Take a deep breath, the Olympics went out with a bang.
On the final night of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the men's hockey gold medal game lived up to every expectation. A 2-0 second period deficit turned into a 2-2 thriller before Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller for the game-winner.
But what an accomplishment for the Americans.
Coming into the Olympic games, the U.S. were barely given any chance of winning a medal. Weeks later the youngest team at the Olympic games is leaving Vancouver after defeating the best team in the world once and skated with them for more than three periods.
The game was exciting, dramatic, and by far the best sporting event of the year thus far in 2010. It gave great exposure to unknown athletes like Ryan Miller, and my personal favorite, Jack Johnson. It may create short-term buzz around the NHL, it may not. It won't make hockey more popular that basketball, baseball, or football here in the U.S.
But for about 70 minutes in the early evening hours on the first Sunday in March, a group of young Americans and talented Canadians kept the attention of the entire world. The spirit of the Olympic games came through the last event of Vancouver.
Another successful Olympic games.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Buzz Around the United States
Sunday night, one night shy of the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, anyone who was able to find the United States take on Canada in Olympic hockey wondered two things. First of all, why was the game broadcast on CSNBC? And secondly, how much would the Canadians win by?
By the end of the match the youngest team in the tournament from the United States not only upset their northern foes, but created a buzz around a sport that did not have one since 1980.
Sure, every spring there may be a NHL team or two to captivate an adopted "hockeytown," but on Sunday the United States squad lured a national audience into falling in love with a sports often pushed to the side. By Tuesday morning on my way to work listeners were still listening to Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN Radio discuss the impact of the upset.
In the short term, the game has brought positive attention to a sport that needs it more than any other of the major four professional sport leagues. In reality, though, the excitement will soon fade with the arrival of March Madness and the beginning of the Major League Baseball season. Names like Ryan Miller and Chris Drury will soon be replaced by Derek Jeter, Roy Halladay, and Albert Pujols. In fact, I just googled Miller's and Drury's names to ensure that I spelled them correctly.
Even with the previous thought in mind, the bottom line remains, that for the next week, the young Americans will at least draw interest as they aim for only the second gold medal in U.S. hockey history. It would be the first one since the Miracle victory against the strong Soviets in '80. It would take a miracle for it to raise NHL ratings over the NBA this spring.
Elsewhere around sports...
-It was a bit shocking to see the Eagles let Brian Westbrook go today. He has been a staple to that Eagles offense for the last eight seasons, filled with great performances against my New York Giants. That's one guy I will not miss seeing twice a season.
-Not quite as shocking is the continued slide of Virginia's basketball program. Not only can the Hoos get a stop when they need one defensively, the Cavs can't knock down a bucket even after the game gets away from them.
-As I write this and watch the Tennessee and Florida game, I continue to hear how disappointing the Florida crowd has been all season. It's shocking that a school with the enrollment number of Florida and success in sports over the last couple of years can struggle to draw strong crowds. Based on the 14 point lead with just over five minutes to play, it does not look like tonight's crowd is having any problems staying involved.
By the end of the match the youngest team in the tournament from the United States not only upset their northern foes, but created a buzz around a sport that did not have one since 1980.
Sure, every spring there may be a NHL team or two to captivate an adopted "hockeytown," but on Sunday the United States squad lured a national audience into falling in love with a sports often pushed to the side. By Tuesday morning on my way to work listeners were still listening to Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN Radio discuss the impact of the upset.
In the short term, the game has brought positive attention to a sport that needs it more than any other of the major four professional sport leagues. In reality, though, the excitement will soon fade with the arrival of March Madness and the beginning of the Major League Baseball season. Names like Ryan Miller and Chris Drury will soon be replaced by Derek Jeter, Roy Halladay, and Albert Pujols. In fact, I just googled Miller's and Drury's names to ensure that I spelled them correctly.
Even with the previous thought in mind, the bottom line remains, that for the next week, the young Americans will at least draw interest as they aim for only the second gold medal in U.S. hockey history. It would be the first one since the Miracle victory against the strong Soviets in '80. It would take a miracle for it to raise NHL ratings over the NBA this spring.
Elsewhere around sports...
