Fantasy Football with a Twist

Could a professional hockey player also play soccer? Could an NBA legend be force on the football? Sadly for us sports fans, we will never know the answers to these questions but if I had to draft an offensive fantasy football team of only other sport athletes, it would look like this.

QB: Rob Dibble

(6'4", 230   Cincinnati Reds Pitcher)

Dibble is nasty enough to probably be able to also start on the defensive front seven but he seemed too important to our team as the Quarterback. Dibble will be big enought to see over the offensive line and thick enough to take a hit without getting hurt, but its the cannon attached to his right shoulder that will be the most helpful. Any pitcher that can throw a ball 400 feet into the stands hard enough to injury a person will be able to fit a throw into the small windows of the NFL






RB: Allen Iverson

(6'0", 165 Philadelphia 76ers Point Guard)

Iverson's speed, quickness and lateral agility will allow him to be elusive enough to hit holes with speed and the vision as a point guard to make the proper reads off of his blockers. Iverson will also bring a little thug and attitude to the team. Plus he will be a big fan that with the new CBA he will only be forced to practice 1 or 2 times a week.





WR: LeBron James

(6'8", 250  Miami Heat Small Forward)

The All-State Wide Receiver at St. Vincent/St. Mary will be the number one option in an explosive passing game. James has the speed for the deep route while also being big enough to go over the middle and take a pounding. LeBron's real value will show up in the Redzone when Dibble can simply loft the ball high into the air and let The King go up and grab it for 6.







WR: Usain Bolt

(6'5", 190  Olympic Record Sprinter)

Bolt will be lined up opposite of James and be used primarily as a deep threat and on wide receiver screens. Bolt will also come in handy on reverses and in the return game. In the open field, no one can catch him.











WR:Clyde Drexler

(6'7", 210  Houston Rocket Shooting Guard)

Drexler is going to line up in the slot and play a Wes Welker type role. He will use his length to help him against linebackers. His toughness has never been questioned so there is no doubt that he can take hits going over the middle. The combo of James, Bolt and Drexler should be able to find holes in the defense all over the field and exploit many mismatches.








TE: Kevin Love

(6'10", 260  Minnesota Timberwolves Power Forward)

Love is another tall receiver for Dibble to locate. Due to his size, he will also be helpful in opening holes for Iverson to run through and can also stay in to pass block as his feet are quicker than normal men his size. Love has shown off his strong hands by leading the league in rebounds and having the ability to throw full court chest passes, so he should be able to haul in any pass thrown his direction.





LT: Kyle Farnsworth

(6'4", 230 Tampa Bay Rays Middle Reliever)

Farnsworth is a big tough individual who could start at linebacker for this team as well but it was decided that left tackle was too important to not put possibly the toughest guy. As Paul Wilson learned in this video, you did not want to try to rush Farnsworth or you will pay. This would technically be a hold on Farnsworth but I think the power in which he could block is obvious.









LG: Cecil Fielder

(6'3", 230  First Basemen)
Lining Fielder up next to Farnsworth is done on purpose. Farnsworth is the quick athletic tackle to pair with the monsterous Fielder to thwart any pass rushers. The pure mass of Fielder would prevent many defensive players from making an impact, and that is without taking into account the level of athleticism  Fielder also possesses. Good luck to any DTs trying to get to Dibble.












C: Robert Tractor Traylor

(6'8", 290  NBA Center)

Traylor, already a center, will not have to adjust to his new role too much. He will bring quickness and athleticism for a near 300 pound individual while also having the ability to knock defenders off the line with ease. The only downside to have Traylor anchor the line is that he has never been confused with a genius, so hopefully he can handle reading the defense.







RG: Mo Vaughn

(6'1", 225  First Basemen)

Bookmarking the First Baseball combo at guards is Mo Vaughn. Vaughn is a little short for a typical lineman but his stocky build will help him drive the defender off the line and be an asset in the running game.











RT: George Foreman

(6'4, 267  Professional Boxer)

The former World Champ will anchor the right side of the line and use his boxing instincts to help protect Dibble. The quick feet and quick hands used to gain the belt will allow Foreman to control the line of scrimmage.

                                                                                                



NCAA March Madness Preview (2/27 Update)

17 Days Until Selection Sunday!

Since last week, the entire landscape of college basketball has once again flipped. The season of upsets and top ranked teams getting beat has continued, and guess what folks: that is excellent for the fans and the game itself! Personally, I can not remember a more exciting college basketball season than this year for the simple fact that each and every night I can turn on the television and watch a great game. In years past there would be maybe 2 or 3 big upsets each season but that is happening weekly this go around.

Since Last Week: 3 of my projected number 1 seeds lost! 1 of the projected number 2 seeds and 1 of the projected number 4 seeds also lost once while a second number 2 seed lost TWICE. That means that 6 of the top 16 projected seeds suffered 7 total losses this week, or 38% of the teams. Yes, that could simply mean that I am just terrible at projecting seeds but the real truth is that this season is becoming impossible to project, but I'll keep trying, with that said....

Number 1 Seeds (Listed in order of overall ranking)  [Previous ranking] 

Gonzaga  [4]    
Duke [5]           
Indiana [1]        
Michigan [7]     

Number 2 Seeds

Florida [2]       
Miami [3]        
Kansas [9]       
Arizona [11]    


Number 3 Seeds

Louisville [10]  
Michigan St [6] 
Georgetown [13]
New Mexico [12]


Number 4 Seeds

Oklahoma St. [14]
Syracuse [8]
Kansas St. [16]
Ohio St. [NR]



Fit that Glass Slipper (Possible Cinderellas)

Creighton - McDermott is the best offensive player in the nation, remember what happen when Steph Curry was the best offensive player in the nation?

Illinois - They will probably end up at an 8 or 9 seed which may make them a little high for a Cinderella but John Groce knows how to coach in a tournament and the Illini have a lot of talent.

Davidson- Always tough in the tourney. 3 of 7 losses are against Gonzaga, Duke and New Mexico.

