Bleacher Report - Multiple Sports

We are the...What?!: The Worst Team Names in Sports

Voodoo Magic — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:35:58 -0500

Last year in the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl title, the most of any team in NFL history. But this piece isn’t about sports teams themselves, it’s about their names. Think about it: Pittsburgh Steelers. Makes sense, right? Pittsburgh became most famous for being an industrial, blue-collar town that relied heavily upon its steel industry. Truly, many team names in the sports world make sense: • The Cleveland Browns: named after founder and offensive pioneer Paul Brown. • The Chicago Bears: named after George Halas’s observation that since Chicago’s baseball team was named the Cubs, the team of larger and stronger football players should then be named the Bears. • New York Knicks: aka the Knickerbockers, a style of dress that once dominated New York City fashion. • Philadelphia 76ers: named in honor of the Declaration of Independence (in 1776) and Philadelphia’s role in the founding of America . Of course, for every appropriate, well-named sports team there are others that…well, there are others that are just bad. Whether it’s because of relocation, plain bizarreness, or whatever the reason, there are a number of sports teams whose names just don’t make sense. So, I present (in no particular order), the worst team names in professional sports. (Quick note: I won’t be including names from, say, the XFL. Those were meant to be stupid.)

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Finally No. 1: West Virginia Proud...Uh Er Not?

Scott Pauley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:32:40 -0500

The West Virginia Mountaineers have finally received the credit they deserve.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite the look I was going for.

According to SI.Com —Sports Illustrated online—the fans in West Virginia have been voted No. 1, when it comes to the rudest fans at a home game.

I am not so sure that I can agree with that. What I can agree with is the fact that the student section—Mountaineer Maniacs—can get a little out of hand.

However, even the Maniacs do quite well at showing hospitality during the actual game.

I have never seen the Old Gold clad youngsters—in recent years—disrespect the visiting team nor its’ fans, during the respective, collective activities.

Allow me to refer to a recent column of mine dated Oct. 25, 2009, “UConn: Welcome to Wild, Wonderful, Well-Mannered West Virginia—The Fans.”

Now this is just a smidgen of the entire article that I wrote exclaiming my appreciation of the WVU fans—including the Mountaineer Maniacs.

" …I have never been as proud—of all of the Mountaineer fans—as I am, following the game in Morgantown on Oct. 24, 2009. The visiting UConn Huskies had just lost their star corner back, Jasper Howard, to a violent incident the prior Saturday.

"After a record-setting victory performance against Louisville, Howard was stabbed to death, following a Homecoming Dance on the UConn campus.The UConn team and fans came to Milan Puskar Stadium with more than heavy hearts—having not even laid to rest the body of their fallen teammate, friend, and brother. The Mountaineer fans, including the student section—Mountaineer Maniacs—were more than affable…"

I don’t know who was included in the voting for the SI.com. It was apparently “fans” from various schools and conferences.

I did not get asked to vote. I did not even know this poll was taking place.

Many folks may say that there is no bad publicity. I can agree to a certain extent.

However, when the publicity is negative toward the Mountaineer Faithful, it hurts.

For, I am one.

I did not play any sports for WVU so; I cannot take credit for contributing to the major success of the football team. Nor can I take credit for a trip to the “Elite Eight”.

As a matter of fact, I did not attend WVU so; I cannot take credit for helping gain the title of No. 1 party school, either—on more than one occasion.

Nevertheless, I am a Mountaineer!

We are good people. Don’t let some poll, dreamed up by CNN, influence what you think about West Virginia.

Come see us! You’ll be quite surprised! We love each other and we love you, even if you beat us.

We should be No. 1.

We’ll let you decide the category.

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Worst Celebrity Sports Couples of All Time

Greg Riot — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:44:04 -0500

WORST CELEBRITY COUPLES PAIRS OF ALL TIME? WELL, HERE’S SOME OF THEM It is quite possible that these are not the absolute worst of all-time, as we could certainly find others with more painstaking research. But these are enough for now. Hey - we could surely come up with a lot more in the way of couples if fellatio was a sport (at least officially), because there are plenty of candidates who were probably consummate pros in that area. Think of the possibilities.

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The Top 10 Players Who Should Change Sports For Fun And Profit

Brian DiTullio — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:36:10 -0500

With the news this week that Cavaliers star LeBron James would be a welcome addition to the Cleveland Browns family should he choose to make the leap, it became an interesting point of discussion. What other stars are dynamic and athletic enough to make the jump to the two-sport athlete level? It's been done before. Michael Jordan famously quit the Bulls after his third consecutive NBA Championship to try his hand at baseball for the Chicago White Sox. His career never advanced out of the minors, but the story remains fascinating to this very day. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are famous as both played football and baseball in their careers. LeBron teased Browns fans earlier this year with a commercial showing him in a Cleveland Browns jersey, and did it again this week with some comments to the media. As exciting as that would be, just think of the hoopla if some of these next 10 athletes also decided it was time to suit up for a different game.

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Credit Where Credit Is Due: Illinois State University Professional Athletes

Owen Stiffler — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:34:39 -0500

When you think of powerhouse colleges that produce prominent professional athletes, I’ll be the first to admit Illinois State University is not usually considered one of them.

While ISU doesn’t come close to producing the amount of athletes that schools like Michigan or Ohio State do (listed as the first and second ranked schools respectively that have produced the most professional athletes by Forbes) they have produced some impressive talent.

Admittedly, the majority of the talent that ISU has produced has been athletes that this generation of students may not recognize, but it’s been some remarkable talent nonetheless.

Two ISU athletes went on to win Super Bowls in their NFL careers, Dennis Nelson won Super Bowl V with the Baltimore Colts and Mike Prior had an interception in Super Bowl XXXI and went on to win that game with the Green Bay Packers.

The most notable current Illinois State alum playing in the NFL today is Laurent Robinson who is unfortunately playing for the St. Louis Rams, so don’t expect much production let alone another ISU athlete winning a Super Bowl anytime soon courtesy of him.

One of the more prominent, successful ISU professionals was Buzz Capra. He was a Major League pitcher in the ‘70s who won a pennant in 1973 with the New York Mets and recorded the best ERA in baseball in 1974 with the Philadelphia Phillies earning him an All-Star spot that season.

A former Redbird, Neil Cotts, currently pitches out of the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs (although most Cubs fans would agree it’s unfortunate that he does) and also formally played and won the 2005 World Series with the Chicago White Sox.

While with the Sox he was actually quite successful being voted by the fans as Setup Man of the Year in ‘05 and even got the win in Game 2 of the World Series.

Another significantly successful ISU alum with an interesting story is Steve Fisher. Fisher played college basketball at ISU and let the Redbirds to the Division II Final Four in 1969.

After graduating he became a coach, which eventually led to him becoming an assistant coach at the University of Michigan.

At the end of Michigan’s 1989 regular season their head coach accepted a job at a different school and Fisher was named head coach of the Wolverines.

The Wolverines then went on to the win the National Championship under Fisher that season. He also put together the famous “Fab Five” at Michigan a couple seasons later.

Lastly, Illinois State’s most prominent and well-known athlete is Doug Collins; yes the Doug Collins of Doug Collins Court in Redbird Arena.

Collins played basketball for the Redbirds and went on to represent the United States, as ISU’s only Olympian, in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

He had a long, successful playing career in the NBA being named an All-Star four times. After suffering injuries later on in his career he retired from basketball and took on coaching.

