Only The Sports That Matter

It is always the offseason

2010-11-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how I was so looking forward to the end of baseball season because it meant college football, pro football, and Basketball, I think it's only fitting I do a free agency wish list for the Angels.

Living in Northern California not only destroyed my ability to follow the Angels, but it also destroyed my interest in this past season. However, if there were any season that I would be glad to pretend didn't exist, it would have to be last season.

My Angels finished 80-82, 10 games behind Texas for the division lead and one game behind Oakland (barf) for second place. But thankfully 19 games ahead of Seattle (anyone who thought they would win the division was a freaking idiot).

The good news about this team is that they aren't that far off. They have plenty of pieces to contend for a division crown next year. They just weren't able to cope with the freak injury to Kendry Morales. Morales broke his leg on a walk-off home run. He jumped on the plate and SNAP. Season over.

Prior to his injury Morales had 56 hits in 51 games, including 11 homeruns, 39 RBIs, and a .290 average. Needless to say he was by far the best player on the team and without him in the lineup, the Angels look more like a little league team than a division champ.

Next year, Morales comes back to man first base. He suddenly makes the lineup a lot better. Kendrick, Hunter, and Aybar will all see a jump in their numbers. But there are still some holes that can be filled.

Pitching remains a strength for the team. The Angels have a legit 1-2 punch with Jered Weaver and Dan Harren. Throw in Ervin Santana who can be dominant at times, Scott Kazmir who, despite a poor season, has shown flashes of brilliance, and Joel Pinero who is a solid No. 5 starter. The bullpen has some good young arms but no dominant K-Rod type player.

So without further ado the top five free agents on my Angels wish list.

1. Carl Crawford

Carl is an obvious candidate for the top free agent target for GM Tony Reagins and the Angels. He is an aggressive 5-tool player who fits Mike Scioscia's style of baseball. As ESPN's Buster Olney said in a piece about Crawford, "Crawford would be a perfect fit as a No. 3 hitter, because his speed and baseline aggressiveness would match the way Scioscia manages. He could hit third in the Angels' lineup, right in front of Morales and Torii Hunter, and create situations in which those two would see more fastballs."

Couldn't have said it better myself. He is a premiere outfielder who would plug into left field immediately.

I have not coveted a player this badly since Vladdy was a free agent a few years back.

2. Adrian Beltre

Okay, so we have learned that Brandon Wood is not the answer. It really is a shame that the Angels could have flipped him for Miguel Cabrera a few years back. That would have gone down as one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history, but it would have gone the Angels way. Now all we can think is what if.

But now the Angels have need for a third baseman and although Adrian Beltre has been very up and down in his career, I think he would be a good fit in a lineup with Torii Hunter, Kendry Morales, and maybe Carl Crawford. He would be a beast as the third of fourth best guy in a lineup.

Do I think Boston lets him go without a fight? No. But I think the Angels would love to see the Red Sox weakened.

3. Cliff Lee

Do the Angels need Cliff Lee? No. Would it be fun to have him in a rotation with Weaver and Harren? Umm... yes? Plus, the thought of him either going to the Yankees or staying with the Rangers makes me want to cut myself.

For the record I think there is no way he ends up an Angel, its just fun to lust after it.

4. Rafael Soriano

Now I know getting Soriano isn't filling a huge need, but it would strengthen the bullpen, and give the Angels a blue chip closer. Something they haven't had since well before K-Rod went Mike Tyson on his girlfriend's dad.

5. Grant Balfour

Not a big name, but he throws effing hard, he is an Aussie and he is a bad ass. For those reasons alone I would love to see him teamed with fellow Aussie Rich Thompson in the Angel's bullpen. Especially with the deterioration of Scot Shields, there is need for another back of the bullpen guy.

RIP Coach

2010-06-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

I was born in 1985, 10 whole years after John Robert Wooden coached his last game at UCLA, but I have always felt a strong connection with the man.

I talked to my father tonight after learning that Wooden had passed at the age of 99 and my dad made the observation that he was interested to see how much of a connection I felt with the passing of Wooden because he was a generation ahead of me. Yet I got incredibly emotional upon hearing the news that he had moved on.

It is difficult for me to describe, but I was raised to be a UCLA fan. I have pictures of me at almost every age with UCLA paraphernalia. Wooden is really the father of UCLA athletics, not just Basketball.

So being a born and raised UCLA fan, the loss of Wooden feels like the loss of a grandparent. He was more than just a legend.

I had the privilege of hearing Wooden speak a number of years ago. Me and my dad went and heard him at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Many of the thing we heard were the same stories that Wooden tells in his books and his appearances, but it had an effect on me. I felt honored to be able to hear him speak prior to his passing.

He truly was a teacher in every sense of the word.

The one thing that always struck me about Wooden was how sharp his mind always was. He was a great communicator even late in life. His sayings always made me take a second to really try to understand what he was saying.

The last thing I will say about John R. Wooden is that although many tears have been shed today, including many by me, is that today is actually a joyous day.

On March 21, 1985, 157 days before I was born, Coach's true love, Nellie, passed away from cancer. Nellie was the only girl that Wooden ever kissed. He was extremely devoted to Nellie and even used to visit her grave and write her a love letter once a month since she passed.

Today, after 25 long years, Coach gets to be with Nell again.

In one of his last public appearances, Wooden was asked what he would like to hear God say when he arrives in heaven. Wooden replied, "Well done."

I know that is exactly what he heard just a few hours ago.

Once I was afraid of dying,
terrified of ever-lying,
petrified of leaving family, home and friends.

Thoughts of absence from my dear ones,
brought a melancholy tear once,
and a dreadful fear of when life ends.

But those days are long behind me,
fear of leaving does not bind me,
and departure does not hold a single care.

Peace does comfort as I ponder,
a reunion in the yonder,
with my dearest one who is waiting for me there.

John Wooden
1910-2010

Wedding Time Again

2010-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

As many know, Memorial Day 2008 was spent in Minnesota at a wedding for my good high school friend Colby. Over the coarse of the weekend I did a running diary of the events of the momentous occasion. Well on December 31, 2009 I was in attendance at my former Colorado roommate Chris' wedding to another good friend of mine Karin. I decided against doing a running diary because I would be making the trip alone and I would be spending five days in Colorado and figured there would be too much down time to justify a full running diary.

So instead I have decided to share a little bit about the couple, how they came together, and what I have learned from them. But I must first preface this by mentioning that a lot has changed since the last time I wrote on the blog. The Girly is no longer in the picture, but that's okay. She is still a good friend and I wish her well. She was what I needed at the time but looking back I now realize that us splitting up was for the best.

But enough about me, this is not a post about me, it is about the awesome experience of knowing and being close to Karin and Chris.

Chris was one of the first guys I met at the University of Colorado during my freshman year. He was part of a group of really solid and great guys that I met my second day living in Boulder. To be honest I was a little intimidated by Chris. It's not every day you meet another tall, good looking, athletic, and nice guy. Being human I tend to pick out things that set myself apart from others and Chris was someone who I had a tough time comparing myself too because he seemed to have it all. But after getting to know him a little bit, I realized that I was being foolish. Chris was just a genuine great guy who is that impressive. Once I got over my own insecurities, we became great friends, bonding over sports, video games, and girls. It seemed only natural that we decided to be roommates our sophomore year.

Karin and I got off to a rocky start. Once upon a time I really enjoyed being the center of attention and Karin is similar, and I don't mean that in a negative way. People are just drawn to her. But for some reason we just always butted heads. I thought she was obnoxious, she thought I was a jerk. But sophomore year something clicked. I don't remember exactly what it was but we bonded over some event and from then on we became friends.

It was second semester of my sophomore year when Karin started to have a crush on Chris. Karin started to come over to our apartment pretty often in hopes of hanging out with Chris. Then finally Chris asked Karin out on a date. I remember that she was really excited about it. I believe she even stated after the date to me that she was going to marry Chris. But if you had told Chris that at that point, he would have denied it. Chris actually didn't like Karin. He thought she was a good friend but nothing more. Karin, never one to keep her feelings internal, expressed her frustration about the entire situation with me and our friend Abby. This kept going on for pretty much my last two or three months living in Colorado. Karin like Chris, Chris didn't like Karin, Karin talked to me and Abby in hopes that we could convince Chris that he and Karin were destined for marriage and cute kids.

Then I moved away. I still tried to keep in contact with Chris as much as possible. Karin made sure that we stayed in contact because she needed to talk about Chris with someone who was on her side, because it seemed at this point that everyone else was telling her to move on. I seemed like the only foolish person telling her that if she really feels like that's who she wants to be with, then she should just keep being patient. Who's the fool now everyone???

I decided that I was going to come out to visit and ski in Colorado in January 2005. Chris, Karin, and a bunch of our friends had been up in the mountains skiing the weekend before I came out. And apparently during that trip Chris' feelings began to change. But the didn't manifest themselves until Chris had a full blown screaming argument with one of his roommates who said something critical of Karin. Chris defended Karin like Mr. Miyagi defended Daniel-san from the Cobra Kai on Halloween. It was really amazing to see someone who is so mild mannered have such a strong reaction. I remember being there and feeling that this was indeed the turning point for Chris and Karin.

The started dating pretty much a week later. I was then present for another momentous Chris and Karin moment. The two of them and a few of our other friends took a spring break trip to San Diego and I decided to come and see them. It was on this trip that Chris told Karin that he loved her for the first time. It seemed like Karin's patience was really paying off.

Over time I lost touch with Karin and Chris. But then something history making made me realize that I needed to reach out and reestablish contact with the two of them. I made the discovery that Chris and Karin had been on US Airways flight 1549. The plane piloted by Captain Sully Sullenberger, that crashed into the Hudson River. I had almost lost two of my favorite people without being able to tell them how much I love them both. It was a shocking and startling discovery, but obviously it was nothing compared to what they had gone through.

A few months later I learned that Chris has proposed to Karin. It seemed so fitting. Not even a plane crash could stop what Karin had known for years; she was going to marry Chris Rooney.

And after being present at their beautiful wedding and being able to see how perfect everything was, I have no doubt that they were destined to be together from the beginning. Not everyone believed that this day would come after Chris clearly stated that he was not interested in Karin, but Karin believed the day would come and that's all that mattered.

That is what I have learned from Chris and Karin. If you are sure of something, don't let anything get in the way of that. Don't let negativity convince you not to follow through. Don't let time deter you from your feelings. And don't let outside forces, like a plane crash, to tear you away from what you truly want.

Karin and Chris, you guys are truly an inspiration to me and I know that you will never change. I love you both so much and was so happy to be able to spend your wedding day celebrating with both of you. Congratulations, but lets be honest, this is only the beginning for the both of you. And if the past six years that I have known you both are any indication, then you guys are going to do amazing things in life and I am honored to have two friends like you. Love you both.

Football Picks

2009-09-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

That's right, its that time of the year again, where my father and I decide to play competing Nostradamus and pick who is going to the Super Bowl. The only rules are:

1. No picking teams that were in the Super Bowl a year ago.
2. Who goes farther in the playoffs wins.
3. Season record is the tie breaker.
4. Winner picks first.

So since last year I made the terrible choices of Jacksonville and New Orleans. My dad had the first pick.

His choices were:

AFC:
Baltimore Ravens
NFC:
New York Giants

My choices were:

AFC:
New England Patriots
NFC:
Philadelphia Eagles

It was a tough choice between the Pats and the Chargers but the Merriman choking Tila Tequila thing scared me off them. So there you have it. I will be doing a weekly update on the standings all year so be excited for that!

This is Why I Wore a Cup

2009-08-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah I haven't played serious baseball since 9th grade but when I did I always wore a cup. And now I know why. This is a report from ESPN.com's rumors section:

INJURIES: Beltre out for season?

Adrian Beltre | Mariners

The Seattle Times is reporting that Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre might miss the rest of the season after taking a grounder to his groin in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Beltre is out indefinitely with a contusion to his right testicle that might require surgery.

OUCH!!!

Don't Forget About Baseball!

2009-08-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

After being MIA since the Ron Artest signing due to full fledged UCLA football preparation, I have neglected the baseball season. So I figured I would do a little recap to see how I am doing with my picks a little past the half way point in the season.

Division races:

Original Picks:

AL West
1. Angels
2. A's
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

Actual Standings:
1. Angels
2. Rangers 3.5 gb
3.Mariners 8 gb
4. A's 17 gb

Alright, got to admit I didn't see Texas being this competitive. Even with their injuries they are miking it tough on the Halos. But I also am surprised at the resiliency of this Angels team. It's something I haven't seen in them since 2002. Maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle again and actually do some damage in the playoffs this year.

Original Picks:

AL Central
1. Royals
2. Twins *
3. Indians
4. White Sox
5. Tigers

Actual Standings:
1. Tigers
2.White Sox 3 gb
3. Twins 5.5 gb
4. Indians 11.5 gb
5. Royals 16.5 gb

So I was a little backwards on the central. The Twins still could make a run, which they usually do and the Royals looked like they could make some noise in the division early on. But now it looks like they are about a year away. The Tigers look good but I still don't buy them in a playoff series.

Original Picks:

AL East
1. Rays
2. Red Sox
3. Yankees
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays

Actual Standings:
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox 6.5 gb
3. Rays 8 gb
4. Blue Jays 15.5 gb
5. Orioles 23 gb

After being swept by the Yankees this weekend, it looks like the Red Sox are in free fall and will need something big to happen to make the playoffs. Yes they are tied with Texas for the wildcard lead, but this is a team with just too many flaws to make a serious run, unless they get a first round match up with the Angels.

Original Picks:

NL West
1. Giants
2. Dodgers
3. Rockies
4. Diamondbacks
5. Padres

Actual Standings:
1. Dodgers
2. Giants 5.5 gb
3. Rockies 5.5 gb
4. Diamondbacks 17 gb
5. Padres 20.5 gb

This is the closest division I have to being completely right. No, I didn't see the Dodgers coming, but I still think that the lack of a number one starter is going to come back and bite them at the worst possible time. But I did see the Giants coming. They are going to be a nice young team to watch next year for sure. Almost like a poor man's Dodgers from two years ago.

Original Picks:

NL Central
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Astros
4. Cardinals
5. Reds
6. Pirates

Actual Standings:
1. Cardinals
2. Cubs 2 gb
3. Brewers 6 gb
4. Astros 6 gb
5. Reds 12.5 gb
6. Pirates 16 gb

The Cards were an oversight. But the Cubs were leading the division as recently as a week ago. This division race is one that will come down to the final weekend. Which in the central it always seems to do. I still think the Cubs can make it, but the Cards are the more likely choice.

Original Picks:

NL East
1. Mets
2. Phillies *
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Nationals

Actual Standings:
1. Phillies
2. Marlins 4 gb
3. Braves 4.5 gb
4. Mets 10 gb
5. Nationals 22.5 gb

The Mets blew up a few months earlier than normal. Their normally powerful lineup has been anything but. The Phillies look like the defending champs and with the addition of Cliff Lee, their pitching got better. I think the Phillies will be representing the NL again in this year's fall classic.

Awards:

Original Prediction:

AL MVP - Evan Longoria 3B Rays
AL Cy Young - Dice-K Red Sox
AL Manager of the Year - The Royals Skipper
Al Comeback Player of the Year - Rocco Balldelli OF Red Sox
AL Rookie of the Year - David Price

NL MVP - David Wright 3B Mets
NL Cy Young - Carlos Zambrano Cubs
NL Manager of the Year - Bruce Bochy Giants
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Jeff Francouer OF Braves
NL Rookie of the Year - Cameron Maybin OF Marlins

Revised Picks:
AL MVP - Mark Tiexeria (A Rod must really hate himself now that Tex has already earned his proverbial pinstripes)
AL Cy Young - Roy Halladay (Great numbers this year, being called the best pitcher in baseball)
AL Manager of the Year - Mike Scioscia (With the injuries this team has, no one else could do what he has done)
AL Comeback Player of the Year - Andruw Jones (17 homeruns so far means he is back to doing what he was best at)
AL Rookie of the Year - Gordon Beckham (If the White Sox make the playoffs it will be because of how well Beckham is playing)

NL MVP - Albert Pujols (If you are leading in two of three triple crown categories and are third in the last one, I think that means you are the MVP by default)
NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum (Yes he won it last year, but this just goes to show that even Mitch Kramer can have a life after Dazed and Confused)
NL Manager of the Year - Bruce Bochy (I am sticking with my original pick here. Yes it will probably go to Torre but Bochy has done a better job in my opinion)
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Chris Carpenter (2.26 ERA after missing as much time as he has, how can it not go to him?)
NL Rookie of the Year - Andrew McCutchen (Yes he is one the Pirates, but McCutchen plays like a young Barry Bonds, meaning he won't be a Pirate long)

I have to make special mention of the Angels. Yes I am an Angels fan so take this for what you will. I am so excited about this team. With the injuries they have faced and the tragedies that have surrounded the organization, it seems impossible for them to be where they are. Yet, a week ago they had the best record in the AL and lead MLB in come from behind wins. I feel like this is a team that can win any game no matter the situation. If I were the manager of another AL team I would be terrified to go against the Angels in a playoff series.

Welcome Ron Ron

2009-07-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying, I effing love Trevor Ariza. I remember him well at UCLA. It was Ben Howland's first year at UCLA and Ariza was the last Steve Lavin recruit to play for the Bruins. It was clear from the start of the season that Ariza was extremely talented, but also didn't seem to enjoy college all that much.

So after averaging 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.68 steals and being named to the All-Pac10 freshman team, Ariza decided that he was NBA bound. Seemingly a year or so too early, Ariza was moving on.

When I heard that Ariza was leaning towards leaving the Lakers, it was upsetting. Here was a guy who had as much to do with the Lakers winning this championship as anyone who doesn't wear the numbers 24 or 16. He played incredible defense through out the playoffs and literally stole a few games from the Nuggets. The thought that our defensive stopper was leaving meant goodbye to a second ring. At least that's what I thought.

Last year when the Lakers where embarrassed by the Celtics, the conception around the league was that they were too soft to compete with a team that has players like Kevin Garnett. I remember Odom especially being exposed as someone who could not cover the small forward. I thought during that offseason that the Lakers had gone as far as they could with Odom and that he should be traded. Then rumors came out about Ron Artest asking to come to LA. I thought it seemed like a perfect match. However, Ron Ron ended up in Houston and the Lakers win the title.

Now with Ariza choosing to move on, there are very few players that could fill that void. Artest is someone who not only fills that void but overflows that void. Yes he is a volatile personality and if you need convincing of his recklessness just google Ron Artest and the Malice at the Palace. Ron Artest was the cause of the most ridiculous brawl in the history of sports.

However, Artest has never played for a team like the Lakers. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Phil Jackson will be able to keep control of Ron Artest. Artest has respect for this group and if his time in Houston is any indication, he will be just fine.

After all, if anyone can control Artest, its Phil Jackson. The coach that was able to keep Dennis Rodman out of trouble will keep Ron Artest out of trouble.

But aside from his antics, Ron Artest is actually an upgrade over Ariza. Ariza's career highs are as follows: 8.9 ppg 4.4 rpg 1.8 apg 1.7 spg. Now Artest's career highs: 24.6 ppg 6.5 rpg 4.2 apg 1.9 spg. Across the board Artest is a better offensive threat and defensive threat. He will immediately be the third scoring option. He has three point range. Is comfortable posting or playing the perimeter. And he will guard the oppositions best wing player. He is strong enough to guard LeBron or Carmello. His ability to take over the defensive load will not only help the team but it will also add length to Kobe's career. No longer does Kobe have to guard the oppositions best guy. Now he can play the defensive rover like he does best and use most of his energy on the offensive end.

Yes there are concerns with the signing of Ron Artest, but if any team can make it work, the Lakers can. And I never though I would be saying this, but the Lakers got better defensively by letting Trevor Ariza walk.

I Hope I am Not Nostradamus

2009-06-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

This is the time of the sports calendar that always seems to get a little redundant. So I thought I would make fun of that redundancy with the top five stories that you will hear at this time next year.

1. Brett Favre is Eying another Return, this time with the Lions.

This is the time every year that good old Brett Favre lets us know that he is still having a midlife crisis. Will he come back? Who will it be with? How will he further alienate himself from the Green Bay fans that loved him so much? All of this will be answered with Favre coming in to help out the quarterback situation in Detroit. Favre is hoping to be the only player elected to the Hall of Fame representing an entire division, not just a single team.

2. Manny Ramirez Makes Debut Playing for Two Teams at Once.

Manny, in another attempt to see just how far his adoring fans will follow him, signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants, a deal that coincides with his Dodger contract that will allow him to bat and field for both teams. The story ultimately ends with Manny being busted for the morning after pill and being sent down to the minors for both teams.

3. This Just In: Soccer Doesn't Work In America.

After another successful offseason in preparation for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the President of USA Soccer, Sunil Gulati, votes to disband all soccer activities and teams during a group play match against the Ivory Coast. While holding a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute the team was pulled of the pitch and explained the situation. No complaints were filed.

4. Outfielder Killed At Dodger Stadium During Loss.

During an embarrassing loss to the crosstown rival Angels, young Dodger outfielder Andrew Lambo was killed by an drunk fan who was angry after Lambo struck out with the bases loaded late in the game. The fan was then congratulated by the Dodger Stadium crowd and many of whom bought the fan more beer. The fan was also upgraded to club level seats by Dodger ownership.

5. USC Coach Pete Carroll Given "Get Out of Jail Free" Card by LAPD To Be Used For Players.

The USC football program has been given a chance to recruit any player with questionable conduct with no ramifications after LAPD Chief William Bratton awarded Pete Carroll the first ever "Get Out Of Jail Free" card. The card is reportedly to be used for any and all indiscretions by any player, coach or family member of the USC program. The NCAA is adding this item to the investigation that it has been "planning" ever since the days of Reggie Bush.

Editors Note: None of these stories are true, at least not yet...

