Changes in the NFL? Thoughts?

I came across this interesting article from the NY Times this morning. While I do think the safety and health of the players is the most important thing, how will this be affecting the game? Thoughts... http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/sports/football/with-fears-about-safety-football-faces-uncertain-evolution.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

When Is Retirement Actually Retirement?

I realized I haven't gotten around to posting anything new in a while and I have no one or anything to blame but myself. On the bright side, I have a new post today.

A few months ago, Bryant Gumbel did a wrap up of the year in sports and the stories they covered this year. While I found all of them to be interesting, one sticks out very clearly in my mind as the Superbowl is coming up next weekend and the 2011 NFL season will come to a close very shortly.

Tiki Barber as well as a couple other retired players want to come back out of retirement and play for the NFL again. Barber's last three seasons that he played were some of his most successful, yet none of the teams in the NFL were jumping at the chance to pick him up. He has been working his ass off for the past four years to get picked up by a team. This has never been done by a running back before and he wanted to prove it to himself. "The game never needs you because there's always someone else...but right now I need the game". Unfortunately though, we as fans are not always so welcoming to people who leave the league at anytime. Plaxico Burress was another example of someone they interviewed on returning back to the NFL. Although he did his time in jail, he was allowed to return back to the NFL and continue playing.

First off, why was someone who committed a crime welcomed back more readily than someone who took time off to better himself? Michael Vick has had the same thing happen to him. Sure, he served his time and yeah I think he should be allowed to play, but why doesn't Tiki Barber deserve the same chance that these guys do? We are supposed to look up to athletes and they are some of our role models, yet it seems we only reward the athletes who "learn" from their mistakes. Why can't we give the guys a chance who haven't made any mistakes? Barber has been training and is arguably back in better shape that he was before. Sure, he is older and hasn't played a few years, but what is the worst that could happen by adding him to the roster? If he doesn't play up to his potential, he is dropped or he doesn't start. This happens all the time in the NFL with guys that are supposed to be promising. Tom Brady wouldn't have even gotten his chance to shine if it hadn't had been for Bledsoe's injury. The depth chart can always change if things don't work out. Why not take a chance on Barber? His numbers only got better with his age. In his final season playing before retirement he was even selected to play in the pro-bowl. Now, I'm not saying he will be a superstar and will pick up right where he left off, but I don't think he should not at least have a chance with one season to prove that he isn't done.


Also, as a final note, for anyone who is looking for a great tv show to start watching (even though it is no longer on the air), I highly suggest watching Friday Night Lights. It's a great show and I actually feel like I learned a lot not only about how the recruiting process works, but also about the dynamics of coaching in general. It made me appreciate the talents of the coaches I have seen and even those who make it to the Big Leagues and aren't as successful. It takes a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill to coach a football team.

BSC Bowl Games or A Playoff Series...Which Do You Think?

Although I could talk about the Sunday Night Football game where the NY Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 37-34 in the last few minutes of the game, or I could talk about how the NBA is in shambles as Chris Paul and the Lakers trades are falling apart (Lamar Odom is now set to play for the Mavs, instead of the proposed trade offered by the Hornets), I’d like to focus on the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) for college football.

There are a total of 5 bowl matchups and will be completed with the “Championship” game on January 9th. Now, I put championship in quotes because this is the title of the game, but I also don’t think it qualifies as much of a championship. These are arguably not the most qualified teams to play for such a title as champion, but before I get started I want to explain what the Bowl system is.

According to Wikipedia, “the BCS relies on a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine relative team rankings, and to narrow the field to two teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game held after the other college bowl games. The American Football Coaches Association is contractually bound to vote the winner of this game as the BCS National Champion and the contract signed by each conference requires them to recognize the winner of the BCS National Championship game as the official and only Champion. The BCS was created to end split championships and for the Champion to win the title on the field between the two teams selected by the BCS. In that regard it has failed, as the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship”.

Already right there, it explains that this system was supposed to get rid of split championships, but has failed to do so. Many times there is good reason to have a playoff system. It determines who is supposed to be playing against whom in the championship game and allows for upsets. Even in professional sports, there is a playoff system intact and for the past few years, the team that has won the Superbowl has won off of an upset. The Bowl Games are unfair because they simply pick the teams with the best records, not the most qualified teams. If the NCAA truly wanted a national champion, they would want to find the most qualified team. Even this year there were a lot of people who were upset by the teams chosen to play in the Championship Game. Were these really the two best teams? The most qualified? Or was there bias? In a playoff system, there is no bias. The only bias could come out of the rankings received, but then its fair game to determine who will really be champion after all.

So, you tell me, what do you think college football should do: Continue with the Bowl Games or switch to the playoff series.

Indiana vs Kentucky...An Upset I'm Not so Upset about

There had been hype around this game all week: Number 1 Kentucky vs an Unranked Indiana. All I can say about this game is wow. From the beginning of the game, the intensity was immense. Kentucky’s star player (Davis) was riding the bench for the majority of the game, only getting around twenty minutes of total play due to early foul trouble (limited to only 6 points). This was great news for the Hoosiers who were able to benefit off of 3-point plays and stayed even with the Wildcats. For most of the game, Indiana lead the game and the final minute of play was one of the most exciting I have ever seen. The lead fluctuated and there were only five seconds left when the Hoosiers took the ball back and were down by 2 points. To stun everyone watching, Watford hits a buzzer beater 3-point play putting the final score at 73-72.

