Today one of my favorite sport talks shows Speak For Yourself on FS1 opened up the show with several hot topics as they always do, one being about Cam Newton. The discussion was Cam's recent video produce and released through the Player's Tribune. Several big times athletes are doing this nowadays such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant so that isn't the issue. The issue is what came from Mr. Newton's mouth. I'm admittedly a life long Panther fan and have been a fan of Cam since his computer days at Florida. Okay sorry that was low. But in all seriousness, I am a believer and supporter of Newton. However, his message about his offseason and early days as a Panther rubbed me the wrong way much like it did Jason Whitlock, a host on the show SFY. Newton repeatedly was about himself and showed some of that immaturity that Panther fans as well as critics have grown to hate. It was all about him, not about the team. Whitlock broke it down and I believe the ballpark number of times Newton said "I" was in the twenties or thirties compared to five or six times of him mentioning "we." Now, I do think that he doesn't mean anything bad when he talks like this, but at some point I as a fan cannot get over how he keeps backtracking on his road to mature, Hall of Fame QB status. A man who just recently embarrassed himself in a press conference after also being embarrassed on the field in the Super Bowl needs to show growth. Not boast about personal accomplishments and goals. Newton is a great talent and the reigning MVP. He is the best player in football, but instead of feeling himself, he needs to keep proving himself. Who knows? Maybe I am jumping the gun and looking too far into the situation. And no matter what I say or feel, it has no affect on Cam and will not effect his play whether he is underachieving this year or continues to produce. It is something worth being concerned about. One way or the other. I'll just hope for the Panthers sake and for Cam's sake this was a marketing ploy to further his brand and doesn't effect the organization in anyway.
Some food for thought, though!
Keep Pounding! Go 'thers!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
College Football Preview
Unless you live under a rock or literally puke at the thought of sports, in which case I am sorry for you, then you just like myself and everyone else are preparing for the start of the NCAA football season. Along with the beginning of what will be another season filled with surreal endings yet more moments that embed themselves in history, you also have the hot takes from every analyst, coach, and fan there is. So why not join along?
The popular preseason topic are the preseason rankings and whether or not they are hurting college football or not. I absolutely have my "hot take" on that, but first I want to discuss some other takes I have going into this season. For starters, let's go with the premature Heisman race. According to CheatSheet.com the odds-makers list the top five in this order Deshaun Watson (9-2), Leonard Fournette (5-1), Christian McCaffrey (7-1), Dalvin Cook (14-1), and a three way tie at the 5th spot with Mayfield/Kelly/Barrett all at 16-1. Not bad. I have to be logical in making these picks because so many scenarios go involved. I thought the old Heisman voters had finally gone away from the old ways in selecting the best player on best team as the Heisman, but as we all know Derrick Henry won last year and quite frankly it was very disappointing from a fan's view.
Anyways, going off the notion that the best player on best team will winit again this year then I believe the Clemson vs. FSU match up is HUGE. Whoever loses that will not be in Final Four thus eliminating either Watson or Cook and yes, I know Watson is the media darling and they have all but etched his name of the trophy. That game just has so much riding on it this year per usual. McCaffrey is great, but Cook is arguably the best back in college football which might I add is LOADED at the running back position this year. Watson is the overwhelming favorite and rightfully so, but something tells me Clemson loses to FSU this year. Fournette is great and I don't mean to be underwhelming or disrespectful to him, but him and Cook are neck and neck. LSU is on the hype train this year again, but unless a formidable QB emerges I think they fall short of expectations again this year, thus hurting Fournette's chances. My final option is McCaffrey unless McCaffrey 2.0 emerges from a cinderella team those are your four contenders. Miss me with Mayfield, Kelly and Barrett because that isn't happening. Listen, McCaffrey should've been the Heisman last year, no questions asked, it was honestly poor on the Heisman committee and all of college football voters to have not had him take his rightful crown. Which could very well have been his only chance. He still plays on the west coast, so half 2/3 of America will have to see him on the highlight reel the next morning before NFL Sunday starts. And can this man really top what he did last year? I mean go look at the stats for yourself, college football hasn't seen that type of impact player on both offense and special teams in years. I don't know, anything less will just come off as poor which will not be the case because he could still have Heisman numbers. Plus Stanford has to be good, they have to make Final Four or at least a big bowl. So after going back and forth I came up with this as my "Final Four" for the Heisman trophy. Again, wins and losses play a huge factor.
