Last time, we looked at a legend in basketball. A man who did things on the court the right way, and more importantly, did and does things now off the court the right way. Our first look was at "The Admiral" David Robinson. Now we look at a legend in baseball, Cal Ripken Jr.

Of course, we all know about the streak.  Well, maybe not all of us.  10 years ago, my mom was in a conference in Baltimore and one of the perks was getting free tickets to an Orioles game.  She does not follow sports and nothing surprised her at the game, well, except for one thing. 

She could not believe the ovations Ripken got everytime he made a fielding play or when he stepped up to the plate.  The ladies she was at the game with did not have a clue as to why this guy was being worshipped either.  So they decided to ask a couple fans beside them.  Luckily, these fans were Orioles season ticket holders who gave them a 4 inning tutorial on what Ripken meant to the Orioles.  They learned about the streak, the Ripken way, how Cal helped save baseball after the strike and anything else they wanted to know.  Talking to my mom later, she goes " Oh, that's the guy they made that fuss about when he broke that record, right? He seems like a really nice guy, they really love him in Baltimore."

It stretches past Baltimore though.  "The Ironman" is one of the most respected athletes ever.  Playing 2,632 consecutive games will cement your legacy.  What helped everyone love Cal was the way he didn't draw attention to himself, the fact he just went about his business without needing to draw extra attention to himself.  One of my favorite sporting memories to this day is watching Ripken having to be pushed out onto the field to accomadate the affection being poured out to him when he broke the streak against the California Angels.  He didn't crave the spotlight, but understood why people appreciated the way he conducted himself.

On the field, the awards and numbers are staggering:

• 1982 American League Rookie of the Year
• 1983 American League M.V.P.
• 1983 World Series Champion
• M.L.B. career record in:
• Consecutive games played-2,632
• All team games played-15 straight from 1983-1997
• Homeruns for a shortstop-345
• Started 17 straight All Star games
• Started an A.L. record 19 games
• Led All Star voting 4 times
• All Star M.V.P. in 1999 and 2001
• M.L.B. record for double plays by a shortstop with 1,565
• 2 time A.L. Gold Glove Winner-1991, 1992
• Ended career with a .276 average, 431 homeruns and 3,189 hits

To no one's surprise, as soon as Cal was eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, he got 98.53% of the vote.  Cal was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past summer and helped draw the biggest crowd ever to see any induction with over 75,000 fans.

As much success as Cal had on the field, he is respected just as much for what he has done off the field.  He is part owner of two minor league baseball teams.  His contributions to Lou Gehrig's disease are well documented.  The Cal Ripken Sr. foundation was founded by brother Billy and Cal Jr. to give less fortunate children across the country an opportunity to attend baseball camps around the country and better learn the game of baseball.  Ripken Baseball operates for profit-camps and designs ballfields for youth, college and professional teams. 

It's no wonder that when I wear a Ripken jersey my mom bought for me when she was in Baltimore, I get nods of approval and smiles.  And I live in Michigan, where people love the Tigers.  Everyone loves Cal though.  How can you not?

I'd like to thank and salute Cal Ripken Jr. for being one of the good guys in sports.

( All stats and info courtesy of the Washington Post and the Sporting News)

 

Sick of showboating athletes?  Sick of ME first guys?  Sick of hearing about all the negativity in sports today?  Yeah, me too.

Not having any interesting ideas to write about, I think I'll give this a shot. Having just read mtmarinerfan's post asking where the classy athletes have gone, inspired me to write a series on the good guys.  My objective here is to take a look at the guys who made headlines for what they did on the field and the way they carried themselves off of it. 

So no talk of scandals, steriods or stupidity.  We're going to talk about the guys who clearly made a difference.  I'm going to start with David Robinson, with future write-ups including Cal Ripken, Joe Dumars, and I'll gladly take suggestions as to more guys who should get praise for the way they carried themsleves on and especially off the field or court. 

David Robinson was one of my favorite athletes to watch.  There was something different about him.  Maybe it's because he was left-handed.  Maybe it's because he has one of the best nicknames,"The Admiral". Maybe it's because he was underappreciated playing in the same generation as Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal.  I can't really pinpoint one reason as to why David stood out to me, probably because there are so many.

