AZ's Slant on Sunday -- I Love LA, but for Football...?

As a lot of you might know, there are three big keys to marketing a home: location, location, and location.

There's obviously a lot of people in LA, you know. Even in the projects.

There has been a large amount of speculation that started in the beginning of the month that the next NFL relocation will be hitting the Los Angeles area. Some of the teams that may be in danger of relocation (as far as I know) have been Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Carolina among others. Because California could probably qualify as it's own country at this point, they have a strong chance for being the next possible NFL team within the next five years.


I know we're looking hard into the future, but after the approval of a football stadium being built in the City of Angels, you have to start asking questions and having opinions about these things. Am I at least right about that part?

Oh hey look...it's Randy Newman playing for us while you read this blog post!

 Here's right here, goofy.

As far as the population density goes, this fits relatively well for the state. The largest metropolitan area in California is in fact the Greater Los Angeles area. That means it's so big, they have three basketball teams (2 NBA, 1 WNBA), a hockey team, a soccer team, and one and a half baseball teams--the half being the annexation of the Angels from Anaheim. I guess if they want to complete the plating of the major sports teams, they need a football team.

Los Angeles is the second largest media market in the United States. However, they are the largest without an NFL team. That wasn't the case about 15 years back, as the Raiders and Rams danced around there until they landed in Oakland and St. Louis, respectively. Since then, LA has been very determined in gaining stature back in the league by acquiring another team. There have been several repercussions over the years though, and at the rate they are going, this is the closest they have been to gaining a new team. Before this, the closest they were was in 1999 when the Houston Texans happened. Since then, there has been talks of a revival of the USFL among other constructions of buildings and arenas for football. So far, about 90% of those talks have fallen through. The thing that makes me scratch my head the most is where all of the money for this is coming from, especially in a recession like this. I hope Arnold isn't digging into is Terminator earnings fund just to save face.

However, is it absolutely necessary for a large metropolitan area to have at least seven or eight major teams? When did cities become so separated with this stuff? It's like sports have begun to have secret affairs with our political system or something. I come from a metropolitan area myself, so I sort of understand why teams may be so clumped around one particular region. Cities can be so big that they do have sections along the lines of a North and South. Think of the New York Jets and the New York Giants for a second. With Buffalo aside, you have all of the sections of the New York metro area, plus the state of New Jersey swimming around in there whenever it pleases. There's enough of a fanbase out there that they can keep a team. Plus, they play in New Jersey anyway, but that's beside the point. Sometimes areas are so big, they can get away with having more than one team in a sports league. However, there are those times when a whole state only has the capacity to have a team for the rest of the state or states like the Tennessee Titans or the New England Patriots. Then you have the people in the dead zones that are forced to root for out-of-state teams, like people in the Dakotas, for instance.

I myself am not too keen on having an established team relocate to an area that can be considered a sports juggernaut of a state, but if there are the people out there to support it, there isn't much one can do but to wait and see what comes out of it. Just look at what happened when Winnipeg got another NHL team recently; sure, the people in Atlanta who were Thrashers fans (or lack thereof) may have been crushed by it, but the team was relocated to an area that bled hockey and really benefited from this. It could go either way; we don't quite know just yet how beneficial it will be to the gainer and the loser.

Some people do fear change, but oh well.

Without question, this is going to fuel rivalries between LA, the Raiders, and the Rams, so that would obviously be something fun to see. However, there's going to be fumbling with the divisions again, so there's a chance that teams will have to get ready to face adjusted divisions and new rivalries. Does everybody win all around on that one? You see, I was too young when all of the teams had the heavy amounts of relocation and renaming in the 90's; you can't hold that against me. Something like this to people like me are a bit of a culture shock. Once you're used to one thing, it's hard to see it re-branded or changed. But if it's for the people (not so much for the money) I'm okay with it.

There is one final thing I do want to ask: Despite the CFL existing in Canada, why did they shop around in Los Angeles before any other major city in Canada like Toronto? The NFL is wildly popular up north, and you would think they would extend the boundaries to get more people involved with the league and to gain a bigger and wealthier unit of fans and benefactors. I guess I'm asking the question that's too obvious for answering. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Is the NFL in Los Angeles 2016 bound? Most likely. At this point, it's not going to stop for anybody.

--AZ

FOOTBALL LIVES

Oh hey...the first NFL preseason games are tonight.

With more screaming fangirls than Beatlemania, it's the 2011 NFL Season: Risen from the Ashes!!

Yeaaaahh 70's montage background music...

In all seriousness, this is going to be the best season of football since...well, forever. Why is that you ask? What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Since the NFL survived a lockout and the rest of us survived all of the coverage along with all of the people pulling their hair out wondering if there were going to be any games played, it's as if the football world is ready for...you know, the world. Lucky for all of the football fans out there, the Hall of Fame game was the only "casualty" of the lockout, and everyone managed to have decent sized training camp sessions and have more than enough time to trade and make transactions with draft picks.

When it comes to trades and draft picks, it doesn't seem like there was any rush or time lost, even with the wait for free agent eligibility. In all honesty, I think that the lockout was a perfect time to devise trades under the covers. Sure, it might have been more stressful in some ways, but I'm pretty sure with the lack of communication between coaches and the media with a few things, it allowed the big corporate guys to focus more on the prize in case if football came back. C'mon, let's be honest, I think they purposely kept us on edge so they could be sneaky and think about team matters without us bothering them. But that's besides the point.

So anyway, the lockout business...

Every time there has been a lockout, it seemed like every sports league had gotten stronger and a lot more efficient after that. That, or maybe that it was the rush and novelty of something coming back after a near-catastrophic issue. The last lockout I can fully remember was the NHL lockout in 2004-2005, and the season it came back, it was like everyone in the United States and Canada was about hockey to some degree.

For some reason, I feel like the NFL lockout is so much bigger than this.
Firstly, nobody ever had to go through a season without football (meaning this NFL lockout was the first of it's kind ever), and something like this would have resulted in an absolute culture shock to everybody. We probably would have seen grown men cry than guys watching Brian's Song or something. Even though there are a whole bunch of new and revised rules, people are glad they can save their tears for something else more important.

