Duke Vs. Davidson 2

After seeing the game today and reading this article I have to say that it is nowhere close to being right. I'm not taking anything away from what Davidson did today, but the game was nowhere near a close match. Duke out played them in every way even though the score didn't show it. Davidson is a really good ball team and I hate to say it but they will probably beat my team NC State, but they didn't really have a chance today. They do have an amazing team and an amazing player in Stephen Curry, but Duke was a much better team and the game was never close, regardless of what the score says.

Dwight Howard The Beast

Last night Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic played the Pheonix Suns. Although Dwight and the Magic lost he scored 30 points and posted 23 rebounds. In my eyes this is amazing. Considering the guy is just a few months older than me and he's making millions of dollars a year playing basketball and he can dominate like that makes me feel about worthless. It's even more impressive to me that he put up those numbers against the Suns and their guys like Staudamire. It looks like Dwight might become one of the better players in the NBA and I'm glad I get to watch him.

Duke Vs. Davidson

Tomorrow Duke plays at Davidson and I will be at the game. Duke will have a time guarding Davidson's Stephen Curry who is averaging 26 points a game. It will be a good game considering Davidson lost to Carolina by only 4 points. Duke has a good team this year and this will be a very enjoyable game.

A Sad Day For Football

This week Sean Taylor, a Washington Redskins player, was shot and killed in his own home in what many say appears to be a burglary gone wrong. It's been reported that Taylor had started to clean up his life after the birth of his daughter and his new found responsibility could be seen. It's sad that a player in the height of his career faces the darkness of his past although he's tried to escape it. Now Taylor's daughter is left without a father because of some acquaintances that he had in his past. I hope that this event can help younger athletes realize that the decisions that they make now can come back to haunt them in the future.

Battle Of The Best

This week arguably the two best tennis players ever played three matches against each other. Roger Federer won two of the three matches but Pete Sampras has been retired for 5 years. I believe it was a wonderful idea to have these two face off in what I speculate was an attempt to get more viewers. Federer has been the most dominant tennis player the past few years and Sampras won 14 Grand Slam titles during his career.

LSU Out

So it seems that I was wrong a couple weeks ago when I said that LSU and Oregon would meet for the BCS National Championship Game. Since then both teams have lost and seem to be out of the hunt for the title game. Since I seem to be wrong so much I will not guess who will be playing for the title again. However, LSU is still one of the best teams in nation considering the two times they have been beat it has been in triple overtime.

The Packers

Like many times so far this year I am once again gonna talk about Brett Favre and the Packers. They are 10-1 this season, the best start of a season in Brett Favre's career, and Brett is continuing to break record after record. Just yesterday he set a record for most consecutive completions by a Packer qb with 20 in a row. As I've said before, it makes me so happy to see Brett doing so good this season. To see him smile the whole time he is playing lets you know he is having fun and is enjoying himself.

Skip Prosser

During the off-season last year, Skip Prosser died of a sudden heart attack. This has been felt across college basketball and in the ACC. It has even been rumored that NC State Basketball coach, Sidney Lowe, has lost weight after hearing the news of Skip. As this article suggests, it has been tough for the Demon Deacons to get back on track after the incident, and even harder for the new coach who had to take the position. I hope the best for Wake Forest this year, Prosser was always a coach I admired and it was extremely sad and eye opening when I heard the news of his death.

Upset Galore

So far this week there have been upsets after upsets after upsets. Of course being from Gardner Webb it seems to be the most important one. However, beating a big school in college basketball the first game of the season means nothing. In 2004, UNC was defeated by Santa Clara the first game of the season and went on to win the National Championship. But it's still been fun to watch.

Buckeyes Upset

With the Buckeyes losing it's first game, and fighting at the end of it as I type, the BCS standings will now just continue to be a mess. All of the analyst who have been saying that OSU don't deserve to be #1 because of their weak schedule, will now not have to worry about it. With OSU being the only undefeated team to seem to have a chance to make it to the National Championship Game, the power houses with one loss that were believed to be in it at the beginning of the year will possibly have their chance again now. My call, if they win out, is that LSU will meet Oregon in the NCG.