Make no mistake, this guy was dominant.  So dominant that the San Antonio Spurs drafted him knowing that they would have to wait 2 years for him to play an NBA game.  ( Robinson attended the Naval Academy and honored a 2 year commitment after his graduation to the Navy) So dominant he once blocked 14 shots in one college game.  So dominant he once scored 71 points in an NBA game.  So dominant he turned around the San Antonio Spurs franchise. 

The thing I appreciate the most about David Robinson is the way he spoke.  There was no um, uh, duh, yeah, yup when he spoke.  I'm not ripping on anyone who uses those words, I've used them all today.  When you want an athlete to represent your city, you want him or her to be well spoken and be articulate.  If you remember Robinson interviews or press conferences, he was always able to get his point across and have you say to yourself " I wish more athletes spoke and acted like him."

On the court, his accomplishments are many:

• Olympic gold medals in 1992,1996 and a bronze medal in 1988 playing for U.S.A. basketball
• 2 time NBA champion for the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003
• Rookie of the Year in 1990
• Voted one of the 50 greatest players in N.B.A. history in 1996
• Recipient of the N.B.A. Sportsmanship Award in 2001
• Defensive Player of the Year in 1992
• 10 time N.B.A. All Star
• 4 time All-N.B.A. First team
• 2 time All-N.B.A. Second team
• 4 time All-N.B.A. Third team
• 4 time All N.B.A. Defensive first team
• 4 time All N.B.A. Defensive second team
• Recorded the rare quadruple double against Detroit with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assisits and 10 blocks on February 17 1994
• N.B.A. Scoring Champion in 1993-1994

For a guy who accomplished so much on and off the court, I salute David " The Admiral" Robinson as one of the good guys in sports.

( All statistics courtesy of NBA.com)

This is a dark day my friends.  I'm just shaking my head in disbelief.  Driving home from work, I hear the horrific news that a Karate Kid remake may be in the works.  This is not good.  Some things you don't mess with.  Like the olde English D on the Detroit Tigers uniforms.  Or the winged helmets of the Wolverines.  Or remaking Karate Kid.

As you know, I have an appreciation for this movie.  Karate Kid 1- excellent.  ( Did anyone else hear the Elizabeth Shue talk on Family Guy Sunday, hilarious!) Karate Kid 2- Not as good, but not horrible either.  The next Karate Kid or Karate Kid 3 or whatever it was called with Hillary Swank-worse than Appalachian State beating Michigan.  It was that bad.

So here's what I know.  Will Smith is in talks to be the producer with his son playing the role of Daniel Larusso.  It gets worse.  Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi. Somebody stop this please.  Hopefully, and I have a good feeling about this, this idea will either be stopped or it will just go straight to DVD.  I don't mind Will Smith producing this, but his son playing Larusso and Jackie Chan as Miyagi?  Hey Chan, do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?  Make as many crappy films with Chris Tucker as you want, but dude, you've got to have more respect for the crane kick.

Alright now that I've got that off my chest, let's talk some sports.  Probably the best time of the year right now, I'm just going to give a thought on each of my teams.

DETROIT TIGERS- Fell short of the playoffs and talk is that Ivan Rodriguez, Todd Jones and Shawn Casey may all be gone next year.  Jim Leyland was extended thru 2009 today and with Carlos Guillen moving to first, the Tigers need a shortstop.  Tigers owner Mike Illitch opened his wallet for Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez, some rumors are that A-rod could be an option at shortstop.

DETROIT PISTONS- Watch out for the youngsters Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson to get more minutes and Rasheed has dropped some weight.  ESPN said this may the best Pistons team since their 2004 championship team.

DETROIT LIONS- They've already matched last year's win total with 3.  Marinelli is making a difference.  They broke a 10 game losing streak to the Vikings, and a 4 game losing streak to the Bears already this season.  Sunday they go to Washington D.C. where they have never won.  Was Kitna onto something with his bold predictions?  We shall see.

DETROIT RED WINGS- Once again a favorite to compete for the Stanley Cup.  I can't believe it's hockey season already and I can't believe more people don't enjoy hockey.  The addition of Brian Rafalski is huge. 

