Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lebron James' Bathroom Stunt Unacceptable.....

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No athlete is above the game they play, especially one that has yet to do anything of significance in their respective sport. That is what LeBron James fails to realize in his latest stint which occurred last night in his former home town of Cleveland. Like any NBA game, the pre-game introductions went off without a problem. Big lights, loud music and a raucous crowd waiting for their former hometown hero to return one more time to face the music he created with his "decision".

The lights on and music rolling, the crowd welcomed back the self-anointed king with a rousing sound of boo's.....yet the King was fashionably late.

Just the latest insult the King has thrown to his former minions in Cleveland. Further proving that LeBron James does not care about anyone else besides LeBron James and LeBron James Incorporated.

Here is why I (like many who posted tweets to his @KingJames Twitter account) say LeBron James is a b***h.

Monday, March 28, 2011

The NCAA Couldn't Have Scripted The Final Four Any Better.....

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March Madness
is in full effect. You want to know how you can tell? Look at your own bracket and compare it to the real thing.

Who in their right mind would have picked these final four teams in their bracket as the ones who would be standing tall headed to Houston, TX attempting to win college basketball's greatest prize? Some may have picked UCONN and Kentucky based on their runs in their respective conference tournament championships. Some could have picked Butler because of their unpredictable run last year and thought it could carry over to this season. No one could have predicted the last team to enter the tournament field as one of the Final Four.

How many people even knew what VCU stands for?

While some may criticize the way the tournament was seeded or why certain teams got snubbed over others, the NCAA is sitting on a great finish to a mediocre tournament.

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Why Is Jay Cutler Not Being The Leader Of The Chicago Bears?

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Nothing is more irritating than waiting on millionaires and billionaires to figure out exactly how to divide a $9,000,000,000.00 pot of revenue. With over 9% unemployment in the United States, the NFL (owners and players both) should feel ashamed of themselves for not figuring out a way to make a successful business continue on in this economic climate. While there have been no training camp time or games missed as of yet, football is a 365 day a year sport which rolls on like a steamroller on the American sports landscape.

One of the effects of a NFL lockout is the fact that the players and coaches cannot organize workouts in the off season let alone even talk to one another. Like many Chicago Bears fans, I was waiting to see exactly who would be the one to step up for the players and try to organize off season workouts with other members of the team.

You would think the captains of the team (Urlacher, Peppers, Cutler, Kreutz, Mannelly) would be the ones to take the bull by the horns and get the ball moving on theses off season workouts. Unfortunately we come to find out in today's Chicago Tribune (via Vaughn McClure) that free agent wide receiver Rashied Davis is the one organizing the workouts.

While we all remember the way the season ended for the Chicago Bears, how come Jay Cutler is not organizing these?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Geno Auriemma Needs To Shut Up About Attendance Figures....

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One thing that I have never understood in my time working in sports media is why players/coaches/organizations fire back at their fans. The relationship between a fan and his/her team is something special and should by no means become a burden. My personal experience with the Chicago White Sox led by a displeasure of the direction of the franchise officially ended this past off season because of their lack of forward thinking.

However while fans can pick and choose who they root for/root against, the same simply cannot be said about the opposite. Collegiate and professional teams rely so much on their fan base financially that any criticism toward the fans is a fight that teams will never win. If you insult the people who support your program/team through the good and the bad, it simply is the beginning of your personal end.

Geno Auriemma is a seven time national champion as head coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball program. He has over 700 wins in his career and is the current leader among active coaching in career winning percentage (.861%). Auriemma is a six time Naismith College Coach of the Year award winner and has led the UCONN women to four undefeated seasons in his 26 seasons as head coach including back to back perfect seasons in 2008 and 2009.

With all the success the UCONN women have had in his tenure as head coach, the last people "Geno" should be taking on are the fans of the UCONN lady Huskies.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Proposed NFL Rules Changes On Kickoffs Open Pandora's Box....

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I have never seen a league adapt to outside pressures so much than the current day NFL. For example the famous "tuck rule" established after the 2002 AFC Championship Game, or just this past off season when the new OT rules came into affect following an overtime loss to Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings. The biggest issue outside the current day NFL lockout is the increasing amount of concern about concussions in the sport of football.

Remember this past season where the NFL increased punishment for what was once termed "devastating hits"?

While to longtime football fans and players these new regulations may seem like the NFL is going "soft" on the simple physical nature of the game, the NFL Competition Committee is not stopping there. The NFL is proposing new changes to the game which would affect an entire phase of a team's offensive game.

Could it be the NFL Competition Committee fears the extinction of their game so much that the special teams phase of the game could be abolished?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Jake Peavy Injury May Look Bad, But Could Be More Of A Blessing...

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What does winning the lotto, cheeseburger diets and Jake Peavy all have in common?

Sometimes things are too good to be true.

Yesterday the Chicago White Sox put out a statement that pitcher Jake Peavy is experiencing some right rotator cuff tendinitis, and has been since the early part of the month. Jake Peavy is attempting to return to the White Sox starting rotation since he detached his latissimus dorsi muscle in his right shoulder on July 9th of last year. This revelation comes after three straight weeks of the White Sox doctors and coaching staff saying that their 16 million dollar starting pitcher was "ahead of schedule" and on his way to a miraculous recovery.

Then again this latest setback could be in fact a good thing, here is how.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.....

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Reinsdorf and Williams Will Lose BIG Gamble On Early White Sox Attendance....

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As spring officially begins on Sunday morning, the changing of season means that America's past time is right around the corner. Opening day for the Major League Baseball season is now two weeks away and camps in Arizona and Florida are beginning to trim their rosters down to the final 25. As each hour passes in the countdown to first pitch, excitement continues to build as fans look forward to a new season and a fresh start for their respective team.

