Paying College Players

I've been reading a lot lately on the sports blogs about the idea of paying collegiate athletes for their 'contributions' to the school. It's certainly a hot-topic debate, because it crosses the line between amateur and professional.

It makes all logical sense that athletes should make money in programs that generate revenue. Those programs are really limited to football and basketball for the top schools. Most every other sport loses money, for one reason or another. So it's wrong to just pay the students who make money for the university and not those who contribute in other ways. That's not fair. Which is why it can't work.

The students are already being given a free ride to "go" to school (I use go very cautiously, because I believe the jocks at the top programs don't really go to school, they just play. That isn't to say that every college athlete doesn't go to school - far from it.) That's somewhere around a $200,000 paycheck right there. I'm sure there's more than that when factoring in the training and "tutoring" and things like that. So in that sense, the players already are getting paid.

There's a ton of things we don't know about collegiate athletics. How much benefits they receive from those notorious boosters. How they all pass their classes, because we know some of them still struggle speaking English. How any of their lives happen. I firmly believe situations like USC and Ohio State happen at every major program. It just comes with the territory. Players are treated like they are larger than life and afforded opportunities they wouldn't get anywhere else. The NCAA expects everyone to turn a blind eye to all the trouble going on, until someone uncovers it one way or another.

Regardless of if these students go to class or not, they still are committing a huge amount of time to their sport. In that sense, it's not crazy to pay them. We're not talking about a full-time salary with 401k and stock options. I'm saying a couple hundred bucks a game for each player. Even if these players have a free ride, there's still everyday "cost of living" expenses that college doesn't cover. These players can't have a part time job because all of their time is spent with their sport. So in that sense, they may really need money - which begets all of the corruption in the first place - to get by or whatever.

Schools facilitiate part time jobs for normal students - doing administrative tasks or cafeteria or whatever the case may be. So it seems stupid that collegiate athletes can't be paid the same way these students are. They're sacrificing their time to make some extra money. But we say no. And the reality is, not every athlete on every team (I'm thinking the smaller teams - tennis, volleyball, etc.) is on a scholarship, so they're paying to sacrifice their time.

It makes sense. It really does. BUT - always but - you can't just pay players in top programs, otherwise that presents a huge unfair advantage. And you can't just pay players in profitable programs - it's everyone or nothing. With that in mind, it won't work. It can't work. The schools will just lose more money. The corruption will just grow into more extravagant examples of gratuitous lifestyles for 'amateur' athletes.

The NCAA is a sham. Anytime I hear about their latest plan it all just seems like a maneuver to generate more money - which is what capitalism is all about. However, when you promote yourself as providing a quality experience to youth in helping them grow into better people, making more money just seems like greed. The NCAA says they put that money back into colleges, but who knows. I do know that the President of the NCAA made 1.14 million in 2009. That speaks for itself. Money Money Money.

All Star Lame

Quick post - I watched the All Star Game last night, and felt extremely disappointed in the game. The fans weren't given the true stars of the game. In reality - the AL missed out on several of their top pitchers, which ended up being the difference in the game. David Price, CC Sabathia, Scott Shields, Justin Verlander all couldn't play because they pitched over the weekend. Beckett got hurt while warming up as well.

I'm all in favor of saving their arms and not pitching on two days rest. BUT if the MLB wants to claim "this time it counts" to determine home field advantage, isn't it imperative that the teams field the best possible players at every position? Yet that wasn't what we had. We had some of the best, but not the very best.

I don't know what the correct solution is. Ideally, get rid of the "this time it counts" BS for home field in the World Series and instead make it count towards which league gets home field in next year's all star game (or the next one that hasn't been planned, which I'm sure is a few years down the road.) That would make sense, until I learned last night that the MLB was instituting the DH rule in every All Star Game, even if it is in a NL park. What kind of amateur hour is Bud Selig running? The rules are the rules. They can't be changed to allow an extra 6 All Stars to make the team.

Speaking of an extra 6 All Stars, there wer 84 All Stars selected. 84. That's more than the September 40 man roster on each team. Those dugouts must of been packed. I don't want to take this away from any of the 84, but it seems outrageous. We shouldn't dilute the numbers to make more All Stars, to allow for every team to have an All Star. I'll be honest - I've been a little out of touch with baseball this year. I haven't had enough time to keep up with every team, watch Baseball Tonight, etc. But I had not heard of half of the players in the game last night. It's a great opportunity for the MLB to showcase it's younger stars to turn them into faces of franchises, but this is absurd.

In the end, I can't believe that home field advantage for the World Series was determined from this game. A game where the NL didn't see the AL's best pitchers. How can something so important be taken so trivially. And the players who didn't show up, acting like they were too tired to appreciate the fans and the game. It's disrespectful to the history of the game. What a disgrace.

