No great civilization that followed it its footsteps could ever amount to the greatness that the Roman Empire achieved. Nothing after the original of anything, such as movies, books, and products, can ever live up to the legacy and impact that the first one had on society. In the NFL, no defense can ever live up to the original smash mouth, all business, and take no names defense. One defense ruled football in the 1970’s; they were known by one name, "The Steel Curtain."
The Washington Redskins were essentially left for dead in 2005, predicted to finish in 3rd or even last place (that was assuming the Eagles would be good. Wrong.) After seeing a good start dwindle, they were left for dead with 5 weeks left in the season. Instead, they ran the table and made the playoffs.
Once again, they were left for dead in the wild card round of the playoffs in Tampa Bay. Two key turnovers, a fumble and an interception, paved the way for another shocking victory. The Redskins would finally lose to Seattle a week and half ago; however, the 2006 season is already looking bright because of the addition of Al Saunders.
By: Rob LaBrie
Now that the Patriots aren’t in the Super Bowl, I seem to be having trouble really getting as into it as usual. So when all else fails here in New England, we look to baseball. While the rosters aren’t finalized yet, there’s no harm in taking a peek at what’s going on in the Show.
Recent history shows that the AL East has been dominated mainly by the two powerhouses, New York and Boston. However, it could be different this year. The Red Sox have seen many roster changes including first base, second base, shortstop, third base, and center field. The rotation will see two new starters and the bullpen has also changed around a little bit. Meanwhile, the Yankees are another year older and will have only one guy under thirty in the starting lineup. Then there is Toronto. The Jays have added plenty of fresh faces and are being considered the dark horse in the East. The Orioles have also changed it up a little, despite what Miggy seems to think. Of course, there are always those pesky Devil Rays to watch out for…but don’t get your hopes up.
There are several big holidays every year around the world. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and New Year’s Day are some to name. Then again, there are several “unofficial” days that people around the planet celebrate with utmost happiness. One of those unofficial holidays draws the biggest attention of any holiday besides Christmas. This holiday is called Super Bowl Sunday, and it’s shaping up to be a heck of a good one this year. No, there are no gifts to unwrap or turkeys to stuff, but there are soft drinks to drink and potato chips to eat. So on February the 5th, sit back and relax, let the Steelers and Seahawks do all the work. Trust me; it will be a heavy workload for them.
Hey all you MLB fans out there, what’s going on? Ready for spring training? Ready for the big games?
Okay, now let’s cut to the chase. Look at, oh say, the New York Mets. How have they progressed over the years, or should I say unprogressed? The Mets dealt with obtaining star players that were terrible in New York, and now they sit atop the big apple, making some of the biggest moves in the last two off seasons, most notably Billy Wagner and Pedro Martinez. So the overall message I am trying to send to you is, less is really more when it comes to baseball.
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Okay, we all know that Kobe Bryant has something to prove in this league, right?
Okay, as long as were both on the same page, does Bryant match up to the standards of Michael Jordan–dare I say it–the greatest player in NBA history?
by Matt Wells
Since I’m just a 21-year old college student, my memories of baseball take me back to only the early to mid-1990’s. Back then, I got the notion stuck in my head that I would see some of the greatest players in the game retire wearing a certain uniform. After all, Mark McGwire retired wearing a Cardinals uniform. Nolan Ryan retired wearing a Rangers uniform. I could go on and on with this.
Furthermore, some players retired wearing a certain uniform because they played their whole careers with one team. Tony Gwynn was forever a Padre. Cal Ripken, Jr. was forever an Oriole. Barry Larkin was forever a Red. I could never picture those guys wearing any other uniform, just like I could never picture any of the players listed below wearing a different uniform.
While growing up in suburban Delaware, I was a huge fan of sports. I practically knew every statistic available by either watching games on television, waking up the minute The News Journal hit the front door, or having the privilege of actually going to a professional sporting event. Julius Erving, Franco Harris and Reggie Jackson were the superstars that made me thirst for knowledge because of the way they affected their respective sports. They were my love. I used to become so angry when sports columnists would speak about Reggie’s ego, Doc being the face of basketball instead of winning a championship, or Franco running out of bounds late in his career. Did these irrelevant afterthoughts have anything to do with what happened on the field?
To begin with I have a confession to make. I am a baseball Geek. Yes, that’s with a capital “G.” I have no problem admitting my geekiness because everyone is “that way” about something. Even the coolest cat in Hollywood is a geek in some respect.
Now that I’ve had my “Oprah moment” I will move on to the topic at hand, the World Baseball Classic. I plan on breaking the tournament down, with predictions of course, at a later date. I’m going to use this space today to offer up some suggestions to Team USA manager Buck Martinez.