4- Fournette (I trust him, just not his supporting cast, cough cough...QB play)
3- Watson (He probably will win it, and I love him as a player, but I think FSU beats Clemson as well as runs the table in the ACC)
2- McCaffrey (He has another great year with eye popping plays/numbers, but he plays on the West Coast and Stanford doesn't win Pac 12 or have enough wins)
1- Dalvin Cook (Cook is a Seminole and I love the Gators so this hurts, but it's just life. Cook and FSU will run the table because of Cook and defense and make it to Final Four. They must go undefeated for him to win though otherwise I think Watson wins it.)
So there you have it, my shot-in-the-dark picks for the final Heisman rankings. Didn't go to far out on a limb and there are so many reason for that, the media being the biggest one.
Next lets talk about rankings, conference winners and Final Four. The AP Top 25 from ESPN.com is as followed:
Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, FSU, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, Tennessee, ND, Ole Miss, Michigan State, TCU, Washington, Houston, UCLA, Iowa, UGA, Louisville, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State, UNC, Baylor, Oregon, Florida. This issue in preseason has been how these rankings are bad for college football and I agree to an extent. We need a starting point but I think the voters should completely wipe the slate clean and vote on a new one 3 weeks before conference championship games take place. Do not update the rankings week to week, stop showing rankings on the screen beside the team name, professional sports don't it, neither should the NCAA. Do all the power rankings you want I don't care because I've never really understood the point in those, but eliminate rankings until the last 3 weeks of the season, so that bias from preseason rankings can be thrown out the door. Okay? Yeah, sounds logical to me as well.
Quickly here are my winners by conference and Final Four pool, with the WAY TOO EARLY champion. No worries I'll follow my plan and give you a revised decision with 3 weeks left in season.
ACC:
Best two teams are in the Atlantic which sucks. So I go FSU to win Atlantic. Coin flip between UNC and Miami in the coastal, think UNC finds way to win Coastal again.
FSU beats UNC easily to win ACC
Big 12:
Thank god the Big 12 finally gets their title game back next year, but until then I will reluctantly pick a winner. Baylor will be awful, don't even understand why they are ranked. Texas will be better but still not relevant. Comes down to OU, OSU, and TCU. Want to see what Kenny Hill does with his second chance at TCU, but I think OU wins, but with a loss.
Big Ten:
I want to like the Big Ten, but until they realize that restructing the divisions within the conference is okay if it means it brings your fans and viewers a better product, I can't get on board. You can keep it the same in basketball and other sports, but having Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State all in the same division is bad for business. They can still play each other. Anyways, love Meyer, but he lost A LOT, still think OSU is top 15 team. MSU lost a lot as well still think they are top 25. Michigan wins the East and Harbaugh strips on the field after beating Ohio State. Umm, the West stinks, but I'll go with Iowa. Michigan beats Iowa. Harbaugh is in Final Four.
Pac 12:
LOVE the balance in this conference. Great races in each division, but I go with Stanford out of the North and its a three way race between Utah, USC and UCLA in the South, but I go with Utah. Utah beats Stanford in a close game to win conference title.
SEC:
Bama wins the West. Sorry, I gotta see it happen to actually go against them. LSU is hyped up, Ole Miss doesn't have enough. I think it comes down to UT vs UF in the East. Crazy that a game the fourth week of the year will probably determine the division winner. UT WILL NOT beat Bama, UF WILL NOT beat FSU. UGA will eventually be good under Smart but not with starting a true freshman in the SEC. UF beats UT to win East. Surprising from me right? Bama beats Florida by 10 to win SEC title game.
Final Four:
Bama
Michigan
FSU
Utah
First two out:
Clemson
Stanford
Championship game:
Bama vs. Michigan
Bama wins, Saban retires after season, Harbaugh wins in it 2017
Cant wait to see how wrong this is! Thanks for reading!