The one rule that are probably going to drive people nuts is that more plays are going to be under review than usual.  This means that less challenges will be used and more waiting is imposed. Good times, right? There are also a lot of nitpicking when it comes to defenseless players and the approach of tackles and other clashes during plays on the field. For example, things such as some forms of "launching" oneself against a player could result in a penalty and/or fine.

Since when have we gotten so nitpicky? Yeah, I know they're more prone to injury nowadays, like how they pull a hammy once they step out of the shower or get a contusion once they get hit with a towel from the locker room. I'm just kidding with that. But really, they're getting so many more injuries now than they did 30 years ago. I don't know why it's like that. Maybe some sports scientist can chime in on this blog someday and explain to me why that is. Anywho, it's irritating to someone like me who just started taking football seriously and still sees injury despite efficient padding on the players. Darned physics and gravity and stuff. You like to make people so difficult to work with.

Aside from everything I've complained about, this football season seems a lot more organized and a lot more reliably handled than before. Also, things just seem so much more exciting now that football season is coming around again despite fear of a shortened season or no season at all. I never thought I would say that, but it's true; I'm glad to see it back.


Time to bring out the facepaint, beads, cheese puffs, beer, and the imprinted man chair.
Are you ready for some football?

--AZ

PLUS, I also joined a fantasy football league. You will see a log/diary on my Tumblr. account (sportsnutblogs.tumblr.com) with posts on how badly I'm doing. There's a first time for everything, right? I hope to see some fans of the Carebear-Sacking Squad once this season is over. :-)

Armchair Analysis: What Do We Know?

This is all the amount of introduction I will need for this:

Tuesday night on the late night show Conan, Shaq (yet again) called out ESPN's Skip Bayless saying he should not have the right to be analyzing guys behind a desk since he [Bayless] had never played a single year of professional sports.
(Watch it here.)

Time the flip out.
Really, Shaq? REALLY?

That's harsh, dude. Okay, you're probably a book-smart guy because you're currently studying to earn your doctorate, but are you that dumb that you're going to berate somebody that studies sports for a living?

Alright. That's enough of an outburst for right now.
Waking up as early as I did and hearing that made me want to throw my bowl of corn flakes (banana and all) at the television screen. It's almost like Shaq said that people like me have no right to go into the field and study/critique sports and athletes unless if I've had a professional career. So wait, does this mean my three years (so far) of college education means nothing on my resume unless if I go out and play for a professional team? It's not gonna work like that at all. Some women like me don't exactly have that opportunity. Some men might not have that either.

Sometimes it doesn't actually take a couple of championship rings and hall-of-fame stats to know what's going on. You may usually see some of those players not have a clue about some of the technical/business issues. A clear example they used on First Take was Michael Jordan. He was probably the best basketball player that ever lived, but did he know how to run a basketball team as a General Manager? No. Sometimes you may actually find the lesser players actually know the mechanics of a team much more efficiently. The first person that comes to mind with that is Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. He wasn't exactly a humongous "star" and what have you, but he had the lineage and the smarts that some major stars didn't really have. In the form of business, sure he was under hall-of-fame GM Pat Gillick's wing for much of his training days, but look at where the Phillies are now: he's made four (five if you count Cliff Lee twice) blockbuster trades in the past three years and has been a great businessman.

Also, you may end up finding the lesser players landing in color commentary in the broadcast booth. The one exception to that rule off the top of my head at this time is Troy Aikman, but that's besides the point. Heck, even former coaches do that stuff because they've been on the field--maybe not experiencing what the players were going through--and looked from a closer viewpoint than most people. Let's be honest here: most people are lucky that they have crazy camera angles from an HDTV to see certain plays; coaches have just one angle, and that's all they really need to analyze. Plus, the arguing provides good life lessons and stories to hear.

There is one main thing I agree with: don't ever judge someone's toughness. Never, ever, ever do that. Unless if you were on the field feeling those emotions, you don't have any room to talk about someone's toughness because well... "you weren't there." You might be able to venture a guess, but sometimes physically being in that position at one time gives the athlete the upper-hand. There are certain things that only you can critique on the field instead of on tape or on television. Emotions, words, and "the good old days" can be vivid memories for former players who become analysts. They took the time to see the big picture and take everything in while doing their job.

This is liable to staining. I do not recommend white.

In the days of the sacred "man caves" and the armchair imprinted with your whole body after spending countless hours in it, hearing something like that either makes us irate or makes us scratch our heads. You may start thinking, "Well what do we know? Why are we not entitled to scream at our televisions every so often?" People might attribute their irate feelings toward the fact that they might have played the sport when they were younger or that they've watched enough as a youth with their parents that they may know what's going on. As for the whole "scratching of the head" part, you might think something along the lines of: "well, aren't the rules and penalties explained to us out loud by commentary? And don't we have the advantage of hearing post-game interviews of the players which can give us clues on what kind of players they are?" Well...you're in the church, but you just didn't sit in the right pew, so to speak. You might not get a full-fledged taste of who the player may be unless if you see them doing something outside of their field or if you're catching them after a game in which they didn't get absolutely slaughtered. As far as the rules go, things aren't going to be broken down into basics for you unless if you look up the basics of the game yourself. People like us have the ultimate cliff note in this day and age in the Internet. Don't some people watch their games online anyway? You can multitask. Geez.

Anyway, what Shaq said a few nights ago was about 35% valid because there are definitely some people out there that don't exactly have room to point fingers because they've never played a game of ball in their lives. On the other hand, I do give him a 65% invalid because not only does he cut out the people that study sports day in and day out and sees an individual's numerous attributes, but he also ignored that fact that every person is entitled to their own respective opinion. Of course you'll more than likely get the people with the "educated guesses," but then again those people just wear the suit and look pretty.

As armchair analysts, we the people may be dumb sometimes, but we certainly aren't idiots. We do watch and therefore are entitled to an opinion. Just don't assume that we need to be in the hall-of-fame first.

--AZ

I Experienced Madrid...REAL Madrid (and some terrible traffic)

(Written in diary format. If you don't like my expansive descriptions and humor, deal with it. Go read Dr. Seuss.)