The 2011 Chicago White Sox are what they have termed "All In". With the off season addition of slugger Adam Dunn and re-signing veterans Paul Konerko and AJ Pierzynski, the White Sox could possibly have the best assembled roster in the American League Central. To have a roster of that caliber, the White Sox have had to raise their payroll to a record high 125 million dollars.

While the White Sox front office is making a large investment in a team that has only made one playoff appearance since winning the 2005 World Series, their logic on how to justify this record payroll is somewhat skewed. How can the Chicago White Sox gamble on their own fans to support the reasoning behind this risky financial decision?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Three March Madness Bracket Tips From An Amateur Expert.....

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There are certain things in life that we will never claim to be. While we obey most of the laws of the land, are we law-abiding citizens if we have a little case of lead foot? Very few men will consider themselves culinary experts because they make one hell of a sloppy joe.

I will never admit to be an expert on March Madness. Then again, this time of year....who really is?

For the first time ever, you will have only one day to fill out your bracket of 68 teams and choose what team will embrace that "One Shining Moment". With the sure fact that most people who fill out a bracket does not watch a lot of regular season college basketball, we each have our own unique way of picking the games. Some rely on the national experts since they are the few souls that watch every conference and every team in the NCAA tournament. Some rely on what our friends and co-workers have picked already. Others choose the more fun "whose mascot would win in a fight" method. There simply is no correct way to go about filling out your field of 68, because the odds of a perfect bracket are astounding. In fact (according to Forbes.com), after the play-in games starting tomorrow (TUES), there are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible brackets.

While I am not any sort of expert of the college game, here are three tips I always go by when picking my bracket.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Blackhawks Visit With Obama Overshadowed By Bad Blood??

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The greatest honor any American citizen can have is to be celebrated at The White House. Lately it has become common place that professional and college sports teams that win championships or accomplish something which The White House deems honorable get their day in the sunshine by dressing up and heading down to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

This Friday the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks get the rare opportunity to meet the leader of the free world face to face. Of course with President Barack Obama being from Chicago, you can expect some jokes boasting about his hometown hockey club on top of a jersey to be presented to the President. The team will surely get a tour of the Oval Office, photos that will mark numerous sports and news websites, and a street hockey workout on the South Lawn of The White House. Just another lame way to show people how passionate President Barack Obama is about sports. Even the ones he does not watch on a regular basis. Standard operating procedure.

However the story leading up to the Blackhawks visiting The White House will not be who is attending, but who is not attending. With the roster turnover the Blackhawks have had to face in the past six months, could this day in Washington reveal some hidden bad blood between the organization and their former players?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Jim Tressel Suspended For Doing His Job....

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You have to wonder sometimes why have rules to begin with because we all break them. For instance driving home today on Lake Shore Drive where the speed limit is 40 MPH, I was easily breaking a law by surpassing the limit to keep up with traffic. Those who prefer transportation by foot in the city for sure have began to cross a street without being signaled to in the first place. Rules are set only because without them, there would be chaos....we think.

College athletics is no different from real life in that the rules that are set are routinely broken. The latest example of such is the suspension of Ohio State (sorry....THE OHIO STATE) University's head football coach Jim Tressel. Tressel was suspended two regular season games by the university for failing to disclose some e-mails he received about student-athletes who sold memorabilia. This latest suspension follows five game suspensions handed out by the NCAA to five Ohio State football players who received improper benefits from a tattoo parlor. Those to-be-suspended players of course were allowed to play in this past January's Sugar Bowl in which Ohio State defeated Arkansas 31-26.

While the debate has gone on for several years now, Tressel's admission of disclosing possible evidence of a violation of NCAA rules is just the latest example of why NCAA athletes should be paid. What Tressel did may have violated the rules of the NCAA, but what he did was in the best interests of what matters to both himself and Ohio State.

The success of the program.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Could These Chicago Bulls Win An NBA Title This Soon?

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Who does not love a good surprise? A Christmas present that was totally unexpected. A new job possibility opening. A basketball team that exceeds expectations.

OK, so maybe some thought the Chicago Bulls would be this good this quick. Not this blogger.

At 43-18, the Chicago Bulls currently stand as the second best team in the NBA's Eastern Conference while eclipsing their win totals of each the last two playoffs seasons. By sweeping their season series with the Miami Heat yesterday winning nine of their last 11 games, the Chicago Bulls made a statement in South Beach. Not necessarily to the local media contingent, but to the national one. By defeating the big three for the third and final time this regular season, critics are starting to take notice that the Bulls could indeed be a legit contender for the Eastern Conference crown.

Wait a second......what did I just say?

Is it too early to believe that this Bulls team could win a NBA title this soon?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Fights Must Stay In Hockey For The Good Of The Sport.....

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Evolution affects everything including sports. Remember when dunks were not allowed and steroids were not technically illegal in baseball? How about the three point line in the NBA and football was played with leather helmets. Sports are like everything else in life, they change with the times. Although change is not always welcomed and many people fear it, most of the time through change the product becomes better.


For generations fighting in the sport of hockey has been a hot topic of discussion when it comes the sport evolving. More than any of the four major sports, hockey has seen more change since its inception in the early 19th century. Remember when goalies used not to wear masks? How about the two line pass? The sport of hockey has not only seen the most change since its inception, but even today constantly embraces new ideas to improve the game.


If the NHL wanted to rid itself of fighting much like the regular season ties, it would be making a huge mistake.


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