Picking on the NFL some more

Because it's just too damn fun to call out hypocrites!

Okay, so this week my beef with the NFL is two fold, and both happen off the field. We'll start with the one that makes the most sense: The Rooney Rule.

The idea of the Rooney Rule is to require teams to interview at least one minority for the position of head coach when they have an opening. Essentially, it's affirmative action. They aren't required to take a minority, but must give them a shot.

I'm not sure if I should get into my whole affirmative action thoughts - I think because I'm feeling trapped as the white male is losing all of the power they once had, and now seem at a somewhat disadvantage. Okay, maybe I said too much already. Just watch Fight Club and Tyler Durden's speech on being the middle children of history. That's the best way I could describe it.

What makes this rule dumb: when coaches have an interim head coach, who has been doing a good job, they choose to hire him, but they are required to still interview a minority. It's a walk through jerk-off motion, and really insulting to the candidate that has to go through the bullshit interview. They know they have no shot. The team knows they have no shot, but they do it anyway to appease Big Brother and make their "public image" look "good" because they are "equal-opportunity".

Where does this make any sense? Is this really a rule?

Just a quick thought - when do we really become equal? Does that ever happen? If we always talk about people in terms of "minorities" "blacks" "middle class", then no one is ever really equal. Something like the Rooney Rule is admitting that everyone is not equal, and requiring the "minorities" to be given an opportunity. And in the instance listed above, an opportunity at a position that they have zero chance of getting, it's make them feel even more like a minority and unequal. We won't be all equal until we stop talking about the differences between one another.

Next topic: I'm not sure what to label this as, but let's call it the NFL turning a blind eye to the whole Brett Favre situation. I'll be totally honest, I don't know everything about it myself, because it's stupid, but it's something that shouldn't be ignored.

Brett Favre is arguably the most talked about athlete in the sport. Mike Vick has been a close second this year, but over the past several years, he's constantly coming up, weather it's the retirement talk or the streak or the injury, etc. It's gotten annoying for everyone, since he clearly has no idea in his head what he's doing, and somehow manages to capture the attention of the entire country.

So whatever, he made these advances towards Jenn Sterger, sent "aggressive" and "visual" text messages to her because she wouldn't "come over" or whatever. The NFL launched an "investigation" which took extremely longer than it should have, and determined there was "inconclusive evidence" so that nothing would happen. They fined Favre $50k for "not cooperating" with the "investigation." Favre makes $50k in 4 1/2 minutes of playing time. A game is 60 minutes long. So in 1/12th of one game in a 16 game season, he's already paid that debt. Good penalty NFL. Good. Penalty.

This week came out new rumors that the Jets fired two of their massage therapists after they complained about "harassing" text messages from Favre. Jets and Favre are obviously claiming there is no validity to this claim, but who really knows? Nothing can be proven, but it's just a claim. To me, it seems too ridiculous to make up on their own, so I totally believe it.

I think in sports in general we turn a blind eye to the power we give these players off the field, where they think they are rock stars and can get anything the want, specifically women. (note, the fact that I make the connection to rock stars shows you how America thinks, and we've just come to terms with it) We don't want to accept it, which is why the Tiger Woods thing was such a big deal, because we never thought it was possible. We made Tiger to be more than he was. He wasn't that private, polished, or any of that jazz, he just seemed so confident we decided he did.

So Favre sends these texts and pictures, and the NFL doesn't want to address it, because it's Brett Favre. He gets away with it. He's supposed to be a role model for everyone, and here he is sending out pictures of his penis. It makes you lose faith in all athletes, similar to the way the truth about steroids made you doubt every player. Every athlete that seems polished like Tiger or Favre probably aren't, probably aren't faithful, and probably think they are God's gift to the world.

I'm not sure I blame them, because of the way we hyper-glorify them. The celebrity lifestyle makes these people think they are a deity. They lose all sense of morals. It's our fault. There are people (girls and guys) who would do anything these people ask. There are still many who couldn't care less. So they treat everyone like they are an object. Yet our society says this isn't acceptable for everyone else, these athletes and celebrities get away with it.

So bringing this back to the NFL, they want to act like they are such a professional league, but when they have these national headline stories about inappropriate action towards women, they act like nothing's happening, and when people question it, it's blown off with such vague terms as "ongoing investigation." Why don't they grow some balls and take a serious hard look at this? Like the way MLB took a very serious probe into their steroids usage. It was a brutal and disheartening truth that we discovered, but it was eye-opening. I'm not saying I want to know who's sending/saying what, but let's try to hold these people accountable in some fashion. This just gets absurd.