The popular preseason topic are the preseason rankings and whether or not they are hurting college football or not. I absolutely have my "hot take" on that, but first I want to discuss some other takes I have going into this season. For starters, let's go with the premature Heisman race. According to CheatSheet.com the odds-makers list the top five in this order Deshaun Watson (9-2), Leonard Fournette (5-1), Christian McCaffrey (7-1), Dalvin Cook (14-1), and a three way tie at the 5th spot with Mayfield/Kelly/Barrett all at 16-1. Not bad. I have to be logical in making these picks because so many scenarios go involved. I thought the old Heisman voters had finally gone away from the old ways in selecting the best player on best team as the Heisman, but as we all know Derrick Henry won last year and quite frankly it was very disappointing from a fan's view.
Anyways, going off the notion that the best player on best team will winit again this year then I believe the Clemson vs. FSU match up is HUGE. Whoever loses that will not be in Final Four thus eliminating either Watson or Cook and yes, I know Watson is the media darling and they have all but etched his name of the trophy. That game just has so much riding on it this year per usual. McCaffrey is great, but Cook is arguably the best back in college football which might I add is LOADED at the running back position this year. Watson is the overwhelming favorite and rightfully so, but something tells me Clemson loses to FSU this year. Fournette is great and I don't mean to be underwhelming or disrespectful to him, but him and Cook are neck and neck. LSU is on the hype train this year again, but unless a formidable QB emerges I think they fall short of expectations again this year, thus hurting Fournette's chances. My final option is McCaffrey unless McCaffrey 2.0 emerges from a cinderella team those are your four contenders. Miss me with Mayfield, Kelly and Barrett because that isn't happening. Listen, McCaffrey should've been the Heisman last year, no questions asked, it was honestly poor on the Heisman committee and all of college football voters to have not had him take his rightful crown. Which could very well have been his only chance. He still plays on the west coast, so half 2/3 of America will have to see him on the highlight reel the next morning before NFL Sunday starts. And can this man really top what he did last year? I mean go look at the stats for yourself, college football hasn't seen that type of impact player on both offense and special teams in years. I don't know, anything less will just come off as poor which will not be the case because he could still have Heisman numbers. Plus Stanford has to be good, they have to make Final Four or at least a big bowl. So after going back and forth I came up with this as my "Final Four" for the Heisman trophy. Again, wins and losses play a huge factor.
4- Fournette (I trust him, just not his supporting cast, cough cough...QB play)
3- Watson (He probably will win it, and I love him as a player, but I think FSU beats Clemson as well as runs the table in the ACC)
2- McCaffrey (He has another great year with eye popping plays/numbers, but he plays on the West Coast and Stanford doesn't win Pac 12 or have enough wins)
1- Dalvin Cook (Cook is a Seminole and I love the Gators so this hurts, but it's just life. Cook and FSU will run the table because of Cook and defense and make it to Final Four. They must go undefeated for him to win though otherwise I think Watson wins it.)
So there you have it, my shot-in-the-dark picks for the final Heisman rankings. Didn't go to far out on a limb and there are so many reason for that, the media being the biggest one.
Next lets talk about rankings, conference winners and Final Four. The AP Top 25 from ESPN.com is as followed:
Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, FSU, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, Tennessee, ND, Ole Miss, Michigan State, TCU, Washington, Houston, UCLA, Iowa, UGA, Louisville, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State, UNC, Baylor, Oregon, Florida. This issue in preseason has been how these rankings are bad for college football and I agree to an extent. We need a starting point but I think the voters should completely wipe the slate clean and vote on a new one 3 weeks before conference championship games take place. Do not update the rankings week to week, stop showing rankings on the screen beside the team name, professional sports don't it, neither should the NCAA. Do all the power rankings you want I don't care because I've never really understood the point in those, but eliminate rankings until the last 3 weeks of the season, so that bias from preseason rankings can be thrown out the door. Okay? Yeah, sounds logical to me as well.
Quickly here are my winners by conference and Final Four pool, with the WAY TOO EARLY champion. No worries I'll follow my plan and give you a revised decision with 3 weeks left in season.
ACC:
Best two teams are in the Atlantic which sucks. So I go FSU to win Atlantic. Coin flip between UNC and Miami in the coastal, think UNC finds way to win Coastal again.
FSU beats UNC easily to win ACC
Big 12:
Thank god the Big 12 finally gets their title game back next year, but until then I will reluctantly pick a winner. Baylor will be awful, don't even understand why they are ranked. Texas will be better but still not relevant. Comes down to OU, OSU, and TCU. Want to see what Kenny Hill does with his second chance at TCU, but I think OU wins, but with a loss.