This is exactly what college basketball is all about. Upsets and great playing. Throughout the entire game there were screaming fans from both sides. There was so much passion and dedication. I could not wait to blog about this. Unfortunately though, I did have things to complain about. I hope to see that after the win for Indiana they will become a ranked team. They are undefeated and have knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. Many teams that are receiving rankings from both AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll have lost games so far this season, like Pittsburgh. Pitt lost to Long Beach State at home and they are still ranked within the top 25 and they have not beaten any teams that are in the top 25. Indiana on the other hand, is undefeated and has recently beaten arguably the best team in the country. There will definitely be some changes in the rankings this week and I can’t wait to see who else will be affected by this week’s most exciting game.

Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel Reaction

I cannot think of a better way to unwind after a stressful week of finals. For anyone who is passionate about the story telling aspect of sports and the behind the scenes look of athletes, reporters like Bryant Gumbel are the perfect professionals to look up to. Every week, Bryant Gumbel hosts his weekly show interviewing athletes that are not necessarily in the spotlight, but should be. He dives into the essence of sports; telling the stories we should be focused on rather than the stories we are sometimes told more often. Why is it that the only athletes we hear about on SportsCenter are those who are either committing crimes, doing something scandalous or breaking records? Yes, I do think that it is admirable to note those athletes breaking records, and I do think it is important to report on these scandals, but there are more to sports than just this.

Sports are about the camaraderie, the teamwork, and the elite ability to perform. I fell in love with this aspect of the games. I wanted to know more about how my favorite athletes became superstars; how they were once like me but became the icon many people across the country and world see them as today. These are the types of stories we should be focusing on today.

While the NBA Lockout Ending is great news, the speculation about potential trades does not mean as much to me as the story about Marcus Dixon, a football player for the NY Jets.

Dixon grew up in Rome, GA and as a senior in high school he was a promising Vanderbilt recruit. He had strong grades and an even more impressive football career. Unfortunately, before he was able to attend college he was convicted of sexual assault and sent to jail. After the trial, however, many people did not think he should have been convicted and thought the outcome of the trial was mainly due to race. The jury and many people involved in the trial have later admitted that this was not what truly happened, but sadly, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. After his sentence was up, he was able to turn his life around however. He thrived at Hampton College and then decided to continue onto the NFL. He went undrafted to the Cowboys but was sadly cut a year later. This past year however, he was signed to the Jets and he is currently playing. During his bye week, he decided to purchase a home near his family in GA. He continues to give back to his parents and his community. Even though his community has not always been there to support him when his family has, he never turned his back on them. He continues to work towards his dreams everyday when he takes the field as a NY Jet.

Would any of us have known about this story? Probably not. This is not typically the type of story we hear in the sports section, but it should be. It teaches us never to give up on our dreams and to be thankful of what we have even if we are wrongly committed of a crime and faced with hurdles. Dixon truly cared about bettering himself and playing football, because he loved the game. Not for the fame, not for the money, not for anyone but himself. Thank you for the heads up on this story Bryant Gumbel.

The Face of SportsCenter (my cousins take of SportsCenter)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRIqPD52_Is  

Pitt Game and Some other Sports News for the Big East

Its that time of year again. Everyone is cramming in their studying for finals, but of course, like my other sport fanatic counterparts, I decided to head up to the Pete for the basketball game. Tonight Pitt played VMI (Virginia Military Institute). Turns out though, it wasn’t much of a game. Pitt was up by 20 points for most of the game. The Zoo was most excited for the return of Brad Wanamaker (a Pitt player who graduated last year and helped lead the team in points and assists). Everyone was very enthusiastic upon his return. Because Pitt was playing so well, I decided to venture back home in the freezing rain at halftime. The final score of the game was 97-70 Pitt.

In other exciting news, just as Pitt leaves the Big East and joins the ACC, the Big East will be welcoming Boise State, San Diego State, SMU, UCF and Houston. Boise State and SDSU will only be in the Big East for football but the other three teams joining the conference will become members for all sports. This is a particularly interesting add because of the loss of Pitt and Syracuse, but also because of the location for the schools. None of these schools are even close to being in the automatic 3,000-mile qualifier status. Clearly, this is not a disclaimer, but it will put these new schools at a disadvantage.

A lot of people are concerned however with the basketball changes that will be taking place next year. As a Pitt fan, I am already worried about how Pitt will be able to handle the change of pace that the ACC will bring. The ACC is a much faster paced game and it is much less of a game played with bigger players, and more so with faster point guards. Typically, Pitt does not recruit these types of players so it will be very interesting to see how they will play against a new conference and a new level of play.

These concerns are not just prevalent for me as a Pitt fan. With the new additions to the Big East, many other fans and sports analysts have posed questions about how college basketball will change next season. It will certainly be interesting to see if the Big East remains a powerhouse, and above all else, if Pitt can keep up with the new challenges presented to them and bring back a number 1 seed again.