In the late 1980’s, Collins coached Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs multiple times but was eventually replaced by assistant Phil Jackson.

So, although Illinois State may never be mentioned in the same breath as other big-time universities as far as professional athletes go, you’d by lying to say that our historic school has never created any professional talent.

While we ISU students should pride ourselves in the great academics this school provides and for the talent in the professional world in general this school produces, don’t forget to take pride in our athletics and the previous, current and future star athletes that ISU will undeniably continue to produce as well.

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The 15 Hottest Redheads in WAG History

Mike McD — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:12:54 -0500

Do you smell that in the air? That scent of perfume with just a hint of gold digger in it? That's right—it's WAG season baby!

With the NBA and NHL getting started, the NFL at its halfway point, and the World Cup finalizing its field, this is the time where those sexy wives and girlfriends are out in full force.

Whether it's catching a glimpse of them at a game or way more in a photo spread, WAGs are always fun to look at.

Today we're saluting the rarest breed of WAG. While most players go after the blonds and brunettes, it's the ones with the redheads that make us really sit up and go, "Daaaaamn."

Just so you know, these don't have to be full-on redheads. Just a hint of color does it for me.

So without any further ado, here are the 15 Hottest Redheads in WAG History.

No. 15: Kim Sears

We'll start off with Kim Sears. Andy Murray's girlfriend has been notoriously camera shy and notoriously hot. When you do get a good shot of her, you can see why the "other" Andy in tennis has taken a liking to her.

No. 14: Alicia Rickter

Mike Piazza married former Playboy Playmate Alicia Rickter back in 2005. She's got the all-red thing going in this picture, which I'm a fan of.

Not everyone can make the wetsuit sexy, but Alicia makes me want to go jump in the water; or a cold shower. One or the other.

No. 13: Erin Bates

Brian Vickers' girlfriend is none other than Speed TV's motocross reporter, Erin Bates. She's got that kind of vibe where she can be having fun and turn sexy in .05 seconds.

I think it's that kind of speed that turned Brian Vickers on to her. Or her hotness.

No. 12: Milene Domingues

The ex-wife of the world-famous Ronaldo (no, not Cristiano, just the one name), Milene Domingues shows that black certainly goes well with red hair. Actually, I'm fairly certain that she could be wearing a clown suit and have it look good.

No. 11: Elisabeth Reyes

This sexy soccer WAG is currently dating Spain's Alexis. Just a note to those of you paying attention: If you're cool enough to just go by one name, you have a 72 percent better chance of landing one of these women.

In an unrelated story, I'll just be going by McD from now on. Damn, that's cool.

No. 10: Susana Werner

Júlio César Soares Espíndola's wife has got this color coordination thing figured out: red hair, red bikini, red boots. All of this is just making me red-hot under the collar.

No. 9: Angelica Bridges

Angelica Bridges is the smokin' hot wife of the Oilers' Sheldon Souray. She used to be on Baywatch . With those green eyes, red hair, and the pigtails, it's just too much sexy for me. I have to move on.

No. 8: Anna Benson

Kris Benson's wife is crazy. Like, "threaten to sleep with her husband's entire organization if he ever cheats on her" crazy. Which, of course, does nothing other than make me want to be a mail clerk for whatever team he's with and send hookers to his hotel room on a nightly basis.

No. 7: Ilary Blasi

Footballer Francesco Totti's wife is a former showgirl, who thankfully has not lost the desire to show off her body. Even after a couple of kids, she still has looks that kill and a body that keeps on kicking.

No. 6: Andrea Veresova

Jaromir Jagr's ex-girlfriend was a former Miss Slovakia and a current hottie who has got it going on. She could have been a top five selection, but she refuses to drop that damn blanket.

No. 5: Marta Cecchetto

Luca Toni's girlfriend, Marta Cecchetto, is multitalented. Not only can she look hot posing for pictures, but if you'll check out the video below, she does a good job of turning us on via film as well.

No. 4: Jennifer Walcott

I still don't know how Adam Freaking Archuleta landed this babe, but for WAG purposes, I am grateful. The sexy Playboy Playmate has warmed our hearts and other organs, not only in centerfolds, but also in that great cinema classic American Pie: Band Camp .

No. 3: Fabiana Semprebom

This woman is dating this man , Guillermo Canas. Sometimes life isn't fair.

But at least Fabiana (terrific hot girl name) has the decency to get indecent with us in pictures. That makes up for it.

No. 2: Jaime Hanna

One of my favorite cheerleaders of all time, Jaime Hanna is one sultry redhead that I hope will stay with Evan Longoria forever so I can continue to put her on lists like this. Oh, and more photo spreads wouldn't hurt, either.

No. 1: Oksana Andersson

When you're getting soccer WAGs involved, the rest of the group doesn't really stand much of a chance. They are by far the hottest and the most willing to take their clothes off. All I can say is that Christian Wilhelmsson, whoever the hell you are; you are a lucky, lucky man.

Long live the redhead.

Ontario's Five Most Hated Athletes

Kyle Brown — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:39:57 -0500

Ontarians have for a long time been transfixed with their sports teams. I mean, look at how faithful Leafs fans remain to their team despite their terribleness over the past, oh, I don't know, 42 years.

In honour of the shitstorm that's going to come following A.I.'s move leaving Memphis, this week I look at the five players who do (or would if they still played) receive the most unpleasant welcome from fans in the province of Ontario.

No. 5: Alexei Yashin

Yashin was until recently the most hated former Senator in the history of the franchise. Following amazing opening seasons, Yashin's competitiveness and spirit tapered off in the later years of his career in Ottawa.

Despite his tremendous skill (even in his last season in Ottawa he put up 88 points), he was asking far too much out of an organization that did not have the amount of money to supply that. Instead, they traded for Zdeno Chara (one of the better moves they've made) and got Jason Spezza with a draft pick.

Regardless, Yashin's attitude towards the team and city he began in has made Yashin one of the most vulgar words in the nation's capital.

No. 4: Brett Hull

Yeah, sure, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and all, and yeah, he scored the goal that captured my Stars their only Cup, but why would you go against your home nation? Born in Belleville, Hull had dual citizenship and throughout his entire international career played for the United States.

Now, I'm not bashing the US or trying to start an international war, but why would you choose to play for any nation, in hockey, but Canada? Again, it's hockey.

I love you Brett, but in so many ways I hate you too.

No. 3: A.J. Burnett

Oh A.J. You were such a fine Blue Jay. You and Doc Halladay got along, you had amazing pitches, and the fans had your back. Then you wanted more money, something Rogers didn't want you to do. Then you left. Then you signed with the New York Yankees.

Even if you had been completely in the right in leaving Toronto, Jays fans would still have hated you. It's the Yankees—come on!

Your return said it all, getting booed like Jerry in that Seinfeld episode where he stole the limo and ended up being thought to be a neo-Nazi. Sorry, I got off track—just a great episode. Oh, and I secretly blame you for Doc's inevitable exit.

As long as we keep beating YOU, the Yankees can buy as many World Series as they want.

No. 2: Dany Heatley

Heater was loved in Ottawa. They gave him sanctuary after his accident, they gave him players where he could excel, and the city treated him like a celebrity.

Then, out of nowhere, Heatley decided that he wanted to stab the city in the back: asking for a trade, then not taking the trade he was offered due to his "no-trade clause," and then getting his $1 million bonus despite not wanting to play.

After going to San Jose, and still not really knowing why, Heatley has taken over Yashin's role as Ottawa's "most hated man."

