Enough ESPN!

Here is a Memo to ESPN: Stop with the original ESPN Entertainment! Seriously, enough is enough. I can tell that you are hurting with the absence of the NHL and their playoffs. How else can I explain the shows you keep pumping out and jamming down my throat? You have done your takes on reality TV in which contestants compete for a job as Sportscenter anchor. Your winner can be seen sparingly on ESPNews. Then you followed it up with former NBA players with a chance at being an analyst. It doesn't stop there. You've had shows in which players give questions to contestants as well as your latest ventures in which contestants are pit against your own fat retro jersey wearing sports guru. And the worst part is you seem to find air time for none other than Stuart Scott who was your main on air personality when you started the ESPN 2 network. Note to Stuart, your catchphrases could have stayed back in the early days of ESPN 2. No more. Booyeah.

Please NHL, come back next year and save me from ESPN's original entertainment programming!

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Sports Emperor for a Day

A funny thing happened to me today. I was anointed Sports Emperor of the World for a Day. At last I am able to modify the sports I have come to know, love, and in some cases loathe, to my liking. Where to start, where to start?

BASEBALL
There is a rule that was once to be re-enforced but it has sadly not been done. A batter may not leave the batters box unless time is called. No more stepping out in between every pitch. Imagine how much shorter the games would be now!

American League, say goodbye to the designated hitter. It's time both leagues play on the same level. The AFC doesn't have wider goal posts than the NFC, so why should the American League pitchers not hit? This is an old-school rule change that will add more strategy to the game.

A funny thing about baseball that is unique from all the other sports. The playing fields are as varied as the teams. Every football field in America is uniform, as are all the NBA courts and NHL rinks. Why is it different in baseball? The time has come to unify the game and level out the home run record chases and hitting records and everything from now on. Sure, this is not likely in the day and age of stadium construction costs, but it, to me, is insane that there are different dimensions. Also, say good bye to that hill in centerfield in Houston.

Playoff change. The team with the best regular season schedule will have home field advantage in the World Series, Wild Card or not. No more "winning league of the all star game" gets homefield. Stupid rule.

Curt Schilling? You are banned form speaking your mind. I don't care what you have to say anymore.

No more inter-league games. Interleague should be kept for three times; spring training, the All-Star game and the World Series. I might consider same-city-three-game-series once a year. I can let Yankee-Mets, Phillies-Red Sox, Nationals-Orioles, Cubs-White Sox, etc. match-ups go.

Stat that is never heard from again: Pitch count.



BASKETBALL
Age minimum. rather than having a specific age minimum, how about a rule stating that all NBA players must have completed three years of college? And can the college coaches be sure to teach their teams the fundamentals of the game, like foul shooting and defense?

If you want to hold out the team name of your jersey to the crowd after a big play, it's a $10,000 fine. If I'm watching the game, I know what teams are playing thank you very much. It's old now.

Retro, or throwback, jerseys may be worn a maximum of twice per year. It's hard enough keeping track of all the teams, especially when I see home jerseys, away jerseys, home throwback jerseys and away throwback jerseys being worn in the same week! If you're playing at home, wear your white jerseys. If you're on the road, wear your dark jersey. If you're the Lakers, wear your yellow jerseys at home, not the white ones.



FOOTBALL
Stick with me on this one...If a team from one conference has a superior record of a team in the opposing conference, and the superior team does not make the playoffs in their conference, they take the place of the lesser team in the opposing conference. Example: Buffalo Bills finish 10-6 and out of the AFC playoffs, Carolina Panthers finish 8-8 and make Wild Card in NFC. Buffalo takes the place of the Panthers in the NFC playoffs. Should this happen, the team replacing the lesser team will play all of their games on the road, regardless of record. The playoffs should be a reward for superior play and the mediocre teams should not be permitted to participate in post season play.

Super Bowl commercials should not cost so much. Because they have gotten so expensive it seems that the quality of the commercial breaks has been hit hard. Stop charging so much and bring back the quality of commercials that last forever. Does anybody even remember the Bud Bowl? It used to be more entertaining than the game itself!

