This is the page where you can go to only see/read all of the posts from the past month. They are as follows:
The other amazing thing to see in college
baseball is the love of the game and amount of fun the large majority of
the athletes have out there. This link and in the picture on the left
are examples of the Cincinnati baseball team last year and some of the
pranks they pulled during post-game interviews of the teams' players.
Pure greatness. The picture on the right is a reminder that the Harlem
Shake video (that got disturbingly popular much too quickly) was fueled
by college campus' all across the country having fun and being kids. The
schedule is also wildly entertaining (to me, at least) in format. The
way it works is fairly simple: Teams play 3-game series every weekend
with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games mixed in with mid-week (Tuesday
and Wednesday usually) 1 or 2-game sets with teams intermixed throughout
the year. This way, the starting rotation in college baseball consists
of three weekend starters, and a mid-week starter or two to add depth,
with more players available coming out of the bullpen. Knowing your
team's "ace" is going to throw every Friday night is such a cool concept
to me that it highlights the Friday night game that no MLB game can
match as any given team could have any given pitcher going that night
(other than Opening Day) depending on how their rotation falls.
I would hate myself if I ever wrote a college baseball article without
discussing (at least briefly) Florida state and Dick Howser Stadium
(pictured above), or as it is more affectionately known, "The
DickHouse". FSU is home to an incredible college baseball program and
one of the best home stadiums in the country. A fan-base matched by few
(if any), the Noles enjoy a home-field advantage including the Animals
in Section B, the "Chain Link Monster", and the Chop. So do yourself a
favor and get to Tally for a game sometime because its cheap, fun, and
truly a great sports experience.
We'll miss Derek Jeter as Major League Baseball was simply better with him apart of it. As a life-long Yankee hater, after this year I can finally admit what I have always wanted (but never allowed myself) to say: Derek Jeter is a badass...in that cool, totally laid back, completely nonchalant kind of way you know.
Today will be better than yesterday.
Although the all-knowing Drake has taught us to start from the bottom, I'm going to go ahead and start from the top, and that's exactly where I expect the US to be standing on the podium when all is said and done.
GOLD:
This
US team bares a striking resemblance to another legendary American
hockey squad. No, not the Miracle team, I'm not that cliche. This team
is the Second coming of the Mighty Ducks or "D-4" for those of us that
grew up on the trilogy. This rag-tag bunch of scrappy, but talented
NHL'ers seems under appreciated by every non-American Hockey journalist
covering the Olympics. Although I didn't want to be cliche and compare
this team to the Miracle team, I do see a similar outcome. The big came
will come in the semifinals with the US matched up against heavy
favorite Canada, a game I expect the Americans to "shock the world" and
win advancing themselves into the gold-medal game to be played a day
later. Then, the Americans will surely feel like they "deserve" gold,
but will still find themselves up against another tough obstacle in the
form of the Swedes, who they will narrowly fend off in a tight 3rd
period until a late empty-netter eventually seals gold for the Yanks.
SILVER:
Ahhh,
the good ole Swedish Fish. I actually like this team and the way it is
constructed a lot. If I wasn't a blazon biased American, I'd most likely
be picking them to play the role of Spoiler to the Canadians and
Russians come podium time. Goalkeeping and scoring win International
play (listen to me talking with authority like I know what I'm talking
about, when in fact I know little and next to nothing when it comes to
hockey) and that's where the Swedes excel. Henrik Lundqvist has
the ability to go all Ryan Miller and put the team on his back as he
carries them through game after game as he did in the '06 Torino games.
Also, Alex Steen and Gabriel Landeskog (Go Avalanche) will be two names
who introduce themselves to the casual American NHL fans who don't (but
should) know their names yet. The losses of Henrik Sedin and Johan
Franzen are the only thing that keep the Swedes from beating the
Americans in the Gold-medal game.