Long Time Coming

2009-06-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

So I have been avoiding writing a post-championship Lakers post for a reason.

It would signify the fact that Summer is here and that basketball season is over. Sports purgatory is upon us.

Not that I don't enjoy baseball, its just that it's not even the All-star break. It's the boring part of the season.

Putting the basketball season to bed means admitting that I have to scourer the sports world for things to write about. That is one of my qualities as a writer that still need work.

But before I officially move on from this NBA season allow me to give you my thoughts.

I'll admit that I have been a fair whether fan when it comes to the Lakers. Ever since the drama of the Shaq and Kobe breakup I have only started the watch basketball during March Madness and the playoffs. But last year when the Lakers made their move to get Pau and single-handedly changed the landscape of the NBA I have started to pay attention again. And I know that I am not alone. Many of my Southern California friends could probably admit to doing this too. No one really cares until its time to care.

But you know what, I am okay with that. The older I get the more I realize that bandwagoners are not a bad thing. Just because someone wants to root for a team that is doing well doesn't mean they have no worth. I would love to celebrate a win with someone that just started watching rather than celebrate alone.

When I recently posted my story about why I am an Angels fan I posted the blog on an Angels Blog site called Halos Heaven. I thought that I would share my love for my team after another let down with the Dodgers threatened to alienate more fans. I don't really know what I was looking for from the other Angels fans. Maybe validation. Maybe joy. Maybe a shared experience.

What I got was a lot of, what I felt, unfair venom about switching franchises. One reader asked if I would change again if the Angels traded my favorite player. Another said that I was, "Setting myself up for disappointment." I guess I didn't get my point across well enough and the Lakers proved my point further.

Good things come to those that look out for their fans.

The Lakers go through a few down years after the Shaq and Kobe blow up but they find themselves back on top.

That is a comforting feeling if you ask me. That is why I left the Dodgers. I felt like they were a franchise that didn't look out for their fanbase. I think that the current ownership is doing a better job of putting out a fan friendly product but I still think the Angels are the model to follow.

So with that being said, I am really looking forward to the title defense next year by the Lakers. I think that this team is the type of team that won't sit back and be happy with just one ring. However, I also feel that this offseason will dictate the next generation of Lakers basketball.

If the team lets Ariza, Odom, and Phil all go, the team will not be a contender next year.

But it seems like the organization is trying to keep this team together. Phil is the only wildcard. If his health really is in decline then I think it would be a good time for him to walk away and let Kurt Rambis and Brian Shaw take over the team. Rambis and Shaw seem to be the only two guys that could keep the players respect like Phil could.

Either way I think that the toughness that Pau showed during the finals will go a long way in keeping this team on top next year. Yes we had Bynum back this year, but his contribution was minimal because he is still not fully recovered from his second knee injury in a year. But with the way Pau played that takes a lot of pressure off Bynum having to come back and make a big impact immediately next year.

This offseason, Bynum can rest and rehab. Comeback next year strong and ready to be one of the guys.

Lakers vs orlando. Looked like a german sherperd vs a poodle that's ok the rotwieler celtics will b back in 2o10.

(that was Pierces spelling not mine)

That is was Paul Pierce said on his twitter account a few days after the Lakers claimed the title. And he is right. The Celtics will be back in 2010, but so will the Lakers and to be honest I like the Lakers chances is the rubber match.

The Unsung Hero

2009-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, last nights game was incredible. It changed the finals from a likelihood to an inevitability. And the Lakers have one player that they can thank for that, and no its not who you think it may be.

I agree Derrick Fisher had an incredible night. Phil was right to trust him and he rewarded Laker fans for believing in him. Those two shots single handedly won that game. However, those two shots wouldn't have mattered unless an unsung wing from UCLA hadn''t changed the course of the series with his second half.

If Trevor Ariza didn't come out in the third quarter ready to shoot, defend, and pick up his teammates. Fisher's threes don't have a chance to take control of this series.

Ariza was an unsung player coming out of UCLA. He played only one season and many, including me, thought he was crazy to forgoe his remaining college time to chase an NBA dream that seemed like it was a few years off. Ariza was always fun to watch at UCLA but he was never a reliable shooter or defender. He was a skinny athletic freshman who had potential to be a great UCLA player.

When he announced for the NBA draft it seemed insane and likely that he would go undrafted. Ariza was drafted 43rd overall by the New York Knicks where he sat on the bench as the second youngest rookie in Knicks history. Ariza started to come into his own before being benched for rookie David Lee.

After two up and down years in New York Ariza found himself part of a trade that brought him to Orlando, yes the same Orlando that he stuck a dagger in last night. With more uncertainty facing him in Orlando, including a coaching staff that dissuaded Ariza from shooting from the outside, Ariza was happy to be the focal point of a trade that brought him to his home town, Los Angeles.

The Lakers staff saw in Ariza someone who could defend and, if given some confidence, could be a reliable outside threat.

Ariza is the type of role player that the Lakers have been lacking over the past few years. Someone with length, athleticisim, and toughness. He is playing the role of James Posey this year. Posey did a great job for the Celtics last year of playing outstanding defense on Kobe and hitting clutch threes. The same thing Ariza is doing this offseason, guarding the opposing teams best player and shooting well from outside.

This offseason Ariza will be a free agent along with another Laker notable, Lamar Odom. Odom is no doubt the more likely player to demand a higher salary, but Ariza is the player the Lakers should target. He is younger and more consistent.

Last night after the game I got phone calls from both my cousin and my mother telling me that when I wrote about game four I had to make sure that I wrote about Fisher. Look, like I said I agree Fisher is a true Laker legend. We could possibly have none of the rings from the past 10 years if it weren't for D-Fish. He has his huge threes his whole career and deserves a lot of the credit for that win. But I will again say that he was put in that situation by an even more unsung hero. Trevor Ariza deserves to be a Laker for life.

On a side note, I know I took a little more of a serious approach to this game but that is because I helped the Girly write a funny blog about watching the game together. I highly suggest you check it out because I think it is funny. Here is the link: Basketball Jones I Gotta Basketball Jones.

The Game that Changed NOTHING

2009-06-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I didn't write a game two introspective not because it wasn't a great game, but because it was predictable.

The Lakers embarrassed the Magic in game one. If the Magic didn't make it close in game two they had no business being in the Finals. However a Lakers win in overtime was inevitable.

So with a 2-0 lead and the series traveling to Orlando, the Lakers knew that game three they were going to get the Magics best and probably only hard shot, and it happened. The Magic played great and the Lakers didn't.

The Magic shot a finals record 62.5% from the field for the game and another record 75% for the first half. Now here is the most telling thing. With numbers like those you would expect the Magic to beat the Lakers by double digits right? Wrong. The Lakers lost by a slim four point margin and had a chance to win or tie late in the game.

Kobe also was a pedestrian 5 for 10 from the charity stripe. As hall of fame head coach and current ESPN analyst Hubie Brown put it, "We won't see him go 5 for 10 again in our lifetime."

Andrew Bynum was also a no show in the scoring column. Lamar played well only in the fourth quarter. Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston had the game of his life shooting 8 of 12 for 20 points. Dwight Howard had 21 points but again only took six shots. Yes he got to the line and hit his free throws but Id much rather have him shoot from 15 feet than from three feet.

I could see the Magic pulling out one more close win at home but I think it comes in game 5 not on Thursday. I think that the Lakers and Kobe especially will be eager to come out and throttle the Magic in game four. The Lakers win this one back in front of the Staples Center crowd.

Speaking of crowd, wow the Magic had a terrible crowd. Their into before the tip off was like a bunch of high school kids with learning disabilities put on a low budget cirque du soleil.

Not only was there a stupid mascot dressed as Superman but also the silly giant finals trophys made it look like an All-Star game. I wonder if the crowd would think the game was over if I unplugged the Jumbotron. I predict that in game four when the Lakers go up by more than 10 the crowd turns into a golf crowd, polite applause and silence.

Lakers in 6, Kobe is MVP.
.

Phil gets number 10

Jack is happy.

The Finals are OVER

2009-06-05T11:24:00.001-07:00

Mark it down, the Finals are over. The Lakers are going to be your NBA Champions for the 2008-2009 season. Kobe will have his fourth ring and Phil Jackson will have his 10th.

Yes I am aware that only one game has been played but that one game answered a lot of questions that I had about this series.

I felt going in, that the Magic provided really bad matchups for this Lakers team. Basically the Magic have Dwight Howard, a center, then two guards and two wings. The Lakers have a much more traditional 1 through 5. Who was Pau going to guard? What about Ariza? Could Bynum be effective against Howard? Would the Magic's physical play bother the Lakers? Would the Lakers be ready to play this time around?

What I didn't realize is that the Magic would come in and forget that there was still something to play for. They played like the Lakers did last year in the finals, entitled. Not only did they play like they had achieved their goal of getting to the finals but they played like they had already won.

The Lakers played the role of the Celtics last year. They took the "We Still Have Something Left to Accomplish" route and that turned the game into a 25 point massacre of the Wide Eyed Magic.

The Lakers were the far more physical team. Pau and Bynum both forced Howard to play with hus back to the basket, which he isn't good at. The length of Pau, Ariza, and Odom provided difficult passing lanes and turn overs for the "Drive and Dive" Magic. Kobe learned that no one the Magic throw at him can come close to covering him. Pietrius, Reddick, and Lee all got a little abuse from the soon to be Finals MVP.

Coming into this series I was worried. I thought the Lakers match up problems against the Magic would be evident from the get go and that the Magic would be ready to play. I guess I didn't take into account the fact that we may be watching the biggest coaching mismatch in the History of sports. Phil Jackson is tied with Red Auerbach for the most NBA championships with 9. Phil also has the highest winning percentage of any coach in NBA history. Stan Van Gundy has been called the "Master of Panic" by one Shaquille O'Neal. Van Gundy at many times appears flustered on the sidelines during the game. I swear with that mustache are we sure that SVG isn't really Ron Jeremy?

But ultimately this Finals will be decided by the two superstars; Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. Forget the stat that Phil Jackson coached teams are 44-0 after winning game one of a series. If Kobe scores and distributes like he did in game one, there is no way the Magic can win. If Dwight stops playing with his back to the basket and can take more than six shots, the Magic might make it a series.

That is the ultimate disparity in this series. If Kobe does what he does this series is over, if Dwight can be great, this might end up being a series. In other words let me be the first to say Congrats to the 2008-2009 NBA Champions the Los Angeles Lakers.

Making a Winner

2009-05-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

So the Clippers won the NBA Draft lottery this year, or as what many are calling it, the Blake Griffin sweepstakes. The last time the Clips had the first pick it was 1998 when they picked the great Michael Olowokandi. So I thought it would be fun to go over the draft picks from 1998 and give the Clips a do over and see how good this team could be.

1998 Pick number 1 - Michael Olowokandi

missed out on:
Mike Bibby
Vince Carter
Dirk Nowitzki
Paul Pierce

Should have taken:
Dirk
A seven foot shooter. How easy is that? Instead a seven foot disaster.

1999 Pick number 4 - Lamar Odom

missed out on
Richard Hamilton
Shawn Marion
Ron Artest
Manu Ginobili

Should have taken:
Actually Odom wasn't a bad pick he was just immature during his time with the Clips. I probably would take him again.

2000 Picks number 3 and 18 - Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson (also traded for Keyon Dooling)

Missed out on:
Hedo Turkoglu
Michael Redd

Should have taken:
This was a terrible draft so I would probably have stood pat with what the Clips took, they also got Cory Maggette in the Dooling deal.

2001 Pick number 2 - Tyson Chandler traded to Chicago for Elton Brand

Missed out on:
Pau Gasol
Joe Johnson
Tony Parker
Gilbert Arenas

Should have taken:
Cant really fault the Clips for this move because you were getting a known commodity of a 20-10 guy.

2002 Picks number 8 and 12 - Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely

Missed out on:
Amare Stoudemire
Caron Butler
Carlos Boozer

Should have taken:
Amare would have been able to be taken with the number 8 pick but then the number 12 pick would have missed Butler. But Amare gives a great presence and energy down low for the Clips.

2003 Pick number 6 - Chris Kaman

Missed out on:
Kirk Heinrich
Josh Howard
Jason Kapono
Mo Williams

Should have taken:
Heinrich would have given the Clips a good point guard that can shoot and distribute.

2004 Pick number 4 - Shaun Livingston

Missed out on:
Devin Harris
Luol Deng
Andre Iguodala
Al Jefferson
Jameer Nelson

Should have taken:
If the Clips didn't take Heinrich the season before then Harris should have been the no brainer here. Livingston was too young and slight, Harris was ready to make an immediate impact.

2005 Pick number 12 - Yaroslav Korolev

Missed out on:
Danny Granger
Nate Robinson
Sean May

Should have taken:
Granger is a great scorer and that is something the Clips have always lacked.

2006 Pick number 34 - Paul Davis

Missed out on:
Leon Powe
Ryan Hollins

Should have taken:
To be honest, the second round is a bit of a crap shoot, so if you don't have a first rounder you take what you think is best.

2007 pick number 14 - Al Thorton

Missed out on:
Rodney Stuckey
Rudy Fernandez
Aaron Brooks
Glen Davis

Should have taken:
Thorton was actually a nice pick for the Clips, one of the few players who I think fits.

2008 pick number 7 - Eric Gordon

Missed out on:
Brook Lopez
Courtney Lee
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Should have taken:
Its tough to judge this pick because it hasn't even been 365 days since it happened but I think Lopez should have been the pick. The Clips need a post presence and he was one of the best in the rookie class.

Now would it be possible for the Clips to have this team? No. But it is fun to look at how bad the Clippers have been in the draft and wonder how badly they can screw it up this year.

Lake Show Takes Game One

2009-05-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Lakers 105 Nuggets 103 (Lakers lead series 1-0)

While the Lakers may have won the close game, the Nuggets dominated the game. Melo had 39 points and beat Kobe up a lot. The Nuggets shot better, led more, had more steals, less turnovers, took 11 more freethrows, and led by as many as 13. Yet they fell to the Lakers who held firm with homecourt advantage.

Many may say, "It's only game one, there are still six more to go." And they are right, however with this win the Lakers broke the backs of the Nuggets. They will go on and win the conference and face the Cavs in the finals. How can I be so sure?

The Nuggets brought their best last night. Their +A game. They did everything they could. Melo had one of his best games as a pro. Cauncy did a good job leading the team. The front court dominated the Lakers bigs. And after all that they still didn't pull out a win. If you saw George Karl's press conference after the game, he was speaking like a guy who just lost the series. Because he did.

Not only did Karl sit Melo for much of the second quarter after having 16 points in the first. He also had tiny Anthony Carter take the ball out of bounds against the much taller Lamar Odom. Also the Nuggets missed 10 freethrows to the Lakers four misses.

All of that adds up to not only a Laker win in game one, but also to a Laker series win. Last round the Lakers had trouble with the Rockets when they went small but the Nuggets are at their best when they have Melo, Nene and K-Mart in the game together. That is a lineup that the Lakers can match up with.

Game two is Thursday night at Staples Center. I will be twittering during the game and I predict a Lakers win 108-92.

You Can Call Me A Hypocrite

2009-05-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

After I went off for about the last six months about how I would never join Twitter because of what a waste of time I thought it was, I broke down and I finally joined.

So if you wish to follow me on Twitter I can be found here.

Thanks for your support during this difficult time of realization of just how weak I am.

Why I Don't Live in Hell

2009-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

In case you couldn't tell from my banner or my last post, I am a die hard Angels fan. They are really the one pro team that I care almost as much about as UCLA athletics. However, I grew up in LA where the Dodgers are king and every thinks I am a fraud for being an Angles fan.

But let me tell you why I am an Angels fan. May 15, 1998, almost 11 years ago, I learn that my beloved Dodgers don't care about me. They trade away not only one of the best players in recent Dodger history, but also my favorite player; Mike Piazza. I was devastated. I didn't understand. I was also 13 years old and in a very formative part of my live.

Meanwhile just down the road in orange county the Angels started building a team through their farm system. They also had a few budding stars that led the team to an 85-win season and a near playoff berth. Good baseball in Southern California. My father and I were immediately hooked.

However it wasn't until 2000 where our love for the team really took over. Long time Dodger catcher and one of my dad's favorite players, Mike Scioscia was named manager of the Angels. But that wasn't all, during the offseason the team signed the big power hitter from Boston, Mo Vaughn. That season was an exciting one. The Angels had a great offense, with five players hitting over 25 homeruns and driving in at least 97 runs. However the team finished third in the division.

The 2001 season was another mediocre one but it was apparent that Scioscia and the front office were building a team that would be perennial contenders in the division.

Then 2002 came and everything came together. The team changed their uniforms from the terrible periwinkle blue to the dominate red that they are today. After the worst start in franchise history the Angels started to put together some wins. Up in Oakland the A's were having a great season that was highlighted by a 20 game winning streak that would have extended their division lead to an insurmountable number. But during that stretch the Halos won 20 of 23 to keep pace.

Despite finishing second in the division, the Angels won the wildcard and were in the playoffs for the first time since 1986. In round number one they beat the Yankees three games to one. In round number two they beat the Twins four games to one. Then in the team's first world series appearance they beat the Giants four games to three. Having been at game seven really was a dream come true. Here I was 17 years old watching a team that I care about win the ultimate game. It was a feeling that I never would have gotten as a Dodger fan.

But that's not all. If I were a Dodger fan I would have woken up today to learn that Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for violating MLB's drug policy. Am I surprised? Actually, no I'm not. I realized a while ago that Baseball is a karmic sport and if you are good to those within your franchise you will be rewarded. That's why you don't see the Yankees doing well, all they do is trade away their prospects and sign free agents. Were as the Red Sox, Angels, Rays, etc. all build their teams around their farm system.

The Dodger had an ownership change a few short years ago and since then they have become a Yankees west kind of team. Well they always seem to pull Yankee stunts like trading of Piazza that much of their fanbase doesn't understand. In 2004 the Dodgers made another fan killing trade by getting rid of fan favorite Paul Lo Duca.

Now Manny is going to be out for 50 games while the Dodgers, who have the best record in baseball, are forced to fend for themselves.

All I can say is Karma is a bitch... and I am glad I am an Angels fan.

On a related note it is just about noon pacific time on the day that Manny's suspension has been announced. There have been 28 Manny related posts by people that I am friends with on Facebook. It makes me happy.

Top 5 Most Memorable Sports Moments

2009-05-04T12:47:00.001-07:00

So I was thinking the other day what are the most memorable sporting events I have watched? I know kind of a random idea but it really got me thinking about it. I made parameters that excluded the 1988 World Series when Kirk Gibson hit the homerun because, although I can remember it, I can't remember specific things about the event.

I narrowed the list to the five sports games that I remember watching or being at and why they were memorable to me.

5. Lakers vs Trailblazer game seven Western Conference Finals 6/4/2000

The Lakers were the best team all season and had homecourt through the playoffs. However the Traiblazers proved to be a difficult team to pass. At the start of the fourth quarter of game seven the Lakers were down 15 and my dad was mad. I remember me and my mother forcing him to stay in the back yard during the fourth quarter because he had a bad attitude (now looking back that was too mean and I would probably be the one forced to the backyard now). But the Lakers went on a huge run that was capped by the famous allyoop from Kobe to Shaq. The Lakers went on to win 89-84.

4. UCLA vs Gonzaga Sweet 16 3/26/2006

UCLA was the number two seed in the west and was coming off a tough second round game against Alabama. Gonzaga had all-American Adam Morrison and his poor excuse for a mustache. UCLA had won nine in a row heading into the match up with Gonzaga. From the opening tip Gonzaga had control of the game pushing the lead to as high as 17 points. In the second half, UCLA was able to chip away at the lead. With a little over three minutes left and the lead at nine, UCLA went on a run to pull within one with 19.7 seconds left in the game. Then Jordan Farmar gets a steal and gets the ball to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and the rest is history. I watched the game with my dad and two of my friends. I remember my father standing on a chair, one friend on a table and all of us yelling and screaming. The sight of Adam Morrison crying on the ground is still a great memory.

3. Angels vs Giants game 6 World Series 10/26/2002

After being beat 16-4 two nights earlier in San Francisco it was do or die for the Angels. I was at a gathering with a few friends at a church leaders house. I busted out the thundersticks and my rally monkey. The Angels were down 5-0 in the middle of the seventh and I remember thinking well that's it. They made a heck of a run but that's it. Dusty Baker, the Giants manager, took out pitcher Russ Ortiz sfter he gave up back to back singles. Then first basemen Scott Spezio came up and blasted a three run homerun. In the eight inning the Angels continued to hit the cover off the ball. Darin Erstad hit a homerun, Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson had back to back hits. Then Troy Glaus hit a two run double to take the lead. Then closer Troy Percival came into the game in the ninth inning and saved the 6-5 victory. I remember yelling myself horse at my church leaders house and then getting into a thunderstick war with everyone that was there.

2. UCLA vs USC football 12/2/2006

I tried all week to get my shift at Sport Chalet covered so that I could watch the UCLA-USC football game. If USC (ranked second in the country) wins they go to the National Championship game. The game was taking place at the Rose Bowl and I knew that USC was notorious for not playing that great at UCLA's home stadium. I also knew that UCLA's defense was the best that it had been in a long time. However, when I couldn't get the day off I was forced to watch the game on a 12 inch fuzzy screen in the back of the old ski shop. What I watched was a defensive battle that ended with David beating Goliath 13-9. Much of the game was a blurr but I remember being happy to help customers and rub in the UCLA victory to the USC fans that came to the store from the game.

1. Angels vs Giants game seven World Series 10/27/2002

This game is clear and away number one because it was the only game of the five that I was actually at. My dad and I got tickets from a family friend the day of the game. They weren't the best seats but just being there was the most important thing. Although it was an anti-climactic game, with all of the drama occurring in game six. Garret Anderson's three run double was all that was needed to win the game. I will say that being in that environment was the most exciting thing I have ever experienced as a sports fan and if you ever have the opportunity to be at a championship clinching game, no matter what the cost, you should be there.