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- #### hum, 4-0. Unbeaten streak as always to start off the year. Yawn.  Patriots come to Indy November 4, Colts have got the Pats number as of late.  Epic game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL- Michigan is 2-0 in the Big Ten which is an accomplishment after the first two weeks of the year.  Look for Lloyd to end his run in Ann Arbor as he changed his contract last offseason to set this up as being the end.  Sadly, health may be a determining factor as well the bashers actually having an affect on his health.  That's a shame, Lloyd has done an overall outstanding job in Ann Arbor.

Congratulations to Western Michigan University alum and Kalamazoo native Greg Jennings on being the recipient of Brett Favre's record breaking 421st touchdown pass.  Good start for Western in the MAC, beating Toledo in Toledo, something they had not done since 1988.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL- Did you realize Midnight Madness is October 12?  I'm interested to see how fast John Beilein can have a positive affect on Michigan basketball.  And Steve Hawkins continues to keep Western at the top of MAC basketball.

Comments?

Questions?

Concerns?

 

What a rollercoaster week it's been for Miyagi's #1 fan. Let's see, Saturday U of M becomes the butt of jokes for eternity.  Rough times.  Monday, I get a speeding ticket.  I guess going 75 in a 60 wasn't my brightest moment.  And then Tuesday I find out one of my coworkers has a rare form of cancer.  Her daughter died 2 years ago from cancer, my week had to turn around quickly.

So yesterday, something good came along.  I was awarded free tickets to a football game along with passes to a pregame food tent.  Free food tent also provides FREE BEER.  I don't think I'll have any trouble downing a few brews, I'm pretty confident.

The game is between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Western Michigan University Broncos.  This will be the first time a Big Ten team comes into Waldo Stadium.  Indiana has a dynamic duo in wide reciever James Hardy and quarterback Kellen Lewis.  Western is no slouch though, they are the favorites to win the MAC West.  The game is on ESPNU at 8:00 p.m. for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse.  Go Broncos, sorry edclinch. 

In more football talk..........how about some Detroit Lions action!  My buddies and I were debating what kind of year they would have.  My one buddy says, " What if McCown hit Williams for the game-winning touchdown?"  You see, on draftday, the Lions traded quarterback Josh McCown and wide reciever Mike Williams to the Raiders.  The Lions visit Oakland Sunday.  Why do I have this feeling?  Somebody tell me this won't happen.  Just when you thought Lions fans had been thru it all.........wow.

Last thing, don't forget to watch the world champion Indianapolis Colts tonight show off the championship banner from Super Bowl XLI.  Go Colts, Lions and Broncos!

 

 

Having not too much energy, ( I played WAY to much Madden 2008 yesterday) and Marty Walker telling me I need to bust out more posts, I felt a different kind of post was in order today.

So, what we're going to do here is list our favorite bolggers who seem to be M.I.A.  I was away from this site for 2 months, when Steeler made a comment on my last post telling me the boys from Chicago would come get me if I did not return. Having no knowledge of that, somehow I was back less than 1 week later.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

Some of us go on hiatus, some get too busy, some are just on here for one sport.  As football is right around the corner, I know many old faces will be back around.  This is not to say I don't enjoy newbies, we were all newbies at one time or another.  I just happened to be going thru my favorites list and wondered where some of the old faces went.

This is a list of MY favorite M.I.A. bloggers who I enjoyed reading.  I encourage everyone to take a look thru your favorite blogs list and comment on a M.I.A. blogger who you miss seeing around.  Maybe make a comment on their last post or come up with your own Blogger M.I.A. list.

My list:

Half Baked: The name alone is legendary.  Pats fan who I communicated with often during last season's playoffs.  O Blogger, Where Art Thou?

Papipoul: Designated me as the Colts connoiseur after I predicted a Colts victory over the Chiefs.  Found out his son is a great b-ball player who attends Dematha high school, which has produced many NBA players.  O Blogger, Where Art Thou?

Bengals9:  Three words:  Add a Caption.  Some great pictures he always found and the daily contests became quite competitive.  O Blogger, Where Art Thou?