(I'm sorry, this post is taking multiple days and consequently broken thoughts)

The other problem: Favre gets away with it, while Ben Rothelisbergr (one day I'll spell his name right) gets a 4 game suspension for alleged claims. Sure, Favre's course never went to trial, but how is it any different really? But they won't suspend Favre 4 games because it would of ended the streak and potentially his career. It's really easy to read through their BS. I'm tired of it. Seriously, if the Eagles were not in contention, I would probably have zero reason to watch any of these playoffs. Who cares? The league is corrupt.

Go Flyers.

I think I'm becoming agnostic to sports

I went to the Phillies game the other night with my dad, which was a great time. However, as I sat there, I found myself really uninterested in if the Phillies would win, and more interested in seeing a great game. The Phils were playing the Brewers, so I was hoping to see Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun play well for the Brewers, just seem some good playing.

I was looking around and watching as all the fans in the crowd were so into the game and so emotional towards every action. Stupid actions though, like thinking a foul ball could of been a home run. Or clapping for the adult who catches the foul ball with a glove. He's got a glove, he SHOULD catch it.

It was a weird feeling for me. I think I would say that baseball is EASILY my favorite sport to follow, with the Sox & Phils being my favorite teams to root for. Growing up, the Phils sucked (losing 100 games a year was not good for my health) and the Sox won me over with a young Pedro and Nomar. I've already documented my Nomar obsession. Baseball used to be the sole purpose of living. I'd watch every possible game and episode of Baseball Tonight and wear my (very beaten up and sweaty) Sox hat everyday for almost 5 years. That thing was gross. It was a point of pride for me to wear my Sox attire as many days as possible. Washing optional.

Since I've now seen those two teams win championships within the past three years (and 2 in the past 6 for the Sox), I almost feel numb towards them. Like they're still there, but it's not as exciting. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. It was exciting, heart racing, and at some times absolutely terrifying. I just don't get as excited as I used to. I'm not entirely sure that's the reason why, but it's something.

Another thing has been how I've been more around the "business" side of sports with some of my internships, and I've seen more how that side works. It's a transition from fan to professional. I was fortunate to see several Sox games through my internship, but just never really got into the game because I was "working." I went to a few Bruins/Flyers games and wanted to get into the game but couldn't because I was "working." And it just wasn't the same. I wanted to see the Flyers win, but I wasn't screaming/yelling/fighting/etc to see it happen.

I thought it was just me growing up, but I know that there are adults who act as crazy as I used to. I think it is likely that we are on different intellectual levels and "see" things differently. I'm not trying to make myself sound smarter, I'm just serious.

What I like to see is good games. Pitchers duels. Hitters battles. Milestones. I really want to see Albert Pujols absolutely crush the Home Run record. I hope the best for Strasburg & the Nationals. That would be great for the city and franchise if he can work out. Same with Bryce Harper. Maybe one day the Cubs can not suck for just 182 games. It's not so much about the teams to me anymore. I don't get super upset when the Yankees win. I just can't blindly and give my undying allegiance to a franchise anymore. I want to see things that are good for the overall health of the sport. I'm tired of the steroid nonsense, and I think we're definitely over the hump with regards to that.

But it's not just baseball. I can say the same for football. I really want to see good games rather than just root for the Eagles even when they suck (which I'm fully expecting this year, but Andy Reid likes to prove me wrong).

Or basketball. As much as I don't like the ego of LeBron, he is an amazing player and it should be a blast following the Heat for the next few years should they steer clear of injuries. It'll be great to watch the rest of the league - supposedly we could see the same thing happen for the Knicks with Carmelo/Amare/CP3 if the stars align correctly. Sure, we're not seeing competitive basketball from every team, but I like seeing the players be more in control of the league than the overbearing owners.

I guess I just like seeing the good stories, the things that really make sports special. I feel like I've lost attachment directly towards a specific team and instead embrace the entire sport. It's much more difficult because there is no real "winning" or "losing" for me, because the end of a season just means the end of another chapter of a book. It sounds weird, and I don't like it either.

So I guess this post is just me talking myself through my current state of mind, and your supposed to listen. Thanks?

Why Bud Selig Can't Change The Call

The story broke last night. It knocked Ken Griffey Jr's retirement off the headlines (and off my topics of blog posts today.) Jim Joyce blew the call [video]. Bud Selig said he won't change it.

Before I comment, I should mention how much I despise Bud Selig. He's incompetent and a moron. Anyone who calls the All-Star game as a tie should be fired. It's a joke that he's commissioner. We deserve better.