Why the Owner of My Team is Better Than Yours

2009-04-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

So every Angels fan can breath easy now. Despite the poor play from the team, Owner Arte Moreno wanted all of you to know something:

A letter to Angels fans from Arte Moreno
Angels deeply appreciate outpouring of support
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04/24/09 11:50 PM ET

April 24, 2009

One of the most valued aspects of a professional sports franchise is the support an organization receives from the local community. Throughout the ups and downs of a season, that relationship remains a very important one.

The senseless tragedy of April 9th affected not only our organization, but the entire community as well. Since that time, we have been greatly impressed by the outpouring of support directed toward the families of Nick, Courtney, Henry and Jon. From the memorials created in front of the stadium and corner of the accident, to the cards and letters directed to our attention, your thoughts, prayers and best wishes have made a difference.

As we continue to struggle with our own individual questions of why, I am reminded that true character is revealed in the most difficult and challenging of times. The grieving will be different for everyone, and the hurt and heartache will not easily disappear. Your thoughtful words and gestures have been felt by our personnel, and continue to have a profound effect on each of the families.

The Angels organization will maintain the memory of Nick for years to come, and will continue extending our support to the Adenhart family. The same will hold true for the families of Courtney, Henry and Jon as well.

On Friday, April 10th, during an emotional pre-game tribute, I witnessed a stadium filled with individuals wanting to make a difference. On behalf of the Angels family, I would like to thank everyone for the impact you have made each and every day since.

Respectfully,

Arte Moreno

I cannot honestly say there is a sports owner that I respect more than Arte. Not only has he taken the Angels from a legendary futile franchise to a perennial contender. But he has also done it while making decisions that all sports fans can approve of. He cut beer prices, raised attendance, and spends money on high priced talent.

So Arte I just wanted to say thank you, not only for what you do for the Angels fans, but for caring enough to write a letter expressing your gratitude.

Fixing College Basketball Part 3

2009-04-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

So in part one of the Fixing College Basketball series I talked about the problem with kids leaving and going to the NBA after (in many cases) only one year of College. I also mentioned one possible solution.

In part two I talked about Jeremy Tyler, a kid who is skipping his senior year of high school so that he can go play basketball overseas.

What I didn't mention is that both of these situations have an outside party that is pushing them towards these decisions. That outside party is the shoe executives, the runners, and the agents.

In that NY Times article that talked about Jeremy Tyler it mentioned a man named Sonny Vaccaro. Vaccaro is a familiar name when it comes to high school basketball. He founded the ABCD camps (summer basketball camps that allow players to be scouted by NBA and NCAA scouts) but he is also a former executive with Nike, Adidas, and Reebok. Vaccaro is also the man that signed Michael Jordan to his first pro sneaker contract.

Vaccaro has been a very controversial figure in the high school basketball world. Many feel that he befriends many of the top rated high school talent at his camps so that he can have some influence over them. Maybe help them decide on a school, an agent, a sneaker, or in Jeremy Tyler's case if he should go to Europe.

Vaccaro helped orchestrate the movement of Brandon Jennings to Europe last year when it was unclear if he would qualify academically at Arizona. Vaccaro has his own defense though. He thinks that the signing of Jeremy Tyler in Europe is a very significant event. “It’s significant because it shows the curiosity for the American player just refusing to accept what he’s told he has to do,” Vaccaro said. “We’re getting closer to the European reality of a professional at a young age. Basically, Jeremy Tyler is saying, ‘Why do I have to go to high school?’ ”

Who was the last non-high school grad you can think of to make at least a seven figure income only two years after dropping out? Because that is what is going to happen to Jeremy Tyler.

I do agree with Vaccaro in one sense. The line between amateurism and professionalism in basketball is being blurred all the time. However it is getting worse when you have people, like Vaccaro or Rodney Guillory that latch themselves to young talented kids with the hopes of riding their coat-tails to success and wealth.

Rodney Guillory is a name that has grown in infamy over the past year. He is an event promoter from Los Angeles that has been linked to former USC basketball players OJ Mayo, Jeff Terpagnier, and former Fresno State basketball player Tito Maddox. Maddox and Terpagnier both faced NCAA suspensions for their involvement with Guillory.

Now SC is facing NCAA infractions due to OJ Mayo's involvement with Guillory. Guillory was at the center of SC's recruitment of Mayo and basically brokered Mayo's scholarship offer from USC when they hadn't been recruiting him.

Allegedly Guillory and a man named Louis Johnson gave Mayo thousands of dollars in cash and gifts while he was at SC. All of the money was supposedly provided by Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management (BDA Sports). A sports agency. Guillory is alleged to have received $200,000 from BDA Sports in exchange for Mayo signing with BDA. Which he did.

In a similar story cross town rival UCLA had their star freshman Kevin Love face a similar runner for a sport agency. After a UCLA victory Love was invited by AAU coach Pat Barrett to dinner at the ritzy Mr. Chow Chinese restaurant in Hollywood. Waiting for them at Mr. Chow was former Duke guard Jay Williams who was there to try and sell Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment, another sports agency, to Love.

Barrett was there to help broker the deal and pick up the check so there would be no "real" NCAA violations. Love didn't buy into the ploy and left the dinner almost immediately.

“My face turned completely red,” Love said. “I respect [Williams] as a player. But he came after me and once he started talking about all that agent stuff, I said, ‘You know what, talk to my family.’”

The ordeal of Agents, runners, and shoe executive all pose serious threats to the ability of college players to keep their amateur status. Love was able to keep his but only just. Mayo allegedly didn't. Tyler is giving up his before he even graduates high school.

It will only get worse if nothing is done to change the rules that currently stand.

Fixing College Basketball Part 2

2009-04-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I didn't intend for this to be a two part blog, but an interesting thing has happened that has made me revisit it.

Jeremy Tyler is a 6'9'' 225 lb center from San Diego. He is a junior that has already committed to play basketball at Louisville as part of the 2010 recruiting class. Or at least that is what he was going to do.

Now Tyler has decided to forgo his senior year of high school to pursue a pro career in Europe before returning in two years when he will be eligible to enter the NBA draft. This when added with the fact that the number one player, Brandon Jennings, from 2008 decided to go the Europe route rather than play in college means that the NBA must address this.

If the NBAs goal is to make college basketball better, the best way to do that is to allow players like Jennings and Tyler can go straight to the NBA. Now Tyler is a special case because he is not just skipping college, he is skipping part of high school. But still, if the NBA were to change it's rules all parties involved would be helped greatly.

In this interesting NY Times article about Tyler, it is made very clear the reasons why Tyler is doing this:

“Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better,” Tyler said. “If you’re really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys.”

The article also calls Tyler's move the most important NBA draft related decision since Kevin Garnett's decision in 1995 to forgo college and head straight for the draft. Garnett's decision opened the floodgates in a way for players skipping college and going straight to the pros. There is a believe that Tyler's decision could have a similar impact.

In Part three of my Fixing College Basketball series I will be talking about Agents, Runners, and Shoe Companies and their effect on where players play, when they leave, and who they sign with.

Fixing College Basketball

2009-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

College basketball is broken.

It may not look like it from the outside, but there is a serious fundamental flaw that is ruining the foundation of the game. It is the One and Done situation that has been sweeping through the past few years.

In 2005 the NBA passed a rule that made it impossible for high school kids to skip college and go straight to the NBA. So every year there is a large contingent of kids that have no business going to college that are forced to go to college for a year. These kids come in and basically change the landscape of College basketball. For instance Ohio State a few years ago got Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Daequan Cook. Three of the top 30 players in the country. They went from 20-12, missing the NCAA Tournament to 26-6 and losing in the National Championship game.

Meanwhile you have teams like Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA to a certain degree that are trying to build into consistently good programs. UCLA has had a few one and done players (Trevor Ariza, Kevin Love, and possibly Jrue Holidey) but ultimately that is not the type of kids they are trying to bring in. Kansas and UNC both have brought in few if any one and done players. UNC had Branden Wright and Marvin Williams.

UNC finally got over the hump this year with a senior laden team winning the National Championship. Last year it was Kansas that won the National Championship with a upperclassmen led team. UCLA went to three straight final fours, having the streak broken this year.

But that's all? Three great teams over the past five years? There needs to be something done to spread out the wealth by keeping kids in college that should be there and weeding out kids that shouldn't.

Ben Howland, UCLA head coach, has an interesting idea that I think would be great. "Let's do what they do in baseball," Howland said. "Go out of high school to the NBA, if you want. But if you go to college, let's commit to two or three years. We have nothing to say on this. It's all on what the NBA decides."

So just imagine an NCAA Tournament this year with the following

Ohio State with
Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Kosta Koufus, David Lighty and Daequan Cook

Texas with
Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin, A.J. Abrams, Dexter Pittman and Damion James

This year's Washington team with
Spencer Hawes

UCLA With
Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Alfred Aboya, and Kevin Love

This year's UNC Team that won it all

Memphis with
Derrick Rose

S.C. with
OJ Mayo and Demar Derozen

Plus countless others.

It would have been the most incredible year in College Basketball history. Anyone of those teams, with the probable exception of SC could have won the National Championship. What is wrong with that picture?

There would also be a trickle down effect that would mean more of the high profile kids would have to go elsewhere to build programs. It would bring the College game back to the prominence that it used to have, and it would make the NBA game better as well. More developed talent that is more mature.

Well one can dream right?

The Draft

2009-04-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well this Saturday is the biggest non-event in the sporting world. Yes it is the NFL College Player Draft. The two days every spring where grown men yell at each other for hours about which Left Tackle the Bills are going to take in the 4th round. And I got to be honest with you. I love it.

The draft, although a little long, is everything to a football fan. As a college fan I get the satisfaction of either seeing a play I love get drafted, or the ever bigger satisfaction of watching players I hate drop.

While I probably won't be waiting on every breath for every pick of every round. I will be paying attention to the first rounders. I also (nerd alert) will be paying attention to the new stuff that will be released throughout the day regarding the new Madden NFL 10 football game.

Update on the Baseball Picks

2009-04-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would give everyone an update on my father and my baseball picks for this year, as well as my picks for the season which can be found here.

Dad
AL
Yankees 7-6 2nd in division.

The Yanks spent an exorbitant amount this offseason, on pitching in particular, and what has that gotten them? Giving up 14 runs in the 2nd inning of the 2nd game ever at their new baseball stadium. Team ERA at 6.53. 19 homeruns given up and 54 walks given up.

NL
Mets 6-6 3rd in division

If you remove the Marlins and their 11-1 record from the division, the Mets are tied for first. They have hit only 9 homeruns so far this year. However their pitching staff has an impressive 3.75 ERA and their new closer Frankie Rodriguez has 3 saves and a 0.0 ERA.

Me
AL
Red Sox 6-6 T-3rd in division

A .257 batting average and 55 runs scored wont help you win the toughest division in baseball. Neither will Brad Penny's 11.00 ERA nor will Tim Wakefield's 42 year-old arm with his 8-7 strikeout to walk ratio. All-in-all, the Red Sox have some work to do.

NL
Cubs 7-4 T-1st in division

Finally a team that is in first. 15 homeruns as a team, led by Alfonso Soriano's 5, helps. However the Cubs seem to be just out hitting opponents at the moment. They have scored 59 runs and given up 49. Seems a little dubious if you ask me.

Now as far as the divisions go, I am doing... well... not great... But then again who is with the way this season has started?

AL East

1. Toronto 10-4
2. New York 7-6 2.5 GB
3. Baltimore 6-6 3.0 GB
-. Boston 6-6 3.0 GB
5. Tampa Bay 5-8 4.5 GB

AL Central

1. Chicago 7-5

-. Detroit 7-5

-. Kansas City 7-5
4. Minnesota 7-7 1.0 GB *
5. Cleveland 4-9 3.5 GB

AL West

1. Seattle 8-5
2. Oakland 5-7 2.5 GB
-. Texas 5-7 2.5 GB
4. Los Angeles 4-8 3.5 GB

NL East

1. Florida 11-1
2. Atlanta 6-6 5.0 GB
-. New York 6-6 5.0 GB
4. Philadelphia 5-6 5.5 GB*
5. Washington 1-10 9.5 GB

NL Central

1. Chicago 7-4
-. St. Louis 8-5
3. Cincinnati 6-5 1.0 GB
4. Pittsburgh 6-6 1.5 GB
5. Houston 4-8 3.5 GB
-. Milwaukee 4-8 3.5 GB

NL West

1. Los Angeles 10-3
2. San Diego 9-4 1.0 GB
3. Colorado 4-7 5.0 GB
4. Arizona 4-8 5.5 GB
-. San Fransisco 4-8 5.5 GB

Bold picked to make the playoffs. * means wildcard team

We shall see how well the ship rights itself over the next few weeks but at this point in the baseball season... it's not pretty.

NBA Marketng

2009-04-17T10:36:00.001-07:00

The other night, the Girly and I were about to leave my apartment and go for a walk and then to dinner. On the way out the door one of those new NBA commercials came on. I stopped and rewound it so that I could watch it. The Girly asked what I was doing and I told her how impressed I am, and always have been, with the NBA marketing. Their commercials are always very entertaining. They seem almost to have reached the level of Mac commercials where you will stop fast forwarding your Tivo so you can watch the commercial. Pretty impressive.

So I thought I would share for you some of the commercials that the NBA has produced over the past very years that I have enjoyed and what I enjoyed about them.

This is an example of the newest commercials the NBA has put out to get people excited about the playoffs. It's true there has been some really amazing moments in the playoffs the last few years and this play by Tim Duncan is just one of them. I like these commercials for a few reasons. The music is dramatic, the black and white really draws your eye, the slowed action really shows you all of the nuances of the play, and the reactions after the play from both the players and fans really shows you joy/despair. It's pretty incredible to capture all of that in a 30 second commercial.

This is another example of the newer commercials. I like this one because it is the Lakers. I remember watching this play and seeing it in this commercial brings the hairs on the back of my neck to full attention.

This commercial is a version of the playoff commercials from last year. It depicts half of Magic Johnson's face and half of Larry Bird's face. They are speaking simultaneously and saying the same things. I like these commercials because it gets me wondering how they did it.

I like this one because it show both Kobe and Shaq. The things they say are pretty cool and again I wonder how they did it.

Now the bread and butter. Where Amazing Happens was an incredible ad campaign. Everything about it was great, the sayings, the pictures, and of coarse the music. Perfect.

Here is another one.

Now of coarse because the NBA commercials are so great shoe companies like Nike and Adidas have had to step up their ad campaigns to compete with the NBA. So here are a few of my favorite NBA related commercials.

First it's Nike with Lil Penny...

Here is another Nike commercial. It has Steve Martin and it talks about MJ's "Fake Retirement"

Here is an Adidas commercial where Kevin Garnett goes to UCLA... a guy can dream can't he?

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

2009-04-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

This morning greeted me with the news that John Madden had called his last game. After 30 years of broadcasting, Madden was calling it a career.

I have to say I have more of a neutral feeling about Madden, I mean he is football to an entire generation, but as far as a broadcaster I had a tough time taking him seriously. That isn't to say I don't think he isn't intelligent or anything, but I don't know that I could take anyone seriously that says stuff like this...

Okay that's not really Madden, but to be honest after hearing Frank Caliendo do his impression of Madden, it is difficult to take him seriously, because it is spot on. The things he says and how he says them. Spot on.

But I do have to credit Madden with my love for football. I learned Football from playing Madden Football 99 on my playstation. I learned the rules, the players, the stats, all of it from playing that game. And now every August I can count on the next edition to come out.

Chris Collinsworth will be taking the place of Madden on Sunday Night Football on NBC. Good luck Chris, I know you are good, but you have a lot to live up to.

Thanks John for the memories...

Amendment

2009-04-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

I hate it when I realize that I don't know as much as I think.

For The Era of Voices post I made the other day I talked about the long list of Southern California Play by Play announcers that I enjoy. However I made two errors that are really inexcusable.

First the minor one, Dick Enberg was also the play by play announcer for the Angels. Many see him as the best announcer in the history of the franchise. He broadcast for the Angels while he was broadcasting for the Bruins and the LA Rams. His signature call for Halo's victories was "And the halo shines tonight." Classy guy.

The second error was a complete oversight and it was really egregious that I could make an error like this. I completely left out a team with a legendary announcer in the LA area. No its not the Trojans, because I for one have no idea, nor do I really care who announces their games. No it is not the Kings or the Ducks and thats simply because I dont really care for hockey. It is the Clippers' Ralph Lawler.

I even have had the pleasure of bowling with the man and I left him off. The Clippers really are second rate citizens. Ralph has been with the Clips for 30 years and his voice is as memorable as really anyone. The signature call from Lawler, "Bingo!" can be heard after any made three point shot. If I remember right he may have even said it a few times while we were bowling at a charity event.

I remember while I was in high school Ralph was teamed with Bill Walton as his color comentator. Team that with an exciting, but bad, young team and it was as fun as you can imagine. Clippers center Michael Olowokandi, who in every way was probably the worst pick in draft history, had a line that looked something like this 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 of 12 shooting, 38 minutes played. Walton called it "One of the greatest performances in Clipper Franchise History." They were an entertaining pair.

Of coarse Olowokandi also can be remembered for this...

Hopefully this will do some justice for the fact that I left out one of the all time greats.

You can also read more about Ralph in this LA Times Article.

Now the Real Season Begins

2009-04-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

So last night the Lakers finished the season with a 125-112 victory over the feisty Utah Jazz. I say feisty because that's how you are supposed to describe a team that has no business beating your team, but somehow they make it close or have a chance to pick up a game or so in a playoff series.

But anyways, Bynum is officially back. 22 points in 30 minutes. Lamar is back where he wants to be, on the bench running with the second team, and the Lakers have 65 wins under their belts. Not a bad way to go into the playoffs.

Now the playoffs begin with a familiar first round foe... the Jazz. The Jazz are reeling at the moment, they have lost seven of their last ten. But they are a good home team and don't be surprised if the Lakers lose one in Utah (I had to say it for fear of a jinx).

The only thing I have left to say is, the Lakers lost last year because they didn't have heart. This year Bynum is back, Pau is the most underrated player in the league, and Kobe is still Kobe. If the Lakers don't win this year, it will be a severe disappointment.

Getting What He Deserved

2009-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Josh Beckett is a jerk.

On Sunday, during a game against the Angels, he threw a pitch at Bobby Abreu's head. He says it was unintentional, but no matter what he says it was intentional. Just see for yourself...

As a result of the benches clearing "incident" Beckett has been suspended by MLB for 6 games. Thank goodness someone finally got it right. I hate it that teams like the Red Sox usually get away with ridiculous actions like this without penalty.

I also thought that what Chris Singleton said about the incident was pretty good.

I also am glad that MLB made special mention of the "agressive actions" by Beckett.

Read the whole story here.

I am also glad that we play again this season and get a chance for revenge.

The Era of Voices

2009-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

So with the passing of legendary announcer Harry Kalas yesterday, it got me thinking about all of the legendary voices and calls and the fact that there are so few great announcers left. It seems the era of the Vin Scullys of the world is coming to an end. And when it does end who will we have to take up that mantle?

Its a sad thing, I remember when the Lakers lost Chick Hearn and how tough it was to watch a Lakers game the next season because it wasn't Chick doing his signature calls.

But today we live in a world where many teams don't have their games broadcast on local channels. So there "home" announcers are guys that are associated with a certain channel, not a team.

I have been lucky to live in LA for most of my life where I have had the pleasure of listening to some of the greatest voices in the history of sports announcing, and a few who I think are great, but don't get the same publicity as the well know guys.

1. Chick Hearn

The voice of the Lakers from 1965-2002. Came up with some of the greatest catch phrases ever. Just see the link above. Chick was known for his fast paced play-by-play. If you listen to the video below you will hear some of what made Chick great.

2. Vin Scully

The only remaining member of the franchise when it moved from Brooklyn... almost 60 years ago. Vin is as iconic as the shade of blue the Dodgers wear. Yesterday, at the ripe old age of 81, Vin threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium for their home opener. Vin's classic call has to be the 1988 world series game one, where Kirk Gibson hit a walk off homerun.

4. Dick Enberg

Enberg was announcing UCLA basketball well before my time. But even now that he is at CBS and does a lot of the NCAA tournament I still feel that he is a big part of UCLA basketball. His big catch phrase was OH MY.

5. Chris Roberts

Roberts has been the voice of UCLA athletics for as long as I can remember. Every year around September 1 when I put on UCLA football for the first time hearing his voice always gets me excited for College football.

6. Rory Markas

Rory is the long time Angels radio play by play announcer. His signature call "Just Another Halo Victory" can be heard after every Angel win.

7. Gus Johnson

No Gus is not a So Cal guy. In fact he announces for the Knicks. But he is still one of my favorites and for this call alone.

The Birth of the Podcast

2009-04-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Out of fear that my great idea will be taken I will not be disclosing all of my information about the great idea for a podcast I came up with this weekend.

But I will say that on Saturday the Girly and my had dinner with her Canadian PHD coworker Karen and her Canadian PHD husband Elliot. Elliot and I shared three bottles of red wine and came up with a great podcast idea that I am really excited about.

Hopefully we will be able to start recording it soon and get it posted even sooner.

Now on the topic of the Masters. Wow is all I can say. What a great day and a great event. I really am not a fan of Angel Cabrera and his chain smoking habit, but it was great to see an exciting day of golf.

I only wish Tiger and Phil had been leading, if that had happened it would have been the greatest golf tournament in history.

United Countries of Baseball

2009-04-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Thought this was cool...

Win One for Nick

2009-04-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last night the Halos returned to baseball after the passing of Nick Adenhart. It seemed almost fitting that they were taking on their cross continent rival Red Sox. With Jared Weaver on the mound it seemed apparent after even the first inning that there was no way he would let the Angels lose.