Teams Bound to be Seeding Too High and Have High Upset Potential

Marquette

Colorado St

Oregon



Bubble Watch Resumes

Ole Miss (20-7, 9-5)
RPI: 58
BPI: 24
SOS: 156

Good Wins: Missouri (H), Tennessee (Twice)
Bad Losses: South Carolina

Record vs RPI:
1-25: 0-1
26-50: 1-3
51:100: 3-2
101+ : 16-1

Ole Miss is currently the last team in the field accoding to Joe Lunardi and ESPN Bracketology, which blows my mind. While Ole Miss does not currently have many bad losses, the fact that their best wins are against Missouri and Tennessee shows you how little they have accomplished this season. The combined record of 1-4 against top 50 RPI squads does not help the Rebels prove that they can beat teams that would be playing against them in the tournament.  Lunardi is normally spot on with his predictions, but this is a bit of a head shaker.

In or Out?  I see no way, short of winning the conference tournament, that Ole Miss goes dancing this season. An SOS of 156 is way to high to be able to argue that you belong with the most elite teams in the nation while you have not proven that you can beat anyone of substance.


Villanova  (17-11, 9-7)
RPI: 55
BPI: 62
SOS: 37

Good Wins: Louisville (H), Syracuse (H), @ UCONN, Marquette
Bad Losses: @ Seton Hall, Columbia (H)

Record vs RPI:
1-25: 3-1
26-50: 1-5
51-100: 2-3
101+: 11-2

Battling night after night in the Big East or the Big Ten is what allows teams with double digit loses to get into the Big Dance. Villanova is trying to be this years example of such a team by posting double digit loses already to this point but at the same time setting themselves up to be right in tournament discussions. Being over .500 in one of the toughest conferences in the nation is a certain plus as are big wins over Louisville and Syracuse. The question with Nova is the whether they can overcome the terrible loss to Columbia.

In or Out? If it were Selection Sunday today, I'm thinking that Villanova is in the tourney as a number 12 seed but not in a playoff game. If they can manage a win either at Pitt or against Georgetown to end the season, then they are certainly in but if not then they might be forced to win one Big East Championship game if they want to feel secure on March 17.

Weekly Update

Feel Good Story of the Week:

 

 

 

The No Way Video of the Week:

 

 



 

 

The "I Can't Believe He Shot That" Video of the Week:

The You Tube caption says:

 

"An unlikely hero got all the ladies that day"

 

 

 

The "Please Don't Do That" Video of the Week:

 

 

 

Funny Mug Shot of the Week:

 

Desmond Bryant (Oakland Raider Defensive Tackle)Arrested for showing up to his neighbor's house at breakfast time wasted

 

 

 

 

In Dusty we Trusty?

So your team just finished the baseball season with a dismal 72-90 record, while finishing 5th in their division and 13 games out of 1st place. They haven't posted a winning record in 7 seasons and the future does not look bright as your lineup consists of multiple aging players and an unproductive minor league system. This leads to the hiring of a new manager.

Now speed ahead 5 years and your team has finished with their second division title in those five seasons, two 90 plus win seasons, and a bright future thanks to a solid core group of young players just entering their prime. In the last five seasons, your team has compiled a record of 419-391. The typical baseball fan would be ecstatic about such a turnaround and most likely would be declaring their manager, "The Best in Baseball". True or not these declarations would be heard in almost any city in Major League Baseball, except Cincinnati.

Johnnie B. Baker was hired by the Reds in after the 2007 season in order to bring some experience and success to Cincinnati. Mostly remembered for the failure of the Cubs to reach the World Series, thanks in large part to Steve Bartman, actually that is not true. Moises Alou had no shot at catching that fly ball and if he had simply jogged back to his position like a normal player then Bartman's life would not have been ruined. Sorry got off topic. Where was I? Oh yeah, Baker is remembered as the manager of the Cubs team that should have made the World Series, but did not. The fact that he was very successful the first three years of his stint in Chicago tends to be overlooked. Baker was 26 games over .500 as the manager of the Cubs before they gave him a AAA team to put on the field in 2006 which resulted in a 66-96 record.

For some reason, unknown to me, this one bad season led to Baker being labeled as a poor manager and as someone that ruins young players and prefers veterans even if they are not as talented (I'll get to this later). This label is outrageous and Baker is forced to put up with way more scrutiny than any successful manger ever should.

Let's start by debunking some of the myths that follow Baker around.

Firstly, the idea that Baker "ruined" the career of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood is simply an excuse that Cubs fan use in order to cope with the heartbreak. For starters, anyone vaguely familiar with baseball could have told you that Wood would experience arm problems simply because of the herky jerky motion in which he pitches. As for Prior and his "can't miss" abilities, he fell victim to the injury bug as well but not by any doing of Baker's overuse (as claimed by those who are anti-Baker). Early is his career Prior suffered injuries while running the bases, getting hit by a line drive and an unrelated Achilles Tendon injury. Prior did go on to suffer arm and shoulder injuries later in his career but they have been attributed to his delivery and not to the amount of innings that Baker asked him to pitch as a young starter.

The second outlandish myth is that Baker would rather play a veteran over a rookie regardless of ability. This is simply untrue. By all accounts, Dusty Baker is a great "player or locker room" manager who knows exactly what is important to the flow and energy of the team. He goes out of his way to speak Spanish with any Spanish speaking players, learning hunting techniques to be able to communicate with players better (Homer Bailey), and is apparently a very avid listener of all types of music which allows him to connect better with the young guys. What does this have to do with playing a veteran over a rookie you ask? Well Dusty has been excellent at pinpointing veterans who's simple presence on the field help the team even if they are struggling a bit while playing, and he is incredibly loyal to players that in his mind have earned the right to have his loyalty. What this allows is an environment that all players want to play in and an environment where a player will run through a wall for their manager. Yes, last season Scott Rolen was given a long leash even when everyone else wanted Todd Frazier to start every day, but Baker stuck with Rolen as a method of protecting Frazier. Multiple times Baker would point out that Frazier was sitting because the Reds were facing a pitcher that threw a lot of off speed pitches and those simply would not Frazier's strong point so he would rather play him against teams in which he can have success. So in response to all of those naysayers who claim that Baker never plays younger guys, they apparently overlook Zach Cozart last season, Jay Bruce early in his career, Joey Votto playing nearly every day once called up, and even Todd Frazier last season, maybe if you step back and stop looking for reasons to complain about Baker and instead recognize that he does things that will help his younger guys in the long run - such as protecting their confidence and putting them in better situations to succeed.