Anyway, I actually agree with Bud on this one. And that's not easy for me to type. Here's why though: It ruins the integrity of the game. By Selig invoking the "Best Interest of the Game" clause, it takes away all credibility from the umpires and bastardizes the game. Even when Jim Joyce says that he screwed up, it doesn't matter. At least he is able to admit it rather than pull a Joe West and be an asshole about it.

I originally thought the call should of been changed. Give the kid his perfect game. But I realized that's wrong.

If this call was changed, think about how many other changes that people could argue should be reviewed. Umpires have screwed up before. They will screw up again. We can't change every single call after the game. It's the same as how we can't put an asterisk on Bonds and everyone else that took steroids and ruined the home run records. It happened. It's over. Unfortunately, we have to move on.

In the eyes of everyone, it already was a perfect game. This will be one of the great baseball stories we can tell. The Perfect Game That Wasn't. Every baseball fan will remember this game and the events that took place. People who aren't even into baseball have taken notice because of the way it's happened. This is a story that goes beyond sports. It won't always be relevant, but it can always be something to bring up every now and again. It's captured everyone's attention.

Also, if Selig recalled it, how anti-climatic would that be? Part of the fun of a no hitter or perfect game is the final out, and watching the pitcher truly celebrate with his team and the fans cheer him. There was some excitement after the final out, but not the appropriate celebration for what should of been a perfect game - the 3rd this year (and there have only been 18 before going into this year.) Not sure if this speaks to hitters going off the juice or what - but it's definitely a pitchers age in baseball.

MLB should institute some kind of instant replay system that allows for one challenge from each team. It can't argue balls and strikes, because that's something that can't be proved easily. The only thing that can really be challenged should be: safe/out, fair/foul, and ensuring the catch was indeed a catch and not a trap. Balls and strikes can never be challenged. Make it quick. Don't make the game much longer than it already it is.

MLB can take a cue from the NHL, who is very quick on their challenges and don't waste time like the NFL does. In last night's Stanley Cup Final Game 3, there were 3 challenges that the NHL reviewed quickly to make the right call. I know that the NHL has a much easier time determining calls than any other league - all they have are goals - but they have it down.

Anyways, serious congrats to Galarraga. He'll go down in history as the pitcher who was denied a perfect game by the league he plays for. And quite possibly the reason why instant replay is instituted into the league. Plus, he got a car from Ford for his effort. Kinda stupid considering he could probably afford 200 of them, but whatever. He was a professional about it, as was Joyce. If I was denied a perfect game like that I think I would have raised some serious hell. His teammates and managers were furious. But Galarraga was poised the whole time, even able to talk to Joyce today and give the scorecard.

Finally, doesn't Joyce have an awesome mustache? That thing is for real.

Why Don't We Care About Hockey?

The Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals, and in Philadelphia, it SHOULD be a big deal. It doesn't feel that way.

When the Eagles are just in the playoffs, everywhere people are cheering even during the off days in preparation for the upcoming game. For the Flyers, who are in the championship game? Not so much. When the Phillies are in the World Series, forget it.

I think it represents that hockey still has some serious work to do to get back in the national spotlight, even a few years following their horrendous lockout. The last time the Flyers were in the Cup Final (1997,) the city was completely wrapped up in the team. Of course, we had much more captivating stars like Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and of course, Ron Hextall.

For me, I think the Flyers have always been my favorite Philadelphia team, because they were the best team in the city when I was young. My bedroom is covered in Flyers gear, and I remember being SO excited for the Flyers, not Eagles, Phillies, and definitely not the Sixers.

The NHL still needs to get on the national map. Make hockey the top story on ESPN daily. It needs to get out of the Versus TV contract and evolve into something with serious national spotlight. I'm not sure what channel can provide that amount of momentum besides ESPN, but Versus is clearly not the answer. Does anyone actually watch Versus for anything other than hockey and the annual Tour De France (does anyone even watch that?)

It's upsetting to me to see how little people seem to care about the championship round of a sport in their own city. I think the Phillies and Eagles have made Philly spoiled. We're not so desperate anymore, we just only root for teams we believe in, and nobody believes in the Flyers. Insert sad face here.

Anyways, Go Flyers!

How Excited Am I For LOST?

This isn't a OMG WTF LOST IS OVER post. I woke up this morning feeling SO EXCITED for tonight. I was trying to think the last time I was this excited when I woke up (and it wasn't Christmas). I came up with a few. I'll share them with you, because I still have seven hours to go and this blog is supposed to be fun?