I have had my problems with Weaver. He is a bit of a hot head and not very consistent, but I was so happy to have him on the mound in the biggest and most meaningful game the Halos have played in since the 2002 World Series.

Weaver looked strong with 6.2 IP and 8 strikeouts. The Angels bats picked up some timely hits and the healing process begins. I say begins because one win will not help us get over the loss of a gem of a person.

I also wanted to make special mention of David Ortiz. He does a great job of representing an organization as a very classy individual.

At his request, David Ortiz met with the father of Nick Adenhart, the Angels pitcher who was killed in a car accident early Thursday morning, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Ortiz spent five minutes in the tunnel below home plate with Jim Adenhart.

"I look at my son and I'm like 'I would die if I lose him,' " Ortiz told the Press-Enterprise. "And I just give him my prayer."

Ortiz, according to the paper, watched on television with his son, D'Angelo, as Adenhart threw five scoreless innings Wednesday night.

"I was talking to my boy, telling him, 'Wow, look at this kid. Anaheim is lucky to have this good pitcher.'

"When I heard [Adenhart had died], it felt like I knew him forever."

The full story can be read here towards the bottom of the page.

The Halos are back in action against the Sox today where they will continue to honor Adenhart.

Why Sports?

2009-04-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

As I sit here, 24 hours after the senseless death of a promising young star I am faced with the problem of knowing what to write about today. The thought of losing Nick Adenhart really had a huge impact on me yesterday. I watched MLB TV's coverage of it as if I were watching the coverage of the death of a president on CNN.

I am even not ashamed to admit that I did get a little misty eyed a few times while watching Adenhart's agent Scott Boras sob during a press conference. But then something funny happened. I became more bummed out that there wasn't an Angels game on. The game with the A's last night was canceled out of respect, which I agree was the right decision. But Sports always seems to have a way of bringing happiness out of tragedy.

It allows us to feel like everything is okay again. I remember the comfort I got out of watching baseball after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. I remember watching President Bush throw out the first pitch before game three of the World Series in Yankee Stadium. I remember feeling that it was okay to live life again.

I feel that same way today. I feel like sports offers a unique opportunity for people. It allows us to feel the same things with millions of others. So that is why I love sports. I know that watching Angels baseball tonight I will not be alone in my love for the team, my grief over the passing of young Nick Adenhart, and my desire for the team to honor his memory.

Life goes on. And I hope that we don't forget about Adenhart but take life lessons from him and apply them to our own lives. RIP Nick Adenhart. You will never be forgotten.

RIP Nick Adenhart

2009-04-09T12:39:00.001-07:00

As I sit down to write this not only am I deeply saddened by the death of someone that I was really excited about, I am also angry. Angry that he was taken, angry at the driver who killed him, angry at the situation, angry at the laws that allow someone like that to drive again.

Nick Adenhart was a 22 year old kid from Maryland who many Angels fans (myself included) saw as the next great pitcher in Angel history. This year he was going to be starting in the majors due to a few injuries to the starting rotation. But hopefully there would be less pressure, he didn't have to come in and wow, just help out. If he did poorly he wasn't going to be shipped out right away, he had earned a spot.

However that spot only lasted one great start. Adenharts line 6.0 IP 7 Hits 0 Runs 3 BB 5 Ks. For a first season start those are fantastic numbers. However for the last start of someones life, those are incredible.

The fact that the driver that killed Adenhart was drunk and ran a red light and drove away makes me so angry at not only the injustice but also the carelessness that many people have. The driver was driving on a suspended licence as a result of a previous drunk driving arrest.

Read that again. This driver not only had been arrested for drunk driving before, but he was also convicted and given a suspended license. They say that someone may drive 100 times drunk before they are caught. So that would mean that this kid drives drunk fairly often. With a suspended licence.

I for one hope that he spends the rest of his life in prison. I don't care if he is showing remorse, he made a choice and that choice destroyed three lives.

As far as the effect on the Angels, they are canceling their game with the A's tonight, thankfully. I just hope that when they do take the field again that they all realize that they have something to play for. Adenhart was a gift and I hope the Angels players, managers, owner, and fans all realize that. I hope that they all are able to take a little more stock in what is important and I hope that they show more passion for what they do.

This season will be dedicated to the memory of Nick Adenhart, I just hope that the Angels show his family that they cared about him.

To see the reactions from some Angels players and prominent people just go to this link. Reactions.

The Best Team Ever, Really?

2009-04-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

So in case you don't follow women's college basketball, and there are probably a lot of you in that boat, UConn just finished their season as undefeated National Champions. 39-0. Impressive when you consider they won all of their games by over 10 points. Impressive when you consider that the last team to go undefeated in Men's ball was the 75-76 Indiana Hoosiers who finished 32-0.

Not that impressive when you realize that UConn finished with the exact same record in 2002. 39-0, National Champs. In fact since 1982 when women's college basketball started their own March Madness Tournament, five teams have finished undefeated; three of those perfect records belong to UConn.

Where as on the men's side since 1939 only seven teams have finished undefeated. UCLA is at the top with four perfect seasons. But none since 1975-76.

So when you hear all this talk about is this the greatest team in women's college basketball history? Just remember, NO IT'S NOT.

Why I am Going to Win Baseball Picks This Year (again)

2009-04-07T10:02:00.001-07:00

So if you saw my post the other day you know that me and my dad pick teams every year for the AL and NL that we think are capable of going to the World Series.

I am going to give you my top 10 list of why I am going to make it back to back wins for me this year.

1. Carlos Zambrano

Big Z is coming off a rough ending to his 2008 season. He struggled down the stretch and fell short in the playoffs. But this is a whole new year. He will be able to rely more heavily on the other pitchers in his staff and will not have to be "the guy." Rich Harden will have a full year in Chicago and Ryan Dempster had a great year last year. The Cubs may just have the best staff in the NL.

2. CC Sabathia

CC spent most of last year with the Brewers. He was dominate. Now, however, he is not pitching in the Central and the Cubs don't have to face him multiple times a year. Instead he is pitching for the Yankees, with his $180 Million contract. No pressure huh? Well the last time he pitched in the AL was the start of last year and he was awful. He had a double digit ERA and felt a lot of pressure after winning the Cy Young in Cleveland, just imagine what that pressure will do to him in NYC.

3. The Boston Pitching Staff

If the Cubs have the best staff in the NL, the Sox have the best staff in MLB. Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, Masterson, Saito, Okajima, Delcamren, Lopez, Papelbon. Oh and Buchholz and Smoltz will be in the mix at some point. Talk about loaded.

4. History

So the past two years the Mets have been a sure-fire lock to be in the playoffs. Except in they lose 6 of their last 10 and fall short, for the second year in a row. Now I know they signed K-Rod and JJ Putz, but there still needs to be some huge Karmic change for me to believe in the Mets.

5. MVP

Dustin Pedroia was named the AL MVP last year. The kid is 5-6 and 120 pounds soaking wet. Yet he hit .326 with 17 homers and 83 RBI, from the leadoff position. Not too shabby. For your second year in the league. Statistically, most players make a jump in their third year. So this could be an even bigger year for the tiny 2B in Fenway.

6. Aramis Ramirez

If you don't know who Aramis is, you must have been living in a whole. Just google third base power hitters and he should come up around the top of the list. He batted .293 with 27 bombs and 111 batted in. He is a legit power hitter and the heart and soul of the Cubbies.

7. A-Roid

Yet another distraction for the most easily distractable player in professional sports. And the best part is, he is hurt and could be out until June or maybe (fingers crossed) July. Throw in a steroids admission and having to play in Fenway down the stretch and A-Rod will crumple like the tissues that he hid his used syringes in.

8. The Champs

Now I know how hard it is for a team to repeat, just look at the 2003 Angels and how quickly they were out of the mix. But I like this Phillies team. I think they have great chemistry and are going to be a thorn in the Mets side all year. In fact I am going to say, if (and that's a big if) the Mets get in the playoffs it will be as the Wildcard.

9. Jeff Samardzija

According to one fantasy sports website, Samardzija is one of the top-10 impact rookies to look for in 2009. The say:
"In 2009, we can expect a lot from Samardzija. With Kerry Wood gone, former setup man Carlos Marmol has the opportunity to step up and become the next closer. This gives Jeff a grand chance to follow in Marmol’s footsteps. Look for Samardzija to battle for the setup role, and if he wins it, he could very well get some save opportunities along the way."

10. Red Sox Farm System

The Red Sox, unlike the Yankees, actually have a pretty good farm system that they can turn into trades for proven players. Look for the Sox to make at least one big trade this year that lands them a big bat, potentially a third baseman to take over for an ailing Mike Lowell. Someone like Miguel Cabrera, who the Tigers will more than likely be trying to ship to help cut payroll costs.

Well there you have it, the reasons my Dad will be on the losing side yet again.

Baseball Prospectus

2009-04-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

So as part of opening day I am going to be going through my picks this year in the MLB. Or as I like to call it crapshoot-a-palooza because there is no way I am going to be right.

So starting with the AL

AL West
1. Angels
2. A's
3. Rangers
4. Mariners

AL Central
1. Royals (Call me crazy but I got a feeling)
2. Twins * (Wild Card, not coming from the East because the big three will just beat up on each other)
3. Indians
4. White Sox
5. Tigers

AL East
1. Rays
2. Red Sox (I know this goes against my picks from earlier but that is because I couldn't pick the Rays)
3. Yankees
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays

Now to the NL

NL West
1. Giants (Hate em but gotta love the pitching staff)
2. Dodgers (See above and substitute hate for when it says love about the pitching staff)
3. Rockies
4. Diamondbacks
5. Padres

NL Central
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Astros
4. Cardinals
5. Reds
6. Pirates

NL East
1. Mets (Finally get over the hump with K-Rod)
2. Phillies *
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Nationals

Now the awards
AL MVP - Evan Longoria 3B Rays
AL Cy Young - Dice-K Red Sox (Taking a shot in the dark here)
AL Manager of the Year - The Royals Skipper (Would put his name but I have no idea who it is and I think its funnier if I don't put a name)
Al Comeback Player of the Year - Rocco Balldelli OF Red Sox (JD Drew will get hurt and Rocco is coming home to play in Boston, great story)
AL Rookie of the Year - David Price

NL MVP - David Wright 3B Mets
NL Cy Young - Carlos Zambrano Cubs (Okay so I am picking my teams based on pitching)
NL Manager of the Year - Bruce Bochy Giants
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Jeff Francouer OF Braves
NL Rookie of the Year - Cameron Maybin OF Marlins

Yet another Revamp

2009-04-06T10:24:00.001-07:00

So over the next little while OTSTM is going to be going through a bit of a revamp. I will be posting at least every day but with shorter stories. Now I may decide to break down and post a long one every once in a while but this way I will have the ability to cover a wider range of topics in new and interesting ways. I will be trying out a lot more fun little blogs like Top 10 lists and what not. Hopefully over the coming months it will flourish into a multi stop website, meaning somewhere people can come multiple times a day and get new info and analasis.

Now I am not gonna leave you all empty handed. Today is opening day and that means Baseball Picks. As some of you may know every year me and my dad pick an NL and an AL team that we think could win the World Series. The only constraints are, no picking the two teams that were in the World Series last year and the winner from the previous year picks first.

Last year I was smart/stupid enough to pick the Phillies (who won the World Series) and the Tigers (who finished last in the AL central, yes even behind the Royals). But because I had a team that I picked win the World Series I got the first picks. I picked the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Dad was stuck with the two New York teams, the Yankees and the Mets. Should be a fun season to see who does better.

Hopefull we will be seeing a lot of Cubs Win signs this year.

I may hate the Sox but they have as good a shot as any.

Couple of Things

2009-03-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

First off I will be doing a running diary of the first two days of the NCAA Tourny starting Thursday. And it might be my first ever video diary, but I am not sure that would be such a good idea.

Secondly, if you follow this link it will take you to the BS Report with Bill Simmons. It is a podcast that is done by possibly my favorite sports writer, and someone that I really try to model myself after. In this particular podcast, Bill has on former NFL General Manager Michael Lombardi, someone who really knows his stuff and is always enjoyable to listen to. About a week ago I emailed Bill something about Lombardi and well I had the pleasure of having my email read on the podcast, so if you fast forward to about the 40:20 mark you will hear Bill mention my name and give a little talk about me and my email. It was single-handedly the highlight of my Saint Patty's day.

And lastly if you look at this picture you can see very faintly that the leader of the free world is picking against my Bruins. Talk about motivation it really is "us against the world." Lets just hope the Bruins will be able to use that.

Oh well enjoy your few days before the Tourny.

A Super Start to the Next Chapter

2009-02-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

So here it is, Monday after the Super Bowl. The Most Missed Day of Work.

What am I doing you might ask, my loyal reading public.

Well I have started a new chapter of my life. I am now a resident of the Capitol City of the Golden State. Yep, Sacramento, CA.

I have escaped the never ceasing bounds of living with my parents and going to the cesspool that is Glendale College. I shouldn't really call it a cesspool, it did serve some good. It just served that good for a little too long a period.

But anyways I am now a student of Cal State University of Sacramento. Heck yes, I am a Hornet.

While I am not writing for the paper this semester, I am interning with the Head of Media Relations for the stellar Hornet Athletic Department. The sports teams at Sac State include; baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, cross-country, football, men's and women's golf, women's gymnastics, rowing, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, track & Field, and women's volleyball. And yes they are a division one school.

Basically my internship means I get to work with the fine gentlemen who put this website together. Hopefully I will be doing some writing, a lot of stat-taking and basically getting to know the athletic department from the inside out.

But that's not all that is changing. Because of my relocation away from the sports landscape that I have been raised in, otherwise called Southern California, I have decided to do another site called OTSTM I Love LA. Basically it is a similar site to this one, except it will talk a little more about sports in SoCal and it will be geared more towards keeping people up to date with the happenings of SoCal sports who either are not that in touch with whats going on, or who are like me, exiled from the Southland. So be looking for that site to go through a nice little building period and have SoCal-tastic columns up real soon.

Now back to my original thought. Yesterday was the Super Bowl, and boy did they put the Super in to that game. To be honest most years the Super Bowl can be quite a snoozefest, but this one broke the mold from exciting games.

The Steelers looked like they were going to run away with it for the first three quarters. I even said to the Girly if I was going to write a story about this game it would have been about how the Steelers played like a team who had been there before and the Cardinals looked like a 9-win team that was happy getting into the playoffs. Because in all honesty that's what they both were.

The Cards kept shooting themselves in the foot with big penalties that took them out of their rhythm. It is always difficult to win if you give the other team 100 free yards, which is basically what the Cards did with the penalties that they gave up.

But then the Fourth quarter happened. The Cards got a quick score by giving Larry Fitzgerald a chance to come down with a jump ball. Imagine that, giving the best athlete in Football a chance to use his athleticism. What a novel idea right? Because in the first half in the same situation Kurt Warner forced a ball into the heart of the Steeler Defense and what happened? The longest play in Super Bowl history, a 100 yard interception return for a TD by the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

What I didn't see coming was the Cards being able to make a full comeback.

The thing that would have been talked about more than anything else had the Cards won that game would have been the goal line stand of the Cardinal Defense near the end of the third quarter. The Steelers kicked a field goal but were given another chance to punch the ball into the endzone when a silly running into the holder penalty gave the Steelers another three chances at first and goal at the four-yardline. The Steelers proceeded to go three plays and gain only one yard. Instead of getting a knockout TD that would have made the score 24-7, the much maligned Arizona defense held strong to keep within striking distance.

How good was that Cardinal Defense in the playoffs? They went from 19th ranked during the season, giving up almost 332 yards a game to 316 yards per game. Now that may not seem like a big difference but the Steelers which ranked number one in total defense in the regular season (237 yards per game alloud) gave up about 300 yards per game in the playoffs.

But anyways, back to the game. When I saw Larry Fitzgerald running down the seam to the endzone for that go ahead TD, words cannot describe how incredible that was, even for someone like me, who had no allegiance to these teams. I was just a fan of football.

And I was really glad that I was not a fan of either team, because to be honest that would have been a crushing moment to watch that number 11 running wild down the field knowing that he would not be caught. But I will say that there reached a point on the final drive for the Steelers where you just kinda knew that Roethlisberger was going to get it done. I don't know what it was but all I could think after the game was, "Damn he is good."

So ends another incredible football season. Just to recap me and my fathers picks, we were one for four in reaching that playoffs. Neither the Saints nor the Jags made it for me and the Cowboys missed out for my Dad, but the Chargers pulled it together just in time to be sure we weren't shut out completely.

Well, that's all for now but be sure to check out the I Love LA site if you are a SoCal fan looking for info.

One Big Thing: The Economic Crisis

2009-01-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of my last two article I wrote for El Vaq, the GCC newspaper. I have updated it a little since it was published.

Who said sports aren’t recession-proof?

Sadly, this is something that we are figuring out for the first time during this economic crisis.

And we are learning this in a very aggressive way.

The Houston Comets of the WNBA, one of the original eight WNBA teams and winner of the first four WNBA championships, announced this week that they would be ceasing operations.

I know the WNBA is not one of the more popular sports but this is a major franchise that doesn’t have the money to operate. Scary.

Men’s golf, women’s golf, NASCAR, and even the Olympics are all sports that are in quite a bit of trouble.

Has anyone noticed that we are seeing less and less PGA golf on TV? I know that Tiger Woods is out, which has hurt viewership, and in return, some sponsors have backed out.

However, if you have ever watched a golf tournament on TV, you may have noticed that the sponsors for most of the events are companies like AIG, UBS, and other financial companies that are in deep trouble.

Even General Motors, which that had one year remaining on a 10-year endorsement deal with Woods, ended their deal early with the World’s Best Golfer because it helped to free up a great deal of money that GM needs in a time like this. GM has also said that they will not spend advertising dollars on a Super Bowl ad.

Two of the most competitive teams in NASCAR have also decided to merge to save money. Petty Enterprises is going to merge with Dale Earnhardt Racing to form what would be, in all likelihood, a super team — one that many experts believe will hurt the landscape of racing by forcing the little teams out.

British Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell has even said that, had they predicted the economic turmoil, they would not have bid on the 2012 Olympics in London. Beijing Olympic organizers spent almost $4 million per athlete at the summer games this year. Compare that to the $75 thousand spent in 1984 for the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Sponsors like Johnson and Johnson had to pay roughly $100 million for their sponsorship for this year’s games. Compare that with the $4 million in 1984.

We have also just entered into one of the biggest free-agency periods for Major League Baseball. This year, it is usually not a time to be frugal, especially if you are a team like the Yankees trying to get back into national prominence.

The Yankees have decided to forget about the economic crisis. They have signed the season’s top free agent pitcher, CC Sabathia, a deal for $161 million for seven seasons. The richest contract for a pitcher in MLB history. But they didn't stop there, they also spent $82.5 million on another pitcher A.J. Burnett for five seasons. Also they spent $180 million on first baseman Mark Teixeira for eight years. They are spending money like a bunch of drunk sailors and have gone back to being the arogant jerks we have always known them to be.

According to Wayne DeSarbo, director of the Center for Sports Business Research at Penn State, “Star players are going to get their money. It is going to be the middle-range guys who are going to get squeezed.”

I think it will be even more drastic than that. Back in 1997, the Florida Marlins were in their infancy as a baseball team, yet they won the World Series title on homegrown and inexpensive talent. Then during the offseason, they held a fire sale to unload any player who demanded a higher salary.

The result was another championship in 2003, after they were able to develop young talent yet again.

More and more teams will be relying on their younger talent to take the team to where they want to go. Then, when those younger players are approaching the time when they would be able to make more money, they will be sent elsewhere.

However, baseball commissioner Bid Selig has done a good job on making sure that teams don’t take out the struggling economy on the fans. For the first time in years, attendance dropped. But Selig has made it clear that, in order to encourage more attendance, teams are not allowed to raise ticket prices.

For teams like the Mets and the Yankees that are moving into new multi-million dollar stadiums, the financial crisis is going to be an ugly beast to have to deal with.

Then there is ESPN.

With fewer and fewer fans being able to afford to go out and attend sporting events, they are forced to watch it on the television. ESPN receives higher amounts of viewers and sponsors get the captive audience they are hoping for.

In fact, ESPN is doing so well the company just signed a $500 million contract with the NCAA to start broadcasting all college football bowl games beginning in 2011. The price tag that ESPN paid is double the current contract.

Local teams like the Dodgers, Angels and Lakers have stated publicly that they are not feeling the effects of the economic crisis. However, if things keep going the way they are going, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

Finally, look at the Arena Football League. They have decided to suspend play for the entire 2009 season. No more fun 98-76 football scores. No more tackels into the boards. No more mini goal posts. Granted, the AFL is not the NFL but it is still a scary sight when a multi-million dollar sports leage has to close its doors because they don't have the money to run a league.

Expanding my Media

2008-12-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

So say what you want about the video that I spent quite a while working on, but I realized that I need to be able to edit other types of media if I am going to make it in this profession.

So some of you may or may not be familiar with the NBA commercials titled, Where Amazing Happens. But either way, I have used that as my inspiration for this little video I made. It is also available on youtube in a larger format.

Well, enjoy!

One Big Thing: The Stove is Getting Hotter

2008-11-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

Hot stove season is upon us once again, and with the success of the Los Angeles-based baseball teams this past season, it seems like the perfect offseason for both the Dodgers and the Angels to build for future success.

The Dodgers came into last season with Yankee legend Joe Torre running the ship. However, his impact was not fully realized until a trade deadline move that brought disgruntled and controversial former Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Big Blue. Ramirez’s impact was felt almost immediately.

In 53 games as a member of the Dodgers, Ramirez batted .396 with 17 homeruns and 53 RBI. Those numbers were staggering enough to not only thrust the Dodgers into the thick of the playoffs, but also to get them into the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1988.

Ramirez also brought out the best in many of the Dodgers younger players.