Day in and day out in Cincinnati there are large masses of "fans" that want to argue and complain about every lineup that Baker puts on the field. Number 1: If he was not good at his job, he would not have been awarded Manager of the Year on three occasions. Also, you do not know more about baseball or managing a team than Baker does and if you think you do, please refer yourself to my recent post about annoying fans because it may have been written indirectly about you. Last year, every Joe Reds fan wanted to move Ryan Hanigan up to the number two hole or even lead off simply because of his on base percentage. What most of those fans did not take into account is that fact that Hanigan's OBP was greatly helped by being an #8 hole hitting on an NL team which results in pitchers pitching around him to get to the pitcher on deck. These are the types of things that Dusty Baker gets paid millions of dollars to consider and judging by his team winning 97 of their games, he is doing his job well.

I am imploring the Reds fan base this season to rather than complaining and nitpicking on every move that Baker makes, let's instead celebrate the fact that we have a very successful manager leading our team. If you ever start to waver on the fact that he is a top flight manager and great for this city and the Reds, just think back to the days of Bob Boone or Jerry Narron and then remember that Baker is at the helm of a squad searching for their third NL Central crown in in 4 years.

For every Corey Patterson in Baker's career there is also a Zach Cozart and for every Mark Prior there is also a Johnny Cueto. Have faith and trust in the man leading your team this season. Let's spend the summer cheering and supporting the Reds rather than trying as hard as possible to find reasons to whine and complain. In Dusty we Trusty!

NCAA March Madness Preview

With March quickly approaching and the college basketball season rapidly coming to a close, it is almost time for the greatest month of the year: March. And with March comes all the glory of brackets, bubble teams, snubs and Cinderellas along with upsets, anger, and calling in sick to work. 

Locally, there are multiple teams that are, at most, bubble teams and mostly having down seasons. Cincinnati and Kentucky are staring the bubble right in the eye while Xavier seems destined to be watching the entire tournament on TV. The normal strength of this region in the tournament will be a weakness this year unless someone makes a surprise run in their conference tournament. 

Nationally, the fight for the overall number 1 seed has not been settled as there are multiple teams vying for the 1 seeds. This is the case because of the lack of a single dominate team in the nation. 

While it is only February and a lot of things can and will change  between now and Selection Sunday, here is my Pre-March Tournament Preview and Predictions. 

Number 1 Seeds (overall seed in parenthesis)

Indiana (1)
Florida (2)
Miami (3)
Gonzaga (4)

Number 2 Seeds

Duke (5)
Michigan St. (6)
Michigan (7)
Syracuse (8)

Number 3 Seeds

Kansas (9)
Louisville (10)
Arizona (11)
New Mexico (12)

Number 4 Seeds

Georgetown (13)
Oklahoma St.(14)
Butler (15)
Kansas St (16)

All Tournament Team

G: Trey Burke
G: Shane Larkin
G: Victor Oladipo
F: Doug McDermott
C: Cody Zeller

National Champion

Indiana

Bubble Watch Resumes

Cincinnati (19-8, 7-7)
RPI: 40
BPI: 24
SOS: 28

Good Wins: Oregon (N), @ Pittsburgh, Marquette (H), Alabama (H)
Bad Losses: St. Johns (H), @ Providence

Record vs RPI:
1-25: 1-3
26-50: 3-3
51:100: 5-2
101+ : 10-0

Cincinnati started the season out very strong against a sub par level of competition which included the likes of Tennessee Martin, North Carolina A&T, and Campbell. Despite the lack of top flight competition UC began the season on a 12 game winning streak that included three neutral site victories over Oregon, Iowa St., and Xavier. The problems for this team began in Big East play and due to some untimely injuries. Since Big East play has began, UC has struggled to get that big win to put them over the top and their offense has been abysmal as they currently sit at 272nd in college basketball in field goal percent (41%) and 121st in points (69.7). Staying with tradition, Cincinnati stays in games thanks to tough defense and being the 6th best  rebounding team in the nation. They still have the possibility of making a late season run because their defense keeps them in all games (they have lost 8 games by a total of 38 points). 

In or Out?  I think at this point UC is in at about an 8 seed but if they continue to lose games at their current pace, then they may find themselves in a "needing to win 2 Big East tourney games" situation. Their SOS,RPI, and BPI are far too high to keep them out.


Kentucky  (18-8, 9-4)
RPI: 48
BPI: 43
SOS: 69

Good Wins: @ Ole Miss, 
Bad Losses: @ Tennessee (By 30 pts)

Record vs RPI:
1-25: 0-3
26-50: 0-1
51-100: 4-4
101+: 14-0


Pounded by the departure of many play makers from last season's Wildcat team, Kentucky knew that they would not be the dominate force that they had been the past few season, but they did not expect this. Kentucky has managed to stay afloat in the bubble talk by beating pretty much everyone that they are supposed to beat, but also have not beat anyone they should not have, Old Miss excluded. The argument for Kentucky to be in the NCAA tournament was shaky before the injury to Nerlens Noel but it becomes even more shaky with the loss of the Freshman phenom. Unfortunately for Kentucky, their remaining schedule does not allow for many big wins the remainder of the year with the exception of the March 9 match up with Florida. Their schedule does allow for some bad losses. My guess would be that the Wildcats will win all their remaining games except Florida which would bring their record to 22-9 but still lacking any big win. 

In or Out? At this point, I believe that UK will be headlining the NIT if something drastic does not occur between now and the end of the season, ie advancing to the SEC tourney championship. Being 0-4 vs RPI top 100 and a SOS as low as 69, it appears unlikely that UK could make the tourney without improving this profile drastically.