Speaking of Super Bowl, no more televised pre-game and halftime entertainment that is supposed to be for the viewers. The game should be just about that, the game. If you haven't noticed there have been some classic ending Super Bowls four out of the last five years. But everybody remembers just the "wardrobe malfunction".

College football (Division 1-A) change. A playoff system incorporating all league champs and a certain number of "at-large" teams. The bowl games can still be used for neutral sites for the quarter, semi and final games.

HOCKEY
If it doesn't snow in your city, you don't get a team. Good bye Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Might Ducks, San Jose Sharks and more, including the defending Stanley Cup champs, Tampa Bay Lightning.

New 52 game schedules. More conference and division play, less out of conference play.

No shoot-out possibilities to decide a game. Four on four overtime works nicely in the regular season, five on five in post season. Just fine.

And of course, play some games!

Stat to never hear again: scoring chance. How can a player have more shots on goal than scoring chances? Isn't a shot on goal, technically, a scoring chance?

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I think that is enough to do for one day as the Emperor of the Sports World. Now that I fixed some things up I'll go and relax in my throne, awaiting the call for my next fill-in job.

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Baseball Blog for April 6

Comcast was kind enough to broadcast the Phillies game in my area tonight so I was delighted to get to watch the second game of the season. When I turned it on it seemed to be good game, with the Nationals leading 2-1. All of that changed shortly after when Pat "the Bat" Burrell pounded one over the fences, giving the Phills a 3-2 lead.

The young Brett Myres was apparently pitching well, but he was taken out when Brad Wilkerson came up after 6 2/3 innings. The Phills got out of the inning alright, but the 8th was a different story. What once used to be the strength of the Phillies proved yet again to be the Achilles heel; middle relief. It used to be that the middle relief was terrific and the starting pitching was decent, and the closer, Jose Mesa namely, was the problem. Since the Phillies parted with Mesa they picked up Billy Wagner. Wagner, though, is only effective when he's in the game. The middle relief has increasingly become more frustrating over the past year or so. Sure, it's only the second game of the season. So goes the life of a frustrated Phillies (and Philadelphia in general) fan.

The game comes back on after a pitching change (Tim Worrell couldn't do anything to help set up Wagner) and the crowd is standing and cheering. How's this? When they left for commercial they were booing Worrell off the mound. Little did I know that Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was in attendance in his Phills colors with his friends. I knew what to do next. Count how long it took for the first E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES chant took place. Three seconds. what to count next? How many times the chant would be done. Four.

Back to the game. Another pitcher, another couple runs scored against us. Final score, 7-3 Nationals.

Some good news from this (and the first game) is the play of Pat Burell who went 3-3 in the opening game, and picked up a clutch home run to give the Phills a lead to play with with Thome on base. Let's hope this continues. If it does the offense will be better. And how about Jimmy Rollins-Chase Utley? I like it so far, especially with that sweet play they had in I believe the 6th.

The game ends and I continue searching for more sports. ESPN comes on and I watch for a Sixers score (they won) as I'm watching the Utah Jazz score 8 points in the first quarter against Minnesota. 31-8 after one quarter? It's no wonder the college game is more interesting to watch.

Luckilly ESPN2 is showing the Marlins-Braves game. At this point it is tied at one in the 12th inning. Call me crazy but I love this stuff. Give me a 1-1, 3-3 game in extra innings any day over a 12-10 game. Home runs are cheap thrills. Pitching duels and good defense are treasures.

In other news today, I browsed a book store and leafed through Jose Canseco's book. Wow. I decided to save my money.

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Baseball is Back

In my previous post I discussed the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry and how it should not be interfered with. I'm glad to see it was left untouched for opening night in the Bronx, so now I hope the same remains true when the two clubs meet in Boston for the Red Sox home opener. So what were my impressions of opening night?

The Yanks beat the Sox 9-2 in one of the worst opening day defeats by a defending World Champ. Oh well. The Yanks have this thing where they beat up on the Sox in the regular season anyway. Should the Red Sox be worried? Not at all. One game down, but still 161 still left to play.