Way way way back on July 23rd, I took my younger brother out for his 17th birthday. It wasn't just any old gift, however; it was tickets to see the Philadelphia Union play Spanish futbol club Real Madrid. Last year, I went to see the Union play Manchester United and also wrote about it (you can see it here) and I will admit that this year's game had so much more of an exciting atmosphere than last year's.

Instead of taking the subway this year, we drove I-95 Southbound to Lincoln Financial Field. Worst idea ever. From my house, give or take a few minutes, the distance from my house to the field should take about 20 minutes or so while going the speed limit of 55 MPH. Nope, it took four times longer than that. We hit traffic about 2 1/2 miles before the Broad St. exit, and the hair-pulling began. Then again, a Phillies game was finishing up and letting out, and there was a Rihanna concert starting around the same time that night. During that time, it was rather fun to see the people from out-of-state (there was a few Quebec license plates in that mix) flipping out because traffic in Philadelphia can be complete crap. Horrible traffic issues aside, we got to the stadium about 15 minutes early, and the amount of Madrid shirts compared to Union shirts didn't surprise me one bit. The stadium was about 75% red last year, and it was about 80% white this year.

This was the best part....my brother and I were this far from the pitch:

Faces have been [poorly] censored for legal reasons. (:

Sixth. Row. See, I'm not that smart when it comes to buying tickets. I just do the "best available" button on the website and go, "hey mom, these sound good" and they usually come out to being less-than-impressive seats. This was the exact opposite this time. I guess it was one of those things where you didn't realize how awesome you are until something lucky happens. But anyway, yes, we sat sixth row.

Because of the limbo that was I-95 South, it looked like we had missed a lot of the pre-game festivities, but it wasn't like my brother and I really cared after everything we'd been through that night.
This part puzzled me: they played the American National Anthem before any of the players came out or did any of their pre-game things. They didn't ever bother playing the Spanish National Anthem or any of that stuff. They either chose to do things that way (which is utterly backwards, in my opinion), or they had a really oblivious intern working the booth and started the Anthem at 9:00PM sharp.

Anywho, the lineup for the teams this year was 100% better than what ManU did last year. Real Madrid's side wasn't entirely made up of scrubs at any point during the game, which was a really awesome sight considering how the RMA club is a very powerful one and were willing to have all of their big names (except for Sergio Ramos...I don't remember seeing him, oh well) take a risk and play a friendly match where there's a chance that freak injuries may occur.

For people like me, seeing the big names makes all the difference. Seeing huge international players play in the United States and up close gave me an electric feeling. Never in my life would I think I'd be a stone's throw away from Iker Casillas, the best-ranked goalkeeper in the entire world. But I was...

For those who don't watch soccer, this is the goalie in my blog's banner. He's the man.

A nice breath of fresh air during this game was that the Philadelphia Union is a statistically better team than they were last year. There were a lot of scoring opportunities for them during the first half, which was incredible. However, the Union still showed a weak defense, and Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon was let out to dry on two quick goals in the first fifteen minutes of the game. Aside from that, it actually looked like a halfway decent match that could be really close. Another nice touch that head coach Jose Mourinho made was that he didn't use every big name guy in the first half. For example, you would see guys like Mesut Özil and Xabi Alonso in the first half, and in the second half you would see Kaká, Raúl Albiol, and...yeah, that guy Cristiano Ronaldo.

Insert screaming fangirls here.

I don't think I've ever heard a more mixed reaction in my life until Cristiano Ronaldo came out to play the second half for Real Madrid. He seriously pulled out all the stops--including an attempt to score goal via bicycle kick a la Wayne Rooney from a few months ago. A lot of the anti-Ronaldo fans really got a kick out of him getting faked out or tackled too. In the 80th minute, Michael Farfan of the Union chipped an incredibly sick goal right over the head of the third-string keeper Tomás Mejias. Despite numerous close shots on net toward the end of the game, Real Madrid held on to win 2-1 against Philadelphia. Let's not talk about the mass exodus and human cattle walking across the street and in front of cars, mmkay? Thanks. That was rather painful too.

Here were some other funny instances that occurred during this trip:
-- No matter what soccer game you go to, you will find some idiot wearing a Chelsea FC jersey.
-- No matter what time during the game that they stop selling beer, the general consensus in the crowd will boo.
-- I had never seen so many soccer moms in one setting in my life.
-- Some guy who claimed to be a Real Madrid fan sitting near me couldn't pronounce "Casillas" right. Awesome.
-- I found a dollar underneath someone's seat while walking out. That went to gas the next day.
-- Even though the game ended around 11PM, it was still about 85 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
--The Rihanna concert was done about the same time, so you'd be seeing a mix of older guys with teenage girls wearing high heels and jumpers. I also saw failed pickups. Those were funny.
-- Halfway through the second half, a wave started and went for almost five minutes. I don't know whether that's a custom at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but I thought they only did those at baseball games, hockey games, and incredibly boring wrestling matches.

Finally, the one thing that I was somewhat puzzled about was how many Cristiano Ronaldo fangirls weren't there that night--I guess they were all across the street seeing Rihanna. However, I did find the "you're not Messi" chants quite funny from around the Union Supporters Section.

All in all, I love going to events like this because this is something you can tell your kids about and you don't ever get tired talking about it to them. I wouldn't want to tell them about the terrible traffic or anything, but this is something that I'm going to remember for a very long time.

--AZ

Oh! I forgot to mention... There are more pictures from this game! Although my camera started dying toward the end of the first half, I took about 45 (decent quality) photos. You will be able to check out uploads of the game photos on Flickr soon!

Death Threats: Why Can't We Be Friends?

Excuse me while I make a goofy music reference yet again in a blog post.

Anyway, if you guys have been watching baseball news as of late, you're probably familiar with the blown call from Tuesday morning's 19-inning finish between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yeah, not gonna lie, that was a horrible call. But since the NL Central race is incredibly tight, the blown call is going so much deeper than that. It looks like Umpire Jerry Meals is going to be under the spotlight for quite a while about this debacle.

