Another?

This is the first time since March Madness that I have posted two new entries in consecutive days. There are two reasons why I am doing this: one reason is now that I don't have school to worry about, I can devote more time to the blog (granted, near the end of the school year the blog took precedence over my school work anyways, but that's not the point). The other reason is that I was talking to one of my buddies last night, and he told me that another fellow blogger (http://whetstonestudios.blogspot.com/) was apparently griping that I only post about once a week. Needless to say, I feel that it is time that I step up my game a little. Hopefully posting more frequently will also prompt someone I have been badgering for the last three months to finally give me a shout-out on their YouTube channel. With all that being said, I hope that any of my readers that have not already subscribed to my blog will do so, as to give me some motivation to continue to post more frequently. Not only do I appreciate it, but I appreciate it as well.

I think it's time that I begin writing about sports. Currently the Celtics vs. Magic game is on my TV, which means that the tally is now: Number of French Open matches watched: 1; Number of NBA Playoff games watched: 1. The Celtics are killing them, so I'm not exactly sure why I haven't changed the channel yet (standup on Comedy Central is pretty tempting right now), but I guess I want to see how they react when the game is over. This is a team who has definitely been through some adversity, but they have proved that good defense and experience will prevail more often that not. Unfortunately, Boston clinching the series means that I won't be able to write about the epic collapse of two Boston teams in one season, which would have been interesting, but I believe that another Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals will be pretty interesting in its own right. Yes, I have already put Los Angeles in as well, because I think last night's game took a lot out of Phoenix.

The biggest story today in sports is that the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team has been found guilty of 8 recruiting violations, stemming from an investigation that began in 2009. The charges include UConn coaches exceeding the number of phone calls that can be made to recruits, as well as giving meals, transportation, and lodging to a former recruit. With John Calipari, Kelvin Sampson, and Tim Floyd before him, I'm not all that surprised that Jim Calhoun has fallen victim to one of these cases. It seems that in order to be successful in college basketball, you have to cheat. It's sad really, when you think about it, because all that happens to these coaches is that they flee their school and are hired before the summer is over at another school. Look at Sampson; he's been accused of violations at the last two schools he's been at, and now he's the newest name to be thrown in as a possible candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job. Of course, Calhoun won't be leaving UConn, but if the NCAA really wants to put an end to these kinds of things, they should impose sanctions on the Calhoun, not the team, that won't be lifted until Calhoun retires. If the NCAA banned any team that Calhoun (or any other coach who commits recruiting violations) coaches from participating in postseason play for three years, then it would set a precedent for future violators. No team would want to hire a coach who is ineligible to take his team to postseason play, which would likely curb the number of coaches trying to cheat. The University of Connecticut isn't the violator; Calhoun and his staff are. Punish those who commit the crime, and you'll put an end to the act.

An article was put out today with a list of the 12 most-losing franchises in all of pro sports. The list was made by taking teams' winning percentages in the regular season since they became a franchise. Let me clarify this, since this is often a misconception; most-losing franchises is not synonymous with worst franchises. For example, the Tampa Bay Rays are far from being one of the worst franchises in sports. They were in the World Series two years ago, and are in first place in their division this year. Considering that they have only been a franchise for twelve years, that's not too bad a resume. That brings up another flaw in this list: many of the teams (Columbus Blue Jackets, Charlotte Bobcats, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Rays) were the last franchises to form in their respective leagues. Of course those teams are going to have some of the lower winning percentages. I'll admit, this list isn't all that important, but if we're going to invoke a discussion about the worst teams in pro sports, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates cannot go unmentioned. Now that they're mentioned, I'll put this subject to rest.

I'm not going to give my opinion on what I think about MMA-style fighting in high school because the survey is still being conducted. However, I will put up a new poll for you guys. Check it out in the left corner, and if you haven't subscribed yet, I think it's about time! On the left hand side, press "Follow", and it will come up with some options on how you would like to follow the blog. Thanks everyone.



- K. Becks

Floyd the New Jose?

