, hilarious commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kFH4gV8rGY

8. Yao Ming Visa Commercial "Can I write check?"
Yao Ming and Yogi Berra at their finest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rm-yadkGY

7. Lebron Chalk Commercial
Just a sweet commercial. I mean Lebron and Wayne in the same commercial says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SiQKxja79M

6. My Better "My quick smells like french toast"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7Q2oE1Wc0&feature=PlayList&p=DC08F6E0027D9661&index=17

5. Sports Center Ozzie Guillen
I decided to sum up all of the sports center commercials into one commercial and this is my favorite out of all of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6tiHb5uxtw

4. Lebron and Kobe Puppets
Just like in the sports center ads i decided to pick my favorite of these commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z28NtbIPSw&feature=related

3. Nike Fate
This commercial gives me chills when i watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXRengzZoc

2. Without Sports
This commercial gives a funny twist to my favorite rivalry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liNBAvdfakg

1. Chicks Dig The Long Ball
Without a doubt this is my favorite commercial of all time. A little background for those of you who don't know, the cardinal is obviously Mark McGwire, and the two braves are Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux (two pitchers). Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw

So those are my Top 10 favorite sports commercials, feel free to leave me some feedback on what you think of mine, and even leave me a few of your favorites as well.

Top 10 Motivational Sports Speeches

Over my next few blogs I have decided to do a few Top 10's of some different things in sports. The first one I'm going to do is the Top 10 Motivational Sports Speeches. I decided to split them up and have 5 that are actual speeches and 5 that are from movies even though some of the movies are based on true stories. Enjoy.

10) Little Giants Half Time Speech- "One Time"
The Little Giants are getting it handed to them by the Little Cowboys at have time of they're citywide football game. Danny O'Shea (Rick Moranis), tries to rally his troops by telling him about the one time that he beat his brother in a race down cherry hill. I couldn't find a video of this which is a shame because it is hilarious but if you want to read it go here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110364/quotes and it is the last series of quotes on the page.

9) Bull Durham Shower Speech- "Lolligaggers"
The Durham Bulls are off to a slow start and Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) tells his manager that he needs to scare his players.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLMl0CLIDLg

8) Vince Lombardi Pregame Superbowl Speech
Vince Lombardi is one of the best motivational speakers of all time and instead of putting 10 of his speeches in the Top 10 this is the one that i chose, listen carefully because the quality isn't that great.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1745351633444041270

7) Hoosiers Regional Finals Speech- "Remember what got you here"
The Hickory Hoosiers are in their first Regional Final in school history and Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is trying to settle his team down before they step in front of the big crowd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Lhw4M-GTg

6) Knute Rockne Gipper Speech- "I dont know where I'll be then rock, but I'll know about it"
Knute Rockne's famous Gipper speech is part of the Long Notre Dame Football History. It took place during halftime of a Notre Dame vs Army football game, during one of Notre Dames worse season in school history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Lhw4M-GTg

5) Jack Buck Post 9/11 Poem
Okay so this one doesn't really pertain to sports but it is one of Sport's best broadcasters ever giving a speech at a time when this country turned to sports among other things to get us back into every day life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvP97Z_bvIs

4) Remember The Titans Gettysburg Speech- "Hatred...destroyed...my family"
Coach Herman Boone takes his segregated football team to a place where father fought son and brother fought brother in one of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. He explains to his team that they fought the fight that is still going on and that if they don't start to respect each other they will end up with the same fate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_HFCYz4x6o

3) Herb Brooks-Team USA vs USSR Locker Room Speech "This is Your Time"
For those of you who don't know about the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team...shame. Rent the movie Miracle and watch it right now. Not on the sports aspect but on it being one of the most important moments in the history of this country. In a time when nothing could go right for America a group of college teams got together in Lake Placid, New York and beat the greatest hockey team in the history of the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJ4fqaYFq0

2) Any Given Sunday- Inches Speech "In any fight, its the guy who is willing to die, that's gonna' gain that inch"
Wow. That is all I can say to describe this speech. As corny as it may sound I still get goose bumps every time I watch it towards the middle of it. Coach D'Amato is getting his team ready for the biggest game of their lives. Watch for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyWXKeBsNk

1) Jim Valvano ESPY's Speech- "Don't ever give up"
This speech means a lot more to me now than it ever did before. I didn't have cancer but i know the stuff that Jimmy V went through and i know the stuff that he set up his foundation to beat. Not a day has gone by since I got sick that Coach Valvano's words have not been in my head. If you have never heard this speech I strongly encourage you to watch the whole thing. I know its long but I live my life by his words every day and hopefully you will get some meaning out of the things he says as well. Jimmy V was an amazing man and he lives on in spirit and through the Jimmy V Foundation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePXlkqkFH6s

That's my Top 10 motivational sports speeches. Feel free to let me know what you think about it and tell me if you think a different speech should be on there.

July Madness

Alright so i realize I'm a little late with this but I got a few days off and took advantage of them. As a treat for making you wait so long i decided to bring you the entire bracket today instead of making you wait over another 3-4 day period. So here it is, the best college sports program in history.