(Ripped from YouTube.com)

 Although Meals has stated that he has watched the play many times and has admitted that he made a poor call, the fans and even some officials aren't even taking the admittance or apology. In fact, people want this man dead. That, indeed, had to be boldfaced. I would never joke about something like that, but it's true. Over the past day and a half, fans have been sending death threats and harassing Meals and his family. Again, more boldface. Firstly, I don't really think anyone is that crazy enough to even kill someone over something such as a missed play at home plate, but even the fact of harassment is utterly ridiculous and childish. Okay, you're a die-hard fan and your team should have clearly won the game, but it was also what--1:30 AM EST? That's what I thought.

Aside from this wonderful disaster, we have seen many different forms of harassment and death threats pertaining to athletes (and even fans). I'd like to give a synopsis of each one and give my thoughts on them. Good? Good. You wouldn't be at this point in the post if you didn't care about what I thought, right? Right.
This might be an awkward topic because you might think that I would say, "I don't blame them," or "That guy was a complete jerk anyway," but that's not necessarily true. Me being the nutty armchair analyst that I am, I like to pick things apart and research random stuff while I'm bored. Let's get to it, shall we?
____________________________________________


Tommie Smith/John Carlos -- 1968 Olympic Games -- "Black Power Salute"

When first researching this case, I had no idea how bad this actually was until I started reading into this more. Of course, the Civil Rights Movement was still relatively huge in 1968, and escalated even further after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. So now I understand why this was so huge. In the 200 meter race event, Tommie Smith won the gold in record time, while John Carlos won the bronze. During the playing of the U.S. National Anthem during the medal ceremony, Smith and Carlos both raised a fist in the air with a bowed head. How was this huge? It was so huge that Smith and Carlos were later heavily scrutinized by the U.S. sporting officials. Along with that, both men and their families received death threats for their actions during the medal ceremony. Here's the kicker--silver medalist Peter Norman, an Australian, showed sympathy toward both men and resulted in getting flack as well, such as his rejection of an Olympic team spot for the 1972 Games.
I could fully understand why this ever happened. Racism was quite the touchy subject not just in the United States, but worldwide at this time. Something such as the event that occurred in the medal ceremony was thought to be a rebellious act instead of an "human rights salute." From my perspective, however, this paved the way toward the end of prejudiced acts in an international setting. Have you ever seen the slogan "Say No To Racism" shown during World Cup games? That's one of them.


Steve Bartman -- 2003 NLCS -- "Foul Play"

This is without doubt one of the biggest sports incidents in recent history. Not only were the Chicago Cubs one game away from winning their first NL pennant since 1945, they had been heavily favored to win the World Series in 2003. Then Steve Bartman happened. Or whatever you like to think. On October 14, 2003, Bartman was sitting on the left field side along the foul like where a hit ball was heading his way. Outfielder Moises Alou was just inches away from catching the ball until he and several other people reached for the ball. Unfortunately, that ball never reached Alou's glove, but deflected off Bartman's hands instead. Then all hell soon broke loose. Bartman was escorted, fans threw stuff on the field, the Marlins scored eight runs, and the Cubs lost the series in seven games. In short, "The Curse of the Billy Goat" continues. You see, I personally know a Chicago Cubs fan (Hi, Ian!), and I bet I couldn't fathom how livid he might have been in accordance to that.

I wonder if Ride of the Valkyries was playing on Bartman's walkman.

Despite the defense for him provided by the Chicago Cubs organization and Commissioner Bud Selig, the fans really didn't give a flying flip either which way about it. His name and address were displayed on MLB message boards, and fans hunted for blood. From what I've looked up, it looks like he's changed his name. So he's out of the public eye for now. If I can't find anything, that means he wins the Helen Keller Award for playing hide and seek from the public. Eight years, a destroyed (and "sauced") baseball, and many upsets later, we're still talking about this fall fiasco.
To me, this is just a case of being at the wrong place at the exact wrong time. The main problem with this thing is that the force of fans outweighed Major League Baseball and Bartman's family and friends. I do feel bad for the guy. You shouldn't really mess with fate, I guess.

Andres Escobar -- 1994 FIFA World Cup -- "Gambling with Goals"

Now, this man was a well-respected Colombian footballer that was on the receiving end of something incredibly larger than ever imagined: drugs and gambling. To this day, "The Gentleman of Football" is still well-respected in his home nation, and his untimely fate only increases his love and respect from loved ones. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States (you know, with the opening ceremony TV event that was interrupted by a white Bronco...nevermind), a lot of events were taking place underground back in Colombia. Because the World Cup is a really big deal in many countries. Many drug lords had placed bets on games and would do anything in their power to get their money. Some guys wouldn't be very happy after June 22, 1994. While trying to block a cross pass, defender Escobar deflected a spiraling ball straight into his own net. This own goal resulted in a win (2-1) for the United States, and the elimination of Team Colombia.
After the World Cup, Escobar went home to Colombia and went to a nightclub on July 2nd with several friends. However, he had split up with his friends and was left alone. After running into an altercation with a few people, handguns were pulled and Escobar was shot to death outside of the Colombian nightclub; apparently his killers had screamed "Gol" after each shot was fired. This is where death threats are completely avoided and the deaths actually happen.
This is horrible. All over drugs and money too. One life is not worth this. Okay, it was an own goal. It sucks, but who ever said gambling was a good thing? You have the capability of putting lives in jeopardy over something that has the capability of ruining your own life in drugs and money. It's incredibly harsh and horrific, and nothing should ever escalate to this over a sporting event. There I go with my boldface again. It needed to be done though. And to think that this could have all been avoided if he had stayed with relatives in the United States during that time.
This is what happens when death threats and harassment go over the limit.

Bill Buckner -- 1986 World Series -- "Grounded by a Curse"

This may arguably be the most unfortunate thing to ever happen to a baseball player. Considering that your team hadn't won the World Series in 1918 and you were up three games to two in the World Series, you pretty much had to be on your toes at all times. After taking a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning in Game 6 of the World Series, Bob Stanley was on the mound for the Red Sox. There was a runner on second and third with two outs and the Mets' Mookie Wilson was up to bat. A simple dribbler was hit up the first base line...where it went right through Bill Buckner's legs, resulting in both runs scoring and the game to end 6-5. By the way, the Mets then won Game 7. Commence more hell breaking loose and a lot of death threats coming toward Buckner's way, courtesy of the Boston fans. They neither blamed Stanley nor Calvin Schiraldi for this matter; they went and blamed an error by a productive infielder. The Red Sox later released him the next year despite the fact that he was still doing well.

