Friday, April 28, 2006
Much Ado About Sports
It could be due to the fact that the NFL draft is tomorrow. There's much hype about who and how teams would draft, and for the first time in a long time, no one is 100 percent sure of who the first pick would be. Just when we thought Reggie Bush was a lock for the top spot, a huge scandal (which in my opinion should not harm his lock for the top spot) involving alleged NCAA violations has sprung out of the soil to put a question mark on his status. The NFLPA has issued a statement warning teams of possible negotiations with Bush's agents saying the Bush family is facing threats from Michael Michaels, a real estate businessman with ties to a marketing firm that tried to sign Bush. The scandal erupted after revelations that the Bush family had been staying rent-free in a house provided by Michaels in return for Bush's commitment to his firm. Investigations are ongoing, and there is talk of Bush losing his Heisman trophy and USC facing bans and loss of scholarships.
The Heat lost dreadfully last night to the Chicago Bulls. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Heat lost its composure in the fourth quarter when forward James Posey knocked Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich as he approached the basket. It appeared intentional, and Posey was hit with a flagrant two and ejected. Subsequently, Antoine "tippy-toe" Walker also picked up a technical, and Shaq picked up a fifth foul. With the embarrassing loss comes possible suspension for Posey who, while not a great defender, has been one of the better defenders for the defense-starved Heat. I'm all for the ejection, but it wasn't as bad as it looked to warrant a suspension.
Patrick Arnold, the bay-area chemist who supplied Victor Conte with "the clear" cream, later found to be THG, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Arnold's plea comes at a time when the FBI is still investigating Barry Bonds about his use of the cream. It also ties in with the arrest of another client of Conte, Tim Montgomery, who was arrested along with 13 others on charges of conspiracy to defraud banks of more than $5 million. It is definitely sad to see how low the former world record-holder for the 100m and father of Marion Jones' son has stooped. Montgomery is accused of depositing three bogus checks of about $775, 000 in banks and receiving $20, 000 for brokering the transaction. It definitely doesn't bode well for the image of Jones who has managed to avoid suspensions, but is still be haunted by accusations that she also took steroids.
There's also been several suspensions in football and baseball in the last couple of days. Ricky Williams has been suspended for a year for testing positive for a still unknown drug, which was not marijuana. Baseball also saw the first 50-game suspension for a positive drug test emerge when Mets minor leaguer Yusaku Iriki was suspended for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. Delmon Young, former no. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, is also facing suspension for tflipping his bat at, and hitting a referree at a triple A game.
There's so much more going on in sports this week, but these were some of the biggest news. It's no wonder that sports fans can hardly wait for the month of March to kick off the ultimate sports season which extends to July.
The Heat lost dreadfully last night to the Chicago Bulls. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Heat lost its composure in the fourth quarter when forward James Posey knocked Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich as he approached the basket. It appeared intentional, and Posey was hit with a flagrant two and ejected. Subsequently, Antoine "tippy-toe" Walker also picked up a technical, and Shaq picked up a fifth foul. With the embarrassing loss comes possible suspension for Posey who, while not a great defender, has been one of the better defenders for the defense-starved Heat. I'm all for the ejection, but it wasn't as bad as it looked to warrant a suspension.
Patrick Arnold, the bay-area chemist who supplied Victor Conte with "the clear" cream, later found to be THG, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Arnold's plea comes at a time when the FBI is still investigating Barry Bonds about his use of the cream. It also ties in with the arrest of another client of Conte, Tim Montgomery, who was arrested along with 13 others on charges of conspiracy to defraud banks of more than $5 million. It is definitely sad to see how low the former world record-holder for the 100m and father of Marion Jones' son has stooped. Montgomery is accused of depositing three bogus checks of about $775, 000 in banks and receiving $20, 000 for brokering the transaction. It definitely doesn't bode well for the image of Jones who has managed to avoid suspensions, but is still be haunted by accusations that she also took steroids.
There's also been several suspensions in football and baseball in the last couple of days. Ricky Williams has been suspended for a year for testing positive for a still unknown drug, which was not marijuana. Baseball also saw the first 50-game suspension for a positive drug test emerge when Mets minor leaguer Yusaku Iriki was suspended for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. Delmon Young, former no. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, is also facing suspension for tflipping his bat at, and hitting a referree at a triple A game.