1) October 27, 2004 - Red Sox were up 3-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals and were going to win

2) February 6, 2005 - Super Bowl XXIX - Unfortunately the Eagles didn't win

3) October 28, 2007 - Red Sox were up 3-0 on the Colorado Rockies and were going to win

4) November 19, 2007 - My first Bruce Springsteen concert

5) August 19, 2008 - My next Bruce Springsteen concert (first time I heard Jungleland and Thunder Road and first time I cried at a non-funeral)

6) April 19-20 2009 - The next (and last two) Bruce Springsteen concerts (notice a trend?)

7) April 19, 2010 - My last Boston Marathon

and

8) May 23, 2010 - The Lost Finale.

Isn't it great when you can look back and remember those things that made you SO excited for life? Sure, I have bunch more, but those were great. Maybe they all have to do with sports and Bruce, so what! Those are the things I'm passionate for.

Can't wait for tonight!

NBC Drops The Ball Again

Last night, NBC failed to nationally televise one of the Winter Olympic events that EVERYONE wants to see: USA vs Canada in Men's Hockey. Instead, they passed it off to their sister station, MSNBC. Most cable outlets do not carry MSNBC in High Definition. HD helps enhance the quality of sporting events, most specifically hockey, because it allows more vision of the ice, creating a more pleasurable viewing experience.



The game was awesome, and quite possibly will be the best hockey game of the year (knock on wood.) It had everything exciting about hockey; great players, great plays, intense, drama ridden moments. Those moments where you are so nervous that the puck could trickle in at any point in time and change the entire face of the game.

It's events like this that make hockey great - and almost finally putting it back on the national map after a couple year hiatus from that crippling lock out.

The focus of this post isn't all about the game though - it's about how NBC execs yet again messed up a perfect ratings opportunity. Last night, my understanding of what was on National NBC consisted of: Ice Dancing, Men's Super Combined (consisting of Bode Miller's gold medal run,) probably Bobsled and either Curling or Speed Skating. The only event that warranted our attention was Bode Miller's run.

So the alternative to how NBC could have solved this problem? A) Show the hockey game on NBC and during the intermissions, show ice dance/bob sled whatever, then afterward, around 10PM, show the Super Combined. It would of boosted NBC's ratings without a doubt.

I know why NBC didn't broadcast it nationally. International Hockey has nearly zero commercials during the game, similar to soccer. This obviously inhibits NBC's advertising dollars. Although most games on MSNBC are "brought to you with limited commercial interruption" by X. They assumed people would rather watch Ice Dancing. Who would? There was such an outcry on Twitter that "NBC" was a higher trending topic than "Team USA" or "Team Canada." Most of the tweets were rants about how dumb NBC was for not having MSNBC HD available enough places while also not having it national. There's still some people without cable who couldn't of watched the game.

From NBC's perspective though, as the sole national broadcaster of NHL games (I'm not counting Versus) - wouldn't it make sense for them to broadcast a hockey game and try and boost the ratings for a sport they broadcast? It's only going to be another 2 weeks until the NHL is back on NBC, and I would think that they need to try to milk the sport as much as possible - even if that means losing $$$ right now, they may make more money - consistently - later down the line for their weekend/playoff games. I guess I'm just not a businessman and don't know what sports draw which ratings, but it doesn't make sense to me.

It's just become too easy to make fun of NBC these days. What a fall from grace for them. From being the original and having those legendary shows like Seinfeld and Cheers to be the idiots that approve of The Jay Leno Show and The Biggest Loser but cancel Southland and Conan O'Brien. Unbeleiveable. Good luck Comcast!

Are the Winter Olympics Better than Summer?

Okay, I know the answer is no. But let me explain why I thought that anyway. Besides just trying to get you to read my posts.

I typically don't pay any attention to the Winter Olympics. It is like the ugly twin of the Summer Olympics. Part of that is because the lack of varying events and participating countries. All the events involve ice or snow. There's only 15 events total. I think Summer has something like double that. It's lead to NBC losing about $200 million on advertising - something I LOVE. (I used to really like NBC, but after the Conan situation, I'm finding any reason possible to laugh at them. They're still okay.)

Regardless, I'm really enjoying this Winter Olympics. I'm not sure why. I don't feel particularly invested in Apolo Ohno or Shaun White (or any of the American athletes.) It's great to just see these events. The race the other night with Ohno getting Silver because of the Koreans falling was very exciting - reminiscent of that unforgettable Phelps finish in 2008. Maybe it wasn't as serious or dramatic, but it was dramatic.

I feel like the Winter Olympics (and Summer too) are events that are only interesting every four years. No one cares what Phelps is doing now (in the water, not at frat parties) and won't care until 2012. He still competes in swim meets, but they don't garner any attention whatsoever. I like watching the snowboarders, but if it was an annual event, I know my attention (and the country's) would wane. Same thing with the World Cup - I love it for the month that it happens, but Soccer isn't on my radar for the other 84 months in between.