THE ELITE 32 (that's what its actually called for those of you who didn't know)

1. UCLA BRUINS vs 9. Connecticut Huskies
4. Oklahoma Sooners vs 5. Florida Gators
3. Penn State Nittany Lions vs 6. Ohio State Buckeyes
7. Alabama Crimson Tide vs 2. Arkansas Razorbacks


1. Oklahoma State Cowboys vs 8. Oregon Ducks
4. Cal Golden Bears vs 5. Syracuse Orange
3. Illinois Fighting Illini vs 6. Indiana Hoosiers
7. Arizona Wildcats vs 2. LSU Tigers


1. Stanford Cardinal vs 9. Iowa State Cyclones
4. Minnesota Golden Gophers vs 5. Iowa Hawkeyes
3. North Carolina Tar Heels vs 6. Colorado Buffalo
7. UTEP Miners vs 2. Texas Longhorns


1. USC Trojans vs. 8 Tennessee Volunteers
4. Wisconsin Badgers vs 5. Maryland Terrapins
3. Georgia Bulldogs vs 6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. Arizona State Sun Devils vs. 2. Michigan Wolverines

SWEET SIXTEEN

1. UCLA Bruins vs. 4. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Ohio State Buckeyes vs 2. Arkansas Razorbacks

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. 4. Cal Golden Bears
3. Illinois Fighting Illini vs 2. LSU Tigers

1. Stanford Cardinal vs 4. Minnesota Golden Gophers
3. North Carolina Tar Heels vs. 2. Texas Longhorns

1. USC Trojans vs 5. Maryland Terrapins
3. Georgia Bulldogs vs 2. Michigan Wolverines

ELITE EIGHT

1. UCLA Bruins vs. 2. Arkansas Razorbacks

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. 2 LSU Tigers

1. Stanford Cardinal vs 2. Texas Longhorns

1. USC Trojans vs. 2. Michigan Wolverines

FINAL FOUR

1. UCLA Bruins vs 2. LSU Tigers

1. Stanford Cardinal vs 1. USC Trojans

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

1. UCLA BRUINS 335
1. USC TROJANS 332

The Bruins of California University of Los Angeles are the greatest NCAA Sports Program in history. If you have any questions or you want to see any teams score just let me know and I'd be happy to let you know. Feel free to leave comments about what you think about the winner or on what you think was the best match up throughout the whole tournament, or anything like that.

The Big Dance

So I'm back to writing after a little bit of a break and I have to say I've been working on a huge project. I have compiled a 64 team bracket of the top NCAA Division I sports programs through the history of NCAA. The tournament will be set up NCAA basketball style with the seeds being determined by the number of total national championships that each different program has won. I then devised a point system assigning a different amount of points for each national championship won in each sport. The point system is designed like this:

5- Point Sports: Baseball, Men's Basketball, Football and Softball
4- Point Sports: Women's Gymnastics and Women's Volleyball
3- Point Sports: Men's Ice Hockey, Golf, Men's Lacrosse, Soccer, Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis
2- Point Sports: Cross Country, Men's Gymnastics, Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Water Polo, Wrestling, Men's Volleyball, Field Hockey, and Women's Lacrosse
1- Point Sports: Fencing, Rifle, Skiing, Women's Bowling, Women's Ice Hockey, Women's Rowing
A 5 point bonus will be awarded to any team that has more than 10 National Championships in a single sport. A 10 point bonus will be awarded to any team that has more than 15 National Championships in a single sport.

The top four seeds in the tournament are (national championships):
1 UCLA Bruins (104)
2 Stanford Cardinal (101)
3 USC Trojans (100)
4 Oklahoma State Cowboys (48)

The last four Programs to make the field are:
1 Louisville Cardinals
2 Maine Black Bears
3 Fresno State Bulldogs
4 Appalachian State Mountaineers

The last four Programs to not make the field are:
1 Purdue Boilermakers
2 Boston College Golden Eagles
3 Baylor Bears
4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane

So here is how the bracket shapes up:

WEST REGION

1. UCLA Bruins (104) vs. 16. Appalachian State Mountaineers (3)

8. Auburn Tigers (16) vs. 9. Connecticut Huskies (10)

4. Oklahoma Sooners (26) vs. 13. Washington Huskies (7)

5. Florida Gators (25) vs 12. Virginia Cavaliers (7)

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (36) vs. 14. BYU Cougars (4)

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (24) vs. 11. Kentucky Wildcats (8)

7. Alabama Crimson Tide (16) vs. 10 San Jose State Spartans (10)

2. Arkansas Razorbacks (40) vs. 15. North Carolina State Wolfpack (4)

EAST REGION

1. Oklahoma Sooners (48) vs. 16. Louisville Cardinals (2)

8. Oregon Ducks (16) vs. 9. Kansas Jay Hawks (10)

4. Cal Golden Bears (29) vs. 13 Princeton Tigers (6)

5. Syracuse Orange (24) vs. 12. Michigan State Spartans (8)

3. Illinois Fighting Illini (33) vs. 14. Boston Terriers (5)

6. Indiana Hoosiers (23) vs. 11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8)

7. Arizona Wildcats (18) vs. 10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10)

2. LSU Tigers (44) vs. 15. Oregon State (3)

NORTH REGION

1. Stanford Cardinal (101) vs. 16. Fresno State Bulldogs (2)

8. Columbia Lions (13) vs. 9. Iowa State Cyclones (13)

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers (26) vs. 13. Texas A&M Aggies (6)

5. Iowa Hawkeyes (24) vs. 12. San Francisco Dons (7)

3. North Carolina Tar Heels (35) vs. 14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5)

6. Colorado Buffaloes (22) vs. 11. Cornell Big Red (9)

7. UTEP Miners (21) vs. 10. Miami Hurricanes (9)

2. Texas Longhorns (43) vs. 15. Clemson Tigers (4)

SOUTH REGION

1. USC Trojans (100) vs. 16. Maine Black Bears (2)

8. Tennessee Volunteers (14) vs. 9. Duke Blue Devils (10)

4. Wisconsin Badgers (27) vs. 13. Navy Midshipmen (6)

5. Maryland Terrapins (24) vs. 12. Army Black Knights (8)

3. Georgia Bulldogs (34) vs. 14. UC Irvine Anteaters (5)

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22) vs. 11. St Johns Red Storm (8)

7. Arizona State Sun Devils (21) vs. 10. Florida State Seminoles (9)

2. Michigan Wolverines (44) vs. 15. TCU Horned Frogs (4)

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the results of the first round and also feel free to leave your comments on what you think about the idea, who you think the best first round match-up is and also who you think has the best shot at winning it all.