Oh. Crap.

Don't lie--you know Boston may be a brutal city and you might have never ever step foot there. They, like Chicago, are very passionate about their sports and they were rather unfortunate to see a bad thing like that happen to a really good player. No lying...check his stats online. It's a shame that an event like this overshadows all of the good things he did.
You know, my one softball coach taught a life lesson to never let a ball go between your legs (har har har I made a subliminal funny). Buckner did that and practically screwed his franchise over until 2004. This is just when a little slip-up can really make you a legend in the worst way possible. Heck, I feel bad for him being butchered during the film Fever Pitch (or The Perfect Catch in the UK). In short, I think now that the curse is reversed per se, I think he'll be able to rest easy. He received a large ovation after throwing the first pitch in 2008 at Fenway Park--right after the Red Sox won their second championship in four years in 2007. He claimed to not forgive the fans, but the media for what they had put him and his family through. That I totally understand. The media could be your best friend or your worst enemy; there are no gray lines when it comes to something like that.
______________________________________________

There are several other historical issues occurring in sports history, such as the death threats toward baseball great Jackie Robinson after breaking the color barrier. I could go on and on about these other ones, but to me, these four cases I just mentioned stick out in my mind as being some of the biggest in sports history. The ones I mention involve destruction, disowning, harassment, and even death. It's scary seeing what can happen if someone makes a false move, isn't it? It almost makes you not want to play (or spectate) again because fans could have you walking on eggshells if a false move is made during something important.

From my perspective, being a die-hard fan of a team is like being in a horribly abusive relationship: they can break your heart countless times, but you can't give them any form of payback; that, and you also come running back to them unconditionally when things start looking up in some way. Do not confuse this comparison with the concept of the bandwagon. The bandwagon is like, the "one-night-stand" of sports. It's like scoring a hot chick (or guy in my case) and then come back when they're pretty much dangling bait in front of you (i.e. some sort of ring).

I went off-topic. Oops.

If you want my opinion about all of this, harassment and threatening is not the way to go about things at all. It would only have been appropriate in the Stone Age when we only grunted to communicate and to solve problems we just had huge rocks and sticks to settle scores. We're a little more mature and advanced than that, don't you think? It's okay to be angry at one player/team and all, but the wrong thing to do is to take that next step and just do something you're ultimately going to regret. The last time I checked, athletes are people too; ergo, they have feelings just like you and I. I hope I'm not telling you anything new on this, because that would be pretty sad. Usually athletes (or other people) acknowledge when they've screwed up. You don't have to inflate the picture for them. However, tt would be another thing if the person denies a screw-up and just act like a heel to everyone...then you can start carrying torches and pitchforks and such. Just kidding. It's still wrong.

Another thing that interests me about some of these cases is that they were heavily blown up by the media and really wrecked a few family member's lives. I didn't really realize that until I read into Bill Buckner's case. If not for the constant focus of the media, some of these things wouldn't be so prominent in people's memories, and other people involved in the case would be able to rest easier than usual. I guess that was just me seeing things through rose-colored glasses because I'm going to be fighting my way into the field after next May.

I think this post alone just adds on to the fact that man will never have self-control and that we should all be institutionalized at some point in life. The things we do because we love so much...

[Now watch the Pirates win the World Series and all of this stuff involving Jerry Meals will be out the window and everyone will be happy again. If that does happen and if I were Meals, I'd be kicking the stuffing out of people for being two-faced. That's just me being a feisty lady though.]

--AZ

(Information from MLB, Baseball Reference, ESPN, among numerous sporting blogs)

The Name Game!

Over the course of time, we have seen some pretty goofy things in the world of sports. Even the most common of acts, such as the changing of names, have been a long reality in the melting pot of the United States. As of late, we have seen this act been taken to the extreme as a statement, for religious purposes, and for possibly the silliest of reasons. That's right, folks. Silly reasons.

Today at The Sports Nut Blogs, we're going to take a tour--rather, a fun 'ole trip--down the lane of names. Andrew will be joining me in giving opinions on the names we've provided. We're going to be giving the names the lovely Ivy League grading scale treatment as well. (Trust us, we know what it is; our school enforces it.)

(Note: Andrew's thoughts are paraphrased. He didn't write them down. I listened and scribbled down a general gist of what he said.)

Let's get into the spirit of things and put on some music during our little session here:



First we're going to begin with the most obvious and recent ones:


Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) -- Cincinnati Bengals
Why? - For Hispanic Heritage Month in 2008, he decided to change his last name to "Ocho Cinco" which translates to "eight five."
Andrew's thoughts: Nobody really expected this. It's not like he had a name like Peyton Manning. I don't mind the name. He calls himself an entertainer, so I don't see anything wrong with it.
Grade: B [because apparently he plays for Cincinnati]
AZ's thoughts: It's a really awkward reason to change the name--and now that he especially wants to change his last name back to Johnson, he looks somewhat foolish for doing it to begin with. However, at least he put some thought into what he was doing.
Grade: B

Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) -- Los Angeles Lakers
Why? - Good question. I guess because he wanted to. He filed the petition, so it sounds like the name change is official.
Andrew's thoughts: Because his career is on the decline, I think it's a stupid way to grab attention. It's a creative idea, but I still find it stupid.
Grade: C
AZ's thoughts: Ugh...seriously? You think you're going to get away with changing your name to that without getting scrutinized for it? Get real. It's a really cheesy idea.
Grade: D

Now that we've gotten some recent ones out of the way, let's go into the past and see some old-school ones.

