Hot Topic: Boise State

Boise State to the 'Ship?

Monday night's Boise State/Virginia Tech game was as exciting as everyone hoped it would be. Boise State needed this game to legitimize their number 3 ranking, and Virginia Tech needed this game to move up from their ranking, hopefully getting to the National Championship game.

Boise wins, but this is only the beginning of their battle. They still have a lot to prove in the battle of public opinion, where many still think because of their "weaker" conference schedule in the WAC, they should not be in consideration for the National Championship. It is too early to call if they will get to the #1 spot. Last season, almost every team that was in the #1 ranking managed to lose a game, and thus lose the ranking. The one thing we do know is that there is no way Boise State can lose any game this season, and preferably, they should win by as many points as they can in their victories.

If undefeated, do you think Boise State should have a spot in the National Championship game?

NCAA Football Rankings

Here are the NCAA Football rankings after week one:

AP Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. TCU
5. Texas
6. Nebraska
7. Oregon
8. Florida
9. Iowa
10. Oklahoma
11. Wisconsin
12. Miami (FL)
13. Virginia Tech.
14. Arkansas
15. Georgia Tech.
16. USC
17. Florida State
18. Penn State
19. LSU
20. Utah
21. Auburn
22. Georgia
23. West Virginia
24. South Carolina
25. Stanford

Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh, North
Carolina

USA Today Poll
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Texas
5. TCU
6. Florida
7. Nebraska
8. Oregon
9. Iowa
10. Oklahoma
11. Wisconsin
12. Miami (FL)
13. Virginia Tech.
14. Penn State
15. Arkansas
16. LSU
17. Georgia Tech.
18. Florida State
19. Georgia
20. (tie) Auburn
20. (tie) Utah
22. West Virginia
23. Arizona
24. Brigham Young (BYU)
25. South Carolina

Dropped from rankings: Pittsburgh, North
Carolina

Shoes of the Week

Nike Air More Uptempo
In honor of Scottie Pippen being inducted into the Baskeball Hall of Fame, I thought I'd post one of his signature shoes. If you know anything about Nike Basketball shoes from the 90's, it is a must you include these. (They aren't cheap though...)
http://www.pickyourshoes.com/collectible/nike_more_uptempo_hoop.htm

LeTweet

"Don't think for one min that I haven't been taking mental
notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!"

The previous is the now-famous tweet posted a couple of days ago by LeBron James. After LeBron's "Decision," I didn't think the fan/media reactions and comments were going to get to him. I don't think he thought it was going to get to him either. He probably didn't think there would be such a strong backlash after his move to Miami. He probably figured fans would be angry at him, and then eventually get over it and move on.

This tweet shows that it's getting to him.

LeBron recently took a trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. He was heckled through the entire time he was there. (Excuse the first 20 seconds or so are sideways...)

Now, just imagine this EVERYWHERE HE GOES. Reports stated he was booed walking into Carmelo Anthony's wedding, and even DURING the wedding reception. At the ESPY's (where he was absent for the first time since I can remember) when his name was said, a good half of the crowd booed in Los Angeles. I think it would get to the best of us at one point.

I've heard and read a lot of opinions on LeBrons recent tweet. On the Galloway & Co Radio show, Charles Barkley, TNT NBA analyst and NBA Hall-of-Famer, gave his opinion on LeBron's message to the public.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?id=5456630&callsign=ESPNRADIO&autoplay=1

I wouldn't have went as far to use to term "punk," but I can't disagree with anything Barkley said. A ton of people are on this mental list he has created. In addition, LeBron tweeting a threat doesn't make his image any better. So what? If I were him, I would show out on the basketball court and get over it. If he is okay with the decision he made, then he needs to go out and act like this isn't bothering him.

Losing the Eye of the Tiger (Woods)

I'm not much of a golf fan, but due to being raised in a family of golfers, I occasionally check out what's going on in the PGA. Today's headline on the front page of The Akron Beacon Journal says "Erratic Woods tied for 72nd after second round," with a large picture of Tiger Woods looking disappointed.

After the second round of the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational, Woods was tied for 72nd. There is only 80 people in the competition. He hasn't done too hot in previous competitions either. The general media can't help but point to the very public problems Woods has had in the last couple of years. My mother keeps repeating her theory that Tiger is still shaken up from his infidelity and public demise. No one has seen Tiger golf so poorly since before he became a pro. Most athletes have downtime, but his is magnified by his "off-the-course" mistakes. If I were him, I may take some time away from golf (and the public) and figure out what the deeper problem might be.

Pro-Football Hall of Fame: Class of 2010

Congrats to the class of 2010! They will be inducted today at 7:00pm EST from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on ESPN. The group is highlighted by Jerry Rice (who has almost every receiving record imaginable) and Emmitt Smith (the leading rusher in the history of the NFL), but all of these men have racked up a ton of records and accomplishments. I always suggest young people watch functions like this so they understand that so many people helped to shape the NFL.

