The first week of pro football is now in the books, and it has definitely provided us with some talking points for the rest of the week. The Texans are now a healthy 2-15 against the Colts all-time, the Kansas City Chiefs are leading the AFC West, and the Eagles may have more of a quarterback controversy than they envisioned they would encounter this season.
I think the most important topic is Philadelphia's quarterback situation. With Kevin Kolb out with a concussion, Michael Vick may start in his place this coming weekend at Detroit. Eagles coach Andy Reid has made it clear that Kolb is still the team's number one quarterback, which is a good decision in my opinion. However, since this weekend's game is against the Lions, if Vick starts, he may again look like a quarterback worthy of the starting job. The coaching staff will have a sticky situation on their hands; start Vick, with the knowledge that he could potentially account for one or two more wins for Philadelphia this season, or stick with Kolb, their quarterback of the future. Reid may feel the heat from fans this season if he opts to stay with Kolb after he returns from his injury, but I think it's the right decision. Vick is not their quarterback of the future, and probably won't even be in the league in a few years. His leg speed won't be there forever, and his performance this past weekend could just be a result of defensive coordinators not seeing him the past few years. Once teams have to prepare to stop Vick, I don't think he will be nearly as effective. Kolb will definitely take his lumps this season if he starts, but it will be worth it if Philadelphia wants to remain a contender in the NFC East in the future.
Speaking of quarterback controversies (well, I guess this next one isn't really a controversy anymore), Michigan's decision to go with Denard Robinson over Tate Forcier has worked out pretty well. Of course, let's not start the Heisman debate just yet. Robinson is good (430 yards passing and 455 yards rushing in his first two games? Yea, that's pretty good.), but he hasn't exactly been lighting it up against Alabama's or Ohio State's defenses, either. UConn has a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the Big East (known for particularly porous defenses) in yards per game allowed. Notre Dame gives up 427 yards per game, which would be good for...dead last in that same conference. For a few more weeks, Mr. Robinson will likely continue to rack up yardage and reel off ESPN worthy runs. However, I won't be truly impressed until early October. Starting October 9th, Michigan faces in-state rival Michigan State, number nine Iowa, and number twenty two Penn State on the road. If number sixteen is still ripping up defenses after those three games, then we can start talking about the Heisman. We've seen it happen before in the Big Ten, though. Juice Williams rode the spread offense all the way to the Rose Bowl in 2007, but couldn't do much against teams in his final two years. There is a chance that Denard Robinson could be the next Michael Vick, but my educated guess is that he is just taking advantage of unprepared (and mediocre) defenses.
I said that I would start to cover the U.S. Open in the later rounds, but I never really got around to it. Then I was going to cover the Final before it was played (assuming that it would be another Federer vs. Nadal epic), but Federer lost in the semi-finals and I had nothing to speculate on. Now that Nadal has won, completing his career Grand Slam, I have my newest poll: Is Nadal better than Federer? After Federer won at Wimbledon in 2009, the title of "World's Greatest Tennis Player", and to some extent, "Greatest Tennis Player Ever" was bestowed upon him. Enter 2010, where Nadal has won three of the four Grand Slam events. Federer was not the opponent in any of those finals. Federer is twenty-nine years old, so it is natural to assume that his best days may be behind him. However, in the Federer-Nadal rivalry, Nadal is 14-7. Even more telling of Nadal's dominance is his record against Federer in Grand Slam Finals, which is 5-2. What is the common measure of a player's lasting legacy in other major sports? Championships. Although Federer currently has more major championships (and probably isn't completely done yet), common sense tells us that, barring injuries, Nadal has more years left than Federer. If Nadal can catch Federer in number of Grand Slam titles and continue to remain dominant against him in head-to-head matches, will Nadal go down as the best player in his era? Or have we already given the crown to Federer, and fair or not, it is extremely hard to steal the crown that has already been given to someone in your own era. Considering Federer's age, this is an argument that should string out for at least two or three more years. This debate is also proof that just because Americans aren't dominant in tennis doesn't mean it's any less exciting.
- K. Becks
Showing posts with label roger federer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roger federer. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Cleveland Is Excited Now
For the first time in a very long time, the city of Cleveland may finally have some luck and good fortune on their side. This is because their Favorite Son, Lebron James, actually has an allegiance to his hometown and said in an interview that will air Friday on "Larry King Live" that Cleveland "absoultely" has an edge over other cities looking to uproot James out of Ohio. I don't know why anyone would be surprised, as I've said before that Cleveland is still the best place for him to play if he wants to win a championship and create a legacy, but some people need to hear it before they believe it. James has said he hasn't made a decision yet, but I think that he's just biding his time. The chances of another team being able to afford James and either Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, or Joe Johnson are extremely low, and that is the only reason why I can see James possibly leaving his hometown. If any city were to have their heart ripped out by a player bolting for another team, then Cleveland would be it. However, I just don't see that happening.
I just got done watching the Rafael Nadal vs. Nicolas Almagro quarterfinal match at the French Open, which brings the count to: Number of French Open matches watched: 2, Number of NBA Playoff games watched: 1. Due to the number of upsets on both the men's and women's sides so far, this has been a pretty interesting Major to follow. Both Roger Federer and Serena Williams went down in the quarterfinals, and although that means the casual fan is less inclined to watch the finals, it just shows that the gap between the "best" and "the rest" isn't as far as many people would think. In fact, this is the first time since 2004 that Federer has not reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. This means that Nadal is the favorite to win, but in the words of Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend!" The man who upset Federer, Roger Soderling, is an extremely talented player on clay, and played exceptionally well in last year's French Open Final against none other than Federer. If Soderling meets Nadal in this year's Final, then it is definitely a match worth watching.