-It was a bit shocking to see the Eagles let Brian Westbrook go today. He has been a staple to that Eagles offense for the last eight seasons, filled with great performances against my New York Giants. That's one guy I will not miss seeing twice a season.
-Not quite as shocking is the continued slide of Virginia's basketball program. Not only can the Hoos get a stop when they need one defensively, the Cavs can't knock down a bucket even after the game gets away from them.
-As I write this and watch the Tennessee and Florida game, I continue to hear how disappointing the Florida crowd has been all season. It's shocking that a school with the enrollment number of Florida and success in sports over the last couple of years can struggle to draw strong crowds. Based on the 14 point lead with just over five minutes to play, it does not look like tonight's crowd is having any problems staying involved.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Work Still to be Done
It's no one's fault but my own. I bought into Coach Tony Bennett and the eight straight victories near the beginning of the 2010 calender year. I bought into the University of Virginia playing tough defense. I bought into a motion offense focused on screens, low post presence, and shooters who could knock down the big shot. I thought that the Cavaliers were well on their way to earning a trip to the NCAA tournament.
I was wrong.
After losing four straight games and dropping to 14-10 and 5-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Bennett and the Wahoos need to focus on improving and preparing for the future. It does not matter how the team finishes this year because Bennett has shown thus far that he can be successful at UVa. Now its time to focus on 2010-2011.
One year ago, the Cavs finished 2-14 in ACC, even with Rookie of the Year in Sylven Landesberg. Afterwards, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage brought in a relative unknown to Virginia fans and hired Bennett from Washington State. Bennett led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, won the AP Coach of the Year award, and advanced to the Sweet 16 in his three years in Pullman.
Expectations were low in Charlottesville as fans hope to see a more defensive minded team that could compete each night against ACC foes. Bennett met that with a 12-4 start going into a late January match up against Wake Forest. A sloppy effort against the Demon Deacons, coupled with a ten point collapse with only three minutes to play against rival Virginia Tech, started a 2-6 slide. Of those six, two came against the Hokies, one to Maryland by 19 that looked closer in the box score than on the court, and finally, another embarrassing performance against Florida State tonight.
The season can be written off as one where the Cavaliers need to take some bumps and bruises and find an identity under Bennett. By no means do I believe that his job should be in jeopardy, or that Littlepage hired the wrong guy. I do believe, though, it is time to start preparing for the future.
Next season, the first recruiting class of Bennett will feature three players ranked by rivals.com as top 150 recruits. The class ranks as the number 15 class in the country, ahead of powerhouses such as Connecticut, Florida, and Villanova. Sitting on the bench this season for Virginia is another heralded recruit ranked in the top 100 prospects named Tristan Spurlock. Spurlock has only appeared in 11 of the 'Hoos 24 games because of Bennett's belief that he is not ready to play strong defense.
The bottom line is that in the last two games, no one on Virginia appears ready for the defensive effort that Bennett expects. Instead of letting talented players like Spurlock or freshman Jontel Evans to take lumps, Bennett tried to sneak into the tournament with walk-on Will Sherrill playing significant time. Wednesday night in 13 minutes Sherrill accounted for zero points, one block, three turnovers, and three rebounds. In five minutes of action, Spurlock had a steal, a block, and five points.
Whether Spurlock is ready to be an All-ACC candidate is not even a sane idea. What is obvious is that Virginia lacked the effort to play against a solid, athletic team like Florida State tonight. On Monday, Maryland was more athletic, physical, and skilled than Virginia. It's time Bennett gives his most skilled guys an opportunity to see if they can play in the ACC.
This season is a learning experience for the players. It's time the coaches caught on.
I was wrong.
After losing four straight games and dropping to 14-10 and 5-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Bennett and the Wahoos need to focus on improving and preparing for the future. It does not matter how the team finishes this year because Bennett has shown thus far that he can be successful at UVa. Now its time to focus on 2010-2011.
One year ago, the Cavs finished 2-14 in ACC, even with Rookie of the Year in Sylven Landesberg. Afterwards, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage brought in a relative unknown to Virginia fans and hired Bennett from Washington State. Bennett led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, won the AP Coach of the Year award, and advanced to the Sweet 16 in his three years in Pullman.