Enter Sandman

When you think of four Championship rings, you probably think of Kobe Bryant. When you think of the number 500, you probably think of the 25 guys who have launched that many home runs in their career. When you think of the best there ever was, countless names may come to mind. To me those four rings don't mean Kobe, that 500 means saves instead of home runs, and the best there ever was happens to be Mariano Rivera.

On May 17, 1996 River took the mound for the first time as a Major League closer. The 26 year old, righty, stood on the bump, armed with not much more than a cut-piece fastball. Low and behold, Garrett Anderson grounds into a game-ending double play ball, and the best closer ever begins his quest. 14 seasons and 987 innings later that quest has reached a new milestone. Not only did Mariano draw a bases loaded walk for his first career RBI, but he also became only the second closer in baseball history to reach the 500 saves club. The only other member being Trevor Hoffman.

Sure you could try to make a case that Hoffman is better, but its just not there. He doesn't have the style that Rivera brings, he doesn't have the numbers that Mariano puts up, and quite frankly Mariano Rivera is THE most clutch pitcher to ever take part in a Major League postseason (barring the 2004 collapse in the ALCS, but hey, that was just destiny.)

Start with his style. He gets the help of pitching in the most glorious baseball stadium in the history of the game. He wears the blue and white pin stripes very well. He enter the game to one of the most amazing pump up songs known to man. Let's face it, Metallica is better than ACDC, and Hells Bells can't even hold the jock strap of Enter Sandman.

Onto the stats. He is number two on the all-time saves list and he is two years younger than Hoffman, having also played three fewer years. His 2.30 lifetime ERA is good enough for best all time among pitchers who have over 150 career saves. He is one half of the only two pitchers to ever convert 50 saves in two separate seasons. He's only had one season of less than 30 saves (28), and that was in a season where he only appeared in 45 games. He has compiled 110 saves in which he has pitched more than one inning. The man is a statistical god when it comes to the closers.

Finally the postseason. No reliever has ever been better than Mariano Rivera in October. He holds the MLB record for ERA in the postseason with an incredible 0.77. Nobody has more postseason saves than Rivera at 34, 12 of which have been two inning saves, another major league record. 9 of those 34 postseason saves have come during the fall classic, and guess what, that's another MLB postseason record. Also out of those 34 postseason saves, he set another record by closing the door in 23 straight. In 117 postseason innings pitched Mariano has given up just 10 earned runs. His career WHIP in the playoffs is an unheard of 0.75. I already mentioned this but i'll say it again, he has 4 rings. I don't know about you, but there is nobody i would want more than the "Sandman," to come in and close the door in a decisive World Series game.

"Exit light, Enter night, Take my hand, We're off to never, never land." The gates open and Mariano river walks out of the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. The song seems to describe the situation so well. The sun is setting on the current game. Mariano takes the ball in his hand, and leads the Yankees to the victory. He does it so well. The best ever.

More Than Meets The Eye

(For Robbie. I hope you enjoy this man. It's the only time you'll ever hear me talk good about them.)

Everybody knows that the University of North Carolina is one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history. If you wanted to be vain you could sum it up in just two words: Michael Jordan. But Tar Heel basketball is way more than that. It's 5 NCAA Division I National Championships. It's 17 ACC tournament titles and 27 ACC regular season titles. It's 41 times that they've gone dancing, and 18 times that they've danced their way into the Final Four. It's 1950 wins in just 98 seasons of basketball. But that's not all UNC should be known for anymore.

Tar Heel baseball has become one of the more dominant programs in college baseball. North Carolina only has 8 trips to Omaha to their name, but have been "back home" in each of the last 4 seasons. In 3 of those 4 seasons the Heels have made the Championship Series. Though they were unsuccessful, the fact they were there and show signs of being back for years to come, makes them a force to be reckoned with.

Okay so let's face it. North Carolina hasn't really done a whole lot in the gridiron department. They haven't won a bowl game since 2001 (Peach Bowl) and they haven't won an ACC title in 29 years. What they have done is hired and excellent coach/recruiter in Butch Davis, and put together two of the top recruiting classes in the nation over the past two years. They're 8-5 record was nothing to write home about, but it did get them their first bowl appearance since 2004 and has them on the rise for the near future in college football. And let's not forget, UNC football gave us one of the most important parts of the game: the forward pass.

North Carolina was the team of the 80's and half of the 90's in NCAA Lacrosse, making the tournament every year from 1980-1996. Though they haven't taken the crown since 1991 they are continually one of the top ranked teams in the nation, and the rivalry with Duke, definitely runs deep in this sport. In 2009 the Tar Heels posted a 12-6 record and eventually lost to the hated Dukies in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. That stellar season landed 5 of their players on the NCAA All-American team, and helped get the Tar Heels a recruiting class that looks to have them back at the top in 2010.

North Carolina won their first NCAA Men's Soccer Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers, in their first ever trip to the finals back in 2001. The Tar Heels made it back last season only to fall 1-0 to the Maryland Terrapins. The finals appearance was enough to bump the Heels to third in the national polls and, landed them a recruiting class that has UNC soccer primed as one of the favorites going into the 2009 season.