Weekly Update (Jason Ray story is amazing)

The I Stand Alone Photo of the Week:

Harlem Shake Video of the Week:
(I do not understand what the Harlem Shake is, but this is funny)

Student Section of the Week (Mormon Style)

The Jason Ray Story: How One Man's Death Saved so Many Others
(I was going to write a story about the former UNC Mascot, but this one is great)

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=rayofhope


Jason Ray Foundation

Pre-Combine 2013 First Round Mock Draft

1. Chiefs: Geno Smith, QB West Virginia

2. Jaguars: Sheldon Richardson, DT Missouri

3. Raiders: Star Lotulelei, DT Utah

4. Eagles: Luke Joeckel,OT Texas A&M

5. Lions: Barkevous Mingo, DE LSU

6. Browns: Dee Milliner, CB Alabama

7. Cardinals: Eric Fisher,OT Central Michigan

8. Bills: Keenan Allen, WR Cal

9. Jets:  Damontre Moore, DE Texas A&M

10. Titans: Xavier Rhodes, CB FSU

11. Chargers: Chance Warmack, OG Bama

12. Dolphins: Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida

13. Bucs: Johnthan Banks, CB Mississippi St

14. Panthers: Bjoern Werner, OLB FSU

15. Saints: Dion Jordan, OLB Oregon

16. Rams: Kenny Vaccaro, S Tennessee

17. Steelers: Jonathan Hankins, DT OSU

18. Cowboys: Lane Johnson, OT Oklahoma

19. Giants: Zach Ertz, TE Stanford

20. Bears: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Tennessee

21. Bengals: Jarvis Jones, OLB Georgia

22. Rams: Alec Ogletree, LB Georgia

23. Vikings: Slyvester Williams, DT UNC

24. Colts: Jonathan Cooper, OG UNC

25. Seahawks: Ezekial Ansah, DE Yale

26. Packers: Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame

27. Texans: Tavon Austin, WR West Virginia

28. Broncos: Desmond Trufant, CB

29. Patriots: DJ Fluker, OT Alabama

30. Falcons: Alex Okafor, OLB Texas

31. 49ers: Matt Elam, S Florida

32. Ravens: Manti Te'o, LB Notre Dame

Getting a Cold One on Campus

Imagine sitting at a college football game and deciding that you would like to go purchase an alcoholic beverage only to find out that such drinks are not permitted or sold at the event. This is the case if you are attending games at roughly 100 division 1 institutions. As of July 2012, only 21 programs sell beer at college football games and of those 21, only 11 of such programs play their games on campus. (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/07/10/good-question-how-many-colleges-sell-beer-at-sports-stadiums/) The other 10 that sell alcohol all play at professional stadiums that are located off of campus.  Many colleges are now facing the question of whether the increase in income for the program offsets the idea of making beer that much more accessible to fans.

The biggest worry that institutions are having is whether the increased ease of alcohol would result in an increased number of drunken issues and cause problems during the games. The two lines of thinking in this question are that by selling alcohol it will be easier to regulate the amount of alcohol being consumed because people will not feel the need tailgate as heavily which would make the sale of alcohol a good idea. The opposite viewpoint is that the sale of beer will only increase the alcohol consumption, particularly among underage students, at events and result in more issues with police.

The additional police issue theory has been debunked by Oliver Luck and West Virginia University. West Virginia decided to begin selling alcohol at their football games this past season and saw not only an income increase of 700,000.00 but also saw a decrease in police reports based on alcohol consumption by 30%.  The overall police cases dropped 65% throughout the first four games. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-09/football-beer-taps-add-safety-700-000-to-west-virginia-university-sports.html)

While this notion of making the access of alcohol easier would mean less issues with drunkenness seems to be off, the idea behind it makes sense. If a student wishes to be drunk while watching the game with no ability to purchase a drink during the game, they will be forced to binge drink beforehand and show up drunk or illegally bring alcohol into the stadium. If the alcohol is already in the stadium, the students are less likely to binge drink before and more likely to purchase in the stadium.

                

From a strictly money viewpoint, if people are going to find ways to drink during athletic events, the department might as well make money off of the alcohol.  Also, what allowing the purchase of beer during the game limits is the amount of people that leave the game at halftime or early to go back to tailgate further. (http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/09/06/can-selling-beer-cut-down-on-public-drunkenness-a-new-marketplace-podcast/)

                

It is my belief that alcohol should be sold at all college sporting events because it will allow the programs to make more money with the selling of pouring rights and increased concession income. With the condition that most athletic departs are currently in, every school could use the boost in income. 

NBA All-Lame Weekend

Vince Carter going elbow deep.. Jason Richardson 360 between the legs behind his head. Michael Jordan from the free throw line and then sideways. Dee Brown not looking. Isiah Rider through his legs. These were the days that people would get together and sit down excited to watch the Slam Dunk contest. Now, I would guess that the majority of you reading this did not even know this weekend was All-Star weekend in the NBA. Well, it is, but is there anything to get excited about? The short answer: No.

Friday Night: 

7:00pm Celebrity All Star Game

Here is your chance to sit around and watch "B" and "C" list celebrities try to extend their 15 minutes of fame by showing off their basketball skills! I bet you are intrigued now. Tune in this year to watch the tripod of mildly popular singers Common, Ne-Yo and Trey Songz play basketball against "famous" individuals such as   Arne Duncan, the secretary of Education (that title just screams athleticism), Josh Hutcherson and John Schriffen, ABC News Correspondent. That's right folks, ESPN could not even expand beyond the Disney family to get players, so they chose Schriffen. Gatorade to anyone that can correctly name one story this man broke and pick which of these two he may be.

                                             

9:00pm Rising Stars Challenge

After finishing up that exhilarating Celebrity All Star Game on ESPN switch channels over to TNT and prepare yourself for the next generation of NBA superstars. Oh wait, there are like 5 true superstars in the NBA so prepare yourself for a few good players and then about 18 random Rookies and second year players. Yes, you will get to see Kyrie Irving (actually is becoming one of the NBA superstars) but you will also be forced to watch much less qualified basketball players. The twist this year to make it more appealing to fans is that it is Team Shaq vs Team Chuck. Just what we all want to see....

Saturday Night:

8:30 pm

This used to be the mecca of all All Star evenings but recently has fallen off the table. 

Shooting Star Challenge

Last season this involved teams from different cities that included an NBA player, WNBA player and a legend, which was not a bad idea and actually worked out pretty well. This year, they have decided to put teams together with no regard for common sense or logic. One team, known as Team Westbrook, has Russell Westbrook, Robert Horry, and Maya Moore. Maybe I just do not see it, but what connection do those three possibly have together? It makes no sense.