No. 1: Vince Carter

Carter was the Toronto Raptors. He brought fans into the seats with his acrobatic dunks, he gave the Raptors a chance to win, and he had a good personality.

Then he just stopped caring.

Why? Who knows? Some say it was his injury; others say that he was mistreated by MLSE. Regardless, as an athlete he should have given the cliché 100 percent, and he didn't. Then he comes back

For more interesting sports stories, please check out our blog at www.mustwinsituation.blogspot.com.

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My List of the Four Worst Fanbases in Sports

Derek Hart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:20:00 -0500

Remember when you played Little League (or AYSO, or Pop Warner Football) as a kid?

Remember how your coaches—mostly dads—grilled into your gray matter the importance of sportsmanship?

Remember when you were taught as a youngster how to always treat your opponents with kindness, give them a cheer, shake their hands after a game, and never, ever rub it in their face if you win?

Well, these are the fanbases in sports where those who ally themselves with them are expected to completely forget all of that and be as mean, arrogant, and obnoxious as possible.

These are fans, usually of winning teams, who have a sense of entitlement—who see followers of other teams as lesser beings and let them know that in ways that are not subtle.

Drunkenness, vile name-calling, and fisticuffs are common among these crowds, and to attend games involving these teams while wearing the opponent's gear is to risk verbal and physical abuse.

Here are the fanbases that are to be avoided at all costs; if you encounter them at a sporting event, I strongly recommend that you run the other way screaming.

Detroit Tigers/Pistons

Fans of the American League's Tigers and the NBA's Pistons in the Motor City have long been known for their unpleasantness over the years.

Tiger fans have been infamous for rioting after big victories, most notably after their iconic baseball franchise convincingly won the World Series in 1984. After the last out was recorded, inebriated louts roamed the Detroit streets, overturning and burning cars and other various things.

The incident that puts this town's sports fans on this list, however, happened in 2004 at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a game between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.

Then-Pacer Ron Artest, after partaking in a huge bench-clearing brawl, rushed into the stands after having cups of beer thrown at him while resting on the scorer's table.

The rain of malted hops, along with all kinds of verbal epithets that can't be mentioned here, continued to flow after he was ejected; I'm sure Artest smelled like a brewery when he got back to the Pacers' locker room.

I think that's a good illustration of now nasty Detroit fans can be.

Philadelphia Sports Teams

When it comes to professional sports, the term "City of Brotherly Love" is perhaps the biggest oxymoron there is.

How else do you describe a town whose fans have booed Santa Claus and thrown battery-filled snowballs at opposing players? Where filthy invective in the stands is considered normal speech, and where even athletes playing for their teams are treated brutally if they don't produce?

Let's put it like this:

Veterans Stadium, the former home of baseball's Phillies and the NFL Eagles that was an absolute cookie cutter of a dump with horrible artificial turf, sported a holding cell and a makeshift courtroom in its bowels complete with a sitting judge, because so many people got into drunken fights and heaved projectiles onto the field.

The Eagles' current home, Lincoln Financial Field, likewise has a courtroom and a cell for the same reason.

I seriously doubt there are any sports stadiums that can say they have a jail and a court.

That says a lot about Philadelphia fans.

Needless to say, the thought of being a supporter of the opposing team in the land of hoagie cheesesteaks and Rocky Balboa gives me shudders, as does the next group of "fans," the...

Oakland Raiders

Besides the scary Halloween costumes that those silver and black-clad followers often wear and the usual inebriated obnoxiousness that these fans from Northern California's blue-collar East Bay town display, there are two incidents I was told of that illustrate how bad these folks are...

During a game against the Miami Dolphins at the Oakland Coliseum some years ago, a fan wearing a Dolphins jacket was standing in line waiting to use the restroom when the next thing he knew, his jacket was being ripped off of his back and urinated on in the bathroom trough.

I was also told of another time when a New York Jets follower wearing a Jets cap was merely sitting in his seat, watching the game and not bothering anyone, when this idiotic thug pulled a knife on him and snarled, "Give me your cap right now!"

Quite unbelievable—getting a deadly weapon pulled on you over a hat.

To say that is overboard would be a significant understatement and provides a crystal-clear picture of what fans of San Francisco's working-class neighbors across the bay are like.

I saved this fanbase for last because in my view, they are the absolute worst in college sports, the...

USC Trojans

"Arrogance is part of the image that we exude."—Jason Mangan, manager, USC Trojan Marching Band, 2000

That statement sums up the mentality of the most obnoxious group of fans at the intercollegiate level.

I have always said that the only difference between Trojan and Raider supporters is that USC fans tend to have more money and come from well-to-do backgrounds, particularly the alumni.

Trust me when I say this: You do not want to be a fan of the opposing team at the Trojans' home, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Especially if the opponents are the crosstown UCLA Bruins.

Simply put, you would be asking for it.

Drunkenness from students, alums, and fans alike, obscene gestures, extreme verbal abuse, and the throwing of ice, tomatoes, oranges, and seat cushions—which were thrown at the 1989 Rose Bowl—are standard procedure among the followers of the cardinal and gold.

More than anything else, a culture of arrogance—like in the previous quote—and snobbery pervades the University of Southern California campus and community.

T-shirts with slogans such as "FUCLA," "My Maid Went to UCLA," and "We're Not Snobs, We're Just Better Than You" are commonly worn at games; anyone not wearing the letters U-S-C is seen as a lower class undesirable and is treated as such.

I have personally encountered this evil arrogance many times as a Los Angeles resident and a UCLA alumnus, so much so that several years ago I vowed to stop attending UCLA-USC sporting events except for football games when the Bruins are the home team.

Plus, being that the Trojans play their games at the edge of South Central L.A., a crime, drug, and gang-infested area, I avoid the Coliseum like the H1N1 flu; it's just not worth the aggravation for me.

However, that doesn't compare to the story that this elderly lady, a former UCLA cheerleader in her 80s who's one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet, told me about how when she went to the Coliseum for a Bruin-Trojan game a few years back, USC thugs posing as fans spit on her.

Having encountered my share of Trojan obnoxiousness myself, I honestly wasn't that surprised at that. But...

If that does not give a blatant picture of what those so-called fans are like, nothing will.

I know that most sports fans would list the New York Yankees' fanbase as being pretty arrogant and bad, particularly people from the New England area; if I were a Boston Red Sox follower, I would definitely list those pinstripe supporters as being the worst.

But the fanbases I have listed here are notorious for being obnoxious, thuggish, and downright scary; these are the people who give sports a bad name, a symbol of everything that is wrong with athletics, whom you just want to shake and say...

"It's just a game! Get a life!"

That is just unfortunate for everyone.

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Team Hoyt and Other Legends Show That Heroes Come In All Sizes

Todd Civin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0500

As my wife, Kate, and I took the right hand turn into the lot of Christina's Restaurant in Foxboro last night, my hands began to sweat. We had been asked to attend the Legends Ball to Benefit the Hockomock Area YMCA as dinner guests of Team Hoyt, and though excited, I have to admit I was a bit unnerved.

The thought of breaking bread with the immortal Dick and Rick Hoyt, while sitting in the shadows of some of the greatest heroes in New England sports made my heart palpitate at humming bird speed as I handed my keys to the valet.

We entered the beautiful chandelier lit lobby and I couldn't help but sneak a peek at the red lettered placards that lined the table in the lobby. Ordinary guys like me, had blue lettering, but the Legends who would grace our presence had their placards lettered in fancy red print.