Make no mistake about it, Chapel Hill has, is, and always will be, a basketball town. But the athletes in these 4 sports have given the Tar Heel faithful something else to be proud of, when they aren't packed into the Dean Smith Center, watching Roy Williams work his magic.

My Wish

ESPN is currently doing a segment for their Page 2 sports writers about things they wish would happen in sports. I really enjoyed reading Scoop Jackson's article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/090624) and decided to create a list of my own.

I wish I could play ball again.
I wish I could sit in the Polo Grounds and watch the Say Hey Kid.
I wish Bill Buckner would have caught that ball.
I wish Michael Jordan would have missed that shot.
I wish I could love Brett Favre again.
I wish they'd let Joe Jackson and Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.
I wish steroids didnt exist.
I wish Jose Canseco would keep his mouth shut.
I wish Roger Clemens would do the same.
I wish there were no reasons for asterisks.
I wish Ken Griffey Jr. would have stayed healthy.
I wish Earnest Byner would have held on to that football.
I wish Tony Fernandez would have fielded that ground ball.
I wish Roger Maris and Hank Aaron were still the Home Run Kings.
I wish free agency didnt exist.
I wish there were more women like Erin Andrews.
I wish Erin Andrews was my wife.
I wish I could be 8 years old, in my front yard, playing football with my dad again.
I wish I could have seen Bob Gibson pitch, and Ted Williams hit.
I wish the Browns would have never left Cleveland.
I wish the Oilers would have never left Houston.
I wish Woody Hayes wouldn't have hit Charlie Bauman.
I wish Warrne Moon wouldn't have hit his wife.
"I wish Donte Stallworth would have stayed home that night."
I wish Robinson Cano played for a different team.
I wish I could have seen a game at the old Yankee Stadium.
I wish i could hit a big league curveball.
I wish the USA would win the World Cup.
I wish Poland would win the World Cup.
I wish a Cleveland sports team would win a championship.
I wish I didnt love Cleveland sports so much.
I wish I never realized that professional sports were all about the money.
I wish i could see Michael Jordan and Cal Ripken play one more game.
I wish I could be like Mike.
I wish baseball would be back in the Olympics.
I wish Bud Selig would retire.
I wish Ty Cobb died with more friends.
I wish Dontrelle Willis could find his form.
I wish there were more athletes like Curtis Granderson.
I wish Americans respected baseball the way the Japanese do.
I wish Baseball would catch on in Europe and Africa.
I wish ever kid could know what it feels like to grip a baseball.
I wish continuation and that stupid circle weren't a part of NBA basketball.
I wish Jim Valvano was still alive.
I wish the NFL wasn't so protective of Quarterbacks.
I wish I could see a double header for 25 cents like the old days.
I wish there were more coaches like Joe Paterno.
I wish Gatorade was just Gatorade.
I wish baseball players still wore high socks.
I wish I loved other things as much as I love sports.

Fed Up

There are quite a few things in sports these days that really get on my nerves. I thought I'd take the time to rant and rave a little bit about those things.

I'm fed up with Bud Selig. The man belongs in an old folk's home. Seriously, 2012 cannot come soon enough. In my opinion he's done one good thing during his tenure. The Wildcard. Think about what else his term as commissioner has given us. The DH? One of the main contributors to the lack of defense in this era of baseball. Players no longer need to have those 5 tools. They can just hit. A strike? Sure it has happened before but it definitely doesn't help his track record look any better. Bud Selig is the reason for the only tie in All-Star game history. A game where both teams, both managers and all of the fans wanted to see the game go on. Do i even have to mention the steroid era? I will. The biggest smudge on the history of baseball just managed to happen during Selig's time as well. Do me a favor, take a page out of Donal Fehr's playbook and hang up the spikes big guy.

I'm fed up with Manny Ramirez. Sure Manny, being Manny was cute for a while. Showing up in the bicycle cart to spring training was pretty funny. And scaling the wall to make a catch, giving a fan a high five, and wheeling back to the infield to get the runner at second base for the double play is one of the most amazing plays I've ever seen. he's fun to watch but the fact that he will be right back in the lineup on July 3rd is absurd. Juan Pierre (Manny's replacement) is hitting .329 with 17 stolen bases from the lead off spot. He's been no doubt the spark that has led to the Dodgers success this season. When Manny comes back from his 50 game suspension, Pierre will be force back to the bench, where he will get no more than two starts a week. I guess you could say I'm sort of fed up with Joe Torre as well.

I'm fed up with Tiger Woods. Don't get me wrong. he is THE greatest golfer in the history of the sport. He has more passion than anybody in the game today. He wants to win and i have nothing but deep respect for that. But what I'm fed up with, is when Tiger doesn't when a tournament, I still have to see every one of his 68 strokes from that round on Sports Center that night. If the guy wins the tournament, then i have no problem with the whole highlight being devoted to him. But when he finishes 3rd or lower, how about giving a little bit of credit to the guy that won? Maybe even the guy that got second and challenged the guy that won.

I'm fed up with the University of Texas Longhorns. Well their fans. Well the ones who call themselves fans when they win. You have this ridiculous belief that you are the best. You aren't the best. In fact, look at the major sports. Football. You're 4 national championships are impressive. Especially compared to Notre Dame's 8, USC, Oklahoma and Alabama's 7, and Ohio State, Nebraska and Miami's 5. 4's good though... Basketball. Well this is easy...big GOOSE EGG. That means zero. UTEP has won more NCAA Basketball National Championships than you. And your 3 Final Four appearances aren't really much to write home about, considering U of H has been to twice as many. Baseball. You actually come up just short in this one. And by just short I mean that USC has double your 6 wins in almost half of the appearances. Better win tomorrow, or LSU will be right there with you at 6.