Randy Johnson pitched very well, holding the Sox to only one run in his six innings of work. Is a guy that old supposed to be that good in April? I didn't think so, but then again Randy Johnson isn't your average over-40 pitcher.

Much was made about David Wells' record in Yankee Stadium. What some people failed to point out is that just about all of those games were as a Yankee. I could win at least one game as a Yankee pitcher when I have that lineup behind me. Welcome to Boston Wells.

You can tell the city of Boston is suffering from the absence of hockey. Why do I say that? Because the Red Sox team captain, catcher Jason Varitek, sported a "C" as the captain of his team on his jersey, a characteristic that is found everywhere in hockey and at a few locations in Major League Baseball. Say what you will, but I think the "C" has got to g in baseball.

I don't know what was worse for sports fans in Boston last night; the fact that the Red Sox were blown away by the Yankees or the fact that Celtics fans had to sit through listening to Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell sing the National Anthem, as paid off his bet to Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The two governors made a friendly wager on the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Needless to say Governor Romney won...Luckily Mrs. Rendell helped her husband out a little.

Today is opening day for the rest of the league. So seeing as it's time for predictions I will make mine.

NL East - Braves AL East - Yankees
NL Central - Cardinals AL Central - Twins
NL West - Giants AL West - Angels
NL Wild Card - Phillies AL Wild Card - Red Sox

World Series - Yankees over Phillies

Call me optimistic if you will. I am, of course, a desperate Phillies fan.

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Sox-Yanks

So here's the deal. I hate the Yankees, and I'm not particularly fond of the Red Sox either. I am however a big baseball fan (more so than football believe it or not), and an always frustrated Phillies fan. Watching the sport of baseball the past few years has been somewhat of a spectacle. I am a purist so I naturally dislike the idea of interleague play, and the idea of steroids is another topic for another day. I do however appreciate the story lines that help boost interest in baseball.

The steroids issue may eventually put a red flag on the likes of Mark McGwire getting into the hall of fame (Barry Bonds is probably still going to pack for Cooperstown someday though. While this is a story that has put baseball in the spotlight, it is not for the good reason. One of the best storylines that baseball has going for it though is the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

True, this rivalry is beyond being jammed down our throats. Seemingly the entire Red Sox lineup bashing Alex Rodriguez, a player they tired getting just a year before. The Yankees comparing the Sox to the Little "Red" Engine That Could as they count and compare world championship totals. The acquisitions that seem to be responses to the other organization. The big paychecks for players just to outdo the other. And of course, the history. No two baseball teams have a rivalry quite like the Yanks and Sox. The next best thing might be the Giants and Dodgers.

So we know the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry is one of the best storylines in baseball, especially the past few years as the Red Sox got good again, and finally won that elusive World Series, their first since 1918 which broke the curse of Babe Ruth. You know, the Red Sox player who was traded to the Yankees, who coincidentally started winning championships...about 26 of them, by far more than any other team).

So can you imagine what went through my mind when a story broke about teachers and students in Boston petitioning for the Red Sox and Yankees to shake hands before their first meeting this season? I went ballistic! Sure, the whole idea is to promote good sportsmanship and it is a lesson for the kids that could be valuable. And then George Steinbrenner comes out and endorses the idea! And some head honchos at Major League Baseball liked the idea and were going t explore the possibility of it happening. I thought, "this can't be!"

I firmly believe that this idea of a handshake is a terrible idea. This is obviously just another politically correct statement that is being thrown at us. The Red Sox and Yankees are sure to have at it at least once this year, and I'm talking about fisticuffs. Is a handshake really going to change anything? If they want to be good sports they should not be addressing the media calling out certain players or members of the organization, or belittling the other's accomplishments. It's really just that simple. We all know the Red Sox would love to see the Yankees be miserable, and vice versa. The handshake does not change any of that.

We are days away from the season opener featuring these two "let's cram everything about them down people's throats" franchises. I hope that the handshake idea gets sent to the round circular file cabinet. After all, organized handshakes are reserved for one place and one place only; the hockey ice after a play off round concludes. That is, if there is hockey!