Names like Ronnie Lippett, John Hannah, Steven King, Troy Brown, Pete Brock, and Steve Grogan, were flanked on either side by names of former Red Sox players including, Joe Morgan, Dick Beradino, Ted Lepcio, and Skip Lockwood, as well as Rick Middleton of the Bruins and Jeff Causey of the New England Revs.

Current Patriots players including Steven Neal, Matt Light, Pierre Woods, and even Joe Andruzzi of Patriots/Giants fame rounded out the roster of guests.

All in all, three dozen larger than life heroes would be joining us to eat, drink and talk sports all to benefit the well deserving boys and girls of the Hockomock Area YMCA.

"It doesn't get any better than this," I said to Katie as I spotted Dick and Rick in their tuxedos and their office manager and friend, Kathy, in her elegant black dress.

The Hoyt boys looked absolutely handsome in their black ties and tuxes. I shook Dick's hand and was awestruck at the strength and power in his muscular hand. A little might of a man with a powerful grip, Dick hardly resembles a man in his late sixties.

I leaned down and introduced myself to Rick and teased him about how soft his hands were. "You don't work hard enough," I joked. Rick looked up at me from his wheel chair and smiled with his huge patented grin.

His eyes had an amazing way of communicating his every thought as if to make up for his inability to communicate verbally.

Though I had done a story on the Hoyt's several weeks ago and have become very close to the Team since, I had never had the pleasure of meeting Rick in person prior to tonight. It rapidly gained a spot as one of my most special life moments.

Waitstaff brought tray upon tray of wonderful hors d'oeuvres and the bar was open throughout the cocktail hour, but I was more interested in the amazing blessing which had been bestowed upon us.

I watched with intrigue as Dick used a note pad and their intricate method of uncovering which letter Rick was attempting to say. The two worked tirelessly as Rick tried to communicate his thoughts.

"Is it an A...an E...an I...an O..?" Dick asked, trying to corral the first letter of the word that Rick was trying to convey. Once they agreed on a vowel through a gentle nod of Rick's head, they would then try to hone in on the actual letter, which fell closest to the pinpointed vowel.

"Is it O by itself? Is it P...Q...R...S...T?

"It's a T," Dick confirmed as Rick nodded in agreement.

With the first letter in the word jotted down on Dick's scratch pad, it was an H as the second letter, after eliminating F and G, which followed the vowel E.

"It's an H," Dick said. "Is it The? Is it Thank you?" he inquired trying to expedite the process by randomly stabbing at Rick's intention.

Dick had read Rick's thoughts on guess number two and reduced the time needed to translate Rick's sentence. Clearly they've done this often enough over the years that they'd gotten pretty adept at the guessing game.

Rick nodded. "You want to say, Thank you for coming?" Rick nodded again.

I swallowed hard and held back my first tears of the night.

I quickly realized that though their running in marathons or competing in triathlons are amazing feats, merely finding the strength and courage to communicate, eat, laugh, and live each day may be more of a challenge than many of us would choose to take on.

Over the course of the evening I bonded with Rick, while trying to divide my time evenly between Kate, Dick, Kathy and Kirk, and Sheila Joslin, the President of Easter Seals, and his wife who were also residing at Table No. 30.

Our table was made complete by Rick's PCA (Personal Care Attendant), Mike, who fed Rick, gave him frequent sips of water and chatted with him endlessly through out the event.

But, it was Rick who grabbed the lions share of my attention as we joked about finding him three blondes to complete his perfect night. "Boys will be boys," Katie whispered to me.

There were several magic moments over the course of the evening that made my heart grow exponentially.

The first occurred when I accompanied Dick and Rick to the VIP room as they signed posters along side the other Legends. Though the pile of posters was about 40-50 deep, Dick placed a sharpie in Rick's hand and held it as the two of them combined to write Rick's autograph.

Perhaps easier for Dick to write Rick's name for him or to simply sign as Team Hoyt, the two wouldn't even consider this. It would have been out of line with what they stand for and the "Yes, You Can" message they promote.

Matt Light, Stephen Neal, Joe Andruzzi, and Troy Brown entered the room and I, again, started to perspire. Never had I been in the presence of one, let alone six, sports legends.

The quartet entered the room laughing and joking and, I sense, were mildly impressed by their own notoriety.

Until they saw the Hoyts.

Each of the four stopped dead in their tracks. Their eyes widened as they realized who, they, too, were in the presence of. Light, especially was awestruck and said to Dick and Rick how honored he was to meet them.

The other three joined Light in their acknowledgment and Andruzzi, who himself has overcome amazing challenges after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma, agreed to let Rick try on his Super Bowl ring.

In addition to requesting the blondes, Rick had expressed a wish to try on a ring and Andruzzi obliged. However, before he pulled it from his enormous hand the legends were called away to be announced to the anxious crowd.

The crowd of 300 looked on as each of the Legends was escorted to their tables by special needs athletes from the Hockomock Y. Several of the legends high-fived their escorts playfully to the thrill and jubilation of their escort and the crowd.

The legends received warm ovations from the crowd as each was announced. Tim Fox, Jim Bowman, Jon Williams, Billy Johnson, John Smith, Tom Yewcic, and even Patrick Sullivan of Patriots' days gone by were presented one by one by master of ceremonies, Butch Stearns, of Fox25 News and WEEI fame.

When my guys were announced, however, the crowd stood and cheered in a rousing, and well deserved ovation. As Dick wheeled Rick in, the crowd honored them with the most overwhelming ovation of the event.

Throughout the evening, dozens of men and women shook the Hoyts' hands, posed for photos, and thanked them for being inspirations to so many throughout the world. My two, extremely humble, friends took it all in stride and thanked their fans for thanking them.

As our evening ended I again whispered to Kate, "It simply doesn't get any better than this."

And then, of course, it did.

As Rick was getting prepared to be wheeled out of the banquet hall, Andruzzi rushed over and reminded Rick of the promise to wear his Super Bowl ring.

Rick smiled that patented grin as Andruzzi slipped the ring onto his soft little hand. Andruzzi's enormous ring could have laid claim to three of Rick's fingers as the three giants posed for another Kodak moment.

It became amazingly clear to me that heroes come in all different sizes.

Todd Civin is a freelance writer who writes for Bleacher Report , Sports, Then and Now , and Seamheads . He is a supporter of, A Glove of Their Own , the award-winning children’s story that teaches paying it forward through baseball.

The Joe Niekro Foundation is the most recent non-profit organization to join the A Glove of Their Own team and will earn $3.00 dollars from each sale of the book purchased using the donor code JNF636 Joe Niekro Foundation .

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The 15 Hottest Redheads in WAG History

Mike McD — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:41:46 -0500

Do you smell that in the air? That scent of perfume with just a hint of gold digger in it? That's right, it's WAG season baby! With the NBA and NHL getting started, the NFL at their halfway point, and the World Cup finalizing its field, this is the time where those sexy wives and girlfriends are out in full force. Whether it's catching a glimpse of them at a game or way more in a photo spread, WAGs are always fun to look at. Today we're saluting the rarest breed of WAG. While most players go after the blonds and brunettes, it's the ones with the redheads that make us really sit up and go "Daaaaamn." And just so you know, these don't have to be full on redheads. Just a hint of color does it for me. So without any further ado, here are The 15 Hottest Redheads In WAG History.