BRONZE:
I
know, I know-I'm probably an idiot for picking a team with this much
talent to finish with what could only be seen as a colossal failure of a
third-place finish. But, in all honesty, this is the outcome I see
happening. The format is set up for , in my opinion, the most
interesting, competitive game to be played in the Semi's. I think group
play will set the stage for Canada-USA to play in the game before the
game they should be meeting in, and that really is a shame. But, wow,
speaking of talent, Martin St. Louis being listed as an alternate, are
you freaking kidding me Canada, that's just unfair. The Canucks are
talented at Goaltender as well, their "weakest" point in their roster.
And weak is truly the wrong word; a more appropriate word is unproven as
that is what Carey Price truly is. So, yes they are extremely talented
and one of the best teams in the world, but we play and watch and love
sports for underdogs and upsets (amongst so many other amazing things
sports bring us) and thats what we'll see here, so stay tuned folks.
4TH PLACE (Loser of Bronze-Medal Game):
This
team will surprise at the Games this year. Although they should be
forced to change their team name to Olliland in place of Finland,
somehow the pairing of Olli's (Jokinen and Maata) will take the hockey
world by surprise as they shut the favored home Russians out of the
semifinals and medal-round games. On the backs of these two and goalie Tuukka
Rask, the Fins will certainly compete each and every game throughout
this tournament while eventually being out-classed by the Canadians in
the bronze-medal game. Other NHL stars include: veteran captain Teemu Selanne, Mikko Koivu, Sami Salo and Kimmo Timonen.
5TH PLACE:
Today will be better than yesterday.
This morning I’ll be going negative, so if you’re just
reading this getting back from church and want to stay on that emotional high,
good feeling, probably stop reading now. But….I am going to rant about a valid
point (or at least valid to me); the Olympic televising is miserable when the
Eastern hemisphere hosts the event.
The fact that the live sporting event is performed nearly a
half-day in advance of prime-time surely makes NBC’s job of pleasing the masses
(or at least the majority of them) nearly impossible, but the one thing I do
know is that their current system just doesn’t cut it.
So
far, I've had nearly every Olympic medal given out ruined (spoiled) for
me and it has truly left a sour taste in my mouth (along with the
Americans' poor showing thus far). I recognize that the technological advances and constant
need for immediacy rampant in journalism today force other networks to report
the events as quickly as they transpire. The fact that the events transpire in
the Eastern hemisphere basically a half-day ahead of the primetime viewing
slots also put NBC, again, the primary carrier of the rights to air the
Olympics, in a legitimate bind. Their options are: Ask their American viewers
to take work off every day for a solid two weeks to show the events live during
the day, and also change their sleeping patterns to watch events well past
midnight as well, go with their current system, or ask the other networks to
put a temporary hold on their newscasts (yeah, like that’s going to happen).
Again, whenever I’m ranting about something I at least give
my best efforts toward offering a solution or change leading to a hopeful
resolution to said problem so I will once more attempt at one here.
This one is a tough one to crack. You would think an event
with the enormity and scope of the Olympics would have the best and brightest
minds in the business brainstorming daily for an alternative method of airing
them to viewers. That being said, the idea that I could come up with some sort
of ground-breaking, earth-shattering, revolutionary marketing idea is pretty
preposterous.
Now,
yes, I know Twitter, the internet and news agencies from different
countries would release the information, but the Olympics would
certainly be easier to avoid for those of us not wanting full spoiler
status.
Today will be better than yesterday.
Ok, so golf has yet again played a role in me missing a blog
post. IF I were a bad fiancé, I would say it was my lovely fiancé’s fault that
I didn’t get to enter a blog post yesterday due to her surprise visit last
night, BUT…I’m not so it was of course my fault that I missed out on
disappointing ALL of you readers out there.
With that, I’ll get to the point and today/tonight’s
edition of The Daily Sport. It will of course be on the only topic to keep us
sports fans from momentarily forgetting that this is the first weekend of the
year without meaningful football for another 29 weeks (Yikes): The Olympics.
This, the twenty-second winter games of the Olympiad, will
offer a multitude of excitement, diversity, drama, and sports storylines for
viewers all over the world. For me, the Olympics are great; they spike interest
in sports I otherwise have no interest in, elevate athletes my age to superstar
status worthy of cult-like followings, and ramp up some good ole-fashioned patriotism.