Big Ten:
I want to like the Big Ten, but until they realize that restructing the divisions within the conference is okay if it means it brings your fans and viewers a better product, I can't get on board. You can keep it the same in basketball and other sports, but having Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State all in the same division is bad for business. They can still play each other. Anyways, love Meyer, but he lost A LOT, still think OSU is top 15 team. MSU lost a lot as well still think they are top 25. Michigan wins the East and Harbaugh strips on the field after beating Ohio State. Umm, the West stinks, but I'll go with Iowa. Michigan beats Iowa. Harbaugh is in Final Four.
Pac 12:
LOVE the balance in this conference. Great races in each division, but I go with Stanford out of the North and its a three way race between Utah, USC and UCLA in the South, but I go with Utah. Utah beats Stanford in a close game to win conference title.
SEC:
Bama wins the West. Sorry, I gotta see it happen to actually go against them. LSU is hyped up, Ole Miss doesn't have enough. I think it comes down to UT vs UF in the East. Crazy that a game the fourth week of the year will probably determine the division winner. UT WILL NOT beat Bama, UF WILL NOT beat FSU. UGA will eventually be good under Smart but not with starting a true freshman in the SEC. UF beats UT to win East. Surprising from me right? Bama beats Florida by 10 to win SEC title game.
Final Four:
Bama
Michigan
FSU
Utah
First two out:
Clemson
Stanford
Championship game:
Bama vs. Michigan
Bama wins, Saban retires after season, Harbaugh wins in it 2017
Cant wait to see how wrong this is! Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Baseball: The Game That Shaped Me
The journey is over. A part of my life is over. This is almost the degree of pain I have felt from losing a loved one. After roughly 17 years of my life, the game that shaped me is no longer apart of my day to day life. Sure there are adult leagues, yes I will be playing slow pitch softball, but the competitive game of baseball is over for me. I thought this day would never come. Even at the beginning of this year, my senior year of college, I never thought it would materialize to what it has.
I have never been destined for the big leagues. I'm an overpowering five foot six inches with average to below average speed, very little pop in my bat, with a solid glove in the field. Nothing special, nothing elite. So I knew I was playing for more than that. I was playing for my love of the game. I was playing for the little kid who was the bat boy at every one of his father's high school games. I was playing for the kid that was the 12 year old hero to his peers. I was playing for the kid who was lucky enough to win a national championship. I was playing for the kid who lived it up under the lights on Friday nights in high school. I was playing for the kid who just wanted four more years of baseball in college. From all of that I became the man who gave his heart to the game he loved.
This blog/venting memoir/sappy post, whatever you want to call it, isn't just for me. It's for those just like me who had a part of their livelihood taken away from them. It is for those who are about to approach this point in their life. I can only tell my story, share my feelings, and send my thoughts to you.
For those who don't already know me. My life was baseball. My time outside of school and friends was baseball. My weekends, baseball. This game has always been a huge factor in my life.
My father was a high school baseball coach from when I came into this world until I was roughly 8 years old. If I wasn't at school I was either at his school at a practice or game, playing at my little league, or just spending all weekend at his field imitating his team's lineup while he did field work. After the games I would run the bases (my favorite part was sliding into home).
From that point my father became my coach. From the time I was eight years old, to when I was 14, our relationship was more than just father and son. These were the best years of my baseball career, which should tell you a lot. The memories of travel ball and little league will never fade. What I would do to drive to Concord one more time and play 4-5 games a weekend (sometimes more). What I would do to play one more game on Field #3 at Southwest Forsyth Little League. What I would do to suit up in a Clemmons Middle School uniform and win another middle school championship. Those are the memories that only baseball can bring you. Without baseball, I have no idea what Kyle Humphrey would've been doing today and where his life would've gone. Then there was High School Baseball. Ahh, nothing can compare to playing with your childhood friends, classmates, teammates under the lights. During high school season it seemed impossible there could be any bigger stage than that. Every team you play is your "arch rival." State playoffs were bigger than the actual World Series. Every year you thought you would make a run, you looked at the bracket and saw a path for you. We would lose before ever getting to the championship, the farthest we made it was third round. But that didn't matter because there was always next year and "oh, I have summer ball coming up." Until the day I didn't.
