Bleacher Report - Articles by Emily

Dick Brothers Lead Arkansas to Win Over LSU

Emily — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:00:02 -0500

For three years, the Razorback nation awaited the replacement of Casey Dick's starting quarterback job. And for three years, Razorback fans were disappointed when Casey kept throwing to the guys in other color uniforms, and the coaches stayed behind him the whole way.

Then, last week against Mississippi State, first year Arkansas coach, Bobby Petrino finally pulled the plug on Casey Dick. He was replaced by...none other than his younger brother Nathan Dick, who started the season third on the depth chart.

When Arkansas recruited Nathan Dick, Razorback faithful were left wondering why. Why would you recruit the brother of Arkansas's current infamous starter?

But Nathan held his own against the Bulldogs, leading the Razorbacks to a rally and put the overtime hopes into Arkansas's kicking game, which just happened to be the Razorback's other Achilles' heel this season...

Heavily recruited kicker Alex Tejada had a great freshman year. However, he missed several easy kicks to start this season, forcing Petrino to turn to sophomore backup, Shay Haddock. However, Haddock was as inconsistent, as Tejada and didn't have as strong a leg.

So Petrino went back to Tejada and gave him a chance to redeem himself on a kick that would send Arkansas and Mississippi State to overtime and keep the Razorbacks bowl hopes alive.

But he missed it.

So on went the Razorbacks, now lead by the younger Dick brother, to a matchup against rival LSU in what would be the last game of Arkansas's season and the equivalent of a Razorback bowl game for this year.

Nathan started the game off hot, marching Arkansas down to field to put the Hogs up 14-3 and setting the tone early.

However, the Tigers would claw back.

Arkansas went into the half down by 16 and the momentum swung to the other side of War Memorial Stadium.

When Arkansas lined up for their first possession of the second half, it was none other than No. 11 under center. Casey Dick was back...

And better than ever.

Casey matched the intensity and play of his younger brother's first half performance, rallying the Razorbacks the entire second half. With under a minute left, senior Casey Dick hit fellow upperclassman London Crawford for the tying touchdown. The Razorbacks were just one extra point away from a 31-30 lead with under 30 seconds to go in the ball game.

Yes, unfortunately once again, the game was put into the hands of a kicker.

Alex Tejada lined up and kicked a line drive down the uprights.

You could read the emotion all over Casey's face. His last game in a Razorback uniform had probably not started exactly as he'd wanted, on the sidelines, but ended in yet another "Miracle on Markham."

Isn't it ironic? What was thought to be the Arkansas Razorbacks' weakest points, the quarterback position and the kicking game, sealed the deal and the season for the Hogs.

We Talkin' 'Bout Practice...Again

Emily — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:55:35 -0500

Evidently, just being in the Motor City doesn't make Allen Iverson's engine go anymore than usual. The star point guard, who was recently traded to Detroit for Chauncey Billups in a blockbuster deal, reportedly went back to his old ways, skipping Thursday's practice. Iverson was the only player that failed to show for the Thanksgiving day workout, meaning once again, we're left to talk about practice.

Allen Iverson's character has been judged continually throughout his career. He's clashed with teammates and coaches alike, as well as the media. The former NBA MVP has put up stellar numbers his entire career, but it's his character that seems to define his career as a professional.

Perhaps Iverson's most infamous incident came off the court during a 2002 press conference when the media questioned the franchise player about his coach Larry Brown's allegations that he rarely showed up for practice, and pointing fingers at Iverson for the 76er's playoff loss. Iverson responded with the phrase "We're talkin' 'bout practice..." multiple times, and said the word "practice" at least twenty-five times during the one press conference.

It was confirmed from Piston's head coach Michael Curry that Iverson will be duly punished for missing this Thursday's practice. He will reportedly be fined in addition to having his starting position taken away in Friday's game against Milwaukee. Coach Curry was even considering sitting his star out the entire game.

Being Iverson is thirty-three years old and in the final year of his contract, the Pistons could easily part ways with the point guard at the season's end if his character over shadowed his play. However, if he continues to produce stats that fill up the box score and give the Pistons a chance to win, they may decide to keep him. For now, all that is certain is once again, "We're talkin' 'bout practice..."