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Morning Cup of Coffee: A Daily Take On The Sports World

Stephen Clay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:05:29 -0500

The November 18, 2009 Edition

It's Officially College Basketball Season

ESPN's 24 hour of college hoops, was a basketball junkie's dream. Unfortunately, only a few games in that block were worth the full viewing.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Michigan State Spartans followed by nightcap for St. Louis with the Memphis Tigers vs. the number one Kansas Jayhawks.

Both games were close but the underdogs were playing from opposite positions. The Bulldogs played from the lead position most of the game while the Tigers played catch up. Undermanned in both cases, these two teams showed why they are not "mid-majors" and are on the level of the most elite programs today.

On the opposite end of good games, the Tennessee Volunteers flexed some major muscle, destroyed UNC-Asheville 124-49.

No typo.

124-49!

I would say it showed how bad Asheville is but I think it showed more of the potential Tennessee has. They were deadly in all facets of the game.

While the rest of the SEC has sucked, for the most part, in these early days of the season, the Vols are out the gates fast. They made their statement that Kentucky may not be the best team in the league after all.

The UConn women's basketball team went into Texas and rolled another ranked opponent in the Texas Longhorns. Another season, same result.

The story in women's basketball will be whether they lose a game. If I was betting I'd say no. I mean they have to lose at some point, don't they?

A Tough Day to Be a Football Coach

Dick Jauron was canned as coach of the Buffalo Bills. Could the blame for this disaster be placed at his feet? Hard to say.

The offensive coordinator was fired just prior to the first regular season game. That didn't help.

Terrell Owens, Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch have not played up to their standards thus far. Throw in inconsistent quarterback play its no wonder this team has struggled.

But when you are head coach and bad things happen on your watch, it's much easier to chop off your head than the heads of several others during the season.

Who might be next on the NFL chopping block?

My guess at this point would be Jim Zorn, Tom Cable, Eric Mangini should be up but may not ONLY because of his contract, and quite possibly Lovie Smith.

On the college scene, Kansas's Mark Mangino might be on the verge of being exposed for having his own Bobby Knight episode by reportedly roughing up one of his own players. The school is currently investigating the matter and if proven unfavorable for the coach, it could signal the end of his tenure in Lawrence.

Charlie Weiss has had to deal with more questions about his job at Notre Dame and feels his job is safe for now.

The athletic director states that Weiss's job and the football program will be evaluated after the season. Considering Weiss's record is similar to previous coaches Bob Davies and Tyrone Willingham I don't see how he will be able to survive beyond this season.

Who Would Have Thought Tennis Could be So Fun?

I personally love to play tennis and I know it is a HUGE recreational sport here in my city of Atlanta. Apparently the rest of the nation feels the same way.

The United States Tennis Association put out results from a survey that stated over 30 million people took the court this year, a number that is up 12 percent from last year and up 25 percent from six years ago.

While tennis is not on the level of say, football, basketball, baseball, MMA and NASCAR it struggles to keep up with hockey and golf. Coverage is only strong for the grand slam events and not enough domestic events get widespread attention.

Are the professional tennis leagues dropping the ball by not capitalizing on this?

I would say so. The ATP and WTA need to get to it. Give me a call; I got some ideas to make this happen.

Speaking of MMA ; last but not least, UFC Champion Brock Lesnar has been down and out in recent months for what was believed to be mono. Recently it was reported he is suffering for a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract. He had surgery and was sent home yesterday to recover.

Prayers go out the former "Next Big Thing". Get well soon. The sport has missed you.

Finishing my final sip of coffee

Take Houston Rockets (-5) at Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota has looked like one of the two worst teams in the league and Houston has beaten the Wolves five straight. I don't see this matchup being any different.

Follow me at http://www.twitter.com/coach_stephen

You can email me at claystephent@gmail.com

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Creating the Hottest Female Athlete Ever

Mike McD — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:15:24 -0500

ESPN Magazine recently came out with "The Body Issue," which was supposed to be their answer to Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. Aside from my biggest gripe (too many dudes), I thought it was great.

There are so many amazing bodies out in the sporting world that we should be saluting them. But I had a different idea.

What if we could create the perfect woman by using body parts of different athletes?

I'm not talking about the perfect athlete, because then we would just use most of Serena Williams and sprinkle in some dedication. I'm talking about the hottest athlete ever.

Let's see what we can come up with.

Smile: Ashley Force

Her face is just beautiful. I don't know how Danica gets all of the attention and glory, because Ashley Force is (excuse my pun) a force to be reckoned with.

If she ever flashed that smile at me I would be absolute puddy.

Eyes: Amanda Beard

There's something about the way that Amanda Beard looks at the camera that makes you feel like she is looking right at you. And not just looking at you, inviting you to her room later that night.

Her eyes are just so seductive and sexy.

Lips: Kristi Leskinen

Kristi Leskinen should just get her skiing career out of the way and go directly into modeling. She's gorgeous.

Not only is her body amazing, but she's got these full pouty lips that are just so damn inviting.

Hair: Ana Ivanovic

There's something about Ana Ivanovic's hair that gets me every time. It's either sexily messed up, or seductively draped over her face just enough to add some mystery.

Oh, and the rest of her ain't that bad either.

Shoulders: Natalie Gulbis

Sometimes female athletes can be a bit broad shouldered (see: most of the WNBA), which is a definite turn off.

Natalie Gulbis is just about where we'd like them to be.

She's not too skinny or frail, she's got some power up there, but she's not too broad. And I'm fully in favor of when she stretches those shoulders.

Arms: Jennie Finch

Arms are one of the hardest things to keep sexy for female athletes. Especially a pitcher like Finch.

But Jenny has pulled it off nicely with her long, toned, and not-too-muscular arms.

We like a woman to be strong, but not able to beat us in an arm wrestling competition.

Breasts: Simona Halep

I'm talking about pre-July 2009 Simona Heap, because sadly she got breast reduction surgery this summer.

She did it to improve her game, which I understand. But we can still mourn, because those things were magnificent.

Check out the video below (and Google image searches!) for more reasons why Halep snagged this coveted spot on the list.

Stomach: Allison Stokke

This is what we're looking for in a woman's stomach. It's tight, sexy, and not full of abs that will make us jealous.

This is the picture that launched a million internet searches, and deservingly so. She's freaking hot!

Butt: Stacey Kiebler

Finally, some love for all of the wrestling fanatics out there. Ms. Kiebler is one of the finest women in the world and she is just as nice to look at from the back as from the front, which is saying something.

She's got some junk in the trunk, but that junk just happens to be solid gold.

Hips: Anna Kournikova

You didn't think we could do something like this without Anna did you? Of course not.

Just like Shakira, her hips don't lie. Even if they did, when she cocks them like that, I'll believe them anyway.

Legs: Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova helped redefine the term "leggy" in sports. Those stems seemingly go on for miles at a time and have yet to stop.

Thankfully for us, Maria is content to keep wearing short skirts while she plays. When she hikes tennis balls up there, every man watching collectively holds his breath. It's magical.

Thighs: Jenny Adams

You can't talk about legs without including a runner. They have the phrase "runner's legs" for a reason, pal.

Jenny Adams, who showed up in Maxim to show off those legs and other parts of her body, manages to keep them nice and strong without getting out of hand.

Calves: Anna Rawson

Calves always look better when in a pair of high heels, but I have the feeling that Anna Rawson's would look amazing even without.

Still, poses like this don't really hurt.

Height: Lauren Jackson

Maybe it's because I'm tall, but tall women are extremely sexy to me. So if I was designing the perfect woman, which I am, I would go with Lauren Jackson. She's 6'5" and quite a piece of eye candy herself.