I’ll probably dive into more detail in a few of my other
more detailed, various Olympic sport-specific editions of the Daily Sport, so
today I’ll just leave you all with a
bullet-pointed list of some initial thoughts as we sit in the middle of the
opening weekend of the 2-week event.
-1st off, the Olympics started Thursday night (it’s
now Saturday) and I’m already pretty sick of Figure Skating. And that’s not
Figure Skating’s fault (believe it or not) it’s the inclusion of the Olympics’
newest event: Team Figure Skating. Basically it’s a point-based event that adds
up all of the individual figure skating events and rewards a national team with
a medal. Isn’t that basically a microcosm of the Olympics itself, except solely
based off Figure Skating…Figure Skating?!?! The Winter games now has its
version of the Summer games’ diving events…congrats.
-2nd, I can’t freaking wait for Hockey. It’s the
only major sport that our country cares about (because as much as I want us to,
we, as a whole, just don’t give a damn about soccer-but that’s a point for
another edition) that we enter the Olympics as something other than the
favorite. It truly has so many characteristics of sports we love: traditional
rivalries, involvement of the best professional athletes the world has to
offer, and big-time superstars that draw national appeal.
-3rd, If you’ve never watched curling (I know,
its curling-literally people slowly skating sweeping brooms over ice to play a
glorified game of shuffleboard, a retirement-home based sport) then you’re
missing out on something truly great. The strategy, emotions, and intensity
involved make it truly a prime-time event (or at least prime-time when the
Olympics are on).
-4th, Speed Skating (at least the shorter
distance races) are awesome. It is high-paced, exciting, and truly intense as
literally one slip-up can cost even the greatest favorite in the race an entire
4 years of training. Also, Americans are pretty good in these events so its
always fun to watch the US kick some other countries’ asses every now and then.
Speed Skating is like the Winter version of Swimming events.
-5th and finally, I’ll list some of the other
major events I’m looking forward to:
-Bode Miller skiing like a drunken madman in the Men’s
Downhill
-The Luge and Bobsled events (Go Team Jamaica)
-Moguls events
-Biathlon (Cross country skiing combined with circuit-stations
where the skiers stop to shoot at targets down range) where the competitors
often have their running noses leaving frozen mucous down the side of their
faces-pretty epic
-Shaun White trying to win a third-straight gold medal in
the Men’s Halfpipe
Today will be better than yesterday.
Ok, so wow-I’m becoming worse and worse at this. But, again,
(not to make excuses, but….) yesterday was a pretty big day. For those that do
not know, yesterday was College Football’s National Signing Day, an event that
always falls on the first Wednesday of each February. Giving 18-year old kids a
guaranteed audience of millions of viewers and free reigns of what college the
player will choose, how he will announce said decision, and the live reaction
of everyone involved on camera will only lead to incredible live television
moments.
I’m an incredibly huge fan of offseasons in general. The rumors,
speculation, and strategy involved over a multi month-long span keeps me, as
well as many others, interested in the sport even without the benefit of
ongoing games and competition in the league. That being said, no day in any
professional sporting offseason even comes close to rivaling the excitement and
drama stirred up in the college football community on National Signing Day.
Yesterday, Wednesday, February 5, 2014, brought us excitement,
surprise, intrigue, and predictability all while entertaining and enthralling
us (us being all “hardcore” college football fans) to the point that Signing
Day can fit all of a professional sporting offseason has to offer in a single
day.
Obviously, for those that know me, I focus on FSU, UF, and
Miami’s classes above all others each and every year. This year, it was in that
order, FSU, UF, and then Miami, in which the three traditional Florida-based
programs ranked nationally. The Seminoles, ranked 4th nationally,
Gators, ranked 8th nationally, and the Canes, ranked 12th
nationally, each recruited and ended up hauling in extremely impressive classes
that met both needs and desires along the recruiting fronts.
I’ll conclude this Daily Sport’s edition with
my 5 Top Recruits who I think will bring an extremely large impact on their new
collegiate teams next year.
They are:
Leonard Fournette: #1 Overall recruit, Signed with LSU
Fournette will follow Jeremy Hill and become the extremely
productive downhill runner that fits Les Miles’ and Cam Cameron’s system to a “T”.