It was now time for college baseball. A place where I learned more about life than baseball. A place where I learned there was more to life than baseball. I went to a Division III school with no chance of me moving on to the next level, but the chance to play four more years. What I would give for four more. I never made All-Conference. I never was that "dude." I wasn't the player that I was in high school. I was playing with guys just like me and better than me now. And yes it was tough to swallow in the moment, but as I reflect, I wouldn't want it to be any other way.
This beautiful game gave me so much. It gave me great times and it gave me heartbreaks. It gave me trophies and it gave me injuries. I always loved the game even though it may not have always loved me back. I owed it that much because what Baseball gave me is something you can't quantify. So I say goodbye, just like some like me are and like others will soon do. I challenge every player, baseball or any sport, to remember why you play. Remember why you love it so much. For the baseball guys and softball girls I have a quote for you.
"You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."- Jim Bouton
Monday, April 4, 2016
I Love You, Tar Heels GDTBATH
Everyone who knows me, close or not, knows the emotions going through my body right now. I want to start off by saying congrats to Villanova for winning the national championship. I will never watch that shot again, but that was one of the best plays, if not the best, that has ever occurred in a sporting event at that magnitude. I have do give credit where it is due. As much as it hurts me to do so.
Now I want to focus on the team that lost. Mine and many others beloved Tar Heels. Every national championship game has to have a loser and unfortunately Carolina was the loser. So many emotions entered my body when that shot went in. Anger, Sadness, Depression, Numbness come to mind. My heart along with probably every other true Tar Heel player and fan has been ripped out for the time being. But time will pass and one day this loss will lessen in pain. It will never be forgotten, but the best thing about being a fan of a team is that no matter the ending, there is always going to be another game. As I settled down after the initial heartbreak all I could think about was Marcus, Brice and the other seniors on the team. The ABC fans and Nova fans will disagree, but those guys deserved and earned the right to capture the national title. They have been through so much and given so much to the program. I cannot begin to express how proud I am of them give us their heart and hustle game in and game out. I realize Nova and their seniors have done the same thing so I want to say that while taking nothing away from them. So thank you Marcus, thank you Brice, thank you Joel, and thank you to the rest of the seniors. I know you wanted this even more than the fans and supporters wanted and I am sorry you came 4.7 seconds short of your dream.
As for my fellow Tar Heel fans, take time and let the emotions settle. The jokes, the memes, the tweets, and other slander will come, AS IT SHOULD. If roles were reversed for any other rival of ours we would do the same. You may initially disagree, but you're kidding yourself if you honestly believe you would not react the same. As hard as it is take it as a compliment, without being in the position to capture a title that ridicule would not come, the attention would not be on the Heels.
Lastly, I want to send a message to the people like me, not saying I am more of a fan than anyone else because I'm not, but this is for the ones that believe in something bigger than yourself. The Tar Heels are bigger than my every day life, when a UNC game is on I become consumed by what is going on. To some, that is crazy, but I call it passion and belief. Belief in something that is bigger than myself. For those that can relate to myself especially the others that eat, sleep, drink, breath, and bleed Carolina Blue, better days as well as more heartbreaks will happen. Take it as they come, but make sure to never ever lose the love for the Tar Heels. They love you and sacrifice so much for not only themselves but for us that support them game in and game out. Thank you Heels, I love you and will always be proud to be a fan of the best university there is. And don't forget, it is always a GDTBATH.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Thank You... *hits dab*
Now that I have had over 24 hours to get over what happened this past Sunday night I want to give my thanks to the Carolina Panthers. So here it goes...
I was born in 1994 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the Carolina Panthers were my first true sport love. Way before the Red Sox and just barely before the Tar Heels printed themselves into my heart forever the Panthers were truly my first team I rooted for. I can remember getting the full Panther uniform as a kid for Christmas. I wore those grey football pants with the blue curved piping outlined, the black jersey with the white letters/number outlined in blue, and the plastic over-sized grey helmet for the following week. I had my parents hold poster paper after poster paper at the end of our hallway so that I could run through it pretending I was a Panther myself. I remember Kerry Collins being our QB, I remember Rodney Peete, Rocket Ismael, Mike Minter, Dan Morgan, Wesley Walls (first player jersey), Sam Mills, Musin Muhammed, Ricky Proehl and the list goes on. I remember 2003 Super Bowl heartbreak against the Patriots as well as the 2-14 that landed us our current QB and league MVP, Cam Newton. Why am I restating things that most of you reading may remember as well? To put things in perspective.