Since I tried to get a press pass to this event (although for whatever reason I found it impossible to attain one), I'll comment on the news at the Memorial Tournament. I've seen a lot on SportsCenter about Tiger Woods' neck, and how it might affect him during the tournament. Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it really that big of a deal? It's not the U.S. Open; it's the Memorial Tournament. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of angry comments from my readers that live near the Muirfield Golf Village, but it's the truth. I understand that he's trying to defend his title, but does that automatically make it a bigger deal? Those are just my thoughts, so if you disagree, let me know in the comments section.
Yesterday I said that I would give my thoughts concerning the last two polls that I have put up for my readers to vote on. The first poll was "do you think that MMA style fighting should be a club/sport in high school". I was very pleased with this poll, as it was the most voted on poll the blog has ever had. The results were close, as "No" edged out "Yes" by just one vote. I'm going to have to agree with those who said no. One of the arguments for having MMA style fighting in high school is that it has proven to be safer than both football and boxing, with fewer injuries sustained during MMA style fighting than in the aforementioned sports. However, one of the reasons this may be so is that the number of individuals that participate in MMA style fighting is small compared to the number of football players in high school and college. Also, high school athletes normally do not have the body control that professional MMA fighters have, which means that the number of injuries would likely skyrocket if the sport were offered to high school students. A club that teaches high school athletes the basics of MMA style fighting would not be a bad idea, but having sanctioned tournaments for high school students would be.
As for the "who is currently the worst franchise in pro sports" poll, the results show a tie between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Lions. It's tough to choose between which franchise has been better at being bad, but I think that the Pirates have a slight edge over the Lions in that department. Although the Lions defined futility two years ago with their 0-16 season, they have at least shown a desire to get better and improve their franchise. I honestly don't think that the Pirates have. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen is one of the few bright spots on the team, but chances are he will be traded for a slew of young players that won't demand as much money. It's the nature of the beast for a small market team, but it's still frustrating to see. Of course, it has to be ten times as frustrating for fans of the team. Then again, how many Pirates fans are there?
Check out the newest poll I have up for you guys, and if you know someone who still hasn't seen the blog, let them know about it. I plan to continue posting more frequently, so let them know they'll actually have something current to read if they decide to check out the blog. Thanks guys.
- K. Becks
I just got done watching the Rafael Nadal vs. Nicolas Almagro quarterfinal match at the French Open, which brings the count to: Number of French Open matches watched: 2, Number of NBA Playoff games watched: 1. Due to the number of upsets on both the men's and women's sides so far, this has been a pretty interesting Major to follow. Both Roger Federer and Serena Williams went down in the quarterfinals, and although that means the casual fan is less inclined to watch the finals, it just shows that the gap between the "best" and "the rest" isn't as far as many people would think. In fact, this is the first time since 2004 that Federer has not reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. This means that Nadal is the favorite to win, but in the words of Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend!" The man who upset Federer, Roger Soderling, is an extremely talented player on clay, and played exceptionally well in last year's French Open Final against none other than Federer. If Soderling meets Nadal in this year's Final, then it is definitely a match worth watching.
Since I tried to get a press pass to this event (although for whatever reason I found it impossible to attain one), I'll comment on the news at the Memorial Tournament. I've seen a lot on SportsCenter about Tiger Woods' neck, and how it might affect him during the tournament. Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it really that big of a deal? It's not the U.S. Open; it's the Memorial Tournament. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of angry comments from my readers that live near the Muirfield Golf Village, but it's the truth. I understand that he's trying to defend his title, but does that automatically make it a bigger deal? Those are just my thoughts, so if you disagree, let me know in the comments section.
Yesterday I said that I would give my thoughts concerning the last two polls that I have put up for my readers to vote on. The first poll was "do you think that MMA style fighting should be a club/sport in high school". I was very pleased with this poll, as it was the most voted on poll the blog has ever had. The results were close, as "No" edged out "Yes" by just one vote. I'm going to have to agree with those who said no. One of the arguments for having MMA style fighting in high school is that it has proven to be safer than both football and boxing, with fewer injuries sustained during MMA style fighting than in the aforementioned sports. However, one of the reasons this may be so is that the number of individuals that participate in MMA style fighting is small compared to the number of football players in high school and college. Also, high school athletes normally do not have the body control that professional MMA fighters have, which means that the number of injuries would likely skyrocket if the sport were offered to high school students. A club that teaches high school athletes the basics of MMA style fighting would not be a bad idea, but having sanctioned tournaments for high school students would be.
As for the "who is currently the worst franchise in pro sports" poll, the results show a tie between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Lions. It's tough to choose between which franchise has been better at being bad, but I think that the Pirates have a slight edge over the Lions in that department. Although the Lions defined futility two years ago with their 0-16 season, they have at least shown a desire to get better and improve their franchise. I honestly don't think that the Pirates have. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen is one of the few bright spots on the team, but chances are he will be traded for a slew of young players that won't demand as much money. It's the nature of the beast for a small market team, but it's still frustrating to see. Of course, it has to be ten times as frustrating for fans of the team. Then again, how many Pirates fans are there?
Check out the newest poll I have up for you guys, and if you know someone who still hasn't seen the blog, let them know about it. I plan to continue posting more frequently, so let them know they'll actually have something current to read if they decide to check out the blog. Thanks guys.
- K. Becks
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