There was an article on ESPN.com the other day that made reference to the developing recruiting wars between Duke and Kentucky for the nation's top high school talent. Kentucky has won the recruiting wars for several years, consistently signing the #1 recruiting class. Coach K from Duke seems to have settled on the belief that the only way he can compete with Kentucky on the recruiting wars is to recruit many of these same "one and done" players that Kentucky does. Not only is college basketball big business but promoting high school basketball players is big business as well.
I have never had much respect for Coach K or John Calipari at Kentucky anyway because they seem more worried about pushing their own brand or promoting their own image. They are both great "X's and O's" coaches but all either one of them has to do most of the time is roll the ball out onto the court and tell them to play like on the blacktop back home.
The institution of college basketball has taken the student out of the student-athlete. The best players only go to college for one year because that is all they are required to go. Most of the major programs has at least one player leave early to go pro and it has been that way for 30 years. Kentucky has entire freshman classes, five or six deep, go pro after one year. I would love to take a peak at their class schedule, their SAT scores, or just about anything academic related. College football players have to be on campus for at least three seasons as do college baseball players.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Cam Newton
Cam Newton is probably playing the best football of his young career right now and he has led the Panthers to an undefeated record to this point. He is managing the game better than he ever has before, he is staying in the pocket longer, and he is going through his progressions and hitting the open receiver. Unfortunately, his great play has been overshadowed by his antics on the field. He makes a big production every time he makes a first down and even announcer Joe Buck made the comment that he went into his celebration "after gaining five yards" and Newton's celebration was very premature as he did not even have the first down. He went through the exact same routine when he made the first down on the next play. He keeps adding moves to his touchdown celebrations, and if I was on the other team, it would be worth 15 yards to go clock him one.
I can remember back in training camp when Newton and cornerback Josh Norman got into it after Norman intercepted a Newton pass during a drill and Newton was not happy that Norman told him about it all the way down the field. I don't know if Newton thinks he is more entertainer now than he is football player because the fans eat it up or what but he has not accomplished anything until he gets to wear a Super Bowl ring.
I can remember back in training camp when Newton and cornerback Josh Norman got into it after Norman intercepted a Newton pass during a drill and Newton was not happy that Norman told him about it all the way down the field. I don't know if Newton thinks he is more entertainer now than he is football player because the fans eat it up or what but he has not accomplished anything until he gets to wear a Super Bowl ring.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Not A Shocker
Ronda Rousey getting knocked out by Holly Holm in UFC 193 really did not come as that big of a shock to me. I'll be the first to admit that Rousey looked about as unbeatable as a fighter can look. In that business, especially the MMA, all it takes is one slip up, one lucky punch, the perfect punch, or whatever and you are looking up at the ceiling wondering "What just happened?" You can just about count the fighters on one hand in boxing, the MMA, or whatever that have never lost a fight and if the truth be told they probably should have lost at least one but got the decision thank to some very lenient score keeping.
The MMA is the hottest game in town right now as long as Dana White does not run it into the ground. Boxing has ceased to be relevant (I see better fights watching the NHL), and there really is no governing body in the MMA to set up a rankings system to see who battles who. A loss like Rousey's (as long as it is legit)is good for the sport and sets up a rematch as well.
The MMA is the hottest game in town right now as long as Dana White does not run it into the ground. Boxing has ceased to be relevant (I see better fights watching the NHL), and there really is no governing body in the MMA to set up a rankings system to see who battles who. A loss like Rousey's (as long as it is legit)is good for the sport and sets up a rematch as well.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
"Getting It Right"
The end of the Miami-Duke game will be talked about for years if not for the rest of my lifetime. Duke had scored with just a few seconds left to take a 27-24 lead. Duked squibbed kicked the ball to Miami on the ensuing kickoff and what happened next would have made backyard football proud. Miami used an eight lateral sequence to finally get the ball to the end zone and give them a 30-27 almost impossible victory. Every scoring play is reviewed and there was a flag down. The flag was for an illegal block in the back (which it appeared there may have been several) and would have given Miami one untimed down. After a nine minute review, the flag was picked up because the official determined that the "block was from the side" and all of the laterals were deemed legal, the touchdown stood, and Miami got a 30-27 win.
My initial reaction was that I did not know a block in the back was reviewable especially since they were reviewing the play to see if one of the runner's knees were down. One of them did appear to be but the ruling on the field was that his knee was not down and there had to be enough clear evidence that his knee did touch the ground.
The ACC suspended the on field officiating crew and the replay officials missing multiple violations during the play but the ACC would not overturn the outcome of the game and give the win to Duke. I heard Kenny Mayne on a segment on ESPN called "1 Big Thing" rant on about the ACC wanting to "get it right" and his opinion was that in order to get it right, Duke should have been given the win.
There were multiple violations during the play. In my opinion, even if the flag would have stood, Miami still would have been granted an untimed down and that is why the ACC cannot just hand the win to Duke. It did take several minutes to carefully watch the replay. There was at least three potential blocks in the back, a runner's knee may or may not have been down, and at the very end of the play a Miami player leaves the bench area without his helmet on and runs onto the field to celebrate before the play is over. The ACC is never going to get this one right no matter how hard they try.
My initial reaction was that I did not know a block in the back was reviewable especially since they were reviewing the play to see if one of the runner's knees were down. One of them did appear to be but the ruling on the field was that his knee was not down and there had to be enough clear evidence that his knee did touch the ground.
The ACC suspended the on field officiating crew and the replay officials missing multiple violations during the play but the ACC would not overturn the outcome of the game and give the win to Duke. I heard Kenny Mayne on a segment on ESPN called "1 Big Thing" rant on about the ACC wanting to "get it right" and his opinion was that in order to get it right, Duke should have been given the win.