The biggest story in sports right now is U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis admitting that he did in fact take performance enhancing drugs. Well, thanks Floyd; after four years of denial, a downward spiral of your entire life since the accusations were made, and being wanted by French police for hacking into a French laboratory that had evidence that you doped, you have finally come clean. Of course, that wasn't enough for you, was it? Trying to bring down Lance Armstrong was in your plan all along. Here's the thing, though: not only is your word viewed with suspicion after lying for four years, but even if you do happen to be correct, Lance Armstrong will still be loved by the public. Forget the seven consecutive Tour de France titles; Lance has become a symbol of resilience and determination, an idol that people struggling in their own lives can look up to and realize that they are capable of overcoming whatever odds have been stacked up against them. In the years since his incredible cycling run, his legacy has morphed into more than just being a champion on the bike. He is a champion in life, and for that he cannot be brought down. Especially by someone like you, Floyd; you caused Americans to be ashamed and embarrassed, and they haven't forgotten that. You say you don't want to be part of the problem anymore; if that is true, then why are you creating a whole new one in accusing Lance of taking PEDs? Just like all the events that occurred after your tainted 2006 Tour de France victory, it's sad.

In addition to that story, the NBA Conference Finals are well underway, and I said that this was the time when I was going to finally start watching some of the games. However, I lied. I have yet to watch an NBA playoff game this season, and barring unforeseen circumstances, I probably won't until the Finals start. However, I am going to predict that a rematch of the 2008 Finals will occur. Los Angeles has been handling Phoenix pretty well so far, and Boston's defense is again coming through for Doc River's aging team. However, the NBA is probably cursing Boston, because with the Celtics' victory over the Cavs last round, the NBA lost their selling point to casual fans. Also, the Lebron free agency saga has attracted so much more media attention than the actual games in the NBA that it's not even funny. Speaking of which, if Lebron knows what's best for him, then he'll stay in Cleveland. Besides Chicago, two types of teams are lusting after Lebron: 1. A team that already has a superstar, and bringing in Lebron would force them to clear house of just about every individual in the organization who can dribble a ball due to payroll limitations (ex. Miami Heat) or 2. A team that isn't very good right now, and even with Lebron wouldn't be a championship contender for another seven years (Ex. Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks). Since Lebron wants to create his own legacy, and Chicago already has one, returning to Cleveland make the most sense for him from a strictly basketball standpoint. However, as we know in pro sports, money talks, and if the greens in another city are music to Lebron's ears, then we may see him in a different uniform next season.

Last post I asked my readers which teams the Big Ten will expand with if they decide to expand their conference. The opinions varied, but when the poll closed, current Big East schools Pittsburgh and Rutgers received the most votes. I agree for with my readers for the most part, but I also think that the Big Ten wants to expand West as well as East. With that being said, I would also include Missouri in the conversation of who the Big Ten may possibly take. It makes sense from a geographical standpoint, and Missouri already has a longstanding football rivalry with Illinois that would be able to continue in the Big Ten. The talk of expansion has since died down, but it will resurface, and next time some changes may actually be made. I'm not a fan of expansion, but once again, money talks. Especially to someone like Jim Delany.

A few days ago, my promotional manager decided to put the sugar from those sour Skittles up his nose, and ended up walking around school the rest of the day with extremely red eyes. I told him that in my next post, I would give him a shout out by finding an injury that an athlete suffered while doing something boneheaded or head-scratching. Thanks to the Yankees' Marcus Thames, I didn't have to go back very far to find one. On Wednesday night, Thames was running to first base after a hit when oops!...he stepped on his own bat. He ended up being diagnosed with a sprained ankle, which is unfortunate for him considering the only reason he was playing was because he was filling in for the injured Nick Swisher. So there you go, Zach. There's your shout out.

Since school is coming to an end, I will have more free time to devote to the blog. With this being said, expect more frequent posting. The end of May and early June is a busy time in sports, so here's a lineup of some of the things I will be covering in the next month or so: the NBA Finals, the French Open, a complete World Cup preview, and a special article about a juggernaut fencing team from the East Coast. Also, remember that every time I post, there will be a new poll up for my readers to vote on. Thanks everyone and I appreciate the continued support.



- K. Becks