To make things worse, and more confusing, the game in which the four teams involved play is strange. There are spots on the floor that each team must shoot from to advance and then the top two teams compete to see who can do it again the fastest. This is a very boring game and seems to be making less and less sense each season. 

Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Ever wanted to sit around on a Saturday night and watch NBA players dribble, pass and shoot lay ups with no one playing defense? If you answered Yes, then this is the competition for you! I will assume that the completion of the course is harder than it appears but TNT and the NBA really expect us to get excited about watching top flight athletes do things that guys at the YMCA on a Wednesday night could do? 

Foot Locker Three Point Contest

I must admit that I have never been a fan of the three point contest and here is why: If you are an NBA player that is recognized as a good three point shooter, shouldn't you be able to make wide open 3's the majority of the time? Why is this supposed to be impressive? If the NBA wants to make this more fun they should make the balls either frozen or extra hot or force players to shoot threes while a clown on a tricycle rides around them in circles. I would also tune in if all other competitors were allowed to pelt the shooter with eggs while they shot, or something along those lines. The idea that it is exciting to watch professional shooters shooting open threes is like thinking its exciting to watch the local bag boy try to put your groceries into a bag within a 60 second time limit. 

Sprite Slam Dunk Competition

Gerald Green, Terrance Ross, James White, Eric Bledsoe, Jeremy Evans, Kenneth Faried

Are you kidding my NBA? You love social media and fan interaction, why not let the fans vote on who they want to see in the Slam Dunk contest as opposed to throwing in nobodies and a guy who is 30! This used to be the greatest competition where the biggest stars of stars would show up to show off their ridiculous jumping skills and creativity. That all went away as soon as they allowed Chris "Birdman" Andersen to try to complete his first dunk approximately 22 times! One of the great traditions, of not only All-Star weekend, but the NBA is quickly becoming the worst thing to watch on TV. There is no creativity anymore and there is no big name stars participating.With that said, I will take James "Flight" White in this competition despite him being half way to 60! That's how bad this lineup really is. 

Sunday Night

8:00pm All-Star Game

Is it cool to see all the best NBA players on one floor at the same time? Yes.
Is it fun to watch all the high light reel dunks of the players who refused to participate the previous night in the dunk contest? Yes. 
Can you sit through the entire team and not be bored? No.

The lack of defense and excessive alley-ops eventually become stale and it is no different than watching a high school open gym where all anyone wants to do is score as opposed to playing actual basketball.


Maybe some day we will get to see the NBA All-Star weekend rise back up to the heights it was at in the 80's but until then I will remain bitter that I was not born until 1989.

Dear Sports Fans

Dear Sports Fans,

As an avid sports fan, I tend to end up at many sporting events and it seems at every sporting event I attend there are always "those guys". You know the guys, the guys who everyone around them can not stand and yet always end up sitting directly behind you. If you don't know what I am talking about, then you are that guy, sorry.  There are many different types of "that guy", there is the "knows more than the coach guy", the "mispronouncing names of players guy", the "we should have traded our back up quarterback and third string safety for the All-Pro receiver guy" and the worst of all "that guys" the "I bought a 7 dollar ticket, complained about how far away my seat is and then yelled instructions to the players guy". They can not hear you sir.

So I have decided that I will help everyone with plans to attend a future game know how to avoid being "that guy"

Rule 1: You are not smarter than the coach

I realize that you played one year of Jr. High football but that does not make you qualified tell the professional sports team's head coach what play he should be calling. Also, I know that you want to see the team "stretch the field" or "extend the pressure" but there are times and places for that, times and places that you clearly do not understand.

Rule 2: If you want to yell names and pretend to be a huge fan, glance at a roster

Yes, you paid for the ticket and you broke out that old jersey which is too small (we will get to that later) so clearly you have the right to yell at the players and make up new names for them. There is nothing more annoying than hearing the guy behind you in the stands yelling at "Jon Votto" or screaming that "Jose Cueto" has a chance at Cy Young this year. It's not that hard folks, log on to the website or simply look at the lineup on the scoreboard and you will realize that you sound ignorant.

Rule 3: If you have an idea for a trade, keep it for yourself

No one is going to trade Chris Paul for Brian Scalabrine, Steve Logan and the waterboy. Stop trying to sound smart by telling everyone around you that the Clippers would go for this trade because they need a big guy and Logan would basically replace Paul, you do not sound smart. I know that you would love to have Chris Paul handling the ball for your favorite team, but you can not just say three names and make it happen. Real life is not NBA Live.

Rule 4: They can not hear you from section 525. Just sit back and watch the game.

Yes, you are right. He should have ran out that ground ball a little harder, but do you really think that he can hear you from 250 feet away, yet alone do you really think that a professional athlete in peak condition could care any less what your over weight nonathletic self has to say. Realize that you paid to come watch the athletes play, they did not pay to come play in front of you. Sit down and be quiet. The only people that can actually hear you yell, find you annoying.

Rule 5: Stop wearing apparel of a team that is not playing

When you attend a Browns vs Bengals, stop wearing Patriots clothing. I do not care if you are from Boston or have been a Patriot fan your whole life, also I do not believe that you are a die hard fan or else you would be in a bar somewhere watching the game or have NFL Ticket.You would not be at a game of two teams you do not care about. It is very annoying to see people wearing clothing of a team not participating in the event because it does not make sense. Wear either supportive clothing of one team, neutral clothing or do not come at all.

Rule 6: Put that Peter Warrick jersey back in the closet

Speaking of clothing, do not wear a jersey unless it follows these guidelines:
a) The player represented is currently on the team
b) The player was a legend (Pete Rose, Johnny Bench... not Reggie Sanders)
c) The jersey is of proper team colors (Green jerseys for the Reds do not make sense and should not be worn)

Rule 7: Control your bladder

There is no way to be more instantly hated by an entire section of fans than to be the guy who has to go to the bathroom between every inning. Just because you have to go a little bit, does not mean that you have to run to the bathroom and make everyone else get up and miss the action. If you are going to be this guy,make sure you leave at the end of the inning and wait to come back until the middle of the next inning. Do not make people miss plays because they have to stand up for you.