Now Ramirez, along with 14-game winner Derek Lowe, fan favorite shortstop Rafael Furcal, and former pitching ace Brad Penny, are all free agents available to sign with any team they want. Throw in a bevy of talent available on the open market the only question is, what are the moves the Dodgers should make?

They have already been trying to sign the 36-year-old Ramirez to one of the richest contracts in baseball history, as far as dollars per year. However, Ramirez is looking for a six -year contract, while the Dodgers are offering three to four years.

I think the deal, whatever it is, makes sense for both sides. The Dodgers need a slugger and Ramirez brought in such a baseball fever like L.A. has not seen since Fernando-mania in the 80s.

The other move that makes sense for the Dodgers is stud pitcher CC Sabathia. Sabathia was another trade deadline player who led his team to the playoffs. Sabathia is a Bay Area native and has expressed interest in returning to California. He has also said he prefers to go to a National League team, so that points to either the Dodgers or the Giants.

The Yankees have already offered Sabathia a six-year $140 million contract.

It would be difficult for any team if they decided to get into a bidding war with the Yankees, but the Dodgers have a rare window of opportunity to win. There is enough young talent on the team to compete for a championship. Management just needs to show more willingness.

Now on the American League side of things, down in Southern L.A., also called Orange County, the Angels have quietly become one of the top three organizations in all of baseball.

Former Dodger player Mike Scioscia has been the manager of the Angels since 1999. He is easily one of the longest tenured managers in the majors, and he has proven that he is also one of the best.

Scioscia led a young Angels team to the first World Series in franchise history in 2002. Since then, the Angels have won four of the last six American League East crowns.

The young “Halos” of 2002 have grown up, and for the most part, moved on. Star pitcher John Lackey, utility man Chone Figgins, super-closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, setup man Scot Shields, and franchise great Garret Anderson were the only contributors from 2002 to play on the 2008 version of the Angels.

This year K-Rod shattered the all time saves record for one season of 57 set by Bobby Thigpen in 1990. K-Rod finished with 62 saves.

However, K-Rod also played his final season for the Angels this year. Management decided it was best to let K-Rod go to another team instead of paying what would likely be a $75 million contract.

The reason they wanted to save that money was for the team’s number one off-season priority, Mark Teixeira. Tex, as Teixeira is known, was acquired by the Angels before the trade deadline and had a similar impact as Ramirez did for the Dodgers.

Tex is the big batter that the Angels have needed for about the last three seasons. He gets on base a lot and drives in a lot of runs. He is a great compliment to the middle of the Angels lineup, Vladimir Guerrero and Torri Hunter.

The Angels have not made an offer yet to Tex because they are waiting to give him a “knockout offer” and basically blow all of his other offers away. If they can sign Tex and play with him for an entire season, it is easy to believe that the Angels could finish with the best record in baseball for a second straight season.

However, there are a few more question marks around the team. Second baseman Howie Kendrick completely disappeared in the playoffs and was a major reason they were unable to get past the Rex Sox.

The closer role will ultimately go to Shields, who has been a great player for the Halos for a long time. But Shields is not K-Rod. Hands down. There will be a lot of frustration there this year.

Finally, there are a few younger players from the minor leagues that could potentially play big roles for the Halos this year. Shortstop Brandon Wood has been compared to Cal Ripken Jr. for almost his entire life but has failed to live up to expectations so far. Then again, he is only 23 and needs more at-bats to show what type of commodity he is.

Both the Dodgers and the Angels have their work cut out for them over the next few months, and if there is anything I have learned in all of my years following baseball, it’s that spring training is always closer than you think it is.

One Big Thing: Goodell Out Of Control

2008-11-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Good old NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is at it again — this time, he is cracking down on big hits in the game.

Wait — big hits? Isn’t football supposed to be one of, if not, the most violent team sport in existence?

Yes, yes it is.

So what gives? Why does Goodell feel the need to fine players for “playing too rough?”

A few weeks back, wide receiver Hines Ward from the Pittsburgh Steelers was fined $15,000 for two separate incidents where Ward made good clean, yet hard, blocks on players down field. Ward was not penalized on either play, yet got fined by the NFL afterwards for playing “too rough.”

Ward measures 6 feet tall and weighs in at a muscular 205 pounds. He is not the biggest guy in the world, yet he has always been known as a great blocker. It is just ridiculous that Ward ends up getting fined for playing “too rough” in such a violent sport.

After these fines, has Ward changed his playing style?

To get an answer, all you have to do is look at USC rookie linebacker Keith Rivers. A week after being fined, Ward layed the lumber so hard to Rivers the rookie broke his jaw and will now be out for the rest of the season.

The best part is that Ward was not fined for his latest big hit.

Ward has not been the only player to be questionably fined by the NFL this season.

The Minnesota Vikings Jared Allen had to pay $50,000 for hits on quarterbacks that were deemed “too low.” The Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers was fined $10.000 for a hitting on a quarterback on the head.

So to quote New York Giants Justin Tuck, “You can’t hit him in the head, you can’t hit him below the knees. Obviously, you can’t hit him hard, either.”

Tuck just got out of a $7,500 fine by the NFL. The hit in question was a textbook tackle, nothing malicious, just a solid tackle on a small quarterback.

ESPN radio host Mike Golic, a former defensive lineman in the NFL, had this to say about the Tuck hit: “This has to stop. I understand about protecting people in certain hits and certain situations, but this is a joke. That is a textbook tackle. That is what you teach to little league kids.”

Golic is right. This has become a joke. Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu took the discussion a step further, saying, “Football just looses so much of its essence when it becomes like a pansy game.”

Pansy game or not, Goodell has to realize that the reason why the NFL is such a great sport is because of the violence. I understand whole-heartedly about protecting players, and I saw that first hand at the Glendale-Allan Hancock game when one player from Glendale broke his fibula and a Hancock player had to be taken to the hospital for a head injury.

But what Goodell needs to realize is that even clean hits will hurt players. So enough with making the NFL a “pansy game,” just let them play.

One Big Thing: Pacman!

2008-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been suspended from the NFL after only playing four games since he was reinstated from a year-long suspension for violating the player conduct policy put in by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. That’s right, Pacman has been caught doing wrong again.

So what did the Pacman do this time? He got in a fight with the bodyguard assigned to him by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The bodyguard that was assigned to Pacman was there to prevent him from… you guessed it, fighting!

While Pacman was not arrested for the altercation that took place in the bathroom of an upscale hotel in Dallas Oct. 8, the NFL’s resident disciplinarian Goodell decided to take it upon himself to suspend Pacman a minimum of four games.

For those of you not familiar with the antics of Pacman, he was reinstated to the NFL on August 26, after being suspended for violating the leagues personal conduct policy in April of last year. The suspension came after Pacman had been in trouble with the law numerous times, including at least three arrests.

The most serious charge stemmed from an incident at a strip club in Las Vegas during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Feb. of last year. Pacman allegedly was involved in an altercation with a stripper at the club. After the dispute, a man believed to be an associate of Pacman returned to the club and fired shots at a security guard who threw Pacman and his entourage out of the strip club. The security guard and another man were both shot. The other man, a former professional wrestler, was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the gunshot.

Pacman accepted a plea deal as a result of the incident and ended up getting off with a misdemeanor.

It surprising to me that not only did Pacman get off with only a misdemeanor, given with his history of violence and crime, but that he wasn’t just thrown out of the game altogether. Especially when you see a guy like Michael Vick, who is sitting in a Georgia prison for dog fighting.

However, during this post season, the Cowboys traded the suspended cornerback in hopes that he would clean up his act. While he seemed to have turned a new leaf, his time with the Cowboys may be over after this recent quarrel.

And while the entire situation seems very convoluted, I do have some questions that I’m sure plenty of others have.

First off, who won the fight? Pacman is 5-feet-10-inches and 185 pounds. Not the biggest guy but not too tiny either. I am assuming that anyone that would be hired as a bodyguard would be bigger than 5-feet-10-inches and 185 pounds, a lot bigger. So maybe Pacman was testing him to see if he was “tough” enough to keep Pacman from fighting?

Secondly, why the bathroom? What were they doing that led to them fighting in a bathroom? Actually, scratch that — I don’t want the answer to that question.

Lastly, how is that player conduct policy working for you Goodell?

To be honest it doesn’t seem like Goodell’s policy for guys like Pacman has had much, if any, effect on players who keep breaking the law. And it sure hasn’t deterred teams from picking up players that have criminal backgrounds. The Cincinnati Bengals, who already lead the league in criminal players, recently acquired two players who had off-season legal trouble. Way to go Goodell, it seems like people are getting the message.

Look I am all for a clean league, but come on, football players are a different type of individual; most of them want to hurt the player lining up across the field from them. Suspending a player because he gets arrested isn’t going to hurt the player; it is just going to make him angry. And you don’t want to see them when they are angry.

But seriously, on Oct. 20, Pacman checked into an alcohol rehabilitation center in hopes of getting help with alcoholism. I believe this is a good start from someone that wants to get back to doing what he loves to do.

That’s the other thing I would like to say to Pacman; if you love doing something like playing football, why are you jeopardizing that when you know you are on thin ice by getting into fights with a guy who is paid to keep you from fighting? How hard is it to walk the straight line until you can show the NFL that you are capable of being an adult and working in a prestigious league like the NFL?

Look I know that alcoholism is a terrible disease that affects millions but that shouldn’t prevent you from putting yourself in situations where you compromise what you aught to be doing.

I know that many players have had a run in or two with the law and come out better on the other side, but will Pacman be one of them? That remains to be seen.

But if a player conduct policy is going to be put in place, it really should deter players from breaking the law, and it should deter teams from signing players with troubled histories. Pacman may be at fault for doing a really dumb thing, but Goodell has to rethink his approach to dealing with these off the field problems, other wise he should just realize that performance on the field has no correlation to actions off the field.

Crotch Sweat

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

So I had to change my banner picture. The girlie informed me of an unfortunate sight that I had not been paying attention to. She had this to say: "K so one thing about your blog pic...can there be anymore crotch sweat?"

So I changed the picture from this, to the one I have up there now.

Who knew that crotch sweat couldn't be ignored?

One Big Thing: NFL in LA?

2008-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles has been devoid of NFL football since the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders moved to Oakland in 1995. However, local real estate developer Edward Roski hopes to change that in the near future.

In April, Roski unveiled his plans to lure an existing NFL team to the Los Angeles area by building a new state-of-the-art NFL specific stadium in the City of Industry, just north of the interchange of the 57 and 60 freeways.

If completed, the proposed 75,000-seat stadium would be ready for the 2011 season.

Roski, who helped fund the Staples Center, said the stadium would be privately funded, much like the Staples Center Project. Also he expects the stadium to bring in at least $400 million annually in revenues and create nearly 3,000 jobs in the area.

The Stadium plans show an open-air stadium that would be surrounded by shopping and restaurants. All in all the stadium would be the most luxurious and state-of-the-art stadium ever built and every new sports complex would be compared to it.

But the NFL has no desire to expand the league past the 32 teams that it already consists of. So in order for a team to come to Los Angeles it would mean the relocation of one of the existing teams.

The teams that have been mentioned as the tenants of what is tentatively called the Los Angeles Stadium are the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, and the St. Louis Rams.

Most of the teams that have been rumored as possible tenants happen to be looking for new stadiums in the cities in which they currently reside. The fact that the Los Angeles is the second largest media market in the country is being used as a bargaining chip by teams to force the cities they do reside in to build new stadiums for them.

However, the NFL has always planned on bringing the NFL back to the LA area. In 1999, NFL owners awarded the 32nd NFL franchise to the city of Los Angeles on the condition that a new stadium be built that could house a team. When the agreement broke down, Houston was awarded the franchise instead and the Houston Texans were born.

The Los Angeles Stadium proposal is very impressive and it would mean a possible upsurge in the Southern California economy. But does Los Angeles need an NFL team?

There are a few advantages the fact that the NFL has vacated the area. First is the fact that people can root for any team in the NFL without being tied down to a specific region. Also many people that live in Los Angeles are transplants from all areas of the country — many already have their own favorite teams that they root for.

Secondly, it would take away from the fun college rivalry that has been bred throughout Los Angeles. USC is the preeminent college football program in the country and there are some very exciting things happening at UCLA to revamp that program.

Lastly, there would be very few people that would be willing to adopt an existing team. Many cities that get teams to relocate from existing fan bases don’t really accept the team as part of the framework of the city. I know that I wouldn’t. Especially teams like the 49ers that have had a lot of success in the city that they come from.

So will all that being said I think the plans for the new stadium look incredible and I would love to be able to see a sporting event at a place as luxurious and inventive as that, but I am a little more skeptical of the idea that NFL cities would allow a team to move away. Yes it has happened in the past but I just don’t see any teams that are in desperation to get out of the city they are currently in.

The plans for the new Los Angeles Stadium can be seen at the website http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/.

One Big Thing

2008-10-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

So for the good old GCC paper I have started writing a column of every issue. It is called One Big Thing. Basically I take a big national sports story from the past few weeks and write about it.

Much like how I write for this website.

So for my first One Big Thing I decided to take on the news that Lance Armstrong is making his return to competitive cycling. So without further ado: One Big Thing.

Lance Armstrong, the amazing seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor, has been making the rounds over the past few weeks announcing his intention to come out of retirement to race once again in the 2009 Tour de France bike race. Armstrong retired from professional racing after his 2005 victory in the Tour.

It seems that all great athletes have a problem with being able to let go. All summer the American public was berated daily with updates on the Brett Favre saga, Favre being traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets and now this. I am also reminded of Michael Jordan who made a comeback to a terrible Washington Wizards team three years after he retired as a member of the three time defending champion Chicago Bulls.

Lance fits that mold too. He is making his comeback on the professional cycling team Astana that is based in Kazakhstan, not the U.S. Postal Service team that he competed on during his record-breaking seven-year winning streak.

That’s not all. Current Astana team leader Alberto Contador, who Lance has called “the best rider on the planet right now,” stated publicly that should Lance join Astana for his comeback, Contador would leave the team and look to race elsewhere.

Lance claims that his goal in making this comeback is to promote cancer research. While that is a noble cause, Lance could just as easily promote research without sullying his legacy. He has been doing a great job of raising money for cancer research since he successfully fought off testicular cancer in 1996.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised millions of dollars for cancer research due in large part to the LiveStrong bracelets worn by millions of people around the world. But why do this now?

This is starting to get sad. When are we going to be able to show these Farves and Lances that they are past their prime and need to hang it up?

Look Lance I respect everything that you have done in your cycling career, but this is one thing that I can’t get behind you on. Why now? You retired as the most decorated cyclist in American history, if you come out now and lose it will only put a stain on your legacy.

The New Year Starts In Fall

2008-09-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us. That means the start of Football, baseball playoffs, school, and most importantly the rebirth of this column (I have decided to stop calling it a blog because a blog is something that you update a bunch of times a day, a column is closer to what this is, and it sounds a little more professional). So in order to get reacquainted with the column I figured I would give a little update about what has been going on this summer, along with what is hopefully going to be happening this year, and finally my football picks.

This summer I had the "privilege" of going to Las Vegas with the Girly and three of her friends. Yes I was the only person of the male persuasion on the trip and no it wasn't awesome to hang out with a bunch of girls all weekend. I didn't look like a pimp hanging out with all these girls. It was more like, "Okay is he gay? Or is he a brother? Or is he a boyfriend?" Yeah I don't know, Vegas is a cool place, especially if you have money to spend, but when you are financially restrained it can be brutal.

However, there were a lot of fun things about the trip as well. We discovered the wonderful invention of Fat Tuesday's. It is a cheap way to have a lot to drink in Vegas. It is a yard glass that gets filled with an alcoholic slushy. Also for an extra dollar or so, you can add another shot to it. Those turned out to be really fun. But the highlight of the trip was the last full night we were there. We were all walking back to our room after having out Fat Tuesdays, when we passed two larger black guys trying to get into their room down the hall from us. As we pass one of the black guys looks at the four girls I am with and says, "Hey, lemme just get three of y'all."

But Vegas was not the only trip I took this summer. Noelle recently took a job in Davis. So she moved up to Sacramento. I took ten days to help her move in, and while I was there we went to Squaw Valley for the weekend with a few more of Noelle's friends. This trip was the opposite of the Vegas trip. I was not the only male there. I didn't have to defend my sexuality. Also, Squaw is one of my favorite places to be. I also got a taste of the Opening Ceremony drinking game, and I must say that if you have any liver problems, this is one to stay away from. The rules go as follows: Drink if the commentators say "the 29th Olympiad"; Drink if a country has fewer than five athletes; Drink if the countries flag is red, white, and blue; Drink if you can't identify where a country is on the map; Drink if you recognize an athlete; Drink if the commentators comment on the air quality, human rights violations, or the outfits of a country. Basically I was ready to be put to bed after about six countries walked by.

Speaking of the Olympics, I must say that while I enjoyed the small sampling that I had, Michael Phelps does not deserve to be called the greatest athlete in history. I have heard a few people referring to him as that and I must say, if I can beat them in a foot race, there is no way they should be referred to as the greatest athlete in history. Usain Bolt was incredible to watch too. If I was an NFL owner I would have flown myself and my quarterback over to China to see if he can catch passes.

I know I am jumping around a little but I had an amazing experience this week. My father and I were given a tour of the LA Times by our good friend Chris Erskine. We got to see the Sports Section of the paper, we got to meet Sam Farmer (LA Times NFL writer), and we also got to meet one of the top sports writers in America, Bill Plaschke. I had never been a huge Plaschke fan, but it is amazing to see how quickly your attitude about someone changes once you meet that person. Bill was an incredibly kind person, he gave me a bunch of tips regarding my career in a really quick period of time. He asked me to email him some of my work so that he could give me some notes. He also offered his help in the future as far as putting feelers out for me to find jobs. It was indescribably cool, for lack of a better word, to be privileged enough to meet someone like Bill Plaschke and have him offer his help that quickly. But I must also say that knowing someone like Chris Erskine, who has been at the Times for 19 years. Chris also offered a lot of help and pointers. All in all it really confirmed a lot in my mind as far as knowing that this is what I want to do for a living.

Now for the sports talk though. My Angels are one of the best teams in all of baseball. Their trade deadline acquisition of Mark Teixeira was the type of move you would have normally seen the Yankees or the Red Sox do. I am so ready for October to see how these Angels can do.

While I do love my Angels, the team that I have been following the most since about February last year is the UCLA Bruins football team. I am a die hard Bruin. I may have never taken a class there, but I bleed baby blue. With the hiring of Rick Neuheisel I knew the Bruins would be moving in the right direction. Then we hired Norm Chow, the greatest offensive coordinator in the history of College Football. Add the two of them to the solid defense of Dewayne Walker and I knew that we had the makings of something really special. But I also knew that the talent on the team was young and inexperienced. I knew I would have to be patient with this team. But for some reason I was cautiously optimistic. Yes I knew about the woeful offensive line. I knew that we were down to our third string quarterback. Heck I knew that Tennessee was going to be a mid range SEC team that would finish ranked about where they started. But I couldn't shake this feeling that we just might shock the world. Then September 1 came. And all we did was beat number 18 ranked Tennessee in overtime. I must say that the future is bright in Westwood. There are a few more UCLA hats and shirts around town. It is an exciting time to be a Bruin.

Finally, much as we do in baseball every year, my father and I pick NFL teams every year. One AFC team one NFC team. We aren't aloud to pick the teams that were in the Super Bowl the previous year and the winner gets to pick first. While the NFL season can be a little of a crap shoot we both picked out teams:

Dad:

AFC - San Diego (Super) Chargers

NFC - Dallas Cowboys

Ross:

AFC - Jacksonville Jaguars

NFC - New Orleans Saints

Since he had the first pick he was able to pick the teams that he really wanted and while I am not going to say that I would have picked differently had I won, I felt like this is going to be the year of the underdog. At least that's what I am hoping for. Go Bruins.

I Believe...

2008-08-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

After a hiatus I am back. I have been working hard on other things for the past month or so but for all my loyal readers, I will be back writing weekly until school starts at least.

First off I just want to say that I really enjoy getting feedback on the blog and would enjoy hearing more from people that are reading because it is helpful to write if I have a specific audience in mind. Well so this week to get back into it I have gone a little different direction with the blog and I hope you all enjoy it.