There were multiple violations during the play. In my opinion, even if the flag would have stood, Miami still would have been granted an untimed down and that is why the ACC cannot just hand the win to Duke. It did take several minutes to carefully watch the replay. There was at least three potential blocks in the back, a runner's knee may or may not have been down, and at the very end of the play a Miami player leaves the bench area without his helmet on and runs onto the field to celebrate before the play is over. The ACC is never going to get this one right no matter how hard they try.
Dan On Sports
I decided to revive this blog after about six months off because, although I do have my favorite sports teams and blog about most of them, I wanted a blog so I could have a forum on all things sports. A lot happens in the sports world that happen outside the realms of my favorite teams and I am going to use this as a forum to comment on those.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Review Of Boy On Ice
I was a huge Derek Boogaard fan. He was the ultimate NHL Enforcer when he was on the ice. He had the size, he had the pugilistic skills, and he played in the hockey hot bed of Minnesota. I used to scour hockeyfights.com for videos of his fights. The fight he had with Todd Fedoruk was scary because of the destructive power of Boogard's right fist.
I was a Derek Boogaard fan for his ability to fight and that was the wrong reason. His ability to fight was really the only reason he was in the NHL. Author John Branch brought out the pressure that Boogaard felt to do "his job" in Boy On Ice: The Life And Death Of Derek Boogaard. I had heard a book was in the works and I snatched it up as soon as I saw it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. It was well researched and well written but it was a very tragic story. The story followed Derek Boogaard from his youth through his development as a larger than life character until his tragic early death. The physical and emotional pain, the pressure he felt to deliver for his teammates, friends, and family, all led to his tragic end. All he seemed to want to do was to be a good teammate and friend and to be a hockey player.
The system that surrounds and protects professional athletes failed him. The system enabled him to develop addictions to prescription painkillers with only token attempts at rehab and genuine help. The multiple concussions he received doing "his job" left him with a scarred brain and in all likelihood he would have been a vegetable by the time he was in his 40's.
John Branch did a great job of exposing the failures of the NHL support system but it just wasn't the NHL. Many NHL enforcers have died tragic deaths at very young ages over the past several years. Several have been by suicide. Rick Rypien of the Vancouver Canucks comes to mind.
Professional sports has done a much better job of protecting it's most valuable assets and that is their players. Most professional sports have concussion protocols in place and have really amped up their drug testing and rehab programs.
I was a Derek Boogaard fan for his ability to fight and that was the wrong reason. His ability to fight was really the only reason he was in the NHL. Author John Branch brought out the pressure that Boogaard felt to do "his job" in Boy On Ice: The Life And Death Of Derek Boogaard. I had heard a book was in the works and I snatched it up as soon as I saw it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. It was well researched and well written but it was a very tragic story. The story followed Derek Boogaard from his youth through his development as a larger than life character until his tragic early death. The physical and emotional pain, the pressure he felt to deliver for his teammates, friends, and family, all led to his tragic end. All he seemed to want to do was to be a good teammate and friend and to be a hockey player.
The system that surrounds and protects professional athletes failed him. The system enabled him to develop addictions to prescription painkillers with only token attempts at rehab and genuine help. The multiple concussions he received doing "his job" left him with a scarred brain and in all likelihood he would have been a vegetable by the time he was in his 40's.
John Branch did a great job of exposing the failures of the NHL support system but it just wasn't the NHL. Many NHL enforcers have died tragic deaths at very young ages over the past several years. Several have been by suicide. Rick Rypien of the Vancouver Canucks comes to mind.
Professional sports has done a much better job of protecting it's most valuable assets and that is their players. Most professional sports have concussion protocols in place and have really amped up their drug testing and rehab programs.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Michigan Sideline Fiasco
Player safety has to be paramount on any college football sideline whether it is NAIA or Division I. What happened on the sidelines during the Michigan-Minnesota game last Saturday when Michigan Quarterback Shane Morris was sent back on the field after receiving a serious blow to the head was bad enough. The dance that the University of Michigan Athletic Department is doing now to try to avoid accepting responsibility for the situation is just as bad if not worse. Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke is using the mantra of "deny, deny, deny" and it seems to be working.
Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon described what happened as a "serious lack of communication" between the Michigan medical staff and the Head Coach. From what I saw the Michigan medical staff never even took a look at him before Head Coach Brady Hoke sent him back out on to the field. Brady Hoke described Shane Morris condition as "fine" after the game yet Brandon was issuing apologies 12 hours later. The Medical Staff is describing Morris' condition as a "probable concussion" (maybe Morris should get a second opinion from Ohio State's Medical School) and no one is wanting to take responsibility for what happened.
The ESPN announcers that were working the game immediately questioned the legality of the hit and called for the suspension of the Minnesota football player for "targeting" Morris. Hoke was offended because the media was questioning his integrity for allowing this to happen. He needs to take responsibilty. What sanctions should Hoke face?
Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon described what happened as a "serious lack of communication" between the Michigan medical staff and the Head Coach. From what I saw the Michigan medical staff never even took a look at him before Head Coach Brady Hoke sent him back out on to the field. Brady Hoke described Shane Morris condition as "fine" after the game yet Brandon was issuing apologies 12 hours later. The Medical Staff is describing Morris' condition as a "probable concussion" (maybe Morris should get a second opinion from Ohio State's Medical School) and no one is wanting to take responsibility for what happened.
The ESPN announcers that were working the game immediately questioned the legality of the hit and called for the suspension of the Minnesota football player for "targeting" Morris. Hoke was offended because the media was questioning his integrity for allowing this to happen. He needs to take responsibilty. What sanctions should Hoke face?
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