I'm fed up with this article. So I'm out for now.

All Movie Roster

I love baseball. I love movies. Heck, I love baseball movies. So i came up with the idea to compile a Marjor League Baseball sized roster of the top baseball movie characters. Thats right 25 of the best baseball movie characters of all time listed by position. I'll even throw in some coaches. I've also added my favorite quote (either said by them or about them) and a little bio of each of the characters. Each of the movies will be Fiction and since I havent seen every movie ever made, it will obviously only consist of the movies I've seen. A lot of them will be from the same movie, because most of these movies have too many great characters not to mention them. So without further adu, here is my Top 25 (Plus Owner, Managers, Grounds Crew, and even a Broadcaster):

Catcher
Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), Bull Durham- "C'mon meat, throw me that weak ass shit" Crash Davis plays an aging catcher who uses his knowledge of the game to mentor a young pitcher.

Hamilton "The Babe" Porter (Patrick Renna), The Sandlot- "You make your wienies from your momma's toe jam!" The Great Hambino is the portly kid on the Sandlot Baseall team. His word battle with Philips is quite possibly the best dialogue ever writtin.

First Baseman
Lou Collins (Timothy Busfield)- Little Big League "You think I'd miss my chance to ride the Thundering Frog" Lou Collins is the managers best friend. He's also soon to be his Step-Father. That is if he can take Randy Johnson deep to get the team into the playoffs.

Second Baseman
Tanner Boyle (Chris Barnes)- Bad News Bears "Those Yankees are real turds" Tanner Boyle is very outspoken for the Bears. He gets easily irritated and his temper got him into a fight...with the 7th grade. The little squirt is one of the funniest characters to ever act the game of baseball.

Shortstop
Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), The Sandlot- "Man, this is baseball, you gotta stop thinking! Just have fun" The movie never actually shows Benny playing a position but he does comment that he rotates all 8. Being the best I figured short would probably be the best for him. Plus i had nobody else to put here. He pickles the beast and then steals home for the Dodgers.

Alan "Yeah Yeah" McClennan (Marty York), The Sandlot- "Yeah yeah, so does my sister, but I didn't bring her along!" Lets face it there are no good baseball movies about shortstops. Thats a shame. But Yeah Yeah is a good character. Plus, he was one of the pioneers of Bungee Jumping. "Of course, we all know why."

Third Baseman
Roger Dorn (Tom Berenger), Major League- "I activated myself." Third base didn't have much to choose from. Dorn is a high class guy with low class talent. He doesnt like to go all out because its not a good investment for his body. In ML2 he becomes the owner, runs out of money and reactives himself to play again.

Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnel), A League of Their Own- "Evelyn. Your kid ate the line up." Not one of my favorite characters but like I said it was slim pickin's at third base. She adds good humor to the movie and the scene where she catches the foul ball and eats the hotdog gives me a good laugh.

Left Field
Taka Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi), Major League 2- "YOU HAVE NO...YOU HAVE NO...MARBLES....YOU HAVE NO MARBLES" Taka Tanaka was traded for Jack Parkman from the Giants..."Not those Giants." The Tokyo Giants. He has an unorthodox style of going all out to catch the ball, mostly resulting in knocking himself out. The clash between him and Pedro Cerrano is priceless.

Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), The Sandlot- "Oh yeah, the Great Bambino. Of course! I thought you said the Great Bambi" Smalls is the new kid in town and doesnt know how to make friends. He also doesnt know much about baseball. But Benny takes him under his wing and teaches Smalls the game. In the process he picks up 8 great friends and gets them all in to the "biggest pickle" they've ever been in.

Center Field
Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes), Major League- "Willie Mays Hayes. I hit like Mays, and I run like Hayes" He wasnt even on the orginal invitee roster. But his blazing speed force Lou Brown to give him a uniform. Now if only he could learn to hit the ball on the ground. Of course, "he could be pointing at the right fielder."

Micheal "Squints" Palladorus (Chauncey Leopardi), The Sandlot- "For-ev-er, For-ev-er, For-ev-er, For-ev-er..." He put the moves on the life guard. And ended up marrying her. "They had nine kids" The Smart Alec of the team, he's full of one liners, and he also takes the role of storyteller.

Right Field
Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), Major League- "Look at the... score... board... now.... GRASSHOPPER" The buddhist praises the Great Jobu. A little statue that he gives rum and cigars to, so that he will be able to hit a curveball. Cerrano hits big home runs in both Major League movies and is even responsible for helping the minor league Buzz team beat the Big Club.

Starting Pitchers
Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner), For Love of the Game- "Clear, the mechanism" The best pitching character of all time. He goes into Yankee Stadium and throws a perfect game. The whole game he battles with emotions, the past, and the decision of whether to retire (since he's being told he will be traded)

Ebbie Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), Bull Durham- "A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while." The young pitcher that is mentored by Crash Davis, the kid has a lot to learn. He nees to learn how to pitch, he needs to learn to hand the media, and he needs to learn not to punch with your pitching hand.

Ryan Dunne (Freddy Prince Jr.)- Summer Catch- "I love her" The local "lawn boy" falls in love with the beautiful girl and also has to deal with the fact that he's pitching against the best baseball prospects in the nation. He throws an 8 1/3 inning no hitter, leaves to get the girl, and still gets his check.

Miles Pennfield II, Hardball- (Dances to Big Poppa on the mound) Completely unhittable. As long as he can wear his headphones on the mound. The fact that he jams out to Big Poppa makes him one of the greatest pitching characters of all time. That and without him the Kekembas wouldnt be "Goin to the ship WHAT!"