Bull Durham is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. In order to pay homage to such a great sports movie I decided to take a little something from the movie and make it my own. In the movie Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner, is trying to bed Annie Savory, played by the sleepy-looking Susan Sarandon. During one scene, Sarandon ask Crash what he believes in. He goes on a legendary rant that explains what he is all about. I think it is a must that everyone has a list like this that explains what he or she is all about. So without further ado; here is my I believe rant:

I believe that a cold Coors Light is the best drink at a ball game
I believe UCLA is the greatest athletic university in the land
I Believe in the Lakers, Halos, and Chargers
I believe in Vladimir Guerrero, Pau Gasol, Ben Olson, Ladainian Tomlinson, Kevin Love, Torii Hunter, Russell Westbrook, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marcedes Lewis, Drew Olson, Josh Hamilton, and Darren Collison
I believe in Jerry Buss, Dan Guerrero, and Arte Moreno
I believe in the wonderful sounds of Vin Scully, even if I don’t believe in the Dodgers.
I believe Rex Hudler is a great guy
I believe in the Home Run Derby
I believe Brett Favre should be the Packers QB until he really decides to hang it up
I believe in the legend of Lorenzo Mata Real
I believe in college football Saturdays
I believe in Mike Scioscia
I believe in playing catch, shooting hoops, and a round of golf
I believe that the best feeling in the world is hearing I love you from my girlfriend Noelle
I believe that the best days are spent skiing
I believe in opening most Christmas gifts on Christmas day, but a few on Christmas Eve
I believe the DH is the stupidest rule in sports
I believe the greatest time of the year is football season
I believe parity is bad
I believe that the La Canada special with extra cheese is the best pizza around, but I will say that Costco pizza is pretty great
I believe that Los Angeles gets a bad rap as a sports town
I believe the Rose Bowl game should always be Pac 10 versus Big 10
I believe that Jesus has more to worry about than how athletes perform
I believe Kobe Bryant did a bad thing in Eagle Colorado, but I don’t think it was rape
I believe in the home gold of the Lakers
I believe the BCS should be thrown out
I believe Barry Bonds should be shot
I believe Roger Clemens is the stupidest person in the country
I believe the French are cowards
I believe in supporting the president, no matter who he is
I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone
I believe that Angel Stadium is a much more fan friendly place to watch a baseball game than Dodger Stadium
I believe Raiders and Dodgers share a fan base with the Lakers, however they cant afford Lakers tickets so that’s why we don’t see a purple hole at Staples Center
I believe we are seeing a rebirth of the NBA
I believe in Ben Howland, Rick Neuheisel, Norm Chow, and Dewayne Walker
I believe in the Wizard of Westwood
I believe in the Big Red Head
I believe Adam Jones will always be called Pacman
I believe Tiger Woods will go down in history as the greatest golfer in history
I believe the best thing about sports is being able to share it
I believe the SEC is the best conference in college football but I hate saying that because of how whiney all the coaches are
I believe UCLA and USC should both wear their home jerseys when they play
I believe the UCLA ticket office should limit the number of tickets that go to Trojan fans during the game
I believe USC knew all along what was going on with Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo
I believe OJ Simpson is guilty and should be rotting in prison
I believe in Cade McNown
I believe the best sporting event I have ever seen was game six of the 2002 World Series but the 2006 UCLA/USC football game 13-9 was a close second
I believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever because of the hand check rules, but Kobe is the best of his generation
I believe that going to baseball game with your father is mandatory for everyone
I believe in Kenny Mayne, Dave Dameshek, Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon, and Woody Paige
I believe everyone has a correct opinion about sports but if you try and tell me something that is factually wrong, it pisses me off
I believe hockey is not a dead sport
I believe in taking two days off work for March Madness
I believe in the running diary as a great way to remember events
I believe in my mothers cooking
I believe in the sweet spot and the feeling of hitting a driver 300 yards
I believe Red Sox fans are the new Yankees fans
I believe every team name should end in S
And I believe that anyone can love sports, you just have to find a team.

I urge anyone who reads this to make their own list, I give you permission to take some of my beliefs, but this is about you. What do you believe in? If you do make a list and want to share it I would be happy to post it on this blog.

Well happy writing.

Times are Changing

2008-07-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

Summer is a funny time. It always seems like the end. The end of school. The end of the seasons. The end of cool weather. However I feel like it is a time to reflect. A time to look ahead to what is next. A time to really decide what is important to us all.

I am going to warn you that this post is going to be a lot different than anything else I have ever written. Or at least I think/hope it will be.

If you find yourself reading this and you aren't exactly sure why, or if you aren't sure why I think you should read it the answer is simple. I am in a very scary but familiar time in my life. You may find yourself in a similar place or you may have been a part of my life when I was last going through big change. Either way I hope that everyone can get something out of my situation.

In order to explain where I am we must first look at the past. When I was 17 years old, almost five years exactly from where we are today I was a recent high school grad leaving to go far far away to a distant land. Boulder, Colorado. I had a girl that I really cared about, a family that had always taken care of me, and a group of friends who would do anything (they may beg to differ) for me.

Yet I had made the decision to go to college a thousand miles away. I had no idea why I was there. I had no idea what my passion was. The transition was extremely difficult and I feel behind. Way behind. Broke up with the girl, which was for the better for both of us. Refused to talk to my family when they decided that I was unable to handle life in Colorado. And while the friends remained they all had their own struggles in adapting to college life. So I was forced for the first time in my life to take care of myself.

Fast forward five years. I am now 22. I moved home and live with my parents still. A fact that I am non too proud of. I have found my passion and if you are still reading this then you have hopefully figured out that passion. I have met the most amazing girl. We have been dating for a year and a half and she really has kicked my ass to get me motivated about a lot of things in life. And as far as my friends, we have all remained close but they are moving on to bigger and better things and I applaud them for that.

As of last week my girlfriend received a great job offer to move back to her college town of Davis and to be honest she would have been a fool not to take the job. So in about two weeks she will be moving about five hours away. One of my best friends is now living in Boston and going to Harvard to get his masters. Another best friend is moving to Palo Alto for work. Hell, even my kid sister who is four years younger than me has moved out of the house.

But for some reason despite the overwhelming feeling that my life is being turned upside down, I am excited. I am excited to have my surroundings change. We all should be so lucky to have such amazing change in life.

This may seem a lot cheesy but a song lyric keeps coming to mind. It is from the song All We Are by OneRepublic (if you don't know the song I highly recommend downloading it). It goes: "We won't say our goodbyes you know its better that way, we won't break we wont die its just a moment of change."

You see just because life appears to be changing right now, its just one little piece of the pie. Moving out is scary. Moving across the country to go to school it scary. Moving close to a loved one and trying to figure out how your lives fit together is scary. Seeing the love of your life move away and wondering how this will effect things is scary. But in the big scheme of things its just one small piece of a bigger picture.

In order to tie this blog in somehow to the sports community I think that we can all relate to the things that are happening in sports. The NBA, NFL, and MLB all appear to be coming to the end of eras.

In the NBA it is hopefully the end of the referee scandals. We are also seeing a lot of younger guys in the league, soon guys like Kobe and T-Mac won't be the biggest names in the game. There are newer younger guys who will be taking the mantle of the older players and carrying the game for the next 10 to 15 years. It is a scary time for those really involved in the league. Who knows if these are the right guys to hand the keys over too?

In the NFL we have had about 15 potential Hall of Fame players retire this off season. How do we know if we will ever see players like Brett Favre ever again?

The MLB is hopefully facing the end of the steroids era. Baseball is also a sport like both the NBA and NFL that is going through a changing of the generation of sorts. No longer will Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Greg Maddox be the headline players. Bonds and Sosa will probably never play again. Griffey and Maddox are in the twilight of Hall of Fame careers and will be out of the game within the next three years.

It may seem odd that for the first time since 1997 that neither the Red Sox or the Yankees are in first place in the American League East when they played each other. However it is that sort of change that keeps things interesting. If change never happened then what would be the use of trying?

Yes, for me it is scary to see my girlfriend leaving but it actually makes me sit back and realize what is important. It shows me that I am excited to finish school so that I can find a job that wants me as bad as hers wanted her.

I apologize if this seems like a random rant about changes that you feel wasted five minutes of your life. I hope that you could take something from this. Remember that "it's just a moment of change."

College Baseball; View from Another

2008-06-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

In lieu of a post by me, my buddy Little Mike aka The Harvard Man (See The Death and Rebirth of Colby) has written a post regarding the College Baseball World Series. My posting will probably continue to be light for the next few weeks while summer school is taking precedent.

Hopefully I will have time to post about Vegas this week but in the meantime here is Little Mikes thoughts:

Is anyone watching the College World Series? I’d guess the answer for most people is a resounding “No.” For all you nay-sayers (in the literal sense of the phrase), you’re missing out. Fresno State is playing Georgia for the NCAA World Series tile, Monday (6/23), and it might be the best sporting event on TV the next few days. (Euro 2008 doesn’t start up again until Wednesday.)

Why should you care? Fresno State’s championship appearance is tantamount to George Mason making the final four or Duke-football beating, well, anyone. They started off the season 8-11. Their regular season record was barely over .500. They wouldn’t have even made the playoffs unless they won their conference. Their coach even lists making his high school all-area baseball team under his "accomplishments" on the team website.

Well, if that don’t turn you on, you ain’t got no swich. Watch the games. Go Bulldogs! (Yes, both teams are the Bulldogs, but you know which one to cheer for.)

Isn't This How It Should Be?

2008-06-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

So after the 4500 word monstrosity that was the wedding blog, I am taking it a little easier this week. I will be writing about my trip to Vegas this weekend with four women. My buddy Mike wants me to escalate things and tell you that I have hooked up with three of them. However, this isn't true. One is my girlfriend, the other three are her friends from college. Should be an interesting trip.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about. The Lakers just won game three by an unimpressive six point margin. However one thing keeps being overlooked in this matchup. No one seems to give the Lakers credit for having the arguably the greatest coach in NBA history.

Phil Jackson has eleven finals as a coach. He has won nine championships so far. He is tied with Red Auerbach for the most championships ever. Phil also has a better playoff and regular season winning percentage than Red. Doc Rivers is an over matched coach who lucked out by having two all-stars thrust into his lap. If he didn't make it to the finals this year he would have lost his job.

Why is this an important matchup? Phil can win you two games just by adjustments and working the refs. Game three he won the Lakers the game doing a little of both. Expect more of the same in game four. I also still don't think people can acurately perdict a winner in the series. If Boston wins game four I think they win the series. If the Lakers win both game four and five I think they win the series. Its a coin flip any other way.

Now on to a sport I have never covered before, Fútbol. Today I had the opportunity of doing sound for a Sprint commercial with the guys from Chivas USA. What a great group of guys. All really nice and funny guys. There is no way I belong in that locker room, but I never felt unwelcome. That includes the 15 minutes or so when half the team was in the locker room getting naked before they showered.

The guys were and consummate professionals and in one hour of shooting they have converted me into a Chivas fan.

Isn't that how athletes should be? Enigmatic and entertaining?

The Death and Re-Birth of Colby

2008-06-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

So with the coming of my mid-20s my friends are apparently going to start getting hitched. My friend Colby decided that he was going to be the guinea pig and tie the knot first.

With this monumental happening I decided that it was an event that I need to document. What a better place to share and keep this occasion than here on my blog?

That being said when I went on this dream-like weekend extravaganza I had no idea what would happen. I had certain expectations, but they in no way could measure up to what happened. So, to protect my friends and people that I never met, I will not be using last names or pictures of anyone. I am also going to try to clean up the events a little so that they are a little less vulgar, but I am also a journalist and take pride in reporting the truth. So, some of the events may be a little (and by little I mean a lot) embarrassing for those involved. This is not meant to hurt anyone; it is just how things happened and my thoughts on the events.

Truth be told I had a wonderful time and feel very privileged to be present for the amazing event that will shape two people for their entire lives. So to Colby and Jenna, I hope this is something that you can look to for remembrance of your day.

Ok, enough with the mushy stuff. I have included a cast so that you, the reader, can keep everyone straight.

The following is a true story. Nothing in this blog is fictitious. Yes we really are this amazing. And yes I do own the movie rights.

Cast:
Scott – The Mentor
Noelle – My Girlfriend
Colby – The Groom
Jenna – The Bride
Little Mike – The Harvard Man
Big Mike – The Brutal Comic
Garett – The Best Man
Tommy – The Next
Brock – The Alcoholic
Sheena – The Head of the Association
Bruce – The Stubborn Drunk
Katie – The Girlfriend of Tommy aka The Next II
Sandy – The Mother of the Groom
Steve – The Stepfather of the Groom
Carly – The Drunken Girl
Taylor – The Quiet One
Madeline – The Girlfriend of Taylor aka The Sleepy One
Eric – The Gracious Host
Anna – The Girlfriend of Eric aka The Fashion Designer

Day 1

5:50am(PST): Alarm. Why did I drink wine last night? I don’t like wine. Arrrgggg. Why am I going to Minnesota again? Bleh.
8:15am: Little Mike, Big Mike, Scott, and I are on the most packed flight I have ever been on. 3 hours and 28 minutes in the air from Los Angeles to Minnesota and I didn’t bring a book or food. Wait… NWA (no not that NWA)doesn’t offer a food service on their airlines? Save me now.
1:43pm(CST): Thank God, we landed. I can finally breath without smelling the 370-pound man sleeping on my shoulder. Oh and I can eat.
1:55pm: So I just got a text from Noelle: “I know you are going to be sharing a room with 3 guys and drinking, but nothing gay.” Who does she think I am? Scott, Little Mike, and Big Mike are all way too handsome to make any promises.
2:02pm: The airport has a tram that takes passengers from the gates to the baggage claim. And ours just broke down. Also, the voice on the tram is British. We are in the Mid West United States. Whose brilliant idea was it to put a British Lady’s voice on the tram to boss us around? Maybe the revolutionary war isn’t over?
2:10pm: Heck yes, we have a Blue Mini Van for our rental car. It looks amazing. It is a Dodge Grand Caravan. A heck of a motor carriage.
2:13pm: Scott is a Saturn man. He has had the same piece of crap Saturn since I was in the 9th grade. I just found out that he now has a Saturn Vue. I don’t know what to think. On one hand I am proud that he is stepping up in life, but I also feel like I don’t even know this person anymore.
2:18pm: Way number 2387 that you can tell its going to be a good weekend: Van Halen is one of the first few songs you hear in your rental car.
3:00pm: We just arrived at the hotel where Sandy was there to greet us. She gave us a list of info on what we will be doing this evening. She also gave us a little preview as to the night before. Apparently the boys all got a little drunk and naked in the hotel. This is going to be an epic weekend. Our hotel is amazing too. In the lobby there is cookies and apples free for the taking. I love it.
3:42pm: As we were walking out to the car to get our bags, we just saw a guy with a wicked comb-over. The only way we knew he had a comb-over was that the second he stepped outside a gust of wind turned his comb-over into a Mohawk. Scott just said he looks like a rooster.
4:32pm: We have been here for about an hour and a half and finally Colby, Bruce, Tommy, Garett, and Taylor have shown up at our room. It is the first time we have seen many of these guys for a few years. It is also the boost of life that Scott, the Mikes, and I needed to be excited for tonight.
5:15pm: We are headed to the lake cruise that Sandy and Steve are throwing the family and out of town guests. It is on one of the 11,500 lakes in Minnesota. Yes there will be an open bar and yes we will be drinking. But the hotel is offering a shuttle to and from the event. Did I mention that I love this hotel?
5:30pm: Big Mike, “That’s weird, they sell kids hair?”
5:54pm: For those that don’t know Colby, he has some mannerisms that we call Colbyisms. If you are around him for more than 15 minutes you will hear one. I am surprised that we had to wait this long for him to give us an, “O.” (Its hard to describe the sounds and mannerisms in words so to describe it I’ll just say it was a sharp O with a jolt of the head, again if you know Colby you would know this Colbyism)
5:59pm: Big Mike just said, “A boat full of 13 year old girls looks like a lot of fun,” without any sarcasm in his voice. Why am I scared for all the little girls in the state?
6:02pm: Me: “I think that was the longest one yet.” Thomas: “I get that a lot.”
6:20pm: Here I am minding my own drink, having a really wonderful conversation with the mother of the bride when Garett puts something in my ear. I say, “Eww, what is that?” Mother of the bride: “He just put cock in you ear.” Me: “Wait what?” Mother of the bride: “He put silicone cock in your ear.” Garett: “What did I put in Ross’s ear?” Mother of the bride: “You put cock in his ear. Stop being gross.”
6:30pm: Garett is trying to convince me that Pirates are going to board the boat, rob us and take the women. Has he really had that much to drink?
6:34pm: Garett: “Over tipping is like having cancer.”
6:44pm: When we were in High School, Garett sang a solo at a choral concert. During the song Garett began to scratch himself a little inappropriately. The story has come up. Garett: “I kind of feel proud. Its something I look back on and I consider a great learning experience. I don’t feel like it defines me as a person in La Canada as much as it used to. I’m sure that the mothers used to say ‘Well there was an Arab on stage scratching himself.’”
6:50pm: Colby has finally come up on top of the boat to drink with us. First thing he says: “I’m pulling the plug.” Apparently the father of the bride keeps telling Colby that it is still okay to back out.
6:52pm: We haven’t had that much to drink but for some reason we have all broken out in song. Way number 5498 that you can tell it’s going to be a good weekend: The group starts singing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

7:41pm: After having a wonderful Dinner, Garett and Little Mike are going to be singing to the group because Colby has always wanted Garett to sing at his wedding. The best news of the performance is that Garett successfully goes the entire four song set with out touching his crotch.
8:15pm: I had the brilliant idea to have a Saved by the Bell group high five. What I didn’t take into account was the height of the ceiling. So I just thrust my hand into the ceiling of the boat. Ouch.
8:29pm: I am shocked at what a beautiful state this is. Who would have thought? So after going back up to the top of the boat the random singing continues. We sing Anchor for the soul, it’s a church song, and it’s amazing. We also decide it would be a good idea to take a shot as a group.

8:33pm: One certainty with this group is that booze and music mixed will turn into Garett free styling. We also share more stories. The best is from when Colby, Garett, and I drove to Santa Barbara to visit Little Mike and Tommy. Colby: “I f*cking love you. That was from SB where I made out with 7 girls in an hour.” Thomas: “Sometimes you have to lower your standards to bump your average.” The discussion of the weekend has begun as to who is next to get married. I still think it’s going to be Thomas.
8:40pm: Garett tells Tommy that he yelled out, “Tommy is sexy!” and the Mother of the Bride looked at Garett and said, “Yes he is.” Colby thinks his future mother-in-law is a cougar.
9:18pm: Another Colbyism once we get back on shore: “Ooooohhhhhh shooooot.”
9:57pm: In order to keep this blog tied in some way to sports: Lakers up! 68-53 in the third. Also Garett is now referring to gum as slices not sticks. I like it.
10:03pm: Colby just came in our room, dropped his pants and underwear so that he could go to the bathroom. He didn’t shut the door and said he likes going to the bathroom naked because, “It’s breezy.”
10:48pm: One of the best things about our amazing hotel is that there is a Karaoke bar attached to it. So we are there watching Garett sing Steam Roller Blues by James Taylor
10:52pm: There is a guy here with the most wicked mullet ever. He has a decent voice too.
11:01pm: Several fat women just dragged Scott onto the stage to sing Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks. I don’t know what to be embarrassed by; the girls or that Scott seems to know every word?
11:05pm: Brock has had a few too many drinks and now he is going to sing Hotel California by the Eagles; a song that he already sang on the boat. I’m not going to lie, it needs some work.
11:14pm: Garett is not singing his second song of the evening. He is pulled up to sing the duet Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock. He is singing it with Sheena and he has only heard the song once. I love it.
11:26pm: Scott decides to show his age by singing Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. He is assisted by a cute girl who ads the "f*cking" line that everyone remembers from Old School.
11:44pm: Scott is now going to hit on the girl who helped him on stage. The line I gave him was to thank her for helping you out.
11:56pm: Scott, “Good from far, far from good.”
12:02am: As a group all the boys and myself just went up to sing Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. I’m not one to toot my horn but beep beep.
12:15am: The bar has cut off Bruce. How could someone that small hold that much alcohol?
12:25am: Guess what, Garett is singing again. I don’t even know the song.
1:14am: Okay its time to sleep. Tomorrow is the wedding and if tonight was any indication of how the rest of the weekend is going to be, we need some rest.

Day 2

9:00am: After sharing a bed with Scott and actually sleeping wonderfully we went and got free breakfast from the hotel (did I mention I love this hotel?) Apparently Bruce went for a walk last night after being drunk enough that the bar cut him off. I can neither confirm nor deny that the cops brought him back to the hotel.
9:44am: Colby just came to our room to tell us that he had the last breakfast of his life. I told him, “Isn’t in Jenna’s contract that she has to make you breakfast every morning?” Big Mike: “Yeah, you’re going to have p*ssy for breakfast.” Colby: “That’s inappropriate. But yes I’ going to have female waffles.” Colby also tells me that he is feeling good about getting married. He is not nervous but it’s just stressful. Colby also tells us that he had some trouble with his vows at the Wedding Rehearsal the night before. He also says that he needs to take GasX before the ceremony.