There's so much more going on in sports this week, but these were some of the biggest news. It's no wonder that sports fans can hardly wait for the month of March to kick off the ultimate sports season which extends to July.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Women's basketball deserves a larger audience
March Madness has come, and gone. And as expected, the NCAA tournament caught, and held the attention of the nation. For the first time since the 64-team bracket was introduced, no first-ranked team made it into the Final Four, and another Cinderella team emerged in the form of George Mason University. But besides the surprise loss of all the No. 1 teams, does anything else actually seem unusual? There’ll always be a Cinderella team to crown each year, and the perennial basketball houses (Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut) almost always end up in at least the Final Four. So what exactly is surprising about the tournament?
Another NCAA tournament was being played simultaneously. The NCAA Women’s tournament has gone on with so little fanfare that it wouldn’t be surprising if most people can’t name the Final Four teams (LSU, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke.) It’s no shocker that the men’s tournament has a higher TV rating than the women, but it’s disappointing to know that people, particularly men—the higher basketball watching demographic, aren’t tuning in to watch the women play.
In the past decade, women’s college basketball had been dominated by two teams alone: Connecticut and Tennessee. In fact, since 1995, both teams have combined for eight of the last 11 women’s champions. However, Baylor’s surprise run to the finals of last year’s tournament, and its eventual win over Michigan State may have ushered in the era of parity in women’s basketball and given viewers a reason to watch women’s basketball.
No longer are the big-name players going to just Tennessee and Connecticut, but we are seeing stars emerge from other teams including: UNC, LSU, Rutgers, Duke, Stanford and Maryland, just to name a few. And these stars’ skills are being compared to some of the NBA greats. Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers) and Ivory Latta (UNC) have been compared to Allen Iverson, while Monique Currie (Duke) and Seimone Augustus (LSU) have drawn comparisons to Magic’s play and leadership qualities.
Yet, many ‘fess up to not watching women’s basketball because of its lack of flare and dunks. Ironically, the 2004 NCAAW finals in which Connecticut capped an undefeated season with a win over Tennessee, is the most watched college basketball game, men’s or women’s, in ESPN’s history.
For the most part, the women are doing their parts to draw attention to their game. In a first-round rout over the Army, Tennessee’s Candace Parker dunked twice in the game marking the first time a woman had dunked in the NCAA tournament. It wasn’t the first time a woman had dunked in a game—former Tennessee stand-out Michelle Snow dunked three times in her college career, becoming only the fourth woman to do so; but Parker’s were significant because it was in a high stakes game.
The dunks were the talk of the week amidst the early rounds of the men’s tournament, which may help promote the women’s game a bit more, but it may not have been seen by many if it wasn’t aired repeatedly on SportCenter’s “Top 10 plays.” Men’s basketball is supposed to be more exciting than women’s because dunking is ubiquitous, but the women make up for their inability to play above the rim by playing with much better fundamentals—more teamwork, and less isolation plays.
The women’s final was played the day after the men’s, and guess which game lived up to the hype? The women’s! Maryland’s freshman sensation Kristi Toliver taking over the game in the last few minutes, and hitting the game-tying three at the end of the game (with the tournament’s leading shot-blocker, Bales, in her face) was definitely a more exciting image than watching men’s college star Adam Morrison crying his way out of the Elite Eight or Florida routing UCLA in the finals. Lack of flare and dunks should not be an excuse not to watch women’s basketball because while you blink and miss it, the women are giving you exactly what you want. Here come the dunks and flashiness you’ve been asking for; now it’s your turn to embrace the change, and the women.
Another NCAA tournament was being played simultaneously. The NCAA Women’s tournament has gone on with so little fanfare that it wouldn’t be surprising if most people can’t name the Final Four teams (LSU, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke.) It’s no shocker that the men’s tournament has a higher TV rating than the women, but it’s disappointing to know that people, particularly men—the higher basketball watching demographic, aren’t tuning in to watch the women play.