Fournette will use his rare blend of exceptional size, speed, and power to
dominate SEC defenses next year and most likely become a key contributor from
the outset of his career.
Quin Blanding: #5 Overall recruit, Signed with Virgina
Blanding will most likely walk into a starting role on a
hugely under
performing Virgina squad that last year ranked towards the bottom
of almost every defensive statistic while Blanding looks to immediately step in
and make progress on that front. Raw talent and immense potential lead to high
hopes for Cavalier fans looking to the future with Blanding (as well as Andrew
Brown who looks to anchor the defensive line).
Travis Rudolph: #11 Overall recruit, signed with Florida State
Rudolph will step directly into the role vacated by both
Kenny Shaw and the early departure of Kelvin Benjamin. He combines good size,
speed, and athleticism with instinctual fervor and the mind to be a talented
natural receiver. Having Jameis Winston throw you passes never hurts, but
Rudolph would excel with many different options throwing him passes; his quick acumen
and rapport with Winston will surely factor into his early success, but his
overall skill set is simply too impressive to not equate to success at the next
level.
Damian Prince: #20
Overall recruit, signed with Maryland
As Maryland moves into the Big Ten conference, they know the
overall talent level will improve. The signing of Prince only aids in their compensation
with this fact. His length and weight are college competition ready as the
Maryland native moves into the upper echelon of football competition. This was
a big get for the Terps as they kept him away from the Florida schools as both the
Gators and Noles looked North to pull an incredibly talented recruit out of his
home-state to anchor their offensive line class.
Deshaun Waton: #31 Overall recruit, signed with Clemson
Today will be better than yesterday.
See: Look at me; Waking up early and posting this Blog to
ALL (again, I know there’s very few of you
but still, I’ll keep referring to you all as “ALL” so I can feel proud,
or at least motivated enough, to write each and every post). I’m on my way to the
gym this morning so I’ll try to keep it brief. The Daily Sport today will take
a bit of a different approach…meaning I’m going to get my fat-ass up on “my
Soap Box” and rant. I’ll be ranting on a particular topic that is relevant
right now (especially for me and all other fans of terrible NBA Franchises) so
yes, Heat fans please click away immediately (and pretty much stay away because
I don’t like a good lot of you-although there are a few that are such good
friends I have to put up with your awful taste in basketball loyalty). The
topic: the NBA Draft Lottery.
I don’t know how many of you know this (I’m hoping most of
the people that may or may not be reading this) but the NBA Draft differs from
almost every other professional sporting league in the way they order draft
slots to its teams. However, the NBA likes to sell this off to its fans as
meaning any team outside of the playoff teams can gain the 1st
overall draft pick in any given draft year even if this simply isn’t the case.
The likelihood a team outside of the top five losing-record teams in the league
obtains the first overall pick (that means the chances that any of the 6-14 teams
have their lucky combination of ping-pong balls drawn) is less than 1-in-5.
The exact process (courtesy of NBA.com) is explained as:
To determine the winner, fourteen ping pong balls numbered
1–14 are placed in a standard lottery machine and four balls are randomly
selected from the lot. Just as in most traditional lotteries, the order in
which the numbers are drawn is not important. That is, 1-2-3-4 is considered to
be the same as 4-3-2-1. So although there is a total of 24 (4!) orders in
which the balls numbered 1-2-3-4 can be picked, they are all treated as the
same outcome. In doing this, the permutation of 4 balls from 14 becomes the
combination of 4 balls from 14. That is, the total of 24,024 (14! / 10!, or
14x13x12x11) possible permutations is reduced by a factor of 24, to 1,001 combinations
(or 14! / (10! x 4!)). Of these, 1 outcome is disregarded and 1,000 outcomes are
distributed among the 14 non-playoff NBA teams.
