Bleacher Report - Articles by Dhaval Patel

Five College Football Coaches on The Hot Seat

Dhaval Patel — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:09:32 -0400

These are the guys who have to at least make a bowl game this year or else they will be at Kinko's making copies of their resume come January.

5) Mike Stoops, Arizona

The glitz and glamour of being a Stoops has disappeared. The Wildcats are 17-28 under Stoops, and fans are clamouring for the days of the Desert Swarm defense of the early '90's, when they were perennial contenders for the Pac-10 title.

Well, you can still take consolation that your hot girls have more brains than those hotties over in Tempe.

4) Ty Willingham, Washington

Granted, Washington in terms of morality and talent are much better under Willingham, but this team has yet to get over that hump. With a great quarterback, but an impossible schedule, Ty needs to get this team to the seven-win mark badly. A case of a great coach who's over ambition has been his own worst enemy.

3) Dave Wannstedt, PITT

Yes, you beat the Mountaineers last year, but still no bowl game. A coach with NFL experience and Super Bowl rings has been a disaster in Pittsburgh.

Wannstedt, a guy who was brought in as hard nosed, pound the ball type coach, has made the Panthers barely a footnote in the Big East and probably would be the biggest disaster in the Big East if it were not for another guy.

2) Charlie Weis, Notre Dame

If Ty can get sacked for being only a winning coach Charlie could certainly be fired for two bowl-less sub-.500 seasons, right? I mean this just looks like Willingham 2, a great mind that got off to a hot start, but then was brought back to reality.

Notre Dame is no longer a national power, and it seems that it is getting closer to joining a league to regain its legitimacy.

1) Greg Robinson, Syracuse

As Kirk Herbstreit so painfully put it, people have forgotten about this once powerful program. Syracuse was suffering a bad case of the Mediocres, but now it is just a bad case of the Terribles.

They are having trouble recruiting a team that once competed with Miami, Virginia Tech and other powerhouses for talent are now competing with UCONN, Buffalo and Temple for talent.

All around, the Greg Robinson experiment has been as successful as my 11th grade Chemistry experiments. You can google it.

Dookie V. Returns: Welcome Back, Dick Vitale

Dhaval Patel — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:58:58 -0500

Remember those days? Just after Dick Vitale disappeared from the booth?

Nothing was better than watching college basketball without having to hear him lament his love for Dook and Coach Krzyzewski.

No matter who was playing—Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's, Maryland vs. Clemson—he would manage to insert about 20 Duke-oriented compliments per game.

Hence the nickname: Dookie V.

Hearing guys like Len Elmore doing color instead of Vitale was so refreshing. I thought ESPN must have finally done the right thing and let him go, or perhaps he just retired quietly.

Little did I know.

I picked up my local paper to read why Vitale had been missing from the scene, and well, it wasn’t pleasant.

For those of you who didn't know, Vitale had major throat surgery to deal with ulcers in his esophagus, which were leading to strained vocal cords. To think the one man I despised most on ESPN should suffer this most ungracious exit kind of bothered me.

Part of it, I guess, is that the loss of such a rival really diminishes the fun of rooting against Duke. Nothing was more enjoyable than yelling at the TV when Dick Vitale would say Duke was great, chanting “Ra! Ra! Ra!”

Hate the man or not, he is still the face of college sports. Sure, his amateurish rants and catch phrases were annoying, but this really was a part of watching ESPN. I mean, he’s largely responsible for my mega-loathing of Duke, and that says something about his influence.

So in conclusion, while it’s clear you’ll never ditch your annoying commentary and obnoxious Duke praise, it was also a little exciting to have you back in the booth with wingman Mike Patrick.

I still hope to see you exit sooner rather than later, but with class. For now, welcome back, Dookie V.

EPL: Keep Your Games in England

Dhaval Patel — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:44:42 -0500

As an American, nothing would be more fun than watching a competitive EPL game in the US. It is much easier to make the trek to one of the American Mega Stadiums to watch Manchester United play Tottenham or Liverpool play Reading. But at what cost?

And when I mention cost I do not mean how much I am going to pay for a ticket, because I am willing to pay a high amount...What cost will it be to the players?