One of the other captivating things is the way NBC broadcasts the Olympics - they've done a relatively remarkable job over the past few Olympiad. The addition of viewing events in High Definition has made watching it that much more interesting. It sounds cheesy, but seeing the picture so clearly makes it hard not to watch. The fly-overs they show of the Vancouver mountains are absolutely breath-taking. My only complaint with NBC is not enough information about when events are happening on what channel. When NBC is broadcasting events on Sci-Fi channel, I wouldn't have any clue unless the the national NBC shares that with us.

The Olympics are different than the professional sports leagues we are used to. The athletes we know make millions upon millions and are pampered. Most of the athletes in the Olympics aren't any sort of celebrity - just someone representing their country. Sure, they are great at what they do, but they don't have any status as a superstar. As much attention as Bode Miller/Apolo Ohno/Shaun White may get, people like the US Curler's are nobodies. Who is on our Bobsled team? Nobody knows, and I love it. It's like college sports on a "professional" level - people living out their passion. That is what life is all about.

I plan on watching as much Olympic coverage as possible until I get sick of it - it's a special event that really captures a sense of athletic, non-violent patriotism that is rarely found anywhere else.

I Really Love The Beanpot and College Sports

I originally passed on going to the opening round of the Beanpot last night - Between work 9-5 and then class 6-? (usually about a hour and a half but could of gone until 9) I figured I would of been too busy/tired. Class got out at 6:45, and BU's game was planned to start at 8. So with no ticket I went down to the Garden.

It was a potential waste of time, but I wanted to try to go scalp a seat anyway. Somehow there were still seats available. I am SO glad I went.

The Beanpot may only be a local Boston event, but it means so much to the four schools. It's a rare (although annual) opportunity for the schools to play at the TD Garden and for the fans of each school to come cheer on their school against others. Usually, the home team has the dominance, but at the Beanpot, it's literally one side yelling against another. It brings so much more energy than a pro hockey game.

Last night for the BU game, the Northeastern crowd, who was surprisingly well-supported, were seated right next to BU. That corner of the arena was LOUD. Energetic, thrilling, it was a great atmosphere. The Pro game doesn't have that energy anymore because the passionate fans can't afford the games and are more spread out than having an official "student section." Most of the pro games are attended by corporate/business types.

The BC-Harvard game was a snoozer. 6-0 BC. But BU-NU put on a great game and matched by great fans. The Beanpot tournament has been better than any pro-hockey game I've attended.

College sports in general are so much more fun because of the passion of the students. The atmosphere for a typical college hockey game can only be matched in the pros when its the playoffs (based off of my experiences at Boston & Philly regular season/playoff games.) Same for basketball, football, etc. Maybe it's just that the college kids are more drunk than the adults at a pro game, but it makes for an exciting, communal event (not the alcohol, the cheering.)

One of the things I like the best is the level of competition. The ages are relatively the same (18-24ish) as opposed to in the pros, where players can be competing against anyone aged 18-40+. The difference in age/experience/body type can really determine how successful a player is. In college it's more even. Plus, the college system only allows for 5 years, after that, they move on. It keeps for new and exciting players to come along every year.

Of course I should mention that that this really applies for the top-NCAA schools. The atmosphere at a Temple football game sucks. Totally different story at Penn State. BU's basketball isn't quite the same as at North Carolina. Maybe that's part of it. No one is going to be excited at a Florida Panthers game - but no one goes. Go to a Red Wings game and they MIGHT be more enthused. I doubt it though - not during a regular season.

So now that next week's championship game will be BU and BC, the biggest college hockey rivalry, I'm expecting an even better atmosphere matched by just as great of a hockey game. I really want to soak it all in seeing as this will be my last Beanpot as a student. Should be an exciting game!

More Than Just A Game

It's really nice when the top two teams in the NFL actually make it to the Super Bowl. This year we have that luxury, and they both happen to be REALLY good.

What's really great is that the Saints are here. I don't want to talk too much about the Katrina devastation, but the Saints provided that incredible positive energy that the city needed in 2006. When they first came back to the Superdome in 2006 while U2 and Green Day were playing a cover of "The Saints are Coming", it was one of the best moments in sports that I can remember - on the same level as the 2001 World Series. The city and team bonded as one to overcome and make a statement regarding their city.