The Former 88 Fan:  He often would be on this site late at night talking NFL playoffs.  He's also a huge fan of the University of Kentucky.  O Blogger, Where Art Thou?

Verbal Intercourse:  Again, the name alone is legendary.  He was a force in Rev's blogger tournament last March.  I noticed he is in college, maybe he will be back soon.  O Blogger, Where Art Thou?

As with any favorites list, someone always gets left out.  Not my intention, I wanted to keep this short and sweet so everyone could list a blogger that you haven't seen around lately.  As I said earlier, football will probably bring some old faces back as well college classes starting back up.

So just take a look at your favorite lists, or mine, and give a shout out to a M.I.A. blogger.   As Steeler showed, you never know who might come back around.

 

Most of the time, I find June to be really boring in the world of sports.  For some reason it feels like there is a lot going on right now. Maybe it's because my teams and players are in the news at the moment.

First, my favorite NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made the move to Hendrick Motorsports.  I have mixed feelings about this move.  Junior definitely could not have picked a stronger team to race for.  Hendrick is dominating NASCAR at the moment.  I do question 2 things though.  Will Junior lose some fans now that he is a teammate of Jeff Gordon?  The old school Dale Earnhardt fans can't stand pretty boy Jeffy and I'm intrigued if some fans will end their Earnhardt allegiance due to their own ignorance.  The other question I have is this.  Wasn't part of the reason Junior didn't want to go back to Richard Childress racing was because he didn't want to be compared even more to his dad?  Well now, Junior will be measured against his 2 teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.  Sorry to say Junior fans, he isn't in their league.  Maybe over time he will measure up, but right now, he has a long way to go to be compared at all to those drivers.

Next we have the no-hitter thrown by Tigers stud Justin Verlander.  At first, I was flipping channels, but by the sixth inning, you had the feeling Verlander had the stuff to actually do this!  His pitches were just plain nasty, and he made the Brewers look ridiculous on some of their swings.  And how about the double-play turned in the eigth inning by Neifi Perez?  That was just incredible.  The announced attendance was over 33,000 plus, but you know everyone will say they were at that game.  Those who actually were in attendance got a glimpse at how special Verlander could be in the future.

Continuing the baseball theme, Barry Bonds!  Now I am in the minority here when I say I root for Barry Bonds.  I am someone who recognizes that hitting a baseball over the fence that many times takes talent, hand-eye coordination, patience and other things Barry's critics can't even admit Barry possesses.  I understand the frustration at Barry being a jerk and his alleged steroid use.  But please people, quit ####ing!  For just one second, admit the guy has an incredible amount of talent.  If you can do that, people might listen to your complaints with more open ears.  ( Or, are you as stubborn as Barry and can't even admit Barry is an incredible talent?  Looks like you're just as stubborn as Barry is, nicely done!)

I have stopped myself about ten times from buying any pre-season college football or NFL magazines.  If I look at schedules, predictions and "professional insight" before August, I'll need to watch a game within days.  I can't read any predictions now and still have over 2 months until an actual game is played.  Patience is a vitrue I am told.

Oh yeah, who are the reigning Super Bowl champs again?  Just refreshing your memory. GO COLTS!!! ( cough.....and lions)

In Pistons news,  Rasheed and Chauncey are supposed to remain in the Pistons plans for next year.  I'm not so sure I believe that Sheed won't get traded or Chauncey won't bolt ( ala Big Ben).  And what about the crazy rumor that if Flip Saunders fails to lead the Pistons deep ( NBA Finals) in the playoffs next year he might get canned and his replacement would be..............wait for it.............this is pretty entertaining.............Isiah  Thomas!  Could Zeke really work for Joe Dumars?  Why not hire Laimbeer?  He's won multiple titles as a coach.    That rumor mill keeps things interesting for sure.

One more thing, are you watching the NBA Finals?  I believe anyone that has the courage to watch the Spurs vs. Cavs should be nominated for sainthood.  It's really that bad.  Also David Stern should give you at least 4 free tickets to any future NBA game of your choice.  He owes you for this!  You are a true NBA fan if you are watching the Spurs versus Cavs.  Kind of reminds me of Spurs versus Nets in 2003.  Congrats Spurs, your dynasty is one win from being official.