Does The NBA Have A Bigger Market Outside The U.S.?

Last night the most watched sports program ever was expected to be viewed by 200 million people. The match up was between Yao Ming's Houston Rockets and Yi Jianlian's Milwaukee Bucks. There wasn't much hype about the game in the U.S. but in China it was monumental. The two players are known as China's biggest exports in the game of basketball and this is the first time that they have met. Yao Ming is considered China's king of basketball with Yi quickly becoming the favorite to take over the crown.

Football More Important Than Family

While surfing on ESPN today I came across this article. It seems that the Minnesota Vikings thinks it's more important for their wide receiver to be at the game than to make funeral arrangements for his grandmother. I understand that it is important for their players to be at the games during the season, as the article pointed out many times, but like the author said some things should be overlooked. It the guy decided to stay a couple days in South Carolina to tend to his family and fly in members in the armed services and a brother in a coma, surely they can overlook this. While it is important that he be at his job, some things are more important, and I respect Troy Williamson for seeing that.

A Let Down Again This Year

Once again the Tar Heels" are ranked among the top at the beginning of another season. As in the past few years the Tar Heels will be ranked at the top and expected to make the Final Four, but I know they won't. The Tar Heels are a team that always has the talent needed to take the championship, but they don't have the chemistry needed to finish the job. With so much talent being subbed in and out it's too hard for the team to have a connection, and too hard for them to go all the way. But like almost every year that they don't make it, I won't be disappointed.

The Big 3

The Big 3, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, won their first game tonight as a team. Gilbert Arenas made a promise earlier this season about how the Wizards would beat the Celtics this year regardless of them having the Big 3. Tonight the two teams met and Arenas did not keep his promise. The Celtics looked really good tonight and seem to be one of the teams to beat this year in the East.

Who Would You Rather Have?

I found this article today while looking on ESPN.com and I have to say I strongly disagree with it. I don't disagree that I'd rather have Kobe than A-Rod, I disagree for the reasons why. First of all she says that the only thing A-Rod cares about is money, while I partly agree with it I think that it is unfair to call just him out on that. He is the highest paid Baseball player but there is more out there than him. Both players in my mind get paid way too much to play a sport and to say that one does it just for the money more than the other one is ridiculous. Next she says that A-Rod is self-absorbed and only opted out of his contract because he wanted more money. In New York, no matter what A-Rod did he was still bashed by the fans and media. He will more than likely be named the AL MVP again this year, but they were still not happy with him. It was like they expected him to hit a home run every time he stepped up to the plate. And Baseball being an 11-person team sport it is harder for one person, with the exception of a pitcher, to make that big of a difference. However in Basketball, with it being a 5 person team sport, is a lot easier for one person to make a difference. She next says that A-Rod was not a leader. This brings me back to A-Rod being in New York, where many fans said that he was not a true Yankee because he wasn't drafted by them. The fans never let him be the leader, they always put him behind Derek Jeter. After all A-Rod didn't even get to play his position, shortstop, because they kept that position for the team's leader, Jeter. Although in my opinion I think the writer is right in some ways, her A-Rod bashing like the rest of the media is senseless and unnecessary.

38-Year-Old Quarterback Still Has It

Brett Favre, the 38-year-old quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, has been in the NFL since 1991. Favre has been known for his Monday night games, where he's done unimaginable things, and has a career of 57 touchdowns just on Monday night. One of his most memorable was the night after his father died of a sudden heart attack and Favre played the MNF game against the Oakland Raiders. Favre passed for 399 yds and 4 td's while completing 73% of his passes. However last night Favre did something that he hasn't had to do since he was first moved to Green Bay, and that was to prove himself. For the past few years Favre has been criticized by analyst over whether or not he can still play, or complete the long pass he's been known for. Last night during overtime against the Denver Broncos, Favre completed an 82-yard pass on the first play of overtime, ending the game. I've always loved watching Favre play and have been one of the few of my friends who have been supportive of him coming back to play the past couple years. Or at least supportive amongst the group of friends. Favre has been the best quarterback I've been able to see play and to see him still succeed after so many years out there and so much criticism just makes me smile.