When people are struck by tragedy and shock, they need something familiar and welcoming to keep their spirits high. Unfortunately it feels like that happens all too often. Sports fits that mold to give a sense of calm in a time of crisis in a communal fashion. Everyone is in it together. It's a reminder of all that is good, fun, and innocent. It's times like these when I really love sports. Watching those videos I linked gives me goosebumps and makes me feel great. (And then there's the George W. Bush First Pitch - another figure giving Americans a feeling of normalcy after tragedy)

Sure, there's A LOT of problems wrong with sports. Players are paid WAY too much. Most players are selfish pre-madonnas. It's corrupt. The Oakland Raiders. I can keep going. That's not my point however. My point is that there's so many moments where sports go beyond a game and really can change someone's mood.

Think about how Michael Phelps captured EVERYONE'S ATTENTION in Summer 2008. It went just beyond the Olympic Games - Phelps had become a national hero (until he had too much fun at a college party - even that hasn't stopped him really) and if swimming was more popular/frequent, he would be on the same level as Tiger Woods (pre-November 2009.)



My personal story was the 2003 ALCS between the Red Sox and the Yankees. It was October 2003, and my dog had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and we would have to put him down very soon. I remember sitting on my sofa with him on his last night - Game 3. Honestly it was one of the saddest nights ever. The only thing that kept me sane was the Red Sox continuing to play. It didn't end well (I hate Aaron Boone) but I really believe it helped me in the grieving process.

Other Moments that Go Beyond the Game:
Brett Favre after his father passed away
Tiger Woods' first Major victory after his father passed away
Mario Lemieux' comeback from cancer
Lance Armstrong. Everything about him. Except Sharyl Crow.
1980 Miracle On Ice
The 2004 Red Sox - Everything that they meant to New England - really well captured in this commercial.
The 1998 Home Run Chase. Even if it they were juicing. The country was swept away.

I could keep going, but that's just a few. My point is to some people, sports really is a safe-haven, and sometimes it really does provide all the security and entertainment we need. It brings people together to share and enjoy moments - together. It's a beautiful thing.

The NFL Needs A Different Overtime System

"I didn't know you could tie in the NFL" - Donovan McNabb

Yesterday featured one and a half exciting games, with the NFC clearly being the bigger of the two. The game went into overtime because they were so evenly matched up. It was a great game until it went into overtime, where me and my buddies knew the winner based on the coin toss. It's not always a slam dunk though for who get's possession first is the winner (I.E. Tim Hasselbeck) but it's something like 80% of the time.

I don't claim to be a expert on what's fair. I do KNOW however that the NFL OT scheme is not fair. Sudden death seems to make sense because that's how it works in hockey (playoffs at least) and has a similar concept in baseball. Basketball doesn't have sudden death and that's fine. Ties are not acceptable ever. Who likes ties? You watch 75 minutes of football to have no decision? Awful.

In the NFL though, it's too easy to kick a field goal. Although this playoffs has had many bad kickers, it's still relatively easy. Get to the 30 yard line, move the ball to the middle on the next down, kick it, game over. Too simple. To be based on just a coin flip, it's sad that games are determined by such a simple means.

It's easy to say "switch to the college system" but the NCAA rules are more like a video game than reality - starting at the opposing team's 25 and ping-ponging back and forth. I thought about taking that system and tweaking it. Instead of starting at the 25, teams kick off. So in yesterday's example, the Saints get the ball and score a FG. They then kick off. If the Vikings score a FG, we do it again. If they score a TD, they win. No time limits. No ties. Nobody likes ties.

I read a great article (I think it was from Bill Simmons of ESPN, but I can't be sure) that suggested an auction system for who gets the ball first. Basically, the concept is that instead of a coin flip, the teams have a "silent auction" for what yard line they are willing to take the ball from. Whichever is closer to their own end zone gets possession. This is a big risk but an exciting format for teams and fans - you want the ball, but at what cost? Will you accept it at your 15, knowing that if you go 3 and out the other team will get the ball at roughly the 50? I thought at first it sounded cheese but after yesterday's event I believe it would work - and well too.

I'm not saying these two options are the best, but I believe they would be well-received and are definitely an improvement on what we have now, which is cheesy and stupid.

Mark McGwire took Steroids. Shocker of the Decade.

I meant to post about this yesterday, but I was traveling. It's still timely however.


On Monday, Mark McGwire admitted to taking steroids. During most of his career. Most notably, that 1998 season that captured everyone's hearts and minds and made baseball relevant again. And it turns out to be not necessarily legitimate. Was any of baseball legitimate in the 90s?

I've always said that I think that steroids were unfortunately 'part of the game' in the 90s. There's alot of people to blame. Players, Managers, Owners, Fans, Bud Selig, but blame won't get anything done. It happened. Who knew who took what. I'm sure there's plenty of big-leaguers who took steroids and we have no idea. This is the bed that we all created. And we have to accept it.

