Category: General Sports

The higher Gods of Sport have been telling us that the end is near.

Stop laughing, I’m serious…the apocalypse is upon us.

Consider for a moment the circumstances and facts, which I choose to call signs, of the last couple of weeks.

Most recently we as a nation have, as close as I can tell, re-elected the Prince of Darkness to the office of President.  By the way, the folks in England, who have always thought that we were idiots, now have a justification that isn’t solely based on the fact that we call rugby football.  This global blunder has left the gods upset, you see they have been sending signs and are dumbfounded that they have been missed, I must admit, I myself missed them…but my eyes are wide open now!!  Please allow me to witness to you brothers and sisters, behold the signals of the almighty.

(Cue any song from Depeche Mode’s 1990 album Violator)

For the most avid sports fanatic, being a sportswriter can be considered a dream come true.  It is the chance to fulfill your inner-most dreams and fantasies (Sports related, that is).  The best part of it all is that you get paid for doing something that you truly love.

When coach Steve Merfeld was at Hampton University, his first team went 14-12, his second team went 8-18, went 17-12 in year three, and in year four, as a #15 seed, they knocked off #2 seed Iowa State in the NCAA tournament.  At Evansville, he has gone 12-16, then 7-22 last year.  A pattern is developing.  The Aces may not make the jump all the way to 17 “W’s” in the tough Valley, but the foundation is there, and the Aces are headed in the right direction.  

In March 2001, Indiana State defeated Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA before losing to Gonzaga in the second round.  Since then, the Sycamores have gone 22-64 overall and 11-43 in the Missouri Valley Conference, with 5 of those wins against one team, Evansville.  Looking at this team, it may win more than the 4 “W’s” it has averaged in conference play the last 3 years, but it won’t be easy.

Forgive Bradley if they spend the pre-conference part of their schedule with “Hello, my name is…” stickers as part of their uniforms. Seven newcomers join a roster that has only one senior and two juniors. The transition of playing together with all the new teammates will be eased a bit by the fact the Braves were able to play five games in four days on a Canadian trip in mid-October. The result: five wins, and more of a comfort level with unknown teammates. On the flip side, Bradley lost nearly 50 ppg and 20 rpg due to graduation and departures. No Valley team lost even close to that.

Congratulations to the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.  Defined by perseverance, belief in each other, and incredible selflessness; this team will truly be one to be remembered.  To the devoted and loyal fans who literally live and die every year with the club, congratulations as well.  Those fans have also persevered through countless barrages of insults and taunts.  This article is not directed towards any of you true die hards.  

Somewhat about sports, somewhat not, somewhat pointless, somewhat sharp…

NFL -Instant Replay Challenge

The NFL Instant Replay Challenge review has been proven to be far from being perfect time and again. Multiple gaps in this rule contribute to the problem of costing games to various teams. We have all seen it happen already a couple of times this season. The Monday night game between Redskins and Cowboys on September 27th stands exemplary to this fact. The NFL needs to take a deeper look at this rule and close the gaps.

These days, whether reloading or rebuilding, overhauling your roster in MLB is as much about getting rid of talent as it is about finding it.

Everybody knows who the greatest coach of all times is, and everybody knows that everyone who disagrees is wrong.

But let me give you my list.

Let me give you a list that does not include Vince Lombardi. Let me give you a list that does not include Mike Krzyzewski. Let me give you a list that does not include Paul Bear Bryant.

Let me give you the 5 best head coaches that are forgotten when talking about the all-time greats.

These guys are all legends. If I ask you if they were great, you’d say hell yes. But you would not think of them off the top of your head.