NFL London

The NFL is having their first game in London ever before this Sunday when the Dolphins and the New York Giants square off. The NFL's attempts to go global is a smart idea but they have to walk a fine line in the process. The fine line between staying loyal to their USA fans and attempting to get fans from other countries. This will be a hard thing for them to do but hopefully they'll get what they are looking for.

Oral Sex Worth 10-Years In Prison?

As many may have heard the story of Genarlow Wilson a 17-year-old at the time received oral sex from a 15-year-old girl and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for this crime. Today Genarlow was released from prison because the Georgia Supreme Court ruled cruel and unusual punishment. I agree that Genarlow was mistreated and i respect that he did not take the plea bargain because he would be listed under a sex offenders list. He did this because of his baby sister and complications if he were listed as a sex offender. My main beef is the girl in this trial. If my memory serves me correctly the first time i heard this story one of the girls that were allegedly raped also has sex with other boys that night, and was video-taped. Now I do not know what exactly went down that night but if a girl has sex with multiple boys, and it seems to be consensual and does not say stop during the video taping, then why are the boys faced with charges? I understand that alcohol was involved but she had to know what might happen that night in a rented motel room with alcohol and video cameras. I'm not saying that anything that happened that night was right, but should only males be held accountable for the things that happened? In my mind something bad did happen, and she may not have been in the right state of mind at the time, but he probably wasn't either. Does this mean that since he is male he is the one that is at fault? I agree that he should be held accountable for his actions, but so should she. The sentence was unfair since both were minors and the law that was in place at that time was for adult child molesters, but for him to be the only one facing action from the law is unfair.

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Tank Johnson, the newly acquired nose tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, has had troubles in the past with his gun obsession. However, after reading a recent article on espn has changed my feelings towards Tank. I once thought that he was just another thug who could play ball, and that the money and fame would never change his lifestyle. The article showed that Tank is in the position he is in today not because he is a thug, but because of some misunderstandings of mistakes he's made. He allowed his best friend in high school to become his bodyguard to try and rehab him, when he was eventually killed. Tank has a fascination with guns, as many Americans do, and decided to own some illegally, which more than likely meant he didn't get the permit required. One thing Tank said that surprised me, that many other sports stars wouldn't admit to, was that what he did was wrong and he accepted that he went about things the wrong way. I'm glad that Dallas is giving Tank another chance to play in the NFL and I hope that this time he doesn't make the same mistakes.

Kobe To Leave?

The has been a lot of talk this week about Kobe Bryant this week, and whether or not he will be traded. Many fans have backlashed at Kobe saying that he is a baby and he is betraying them. But like many other stars he was put into a situation where they expected him to be their savior and win regardless of who they back him up with. As it has always been, 1 person can not beat 5. I hope Kobe does go to another town and start anew with a different team, coach and scene. I also hope he makes it further in the playoffs. The Lakers really need to start rebuilding their team because once he is gone, there won't be much left for them to cheer for.

Fantasy Football II

As I said in an earlier blog, I am in an ESPN fantasy football league. I enjoy the league, the set up and draft are simple and understandable. I do have some beef with how ESPN scores their fantasy. First of all, QB's get nowhere near enough points. I have Tom Brady as my QB, and each week he puts up some of the most amazing numbers. For instance last week he had 5 td's, 1 int and 388 passing yd's. He only got 33 pts. To put this into perspective, LT has 44 pts last week in fantasy. He had 4 td's and 198yds. So Brady had 1 more td and almost twice as many yds, but had 11 less points. I understand that comparing an rb to a qb is not a good way to prove my point, but by doing so I prove the bias of ESPN. They always tell you to pick rb's first, because they cake it up for rb's so they can get so many points each week. A qb gets one point for every 25 passing yds, while a rb gets 1 point for every 10 rushing yards. A rb gets 6 pts for a td, a qb gets 4. It just irritates me to see Tom Brady throw up such amazing numbers while he still gets beat every week because a rb has a couple tds and 100 rushing yds.

What The Crap?