 

You can tell me, it's okay.  I'm laughing with you, not at you.  Unless.....................

You picked the Carolina Panthers to beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XLI before last season started.  How did that turn out for ya?

You also said the Colts couldn't stop the Chiefs, they weren't as tough as the Ravens, they certainly wouldn't beat the Patriots in the playoffs and sexy Rexy was going to make sure Peyton never won the big game.  If you're keeping score, you might want to stop.  You're losing.  ( In case you forgot, I like to throw in the fact the Colts DID win the Super Bowl )

What is it with predictions?  Why do we all feel the need to proclaim our "superior knowledge" to each other?

" Jeff Gordon?  He's been done for years, he's not a threat anymore."  Wrong.

" USC won't be the same without Reggie, Matt, LenDale, etc, etc, "  Wrong.

" The East would never beat the West when it counts."  Last 3 NBA Champions East: 2 West: 1  Wrong.

Now I too have fallen into this prediction problem.  Which one is worse, predicting Michigan was going to beat USC or predicting Ohio State would beat Florida?  Not my best work.

So why do we do this?  Are we all a bunch of know-it-alls?  Obviously we like to think we are, but with statements like " Florida couldn't possibly win back to back basketball national championships" or " Tony Romo is the next ( insert any Hall of Fame QB name here)" , why do we continue to predict what will happen next?  Why don't we learn?

So what's next?  There are already countless NBA Finals predictions, ( I guess someone will be right), and you know the NFL and college football prediction posts will be here in no time.  Wait, they're already here!

Is it because we just need topics to discuss?  Or do we all just need to prove we know more than the next person? 

( BTW.............I predict the first person to comment on this will be Steeler..........................at let's say 5:27 p.m....................I also predict I am going to go get Subway......................after I watch P.T.I...................I'll stop before this goes any further ) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were watching some guy nicknamed "Boobie" end the Pistons season, a little debate started between a few buddies and myself.  Okay, the little debate turned out into all out argument because we were all ticked the Pistons came up short. 

We started to discuss the Detroit sports scene.  The question that was aked and then argued about was this.  Would you rather your favorite team have a good to great regular season, wind up in the playoffs and lose OR would you rather your team come not even close to the playoffs and have to watch them bomb thru the whole season?

We got to watch the Tigers have a magical run last year, but then end up getting shocked in the World Series by the Cardinals.  In the last 2 weeks, both the Red Wings and Pistons have lost in the conference finals. 

One of my buddies said he would rather the teams not even get this far because it sucks to watch them come up short of the championship.  He then goes on to say " At least the Lions have no expectations." 

Now the argument really started.  I said it was fun to watch the Wings and Pistons have some expectations and the chance for a championship.  You don't have that with the Lions!  Pretty much zero expectations with the Lions, and a championship?  Hell would have to freeze over if the Lions won the Super Bowl.

So my question to you is this.  Would you rather your favorite team have an incredible run like the Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings but come up short of a championship OR would you rather the team not get that far and not raise any hope or excitement?

I think it's an easy answer.  I want my teams to do well and have that chance.  At least they got that far and gave you SOME hope. True it hurts in the end to watch them come up short, but isn't it more painful to watch a team that gives you no hope?

And your answer is...........

 

As I'm preparing to go pre-party for the Red Wings game ( yes we start very early ), I began to think how much skill it actually takes to play hockey.

#1 You have to be able to skate.  I can manage, but no where near what the guys who play professionally can do.  And I don't quite have their speed either.

#2 You have to be able to manage the puck.  A lot easier said than done.  Try passing or recieving a puck while Chris Pronger is eyeing YOU.

These are just 2 reasons ( hand-eye coordination being another obvious one) I believe hockey takes the most skill of any sport.  Think about it before you respond.  What sport takes more skill to play? 

Basketball?  No.  Most of us can run and shoot.  Talent levels are different, but you don't need extreme athleticism to even play in the NBA.  I'm not going to name any names, you know who they are.

Baseball?  It's widely agreed upon that the hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball.  Okay, but how much skill does that take?  If you have good enough timing, you will be able to hit the ball with some consistency. 