In the past decade, women’s college basketball had been dominated by two teams alone: Connecticut and Tennessee. In fact, since 1995, both teams have combined for eight of the last 11 women’s champions. However, Baylor’s surprise run to the finals of last year’s tournament, and its eventual win over Michigan State may have ushered in the era of parity in women’s basketball and given viewers a reason to watch women’s basketball.
No longer are the big-name players going to just Tennessee and Connecticut, but we are seeing stars emerge from other teams including: UNC, LSU, Rutgers, Duke, Stanford and Maryland, just to name a few. And these stars’ skills are being compared to some of the NBA greats. Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers) and Ivory Latta (UNC) have been compared to Allen Iverson, while Monique Currie (Duke) and Seimone Augustus (LSU) have drawn comparisons to Magic’s play and leadership qualities.
Yet, many ‘fess up to not watching women’s basketball because of its lack of flare and dunks. Ironically, the 2004 NCAAW finals in which Connecticut capped an undefeated season with a win over Tennessee, is the most watched college basketball game, men’s or women’s, in ESPN’s history.
For the most part, the women are doing their parts to draw attention to their game. In a first-round rout over the Army, Tennessee’s Candace Parker dunked twice in the game marking the first time a woman had dunked in the NCAA tournament. It wasn’t the first time a woman had dunked in a game—former Tennessee stand-out Michelle Snow dunked three times in her college career, becoming only the fourth woman to do so; but Parker’s were significant because it was in a high stakes game.
The dunks were the talk of the week amidst the early rounds of the men’s tournament, which may help promote the women’s game a bit more, but it may not have been seen by many if it wasn’t aired repeatedly on SportCenter’s “Top 10 plays.” Men’s basketball is supposed to be more exciting than women’s because dunking is ubiquitous, but the women make up for their inability to play above the rim by playing with much better fundamentals—more teamwork, and less isolation plays.
The women’s final was played the day after the men’s, and guess which game lived up to the hype? The women’s! Maryland’s freshman sensation Kristi Toliver taking over the game in the last few minutes, and hitting the game-tying three at the end of the game (with the tournament’s leading shot-blocker, Bales, in her face) was definitely a more exciting image than watching men’s college star Adam Morrison crying his way out of the Elite Eight or Florida routing UCLA in the finals. Lack of flare and dunks should not be an excuse not to watch women’s basketball because while you blink and miss it, the women are giving you exactly what you want. Here come the dunks and flashiness you’ve been asking for; now it’s your turn to embrace the change, and the women.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Where's Riley's head at?
I mean, yeah I said it! The great coach has his mind stuck somewhere else everytime he chooses to put Walker in the game. Walker's errant play has repeatedly cost the Heat games( last night's game against the Nets is an example.) One thing that baffles me is why Riley continues to gamble with "Tippy-toe" when he has an efficient and capable player like Wayne Simien on the bench.
Simien not only is efficient, but he also plays like a veteran. But if there's one thing Riley doesn't like to do, it's play rookies. If he were the coach two years ago, Udonis Haslem would not be the player that he is today because he'd get no playing time.
Walker takes way too many threes at all the wrong times. And the only time he makes them is when they don't make a difference in the game. I know I'm not the only fan who secretly prays for the worst possible (non-life threatening) freak accident to happen to Walker that would force Riley to bench him the rest of the season. It's inexplicable as to why Riley has not made the adjustment and kept Walker out of the game.
What would it take to get tippy-toe out of the heat's rotation? I'm taking suggestions.....
Simien not only is efficient, but he also plays like a veteran. But if there's one thing Riley doesn't like to do, it's play rookies. If he were the coach two years ago, Udonis Haslem would not be the player that he is today because he'd get no playing time.
Walker takes way too many threes at all the wrong times. And the only time he makes them is when they don't make a difference in the game. I know I'm not the only fan who secretly prays for the worst possible (non-life threatening) freak accident to happen to Walker that would force Riley to bench him the rest of the season. It's inexplicable as to why Riley has not made the adjustment and kept Walker out of the game.
What would it take to get tippy-toe out of the heat's rotation? I'm taking suggestions.....