After reading this article this week the only reply I could come up with was what the crap? Football is an American sport. All of the teams are from American cities. A conference is actually named the American Football Conference. So why play the biggest game in the sport in another country? This would seriously not tick me off, but also a lot of other fans. I understand that the NFL wants to get more interest from foreign countries but to get that they seem to not care if they lose interest with the American public. I can understand some games being played in another country, but not the Superbowl. The most watched t.v. program every year.

Respect Over Money

In the sports world nowadays most people would take millions of dollars over respect. This week one of the most famous managers in baseball rejected a $5 million, 1-year deal with the Yankees. Joe Torre said that he felt disrespected by the deal and felt like the deal showed a lack of confidence in the manager. What impressed me the most of what Joe Torre did about the whole deal was that during every interview he never said one negative word about the Yankees' management. Although I'm not a big Yankees fan, what he did was more respectful than any record he's broken.

Sour Grapes

One thing that I have noticed this year is how one certain analyst never seems to pick his old team. Keyshawn Johnson, as far as I know, has not picked his former team the Carolina Panthers to win a game the whole year. The Panthers let Keyshawn off at the beginning of the year, although he was only going to play for one more year, and apparently Keyshawn did not take so well to that. Keyshawn was easily able to get a job at ESPN, being a football analyst on Sunday mornings. Although it upset me that they did that to Keyshawn, it humors me that he refuses to pick them. The worst part of it is that this year he has mostly been right about his picks.

Game Of The Week

The game of the week, which everyone should know if they pay any attention to sports, this week is the Patriots vs. Cowboys. The Patriots will most definitely dominate this game for many reasons. First although Tony Romo is a good quarterback who is on his way to becoming a great one, he has not faced a team like the Patriots. His "best" receiver drops more balls than he catches. And the Patriots just have too many offensive tools to destroy their defense. Being in the NFC and not facing an opponent worth mentioning, the Cowboys will finally be challenged and will definitely lose.

Update On Mike Gundy's Tirade

As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, Mike Gundy Oklahoma State's football coach, confronted a reporter during a press conference and was later bashed by the media. Gundy's tirade was attacked by many reporters while he gained the support from fans. Since then Gundy's team has gone undefeated and he obviously won the support from his team as well as the fans of Oklahoma State and college football fans alike.

LSU Is Defeated

The LSU Tigers, the team that was presumed to be unbeatable, after the first unbeatable team USC was knocked off, was defeated tonight by Kentucky. This breaks my heart considering I am an SEC fan, and regardless of what team it is, the possibility that another SEC will win the Championship is declining.

16-0 Team In 2007?

With the Patriots 4-0 and not looking to slow down anytime soon, many people have started talking about the possibility that they will go 16-0 this season. The only team to ever do that was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and no one has really come close since to achieving that goal. Although I believe that the Patriots could do it this year, I do not think it is likely they will. In a time and age when all that matters is how many rings you have, what would the Patriots have to gain by going 16-0? After making the playoffs, and possibly waiting until after they win home-field advantage, the Patriots will more than likely pull their star players and just finish out the rest of the season. Although it would be a historical moment, you do not win a special prize or trophy for going 16-0, so since the Patriots are a smart football team they will keep their stars out of danger's way and get them fresh for the post-season.

Hall Of Famer Overlooked

While searching through ESPN.com I came across an article that was about something other than "expert's" opinions as usual, and about a player that has been overlooked in NFL history. Tony Latone grew up as a coal miner after his father died when he was a child. He as forced to work in the mines right after his father's death to provide for his mother and sisters. After serving his country for 18 months in WWI, he came home to the mines and joined a football team at the mining town. The article told a little about why he was such a huge impact, but was an interesting story that makes me want to get the book and find more out about the "Human Howitzer".