Football?  These guys are so specialized now that i####uy possesses multiple skills ( Reggie Bush), he's expected to be the next great player.  The majority of NFL players play one side of the ball and don't don't even play 3 straight plays.

Golf?  I find it an accomplishment when I actually hit the ball.  I'm not very good.  There are many different aspects to the game, but can you honestly say golf takes more skill to play than hockey? 

NASCAR?  This actually comes second in my book.  If you think it's just driving, here's an idea.  Go to a local track sometime and race in a junk car race or something where they let you drive on an actual track against other drivers.  You will be stunned how  critical concentration, attention to detail and awareness racing a car takes.  It's not just driving around in circles, ( okay technically it is), racing any type of professional league is difficult and highly competitive. 

Okay, you can disagree, go for it.  I just wanted to make you think how difficult each sport is to play, especially hockey. Feel free to name any sport I didn't, or give me a list of which sport you think takes the most skill.

Go Wings!

 

 

Wait for it, show patience, and then crush it 400 feet.

What's new fellow sports fans?  As you may ( or may not ) have noticed, I took a 2 month hiatus from this site. 

LONG story short, the now ex-fiancee and I are going our separate ways, and I'm still in the adjustment stage.  It's great to be back home in the GREAT state of MEE-CHI-GAN where I get to follow my teams again.  Indy is a great city and I'll remain a Colts fan forever.  Sorry, never liked the Pacers and probably won't. ( I was a Colts fan pre-Peyton, so I'm not just a bandwagon member.  Don't label me, I'm a Lions fan for goodness sake!) 

Anyway, I'll catch up with you guys from time to time. It's nice to be home, but still strange. As you can expect, moving your entire life around is a challenge.  But, I'll be better for it.  I'll crush that curveball!

P.S.  What did I miss?  Probably a lot of drama, huh?  I'm going thru enough of that right now!  I don't need it here also!  Just kidding, this site wouldn't be the same if not for all the bickering and arguing.  And I love it!  Can't wait to get back in the swing of things with you guys.

P.S.S.  Not a bad time to be back home, huh?  Tigers are rolling, Pistons are halfway home to the championship, Red Wings are halfway to a Stanley Cup berth, and the Lions...........well, 3 out of 4 isn't bad!

Look forward to corresponding soon with you guys!

 

Watching Sportscenter last night, I was glad to see Kenny Mayne back on the show.  I can't remember the last time I saw him on Sportscenter.  I enjoyed hearing his old catchphrases and sarcasm.  Stuart Scott was the other anchor last night.  For the most part, I enjoy when Stuart is on the show also.

Maybe Stuart said BOOYAH one too many times for my enjoyment though.  I began to wonder about other sports phrases or catchphrases that need to be stop.  I have 3 which I'll try to dissect the real meaning of them.  Now we all have certain ones that annoy us, feel free to disagree if you like one of these statements.

It is what it is-  WOW  Good thing I'm sitting down, what an in-depth statement!  Come on you don't really need to say what it is, do you?  You generally hear what it is by it is.  Get it?  If I say a basketball is round, you say it is.  Why would you need to say it is what it is?  I already told you what it is!  I hear this statement a lot when a player gets injured. The analyst will say it is what it is.  Translation:  you really can't do anything about it, so get over it.  Deal with the facts.  No need to dissect this one any further.

At the end of the day- Wait!  I got this one.  At the end of the day, it's tomorrow, right?  It can't be yesterday, can it?  This statement falls along the clever lines of it is what it is.  Translation:  When everything is said and done, these are the facts.  Again, if a player gets hurt, an analyst will muster all their brainpower together and knock you over by saying, at the end of the day the team will have to deal with the fact that this player won't be around for a while.  Didn't really need to say at the end of the day, did you?

I couldn't tell you where those two sayings began.  If you have any idea, let me know.  I have one that really makes no sense at all, but this time I know where to point the finger.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel.  I've never done it, but it must be easy.  I don't even think I got the exact quote right, because I stop listening whenever Sean Salisbury says it.  Why would you ever shoot a fish?  I think someone has some anger management issues. Translation: This is so easy, anyone could do it.  For example, winning a fantasy football league in which you have LaDainian Tomlinson on your team.  Or being a wide reciever on the Patriots.  Run your route, the ball will find you.  All Sean really has to say is this must be easy.  Hopefully that was his idea alone, I highly doubt anyone helped him with it.

