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

I Can See The Light!

So can the rest of the fans at Roland Garros, where the match between thirteenth seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils and Italy's Fabio Fognini was just completed. This match was actually scheduled yesterday, however, due to darkness, the game had to be postponed until today. It was so bad that the Shot Spot technology wasn't working correctly (it uses shadows to determine where the ball landed, and since there were no shadows...). I just finished watching the match, in which Fognini upset the Frenchman. After watching this match, the score stands: Number of French Open matches watched: 1, Number of NBA Playoff games watched: 0. I can only assume that the gap will widen as the French Open continues, unless by some miracle the Celtics recruit Maria Sharapova to play for them.

Speaking of the NBA playoffs, it seems that we actually have something to pay attention to now. After the Suns figured out that the Lakers don't want to move on offense and are content with just throwing up three pointers all day, they have used a zone defense to crawl back into the series. As for the series in the East, it seems like the Magic do want to play basketball after all. Although I don't see either the Suns or the Magic making it to the Finals, it's nice to see that they are at least putting on somewhat of a show for the viewers. I don't happen to be one of those viewers, but I'm sure that whoever is watching...wait, what? No one outside of Boston, Orlando, Los Angeles, and Phoenix cares? No, that can't be right, can it?

I'm not sure how many of you watched the United States' international friendly against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, but just in case you did and were concerned with the outcome of the game (the Czech Republic won 4-2), I have good news: this means very little. Very few of the players that you'll see on the pitch for the U.S. in the upcoming World Cup actually played in this game. Rather, it was really a way for the coaches to get a last look at some of the guys before they made final cuts for the World Cup roster. I don't want to give away too much (since I'll be breaking down all the Groups for the World Cup soon), but I still like the U.S.'s chances to move on. While we're on the subject of the World Cup, check out this commercial by Nike. If this doesn't get you pumped for the World Cup, then I don't know what will.

It seems like the majority of my readers agreed with me about Floyd Landis, as most people voted "no, I do not believe what Floyd Landis says about Lance Armstrong" in the last poll. The latest poll really has nothing to do with anything that I talked about in this post; rather, it is a discussion that I heard on the radio a few days ago. My local sports radio station was discussing whether or not MMA style fighting would be a good idea to offer as a sport or club in high school. I want to hear your opinions on this, so vote on the poll, and if you'd like to comment on the issue, leave one in the comment section or email me at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com. Thanks guys.



- 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

Where Amazing Happens? Not Quite...

It's been over a week since my last post, and for the first time ever, I actually had people asking me when I was going to post next. Granted, they were probably just giving me crap, but it feels nice all the same to know that at least someone besides me is reading my work. So once again (since I've done this shout out before), thank you to all of my readers for your support.

The NBA playoffs are well underway, and I'll be honest; I haven't watched a game yet. Not one. For the last few weeks leading up to the playoffs, I've been arguing with people as to why I don't think the NBA playoffs (or the NBA in general) are all that interesting. At least not the first round. Before I start watching anything but the NBA Finals, here are some things that David Stern should institute to make the game better.


Fix the Age Rule

Take it away completely? Actually, quite the opposite. The NBA needs to make a rule similar to the NFL, where a player must be at least 21 years old or have completed his junior year of eligibility for the NCAA in order to enter the draft. There is something wrong with a professional league where 19 and 20 year olds are able to master the game and be stars immediately out of high school. How many 19 and 20 year olds do you see making an impact for teams in the MLB and NFL? A hell of a lot less than there are in the NBA, that's for sure.


Widen the Lane

You know what I see when, on rare occasion, I watch an NBA game on TV? Either a player dribbles around a little and then shoots a 20 footer, or a lazy dump pass is made into the lane, where a post player drops in an easy two footer. The NBA needs to become more of a team game; there is too much one-on-one play. A good way to make the league more pass happy is to widen the lane, forcing the big men to spread out more. Not only will they be unable to hang out under the basket as much, but it will open up the middle for backdoor cuts and give and go's.


Allow Zone Defense

Along with widening the lane, this is another international-esque move that I'd suggest the NBA make. Unlike many arguments, the NBA players are capable of stopping offenses by playing zone defense. They play it in the international game, and who are often some of the best defenders in the NBA? European players. The banning of zone defense was done to promote scoring, and with the athleticism of today's players, there would still be a lot of scoring.


Only Take Four...

...teams per conference to the playoffs. There is no reason to put half the teams in the league in the playoffs other than to increase revenue. The MLB takes eight, and the NFL takes twelve. Anything over that and you're starting to bring in some teams that are just plain mediocre (ahem, Chicago...). There isn't any place for mediocre in the playoffs, and if the NBA wanted to be taken more seriously, they'd start being more like Major League Baseball and less like the National Hockey League. Less is more, gentlemen (that goes for you too, NCAA).


I'm sure that these suggestions I've listed will ignite some discussion. I want to hear your thoughts and criticism, whether you agree with me or not. I doubt that the NBA will take my advice any time soon, but until they do, I won't be watching any of the playoffs until the conference finals...at the earliest.


Since I didn't write about the Ben Roethlisberger situation, I've decided to let you guys tell me what you think. Check out the poll in the top left corner of the page to vote. Think of it as my way of getting "the fans" involved.



- K. Becks