The New York Giants look to fix up their vulnerable, patchwork defense that they put on the field in 2005. Gaping holes were exposed at linebacker, defensive tackle, cornerback, and safety. In short, it is safe to say that 70-80% of their defense is patchy. Look at the way Santana Moss lit them up on Christmas Eve 2005 in an ugly 35-20 loss. How do the Giants allow the Chargers to beat them 45-23? The answer is simple: Too much patchwork and not enough guys that are locks.
The NCAA Tourney is once again rolling along and that means college hoop fans worldwide are currently suffering from a bit of bracket fever. For the past twenty years I’ve fallen victim to this seasonal disease and every March I’ve tried my best to predict the tournament’s ultimate champion. Over that twenty-year span I would guess the Duke Blue Devils would be a solid pick to win it all almost every year, but they were never the last team standing in my bracket. My Dukie hatred runs so deep that even when money and pride are involved I can’t scribble that four-letter word in the final bracket box.
By: Rob LaBrie
The Boston Celtics… not exactly the epitome of a successful franchise now-a-days. Those of you old-schoolers will think of Bird, Russell, and McHale when you hear
“Celtics”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Boston will be taking home championships anytime soon. There is really only one phrase that can sum up the C’s in the Danny Ainge era… train wreck. However, there is one star that has stood out in Boston and the star has been shining even brighter lately. In Boston, we call that star “The Truth”.
The off-season is here, and some teams made a splash, others attempted to, and some are still quiet. Even though the NFL off-season began last Saturday, the New Orleans Saints have people buzzing.
Filling out your bracket and entering into online pools is one of the more fun things to do as a sports fan, and it is something unique to the NCAA Tournament. Though it is almost impossible to get even a single region entirely correct, the whole process is so addictive that I filled out five brackets in the last 30 minutes. Usually, there is at least one team you can completely trust to make the Final Four. Not the case with this year’s bracket.
Thanks to “Field Of Dreams” and “Shoeless Joe” (the W. P. Kinsella novel upon which the film was based) we’ve all heard of Archibald “Moonlight” Graham’s one-game career. And I’m sure some of you know about Larry Yount, Robin’s brother who was a pitching prospect for the Astros. Larry came into a game, hurt him arm during warm-ups, and never played again. Since he was technically announced into the game, his bizarre career line reads: 1 G 0 IP 0 H 0 BB. These are special cases, it’s pretty rare for a player to play just the one game in the majors.
To date, there have been only 961 times its happened, if you only count only players who have been to the plate, going back to 1871. Add a couple dozen more when you consider pitchers who didn’t last out there long enough to get their hacks. Rather than the one game, a player will typically stay a few days or weeks, usually at the end of a bad season, or to fill in for an injury or two. Most players who never made it swear they’d give their right arm for a “cup of coffee,” as such a short visit is called.
For the past week I’ve been reading columnists, and hearing talking heads, who constantly make reference to Pete Rose when addressing the Barry Bonds issue. Some say that Rose should be reinstated, or Hall of Fame eligible, because what he did was no worse than what Barry Bonds is accused of, and Bonds is still in the game. Others say that Bonds should be banished from the game and Hall of Fame, ala Pete Rose, because he has cheated, and tarnished the integrity of the game in a way that even Charlie Hustle didn’t.
Not only are both points of view incorrect, but Rose should forever stay banned from the game and HOF, and Bonds should never be banned from the game or HOF. Their situations, their crimes, share no similarities. As a matter of fact, they are as different as night and day.
By David J. Cohen
It’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year where the true passion of basketball takes center stage. It’s a time where buzzer beaters, big plays, and upsets captivate us all.
It’s also that time of year where millions of Americans try to create the perfect bracket and take home the cash from various tournament pools. And as the tournament tips off everyone feels they have the winning combination of teams to get a little richer. Then Valparaiso hits a half-court shot and, well, better luck next year.
There will be several teams that surprise millions this year. Here are the teams that will screw up millions of brackets across the nation with just a win or two.
With March madness rolling in and the weather warming up, I realize it’s just a matter of time before I’ll be forced to take up healthy outdoor activities to fill the void left by watching competitive sports. This is the time of year when otherwise intelligent, reasonable people invest themselves in a game based on statistics that are completely meaningless today. It’s time for Major League Baseball.
The Indianapolis Colts have basically committed to rebuilding. They have, for all intents and purposes, decided that they will not strive for Super Bowl contention in the next couple of years. However, their rebuilding project is missing one key component – the franchise quarterback that will lead the team to success in the future. Here’s a novel idea to shake up the draft, change the fortunes of a number of teams, and begin to build a Super Champion in Indianapolis.