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Barry Bonds - Sorry, but you ARE a joke

Recently the big story in baseball was the press conferences for Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and Giants outfielder Barry Bonds. This coming off an off-season in which the steroids issue has become a hot topic even more so than before.

In Giambi's press conference he applauded baseball's new steroid policy (another joke in itself), but of course he would! He'd be stupid to not after everything he's been through. Bonds had a little more animated conference later in the week.

Bonds took a stand as if to say that he didn't care about everything circling him. He has a cocky attitude, as he always has, and knows he is going to pass Babe Ruth on the all time home run list. But the speculation that he's on steroids or juiced somehow will forever surround any of his accomplishments.. Now I will go on record as to say I've never like Barry Bonds. But the reasons continue to grow.

In his press conference he tried turning the tables on the media and make it seem like he's not the good guy and the media is the one creating the circus and making a joke out of everything. Sorry Barry, but I'm not buying it.

The moment you took a substance that you didn't know what it was, you open yourself up for public questioning and right to know the truth. If you are the leader by far on pace to break the home run record and this kind of question comes up you better be prepared to face the consequences. If you are truly innocent then you have nothing to worry about and shouldn't be stressed out about it. You're obviously not concerned about your public image, otherwise you wouldn't be so cocky on the field as well.

Step up to the plate Barry. You're at bat this season.

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NASCAR NAS

NASCAR NAS? What is NAS? "NAS" is a little acronym I like to use, representing my feelings towards such activities that I deem to be "Not A Sport." I have had this argument many times so get in your corner and act like a lightweight going against a heavy weight, because I'm coming out swinging.

I base my argument based on the definition of the very word "sport". The source for today will be dictionary.com, which defines "sport as:

sport ( P ) Pronunciation Key (spôrt, sprt)
n.

1. 1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
   2. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.

I also throw in that I have classifications of sports, and they stem down to two basic categories; Category A Sport, and Category B sport. Creative, huh? In order for the greatest sports all over the world to be considered a top notch sport, you want to fall under Category A classification. Category A sports are your real sports such as football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and so on. Category B sports contain all other athletic competitions such as swimming, distance running, slalom, and so on. Let's examine each before we go on.

Category A Sports
The qualifications to b Category A are simple.

• There must be two (or more) teams or individuals competing against each other head on. The outcome of one team directly affects the opposing team (Example: One team scores, the other is immediately behind, no questions asked). This means there are no judges giving scores (umpires and officials are allowed for rule enforcement)
  
• Defense. There must be a recognizable sense of a defense that the plain eye can see. In most cases this is obvious because one team will control the ball (or puck) in an attempt to score. Baseball is the rare exception where the defense actually controls the ball at all times.
• Physical exertion must be evident.
  
• No points systems to determine leaders or champions or rankings. Head to head competition is the only way to judge who the better team is.

Category B Sports
The qualifications for Category B sports are made to state that while not a top notch sport, they are in deed still a sport.

• Head-to-head competition in a different sense. The actions of one team may not directly affect the opposition, but it is clear that one team or individual can out perform the other. Swimming is the best example of this. While one swimmer may be late to dive in, it does not mean the other swimmers were directly affected by this.
• Time may be used to determine winners and losers. Fastest times usually win, but longest times can be used in certain situations.
• Again, no judges allowed.
• Physical exertion must be evident.

And this brings me to the NAS classification. Can anybody argue that auto racing falls into one of these categories? Please try. I admit I am biased because I choose not to ever sit and watch cars go around in circles until somebody finishes (except slot car racing - that can be fun!). But I firmly believe that my categories of sports should be the universal classification from here on.

I continue to cringe and roll my eyes EVERY time that my sports programming world continues to say (more like cram down my throat) that auto racing is a sport. It simply is not. If millions of people do it every day for convenience, travel, or running errands, it is not a sport. Driving is not a sport. Stop me if I've said this enough.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch some World Series of Poker on ESPN.