Here are the inductee's:

Russ Grimm (Guard) 1981-1991 Washington
Redskins

Rickey Jackson (Linebacker) 1981-1993 New Orleans
Saints, 1994-1995 San Francisco 49ers

Dick LeBeau (Cornerback) 1959-1972 Detroit
Lions

Floyd Little (Running Back) 1967-1975 Denver
Broncos

John Randle (Defensive Tackle) 1990-2000 Minnesota
Vikings, 2001-2003 Seattle Seahawks

Jerry Rice (Wide Receiver) 1985-2000 San Francisco
49ers, 2001-2004 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks

Emmitt Smith (Running Back) 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys,
2003-2004 Arizona Cardinals

(http://www.profootballhof.com/default.aspx)

NCAA Football Preseason Poll

Yesterday, USA Today posted its annual NCAA football Top 25 preseason poll.

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Florida

4. Texas

5. Boise State

6. Virginia Tech

7. Texas Christian

8. Oklahoma

9. Nebraska

10. Iowa

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Miami

14. Penn State

15. Pittsburgh

16. LSU Tigers

17. Georgia Tech

18. North Carolina

19. Arkansas

20. Florida State

21. Georgia

22. Oregon State

23. Auburn

24. (tie) Utah

24. (tie) West Virginia

I'm always interested in preseason rankings, because so many sports enthusiasts take it so seriously. This list will spark debates about what teams are too high, what teams are too low, and what teams shouldn't even be on the list. All the while, this poll is completely based on the hypothesis of some coaches. Yes, a person can take an educated guess. They can look at the teams schedule, how many players are back from previous seasons, locations of the games, conferences of the teams, etc. So while there vote is based on those attributes, they can never really tell how any team is going to do when the season comes. Injuries, suspensions, unknown stars, upsets, can all happen rendering this list virtually irrelevant once the season starts.

So for the next 3 weeks, I'll be reading articles about why Boise State is number 5, why Florida is still in the top 5 after losing so many seniors, and many more arguments that I can only imagine.

Let the discussions begin!

Tyson Gay defeats Usain Bolt

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the current 100 meter dash world record holder, finally sees the back of his competitors uniform. (Something he is not familiar with)

After two false starts, American sprinter, Tyson Gay, runs a 9.84 to win the 100 meter dash in one of the Diamond League Meets in Stockholm, Sweden. Bolt ran a 9.97. This is a far cry from Bolt's record breaking time of 9.58 that he ran in Berlin in 2009. The comments that I've seen all point to Bolt taking a day off on the track. With no World or Olympic Championships to compete for this year, people believe Bolt may not place this race on any list of importance. One writer mentioned that they saw him grimace as he was hitting his stride in the last 70 meters. Or, he could have just gotten smoked.

Track and field will be heating up in the next two years, with the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and the 2012 Olympics in London, England. I don't suspect that we will see too many more races like this from Bolt.

Tyreke Evans (No Speedracer)

?????

2010 NBA Rookie of the Year and Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans is driving the purple Mercedes that police chased for almost 15 minutes. He was driving at around 120-130 MPH on the highway, apparently racing the silver car also shown in the footage. He was pulled over and arrested at gunpoint. This is beyond a bad judgement call. Evans risked his life, as well as others on the highway.

This took me back to another story of some NBA players speeding. Charlotte Hornets players, Bobby Phills and David Wesley, were both speeding after a shootaround (some witnesses said they were racing) in January of 2000. Phills lost control, colliding into another car. Phills, who was 30 at the time, died instantly. ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2000/01/12/phills_reaction_ap/)

People need to stop thinking they are invincible. Thank God Evans didn't hurt anyone else or himself. I hope he can take the lesson out of this and not make this mistake again.

The Big Shamrock

After being drafted to the Orlando Magic, leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers, and short stints with the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Shaq is now a member of the Boston Celtics. He will be payed the veteran minimum of 1.4 million dollars for the season. He changed his jersey number to 36 (which I would assume to be the average age of the Celtics right now...I kid, I kid).

In the offseason the Celts also picked up center Jermaine O'Neal to play in the post as well. Kendrick Perkins will be out until possibly the middle of the season. The question Doc Rivers and staff will have is which O'Neal is going to start?

In honor of his recent moves, let's look back at some of his memorable moments:

MLB Falling Popularity

Congrats to Alex Rodriquez for hitting home run number 600. That's a helluva milestone.

It's just interesting how there hasn't been much buzz about A-Rod today. There was a time in Major League Baseball where this would have been huge news. It has been swept under the Brett Favre, LeBron James, NFL training camp rug. I don't follow baseball as much as other sports, but it seems like it has become less exciting than the NBA and the NFL. I wonder if this change is because of the steroid issues, or if it is because people are tired of the same rotation of teams winning. Baseball doesn't seem to be the American sport of choice as it was back in the day.

What will it take for MLB to regain the popularity it once had?

Shoes of the Week

Nike Air Force 1 Low Premium (Black History Month Edition)

I know it's not Black History Month, but I could care less! These are official! Check out http://www.sneakerhead.com/ to see more!

NBA Marquee Matchups: 2010-2011 Season

The NBA has announced it's marquee matchups for the first half of season.