That one piece basketball uniform complements her tall frame nicely I would say.

Genomes: Bia and Branca

And of course, if you put all of those parts together to make the hottest female athlete of all time, what could be better than that?

Two of them. Just like these two synchronized swimming sisters. As good as one is, two is exponentially better!

Morning Cup of Coffee: A Daily Take On the Sports World

Stephen Clay — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:23:08 -0500

The Nov. 17, 2009 Edition

A pretty slow night of sports events, but not much of a shortage of sports news. Guess that is why I love this business so much.

I did keep the remote busy, as I was flicking between the Monday Night Football game, Atlanta Hawks vs Portland Trailblazers, and Kentucky Wildcats vs Miami (OH).

Unless you are a Baltimore Ravens fan I had no idea how you could had watched much of that game. That might have been the worst MNF game I have ever witnessed. No score in the first half and the Browns were totally inept offensively. It's as if either no one cares or has a clue in the Browns organization from top to bottom. I feel bad for their fans.

A side note on Monday Night Football ; Jon Gruden has signed a long term commitment to work for ABC/ESPN to continue his analyst work at the networks, covering both college bowl games and the NFL. From reading his quotes on his new career, it does not appear he will be leaving it anytime soon.

I think he is trying to position himself as the next John Madden. Sure worked for John didn't it?

Larry Johnson appears to be on the verge of signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Good signing? I don't know. Hopefully it won't impact the mojo Marvin Lewis and company seem to have found this year.

I personally was hoping my hometown Atlanta Falcons would had given Johnson a look. With Michael Turner out and no real backup in place he would had been a good fit in Atlanta.

Allen Iverson and got his wish; a free man from a bad situation in Memphis with the Grizzlies. Now he is on the market again on the search for a new home. Some speculation I've seen so far says New York Knicks. Probably the best spot for him if his concern is maintaining his career scoring average. Outside of that, he would be another piece just about anywhere else, similar to his role in Memphis.

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA went at it here in Phillips, as the Portland Trailblazers visited the ATL. Don't let anyone say otherwise; Portland is a very good team. They were firmly in control of that game most of the night but when a good team has been on a roll like the Hawks sometimes it doesn't matter if you are playing at your best from game to game. You still get the W. That is the normal sign of a championship-caliber team.

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats were expected to cakewalk in their games until their Dec. 5 tilt against North Carolina. Last night's game at home vs Miami (OH) just confirms how great college basketball can be. Miami (OH) controlled most of the game despite the hostile crowd and a Wildcat team laced with raw talent.

At times the Red Hawks appeared to crumble a bit in the moment but managed to hold it together until freshman John Wall nailed a mid-range jump-shot with half a second remaining on the clock to gave Kentucky the lead. Coach Cal and his group escape but definitely a lessons learned.

At Calipari's previous school Memphis, it's business as usual. Many felt that Calipari was Memphis and the program would go to the abyss once he left. First time head coach Josh Pastner is doing everything he can to keep that from happening.

After only being on the job about six months, Pastner has secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2010. Yesterday he collected his seventh prospect, highly ranked power forward Tarik Black. Watch out for Memphis in the 2010-11 season. They will be a team to be reckoned with when it comes to the national championship.

I flipped over and watched a few minutes of Monday Night Raw . Pro wrestling at Madison Square Garden; nothing like it. It definitely brought back memories of Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund in their heydays.

I don't watch wrestling nearly as much as I did growing up. While it still has its moments of entertainment it is no where near as good as it was in the '70s and '80s. Got to lay that blame at the feet of Vince McMahon. His "vision" to take wrestling national destroyed the territorial concept that pro wrestling thrived on.

While it made McMahon and those who affiliated with him rich it took away memories and enjoyment from many more.

Finally, Dick Tomey is calling it a career. Currently coaching at San Jose State, Tomey could be considered the grandfather of Arizona Wildcat football. His cry of "Bear Down" became a symbol of the program that was legendary for their defensive squads, especially in the early 1990s. He produced similar results at Hawaii before heading to Tucson.

Thank you, coach Tomey, for providing memories for college football fans everywhere.

Finishing my final sip of coffee

Take the Los Angeles Clippers (+1.5) at the New Orleans Hornets. After watching the Hornets play over the weekend against the Atlanta Hawks, without Chris Paul, I don't think they have any idea what they are doing right now. It's a good time to take advantage of that.

follow me at http://www.twitter.com/coach_stephen

Until tomorrow morning, live sports!

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The Top Five Most Hated Sports Franchises

Nick Caso — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:10:58 -0500

Every sports fan has those teams that you just can't stand. Those teams that you hate everything about. Well I am no different and I decided to share my hatred with all of you and to see what you think. I am not taking anything from some of these teams, I understand their talent, I just hate the very existence of their franchise and those who play for them. Let the hating begin!

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Top 5 Biggest Busts of the Sports Year

Brandon Katz — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:27:36 -0500

You’ve got the grill on high power while succulent hamburger meat and thick steaks slowly sizzle.

You’ve got the beer on ice and a bottle opener in arm’s length. Your jersey is pressed with not a single wrinkle to be found. You, my friend, are ready for some sports.

But as millions of fans across the country, including myself, participate in these game rituals, many of us are left unsatisfied and even disgusted at what we see.

I’ve observed levels of “suck” I previously believed to be unreachable. So without further ado, I present this year's biggest sports busts.

5. St. Louis Cardinals Post-Season

Now I’m not sure if winning your division can really constitute as a bust, but I’m looking at the big picture here.

The Cardinals finished the regular season with a very respectable record of 91-71. They had the best baseball player on the planet in Albert Pujols and arguably the best starting pitching.

Their rotation was headlined by two Cy Young caliber pitchers, Adam Wainwright (19 W, 2.63 ERA) and Chris Carpenter (17 W, 2.24 ERA).

And their third option, Joel Pineiro (15 W, 3.49 ERA), had a better regular season than the championship Yankee’s third pitcher, Andy Pettitte.

St. Louis’ midseason acquisition of Matt Holliday proved to be well worth it. Holliday gave Pujols some much-needed protection and really lengthened the Cardinals lineup by rediscovering his power stroke.

Going into October, a lot of baseball people predicted that St. Louis would represent the National League in the World Series.

The Dodgers had something to say about that, dismantling the Cardinals in four games. To quote the great Billy Madison, “YOU BLEW IT!!”

Maybe next year, St. Louis.

4. New Jersey Nets

I love this team’s young nucleus. Point guard Devin Harris had a breakout year last season averaging 21 PTS, 6.9 AST and 1.7 STL. Harris’ speed and decision-making are great for transition offense, something that was rarely used during his time in Dallas.

Center Brook Lopez is following up a strong rookie season with very impressive performances so far. The guy has the ability to be a double-double player each night.

Courtney Lee is another young gun that proved he’s got a little game during his time with Orlando last year.

However, New Jersey is like your classic 35-year-old momma’s boy, living in the basement of their division by starting off the season 0-10.

Devin Harris has missed time due to injury and veteran PG Rafer Alston has been relatively ineffective as a backup. The load is too much for Lopez to handle on his own.

As a team, New Jersey is only averaging a paltry 84.5 points per game on a dismal 40 percent shooting from the field. The team could definitely use a healthy Devin Harris and another scorer.

Owner Jay-Z needs to spend a little less time in the recording booth and a little more time around basketball. A star may be born everyday HOV, but it seems as if they aren't born anywhere near New Jersey.