Rule 8: Calm down your anger

I understand that the "every inning bathroom guy" is annoying but if it is the sixth inning and someone goes to the bathroom for the first time, put away the death stare and let them pass. It is not your job to scare everyone else out of going to the bathroom. Now realize, if they are going for the 3rd time, you may death stare the individual for an entire inning.

Rule 9: Fighting does not make you a better fan

Who cares if the guy next to you is bad mouthing your favorite team? It does make you the world's greatest fan because you are willing to throw down and punch every "enemy" around you. It makes you trashy.

Rule 10: Stop screaming for every ball

If the center fielder has the ball and you are in the right field stands, there is no need to stand up and scream for the ball every time. Please place a ten foot radius rule on your yelling and if the player is outside of that radius, then do not yell for the ball. They are not going to throw a seed to you from 40 yards away simply because you yelled their name with the most gusto, unless the player is Rob Dibble.

If you do any of these ten things mentioned above,you should stop because you are annoying.

Best of luck attending you next game, hoping none of "those guys" are sitting directly next to you.

Thanks,

All the regular fans in the world

p.s. - stop trying to start the wave every inning

Weekly Update

Coolest Shot of the Week:

Blanchester boy hits winning shot from his butt....

Good guys video of the week:

College Football has too much money video of the week:

I will adding a real blog post later in the day, but I missed the Weekly Update this week.

From phenom to addict to super star

"I can't have anything bad happen to me now. If I'm put in an awkward situation... there is too much on the line." - Josh Hamilton in high school 

Starting at a young age, Tony and Linda Hamilton knew that they had a special son when it came to the baseball field. Playing shortstop, the position in which the most athletic player on the team plays during the first years of baseball, Josh Hamilton would leave welts and bruises on his first baseman's hands. It got so bad that teammates began to refuse to play first base and Josh was forced to play with older kids, which did not solve a thing. 

By the time high school came around, Josh was not only the star on the Athens Drive High School team but also was rapidly ascending to be the number one prospect in the nation. Hamilton was aware of what he could accomplish with his skills, but he did not allow that to blind him from being a good person and making right decisions. Hamilton would kiss his mother and grandmother before every single game and befriended Ashley Pittman. Pittman, born with down syndrome, was the team manager who after the state semi-final loss was seen crying heavily on the team bus ride home. Hamilton took it upon himself to sit with Pittman and try to make him feel better, as it turned out Pittman thought he had done something to cause the team to lose. Hamilton told him that they win as a team and lose as a team, which caused Pittman to stop crying immediately as he looked at Hamilton and smiled saying, "Does that mean I'm a part of the team?" When Hamilton informed him that of course he was,Pittman broke down again, but this time in joyous manner and gave Hamilton a huge hug. 

On the field Hamilton was as dominant as they come, a size 19 shoe wearing left hander that topped out at 96 while also hitting  .556 with 11 home runs and only striking out 4 times. On the mound Hamilton was nearly unstoppable compiling a 7-1 record while striking out 83 batters in 47 innings. The most astonishing feat in high school may have occurred during his sophomore year when he had not pitched all year due to extreme growing pains but in the playoffs threw four shutout innings to lead his team to victory. 

Hamilton eventually was drafted number 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999 and began a promising career. In 2000, Hamilton proved why he was the number one pick as he was named Minor League Player of the Year, played in the futures game, and was the MVP of the South Atlantic All-Star Game. Sadly, for Hamilton,this was the beginning of the downward spiral. 

In the off-season before the 2001 season Hamilton was in a car accident with his parents and began spending large portions of time at a local tattoo parlor that led to his drug and alcohol abuse and his eventual first trip to a rehab center. By the end of the 2002 season,one that was cut short by injuries, Tampa Bay had sent Hamilton to the Betty Ford Rehabilitation Center in order to get help with recovery. 

2003 got off to a rocky start as well for Hamilton as he failed his first drug test of Spring Training and missed multiple team and organizational events. Hamilton ended up missing the entire season due to "personal reasons". In 2004, Hamilton was suspended the entire season due to failing an additional two tests. 

By this point in his life,Hamilton was deeply addicted to alcohol and crack while also intermingling marijuana and pills. In an article on ESPN.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2926447) Hamilton discusses a time when he suddenly awoke from a trance and was walking down the middle of a 2 lane highway with cars zooming past him on both sides. He had consumed so many drugs that his mind had stopped working, but his body continued. It turns out he had ran out of gas on his way to his drug dealer's house and decided he should walk the remainder of the way. There are many more stories of Hamilton doing crazy things while high including getting tattoos that he no longer can remember what the majority of them represent or burning the back of his hand with four lit cigarettes because he was mad at a person in rehab, but thanks to a confrontation by his grandmother he began to turn things around in 2005. 

Hamilton's baseball career began to take off and turn around in 2007 when selected by the Chicago Cubs in the rule 5 draft and traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Hamilton had an explosive and successful spring which lead to the Reds having him active on their 25 man roster on Opening Day. When Hamilton's name was announced on Opening Day, the sellout crowd at Great American Ballpark gave Hamilton a standing ovation that lasted nearly 25 seconds. 

In that same ESPN article Hamilton acknowledges his feelings on that opening day,"I'll never forget Opening Day in Cincinnati.When they called my name during introductions and a sellout crowd stood and cheered, I looking into the stands and saw Katie and our two kids - Sierra, who'snearly 2,and my 6-year-old stepdaughter,Julia - and my parents and Katie's parents. I had to swallow hard to keep from breaking down right there. They were all crying, but I had to at least try to keep it together.   


I pinch-hit in the eighth inning of that game against the Cubs, and Lou Piniella decided to make a pitching change before I got to the plate. The crowd stood and cheered me for what seemed like forever. It was the best sound I've ever heard. When I got into the box, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett looked up at me from his crouch and said,"You deserve it, Josh. Take it all in, brother. I'm happy for you."   

Hamilton went on to make a run at the NL Rookie of the Year award but not without help from his family and Johnny Narron. Narron was the Reds bench who had also coached Hamilton when he was 15. He took Josh under his supervision with the Reds and put many precautionary measures into action. Narron would collect Hamilton's meal money on the road and only give him enough for one meal at a time because they did not want him walking around with hundreds of dollars of cash. His wife would drop him off and pick him up from the stadium before and after all games in order to make sure he did not drift from the correct path. 

