Weekly Top 10: The World’s Greatest Series

The World Series: the pinnacle of America’s greatest national pasttime. Baseball may be boring with the 162 regular season games that it presents, however when it comes down to the seven game World Series, it becomes everything but boring. True baseball fans and even those fake Yankees fans are licking at their chops while looking forward to this year’s series.  New York Yankees or Philadelphia Phillies?

Without further ado, here are the top 10 finest plays and moments in the fall classic:

10. Cardinal’s outfielder Enos Slaughter’s run in Game 7 of 1946 Series when the game was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 8th. Slaughter started at first and blew off his coach’s stop signal at 3rd and came home to win it for St. Louis. St. Louis went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox in 7 games.

9. Yankees Pitcher Don Larsen’s perfect game in game 5 in 1956 against the then Brooklyn Dodgers. Perfect games are rare in itself, but to do it at the game’s biggest stage…

8. Bless his heart, he must be the sickest man in America- Red Sox 1st baseman Bill Buckners infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets, and the Mets went on to win the series in 7 and the “Curse of the Bambino” prevailed once again for the Sox.

7. 1st ever Game 7 Walk Off Home Run by Pirates 2nd Baseman Bill Mazeroski in 1960. The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Yankees for the pennant after a grueling 7 game series. 

6. Giants’ center fielder Willie May’s over the shoulder catch in Game 1 in 1954. It is still widely regarded as one of the greatest catches of all time in any sport, and he did it on Baseball’s biggest stage.

5. Fair! Fair! Fair! Red Sox Carlton Fisk Home Run in the bottom of the 12th in game 6 in 1975. Fisk homered in walk off fashion off the Reds in game 6 to force a game 7, but the “Curse of the Bambino” struck and the Red Sox lost in 7. 

4. Yankee Reggie Jackson AKA Mr. October smashed 3 HRs in 1977′s Game 6. Jackson hit 3 home runs off of 3 different Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers to carry the Yankees to victory in 12 innings in Game 6 and the World Series.

3. Twins outfielder Kirby Pucket takes the burden and breaks the Braves in Game 6 in 1991. Kirby Puckett was one of the most heralded stars in baseball, and in the 1991 World Series, he took it upon himself to bury the the Braves. Puckett smashed a walk off home run in the bottom of the 11th. In the top of the 11th, he robbed the Braves of an extra base hit and for the game, was one double away from hitting for the cycle.

2. Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays walks off in style against the Phillies in Game 6 of the ’93 Series.

1. “I don’t believe what I just saw” Dodger’s star Kirk Gibson launched a home run in walk off fashion in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

Blog of the Week: College Football vs The NFL

The Super Bowl or the BCS Championship, which would you rather watch? What’s better: the NFL or College Football? This is a question that has been asked for ages, and still people have varying opinions. To a non-fan of the game of football, this question would seem to have an obvious answer, the NFL, but to any true fan, this obviously is not the case. Professional football and college football have a majority of the same rules, dominant athletes, and close to the same caliber refs, so why is it so hard to decide which is better?

There are so many different factors that convince different people as to which is better, so many ways to argue for both sides of the ball, so many reasons to love the game of football. In the NFL, the most enduring and clear reason is that the athletes are faster, stronger, and more experienced: the best of the best so to say. With the best athletes, and the fiercest competitors, how can college football possibly compare to the NFL?  

There is no denying that the NFL brings game-winning touchdown drives, huge hits, star-studded performances, 250+ rushing games, and more, way more. The Super Bowl is, if not the biggest, one of the biggest events in Sports each and every year. The NFL showcases big time players in big time situations, it showcases stars in instances of adversity, it showcases new developing talent stemming from young inexperienced players. It showcases a playoff system. A negative aspect of the NFL is the sudden death overtime rule, whereas in college, both teams have an equal opportunity.