Magic Johnson (formerly Earvin Johnson)
Andrew's thoughts: It's a classy move. People called him that as a nickname to begin with, and since he was good enough to have the name, I like it.
Grade: A
AZ's thoughts: I think it's a good move. I know his mom didn't like the fact he dropped "Earvin," but c'mon. In a field of sporting and entertainment, a name like "Earvin" is not going to sell. Magic will. Besides, I'm pretty sure it wasn't his birth name to begin with.
Grade: A

Pele (formerly Edison Arantes do Nascimento)
Andrew's thoughts: Edison? Really? It helped in a big way as far as economic value. Also, could you imagine people trying to pronounce it in the United States? Exactly.
Grade: N/A -- It gets a 'P' for Pass. [This is because I dislike soccer.]
AZ's thoughts: Here's a fun fact for y'all: he got the nickname from his favorite footballer Bile but he would mispronounce it as a youth. It's also Hebrew for miracle. I figured I would just put something here because I agree with Andrew a lot on this one.
Grade: A

Tiger Woods (formerly Eldrick Woods)
Andrew's thoughts: I'm not gonna lie, Eldrick just sounds dumb. It's not marketable either, especially if he was a child prodigy at a sport like golf.
Grade: A
AZ's thoughts: It was an interesting nickname to give the kid, that's for sure. It sounds like a pro wrestler's name, but in the sport he's in, it's something unique.
Grade: B+

Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay)
Andrew's thoughts: I know that he did this because he converted to Islam, but I think this really helped him in the long-run as far as getting the attention for himself and the sport of boxing.
Grade: A
AZ's thoughts: Sure, he did it for the religious reasons, but I don't necessarily think it would have affected his career. His confidence and skill did more talking than the name change. However, this name is as legendary as the man himself.
Grade: A


Babe Ruth (formerly George Herman Ruth)
Andrew's thoughts: This is, in my opinion, the man who originated the name change in sports. It's incredibly identifiable; so much that people think the candy bar Baby Ruth is named after him.
Grade: A
AZ's thoughts: Even though it's another nickname, it's a very iconic one. I bet if we were grading this name back in the 1910's or 20's, we'd be giving this a low grade, but this name is on the face of a baseball legend.
Grade: A

Hulk Hogan (formerly Terry Bollea)
Andrew's thoughts: Since he's a professional wrestler, he needed something that implied manliness. With a name like "Hulk," it really sounds that if you say your prayers, train really hard, and eat lots of vitamins, you're going to be strong like him. However, an Italian with the last name of "Hogan" is just weird.
Grade: A
AZ's thoughts: In the WWE's heyday, a name like this really inspired little boys to be strong and stand up to the bullies. Also, this sounds like a legitimate nickname-style name, which is always a plus.
Grade: A

Bo Jackson (formerly Vincent Jackson)
Andrew's thoughts: It's too short. Plus, I also like the name "Vince," so it really doesn't appeal to me.
Grade: C+ [because apparently he played for the Raiders]
AZ's thoughts: I have no idea how you get "Bo" from "wild boar hog," but whatever. This is also a unique name for a unique player who was an All-Star in two pro sports leagues. However, like Andrew said, I would have been just as cool with calling him Vince.
Grade: B


Chipper Jones (formerly Larry Jones)
Andrew's thoughts: To be honest, it just sounds cooler than "Larry." Plus, it was also a nickname that makes him sound cooler.
Grade: B
AZ's thoughts: Clearly it's a nickname. Clearly the name Larry Jones is too generic even for the sport of baseball. Again, uniqueness in entertainment is good. Just don't get on the bad side of the fans, they'll starting taunting you with "Laaaaaarry" chants during games.
Grade: B+

World B. Free (formerly Lloyd Bernard Free)
Andrew's thoughts: Unlike the name "Chad Ochocinco," this name actually promotes some sort of good. It promotes something larger than the sport.
Grade: B+
AZ's thoughts: The really cool part about this one is that he really didn't have to change a whole lot of stuff for this name to happen. He already had the "B. Free" part in it, so that's lucky. I agree with Andrew's statements.
Grade: B+

During this conversation, we had talked about a lot of other athletes who had changed their names, but for the sake of not having an overdose of repetition, we omitted those. Those names included on that list are Ronaldo (the Brazilian and much better footballer...not Cristiano Ronaldo), Karim Abdul-Jabbar, and Ahmad Rashad, among others.
In conclusion, the whole idea of name-changing is a privilege that is often used and sometimes abused. Sometimes it makes the person a walking, talking billboard. However, we can't make decisions for them. It's what they want to do and how they want to be recognized. Let's just hope it works out for them in the end.

Thanks for playing The Name Game with us while we were keeping Tom Hanks company in the floor. Hopefully the Care Bears won't come after him. (Joke from The Money Pit)

--AZ and Andrew

The MLB Midseason Slant For 2011 - CROSSFIRE!!!

We're getting caught up in it.

Wow, we're halfway done already? (Then again, it's really been 92 games...not 81 as the midpoint would truly be.) It seems like just yesterday when I was getting ready for my least favorite class in the whole wide world and I was checking the scores of the first season game. Three months, a few no-hitters, a divorce, and a slew of things later, we're nearing the All-Star Break. Some of the records are nowhere near surprising, whereas other teams are saying: "Wow, that was the best nap I've ever had."
Well, in case if you guys aren't exactly keeping up with the other teams among the leagues, I'm here to help.

Let's do this crazy thing.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East Division