11:35am: Colby just walked up stairs to start showering and whatnot. He also just rode his shirt for Katie and me. Katie: “Wow that’s sexy. Jenna is lucky.” Colby: “Frig yeah.”
1:54pm: Scott, the Mikes, and I decided that it would be a good idea to shoot off fireworks for the Colby and Jenna after the reception. While at Walgreen’s we found a remote control hummer and a mini red wagon. We are going to put three sets of fireworks in the bed of the truck and the wagon. We are geniuses.
2:04pm: Check out lady at Walgreen’s: “Is that hummer for the groom for his honeymoon?” Scott: “Hopefully its not the only hummer he gets on his honeymoon.”
2:07pm: We weren’t exactly sure how the fireworks are going to work so we shot off one set. They are going to be great.
4:34pm: We are now getting ready to go to the event that brought us to Minnesota and no I am not talking about wiffle ball. I am talking about the Wedding.
4:57pm: After making ourselves beautiful for the ceremony we are waiting in the lobby for Madeline and Katie. It is kind of funny to see the maturity levels of my friends. Big Mike is sitting in a leather chair and looks like a lawyer, Little Mike is reading the classic novel Peter Pan, and Scott, the elder statesman, is doing a puzzle. Scott: “I don’t like being referred to as the elder statesman.”
5:41pm: After seating ourselves at the Church, Scott, the Mikes and I sneak downstairs to take pictures and pray with Colby and the rest of the boys before the ceremony. While taking pictures Colby stuck his finger up both my and Scott’s butt. Scott: “Jenna is going to ask you, ‘Colby who ass has your finger been in because it sure doesn’t smell like mine.’ Scott is in rare form. He also wonders why Sheena needed Associates to put together the programs.
6:44pm: The wedding is over. It was a dramatic ceremony, but to lighten things up Colby had a few Colbyisms including “definitely” and “AaaaShhhhhhhh”. To be perfectly honest the room did get a pit dusty and it was really cool to be there to see.
8:13pm: We arrived at the Country Club that is hosting the reception. Garett is giving the best man toast. He has a few quotes from children that he definitely did not interview. He also included the word truly seven times. It was truly wonderful.
8:56pm: We just got to b with Colby for the first time as a married man. It is amazing to see the shift that has come over him. It seems like a weight has been lifted off of him. He even pulled out an old line, “I definitely have a tattoo.” We also find that he took two GasX and they worked great. Colby: “It’s great to be married… It’s going to get dirty on the dance floor.”
9:26pm: Colby’s uncle just told a story about when Jenna and Colby came to visit him in Hawaii. Apparently Jenna eats a lot and Colby’s Uncle thinks she is a fat ass but she is trapped in a tiny body. Also one of Jenna’s roommates told the story of how Jenna really didn’t like Colby when they first met but that after he was persistent she finally fell for him. Moral of the story, Jenna settled on Colby after every other guy spurned her because she eats so much.
9:25pm: Cake in the face, classic wedding moment.
9:42pm: We just got to watch a slideshow put together by the couple and now Garett is singing again.
10:01pm: After the First dance, the father daughter dance, and the Mother son dance its time to dance.
11:33pm: I just decided to go check on status of our firework surprise. Scott and Little Mike set it up. The best thing is that no one knows its going to happen.
11:41pm: The fireworks were awesome. Big Mike just pointed out that Embassy Suites is an anagram for Be My Ass Tissue.
1:02am: After the wedding the whole crew took two cars to Maynard’s, a local Minnesota bar. We arrived about 30 minutes before last call. However we were invited by Eric and Anna to come back to Eric’s house to hang out. On my way out I smacked a girl in the head. One girl dropped her drink and I said, “man down.” Girl who dropped her drink: “It’s okay it was just water, I still have my booze.” So I gave her a high five. The girl next to her wanted one too so I obliged. But I guess I hit a little too hard because I went right through the high five and nailed her right in the head. Whoops. Oh and also there is a chick fight going on in the parking lot.
1:11am: We are now waiting for Scott who is getting hit on by a pretty cute girl, who is obliterated. Tommy thinks her boobs look like they are hanging out. The girl just twirled her hair but it is apparent that she wants to do the horizontal body twirl. Scott and the drunk girl just almost touched lips. What is happening?
1:20am: So my blog may have just doubled in size. We got into the car to go to Eric’s house and Scott has invited the drunk girl to come with us. Her name is Carly. She also just said that she doesn’t want to be the only republican in the car but I just told her that I voted Bush and she said she did too but that it was a bad mistake. She also just said, “I’m a giant whore, I’m a giant republican.” Also in the car are Garett, Big Mike, Tommy, and Katie. We have never seen Scott in a situation like this before. In fact being in the situation is like seeing an endangered and rare animal hunt in the wild for the first time. Tommy and I are trying to figure out what Scotts motives are. I am dumbfounded at the entire situation I don’t know what to think. It’s funny; I always seem to be there for big monumental moments in Scott’s life. The first time Scott every got drunk was when he was with me. I feel so privileged.
1:32am: Carly almost got closed in the door and seems to be arguing with Scott about how you cant just take someone’s water gun. She is really drunk, like even more than I thought she was. But I have more important things to worry about like the fact that we are in the most amazing house in the history of mankind. There is a huge projection TV, pool table, ping-pong, an Andy Warhol painting, a bar, and an indoor trampoline. I am speechless.
2:21am: There seems to be a lot of sexual tension in the house. Bruce looks like he wants to hook up with some girl. We have not seen Scott since we got here. He never came inside. I really want to go do some spying …err…. hardcore investigate reporting. Bruce just asked me, “Is that Scotts girlfriend?” Me: “No he just met her tonight.” Bruce: “Oh cause there is a lot of drama out there.”
2:43am: We just got back in the car to go back to the hotel and go to bed. Carly is passed out in the front seat. Mouth wide open. Dead to the world. Thank goodness we are taking her home.
2:54am: So we are still in the car, lost in middle of freaking nowhere, Minnesota. Apparently we are looking for Briar Road. Scott just told me that he has some quotes for me once we get back to the hotel. I am ecstatic.
3:31am: We have finally arrived at the home of Carly’s friend where she is staying for the night. Is the friend hitting on Scott? Is she inviting Scott up? NO! Oh okay good, he is coming back. We were having none that. Tommy: “I guess Carly is very aggressive in a friendly way.” One of Carly’s friends is a big girl and is she naked under that blanket? We also decided that it would be a good idea to give Scott a round of applause once he got back in the car.
3:34am: I am proud of Scott. He is holding nothing back. All of the following are direct quotes from Carly: “Take me now, I want you to f*ck my brains out. I want you to lay me down, kiss me, and f*ck my brains out. I want you to f*ck the sh*t of me.” She clearly wasn’t making logical decisions. However, Scott also said the funniest thing about the entire situation was that Bruce came outside, took off his shirt and sat on the grass by himself and watched the lake (I forgot to mention that the house was on a lake). After some making out the conversation turned to their relationship; Carly: “Do you love me?” Scott: “No, I just met you tonight.” Carly: “Do you like me?” Scott: “Well I like you enough to ask you to come back out with me didn’t I?” Carly: “You could have had me once, I loved you so much the first time I laid eyes on you but things got different now.” Scott told us that he felt like they had this whole relationship and that now they were breaking up. Carly seemed very existential. So, after some making out and strange conversation its clear that Carly was going to pass out. Apparently she seemed very interested in the fact that Scott has a hotel room. But after all of the getting lost and what not we finally got her home. The kicker was that her friend told Scott that this wasn’t the first time this had happened with Carly. Whoops. Tommy: “I guess we called it on the crabs huh?”
3:50am: We finally got back to the hotel and now Scott is telling the story to Little Mike who was in the other car. He says that he sees these girls trying to get cabs. Carly came up to him and saw that he had his arms crossed and said, “Aren’t you diplomatic?” She immediately started talking politics. She also had a squirt gun that she kept squirting Scott with. Scott said that her entire demeanor changed the second Scott called her attractive. Scott: “ You know…Talk talk talk, flirt flirt flirt, squirt squirt squirt.” Scott has just informed us that he forgot the most ridiculous line that she said but that he will say it in a little bit. Scott soon finds that Carly is a television reporter. Scott then convinces Carly’s friends to let her come out with him. So she comes out and all that madness happens. So the ridiculous line that she said was, “I want you to c*m on me.” Classy right?

Day 3

12:28pm: After the amazing night before we all got a late start this morning. We just got breakfast and now we are going to go get some more fireworks and go play some wiffle ball with Tommy, Katie, Garett, Little Mike, Big Mike, Scott, and myself. I have been looking forward to wiffle ball all weekend.

12:37pm: We just got to the field, Minnesota is full of lakes and open land. I love this place.
3:12pm: So after a few hours of wiffle ball, some burned limbs from fireworks, and some pretty dang good burgers it’s time to take Tommy to the airport. Tommy: “I wasn’t expecting so many crazy experiences from DUIs (authors note: pediatrician convinced by Brock to go to a strip club after a barbecue instead of going to the bar with the boys) to crazy houses.” Tommy: “Colby and Jenna are so good for each other.” Garett: “When are you going to pop the question?” Tommy: “I like being a bachelor (Katie is next to him).” Scott: “It’s pretty awesome to see Colby all grown up and ready to do this, he really has matured a heck of a lot.” The conversation stayed on Colby as we started going through the many stages of Colby. Early in high school it was the Boy-band phase with Brian and Dillon, then the Professional tanner on houseboats, which led to surfer Colby when he started the surf club at Azusa Pacific, which was at the same time as the 70s stage with really tight pants, which led to the Emo stage with his purple hair and screamo music, then Jenna came along and brought out all the things that we loved about those stages and created a super Colby. In my opinion Jenna is the radioactive spider to Colby’s Spider-man. Needless to say we are all very proud of Colby.
3:46pm: We just provided romantic music for Tommy and Katie while we dropped Tommy off at the airport. We played Mariah Carey out of the car while they said their goodbyes. They don’t get to see each other from two months. So now we are off to the Mall of America to kill some time before we head home.
5:40pm: Little Mike is taking a flight home tomorrow because he flew out on miles, so we just dropped him off at a church called Solomon’s Porch. Little Mike is kind of a church nerd but that’s why we love him. I am really ready to get home. I am exhausted and have another four-hour flight to look forward to on my way home. Lucky me.
7:10pm-9:06pm: I ended up getting an entire row to myself on the flight home. I am so happy that I can sleep. I also learned my lesson on the way here and brought food with me on this flight, and I bought a book so that I would be entertained.
9:15pm(PST): We finally landed in Los Angeles. It may have been warmer in the Twin Cities that it is here. Whatever, I’m tired and I am going home.

So after this amazing weekend I can’t help but think that the benchmark has been set. Colby and Jenna's wedding was an amazing time for everyone and we all have this to live up to. Thank god I have friends that will try and live up to this ridiculous weekend.

(Authors note: Turns out Carly is at best estimate 22 years old, Scott thinks she needs some help with her on camera work. Yes these are my friends)

Mavs, Cowboys, Pacman, and Minnesota

2008-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

So I just read that The Mavs and Cowboys are teaming up to bring the NBA All-Star Game to Dallas in the near future. The story was reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Mavs, Cowboys Join Forces
The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys have joined forces in an effort to bring the NBA All-Star Game to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington as early as 2010, multiple sources said Tuesday.

No bid has been submitted and executives stress all that has been done at this stage is to explore options. But the unusual alliance has piqued the interest of NBA officials and satisfies divergent goals for the local franchises.

You may remember that the Cowboys recently acquired Pacman Jones from Tennessee. This is the same Pacman who has been suspended from the league since 2006 for his actions at... wait for it... NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND! The allegations are that while visiting Las Vegas for the All-Star Weekend, Pacman went to a strip club, made it rain, hit a stripper who tried to grab some of the money, was then escorted (thrown) out of the club by a bouncer, then had one of his associates go back to the club and shoot the bouncer, who is now a paraplegic.

So the Mavs and the Cowboys want to bring the weekend to Dallas so that Pacman can save money on airfare? I am trying to see the reason that the Cowboys are getting into this besides money. Because now after the new conduct policy was passed by the NFL, teams will also be held responsible for the actions of the offending players. So maybe the Cowboys are trying to get money out of the deal so that they will break even when Pacman shoots another stripper at the 2010 All-Star weekend.

On a completely unrelated note, there will be an epic post coming up soon. The Minnesota Running Diary. The entire weekend was bizarre/incredible/ridiculous and honestly I could probably convince myself the whole thing was a dream just because of the strange happenings.

Look for that possibly later in the week. If not next week for sure.

This Weekend

2008-05-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

So a few things.

First I wanted to give some love to a buddy of mine from High School who is working for a minor league affiliate of the Angels called the Orem Owlz. He recently showed me a video that he made in order to hype up the team. It may not make sense to anyone and everyone but I think it's funny.

Secondly this weekend I am going to Minnesota for another buddies wedding and as a result I am pulling out all the stops and having a running diary of the events while trying to keep an eye on game two of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Spurs.

See you next week.

SC Deserves To Burn, And Not Just Because I Love The Bruins

2008-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

USC has been under fire for almost a year now with the allegations that Reggie Bush may have received nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts during his time playing for the Trojans. Gifts that include a new home for his parents. However, taking gifts or money, as a college athlete, is an illegal act that can damage not only the school the athlete plays for but also the image of the athlete himself or herself.

Now USC is back is in the spotlight for having another questionable athlete on one of their sports teams.

OJ Mayo has been labeled as a “can’t miss” basketball product since he was in Junior High. As a result his every move has been scrutinized. In a September 2007 article in Slam Magazine the world was introduced to Mayo’s confidant, Rodney Guillory.

Guillory is a name that USC should have remembered when they were recruiting Mayo. In 2000 Guillory was responsible for getting star USC player Jeff Trepagnier suspended for accepting airfare to Las Vegas. Even then Guillory was labeled as a runner for an agency.

That agency is BDA sports where Mayo signed with last month when he announced that he would forego his final three years of eligibility at USC to enter the NBA draft. It’s also the same agency that allegedly set up a credit card for Guillory in order to pay for Mayo’s plasma TV in his dorm room, hotels for Mayo and his friends, and any other expenses that a college student can’t afford.

The biggest question raised from the situation is what should the punishment be and who should be punished?

Well both Mayo and Bush are no longer USC student athletes. However USC has a duty to keep tabs on all illegal activities that any student on campus partakes. That means that USC should be held responsible for the actions of the two high profile students they had at school.

But what should the punishment be?

In the NCAA bylaws there is a seldom-used punishment that is referred to as “the death penalty.” It is the harshest punishment that the NCAA can use and it has only been enacted only two other times in history.

The death penalty prevents a school from competing in certain sports for one to two seasons. It is the penalty that USC should face due to its blatant disregard for keeping tabs on its athletes.

The NCAA has been very careful about doling out the death penalty after the last time they used this harsh punishment.

In 1986 Southern Methodist University faced allegations that football players were being paid to come to school. This is just one year after the college is placed on three years probation for recruiting violations. As a result of the allegations SMU was given the death penalty.

The 1987 football season was canceled for SMU. Also all home games in 1988 were cancelled, they were banned from bowl games until 1990, the probation was also extended till 1990, the school lost 55 scholarships over the next 4 years, and, finally, the football program was only allowed to hire five full-time assistant coaches instead of the customary nine.

Prior to the death penalty, SMU was a proud football program that many viewed as one of the top football schools in the country. They played in the Southwest Conference, where they were the headlining program. As a result of the death penalty, many players were unwilling to stay at, let alone come to SMU to play due to the harsh punishments the school was facing. However, the most devastation was felt in the conference.

The Southwest Conference folded in 1996 because of the money lost during the punishment of SMU. The punishment was so devastating that it has never been given since, even during times when the punishment seemed fair.

Because of the problems that USC has allowed to happen to their two most revenue making programs, they should be given the death penalty.

It seems like there has been a blatant disregard for fair treatment of all students on campus. It is evident that athletes are treated differently by the school than your average student is. There is a lack of institutional control that needs to be punished until the programs are clean enough to have an eve playing field.

Yes the death penalty has been labeled the atomic bomb of college sports, but USC is a different school than SMU. During the time that SMU was punished, they were on the rise. The death penalty was really a death penalty. If it were given to USC, it would be more of a clipping. Cut out the bad and allow the healthy to grow.

The Pac-10 Conference is one of the few conferences in college athletics that could sustain a team going on the death penalty. There are enough high profile teams to keep the revenue of the conference at a maximum even without one of its top teams.

We may find that this is a norm in college sports, athletes being treated differently than everyone else. But it seems important to make an example of such a high profile school in order to scare all other schools to following the rules of the NCAA.

Focusing on a Positive

2008-05-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Trust me I am fighting my glee at the troubles facing the hated trojans across town. I would love nothing more than to see the death penalty enacted and/or Tim Floyd lose his job. However I think it is important to look at how UCLA is different and how the Bruins use their scholarships for some good.

Here is a blog by Andy Katz on the WWL (World Wide Leader aka ESPN) website that emphasizes the differences more than any one of us could.

The blog also provides some great news regarding Aboya. I never thought I would be saying this but I will be rooting against the Cameroonian National Team this summer because I would love to see Alfred back in the Blue and Gold next year.

Peace and K-Love,

Go Bruins

Mini Update

2008-05-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

LSU announced today that they had released J'Mison "Bobo" Morgan, five star center, from his letter-of-intent today. Meaning that he can now sign with UCLA, which is his plan, hopefully. That will ease the pain of losing Kevin Love. No Bobo is not K-Love. He is not even close to K-Love. He will help the front court which is the biggest need for the Bruins but he is not going to be Pac 10 player of the year, or even an All-American. He is slow and has some trouble with his passing. But he is a good finisher near the basket and he has great hands. So next year, assuming we only lose Love and Westbrook, it looks like the starting five will be Collison, Holiday (who looks an awful lot like DC), Shipp, Luc, and either Aboya or Morgan. That would mean Roll, Anderson, Lee, Gordon, and whichever big man doesn't start as out second team. I am suddenly feeling a lot better about the Bruins next year.

However, the one thing that makes me feel the best about next year is Collison, who is on the record recently saying, "We are going to make history." Collison has led the Bruins to three straight final fours. Maybe this is the year that he breaks through and finally wins one. But that is still ten months away.

If you look back at last weeks post about Kobe you may notice that I left out one thing that really should have been in the top ten. Kobe's ability to play through injury. It almost seems like everyone has forgotten that Kobe is playing with what can only be described as a dead pinky finger. Yet he still hasn't missed a game yet. Hopefully the back won't hinder him too much this week and he will continue to play well at home and carry the Lake-show onto the Western Conference Finals.

That's all for me now, but look for a column about the O.J. Mayo/USC situation later on this week. Trust me I am holding back my giddiness.

Actually I just wanted to close with this picture I found. Looks like they are going to have to make a slight addition to it.

Top 10 Reasons Kobe is Your MVP

2008-05-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday May 6, Kobe Bryant became the fourth Los Angeles Laker to win the Most Valuable Player award. After 12 years in the league Kobe won the award for the first time in his career.

The MVP is an award that is always up for debate. But after this season these are the top 10 reasons why Kobe deserves the award.

1. 82 Games

For only the second time in his career, Kobe has played all 82 games in the season. He was injury free. Every other MVP candidate missed time with injuries, but not Kobe. The guy was a machine.

2. 28-5-6

Jerry West, the guy that is the NBA Logo, is the only other Laker to average 28 points Five rebounds and six assists a game. Yes he did it 3 times and never won an MVP but that is still some exclusive company. Especially when you think that Magic Johnson never did it.

3. Defense

Kobe is the best defensive guard in the game. Not only will he score 50 on you but he can also hold you to ten. He is incredible at shutting down his man in tight situations. He is not only the defensive stopper for the Lakers but that is also his role for the U.S. National Team. He is a seven time NBA All-Defensive team selection and will probably add number eight this year.

4. 15 Game Turnaround

The Lakers won 15 more games this year than they did last year. When you put that up against the 42 win improvement by the Celtics this year it doesn’t seem that significant but 42 wins is a record turnaround so you have can’t compare those two records. What you can say is that the Western Conference this year was the most competitive Conference in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors won 48 games and didn’t make the playoffs. If they were in the Eastern Conference they would have been the four seed. Kobe didn’t just lead the team to 15 more wins he led them to the best record in the West.

5. Playoffs

So far in the playoffs Kobe has been phenomenal. The Lakers are yet to lose a game, sweeping the Nuggets in four games and winning game one against Utah. Kobe has averaged 34.4 points 5.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in the playoffs. Utah head coach Jerry Sloan admitted, “We can’t match up with Kobe Bryant.” And that was DURING game one. The job of the coach is to come up with a way to stop Kobe and he is saying to everyone at home watching the game that they can’t stop him, way to wave the white flag Jerry.

6. Sasha, Jordan, Andrew

The three guys that Kobe had scrutinized the most heard the call and really stepped up this year because Kobe demanded a better team. Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and Andrew Bynum all averaged career highs in all major categories. Bynum could possibly have been in the running for most improved had it not been for a major knee injury that limited him to only 35 games this year.

7. He Jumped an Aston Martin

If you haven’t already seen it go on to youtube.com and search “Kobe Bryant jumps Aston Martin” and you will see one of the most incredible displays of athleticism possible. Is it real? Who cares, its still freaking amazing.

8. Big Games

Kobe has always been at his best during the big games. On January 1 against Dallas, Kobe had 40 points, 10 boards and five assists. March 2 also against Dallas 52 points, 10 boards, four assists. March 30 against Washington 26 points, 13 assists, and four rebounds. But Kobe’s real MVP moment this year came at home against New Orleans on April 11 where he had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eights assists. This was the game where all experts said that the winner of the game would win the MVP. Kobe beat Chris Paul and as a result the Lakers also took over first place in the division.

9. Against Playoff Caliber Teams

Against teams in the playoffs this year Kobe averaged 28.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. Now those numbers aren’t that much different than his regular season numbers but it shows that he is consistent against even the best competition.

10. Teammate Love

This year more than ever Kobe has embraced his teammates. During his MVP acceptance speech Kobe gave a lot of credit towards the team saying, “This is a team award. This isn’t an individual award. This gets done because of these guys [his teammates]. These are my brothers and we have one MVP.”

Kobe’s 12-year wait is tied with Karl Malone for the longest time in the league before winning his first award.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

2008-05-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

So I ran across this video online:

I had seen it before but watching it again it brought up a big fear that I have. I would really like to be in sports broadcasting but I really don't want to end up this kid. A little known fact about me is that I am a little bit shy. I don't know that I could do what guys like Scott Van Pelt do.

I almost feel like I would be really a nervous wreck like this guy.

Anyways, on to my thoughts of sports for today.

I am feeling a lot of anxiety about UCLA basketball next year. K-Love is gone. Westbrook is probably gone. Shipp is hopefully back but who knows, same with Prince Luc. The most beautiful college basketball player in history, Lorenzo Mata-Real is gone. Aboya is possibly going to grad school. Stanback is now transferring. The only two pieces that I am feeling great about for next year are Coach Howland and Darren Collison. I am happy about the recruiting class but I am going to be worried if a player like Nikola Dragovic is playing 30 plus minutes a game. But the lack of a center is frightening.

On to the debacle that is Bruin Football. If you have been a cafe the past few weeks you missed the top two UCLA Quarterbacks going down within minutes of each other during practice. Okay UCLA football has to be cursed right? A hurricane prevents the Bruins from playing against Miami in '98 while they were at full strength. If they had beat the Canes they would have played in the National Championship. Now this, a promising coaching staff and the possibility of starting something big and the top two QBs go down almost simultaneously. Who buried an SC jersey under the field? I think its safe to say that this is going to be a rough year for UCLA sports.

Stay tuned for an NBA piece sometime in the next week. Until then... Boom goes the dynamite.

Something to Add to Everyone's Bucket List

2008-04-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I attended the annual drunk fest known as Picnic Day. The entire time I was up there all I could think is "Oh my gosh, I wish I had planned ahead and done a running diary of this because it is amazing."