Expectations were low in Charlottesville as fans hope to see a more defensive minded team that could compete each night against ACC foes. Bennett met that with a 12-4 start going into a late January match up against Wake Forest. A sloppy effort against the Demon Deacons, coupled with a ten point collapse with only three minutes to play against rival Virginia Tech, started a 2-6 slide. Of those six, two came against the Hokies, one to Maryland by 19 that looked closer in the box score than on the court, and finally, another embarrassing performance against Florida State tonight.
The season can be written off as one where the Cavaliers need to take some bumps and bruises and find an identity under Bennett. By no means do I believe that his job should be in jeopardy, or that Littlepage hired the wrong guy. I do believe, though, it is time to start preparing for the future.
Next season, the first recruiting class of Bennett will feature three players ranked by rivals.com as top 150 recruits. The class ranks as the number 15 class in the country, ahead of powerhouses such as Connecticut, Florida, and Villanova. Sitting on the bench this season for Virginia is another heralded recruit ranked in the top 100 prospects named Tristan Spurlock. Spurlock has only appeared in 11 of the 'Hoos 24 games because of Bennett's belief that he is not ready to play strong defense.
The bottom line is that in the last two games, no one on Virginia appears ready for the defensive effort that Bennett expects. Instead of letting talented players like Spurlock or freshman Jontel Evans to take lumps, Bennett tried to sneak into the tournament with walk-on Will Sherrill playing significant time. Wednesday night in 13 minutes Sherrill accounted for zero points, one block, three turnovers, and three rebounds. In five minutes of action, Spurlock had a steal, a block, and five points.
Whether Spurlock is ready to be an All-ACC candidate is not even a sane idea. What is obvious is that Virginia lacked the effort to play against a solid, athletic team like Florida State tonight. On Monday, Maryland was more athletic, physical, and skilled than Virginia. It's time Bennett gives his most skilled guys an opportunity to see if they can play in the ACC.
This season is a learning experience for the players. It's time the coaches caught on.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Spring is in the Air
I think I have realized that after months of not writing, losing the ability to watch New York Yankees baseball games, the best thing I could do for myself is start writing again and letting my opinions show through. Besides, after a long winter of the Giants defense playing like a team of replacement players, spring training finally begins tomorrow with pitchers and catchers reporting.
To be honest, sports fans are currently in a weird time with football wrapping up, the Winter Olympics well under way, the stretch run of the basketball season intensifying, and the start of spring training. As the sports world collides we enjoy a time where there's always an exciting game to watch or news story to cover.
Since its my first post in months and a few potential new readers following this writing, I thought I'd use this forum to discuss some general thoughts about the current news in sports.
THE OLYMPICS
For some reason both the Summer and Winter Olympics always suck me right in. Even the small events such as curling get me excited and keep me entertained. At the same time, I wish we were still able to see college kids compete for their country such as the 1980 hockey team. It was teams like that which laid the groundwork for the Olympics today, unfortunately we will never experience another moment like fans did at Lake Placid.
THE NFL
With the dust settling from the Saints ride to their first Super Bowl, the focus of the entire league is on the the collective bargaining agreement and the possibility of an uncapped year next season. Although it can be debated whether this may or may not lead to inflated salaries around the league (see John Clayton's article on http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4915441), no one can dispute the impact this can have on the league. The NFL is the most popular professional league in the United States today; changing the CBA which helps maintain parity and upholds the competitive level in the league can only hurt the NFL, the owners, and the players who make their living off the league's popularity.
COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
About 30 games left before the NBA Playoffs begin and its obviously shaping up to me a Lakers-Cavaliers final. Although the NBA executives may be hoping for this matchup, I'll go ahead and pick two surprise teams that could make noise this spring. In the East the Atlanta Hawks are am exciting squad that I believe could get hot and make a run at beating the Cavs. It was only a couple of years ago thhat they took the Celtics to seven games before Boston eventually won the title. By the way I'm completely aware that picking the Hawks is not much of a stretch, but I love the idea of them making a deep run into the playoffs and couldn't resist.