3. New York Giants

You know that cheesy tune that always plays after someone makes a terrible joke in old time television shows. C’mon you know it, that low pitched, “Wah Wah Wahhhhhhhhh.”

Well that tune is playing full force in all of New York City. After starting out 5-0, the Giants have found themselves in a downward spiral and show no signs of righting themselves.

The G-Men have lost four straight starting with their embarrassing defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

To the delight of fantasy owners everywhere, New Orleans' QB Drew Brees laid the blueprint for how to beat New York; attack their depleted secondary.

Aaron Ross, arguably New York’s top corner last season, hasn’t played in a single game this year due to injury. Kenny Phillips, New York’s top pick in the ’08 draft, was placed on Injured Reserve after just two games.

The defensive line isn’t getting as much pressure on opposing QBs as in years past either, Eli Manning continually shows us that he is only a good quarterback, not a great one.

Coach Tom Coughlin needs to make some serious adjustments on the defensive side soon or this team’s future is going to be very grim. One more loss and New York's playoff hopes could very well be over.

2. Cleveland Indians

The Indians most definitely could have used a few Rick Vaughns for their bullpen and a couple of Willie Mays Hayes in their lineup.

A middle-aged Charlie Sheen and an incompetent Wesley Snipes could of definitely played better than the athletes that suited up in Cleveland uniforms this season.

Entering the season, I would have bet money on a lineup that included Grady Sizemore, Mark DeRosa, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, and Asdrubal Cabrera batting ninth with a starting rotation that was headed by the reigning A.L. Cy Young winner.

The team even went out got Kerry Wood to close games for them, their major weakness a season before. But if sports have taught me anything in life it’s that the impossible is possible and the probable is uncertain.

Injuries, under achievement and bad managing drove this team into the ground. In April, Cleveland would have been on the majority of people’s list for A.L. playoff spots.

Come September, they finish the season with an awful 65-97 record. In their desperation the organization traded their best pitcher, Cliff Lee, the heart of their lineup and life-long Indian Victor Martinez and axed Eric Wedge as manager.

Sorry Cleveland, but LeBron’s MVP year wasn’t enough to make us forget about your miserable excuse for a season.

1. JaMarcus Russell

Oh wow has this guy been bad! I’m talking US economy bad, Dumb & Dumberer bad. He’s actually reached the “Elliot Spitzer-I-can’t-even-believe-how-bad-this-guy-is” level of bad.

Granted he is on a miserable team with scrubs for offensive linemen, but there are just so many flaws in Russell’s game that are undeniable.

He doesn’t understand how to read defenses and make adjustments on the line, his mechanics are inconsistent resulting in missed opportunities and his decision-making is atrocious when put under pressure from opposing defenses.

For a more tangible sense of his poor play, here is his 2009 stat sheet: 1000 yards, 48.4 completion percentage, 2 TD, 9 INT culminating in an absolute laughable QB rating of 48.3.

Can you believe those are stats by a professional Quarterback? At one point in the season his QB rating was only 2 points higher than a wide receiver that went 0-1 in pass attempts. Now that's just inexcusable!

Oakland’s QB constantly overthrows open receivers and makes terrible reads in regard to his receivers routes. He has single-handedly lost games for this franchise for three years straight.

His athleticism and strength will get him nowhere in the NFL if he doesn’t master the mental portion of the game.

Taken first overall in the 2007 draft, Russell is rapidly making a strong case for “Worst Pick Ever.”

Hello, Ryan Leaf…are you laughing yet?

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Morning Cup of Coffee: A Daily Take On The Sports World

Stephen Clay — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:41:06 -0500

The November 15, 2009 Edition

What an incredible day of sports I enjoyed Saturday!

While there were not many big football games, there was a lot of excitement.

My day started off watching the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets play the Duke Blue Devils. Georgia Tech had a lot on the line as a win over Duke placed them in the ACC Championship game. Tech started off slow, falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter but in typical Jacket fashion, they went on an offensive roll and this time scored 49 unanswered points. Final score: Georgia Tech 49 Duke 10. On the road. Is it just me or does head coach Paul Johnson have his boys in the national championship discussion? Lots of teams in front of them but they are playing as well as anyone in country right now.

Big Ten games rarely keep my interest due to the style of play but the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio State Buckeyes was a true high stakes poker match, with the birth to the Rose Bowl up for grabs. To be honest, leading into the game I thought Iowa had no shot after losing quarterback Ricky Stanzi last week but that kid James Vandenberg played an inspired game. It kept me on the edge of my seat until OSU finally came away with the win in overtime. Kudos to Jim Tressel for getting his troops to right the ship and salvage what looked like a down season.

I did catch snipets of Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks tilt. Now that game was ugly! I have no idea how Steve Spurrier does not clutch his chest with Stephen Garcia at quarterback. With a ton of talent, Garcia still has issues with decision making and coming up with the big play. I also came away thinking how much of a down year it is in college football this year, with Florida being number one for the bulk of the season. This is not a dominant Florida team at all.

TCU Horned Frogs may be the best team in the country. Again, they dismantled another opponent. This time destroyed a ranked Utah team, 55-28. While they are still ranked number four in the country, why are they still talked about on the outside looking in right now?

They have pounded two ranked teams, beat a now hot Clemson team in Death Valley and wiped out the probable CUSA champion. Florida has only beaten one ranked team and has struggled against several other opponents. Texas has also beaten two ranked teams but I would say BYU and Utah are every bit as good, if not better, than Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Coach of the Year Gary Patterson. Don't waste time even considering anyone else at this point.

My final take on the day's college football; oh have the mighty fallen. Southern California and Notre Dame have come unglued at the hinges. While both are talented they have come up short on where it matters most, and that is the scoreboard. I personally thought after watching how the Irish rolled against Hawaii last year at years end that their offense would be dominant enough to make a run to a BCS bowl. Oh well......

Anyone up for a BCS playoff system? If there was ever a year we needed it it would be this one.

On the NBA front, Brandon Jennings has got to be the biggest individual story in the early season. Watching him put up 55 points last night was incredible! Watching him do what he did reminded me of young Allen Iverson. Will Jennings be Answer II? Time will tell.

As of today, there is little doubt in my mind the Atlanta Hawks are the best team in the NBA. They have so many weapons offensively they just look too hard to stop. Jamal Crawford has made a huge impact, along with Josh Smith's willingness and renewed commitment to play more like a power forward and less like a small forward. Barring injury they may very well reach the NBA finals.

Finally, Manny Pacquiao. What more can be said about this guy. In an incredible display of skill and power, he overcame a size disadvantage and pounded Miguel Cotto into submission. Now the only fighter to win world titles in seven weight classes, he has a record I don't think will ever be broken. Now if we can only get Floyd Mayweather from under his bed and in the ring to fight the Pacman. It would truly be the biggest fight of the new millennium.

Finishing my last sip of coffee:

Take the New Orleans Saints (-14.5) and the points on the road against the St. Louis Rams. That just does not seem fair.

Until tomorrow morning live sports!

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NCAA Cross Country: Stanford The Team To Beat

Nick Tyson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:49:26 -0500

How many years has it been since we have not been gazing upwards at the Division One cross country dynasty that is Oregon Cross Country? They were the Yankees of college running, truly. But now for the first time in a while, it is looking like the Ducks could be in jeopardy of not placing at the top five at the NCAA Championships.