Honestly the entire weekend was a bit of a blur, not because I was drunk but because of how many people there were and how much there was going on.

Honestly I believe that everyone should add this wonderful day to their Bucket list. It is really difficult to describe so I will recant some of the more memorable moments and let you fill in the rest.

Noelle and I flew up on Friday evening and spent the first night eating pizza and beer, nothing too special except we were in Davis, which is always special. After hanging out with all of Noelle's really great Asian Friends, we called it a night.

Saturday started a little earlier than we would have liked mostly because Noelle woke up at 2am to find that her friend Lindsey, a 90 lbs Asian girl, had passed out on the kitchen floor because she went out and had a drink called a Wicky (short for Wicky Wacky Woo) which is one shot more than a Long Island Ice Tea. So in other words, it has a lot of booze in it.

So after a late night/early morning encounter we woke up the next morning to lots of people at the house and a lot of breakfast food. A few Mimosas later and we left for campus, each armed with a nalgene full of gin and soda. We started out by going over to the alpine ski booth where Noelle and Lindsey and another friend Nick all went sledding on snow that got shipped in the night before. I also remember watching a parade that reminded me of the La Canada Memorial Day Parade. But I think the most memorable things from the parade were the bathroom break that we took where we ran into a guy who offered us rum out of his backpack.

The other amazing thing about this event is that I really believe that dogs outnumber people. In fact I think there is a city ordinance that says that you are only aloud to live in Davis if you have a dog.

After walking around for about 5 hours me and Noelle went back to the house to shower and nap. That is when the really funny events happened. Noelle kicked a few uninvited hanger ons out of the house including a guy who really looked like he was at least 35 years old. I think he left his rascal outside along with his walker and caretaker. There was also a girl that kept taking off her clothes and mooned Noelle because some guy, who I affectionately called the "Home Wrecker," smacked her.

After waiting an hour or so for everyone to pile out we went to dinner. After some amazing sandwiches from the Nugget a game of Beer Pong it was bed time again.

All in all it really was an amazing weekend. I know that I am going to be back again and I really do encourage everyone to go at least once in their life because of the camaraderie and the spectacle.

Kinda like the Olympics. Drunk Olympics.

Random Tidbits For The Week

2008-04-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

So I am currently on Spring Break which seems cool, however I am not enjoying it at all. I have been way way way too lazy as a result of being off of school. Now I am not one who usually enjoys school but in this moment I am going to admit something: I am enjoying school this semester because for the first time in a long time I have been productive.

Now enough about my deepest darkest thoughts. Today is also a monumental event in history and no I am not talking about Jackie Robinson Day. Today I had my first prostate exam. I am 22 freaking years old! Why oh why did I need that to happen now?? Ah I really don't want to go into detail because I have been trying to keep this blog as clean as possible so let me just say that I really really didn't enjoy this pastime.

So anyways this is supposed to be a sports blog so I might as well talk about something.

First off UCLA took part in its annual tradition of practice ditch day. After stretching all the players sprint away and climb the fence to run away from practice. The only problem is this is a 6-7 team with a new coaching staff, a new offense, and a terrible offensive line. With only 15 practices allotted every spring it seems like a really stupid time to enact this tradition. If I were Ricky-Baby I would be working this team to the bone tomorrow to make up for the time lost. It is ridiculous that the team would do this now, and I think it speaks volumes about the type of team that we have: a bunch of selfish guys who will never live up to the hype of wearing the powder blues.

On to the NBA. The Lakers wrapped up the number one seed in the playoffs tonight which means they will have home court advantage through the playoffs. Great right? Honestly I don't think it matters that much. I mean it will be nice to have home court against say Utah who is a different team at home, but I am more concerned with their first round opponents, if it is the Mavs then I think its going to be rough.

Look for another post later in the week before I head up to Davis for Picnic Day.

Love Hurts

2008-04-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Break ups are never easy. There is always someone trying to explain things while the other is heart broken.

For the last few days I have been in mourning because of a vicious break up. Kevin Love and I are no longer on speaking terms because of a break up that we had the night before their game against Memphis.

We had a conversation that went something like this:

KL: Hey Ross, we gotta have that talk...
Me: What are you talking about?
KL: It's time for me to start pulling away. I need to show these guys that they can win without me taking over a game.
Me: Kevin, no. We need you. I need you.
KL: Don't make this harder than it has to be. Darren and Russell and Josh will be able to shoulder the load.
Me: Darren, Russell, and Josh?!?! Are you really saying that to me? If they could shoulder I would have seen it by now.
KL: Look Ross I am tired, I have to look out for myself.
Me: So you have been lying to us all along, this is about you not about us?
KL: Don't make me the bad guy here. Look, I care about you and I care about what happens to us but I need to look out for myself. Click.
Me: KEVIN NO!!!

Yes, it was rough. There were a lot of tear shed... mostly mine. However, I am going to miss K-Love and everything he did for us. If he is smart there will be a chance he comes back, but I don't expect him to.

That being said, I am done with basketball for now. Unless Love comes back and Tyler King decides to transfer to UCLA, I see it being a quiet off season.

So its on to FOOTBALL!!!

Yes Spring Practice has started on campus and the quarterback battle has been raging. Honestly I think that Ben Olson will be the starter in August against Tennessee, however I wouldn't mind seeing Kevin "Air" Craft take over the starting position and give us two good years. From what I have read, he has shown a lot of promise and is really pushing Olson and Pat Cowan.

The running game is also starting to come around which is surprising because one would assume that our top four runners are not taking part in contact drills yet. Kahlil Bell and Raymond Carter are both coming off injuries and Aundre Dean and Milton Knox are still in High School. But the guys we have now are looking good anyways.

I also heard Rick Neuheisel on the Dave Dameshek Show today and it really is amazing how charismatic he is. I couldn't help but smile because of how excited I am that he is the head coach. No matter how we do this season it is apparent that the program is in good hands.

While I am still trying to get over the heart break of my break up with Kevin Love, I am also excited to see that life goes on without Love. I hate to say it but maybe the grass is greener on the other side of the hill.

The Excitement of Spring

2008-04-03T23:42:00.001-07:00

This weekend is the Final Four and no matter what happens and who wins I am excited about my Bruins. Now I will warn you, it may not be the Bruins you're thinking of. Yes I will be rooting whole heartily on Saturday but today marked the beginning of Spring Football practice for your UCLA Football team.

Yes the Dream Team has officially started. Now its only 150 days till football season!!

One last thing: There is a new poll on the left, Go Bruins!!!

I Have The Madness

2008-03-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

The following is an article written for El Vaq and will most likely be in the April 9 paper:

Every year I get sick. Not physically ill but I am afflicted with a sickness that forces me to stay home, lie on the sofa, miss class and/or work, fail to put any effort into my relationships, and basically shirk any and all responsibilities.

The sickness lasts from about halfway through March until about the second week of April.

This sickness though it doesn’t just effect me, it affects millions. Men, women, children, young, old; no one is safe. This affliction has come to be known as “March Madness.”

I have “March Madness” so bad that my girlfriend even said to me, “I hate March!”

It may be sick, but I love it. The rest of the year I am consumed with what will happen this March.

Yes, it’s a wonderful time of the year when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is held; 65 teams are chosen to compete in a single elimination tournament where the last team standing is the National Champion, takes precedent over everything.

To some this may seem like a waste of time, but to me it is the best time of the year. 65 sets of fans are hopeful because it is the one sporting event where literally anything can happen. And this year has not disappointed.

As the Regional Finals concluded history was made. For the first year ever all four number one seeds advanced to the Final Four in San Antonio. However even the fans of North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA will agree that this year has been no cakewalk.

Schools like Davidson and Western Kentucky showed they could hang with the big boys. Davidson advanced all the way to the Elite Eight and came within one three-pointer of knocking off heavily favored Kansas in their home state. Western Kentucky advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to UCLA, but they wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to play more than one game had it not been for a miracle three at the buzzer to win their first-round game.

The tourney has also introduced mainstream America to big time players like Davidson’s Stephen Curry, who averaged almost 35 points a game during the madness. Also we have been witness to the amazing Kevin Love. The Oregonian freshman from UCLA has shown absolute greatness during his year with the Bruins. In all likelihood Love will leave the friendly confines of Westwood to head to greener pastures of the NBA but his season will always be remembered as one of the greatest.

Office pools, a March staple, give us a little glimpse into how crazy this year’s tourney has been. On ESPN.com readers can fill out a bracket, picking teams they think will win the games. This year there is not a single perfect bracket on the site.

However, with the Tournament concluding may teams will build towards making a run trough the tourney next year. Teams like USC hope to bounce back after a disappointing early exit by adding some top high school players to an already young team.

Others like Arizona State, Illinois, and Syracuse hope that the teams that they have mature enough over the off-season that they can make the tourney next year and cause some ruckus.

So while March Madness is coming to an end, my bracket officially busted, just know that next year will bring a new tourney. New players to fall in love with. New Cinderella’s to support. And a new bracket to obsess over.

Catch the madness every March. I know I do.

Elite Eight and Baseball at the Coliseum

2008-03-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

So I actually did get to watch the Bruins dominate tonight. It was all because I have a wonderful girl that makes me very very happy. That isn't to say I didn't get punished but I deserved it.

But anyways, the Bruins are hopefully back to form. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute played like the Luc of old which was great to say. Darren Collison remembered that he is Darren Collison. Kevin Love was Kevin Love; dependable and unmatchable. Josh Shipp looked like Josh Slump again. And Russell Westbrook was his normal self but did show that he needs at least another year to mature in college. Next up is San Antonio. They seem to be playing as well as they have anytime in the past three years. I really want another shot at Texas because I think K-Love has matured a lot since that game. He will tip the scales in UCLA's favor.

Also today was a "historic" baseball game. I say "historic" because how historic can a exhibition game at a rundown football stadium with a 60 foot tall mesh screen be? I think it was a pretty cool idea considering it was two of my least favorite baseball teams playing in a stadium that houses the football team that I despise more than anything on this earth. The only problems were the "Mesh Monster," the little league feel, and that the game DIDN'T COUNT FOR SQUAT! It would have made more sense for the Dodgers to play a series there later in the season against say the Giants who is also celebrating their 50th year in California. Imagine that, take down the stupid mesh screen and make it a real home run derby game and really pimp it out as the greatest rivalry game in National League history. Who wouldn't wanna see that?

But then again these are the Dodgers I am talking about. They aren't the smoothest run franchise in baseball. It just adds to the fact that they lost me as a fan once they traded Mike Piazza. The only travesty that I could see that would do that much damage to a franchise would be if the Lakers had traded Kobe. It was a move that totally alienated a large portion of their fanbase. Especially during a time where baseball was still trying to get over the strike. Mike was the Los Angeles athlete that made people fans and the organization turned me away for good.

What did the Angels do during the same period? Win the Division three times, produce an MVP, have one of the most consistent products on the field, lower beer prices, and oh yeah win World Series.

The only thing that the Dodgers have done that I approve of: all you can each bleacher seats.

Peace, Love, and look for my March Madness Commentary this week.

Running Diary: Sweet Sixteen UCLA v. WKU

2008-03-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

So for tonight’s Sweet Sixteen game between UCLA and Western Kentucky I felt it was time to break in my new blog and have a full on running diary.

Jack Bauer (figured I give him some work after the DUI and writers strike):
“The following takes place between 6:30 and 10:00”

6:47: So I just watched the finish of the Xavier versus West Virginia game. I think if we beat WKU, Xavier could provide some match up problems but ultimately they don’t seem to have someone to match up with Kevin Love or Darren Collison.

6:51: The Xavier coach is talking about his team right now and good God he is sweaty. He looks like he worked harder than any players on the team. He is sweatier than a whore in church; Ben Howland has never looked that sweaty, ever.

7:00: The tip off got moved back because the WVU and Xavier game went to OT. So I am getting a look at the Tennessee, Louisville game. I would really like to watch this game if UCLA weren’t playing. I think these are the two teams that got a raw deal because they were put in the same bracket as UNC, who is playing the best basketball they have played all year.

7:03: Gosh Tennessee plays out of control but they are fun to watch. They just forced Louisville to take a timeout. It’s fun seeing Rick Pitino angry.

7:05: I want a Swen so he can tell me what I need to do everyday.

7:11: It’s really hard to watch this game because Tennessee plays very unorganized. I am really glad that I am not a Tennessee fan because if I were I would have ripped my hair out and burned a whole in the wall a long time ago.

7:15: I think there have been at least 4 possessions by Tennessee where the guy who brought the ball up the court didn’t pass the ball and took it to the basket and I don’t think any of them has made their shots.

7:17: I am not looking forward to Bill Raftery and Vern Lundquist for the next 40 minutes of ball. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is starting and Vern actually pronounced his name right. I am impressed.

7:20: WKU can in no way defend K-Love who just missed an and-one. Then DC forced a turnover in transition he is looking good tonight on D.

7:21: Vern’s first mispronunciation of Luc’s name “Ma Boute”.

7:22: Collison now has three steals in the last WKU possessions but they have not been able to turn any of them into points. I have also decided that Shipp should change his name to Josh Slump.

7:24: I am going to predict that Love is going to foul out at least 3 WKU players.

7:25: LASER LOVE!

7:27: 7-4 The Bruins are in a FT slump big time. We would be up 10-4 if we were making free throws. However WKU has no answer for K-Love when he gets the ball.

7:33: 11-8 UCLA is playing unselfishly and has had their two best offensive possessions in a row. However the Hilltoppers just hit a three. Man they can shoot.

7:36: 13-8 Bruins have forced 5 turnovers so far but have been giving up way too many offensive boards.

7:39: 13-10 It’s games like this where we really miss Mike Roll and his ability to shoot a team out of a zone.

7:41: 15-13 I hate teams that can knock down threes like WKU can, had in the face, good D, nothing but net, Eff. I also hate the zone press; Westbrook is too out of control against it. However it pays to have a Kevin Love who can grab an offensive board and put it back in seemingly at will.

7:44: It’s kind of scary that I feel better with Keefe in the game. Another version of Mbah a Moute’s has made an appearance.

7:48: 18-13 Luc what are you doing???

7:50: I love that video of the baby laughing at the ripping of paper. I have seen it about 40 times but it still makes me laugh.

7:52: 21-13 Two WKU big men have two fouls, looking for big man number three to get in foul trouble.

7:55: 25-15 See this is why I feel better with Keefe. Offensive rebound put back while he is being tackled. Nice.

7:55: 28-15 JOSH SLUMP!!! Back to Josh Shipp? Looks like those 100 threes yesterday helped.

8:03: 30-17 LUC STOP IT!!! Luc driving to the basket is never a good thing, especially when he travels. However the defense is playing great WKU has been turning the ball over left and right. It also helps that the Hilltoppers couldn’t hit water if they were trying to drink a full glass.

8:08 32-17 WKU has no answer for Love down low. He has 13 points.

8:13: 41-20 Halftime. Keefe has 7 points 7 boards and is playing great. Shipp is also playing great. As is Love of coarse. Telling stat for the game: Western Kentucky is shooting under 19% from the field.

8:22: Getting a live look in at the Tennessee, Louisville game Tennessee just cut the lead to 3, 37-34. It’s impressive to see Tennessee’s ability to comeback against Louisville after being down 24-8 early in the game.

8:35: Game starting back up now, UCLA has 15 points in the paint; I think WKU has about 4.

8:39: Dude

8:42: 45-27 Laser Love to Keefe to Mbah a Moute great play.

8:45: 48-32 WKU is starting to chip away at the lead. Its kind of scary however Love and Keefe are both playing incredible. I can only imagine the tandem they could create if Love were to do the smart thing and come back next year. I think Keefe needs to develop his midrange game slightly in order to be an effective player but he has made great strides in the past few games,

8:51 51-34 Did I mention that Keefe is playing well?

8:54: The officiating so far tonight has been pretty terrible, Collison just got called for a ticky tack foul after a WKU player spend 58 seconds standing in the lane then traveled. Hmmm I am tempted to say that these Refs are sick of UCLA getting breaks and have decided that they are single handedly making it up to everyone.

8:59: 56-43 I can now see why WKU is in the sweet sixteen, they are such a fast team and they shoot the ball so well. They need to be put out of their misery now. Hope is a dangerous thing, possibly the most dangerous of things.

9:05: 56-47 So Westbrook, Collison, and Shipp all have 4 fouls, UCLA’s Achilles heel is being exploited, and the lack of depth in the backcourt is scary. However It is amazing how when things look bad K-Love always seems to step up.

9:09 61-55 EFF. Collison just had a huge three however WKU has hit 2 in a row to answer and UCLA is not helping matters. They can’t seem to hold onto the ball at all. Howland needs to work some coaching magic now.

9:12: I am hoping it is good mojo for John Wooden to be in a commercial during this timeout. Its time for Collison to take over.

9:15: 63-57 Collison has just fouled out after stupid call. Someone needs to step up and take control for UCLA to pull this game out.

9:20: 65-59 It’s tough to see where this comeback has come from. It seems like all of a sudden the Bruins are reeling.

9:21: 68-59 Josh Shipp has officially exorcized his slump. We needed that three more than Russia needed to be rid of communism.

9:23: 74-62 My dad just said, “Keefe: the second coming of Love.”

9:25: CBS just showed a graphic that said Love has tied his career high with 27 points. He has also added 13 boards still with 2 minutes left I can see him having a new high by the end of the game.

9:27: 74-66 However that point will be moot if Western Kentucky doesn’t go away.

9:31: 77-71 Any Laser Love pass doesn’t matter as long as UCLA keeps giving up offensive rebounds that lead to 3 open three-point attempts.

9:32: 79-71 WKU is starting to foul with 1:11 left. This is when you miss Collison the most. He is a 90% free-throw shooter.

9:34: 81-71 Keefe was just named player of the game for UCLA. He has 18 points and 12 boards, both career highs and his first double double. I love this guy.

9:36: 84-76 I feel like I should mention Tyrone Brazelton. This guy is incredible. He is such a fast guy and a great shooter it is really impressive to see him when he is playing how the way he wants to.

9:38: 86-76 Love now has a career high hitting two free throws to ice the game. If this is his only year in a UCLA jersey I just want to say that it has really been a pleasure watching this guy play basketball. He is most complete player I have ever seen in the college game.

9:40: 88-78 UCLA wins after a scary second half. I will say that usually I wouldn’t sweat a close game like this but this was different because we didn’t have Collison. Without him we are a completely different team. Hopefully he will step up after an awful performance tonight.

Next up is Xavier who, as I said before, doesn’t seem to match up that well. But after tonight I feel like any team left in the tournament can beat any other team, so only time will tell.

I doubt that I will be able to watch Saturday’s elite eight game though because I have completely alienated my girlfriend and need to show her some love. Oh the love of a sports lover.

Go Bruins.

Update

2008-03-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

The March Madness blog is gonna be pushed back a few days, probably till monday. But to whet your appetite for my writing I will be doing a running diary of the UCLA Western Kentucky game tonight. Stay tuned and Go Bruins.

Baseball Picks for the year

2008-03-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

So every year my dad and I pick two baseball teams, a National League and an American League. Yesterday I gave you my baseball preview. Well because last year I beat my dad with my pick of the Red Sox, I got to pick first. I chose the Tigers. My dad took my NL pick by taking the Mets. So I was left searching for a NL team to replace the Mets. One team kept coming to mind, a team with a lot of young talent. Big question mark is pitching. I know what you are thinking, Ross has jumped back on the Dodgers Bandwagon! HELL NO! My NL pick is the Phillies. After watching them last year I was really impressed with their play down the stretch so that is going to be my pick. My dad picked the Angels in the AL.

So here are the picks:

Ross- NL: Phillies
AL: Tigers

Brad- NL: Mets
AL: Angels

Stay tuned for a story about why we love March Madness sometime this week

NCAA Tourney and Baseball Preview that is bound to be wrong

2008-03-25T01:08:00.001-07:00

So a lot of people have been talking about UCLA in the NCAA tournament getting and unfair advantage and basically being picked by the NCAA to win the championship. What a load of crap. I read a UCLA blog regularly call bruinsnation.com and someone wrote on there recently saying that basically UCLA is finally getting their break. I tend to agree with this thinking. UCLA has had to deal with more injuries than probably any team left in the tournament. Darren Collison missed the first 9 games i believe due to injury, James Keefe was going to Redshirt this year due to offseason surgery, and Mike Roll IS redshirting due to lingering foot injuries. The must frustrating injury has to be Roll's. He would have been the 3-point threat that the Bruins are now desperately lacking, and with Shipp's recent shooting woes gosh how wonderful would it be to have the fearless gunslinger Roll coming off the bench.

I also have to burst the bubble of Bruins fans too. Yes Collison and Russell Westbrook are two of the best guards in the country but can you name me one guard that can come off the bench and help out? If you are saying Mustafa Abdul-Hamid I am going to slap you right now. There is no one. Not one. That lack of depth is the one thing that will keep this team from winning a National Championship this year and Ben Howland knows this. Why else would he have three guards coming in next year? Yes I still think that UCLA will win the tourney this year but if they don't this will be the reason for it.

Oh just wanted to switch gears for one last thing. I don't know if I have ever seen a baseball season that is A. approaching so quietly or B. is so effing wide open. I see at least 12 teams that could potentially win the World Series. It seems like most years it is okay what team is going to be surprising and actually answer the questions we have, this year its more like what team is going to be left standing. So without further ado my bold prediction that is bound to be terribly wrong: the New York Mets over the Detroit Tigers in 6 games in October.

The reason I will write

2008-03-25T01:04:00.000-07:00

So I am an aspiring sports write in LA and I have a buddy who said to me do you have a blog? I told him yeah I do but I never write on it. So then he says I should write a blog so that I could keep him updated on sports. So I decided that I would start a blog where I would commentate on sports that matter to me. They probably wont be too long and lets be honest Ill say I am gonna update every week or so but lets see how long this lasts. Ha well enjoy!