Chet "Rocket" Steadman (Gary Busey), Rookie of the Year- "Dont take this game to seriously, because one day it will all be over. You're gift will be gone" The veteran grudgingly takes young Henry under his wing but very willingly takes Henry's mom from loser Jack Bradfield. He helps Henry lead the cubs until he blows out his arm in the final game versus the Mets.

Relievers
Jim Bowers, Little Big League- "On behalf of the entire Apache Nation, we accept this olive branch of peace." Bowers is the comic relief at the back end of the Twins bullpen. He truly understand the intricasies of the water balloon and he just loves to have a good time. And Guys, "The horse's name is Friday."

Kenny DeNunez (Brandon Quintin Adams), The Sandlot- "All the pros do it." "DeNunez played triple a ball...but he never got to the majors." The youngster mowed down the rich kids and could absolutely bring the little league heat.

Eddie Harris (Chelcie Ross), Major League- "Yo! Bartender, Jobu needs a refill" Eddie Harris is the crafty, Christian, veteran of the Cleveland Indians. He uses his vasoline ball and his faith to get him through each and every game.

Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Rookie of the Year- "Okay. But this is the last time." The young phenom lights up the gun at triple digits all because he broke his arm. Very Billy Wagner esque. He eventually hones his talent and leads the Cubbies to the pennet. Not bad for a kid who rode the bench on his little league team.

Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), The Natural- "Pick me out a winner Bobby." The Greatest Player to Ever Play The Game. Or so he would have been had he not been shot. I mean he struck out the "Whammer." But Roy makes an amazing comeback and with the help of Bobby hits a towering fly ball the busts some lights.

Carlton "Doc" Windgate (Peter Mackenzie), Major League Back to the Minors- (Pitching in bullpen, his speed doesnt show up on the radar gun.) "Yeah we got that thing cheap at a police auction, it doesnt pick up anything under 55." Doc doesnt have the best stuff but he's pretty much the team Shrink. He keeps the Buzz together and always has advice ready for Coach Cantrell whether he wants it or not.

Closer
Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), Major League- "I want...Parkman" Wild Thing is a b.a. straight out of the California Penal League. He can bring it triple digits and isnt scared to go after anybody. That is if he can get the ball over the plate.

Owner
Billy Heywood (Luke Edwards), Little Big League- "Ever heard of CERTS!" Bill Heywood has the dream job. After his Grandfather dies he inherits the Minnesota Twins. He owns the team and soon fires the manger and takes on that role as well. Heywood's tactics put the struggling phillies right into the chase for the wild card.

Managers
Lou Brown (James Gammon), Manager, Major League- "We won yesterday. If we win today, that’s two-in-a-row. If we win tomorrow, that’s called a winning streak; it has happened before" Lou Brown is the best played manager in the history of baseball movies. He looks like a manager, talks like a manager, and even has smart alec remarks like a manager. One of my favorite baseball movie characters of all time.

Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), Asst Manager, Bad News Bears- "Now get back to the stands before I shave off half your mustache and shove it up your left nostril." Not the greatest role model but he did play minor league baseball. Okay so he's a washed up "neverwas" but he led probably the worst team in the history of California Little League to the league championship.

Phil Brickma (Daniel Stern), Pitching Coach, Rookie of The Year- "Let the big dog eat" Sal Martinella beaned Brickma in the minor leagues and he's been following around ever since. He's a little crazy and gives young Henry some not so good advice. And remember..."Its alllll free"

Jimmy Duggan (Tom Hanks), Hitting Coach, A League of Their Own- "THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL..." Jim Duggan has recently quit drinking and cannot believe that they are letting girls play baseball. His classic one liners make him one of the best managers to never coach the game.

Sal Martinella (Albert Hall), Third Base Coach, Rookie of the Year- "Throw the heat." Martinella's inability to pronoune Rowengartner is pure genius writing. Resinbagger, Gardenhoser, Rulenfurter, each one of those continually has me laughing.

Connor O'Neil (Keanu Reeves), First Base Coach, Hardball- "I love it when you call me Big Poppa" The coach of the Kekembas with a major gambling problem. He takes a group of Inner City losers (including himself), and turns them into a championship team. The scene where he speaks at G-Baby's funeral brings tears to my eyes every time.

Broadcaster
Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker), Major League- "Remember, fans, Tuesday is Die Hard Night. Free admission for anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant" The best thing about Harry Doyle is that in real life Bob Uecker was actually a great broadcaster for the Brewers. Half of both movies he is drunk and fully hilarious.

Grounds Crew
Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), Field of Dreams- "Thats my corn out there. You guys are guests in my corn." Ray Kinsella plows over his cornfield to build a baseball field that turns out to be magical and allows Shoeless Joe Jackson, his father, and many other older players to come back and relive their dreams.

Keith and Kurt Uchima- Major League- "(In Japanese) They're Shitty" These two guys make me laugh because this is they're only line throughout the whole movie.

Minor Leagues
Rube Baker (Major League 2), Dottie Henson (A League of Their Own), Mel Clark (Angels In The Outfield), Amanda Wurlitzer (Bad News Bears), Kelly Leake (Bad News Bears), Jake Taylor (Major League), Jack Parkman (Major League 2), Hog Ellis (Major League Back to the Minors)

"It Aint So"

In 1919 the Chicago "Black" Sox, led by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson met the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series of Baseball. The Reds took the then best of 9 series in 8 games. The upset was said to be a big shock, but the biggest of shocks would come a year later as 8 of the White Sox players were accused of throwing the series (taking money to lose on purpose). The players were acquitted of the charges because of some "faulty evidence." Baseball saw fit to punish them differently and banned all 8 of the men from the game forever. The 8 men included Joe Jackson (for more on the scandal see the movie Eight Men Out). Joe Jackson was a .356 lifetime hitter with 1,772 hits in just 8 full season of baseball, 4 of those seasons included 200 or more hits. He struck out just 158 times in almost 5000 career at bats. Some guys strike out more than that in a season these days.