Fantasy Football

Sticking with the Fantasy Football talk, I'd like to say that although my rb's depth chart is weak, I'm definitely not worried about my Qb. After making a trade for Tom Brady earlier on in the season, I do not see him going down for the rest of the year. My trade, which seemed risky at the time and the week after, is starting to pan out and looking like it was done in my favor. I traded Donovan Mcnabb, Brian Westbrook and T.O. for Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson and Isaac Bruce. Although Bruce hasn't done much for me the year, I couldn't be more happier with AP and Brady. And with Mcnabb being inconsistent as usual and Westbrook on the brink of injury, I see this trade working out for me throughout the year. Although with my luck I know the two will turn it around, I was happy to get rid of T.O. because honestly I don't like his attitude.

Substance Abuse Kills Fantasy Teams

This week Travis Henry has been on the brink of suspension thanks to substance abuse accusations. In my fantasy league injuries and a lack of depth on my part is killing me this year. Needing Travis Henry for his 12.8 point average so far this season, to see that he might be out for the rest of the season kills my chances in the league. It also makes me upset at some of the attitudes of players. After Michael Vick lately failed a drug test, even though he is constantly being monitored, it surprises me that football players think they can get away with these things. I guess some people never learn.

My Favorite College Football Receiver

My favorite football receiver, who I've been able to see during my years on this earth, is one whose career was cut short due to an injury. Tyrone Prothro was a receiver that could make an impact and before his injury was blossoming into an impact player. Tyrone was a threat in many different ways. He was a receiver, lined up as a rusher and was also Alabama's returner. He has one of the better highlight reels of the last decade. His most famous catch, which is the best catch I've ever seen, Tyrone reached over the shoulders of a defender, caught the ball, and then pulled it in to the back of the defender while flipping forward with the receiver. I find it sad that his careers ended so soon, because I would have loved to see how many more amazing catches he could come up with.

Cinderella Story In The NFL

With this year possibly being Brett Favre's last season in the NFL, could the Packers possibly win the Super Bowl? I can only hope. Being a Favre fan, and knowing he should have quit two years ago, with his passion for playing and mostly winning could possibly be fueled with one last Super Bowl win. Brett is on of the greatest qb's of all time and to win in his last season, the season where he has been set to break the NFL passing records, would be a great accomplishment for him, and an even better story for the NFL amidst the controversies that has surrounding them this year.

The Greatest Game This Season

In my opinion there will be one game this football season that will be better than any other. One November 17, one of the college football teams that I hate will be beaten by a team that has won once the past 24 games. Duke will play Notre Dame and I hope with all my heart that Duke can pull off just one more win within the next 22 games.

Coaches Standing Up For Players

As many people have already seen this week, Oklahoma State Coach, Mike Gundy, had a talk with the media this week in his post game press meeting. Now most of the media has been bashing Mike Gundy for his reaction, saying he acted unprofessional and was totally out of order. One of my least favorite articles comes from Pat Forde of ESPN.com, who bashed Gundy and brought his record at the school into the picture. I disagree with those in the media who said he was out of order. Do I think he might have over reacted? Sure, but it was something that needed to be done. So much pressure is put on college athletes by the media that someone needed to step up and say hey, they're just kids and they're in college to learn not to play sports. The media downgrades college athletes saying that many of them don't deserve to be in college because of their grades, but then turns around and calls them weak and indirectly calls them a momma's boy. I believe that article was totally irresponsible of the author, editor and paper. And Pat Forde was worse by bringing in so many things that did not deal with the issue at hand, for instance Coach Gundy's record and the fact that the kid can fight in the Army but not take criticism. Tha argument is rediculous in my mind considering the kid is not the one who says he is old enough or not to die at war, but the government. And for Pat Forde to call him unprofessional is just as rediculous. As one of the members said on the message board, "I'd say someone calling themselves a nickname in the third person is a little more unprofessional than what Gundy did."

Sports Star Turned Analyst

Tiki Barber, the New York Giants record breaking rb, seems to have ill feelings towards his old team. Once again this week Tiki has lashed out against a current Giants player. Considering Tiki was the one who was disrespectful to people doing their jobs, and waiting a whole season to tell his team and the media whether or not it was his final year or not, he should shut his mouth. Ever since retiring from football he hasn't done much more than talk negatively about his former team. The Giants were the ones to draft him in '97 and give him his break, so he should show more respect towards the owners and his old teammates. Not to say Tiki hasn't worked hard in his career, but he should know that even though you feel you were mistreated there has to be some good that happened to you in New York, so why not talk about that for once.