What this team accomplished this year was nothing short of great. Is the goal to win the Super Bowl? No shit it is. Should the PLAYERS be upset with finishing short? Hell yeah they should. But I'm speaking to my fellow Panther fans and our "haters." This Panther season was special. You had a team that all year until the final game pretty much dominated every single opponent. You had a quarterback who was drafted to be a franchise player grow and lead the team like he was expected to do. You had a defense full of youth up front combined with gritty veterans in the secondary be a backbone to everything our team went through. You had a group of "no-names" catching passes and exceeding expectations all year. There is so much to be proud of. Critics will talk, jealous fans of opposing teams will troll, let them. What that shows me is relevancy, it says we are feared. They want to be in our shoes now. They wanted to be dabbing all season. A team that has been around for less time than I have been alive is already being being scrutinized with some of the historically great organizations like the Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots and so on. Maybe its just season, maybe we won't continue to be great. But there is nothing to be upset about from this year. The common fan doesn't look at organizational structures and plans, it doesn't look at long-term potential. Panther fans, let people say we won't be good after this year, that we had our chance to finally get one. My money is on that those people are wrong. We have won three consecutive NFC South Division titles. Who is challenging us in the division with the nucleus we have? If you look at the big picture it shows nothing but optimism and more opportunities to capture that Super Bowl title that Charlotte and the rest of the Carolinas deserve. This team gave both of the states that it embodies life this year, put us on the national stage. They showed us that there is a plan in place to achieve that ultimate goal.
So thank you Jerry Richardson, Dave Gettleman, Ron Rivera, Cam, Luuuuke, TD, JNo, Greg, and the rest of the players/organization. Thank you for the number one seed, thank you for letting everyone know the NFC title was running through Charlotte. What you gave us fans this year was nothing short of fulfilling. Thank you for the memories this year, hell, thank you for the memories every year. Just like the saying goes in Panther land, KEEP POUNDING!
I was born in 1994 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the Carolina Panthers were my first true sport love. Way before the Red Sox and just barely before the Tar Heels printed themselves into my heart forever the Panthers were truly my first team I rooted for. I can remember getting the full Panther uniform as a kid for Christmas. I wore those grey football pants with the blue curved piping outlined, the black jersey with the white letters/number outlined in blue, and the plastic over-sized grey helmet for the following week. I had my parents hold poster paper after poster paper at the end of our hallway so that I could run through it pretending I was a Panther myself. I remember Kerry Collins being our QB, I remember Rodney Peete, Rocket Ismael, Mike Minter, Dan Morgan, Wesley Walls (first player jersey), Sam Mills, Musin Muhammed, Ricky Proehl and the list goes on. I remember 2003 Super Bowl heartbreak against the Patriots as well as the 2-14 that landed us our current QB and league MVP, Cam Newton. Why am I restating things that most of you reading may remember as well? To put things in perspective.
What this team accomplished this year was nothing short of great. Is the goal to win the Super Bowl? No shit it is. Should the PLAYERS be upset with finishing short? Hell yeah they should. But I'm speaking to my fellow Panther fans and our "haters." This Panther season was special. You had a team that all year until the final game pretty much dominated every single opponent. You had a quarterback who was drafted to be a franchise player grow and lead the team like he was expected to do. You had a defense full of youth up front combined with gritty veterans in the secondary be a backbone to everything our team went through. You had a group of "no-names" catching passes and exceeding expectations all year. There is so much to be proud of. Critics will talk, jealous fans of opposing teams will troll, let them. What that shows me is relevancy, it says we are feared. They want to be in our shoes now. They wanted to be dabbing all season. A team that has been around for less time than I have been alive is already being being scrutinized with some of the historically great organizations like the Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots and so on. Maybe its just season, maybe we won't continue to be great. But there is nothing to be upset about from this year. The common fan doesn't look at organizational structures and plans, it doesn't look at long-term potential. Panther fans, let people say we won't be good after this year, that we had our chance to finally get one. My money is on that those people are wrong. We have won three consecutive NFC South Division titles. Who is challenging us in the division with the nucleus we have? If you look at the big picture it shows nothing but optimism and more opportunities to capture that Super Bowl title that Charlotte and the rest of the Carolinas deserve. This team gave both of the states that it embodies life this year, put us on the national stage. They showed us that there is a plan in place to achieve that ultimate goal.