Just in the west alone are Portland, Washington, Northern Arizona, Brigham Young, and Colorado to start. This combined with many strong teams in the Midwest and Northeast, and it seems like there are more good teams in the hunt this year than in any of the past ten years.

However, there is one fact that seems undeniable: Stanford is in a league of its own, and the real race at Nationals this year will be for second place.

Led by standout and NCAA favorite Chris Derrick, the Cardinal head their strongest team in school history. In the prestigious PAC-10 meet, Stanford placed four runners in the top ten, six in the top fifteen, and all in the top twenty, scoring a meager 28 points in a trounce of Oregon (28-45).

Just two weeks later, today, Stanford scored even fewer points (27), placing their top four in the top ten and beating second place Portland by a 50+ point margin (27-84) and Oregon by an even greater margin (27-109), the latter two of which are considered top five teams in the country.

But what may be the most exciting thing about this Stanford team, is that they return a full top seven in 2010, and it could be one of the most dominating teams in the history of NCAA Cross Country.

Just this year alone they look to have two runners in the top ten at Nationals (Derrick and Junior Elliott Heath), and between sophomore Jake Riley junior and Justin Marpole-Bird they could have four total runners finish as All-Americans.

It will certainly be exciting to watch in the next few weeks to see how dominant Stanford is over the rest of the field. It was only two years ago that Chris Derrick a high school senior, was leading an inexperienced Nequea Valley High School team to the state and Nike national championship titles.

The trifecta of Derrick, Fernandez, and Puskedra and now he looks to lead a bit more experienced Stanford team to its first championship since 2003 and only its fifth ever.

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New York to L.A and Back: The Evolution of a Sports Fan

Mike Murray — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:59:17 -0500

Do you know what happens when you grow up a die-hard old school sports fan? There are rules!
When I grew up in Brooklyn, you couldn't root for teams just because they all come from the same town.

In old-school New York—that would be the '50s for you newbies—that team in Chavez Ravine was the Brooklyn Dodgers. In Manhattan, there were the New York baseball Giants. And, in the Bronx, there were the Yankees.

If you rooted for one, you didn't root for the others—plain and simple. It just wasn't done. For me, today, it still isn't. Also, most rooting is local. So, for you New York Red Sox fans, you Anaheim Yankee fans... you're traitor fans, plain and simple. You have the right to be, but that's how I view you.

Now, as to the nature of the teams I root for, although I currently reside in New York, I lived in Southern California for 13 years. I consider Long Beach home and will return there Real Soon Now. So, I have divided loyalties spread between two cities: New York and Los Angeles.

I have never rooted for another [NFL] football team than the New York Giants. I started following the Giants circa 1968 at the tail end of the coaching reign of Allie Sherman. He was replaced by Alex Webster.

Over the years, I remember such players as former placekicker Pat Summerall , Fran Tarkenton , Pete Gogolak , Tucker Frederickson , Bob Tucker , and a little known running back/kick returner Rocky Thompson, (No. 22).

In 1978, Giants fans were also subject to a notorious play known in New York as "The Fumble". Quarterback Joe Piscarik ripped defeat from the jaws of victory by fumbling the ball on his own 28-yard line. Herm Edwards returned the fumble for a touchdown allowing the Eagles to win the game.

When I first moved to the West Coast, I flirted with rooting for the Los Angeles Raiders. However, the Raiders didn't stay in Los Angeles very long. I've never liked the Rams; so my loyalties are pretty much ingrained.

Note: The New York football Giants are one of the legacy franchises in the National Football League. The Giants have a storied history in the NFL. Their history dates back to 1925. The football Giants won the NFL Championship in 1934, 1938, and 1956. They won the post-merger Super Bowl in 1987, 1991 and 2008. They were also NFC Champions in 2001.

Lots of sports fans, when they don't have a dog in the hunt, root for the underdog. This would explain my support of the Los Angeles Clippers and Duke college football. More about Duke later.

When I moved to Los Angeles, in the NBA, it was all about the Lakers. Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. Who are these guys? And who are these other guys? Growing up in New York, I know there's nothing better than a good same-city, two-team rivalry. So, I picked the underdog and I don't regret it. Yeah, they're hapless, but one day they're gonna be great and then all of a sudden, everybody in L.A. will be a Clipper fan.

Trust me! L.A. sports fans are front-runners in the main.

Note : In 2006, the Clippers had their best season in franchise history in California, advancing to the Western Conference semi-finals against the Phoenix Suns.

My baseball loyalties are pretty easy to explain. I'm from Brooklyn. The Dodgers broke Brooklyn's heart when they moved to L.A. I personally remember Ebbets Field. It was imposing. And then, it was gone. Replaced by a housing project. Also imposing; not as beautiful.

When the Brooklyn Dodgers abandoned what would normally be the fourth-largest city in America (and the New York baseball Giants abandoned the city for San Francisco), New York's National League baseball fans were left without a team.

In 1962, the New York Mets sprang to life. If you look closely at the Mets' team colors, you'll see the orange of the baseball Giants and the blue of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They played their games in the Giants' old home, the Polo Grounds, across the river from Yankee Stadium. Those early Mets were unbelievably bad. They were so bad, they were lovable.

Eventually, the Mets brought professional baseball back to Brooklyn, albeit minor-league baseball. The Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League, a short-season Class A ballclub, plays its games at KeySpan Park in Coney Island.

When I moved to Long Beach— and, yes, I recognize the irony—I couldn't root for the Dodgers. I just couldn't. The other team in town was the Anaheim Angels. Like the Clippers, they hadn't won anything in a while. L.A. was all about the Dodgers. Dodgers. Dodgers. Dodgers. It was a natural fit.

1980. It was the year I was finally able to get into hockey. It began with the miracle run of USA Hockey in the Winter Olympics. Defender Ken Morrow went from the Olympic hockey team to the New York Islanders—Long Island's local hockey team. Since I lived on Long Island at the time, I followed his exploits there.

Again, like the Clippers and Angels, the Islanders were a step-child in their own region. In New York, it's all about the Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Even in their own building, when the Rangers and Islanders meet, most fans are rooting for the Rangers.

Man, I didn't realize how lucky I was. Billy Smith , Mike Bossy , Denis Potvin , Bryan Trottier , Bobby Nystrom. These are just some of the players who taught me about NHL-style hockey. The Islanders went on to become a modern dynasty in sports winning the Stanley Cup four years in a row from 1980-1983. It was a great time to learn and appreciate hockey.

In my years of following the Clippers, several of their better players came through the college program steered by Mike Krzyzewski. So, when my interest turned to college basketball, I started rooting for Duke.

After several years of following Duke basketball, I realized they had a football team, albeit a terrible one. It's not easy to root for Duke college football. I do it nevertheless. There is hope in the form of second-year head coach David Cutcliffe . Coach Cutcliffe is the former quarterback coach of a couple of guys named Manning .

I also follow the escapades of the Long Beach State 49ers/Dirtbags. They have a good program on the West Coast. I try to check in on my alma mater, the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, when I can get some information.

It's only lately that I've started to take an interest in rugby. The U.S. National Team's nickname is the Eagles. It's hard for a football Giants fan to root for a team nicknamed Eagles.

I also have some love for tennis, golf, cycling. The spectacle of tennis' Grand Slam and near-Slam events can't be matched for drama. Our endless obsession with Tiger Woods shows no signs of abatement. Cycling? I actually do that myself. You see so much more on a bike than you ever do speeding by in an automobile.

So, now you have some sense of my evolution as a sports fan.

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