When baseball season begins I find myself watching box scores, pressing the refresh button every so often for the possibility of an exciting statistic to appear.  As a big time fantasy baseball participant, and so many baseball games on at once, it is impossible to watch all the games.  So instead I sit at the computer and scan box scores, waiting to see someone on my team hit a home run or get a strikeout. 

Although ESPN has the fancy gamecast, I prefer to use the Yahoo Sports box scores, as I find that website more easy to navigate.  Checking box scores can go from unspectacular to exciting with just one click of the refresh button:

 - A. Pujols homered to deep right, J. Rodriguez and D. Eckstein scored

 - V. Guerrero doubled to deep right, O. Cabrera scored

- C. Utley homered to deep center, J. Rollins scored

- Carlos Lee singled to left

- Prince Fielder singled to left, Carlos Lee to second

- Carlos Lee steals third

These are just a few of the statistics that took place tonight, and examples of what I look for every night when I "watch" baseball games.  There are some who would say this is crazy to scan box scores, and there are some who do the exact same thing.  Before fantasy baseball was invented I would rarely even watch baseball games, much less press the refresh button over and over for updated statistics. 

Oh how the invention of fantasy baseball has changed everything.  Now I love to watch baseball games on TV and become paralyzed when they are on, and when they're not on.....there's always the refresh button. 
 

While trying to think of a sport that I could compare this with this contest, I realized it would be more difficult than I first imagined.  In basketball if you hit a shot at the buzzer the crowd will erupt, or go completely silent, and you know what you have done is great.  In football if you catch a game winning touchdown pass, your teammates will pile on top of you and you realize you have done something spectacular.  In baseball if you hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of ninth, and trot slowly around the bases, you know the glory that will be waiting for you when you touch home plate.  In a sports-writing contest, with little rules, you have know idea what will happen after clicking the "post to blog" icon.  You only have yourself, your mind and the confidence in yourself to continue to write blog after blog.  All for a hope that the NGS fairies will sprinkle the dust on your blog, and you will be selected as one of the sweet 16. 

That is when I realized NGS isn't a sport, it is practice.  It is shooting 500 jump shots in a row in the gym until the lights go off, and the shots go in, even when it is pitch black.  It is coming to practice early and staying late to watch game film or to fix a weakness.  It is running one extra lap around the track just because you feel like you have to.  It is giving everything you possibly can, because of a fear that your opponent could be going just a little bit harder. 

There is no coach, there is no one chearing you on, it is just you and hard work.  When you are alone in the gym, or in the film room, or in the locker room; you only have yourself, your mind and the confidence in yourself to continue to go hard even if you have doubts.

This contest requires a self-confidence that is rivaled by no sport.  You don't have teammates, you don't have coaches, you don't even have very much feedback.  All you have is hope.  Hope that all the practice pays off, and that when it comes time for the coach to annouce the team, that your name is called.

NGS II is writing one more blog before you go to sleep, just because you feel like you have to.

It's 3:43am, I'm still awake.....are you?    

 Bashed

Kobe Bryant did everything he could to help the Los Angeles Lakers win tonight and dropped a series and playoff high of.  His teammates, Smush Parker especially, did not rise to the occasion and play well enough to eliminate the Phoenix Suns at home.

The same player I praised a few days ago for manhandling Steve Nash on offense has gone into a serious cold slump.  While most would say this is expected from a player no one had even heard of before this season, I didn't see it coming, at least not in this series.  The struggles of Smush Parker are not because of the defense Phoenix is playing, so it has to be mental.  If Parker is not able to get it going by the start of game seven it will be next to impossible to beat the Suns. Smush and the rest of his teammates have to play the best game of their lives on Saturday night. 

Kobe Bryant will no doubt be ready to put on a show, and if his teammates can step it up they will be headed home......to play the Clippers. 

The reason I feel Sean Taylor is the most valuable Redskin and soon to be best player in the NFL comes down to two games: Week 10 at Tampa Bay, and the first round of the playoffs at Tampa Bay.  The first game the score was a 36-35 loss.  Sean Taylor was injured and did not play.  The second game was a 17-10 win.  Sean Taylor did play. 

In the first game Brunell threw for over 200 yards and two scores, Portis ran for 144 yards and one score, and the Moss/Cooley duo combined for 10 catches and 155 yards.  In the second game Brunell threw for 41 yards, Portis ran for 53 yards and the Moss/Cooley duo combined for four catches and 30 yards.  Why then, did the Redskins lose the first game and win the second.  The answer is simple: Sean Taylor. 

In the first game Chris Simms was throwing the ball around like his dad Phil used to.  His receivers were getting open at an alarming rate and he torched the Redskins secondary for 279 yards and three touchdowns.  Without Taylor in the secondary roaming around and putting fear into every receiver on the field, the passing game was easy for the Buccaneers.  In the second game however, Simms struggled to get anything going all day long and despite the poor offensive performance the Redskins were able to win the game.  A win that put the Redskins in the second round of the playoffs. 

Aside from the fact that Taylor is a ball hawk, recovering fumbles in two straight games for touchdowns, his mere presence on the field changes the way offenses have to game plan.  Receivers are scared to cross the middle for fear of becoming the recipient of a mind numbing blow, or even worse, alligator arming a pass because of the thought of Sean Taylor lurking. 

For the doubters out there who assume I am just a homer, I could go into detail about the amount of hits he has made in two years, and maybe provide links of some footage.  But I'd rather just wait, because maybe the Redskins play your team this year, and if they do....well.....you'll just have to watch and see for yourself. 

Here I come