Ohio State vs. Michigan, 1938

Sure the NFL has the more talented and profilic athletes, but the passion and tradition of College football is unmatched. The rivalries start on the gridiron but extend to a culture, a way of life. Rivalries such as Michigan vs. Ohio State, Georgia vs. Florida, and Texas vs. Oklahoma epitomize such rivalries. These rivialries have lasted forever, and will never die out. College football is also way more innovative and creative than the NFL. Sure, you might see the occasional flea-flicker, or double reverse in the NFL, but creativity in College football makes the game fun to watch. Boise State’s statue of liberty or Iowa’s fake field goal characterize this creativity. One negative aspect to college football is the BCS Bowl selections instead of a playoff, I still am struggling to understand why an 8 or 16 team playoff has not been substituted for the unfair BCS system.

In my opinion, college football is more exciting and fun to watch until it is playoff time in the NFL and the stars shine the brightest. But I am only one man, and my lone opinion plays no role in determining which one is truly better.

Blog of the Week: It’s Gotta be the Shoes

There really are not a lot of things I could tell you about Michael Jordan that you don’t already know. The 6 titles, 5 MVPs, 10 scoring titles, 14 All-Star selections, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, 32,292 points. But Michael Jordan is so much more than the numbers say and you know that too. There was no surprise that MJ would be elected to the Hall of fame, yet it was still one of the more prestigous days in NBA History.

The 2009 Hall of Fame class is one of the greatest classes ever and included: the NBA all-time leader in assists and steals, John Stockton, The Admiral, David Robinson, Utah Jazz head coach, Jerry Sloan, and Rutgers Womens Basketball Head Coach, C. Vivian Stinger. Obviously, they were all overshadowed by none other than Jordan himself.  With a crowd full of past players and coaches, Jordan impressed one more time.

His suit was fresh, his speech was captivating, his emotions flowed. In his speech, he continually stressed how much of a competitor he was and still is. His competitiveness drove him, his hard work and determination made him. As Jordan put it himself, “Limits like fears are often just illusions.”

Like few others before him, Jordan became the face of an entire sport and truly conquered the basketball world.

There really isn’t that much more that I can say that has not already been said. But there is no doubt that Michael Jordan is simply the greatest ever.

Weekly Top 10: Sports Fights

Boxing aside, there is nothing more adrenaline pumping for the fans when two opposing players get into each others faces and throw down. No matter the sport, to see athletes let out their frustration and anger is both entertaining and jaw-dropping. Without further ado, in my opinion, here are the top ten non-fighting sports fights.

10. Ken Tasker vs Trevor Senn

9. Reggie Miller vs Kobe Bryant

8. Izzy Alcantara Kicks the Catcher

7. WNBA Brawl

6. University of Miami vs. Florida International

5. Chilean Soccer Brawl

4.Varitek vs A-Rod

3.

2. Patrick Roy vs Chris Osgood

1. Malice at the Palace

Blog of the Week: Warning, Lightning Bolt Storming Competition

Bolt has done it again, this time in the 200m. 19.19 seconds was all it took Bolt to race past his competition. Bolt has now taken the gold in both the 100 and 200m in the 2010 World Track Championships in Berlin, Germany. Both golds were accompanied by two world records, Bolt smashed both of his previous records by 0.11 seconds!!

See previous post on Usain>> Sane? Insane?? Usain???

Blog of the Week: Sane? Insane?? Usain???

Usain Bolt striking his signature pose

100 meters in 9.58 seconds. Let me repeat myself, 9.58 seconds, its no typo, Usain Bolt shattered his own world record time of 9.69 secs in the 100 m dash in Berlin, Germany at the 2009 World Championships. Come on,9.58? That is out of this world, machine-like, that is a human being maintaining a 30 MPH average over 100 meters. The man is ridiculous, and there is no reason to doubt that he will be back and he will break his own record. In fact, 9.4 is his goal, and to be quite frank, nothing is impossible for the man who is Usain Bolt.

As he crossed the finish line, Bolt spread his arms portraying a soaring bird, and to be honest, I’m surprised he didn’t take flight after what he had just accomplished. Bolt truly showed how magnificent a sport track can be without its surroundings of doping and steroids.