Boston Red Sox (55-35) - Now, whoever doesn't expect these guys and the Yankees up top should be beaten with a stick. These guys have proven themselves to be the biggest offensive force in baseball. With powerhouses like newcomer Adrian Gonzalez (who is an MVP candidate at this point), David Ortiz, and well...the rest of them, expect problems for pitching staffs everywhere. Speaking of pitching, lack of Daisuke Matsuzaka hasn't been that big of a deal as of yet. Pitchers Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have been holding their own behind the bulldozing offense.
New York Yankees (53-35) - The Yankees have a well-built team that can duke it out with the rest of them. Of course, they have to have just as powerful an offense as the Red Sox in order to keep up. Along with Yankee hitting king Derek Jeter, the team has been near the tops in hitting (leading the majors in home runs), and pitchers like Sabathia, Colon, Burnett, and Garcia, the Yankees have been showing their too-well-known quality of being a "well-rounded team." The thing I wonder about now is what the heck the Yankees are going to party about now that Jeter is over 3,000 hits. Ha.
Tampa Bay Rays (49-41) - I always feel bad for the Rays, because even though they do so well, they're often overshadowed by the guys up north. They're about as good as you could ask them to be. James Shields and David Price are stellar pitchers as always, and a lot of the hitters hit for average (i.e. Johnny Damon, Casey Kotchman, Matt Joyce, B.J. Upton) which accounts for their always-present small ball tactic. Although I don't see them winning the division, there's a good chance you will see them play the upset in Wild Card contention.
Toronto Blue Jays (45-47) - Ohhhhh Caaaaanadaaaaa, your only baaaseballlll teeeeeeeam... So, while I continue singing like an idiot, these guys shouldn't be counted out, either. Sure, Jose Bautista is giving them a lot of attention, but aside from that, they're just an average team waiting to burst out in fury. I mean, don't get me wrong, Jo-Jo Reyes has a really bad reputation for being really bad, but the rest of the pitching isn't half bad at all. Every team is entitled to have their good days and bad days...they honestly have an equal amount of them. I don't think that will continue for much longer.
Baltimore Orioles (36-52) - After starting out 6-0, they certainly started lying to us. Some people actually thought this group of folks were going to make it after all. Grant it, they get A's for effort, but the lack of team sync and consistency really isn't helping their cause to not have a losing season. What else am I supposed to say about them? Camden Yards is pretty...uhhh....Vlad Guerrero...yeah, I think that's enough. Have a good second half, kids.

Central Division

Detroit Tigers (49-43) - Now here's a good hitting team where the pitching is lucky to be saved most of the time. The only pitcher that is an exception to that rule is Justin Verlander, and that's not saying much. A lot of the bigger names like Magglio Ordonez have been injured for a good part of the half, but for now, a lot of guys are holding the fort and making a good run toward the finish line. Once the bullpen gets a good rest and gets bolstered a little bit, they can be the heavy favorite to win the AL Central.
Cleveland Indians (47-42) - Holy guacamole, Manny Acta, what the heck happened to you that you're actually having success with your team? I don't get it. Even though a rocky June cut off a red-hot first place run, these guys are going to be in the race for postseason the whole way through. While hitting can be shaky at times, the pitching has the tendency to make up for it. Let's put it this way--the wins are often close. Asdrubal Cabrera is the next hot shortstop. Believe that.
Chicago White Sox (44-48) - Is it safe to say that the pitching staff worries me a little bit? Not the bullpen, the rotation. They look awfully shaky to me. Even Mark Buerhle. They're going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, but until the starting rotation works in unison with the offense, life will be good. With the look of their schedule, the second half isn't going to be very easy on them, so if they don't make the playoffs this year, don't be surprised.
Minnesota Twins (41-48) - Grant it, these guys haven't been doing that bad, they're just losing some really tough games amid everything else. The starters are very hot and cold, and the lack of run support during crucial parts in the game is really killing them. I don't really see much success in the future, but there's a good chance they can pick up the pace with a couple of home series coming up for them. They're not what you would call "road warriors."
Kansas City Royals (37-54) - If there's a team I can give the "Ultimate Inconsistency Award" to, it's these guys. Neither side is really on the same page, if anything. Grant it, they have a good hitting team. They really like to hit for average (you can bet on that if their team average is around .265, which is Top 5 in the majors) but at some times they just don't like showing up to the extent of wanting to save their pitchers' backsides by scoring more runs. I'm telling you, this team does not suck...they're just...tired, I guess.

West Division

Texas Rangers (51-41) - Can I get a "whooaaaa hot bats?" You can't expect anything other than that when it comes to the Rangers. The only problem I see is the bullpen numbers, and that's the reason why Texas' pitching stats as a whole don't look that formidable. Also, one minor problem is their troubles away from home. They're under .500 in away games, and absolute monsters at home. Things need to get better out yonder, y'all. (yeehaw) As the World Series runners-up, they look to go back and take it this time.
[RIP Shannon Stone]
Los Angeles Angels (50-42) - The Angels certainly have the pitching to be a total threat. Jered Weaver and Dan Haren have been absolute monsters. Don't count the offense out, though. Guys like Howie Kendrick and Eric Aybar have stellar averages. However, not a lot of these guys have played over 75% of the season thus far. And to be honest, some of the absences have made a difference in whether plays were made or not. As long as the team stays healthy as a whole, we're going to have one heck of a race in the AL West.
Seattle Mariners (43-48) - This is the saddest statistic I've seen in a long while: Doug Fister is 3-10 with a 3.06 ERA. I think we can figure out what the Achilles heel is on this team: The team is injury-ridden, and they're not hitting very well at all. There's only about four guys on the team that are hitting above .260, and it's showing when guys like King Felix are out on the mound. In the ten years since the Mariners won over 100 games, I think it's about time for an extreme makeover for this team.
Oakland Athletics (39-53) - In seeing this record, you would have no idea how good their pitching actually is. They're tops in the American League in ERA, but the offense won't let you see that, because they're near the basement in batting average. A change in hitting personnel may be necessary for these guys, because it looks like they're having a hard time seeing the ball in a league where the hitting is usually more formidable than pitching and where the designated hitter is implicated. C'mon.