If the Premiership needs any input on the toll it will take on players to fly to the US or even China or Japan, then have to fly back and play again within seven days, just ask players like Eddie Lewis, Tim Howard, Lee Young Pyo or Tim Cahill. Each one will tell you that to fly to their home country to play and then to fly back and play for their club is a very large task.

Now imagine a team fighting for a Champions League spot or a potential relegation flying to some foreign land many time zones away and then flying back, expecting some sort of result. You are putting teams at a disadvantage—especially teams that have other obligations like uEFA Cup and Champions League.

In the end all you are doing is asking a few teams to forfeit points so that you can make extra money playing a match in some other country. Just stick to what you guys have been doing the entire time.

Play your regular season games where they are supposed to be played and then travel to the US, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, and other places in the summer months (winter for you Aussies) and I will be there to watch Manchester United, Liverpool, or Chelsea play some MLS Select team and watch you guys showcase some of your stars and up-and-coming reserves. Your formula is fine do not change it.

Ty Conklin's Return to the NHL a Testament to Fortitude

Dhaval Patel — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:14:20 -0500

The mere mention of Ty Conklin's name brings back repressed memories of his blunder during the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, which all but wrote his future off in the NHL.

After his disaster in the Finals, Conklin bounced around from team to team, mainly getting play in AHL affiliates.

Instead of taking plane rides from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Phoenix, Conklin was making bus trips to cities like Worcester, Syracuse, and St. John’s. For some players, this type of luck would have been enough motivation just to curl up and retire—but Ty had other plans.

Sure Conklin had some luck—due to others' injuries, and a general lack of quality form from Saubrin and Fleury—but Conklin is making the most of his opportunity now that it has arrived.

Yes, it has only been a few games, and we still have yet to see how he will react after he has a horrible game, but the journey from Stanley Cup goaltender, to AHL netminder, and back up to the NHL is one that many young players should know.

It is guys like Ty Conklin who make the NHL what it is—a league where players who were once cast off can get a second chance and make the most of it.

Top Soccer Players Who Could Ply Their Trade in MLS

Dhaval Patel — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:12:16 -0500

Now that the MLS has decided to open their salary structure, individual teams can afford more high-priced talent.

Given the changes, it is time that some teams should a strong look at adding more European talent to their rosters.

In general, it would be a smarter move to try to attract older but well-known commodities, whose days playing in Europe are numbered, instead of trying to go after younger talent who dream more of playing in top-flight leagues.

Moreover, the anonymity that many superstars encounter in the U.S. has actually made it a more appealing place—just look at the many retired European stars now living stateside, instead of in Europe.

Here is a list of 5 players who MLS clubs should try and make a strong push to land:

5) Alessandro Del Piero

This is a reach, mainly because he has just inked a new deal to stay in Torino for a couple of years. But if his still-amazing form slips, or Juventus wants to free up some salary and transfer him away some MLS teams should come calling. Del Piero's popularity among the many Italian communities in the U.S. and Toronto would make him an instant hit.

4) Ronaldo

With the recent news of his move to Brazil, the writing is on the wall that Ronaldo's days in Europe are numbered. Coupled with his love of the U.S.—at least for vacations—he could land on an MLS roster within the next couple of years. The only problem I can see is if he wanted to remain in Brazil, which may be a strong possibility if he continues to make national team appearances.

3) Andriy Shevchenko

Since his howler at Chelsea, Shevchenko has been seen as damaged goods. Considering his wife is American and wants to see the kids raised in the States, a move to the U.S. seems to be coming sooner than many originally expected. Shevchenko's wife was the force behind him leaving Milan, and she may work her black magic again.

2) Zinadine Zidane

At least one MLS club has talked with Zizou, and there seems to be some interest in him playing in America. However, the price tag still needs to be figured out. After his headbutt, his popularity in the US has actually grown substantially, and Zidane has almost created a cult following among Americans who are more or less apathetic about soccer.

1) Dwight Yorke

With all due respect to Rafael Marques and Hugo Sanchez, Dwight Yorke is the best-known player from North America. His years playing for Man United and his eccentric personality have made him popular with pitch-heads stateside. Considering the strong Caribbean populations of New York and Toronto, Yorke would be an instant hit in MLS.