The exact chances and number of combinations (listed in
order of worst record to best of the non-playoff teams) for each team is as
follows:
- 250 combinations, 25.0% chance of receiving the #1 pick
- 199 combinations, 19.9% chance
- 156 combinations, 15.6% chance
- 119 combinations, 11.9% chance
- 88 combinations, 8.8% chance
- 63 combinations, 6.3% chance
- 43 combinations, 4.3% chance
- 28 combinations, 2.8% chance
- 17 combinations, 1.7% chance
- 11 combinations, 1.1% chance
- 8 combinations, 0.8% chance
- 7 combinations, 0.7% chance
- 6 combinations, 0.6% chance
- 5 combinations, 0.5% chance
I’m sorry but the chances of winning need to be completely
re-evaluated. The fact that the worst team in the league has 50 times better of
a chance of getting the top overall pick than the team who fought hard to make
the playoffs and barely missed out is simply wrong. It’s no wonder the biggest
problem the NBA faces is how to stop the bottom dwellers of the league from
attempting to be bad, or purposely “tanking” a season in order to have a better
draft slot.
The next problem with the current system is that after the
first there combinations are drawn, the NBA then reverts to the system of every
other professional sports league as picks 4th-14th are
assigned according to results with the
worse teams as being rewarded with the higher picks. I’m one of the believers
in the philosophy of “IF you’re going to do something, do it fully or all the way
instead of just doing it half-ass”. Ok-so that’s probably not a philosophy and
more of just a saying that I say way too much, but still, you get the point.
Could you imagine the possibility of a team that fights hard and barely misses
the playoffs but then, literally wins the lottery, and gets to add the most
talented player in the draft pool to an already competitive NBA roster.
I would be a pretty lousy person if I were to just complain
and rant about something without at least the smallest semblance of a possible
solution in mind. Even if I may be a lousy person in my other endeavors, I try
not to be one with sporting matters at least. My suggestion: Each team receives
the antithesis of its non-playoff team pool standings meaning the worst team in
the league gets 14 ping-pong balls with its logo on them entered into a giant
pit, and the 14th worst (best team to not make the playoffs)team
gets one single ball entered. Then, the 14 spots are all drawn live at halftime
of a prime-time event the first night before the playoff commence. This would
create a live, prime-time television event for the NBA to market and enhance
its image among the public as well as fairly compensate the non-playoff teams
while adding intrigue and excitement to the lottery event.
So that’s it for this morning, sorry to start the day off a
negative note, but if you are reading this Adam Silver, congratulations on
taking over David Stern’s position, me doing your job for you, AND for having
every NBA game ball now proudly bear your signature.
And no matter how negative you (or more likely I) get, try
to remember and tell yourself:
Today will be better than yesterday.
I know, one day in and I’ve already missed one of my
editions of The Daily Sport…my bad. But screw it, if I’m going to miss a day,
it’s going to be the Super Bowl Sunday that I’m bouncing between three
different Super Bowl party locations, play a full round of golf (quite awfully
on the Back 9 if I might add) and avoid a last-minute Wedding crisis with the fiancé.
Today’s Daily Sport focuses on what’s being called the “Super
Bowl” from last night. It was anything but “super” though as Seattle blew out
Denver 43-8 in one of the biggest routs in Super Bowl history. The word that
comes to mind is Wow. I was one of the few of those I know who picked the Seahawks
to win last night’s game; my final score prediction was actually 31-24 Seattle.
However, the way Richard Sherman (who I hate) Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril,
Michael Bennett, Malcolm Smith, and the rest of the Seahawks dominated the game
truly did shock me.
Although I do feel the game was much closer than the final
score indicated, from the time Percy Harvin ran freely in open space (for the 3rd
time in the game) this time taking a kick return back for a touchdown, the game
was essentially out of reach. The Broncos were outplayed, outcoached, and out
and above, defeated in every single facet of the game. Russell Wilson outdueled
Peyton Manning when he only even needed to be competent for the Seahawks still
to manage a convincing easy victory.
My bold prediction, coming off of this incredible performance
is that one of these two teams won’t be among the final eight teams standing
come playoff time next year. Now I don’t know just how bold that is, but if
Peyton Manning returns for another season with the Broncos (which I think will
happen now following that performance last night), and the Seahawks can retain
even a good portion of their soon-to-be free agents, then it’s fairly safe to
assume that each will become a favorite among their conferences’ participants
to reach the Super Bowl again next season.