In the West, I will be rooting hard for Oklahoma City to be led deep into the playoffs by Kevin Durant but believe that they are still a year or two away. Since that is also the thoughts of many NBA analysts, I'll choose the San Antonio Spurs as my sleeper pick. Sure, it can be argued that since they are only one game behind Dallas in the Southwest Division that they should hardly be classified as a "sleeper." But, unlike my Atlanta pick which I believe many NBA fans would enjoy seeing, no one is picking the Spurs to make a run mainly because no one enjoys watching the Spurs in the playoffs. With Tim Duncan and his 19.4 points per game and 10.7 rebounds leading the way though I believe this team remains in a position to make one more deep playoff run before Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker are broken up.
SPRING TRAINING
My final thought of the evening is dedicated to the fact that pitchers and catchers report tomorrow, February 17. In my mind, this marks the beginning of Spring for all sports fans. Getting the baseball players down to Florida as they begin to prepare for the long season ahead means more to me than the true first day of spring (March 21 -- I believe) and Opening Day. It can only be celebrated with one early prediction before true preview articles are even drafted. In 2011 expect my New York Yankees to defend the world championship against the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Creative? No. Bias? Of course. But the bottom line is that I believe each team will be able to pitch deep into games and will be protected by strong bullpens. Those traits are too good to bet against.
To be honest, sports fans are currently in a weird time with football wrapping up, the Winter Olympics well under way, the stretch run of the basketball season intensifying, and the start of spring training. As the sports world collides we enjoy a time where there's always an exciting game to watch or news story to cover.
Since its my first post in months and a few potential new readers following this writing, I thought I'd use this forum to discuss some general thoughts about the current news in sports.
THE OLYMPICS
For some reason both the Summer and Winter Olympics always suck me right in. Even the small events such as curling get me excited and keep me entertained. At the same time, I wish we were still able to see college kids compete for their country such as the 1980 hockey team. It was teams like that which laid the groundwork for the Olympics today, unfortunately we will never experience another moment like fans did at Lake Placid.
THE NFL
With the dust settling from the Saints ride to their first Super Bowl, the focus of the entire league is on the the collective bargaining agreement and the possibility of an uncapped year next season. Although it can be debated whether this may or may not lead to inflated salaries around the league (see John Clayton's article on http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4915441), no one can dispute the impact this can have on the league. The NFL is the most popular professional league in the United States today; changing the CBA which helps maintain parity and upholds the competitive level in the league can only hurt the NFL, the owners, and the players who make their living off the league's popularity.
COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
About 30 games left before the NBA Playoffs begin and its obviously shaping up to me a Lakers-Cavaliers final. Although the NBA executives may be hoping for this matchup, I'll go ahead and pick two surprise teams that could make noise this spring. In the East the Atlanta Hawks are am exciting squad that I believe could get hot and make a run at beating the Cavs. It was only a couple of years ago thhat they took the Celtics to seven games before Boston eventually won the title. By the way I'm completely aware that picking the Hawks is not much of a stretch, but I love the idea of them making a deep run into the playoffs and couldn't resist.
In the West, I will be rooting hard for Oklahoma City to be led deep into the playoffs by Kevin Durant but believe that they are still a year or two away. Since that is also the thoughts of many NBA analysts, I'll choose the San Antonio Spurs as my sleeper pick. Sure, it can be argued that since they are only one game behind Dallas in the Southwest Division that they should hardly be classified as a "sleeper." But, unlike my Atlanta pick which I believe many NBA fans would enjoy seeing, no one is picking the Spurs to make a run mainly because no one enjoys watching the Spurs in the playoffs. With Tim Duncan and his 19.4 points per game and 10.7 rebounds leading the way though I believe this team remains in a position to make one more deep playoff run before Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker are broken up.
SPRING TRAINING
My final thought of the evening is dedicated to the fact that pitchers and catchers report tomorrow, February 17. In my mind, this marks the beginning of Spring for all sports fans. Getting the baseball players down to Florida as they begin to prepare for the long season ahead means more to me than the true first day of spring (March 21 -- I believe) and Opening Day. It can only be celebrated with one early prediction before true preview articles are even drafted. In 2011 expect my New York Yankees to defend the world championship against the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Creative? No. Bias? Of course. But the bottom line is that I believe each team will be able to pitch deep into games and will be protected by strong bullpens. Those traits are too good to bet against.
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