Bleacher Report - Articles by STEVO

Mike Singletary's 35 Second Half Points Lead Texas Tech to Impressive Win

STEVO — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:10:05 -0400

In an impressive comeback, the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the Texas A&M Aggies by a score of 88 to 83 to advance to the second round of the Big 12 tournament. What is more impressive than the comeback from 21 down is the second half performance of Mike Singletary.

The sophomore from Humble (suburb of Houston) scored 35 of his 43 in the second half to lead the charge. At one point Singletary had 33 of Tech's last 35 points. He was the only option they had offensively until A&M started sending players to the line late in the fourth.

It was the most dominating performance in Big 12 history, and possibly even in college basketball history. The game allows Tech to continue their season for now but is not expected to garner any tournament berth.

On the flip side, A&M's future in the dance seems secure giving their RPI of 29.

But for one night, Mike Singletary the basketball player can be more famous than Mike Singletary the Hall of Fame football player.

The Worst Fans In Sports: Texas Tech, Oakland Raider, Utah Jazz fans top list

STEVO — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:13:16 -0500

We all have fans of other teams who annoy us; I'm sure you can immediately think of at least three other teams whose fans you wish would develop another hobby. While fans of teams like the New England Patriots, New York Yankees, or Duke Blue Devils may draw ire around the country, from where I'm sitting, these are the worst.

5. Bandwagon fans

We all know ‘em. And all real fans hate ‘em.

4. Oakland Raiders fans

Hey, the Raiders lost in the playoffs! Let’s burn some stuff and riot through our town like soccer fans!

Hey, the Raiders won the Super Bowl! Let’s burn some stuff and riot through our town like soccer fans!

Great people, huh? Glad I don't live in Oakland.
3. Texas Tech Red Raider fans

How many times do you rush the field after beating a rival school before anyone stops to see if the game is really over yet? (i.e. 2008 against Texas). Its obvious Tech fans have never been there before, and they remind us all of this every time they do manage to get there.

For instance, the time they beat Texas A&M and rushed the field, tearing down the goalposts and then going one step further by running them into the stands like jousting sticks in the section where Aggie fans were sitting, including the governor of Texas. One word: Classless.

2. Soccer fans

I'm talking about American fans who follow soccer, not those in other countries. Here, they always try to get you to care about soccer. OK, we get it, it’s the most popular sport on Earth. But that doesn’t mean it will ever catch on in America like American football, baseball, or basketball. Or NASCAR, golf, or wrestling. Enjoy your soccer, but stop telling all of us about it. The majority of us don’t care!

1. Utah Jazz fans

Reason number one: Their extraordinarily biased reaction to every call made by the officials, and I mean every call. I understand the natural reaction fans all have to a call against our club, but Jazz fans seem to take it one step further. They appear to actually believe no player on their team ever commits a foul or misses a contested lay-up without being fouled.

Think I’m exaggerating? Watch a Jazz home game next time you get a chance. Or even better, if you get a chance, watch a replay of any game against the Houston Rockets back in the good old days with Hakeem Olajuwon. Watch how the fans all become referees, rotating their arms to make the “traveling” sign every time he touched the ball.

Reason number two: The treatment of Derek Fisher. How classless can you get? Well, not much more than they did here. Who can forget when Derek Fisher left the Jazz to go back to the Lakers, citing his daughter’s cancer as the reason? This way he could be in Los Angeles and closer to one of the best treatment facilities in the country.

However, when he returned to play in front of his former team, they booed him every time he touched the ball, and some even chanted “Cancer.” Wow. I guess they are above having compassion for him and his family.

If MLB Wants to Protect Hitters, It Should Ban the DH

STEVO — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:28:40 -0500

First of all, I would like to make it clear that I have no problem with players getting beaned. I think it is part of the game, within reason of course. However, if Major League Baseball wants to discourage the practice, then perhaps they should stop fining pitchers who do it and get to the heart of the matter.

To make my point clear, I will use Roger Clemens.

Could someone tell me how many people Mr. Clemens threw at while a member of the Houston Astros (which by the way is the only NL team he ever played for)? The answer is ZERO.

My point is, that while he tried for so many years in the AL to portray himself as a man’s man who would challenge anyone who dared show him up with a ball-sized dot on their backs, he came over to the NL for two years and never once challenged a hitter in such a fashion.

I guess having to step into the box himself made him a little nicer.

You could look at any number of cases where pitchers changed leagues, and I bet you their behavior changed. The reason it used to be acceptable is because they used to play "real" baseball in both leagues.

So stop fining these guys, ban the DH, and let's play some ball.

DH an Unfair Advantage in World Series?

STEVO — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:42:46 -0500

Per many discussions with so called "baseball fans" regarding the designated hitter (DH), which I completely detest by the way, I have come to realize that not only does it make watching American League games boring until October, but it creates an unfair advantage in the World Series.

How is this, you ask? It's simple—not really—but here it goes.

First of all, AL teams are able to shop for that huge bat in the lineup without having to worry about their performance in the field. Therefore, they can fork over huge bucks to players that may not garner as much attention in the National League due to something we baseball purists call defense. Not to mention it allows for worn out players a chance to rotate through the DH spot, thus allowing for fresher legs in late season and October.

Second, AL teams do not have to use their bullpens as often, due to the lack of pinch-hitters, so they can again fork over huge bucks to two or three relievers instead of having to worry about bullpen depth. This gains them an advantage in World Series play thanks to the need for only three starters. They can add two more pitchers to their bullpen of two or three studs.

Finally, AL teams, when actually forced to pinch-hit in an NL park, have a player who can come off the bench having seen 300+ at-bats during the season, as compared to the 100+ most NL bench players get. So tell me, who would you rather have pinch-hitting with the game on the line?

So, next time the thought "different league, different rules" seems okay to you, consider the fact that they are playing for the same prize: the World Series trophy