Pete Rose, also known as "Charlie Hustle", was without a doubt one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game of baseball. A member of the Big Red Machine, he led the Cincinnati Reds to Three World Series Championships, winning his own MVP and being named to 17 All-Star games, in what turned out to be an illustrious career. In 1989 he was also permanently banned from baseball amidst accusations that he had gambled on games that he was involved in.

Shortly after Pete Rose's ban the commissioner voted that all players who had been determined "permanently ineligible" would also not be eligible for the Hall of Fame. This my friends is absurd. The fact that these two men do not have a place in Cooperstown is more of a disgrace then the "Steroid Era."

Jackson is not eligible because he "threw the World Series." While he admitted that he did take the money, there is no proof that he threw the series. Seriously I encourage you to find it and prove me wrong. I bet I can find the proof that he didn't. In fact here it is. First of all he hit .375 in the series. That was good enough for the best average out of any player who played more than 4 games in the series (Joe played all 8). Joe didn't commit an error in the series. Joe hit the only home run of the series. 1/3 of Joe's hits in the series went or extra bases (4:12). Go ahead and find me proof that he didn't play his best in those 8 games. All you can prove is that he took the money. Hm, a player getting extra money because he played well. I think we have a word for that these days. Endorsement maybe? It's okay for Nike to sign a guy to a contract after he wins and MVP award but because a guy took money from a gambler and then played great that not okay? Doesn't seem right to me. If that's the case then any player who has ever accepted money from a source outside the league for how well they play should not be allowed into the hall of fame.

Pete Rose is not eligible for the Hall of Fame because he "bet on baseball." What most people don't know is that Rose bet on his OWN team to WIN. How is that harming the team? How is that "cheating" the game of baseball? To me that says something about a man. he had the confidence and trust in himself and his teammates, to put his own money on the line, and bet that his team would go out and perform day in and day out. Is that not the same thing as a guy going out and publicly guaranteeing victory the day before a big game? The only difference is Pete Rose got paid for doing in it. In my opinion that was just a wise investment by Rose. He knew they were good, and he knew that he was going to do everything in his power to win ballgames. Wouldn't you bet on yourself too?

If you're going to keep two of the greatest baseball players of all time out of the Hall of Fame, then the same must be done with the steroid users. Those guys cheated the game. Those guys cheated the fans. And for the most part, unlike Jackson, its been proven. These guys hurt the integrity of the game. Jackson made a crappy series (because of the other 7 players) go 8 games and got a 10,000 dollar bonus for it. Rose got paid because his team won. Don't get me wrong what they did was selfish, but in no way did they cheat or do anything to hurt the game. LET THEM IN.

No Bang For Your Buck

For those of you who know me, you know i hate the large market, dynasty, professional sports teams. I'm sick of seeing all 19 Yankees/Red Sox games every season. I cringe at the thought of the Lakers winning another title. I just flat out hate the Cowboys. I don't know why I have this hatred. It could be because I worship a sports town that is about as Low Market as it gets. Or it could be that I just dont like mainstream stuff. I dont buy into Red Sox nation, and i liked the Rays before they won the AL. Thats just the kind of person i am. But something recently came to my attention that made me feel 100% stronger about this.

I was looking up the Astros schedule trying to find interesting games and good deals on tickets for those games. I got distracted, as I easily do, and started looking at the different promotions that they had. Roy O bobble head is coming up Thursday and its half price tickets. Sounds like a winner. But this got me thinking. I wonder what types of promotions other teams give?

Naturally I went to the Indians first. To my astonishment, they have have a promotion scheduled for every single night. Not everyone is big, maybe a fireworks show on Friday, or a charity event on Wednesday. But every single home game they are doing something to give back to the fans and the community. They see the true spirit of the game. Its about the fans and the kids. It wasnt just the Indians, It was the Angels, and the Braves, and the Rangers...Until i got greedy and decided to look at the Yankees.

7 Promotions scheduled for the whole year. One of which i will add was a Yankee Stadium Soup Bowl available to all fans. TELL ME WHAT 10 YEAR OLD WANTS A FRIGGIN SOUP BOWL. More surprisingly than that, the Boston Red Sox had NO scheduled promotions for the rest of the year.

Its not about the consumer, its about how much money George Steinbrenner can fit in his pocket. Recently at a game, my dad told me about a time when they had Bat Giveaway Day. Every fan under a certain age got an actual Major League wooden bat. Thats why I dont like large market teams and frankly thats what I'm most upset with in sports. Its not about us anymore. The players dont play for the fans. There was a time when it was like that. Pay a quarter. See a double header. No free agency. Guys got what they got and they played ball.

They once asked Joe Dimaggio why he played so hard. "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, I owe him my best." Ask yourself if you truly believe thats what the organizations are about today. Are you getting your best when you go to a major market sporting event?

For Love of the Game

I feel bad for people who have never had a sports experience in their life. Its hard to believe that there are even people out there who haven't. Some people even go as far as to make the excuse that sports are too violent and that they are too competitive. I really feel for these people.

I recently went through one of the toughest experiences of my life, a bone marrow transplant. To be honest the toughest part wasn't the chemo, or the throwing up, or the not eating for a week. The toughest part was being on the Pediatric Floor and having to see the 20-30 children under the age of 10 going through the same stuff that i went through. It just didn't seem right that somebody so innocent had to suffer. It quickly occurred to me that these kids were some of the strongest people i would ever meet in my life, and I found that out through sports.