Like I said before, some people like certain catchphrases and sayings which others can't stand to hear.  We all have our favorites and opinions on what is clever and witty, and what makes no sense at all.  Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

Well, the much awaited day is here.  Big Ben Wallace returns to the Palace for the first time since signing with the Bulls last off season.  When I first heard the news last summer, I was surprised.  There were rumors circulating that Ben wasn't totally satisfied with his situation in Detroit, but I figured it would be resolved in the end. 

The end occurred when Ben decided he needed to move on to the Bulls.  I can't really blame Ben for going with the highest bidder, can you?  It does hurt as a Pistons fan that Ben went to the Bulls of all teams, but hey things could be worse.  Ben gave Detroit fans 100% every night he wore the Pistons jersey.  And it's not like the Pistons are suffering a lot in his absence.  I'm hoping this restarts the rivalry with Chicago.  Am I the only one thinking this could be the Eastern Conference Finals matchup? 

I'm hoping the Pistons fans give Ben a standing ovation in pre-game introductions.  Show him the appreciation for giving his all every time he took the court.  I believe he represented the organization well.  It was sad to see him go, but let's remember the good times too.

Good times also include Ben letting the afro go.  No cornrows in the game Ben, go afro.

 

I have been known to open my mouth sometimes without thinking.  Some of you may remember a post I did called Diarrhea of the Mouth.  I had boasted about the Big Ten being  a better football conference than the SEC.  When this proved to be wrong, I took my medicine and wrote a post about how the SEC was better.

Sadly, history repeats itself sometimes.  That was a fun back and forth, but my actions recently crossed the line.  Flying Pig and I were to face off in a bracket in Reverand Rhythm's March Madness blogging tournament.  Now FP and I have never had problems and the guy even supports the same teams I do.  With poor taste, bad judgement and no responsible thinking I wrote a poem about his daughter which was untrue and hurtful.    Many a blogger posted that I was wrong and they were 100% right.  I apologized to Pig and took down the post.  Pig took the high road and accepted the apology, which I greatly appreciate.  So to all of those who were offended, I was wrong and feel worse than you can imagine.  I went over the line and have seen the disrespect it showed towards Pig and his family.  It was uncalled for.

 

Let's get back to sports now and end this post with some final thoughts:

 

Something today I heard made me laugh.  If the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of racing, is the California race the Pro Bowl?

2 weeks ago I posted a Final Four Prediction post.  My four predicted entrants to the Final Four are playing some great basketball.  Kansas, North Carolina, Georgetown and Texas A & M. I 'm doing a new version Monday and we will see who among us has already changed their picks.

Speaking of brackets, only 2 weeks until Selection Sunday.

Kevin Durant is the best college basketball player in the country. 

Eric Gordon ( headed to Indiana) will be the 2008 version of Kevin Durant. 

 

 

Respect the crane kick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As is stated in my updated information section, I was surprised at the negative responses my dog Woody recieved as my new avatar.  After many complaints, I have decided to go back to Miyagi.  I buckled under the tremendous pressure from my peers.

As relieved as you may be at this, this creates a problem.   There are so many good choices as to the new avatar picture.  After much deliberation between me, myself and I, I've reached the conclusion that it is best for you to decide the avatar picture.  I can't make up my mind as to which picture is best, so I need your superior judgement in this important matter.

Now this holds more meaning than you realize.  You say it's just an avatar.  Erroneous on all counts.  Your avatar is a reflection of who you are.  New people to this site recognize your avatar as a glimpse of your personality and style.

Now that I've made you feel important, here are the rules.

1. You may vote only once.  Make sure your vote is correct before you cast it.  If you see a mistake on your ballot, edit that comment, DON"T POST ANOTHER COMMENT. 

2. A group vote is not encouraged.  However, this may have to take place from our voters in Florida and Ohio as they have had trouble in the past with a single ballot in government elections.  ( No need to talk about sports polls and voting, that's for another post.)