My assumption is that the same teams would be in rotation for the entire season. Leaving much of the schedule pretty predictable. Annnnndddddd...I was absolutely right.

NBA Opening Night will feature the Miami Heat at the Boston Celtics. The assumed soon-to-be Eastern Conference champs versus the current Eastern Conference champs. David Stern had to be salivating at the opportunity to get this matchup on opening day. This gurantees ratings. This is also the first test for the virtually new Heat team. If they win, people will say it's because they are stacked (Well, at least the starters are stacked), and if they lose the media will act like the world has ended. (Mark my words.) Game two will feature the L.A. Lakers and the Houston Rockets. I find this second game to be the stepchild to the first game. I know Kobe will be present, but I was hoping they would play the Oklahoma City Thunder, or another team that would keep the East Coasters up for a couple of hours. I think the NBA is hoping that the injury stricken Yao Ming will be 100% by opening day.

Christmas features five games. I can't lie. I think this is entirely too many games, and I would probably stuck to the middle three games that seem (as of today) more compelling. The Celtics versus the Orlando Magic is the second game of the day, followed by the Heat at the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets at the Thunder. These three games will bring the majority of the average NBA audience. The other two games (Chicago Bulls at the New York Knicks at noon and the Portland Trail Blazers at the Golden State Warriors at 10:30pm) feature younger and in the Knicks case, incomplete teams. I will probably end up watching portions of all the games, but after all, it is Christmas, so I'll have other things to do.

The rest of the schedule features all the teams that I've listed, with a few young teams in the mix. To see the rest of the schedule check it out: http://www.nba.com/2010/news/08/03/2010schedule/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Amends to Akron

Since "The Decison" or "The LeBacle" as it's been called, LeBron James has been in the news for something new daily. I've seen him on the obvious places, like ESPN and Yahoo Sports. I've also seen him on some less expected places, like websites TMZ and Media Take Out. However, we have heard very little from the man himself.

Today, LeBron James took out a page in the Akron Beacon Journal. Flanked with pictures from his annual Bike-A-Thon, here is what he wrote:

"To My Family, Friends and Fans in Akron:

For all of my life, I have lived in Akron - and for that, I am truly a lucky man.

It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I
met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.

Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It's where I started, and it's where I will always come back to.

You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.

LeBron"

I commend him for this letter. Sorta.

I spared myself from writing the millions of thoughts that have ran through my head since July 8th, 2010. I will say that "The Decision" was an egotistical, terrible PR move. I thought that a letter like this would come sooner. I hope that this helps him get SOME people on his side. I doubt it will, but at least he made some sort of an attempt.

The media has focused on the fact that he didn't post a similar letter in The Cleveland Plain Dealer for the Clevelanders. I didn't really get that out of this story. I think he seeks to make amends with Akron, not necessarily Cleveland Cavaliers fans in general. He isn't obligated to write anyone a letter, but at least he tried.

If I were him, I'd lay low for awhile. Next season is going to be a rough one for him, win or lose.

Indecision Favre: Retirement (Again?)

So, Brett Favre is finally retiring.

Or is he?

When I woke up this morning, I saw the ESPN coverage of Favre, sounding like he had passed away the night before. There were multitudes of retrospective clips, showing touchdowns, interviews and behind the scenes shots from his 19 seasons. I immediately assumed he was retiring, until I saw that this information came from a "source."

Hold up! A source? What source?

Coach Brad Childress looked confused in his press conference earlier today, as though he hadn't heard any such news. Affiliates interviewed teammates and former teammates looking for incite, most did not have a clue on his decison. Brett, himself, hasn't even released a statement.

Yet ESPN has been running information about it all day. NFL Live showed 30 minutes of Brett Favre coverage. Sportscenter spent about half of it's hour show on Brett. This is all based on a source. Half of the ancors are talking about how skeptical they are about the whole situation, but are still taking 30 or 40 minutes in order to express their skepicism. I think it would be hilarious if he didn't retire and ESPN wasted their whole day of coverage.

When I see Brett Farve at a press conference announcing his retirement, and then NOT playing in the first game of the season versus the New Orleans Saints, I will believe he is retired. Until then...

The 78 million dollar man...

...Well, 50 million dollars guranteed. Sam Bradford has got it made! I can hear Chris Rock on "In Living Color" saying, "Good Lawd, that's alotta money!"



Especially since he is an unproven professional football player. I'm not trying to hate. I just hope that he is worth the money! With the economic troubles the United States is having, (and the impending lock-out possibilities of the NFL) this just seems excessive. If this doesn't pan out, the Rams will receive a lot of flack.

Can you justify paying a rookie that much money?

Welcome

Sports have become a popular culture phenomenon that hit many different realms. Sports has gone political (MLB steroid hearings, NCAA football rankings, etc), has economic implications (ticket sales, salary cap issues, etc), sports has influenced the way that we dress (Jordan brand, Nike, etc)and we even eat and drink products specifically for athletes (Powerbar, Gatorade). It is not just about the game anymore!

With that I want to welcome you to my blog. I hope to give you a fresh perspective to the world of sports. Enjoy!