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How to Create a Student Section

This one goes out to all of you small school students. You know, the ones that don't have a division one basketball team or a school that will provide a free t-shirt for you every game.

Do you ever get jealous of those kids you see on ESPN when their basketball team is playing? All the schools have them; rowdy student sections. Michigan has all their students in yellow shirts, Notre Dame has everyone in green, Syracuse dresses them all in orange. The best student section of all time resides in Duke with the Cameron Crazies, where the students camp out hours before games just to get a spot in the arena, and are so uniform in their cheers throughout the game.

To be a part of something like that must be a lot of fun. So if it's so fun for them, why can't it be done on the smaller level? If you get a bunch of college students in one area at one time and tell them to be rowdy, odds are they'll be rowdy. So I present my guide to forming a student section:

• Everybody must wear either A) the same color, or B) mix of school colors
• Where to sit? Across from the benches, surrounding the cheer leaders and pep band.
• Get jam packed together and become one.
  
• Make noise when the opposing team shoots foul shots.
• When the visiting team is being introduced there are many things you could do. My favorite is just not watching by either A) turning your back, or B) reading a newspaper)
• Remain standing until the opposing team scores their first points in either half.
• Actually follow and participate in the cheers from the cheerleaders (or pep band).

But how do we get the students of a school together to show their pride and represent themselves? Free shirts always work. But why don't fraternities and sororities get their members together and go to a game together? This is a great way to bond with your brothers and sisters and showing your pride in your school at the same time! I wish people would realize that the likes of Heiges Field House would be exploding if they actually got people to show up. It's embarrassing when the visiting team has more fans supporting them than the home team's students.

So I will make this announcement to all the students of Shippensburg University. I will unofficially declare Saturday, February 26 to be School Spirit Day. The main event will be the basketball double-header in Heiges Field House from 1pm and 4:30pm. I challenge all students to pack Heiges as the teams fight for their playoff lives. Did you know the men's team is fighting for the final playoff spot? Don't you think they would love the support of their students? Get your roommate, your hall mates, your fraternity brothers, sorority sisters, your friends from across campus. Everybody dress in red, white or blue (crazy hair and face paint is purely optional). And pack Heiges Field House as much you can. Jump up and down, be crazy, be nuts. Cheer with the cheerleaders. Sing along with the pep band.

And most importantly, have fun.

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R.I.P. NHL

Finally, there is something that can take my sports-oriented mind off of the Eagles Super Bowl defeat to the New England Patriots. But this isn't necessarily a good thing. Yes, the Phillies start spring training today with their pitchers and catchers, but I can honestly say that this isn't even the event occupying my mind right now.

The National Hockey League canceled their entire season today. In an event so monumental that it made me, of all people, create a Blogger, it was announced that there would be no recipient of Lord Stanley's Cup. The thought of any miraculous saves, triple overtime playoff games, heavy-weight fisticuffs, or grueling seven game series is now just that; a thought.

So now while the few of us who actually enjoy or follow hockey frown at the money-starving league and it's players, we look forward. Will there be a season ever again? Or is the NHL officially dead? It's hard to think the NHL can possibly make a comeback with any level of success. It has been losing money at a very fast pace and it is hard to recover form the bullets that they have already been impaired with. The NHL needs more than a stitch-up. They need a full reconstructive surgery.

The NHL is now the league with the dubious distinction of being the first to cancel an entire season. Only major league baseball has lost more games to work stoppages, and to be honest, who wants to be in the same boat as baseball when it comes to this? Polls left and right show that a large majority of this nation does not care. ESPNews did a state by state breakdown and just like election time gave us an illustration of red states (that don't care about the NHL being canceled) and the blue states (those that miss hockey). Or, after seeing the map, should I say the red states and red states? All fifty states showed that they do not care about the lock out.

NHL merchandise sales have plummeted,, teams have been fighting bankruptcies, and fans are going away. Now that this NHL lockout has canceled the season, we can focus on everything else. March Madness is right around the corner, followed by baseball opening day, NFL draft, and the NBA playoffs.

Do you believe in miracles?

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