Playing in the majors did come with a price as now everyone knew of Hamilton's past struggles and playing on the road was always rough. At one stop in St. Louis a fan stood up and yelled "Hey, I'm Josh Hamilton and I'm a drug addict!" Hamilton responded by turning to the stands and joked back "Tell me something I don't know!" The fun loving and happy Hamilton from high school was beginning to return.

Twice since 2009 Hamilton has admitted to slipping up and drinking. The first was in March of 2009 when photos were taken of him shirtless in a bar and witnesses claimed to hear him asking where he could find cocaine and claiming to be heading to a strip club afterwards. The second was in February of 2012 when he went to a bar by himself for a few drinks before calling Ian Kinsler to come get him. While relapses are common nature for recovering addicts,throughout his career Hamilton's teammates have made it as easy on him as possible. While playing for the Reds, it was standard for rookies to carry all of the beer on to the plane but Hamilton was allowed to be removed from this task,and when the Rangers clinched a playoff spot they celebrated with Ginger Ale as opposed to Champagne to help Josh avoid alcohol.

This past off season, Hamilton signed a monster deal with Angels and will for the first time be on his own to fight his addiction. Johnny Narron was with him for his stints with the Reds and Rangers but he is now the hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. All the pressure to maintain sobriety falls back onto Hamilton's shoulders. 

We can guarantee that Hamilton will be in the news at some point this season, lets just hope that it is because he has a shot at MVP and not just that he had a shot. 

2012 NFL Re-Draft

If each NFL team could go back and redraft after the 2012 season, I am guessing that the majority of the teams would choose differently in the 1st round. Here is my projections for the 2012 NFL Redraft! (teams slotted in original drafting position and Josh Gordon was not allowed to be drafted because he was a supplemental pick)

1 Colts
- Andrew Luck QB

I think they are more than pleased with their pick. 

2 Rams
- Robert Griffin III  QB

Same pick. Different Team. No way Rams trade this pick after seeing what RG3 can do. 

3 Vikings
- Matt Kalil  OT

When you make the correct selection the 1st time, there is no reason to redo it

4 Browns
- Russell Wilson QB

The Browns FINALLY find their franchise QB. 

5 Buccaneers
- Doug Martin RB

The Bucs get their same man but they have to pick him 26 spots earlier. Proved to be most explosive RB in draft. 

6 Redskins
- Alfred Morris RB

The 6th round pick becomes the 6th overall pick this time around. Without RG3, the Redskins can still have a stabilized running game thanks to Morris. 

7 Jaguars
- Justin Blackmon WR

Really came on in the second half of the season to show that he has serious long term potential and will become an explosive option for the Jags

8 Dolphins
- Luke Kuechly LB

The Cincy kid won Defensive ROY, it only makes sense he is the first defensive player off the board. 

9 Panthers
- Bobby Wagner LB

Arguably had a better first campaign than Kuechly. Will be making plays for years. 

10 Bills
- Alfonzo Dennard CB

When you play the Patriots twice, you better have good defensive backs.

11 Chiefs 
- Fletcher Cox DT

The Chiefs have surprising fire power on offense, but need better athletes on defense. 

12 Seahawks
- T.Y. Hilton WR

T.Y. gives Matt Flynn a speed option to go along with Sidney Rice and Golden Tate. 

13 Cardinals
- Trent Richardson RB

Injury prone Beanie Wells is to big of a question mark to pass on a talent like Richardson. 

14 Cowboys
- Janoris Jenkins CB

After throwing a lot of money at Brandon Carr, the addition of Jenkins will help the Cowboys to defend against the talent passing games of the Eagles and Giants 4 games a year. 

15 Eagles
- Lavonte David LB

Linebackers are key to any defense being dominant and David is a great centerpiece to build a defense around. 

16 Jets
- Vontaze Burfict LB

The days of the Jets having the nasty, hard hitting, and feared defense have past and there is no better player in this draft to bring that tough mindset back than Burfict.

17 Bengals
- Casey Hawyard CB

Great defensive line. Old secondary. Hawyard, who led all Rookies in interceptions, will help to liven up the back end of the defense. 

18 Chargers
- Jonathan Martin OT

Philip Rivers was on his back far too often this season due to a horrible offensive line, and while Martin can not block everyone, at least Rivers will know he will have protection from one spot. 

19 Bears
- Mitchell Schwartz OT

Jay Cutler was on his back far too often this season due to a horrible offensive line, and while Schwartz can not block everyone, at least Cutler will know he will have protection from one spot. Sound familiar?

20 Titans
- Bruce Irvin DE/LB

Character issues behind Irvin, he is the most explosive hybrid player in the draft and will bring some new life to the Titans. 

21 Bengals
- Harrison Smith S

The Bengals continue to revamp their secondary while building one of the strongest units in the NFL. A must if you wish to compete in the Winter months in the AFC North. 

22 Browns
- Mark Barron S

The run on safeties continue as the Browns get some help for TJ Ward at the safety position. 

23 Lions
- Chandler Jones DE

Explosive offense. Porous defense. Jones will help sure up things on that side of the ball. 

24 Steelers 
- Vick Ballard RB

Injury prone Mendenhall has neither proven he can stay healthy or be successful. Time for the Steelers to give Ben a solid running game. 

25 Broncos
- Derrick Wolfe DT

There are not a lot of holes for the Broncos, but the biggest that needed filled was the interior defensive line. The high energy and effort filled Wolfe will shine in Mile High.

26 Texans
- Dont'a Hightower LB

All pros at QB, RB, and WR means that you better build a defense to help establish a winner. Hightower will help Houston to get closer to that Super Bowl. 

27 Patriots
- Stephon Gilmore CB

With the amount of points that the offense scores, the defense must be prepared and able to defend against the pass in high volumes nearly every week. Gilmore will make it difficult on opposing offenses in obvious passing downs. 

28 Packers
- Morris Claiborne CB

See the Patriots reasons. 

29 Ravens
- Courtney Upshaw DT

Another aging defense gets a little younger with the addition of Upshaw.