Fans wanted something they could follow (like the breaking of a historic Home Run Record) and embrace the sport again. Players wanted to be signed to bigger contracts. Owners wanted to bring in more money. Bud Selig wanted higher TV contracts. They all got what they want, and now they act in shock and disgust for what happened. As if they didn't know that this day would one day come.

They're disgusted because it blew out of control. They really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. McGwire AND Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris' 61 more than once. Barry Bonds was just a few years away from breaking that record, and then becoming the All-Time Home Run Leader. Is there ANY doubt that he took steroids?

As a fan I find it extremely frustrating how MLB has handled this. There's no accountability for the enablers (the clubhouse guys, owners, GMs, Jose Canseco, etc) outside of Victor Conte. Instead all blame goes to the players. While they are the ones who accepted the steroid injection, they had help in acquiring the drugs. It turned into a witch hunt, and a comical one at that. Congressional hearings. The Mitchell Report. Sosa forgot English. Rafael Palmeiro flat out lied. Curt Schilling ran his trap about how clean the game needed to be. The list can go on and on.

I just think it happened. It's hopefully over. There's still no HGH test. Steroids are clearly still in baseball if superstars like Manny Ramirez can get suspended. You can't asterisk the records, because it was on somewhat of a level playing field. Whether that particular pitcher was juicing vs that particular batter is unknown. Sports requires a competitive edge; doing 'whatever' it takes to get an advantage. How can anyone blame players for trying to get an edge? Sports has become so big and there's so much money at stake that it would seem stupid not to take steroids.

The thing that I think everyone doesn't really know (outside of users) is how effective steroids REALLY are. They do not enhances anyone's hand-eye coordination. Maybe it makes for a faster swing. Does it may the difference from a ball landing on the warning track versus out of the park? We only really look at home-runs, but how else can it help a hitter? Pitching, I would believe it can help recover after a 7+ inning game. There needs to be studies to test the differences these drugs can have on an athlete.

If anything, the only issue now is how MLB claims to be clean. But with every story of Alex Rodriguez, (previously determined to be the "clean" player who will take over the home run record that Bonds claimed.) that comes out causes doubts in the minds of every fan. I personally love Ryan Howard, but I just can't be sure. We know about Josh Hamilton overcoming drug addiction, but what about steroids? He's massive. Even players who aren't huge home run hitters. Bronson Aroyyo admitted to taking performance enhancers. David Ortiz. Jason Giambi. Andy Pettite. Miguel Tejada. Frank Thomas. The list goes on. Who knows who else was on the 2003 report. And Roger Clemens is just as much of a slam dunk as Bonds.

There's no answers, there's no solution. The entire baseball community just must accept the mistakes that have happened that lead to this point and understand that baseball isn't as 'clean' as it used to be. These players shouldn't be kept out of the Hall of Fame. It shouldn't be on their plaque that they were on steroids. They played the game in a different time frame and did great things. Mark McGwire saved baseball. He should be honored for that. It's still a beautiful game, and I hope that it can actually maintain it's legitimacy for years to come.

I Love Chickie's and Pete's

Chickie's and Pete's has become a staple of Philadelphia food. Typically, when people ask me about Philadelphia, it's always about the cheesesteaks. Some people know about Tastykakes. Yet over the past 33 years, Chickie's has established itself as the premiere sports bar in Philadelphia, with their crab fries becoming as synonymous with Philly as cheesesteaks.

In high school, I typically went to the South Philly Chickie's with my friends a couple nights a month. My mom even got me a Chickie's gift card for the holiday. This break, I've spent two of the past three nights at Chickie's, and the place is always full of people. It's such a great atmosphere. Even when there is no sports games on, you always have a good time there. But during any game (especially an Eagles game) it is like a huge family dinner. Everyone cheers and boos together. The experience is almost as good as being at the game.

But then there is the food. Sure, there is the crab fries. The buffalo cutlets are superb. Yet it's not just typical bar food. It's also got great seafood options. This usually isn't the route me and my buddies take, but tonight we got the crabs and lobsters. Delicious. I'm a pretty boring eater, and seafood is one of the last things I choose to eat, but I couldn't tell you when I had seafood this good. It makes me inclined to get it again.

Still, the crab fries. I keep coming back to them. They are so good. The concept isn't new, but they have perfected the art of the fries. Chickie's has opened restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area, including Philly International Airport, and also has kiosks at all of the ballparks. Their lines are always the biggest at the stadiums as well. Good luck getting crab fries in less than one inning. People can't get enough of it. It's the new Philadelphia tradition.