I was out on my daily walk toward the end of my stay at the hospital, and i decided that i was going to go into the kids playroom with my niece and let her play around so i could spend some time out of my room. About 5 minutes after we got there a little Hispanic boy came in, in his little spider man pajamas. My heart immediately sank and i felt so bad for the little boy. After a few minutes the boy made his way over to the air hockey table, begging his grandfather to turn it on. From the first time he struck the puck, the biggest most adorable smile came over his face. I sat watching, amazed at how something so little as a puck sliding across a white table could make this boy who was going through hell so happy.

About a half hour later another group of boys came into the play area. It was easy to spot that none of them were patients but as the area is open to family members as well it was no big deal. They grabbed a soccer ball and began to kick it around the play room. The game quickly escalated into a pretty competitive but fun game of soccer. Everybody was laughing and having a great time. It was about that time, that the grandfather of the little air hockey boy informed our family that the boys were relatives of a 17 year-old girl who had lost her battle to Leukemia earlier that day. Once again I was amazed that something as simple as a little black and white ball could bring joy to people that had just lost something so close to them.

As I stood there kicking the ball with the boys, the little air hockey boy and my family, I began to realize that sports are one of the greatest escapes there is in this world. I never realized it before, but every time I was at a major league ballpark, or watching a football game on TV, that i was escaping something. I was escaping just everyday life. That's why sports are so great. They take you away from burdens whether they are health related, school related, work related. Whatever problem you may have, next time just sit down and take in a game. Spend three hours worrying about nothing but the action unfolding before you. You may find it more helpful than anything else.

Best of the Best

I wanted to start my blog off with a bang, so i decided to challenge myself and find who i think are the top rising stars at each position in Major League Baseball.


PITCHER
Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals- A no brainer here, this phenom seems to be all that anybody is talking about these days. The former first round draft pick, who has never won more than 13 games in a season is off to an 8-1 start with an unheard of 0.84 era, and nearly averaging double digit strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and has yet to give up a homer in 75 innings pitched this season.

CATCHER
Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles- Made his Major League debut last night against the Yankees and despite going 0-4 this kid has a major upside. Referred to as "Joe Mauer, With Power", the 23-year old Wieters was hitting .305 with 5 bombs and 30 RBI for class AAA Norfolk before getting the call up last weekend. Wieters was also named last year's Minor League Player Of The Year.

FIRST BASE
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds- The Canadian born second round pick made his debut on September 4, 2007 with a strikeout against Guillermo Mota, but the next night went 3-3 including his first major league home run. He hasn't looked back since. He's compiled a .310 career average with 36 bombs and 134 RBI. He's off to a .357 start this season which is good enough for second in the national league (Carlos Beltran .358) and is also tops in the league at getting on base at almost 46% of the time.

SECOND BASE
Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians- On August 11, 2007 a young undrafted free agent originally signed by the Seattle Mariners, was called on to pinch hit in the midst of 11-2 loss to the New York Yankees. On and 0-2 he drove a ball to deep Left-Center for his first major league hit. Something special for me because i just happened to be listening to the great Tom Hamilton broadcasting the game that night. Since then he's had a tough time getting started but it seems he has finally settled in at second base for the tribe. The tribes new lead off hitter is off to a .323 start with 27 RBI, including a very similar .322 average and 26 RBI with runners in scoring position. It's safe to say he has become Mr. Clutch for the Cuyahoga Kids.

SHORT STOP
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers- Some say he's the next Omar Vizquel, which might be considered ironic because that's exactly who the Texas Rangers brought in to mentor the 20-year old short stop. Most scouts say he's not ready to be a Major League hitter. I think its safe to say he's surprised most of them posting a .277 average and driving in 9 runs for the AL West leading Rangers. The most surprising part is probably his 7 errors already this season at Short. Its clear he has some work to do but at 20 years old i think the Rangers are more than pleased with this Short Stop already.

THIRD BASE
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays- What else can be said, that hasn't already been said about Evan Longoria. Its very obvious that this kid is the real deal. He led the Rays to their first Eastern Division and American League Title's, both in the same year. Did i mention that was also his rookie year, and he won Rookie of the Year. Evan is legit. 40 bombs in 171 games. He's hitting 60 points better (.333) than he did his rookie season and he's already halfway to his home run total from last year in 1/3rd of the amount of games played. Exactly half of his major league hits have gone for extra bases. One thing he has to cut down on is the big K's as he struck out just as many times as he got hits last season. Keep an eye on this guy. He will no doubt be in Cooperstown one day.

OUTFIELD
Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks- Finally the other Upton may be starting to come around. Finally people may stop calling him B.J.'s younger brother. Lets not forget here, Justin was the Number 1 pick, B.J. was not. After not hitting over .250 in either of his first two seasons, Justin has busted out to a .337 averaged on the season and has already driven in 29 RBI in his first 46 games. So far he isn't as refined as his brother doing the little things, running the bases and roaming center field. But he's not far and lately looks like he may be closer than anybody thinks. For years to come, the Upton brothers may dominate CF in both the American and National Leagues.





OTHERS TO WATCH FOR

Matt LaPorta OF, Cleveland Indians
Rick Porcello P, Detroit Tigers
Jordan Schafer OF, Atlanta Braves
Johnny Cueto P, Cincinnati Reds
David Price P, Tampa Bay Rays
Pablo Sandoval 3B, San Francisco Giants
Denard Spann OF, Minnesota Twins
Adam Rosales INF, Cincinnati Reds
Dexter Fowler OF, Colorado Rockies
Bobby Scales INF, Chicago Cubs