NATIONAL LEAGUE

East Division

Philadelphia Phillies (57-34) - A lot of people expected this especially after the shocking acquisition of Cliff Lee in the offseason. Now with what is called "The Four Aces," these guys have pitching powerhouses, which comes in especially handy when it comes to their common slumping offense. With having the best record in the majors, you wouldn't think they'd be near the bottom in batting average, but they are. Thank Roy, Cliff, Roy, Cole, and the other guys that pitch in the five spot.
Atlanta Braves (54-38) - The Braves are what you call a good team that can annoy everybody. Although slumping hitting and injury have been quite contagious, they have been quite consistent and keeping tempo with their rivals with strong pitching from guys like Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, and Derek Lowe. These guys are going to be real contenders if they stay strong throughout the rest of the season; you might be seeing these guys giving playoff teams real troubles in the future.
New York Mets (46-45) - Curse you, Bernie Madoff, you're ruining everything! Not really. Jose Reyes has been red-hot as of late, and the strong small ball being played has been effective. It's tough not being able to win a lot of games at home, but when they can, they get the job done away from home. The controversy surrounding the team hasn't exactly been the best for the team fanbase, but at this point, they're not out of the race if they keep up their strong run that started after interleague play.
Washington Nationals (46-46) - I really hate to put it this way, but it seems like these guys have a hard time keeping their cool when it comes to a winning streak or something else productive. Even after acquiring all-rounded Jayson Werth by spending big bucks this past December, their offense doesn't look as consistent as it should be right now. Because of that, their pitching doesn't win very much, and they look like bird droppings more than they really should. This team is a chemical imbalance at it's finest. Patience is a virtue, dear offense. Stop striking out.
Florida Marlins (43-48) - After chasing out Edwin Rodriguez and acquiring the oracle-aged Jack McKeon, the fish are trying to make up for lost time and regain ground in the East. However, with ace Josh Johnson struggling with injury, it hasn't been easy on the team morale. Although they've been picking up the pace since the new management came through, it's going to take a lot to climb up the mountain of insane pitching in the NL East.

Central Division

St. Louis Cardinals (49-43) - Amid a few speed bumps and bruises, these guys are cruising along in first place with the Brew Crew. It sucks that they lost pitcher Adam Wainwright to Tommy John Surgery, but the rotation has been fairing well without him and haven't missed a big beat yet. Pujols, Berkman, and Holliday have been a terrible threesome, and the team as a whole is going to be a big force to knock off in the NL Central.
Milwaukee Brewers (49-43) - Wow...33-14 at home. Good going, guys. This is the kind of team where they get hit hard, but then hit back even harder through small ball. A big plus for this team is that they've stayed pretty healthy and have had good backups when accidents have happened. For a team that went through a lot of rough business last year, this is a good sign that they're going to be the team to beat in the Central. I know, I sound contradicting, but they're going to be a good matchup against the Cards.
Pittsburgh Pirates (47-43) - Whooaaaa. For those who did not expect this, it's okay--you're not the only one. To not have a sub-.500 team after so many years is a nice breath of fresh air for these guys. It seems like everything is going right stats-wise for this team and now PNC Park is filling rather well. Can we beat the losing streak here?
Cincinnati Reds (45-47) - The main problem with this team is their rotation and bullpen. They have troubles with giving up the long ball, ergo the high ERAs among the team. However, the offense is still trucking through the pitching woes, as 2010 MVP Joey Votto is still pumping out great numbers. Although they're 4th in the majors in runs scored, they're not keeping the leads for very long. It's good to see the ball and everything, but it's not good when the other team does against the pitching.
Chicago Cubs (37-55) - What the Cubbies are currently going through is a mix of stuff: injuries, awkward fielding issues, minor pitching adjustments...that kind of stuff. They currently lead the majors in errors (WOO! Good job, guys!) and their disabled list is never really...empty, per se. At this point, it's all-or-nothing, and they need to get healthy. Games have gotten very ugly at Wrigley Field, and there's only so much pain that faithful fans can take in one sitting.
Houston Astros (30-62) - And here we are folks...our basement team thus far. When neither of your starters have more wins than losses, you know you've got a problem. There really isn't anything wrong with the hitting...their starting rotation is just beyond crap. I hate to put it that way, but it's kind of true. Not much more to say but to have fun, Houston.

West Division

San Francisco Giants (52-40) - It looks like the defending World Series champs are back at it again with their determination and their grit in conquering the NL West. Although the pitching hasn't been at it's strongest as far as the health of their rotation goes, they're still within the Top 10 in the majors, and they're making up for offensive slumps that may affect this team. Injuries to big players such as Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey have made a big dent in their team batting average, but other guys like Freddy Sanchez and Nate Schierholtz have been hitting relatively well. Can they go back-to-back this year? If they remain steady this second half, their chances are good.
Arizona Diamondbacks (49-43) - No joke, these guys have been surprising a lot of people as of late. Although their pitching isn't exactly "tops" due to injury among other things, their offense can get really hot and can save the pitching when absolutely necessary. In looking at their scores, they rarely win games with a lead of more than three runs. Heck, no wonder why J.J. Putz is in the top 10 in saves. In a division that is not offense-heavy like this, they are holding their own. However, if they aren't careful, the second half may not be kind to them unless they search for stronger starting pitching during the trade period.
Colorado Rockies (43-48) - I think "Ubaldomania" is officially over. Heck, he's actually on the trading block right now. While both hitting and pitching staffs are below average in their stats, the usual suspects like Todd Helton are still kicking and shining. This is another team that is being attacked by the accident/injury bug, and they don't seem very comfortable playing in any ballparks other than their own. Then again, Colorado is a huge second half team. They could really make a comeback within the next two months.
Los Angeles Dodgers (41-51) - This is a team where you think to yourself that it's a really good team as a whole. Not really...it's just a couple of guys carrying the team on their backs and everyone else is just watching the McCourt divorce business and wondering how the team is going to fare out financially. This really isn't a home run-hitting team at all; Matt Kemp has more home runs than the rest of the team combined (dead serious). This is just a team with a bad reputation that is hurting right now. It's a shame they don't have a longer break. Stuff could get fixed up over time.
San Diego Padres (40-52) - After the loss of Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, there's not much saving these guys at the moment. The hitting hasn't exactly been the same--then again, it really wasn't before that, either. The lack of offense makes the pitching staff look weak, even though they rarely give up home runs, let along any runs at all. Trades need to be in the future in all categories. A revamp of the offense is absolutely necessary at this point in time. It might not make a world of difference, but it could at least prepare them for next year.
________________________________________

And that about does it here for the midseason slant. I love doing these, and hopefully I'll get to do more if the lockouts end. (Pretty please, NFL?)
Every division has a tight race between two or three teams. Hopefully these stand and we'll get to see some really exciting games in September. As for the other guys struggling behind, it's going to be hard to even find a spot in the Wild Card chase since all of the races are so close.

For now, we have the second half to look forward to. Who is going to reign supreme at the end of the September? We'll find out, for the fight is now on...

IT HAS BEGUN!

--AZ

(All information was researched on MLB.com)