30 49ers
- Kendall Wright WR

The 49ers have completely revamped their offense to be speed, speed, and more speed. With that said, why not take the fastest receiver in the draft. Pairing Wright with Crabtree and the 49ers have an explosive young receiving tandem. 

31 Patriots
- Quinton Coples DE

We already discussed the high volume of passing plays that Patriot opponents run due to the high scoring Patriot offense so Coples will have lots of chances to get after the QB and record sacks. 

32 Giants
- Dwayne Allen TE

Martellus Bennett started the season well but is only on a one year contract. Allen looks like a budding star at TE and we all know how much Eli loves his TEs. 

10 Questions facing the Reds heading into Spring Training

With only 1 day to go until Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training, the Reds have only a few questions they face heading into this baseball season, and most of them are very large "What ifs". The Reds have a very complete roster which promises to be one of the best in baseball, but like all teams they have their questions, here are 10 of the most pertinent:

10. What the catching situation and who is the starter?

Going into last season, the Reds made a big statement about how highly they thought of Devin Mesoraco when they traded Yasmani Grandal to San Diego as part of the Mat Latos deal, but then turned around and made about as big of a statement by sitting him consistently in favor of Ryan Hanigan and eventually sending him to AAA. Last postseason, the Reds kept Dioner Navarro on their roster as opposed to Mesoraco and then signed Miguel Olivo in the offseason. Now the Reds must decide what to do with one of their former top prospects. There is an outside chance that they send him to Louisville for more seasoning and they keep Olivo and Hanigan on the active roster, but more than likely he will be with the big league club and watching Ryan Hanigan, a grossly underrated catcher, anchor the Reds' promising pitching staff.

9. Who will be this Spring's surprise?

Every year there is a player that no one has paid any attention to in the past (Daniel Corcino last season) who busts onto the scene and suddenly makes a name for themselves. Typically this player does not make the roster, but at the very least sets themselves up for the future as a potential contributor. After reviewing the  roster, I would put my money on Kyle Lotzkar to turn some heads this Spring Training. Then again, the point of the Spring surprise is that no one can predict it in advance right?

8. How likely are the sophomore slumps?

Todd Frasier and Zack Cozart both played huge roles in the Reds run to the NL Central crown last season, but the Reds have to hope that neither of them fall victim to the "Sophomore Slump". The Reds may be able to handle if one of them slumps this upcoming season but if the entire left side of their infield struggles it will be incredibly difficult to repeat as division champs.

7. Why does Scott Rolen have so much control?

Speaking of a possible Todd Frasier slump, we can not discount the Scott Rolen effect. Firstly, if Rolen elects to play this season, does he come in and take over the starting position at the hot corner? Personally, I  and every other Reds fan do not understand why he holds so much power over the Reds anyhow. I get the idea that he brings a veteran leadership and presence to the clubhouse which helps the club to have success, so why not make him the bench coach or a special "clubhouse adviser". Rolen's stat line of 157 games with a  .243 BA 13 Hrs and 75 RBI does not sound terrible until you realize that it is his combined stats for the last 2 seasons. The Reds need to turn the page on Rolen and not let him make the decision if he wants to come back and play, but rather make their own decision. Why do they want him so badly anyway?

6. What if Billy Hamilton is the best player in camp?

Although highly unlikely, what happens if Billy Hamilton outperforms everyone else in camp and has the best Spring Training of anyone on the roster? Can the Reds afford to allow him to make the Opening Day roster? Say he makes the roster as an OF, who does not start? Is it the guy you traded for this off season or the guy who you resigned? I do not see Hamilton having a Spring worthy of 25 man roster consideration, but if he does then he rest of the roster decisions become even more cluttered.

5. Which Ryan Ludwick shows up in 2013?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Ludwick. The Reds hit it big last year with Ryan Ludwick having a great spring back year and at times carrying the entire offense during the absence of Joey Votto, but there has to be some fear that he will return to the quality of play he displayed in San Diego. Ludwick had not hit over .265 or had more than 22 home runs since 2008 before last season, and if Ludwick regresses back to those numbers it could put a huge dent in what appears to be a talented offensive unit for Cincy.

4. Can Shin-Soo Choo play Centerfield?

UZR (ultimate zone rating): The number of runs above or below average a fielder is in both range runs, outfield arm runs, double play runs and error runs combined. 
(Courtesy of fangraphs.com)

Last season while playing Right Field for the Indians Choo recorded a UZR score of -17 which ranked 17th among all right fielders and 61st overall when compared to all Outfielders. By comparison, Drew Stubbs was  16th overall with a 6.5 rating. The reason this is extra scary for the Reds is the fact that Choo will now be playing centerfield which requires more ground to be covered and an increased likelihood of an even lower UZR. The lasting effect this will have on the Reds is that the pitchers will be giving up a few more hits, which will result in a few more runs. The Reds are hoping his increased offense can offset the downgrade on defense.

3. Is Joey Votto healthy?

Votto was on his way to competing for another MVP last season before injuring his knee and being forced to sit out an extended period of time. After recovering, he was not the same player as he was before and was forced to be more of a line drive doubles hitter than a power hitter. Although he still reached base at nearly a .500 clip after returning from injury, the Reds will need a healthy Joey Votto to help power the middle of this lineup. If he can come back healthy and be the MVP player that Votto has proven to be in the past, this Reds' could have one of the scariest lineups in the National League.

2. Can Aroldis Chapman be a quality starting pitcher?

I have been against this move from the beginning. I get all the reasons that people think it could/should work. He is paid too much to be a closer, he was a starter in Cuba, he COULD be the next Randy Johnson. He also could have arm problems, not have enough pitches to be effective as a starter, fall back into the trap of overthrowing and walking too many people. I hope that I am wrong and Chapman succeeds as a starters but  gun to my head, I think Chapman ends up on the DL before the end of May with "shoulder fatigue".

1. How good can the Reds really be?

Should they start planning the parade now? Maybe not but the idea is certainly legitimate and may be necessary come Fall. Each year there are multiple teams that have a real chance at winning a World Series title, and this year the Reds are one of those teams but in order to win it all, nearly everything must go right for the club. Do I think the Reds win the World Series this season? No, but I think they win the NL Pennant.