Worst Team Of The Year

For the first time in the school's history, Notre Dame is 0-4. Being biased against Notre Dame for their ego, I am proud to say that I think they are the worst team in nation. Having the #1 prospect qb in the nation from high school last year, a coach who is worth to a 10-year contract extension and considering yourself one of the best teams in the history of college football, you should be able to win a game every once in awhile. You should also be able to score an offensive touchdown before the fourth game of the season. Seeing Notre Dame 0-4 makes me smile.

Back In Trouble

As you have probably already heard by now O.J. Simpson is back in the spotlight again for holding up some memorabilia dealers who he claims stole his stuff. Only a week after he was in the spotlight for his book, If I did it, came out he is back in the public eye. With audio files circulating over the internet of him yelling at the men that he confronted about stealing his stuff, it seems that O.J. is in trouble with the law and quite possibly will go to jail. To many this seems like a good thing considering millions believe he should be in jail right now for murder. As for me, it wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if he was sent to jail for this.

Race Controversy In Football

After two weeks into the football season, Donovan Mcnabb, Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback has said some things on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble" that has gained some media attention. Mcnabb, who is one of the better qb's of the NFL, brought race into the issue. Mcnabb has said that there is more pressure on black qb's in the game than on white qb's. In my opinion I don't think he has so much pressure on him because he is black, but because of his playing. Mcnabb has proven himself as a great qb, but has been prone to injury. He plays for a town that is passionate about their football, so any qb for the Eagles would have pressure put on them. Many of the black qb's, such as Michael Vick, are paid substantial amounts of money, which also puts more pressure on them, and often don't deliver. I see what Mcnabb is saying, considering the large majority of qb's are white, but I don't believe that so much pressure has been put on him because of his race.

A Bigger Upset?

Many might remember the upset experienced by Yankees nation in 2004 when Boston came back in a series that they were three games down to win the World Series. It has been called by many to be the biggest upset in the history of baseball. Never before had a team that was three games down come back to win the World Series. And what made it better was the two teams involved, THE rivalry in baseball.

Now this year, having been 14 games behind the Red Sox at one time, I see what could be a bigger upset in baseball. IF the Yankees were able to make it to the playoffs, which they probably will, and did beat the Red Sox and won the World Series, what could that do to the rivalry. Since 2004, the Sox Nation has been able to rub that in the face of the Yankees, being almost the only thing they can use against them considering the luck of the Red Sox in their quest for the Championship. If this were to happen, how sweet would it be for the Yankees fans out there?

Now He Is In The Hot Seat

Last week I posted a blog about how Charlie Weis isn't really on the hot seat. I recant my statement. After a loss today to Michigan, Notre Dame could officially be the worst team to have made it to a bowl game last year. Notre Dame lost 38-0 today to Michigan. I did not get to watch this game, because of a previous post I stated that it would be boring, but now it could have made an interesting situation.

Sorry Charlie Weis, maybe Belichick needs another camera man for next year.

Clash of the Titans

Today two of the "Powerhouse" teams of the country square off for a battle like no other. I call it the Battle of the Bore. The preseason number 5 team in the nation, Michigan, takes on the Fighting Irish. The only problem with this game is that it will take a miracle from Touchdown Jesus to make it exciting.

Like always the two teams have been overrated, like Rudy, and now it seems to be a surprise for everyone that they lose. Playing weak schedules for the past few years, they seem to be considered good teams, when they are really given bids into bowl games, to lose. I'm glad to see that people are turning around and realizing that just because a team was once a powerhouse, doesn't mean they still are. The upside to this game for the two teams though is that at least one team will have won 1 game this season.

Cheating in Football Not So Bad

This past week Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were fined a total of $750,000 and draft picks. And what was their crime? A cameraman for the Patriots was seen on the sideline of the New York Jets filming their defensive calls. And of course the media has over-exaggerated. This for instance is what has been said about the Patriots and Belichick.