From Jordan to Phelps, Being Like Mike Is No Mean Feat

Emily — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:47:08 -0500

Anyone who grows up a fan of sports knows just how cool it would be to live life just like Mike. In the sporting world, Michael is a champion, an icon, and a legend. He is what some may call a hero. Michael is the guy that every average Joe wants to be just like, but who is Mike?

Athletes named Michael have succeeded everywhere. As perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan won six NBA Championships, in all of which he was named the NBA Finals MVP. He was a fourteen time NBA All-Star, a five time regular season MVP, and he continues to be a marketing icon.

However, after the recent Olympic performance by another Michael, saying “I Want to be Like Mike” may refer to a guy with the last name of Phelps, not Jordan.

Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a U.S. swimmer. He shattered records left and right, setting seven new world records. Phelps now owns fourteen career Olympic gold medals, the most of any Olympian in history by a long shot.

Another Olympian sharing this seemingly successful name is Michael Johnson, a sprinter who holds the record for the 400m and 4 x 400m relay. Johnson has four Olympic gold medals of his own and once held the title of “World’s Fastest Man.”

Minnesota Twins right-fielder Michael Cuddyer was the 1997 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. Texas Rangers’ shortstop Michael Young won the American League batting title in 2005 with a batting average of .331. A consecutive five time MLB All-Star, Young was the MVP of the 2006 All-Star game.

Recently retired NFL defensive end and Super Bowl XLII champion, Michael Strahan was a seven time Pro-Bowler and holds the single season NFL record for sacks with 22.5, while Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin is second to only Jerry Rice in postseason receptions.

Maybe the fact that so many athletes named Michael succeed, is just a mere coincidence. After all, Michael is the second most popular male name ever, according to Social Security statistics.

Or, maybe there really is something to the idea that guys named Michael seem to be invincible in competition. The fact of the matter is that wanting to be like Mike is a pretty big aspiration.

Flash: A Tribute to Dwyane Wade

Emily — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:33:18 -0500

He moves as fast as lightning. Coincidentally, they call him "Flash."

He dunks as loud as thunder, making the crowds go wild.

He blows by his defenders like wind in a tropical storm.

His jump shot is as fluid as a rain shower during spring.

His jersey drenched in hard-earned sweat, pours off him like a hurricane.

No matter the place or time of day, Dwyane Wade can always make it rain.

She Can Do Anything He Can Do, Better

Emily — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:08:29 -0500

Try to imagine the stardom Lebron James would have received had he won the MVP and the Rookie of the Year award his first season in the league. Impossible, right? An athlete couldn’t possibly pull off this feat. Wrong, think again.

This feat was recently accomplished, though not by an NBA player, but rather a WNBA player. Had this happened to Lebron James, he might have quickly become a multi-billionaire, opposed to his current status of multimillionaire; however, when the WNBA’s Candace Parker recently accomplished this unfathomable sweep of individual accolades, it put her in the public eye no more than having her name on the scroll on the bottom of ESPN.

Candace Parker’s accomplishments put her name down in the record books with rare company, Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld, as the only professional basketball players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. To put it in perspective, Kobe Bryant failed to win Rookie of the Year, and it took him twelve years to get an MVP award.

Parker led the WNBA in rebounds, efficiency rating, and double-doubles and was ranked in the top twenty in nine of ten statistical categories, so it was no surprise to league followers that she accomplished such an improbable task, all while leading her Los Angeles Sparks team to the Western Conference Finals. Michael Jordan didn’t even manage to get the Bulls a playoff appearance his rookie season.

Even with Parker’s amazing accomplishments, the WNBA still fails to attract the attention it deserves. In order to make a living, women’s basketball players are forced to play year round, playing in the WNBA during the summer months and overseas on club teams in the winter. Candace Parker has obviously already accomplished more in her career than Lebron James, yet her contract is worth two-hundred ten times less than his twenty million dollar per year contract.

Women’s players seem to play with a passion and competitive heat that sometimes the men’s game is lacking. Women play more fundamentally sound and are less flashy in their style of play. They are also more sincere and approachable, staying very humble in all situations.

The WNBA did make strides this year in its popularity. Television, as well as, attendance ratings were up a remarkable percentage this year. The future for the league is definitely bright. For now, while Lebron James may be making the highlight reel, a betting man (or woman) could put money down to say that a women’s player, somewhere, has a highlight of her own that is maybe less flashy, but fundamentally just as good, and knows that she can do anything he can do, better.

Photo: Credit to Andrew Bernstein