And although I don’t like him and was vehemently rooting
against him last night I must congratulate and throw “props” to Richard Sherman
to, no matter how inconceivable it might be, showed incredible respect and
sportsmanship in his tweets and handling of the Seattle fans trashing Peyton
Manning after the game.
Side note: my top 3 favorite commercials from last night in
order:
1: The Bud Light commercial(s):
A man has no idea he is being filmed for a Super Bowl ad
thinking he is having the night/experience of a lifetime straight out of the
Hangover but in real life.
2: The James Franco/Rob Riggle Ford commercial(s):
Rob Riggle and James Franco team up to show in déjà vu from
just how significant the Ford Fusion’s class-leading gas-mileage is.
3: Budweiser Puppy/Horse Commerical:
Budweiser tugs at the hearts and softer sides of viewers as
they document a puppy and horse’s budding friendship in a classic beer commercial.
And hell no, Tebow’s ad wasn’t even close to consideration
for my list.
Today will be better
than yesterday.
As today is February 1st, and the official
beginning of my daily blog (which has been a long time coming by the way), I
figured now was as good of a time as any to introduce the small, daily segment
I’ll be adding to the blog. I’ll try my best to contribute to the ongoing flow
and longevity of the Jock Journal by writing a short paragraph on whatever my
thoughts are on the sporting world at the time. Topics could include something
that happened the day or night before, previewing something later that day, or
future sporting endeavors. Basically, I talk about sports…a lot. The Daily
Sport is going to be my way of getting my thoughts out without them being directed
at my lovely (and beautiful) fiancé Jess; instead, the hope is that the sports
conversation of my day can be aimed at ALL of my readers (I know it’s probably
about the same six of us who talk sports on a daily basis as is, but you know,
a guy can dream). Feel free to comment, post (you’ll need an account to do so,
I believe-Again, this is very new to me) or just sit back and read while
laughing at me.
Today’s thoughts are on David Stern as he officially retired
as NBA Commissioner this morning and turned over the power of the league to
Adam Silver (whom he has been grooming for the position for the last several
years). Also, side note, as you’ve most clearly noted, I use a lot of
punctuation in my writing so get ready to deal with semicolons, commas, parentheses
that will make you sick, and appositive phrases that are so unnecessary, yet
hopefully relevant and refreshing, that you will either love or hate my
writing. Anyway, back to Stern-My first thought as a snot-nosed, bratty
mid-twenty year-old kid, is that David Stern was an overbearing, power-hungry
dictator that ran the league to his liking and cared little of what the fans
and small market teams thought best. But, in an attempt to “grow up” and “see
the bigger picture” as good old Pops always told me to do, I think back to what
the NBA was 30 years ago when he took over (or at least what I’m told the
league was like then). Consider these stats when looking at what he has done
for the league:
1984 (When Stern was hired)
|
2014 (Stern’s retirement)
|
|
Average Franchise Value
|
$20,000,000
|
$450,000,000
|
Average Player Salary
|
270,000
|
$5,150,000
|
Number of Teams
|
23
|
30
|
Dress Code
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Number of Countries NBA games are shown
in
|
2
|
292
|
Draft System
|
Results-based
|
Lottery
|
Olympic Basketball
|
College pool only
|
Dream Team
|
Now, I still will argue that Stern was set in many of his
ways, many of which I found myself on the opposite side of. But, when I look at
some of these staggering accomplishments, I’m begrudgingly forced to
acknowledge Stern’s massive impact on the NBA and the sport of basketball as a
whole.
I'll conclude this first
edition of the Daily Sport with hopes that Adam Silver can take this
sport to another level just as his often-maligned, yet wildly successful
predecessor has done (and while you're at it, get the Magic back to a
respectability level at least, just throw in an extra couple thousand
ping-pong balls so we can win the Lottery again).
And
as one of favorite bloggers has always done, Buster Olney, I will end
each Daily Sport on a positive note no matter how negative I may be in
future editions:
Today will be better than yesterday-Kyle Vann
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