I'm not a big Patriots fan but I do realize what they have done in the new century. They have dominated the AFC, in other words the NFL. I like to have reasons to not like the Patriots, but this can't be one. In the sport of football the teams play mind games with each other. Plays, calls and signals are constantly being changed so the other team will always be on their toes. Since these calls keep being changed it's safe to assume that the Jets would not use those same calls again so why is it a big deal? It's not even that hard to pick up on signals. I couldn't count how many times I've watched a game and the announcers were able to pick up signals and calls.

I understand how football is trying to clean up its image right now because of the many other incidents that have been going around. This could be one reason why the media has covered the story like it has. If one of the more notable teams has been seen as cheaters in many people's eyes, it will only further complicate the NFL's goal.

Is a High Paid College Coach Really on the Hot Seat?

Since the Notre Dame football team has started off 0-2 this season, many people have been talking about the possibility of Charlie Weis being on the hot seat. Even though Notre Dame has not went 0-2 the opening games of a season in a long time, I do not see Charlie being on the hot seat. Notre Dame is in a rebuilding stage after losing their all-american QB Brady Quinn. The Fighting Irish have been a decent team since Charlie Weis started in the 2005 season having a record of 19-7, and going to two straight BCS games. They currently have the #1 sought after QB from last year's class, and are destined to get better as he continues to slowly become accustomed to the speed of college football. With the talent and potential that his team has this year, and as early as it is in the season, Charlie could not be in the hot seat right now. However, if Weis and his team don't shape up by the end of the year or next, Notre Dame might need a new coach very soon.

A Bias in Sports Media?

One recent article that I read on ESPN.com was about two basketball players, Antoine Walker and Eddy Curry, who were robbed in their own houses. The article grabbed my attention because it discussed how black athletes are shown negatively in the American sports media. Citing examples as the Pacman Jones and Michael Vick issues, the author discussed how something like this happened to a black athlete, and since he didn't commit the crime, it did not get as much attention as the other cases.

Although I think that the author was right when he said most of the time black athletes are shown in the media it is in the negative light, I do not think that these two occurrences were downplayed because of their race. These are two mediocre basketball players, at best, who were robbed. If it had been a star like Kobe Bryant or Shaq, I could understand an uproar if people were not informed of that. People get robbed every day and most likely it is not reported, and I feel like it even being mentioned in a news paper is sufficient.

This brings me to the negative news in sports media. I believe that most of the articles that are shown on TV and read on the Internet are over exposed, and mostly negative. I remember just two weeks ago I couldn't turn on a TV without hearing something about Michael Vick. The author of this article mentioned this, and my response is that Michael Vick is the highest paid player in the NFL, and could have quite possibly thrown away hundreds of millions of dollars on a poor mistake, which seems to me and probably most sports fans to be bigger news than a mediocre basketball player being robbed. Is it fair that the viewers and reporters treat the stars like that? No. Since when has news been fair?

15th Century Art with 21st Century Music

My multi-media piece that I found dealt with artwork done by Heironymus Bosch. Heironymus Bosch was a 15th-16th Century Netherlandish artist known for painting dealing with sin and human moral failings. This video is taken from a famous triptych by Bosch called "The Garden of Earthly Delights". This painting is made up of three pieces of wood with the left side displaying the Garden of Eden, the middle piece displaying earthly delights, and the right piece shows Bosch's depiction of Hell. When the three pieces close a painting of God creating the Earth can be seen. The video takes pieces from Bosch's Hell painting and animates them. The music is played by Buckethead. I chose this piece because first of all, Buckethead is one of my favorite guitarists, but also because I was captivated by two forms of art, that are centuries apart, being combined. This video contains some graphic images that are disturbing, which freaked me out, but is interesting because it shows a 15th century artist's idea of Hell.

Sports Media

This is my new blog that will deal with sports media. Being a sports fan, and seeing that I watch the sports news shows ritualistically, I feel like the subject of sports is perfect for my blog. In my attempts to keep up with my blog, I will more than likely just speak on issues in sports media that irritate or excite me. I hope that those of you who take the time to read this blog enjoy it.

Most of the stories in sports media that I review will come from espn.