3. I am the final say as to voting fraud, ballot stuffing, and hanging chads.  If I catch you in any of these situations, your vote will be thrown out and you will not be allowed in any future important voting matters.  Also, I will have to deliver a nice swift crane kick in your general direction.  You don't want that.

4. When does voting end? Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.  The avatar of choice will go up when the votes have been finalized.

5. Who is eligible? Everyone. Please spread the word.  I want every person to have their equal say.  Although I do not condone the actions of drive by's, they may vote because we were all once new to this site.  Maybe they'll see our passion and stick around and create their own blog and avatar.

6. Do this vote in order from your favorite picture to least favorite picture.  You may be saying, "No #### Sherlock".  If you say this, good for you!  Haven't heard that in a while.  I simply point out how to vote because I will let the driveby's vote, but are we certain they know how?  Yeah...I had to go there.

7. What is my obsession with Karate Kid and Miyagi?  This answer coming to a new post in the coming days.

8. If there is a tie between two or more pictures as the favorite, ONLY those pictures will be voted on again in a tiebreaker by all previous voters.  I hope it doesn't come to this, as I just thought about it!   LOL

9. Don't use the current avatar as pressure as to how you should vote.  I'm just staying with this one until voting concludes.

10. If you made it this far, I have new respect for your patience.  Let the voting begin!

 

 

Selection A:

 

Selection B:

 

Selection C:

 

Selection D:

 

Selection E:

 

Selection F:

 

Selection G:

 

Selection H:

 

Selection I:

 

Selection J:

 

Selection K:

 

Selection L:

 

I have more, but that's probably more than enough pictures to choose from.  Take your time and decide which is best.  Just remember, your vote could determine if that picture comes up when I visit your blog.  That makes you feel good, right? 

Remember, respect the crane kick!

Being very bored on a Sunday with no NFL action, my mind began to wander.  My first thought was it's DAMN cold out.  13 degrees at 4:00 in the afternoon!  Another thought was that January lasts FOREVER. After looking at my calendar and seeing which sporting events take place in January, I kept going all the way thru December. I did some thinking after this and came up with a debate about which month in sports is the best. It wasn't nearly as fun debating this topic with myself, so I figured I would share the topic.

We all have our own opinions on which month is the best.  College football fans will pick anywhere from September-December.  College basketball fans will say March.  NFL fans might say January.  I think you get the point.  I say March is the best month because of March Madness. ( See avatar) Just let me know which time of year gets you most excited.  I didn't include the Ryder Cup, or Olympics because they don't happen every year.  I went with events that you can look forward to every year.  Some events go from one month to the next, so I picked either month. Feel free to include any event which I missed.

January           NFL Playoffs         BCS Games        NBA and NHL seasons are  halfway thru

February        Super Bowl         Daytona 500         NBA  and NHL  All Star Games

March          March Madness   Spring Training     NBA and NHL playoff beginings in sight

April            The Masters         Regular Season in MLB starts           NFL Draft

May          Indianapolis 500        Kentucky Derby            NBA and NHL playoffs

June          NBA and NHL Finals          Wimbledon           College Baseball World Series

July              Tour de France          MLB All Star Game             PGA British Open

August           Brickyard 400           US Open Tennis              NFL Training Camps

September    NFL and college Football start    MLB playoff push     NASCAR Chase is set

October        MLB Playoffs            NBA and NHL seasons start             Midnight Madness

November   College football rivalry games    NFL Thanksgiving Day      NASCAR crowns a champion

December        College Bowl Games        Heisman Trophy        NFL Playoff Push

 

 

 

 

All aboard? Sorry, not me.  I just read that a certain player is reportedly going to make a ridiculous amount of money.  His name is David Beckham. Reportedly he is leaving Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy. An estimated 5 years 250 million dollars between his contract with the Galaxy and endorsements. I don't follow soccer that much, but even I know that amount of money for 1 guy is beyond reasoning.  Here is a clue for whoever gave Beckham that contract.  IT'S NOT WORTH IT!  So, one question for you.  The crazy train just left the station, are you aboard or not?