This race was held in the Olympic stadium in Germany bringing back memories of the great Jesse Owens and his performance in the 1936 Olympics. Bolt stepped up to Owens’ level with his latest performance. Bolt holds the record in both the 100m (9.58 secs) and 200m (19.30 secs) and is quickly becoming a legend on the track.

Second place, Tyson Gay finished the 100m dash at 9.71 secs, a feat accomplished only by Bolt, and he still was a couple large strides from the man. In a sport marred by doping and illegal substances, both Gay and Bolt epitomize the sport in a positive and glorious way. However, at this point of time, no one can touch Bolt, the Michael Phelps of the track world, so to say.

The man will continue to get faster, and that’s a scary thought for any track and field athlete. That’s like saying LeBron will jump higher, Phelps swim faster, Tiger drive further or Roger serve harder. This thought would be truly daunting to any one of their competitors, but just plain exhilarating for all fans.                                             

Weekly Top 10: Biggest Hits

With the 2009-2010 NFL football season around the corner, I started to ponder some of the most amazing plays in football. We all know about the heralded catches and amazing runs, but the one thing that is not highlighted enough are the spine-splitting, bone-crushing, mind-boggling hits. With that in mind, in my humble opinion here are my Top 10 Football Hits.

10. Huge High School football block

9. Wyoming Cowboys WR Bryan Ralph gets laid out

8. The late Sean Taylor spins around WR while at the University of Miami

7. Hines Ward lays out Keith Rivers of the Bengals

6. Linebacker Fearon Wright knocks kid out!

5. Before his days with the Eagles, speedster Kevin Curtis gets blown up by Kansas City Safety

4.QB eaten alive

3. Quentin Coryat drills WR on post route

2.Zach Dumas destroys Stacy Danley

1. Sheldon Brown annihilates Reggie Bush

Blog of the Week: NFL Bad Boys

Pacman Jones

Adam (Pacman) Jones, Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Marshall, Chris Henry, Dante Stallworth ... When thinking of this elite group of football players, things such as strip clubs, guns, DUI’s, abuse, dog fighting, drugs, come to mind before receptions, touchdowns, tackles, first downs etc. In no other professional sport are there so many run-ins with the law. In no other professional sport are there so many tarnished images that do not have anything to do with baseball and steroids. Honestly, when a baseball star’s name pops up associated with steroid use, it is not even a surprise.

But when I hear of  these unique, albeit dangerous incidents such as shooting yourself in the leg with an illegal weapon (Plaxico Burress), dog fighting (Michael Vick), and DUI manslaughter (Donte Stallworth), I can’t help but wonder why these multi-millionaires are willing to risk things with this degree of stupidity. Yeah I know there are cases like these all around the world, and these specific ones are perhaps hyped up because these members of society are celebrities, but these are celebrities we look up to, and as role models when they do something wrong, perhaps we feel like we can get away with doing it as well.

Aside from baseball and its tainted image due to steroids, not one league besides the NFL is inundated with criminal activities, sure there are occasions but not prevalent like this. Pacman Jones has been arrested on five different occasions while in the league. Mike Vick was a prominent quarterback and lied straight up to NFL commisioner Roger Goodell about his dog fighting. Dante Stallworth killed a person while driving drunk. Brandon Marshall has abused his girlfriend numerous times. Plaxico Burress of course shot himself in the leg during a crucial part of the NY Giants season. Chris Henry has been invovled involved with both drug and abusive activities. What kind of image are these NFL stars sending to the kids of America? These kinds of things are intolerable and to think our role models are doing this!  Unbelievable. Unforgivable.

Yeah this vid is a little old, but it proves a point

In fact, there are so many crimes associated with the NFL that there is a whole blog specifically about NFL crimes that have taken place… http://nflcrimes.blogspot.com/ 

Poll Q

Blog of the Week: Na Na Na Na … Na Na Na Na … Hey, Hey, Hey … Goodbye !

Update on previous blog post. See original post: “The Brett Favre Saga Continues… ”

NEWSFLASH: Leaked video of LeBron getting dunked on …

Update on previous blog post.  See original post: “Lebron gets Posterized by College Sophomore !!!”