So thank you Jerry Richardson, Dave Gettleman, Ron Rivera, Cam, Luuuuke, TD, JNo, Greg, and the rest of the players/organization. Thank you for the number one seed, thank you for letting everyone know the NFC title was running through Charlotte. What you gave us fans this year was nothing short of fulfilling. Thank you for the memories this year, hell, thank you for the memories every year. Just like the saying goes in Panther land, KEEP POUNDING!
Friday, January 29, 2016
Rapid Sport Rundown
The amazing thing about sports is that they never fail to provide for great conversations. Forget the actual game, we just want to skip ahead and get into conflict-filled discussions that are sure to follow. So I'm going to do my best apply the everyday conversations into this sports rundown. There are several topics I could obviously choose so I did my best to narrow it down.
To start off let me discuss the topic that is driving all sport fans' conversations, the Super Bowl. How compelling is this match-up? You have the potential of Peyton Manning riding off into the sunset if the Broncos are able to win the game. There is also the possibility of Cam Newton completing his own storybook ending to what has so far been the year, or season, of "SuperCam." Another story line, however there are many more, is that you have the number one offense versus the number one defense. So as you can see or may already have known, there are many interesting plots arising from this Super Bowl match-up. I've decided that there since there is nothing closet about my fandom socially, I will no longer be closet about my fandom in my writing. That being said, I am obviously rooting for a Panther win, and at that a blow out. I understand it's the Super Bowl and the majority of fans, viewers, the league, and the TV people want a close game for its entirety. Nope, screw that. I want a blow out, runaway, behind-the-woodshed beat-down in favor of my Panthers.
There are two reasons on my I feel so strongly about having that outcome. The first one being this, Peyton Manning. Don't even try to sell me the cop out statements on how he is old, washed up, can't win his team the game. Because I'm not buying. Go ahead and put me Around the Horn for that topic on the Buy or Sell segment. I'll give Tony Reali a lesson. Okay anyways, my thinking and honest belief is that this game is the Panthers game to lose. So if the game is close the more nervous I will become and the more likely my phone will be going through my wall. I do believe in Cam's growth that he would be able to lead a Super Bowl winning drive, but I'm also equally confident (or respectful) in Manning. I mean how could you not be afraid of a Hall of Fame lock having a chance to break your heart? As for the second reason on why I want a pounding from the Panthers is the fact that so many experts and Twitter coaches have had nothing but hate for a potentially all-time great team. I won't say that if they win they are the best team to ever win a Super Bowl. However if you want to test me, I'm fairly certain I could make a pretty strong argument. I want a convincing win to put the icing on the proverbial cake that all Panther fans can throw into the face of all the doubters. Plus, it would be epic for Riverboat Ron to have a Coach Yost moment with a "Cam, leave no doubt!"
All kidding aside this Super Bowl has great potential. It's early and this prediction is being made with over a week away from the game, but I'll obviously be taking the "thers" by the score of 30-17. I know may have gone a little high with the over/under total and I know defense wins championships, but I also know that a great offense beats a great defense.
Okay moving on from football. Let me talk about the other sport going on right now which is basketball. I'll start with college basketball because let's be honest, the NBA doesn't reach full national attention until the NFL has ended.
Alright, so in case you haven't been tuned into the college basketball season, Oklahoma is the best team in the country. Plain and simple. Not only are they ranked number in the country according to the Associated Press, but anyone who understands what it takes to be a great team in basketball knows Oklahoma has it all. They have size, depth, and they can shoot you right out of the gym. Oh, not to forget, they have the best player in collegiate basketball right now in Buddy Hield and he shows up to play EVERY game. My man is averaging 26/6/3. NEWS FLASH, that's pretty good. I won't go as far to saying go ahead and give them the trophy, because this is college basketball, upsets happen almost as much as Stephen Curry hitting a three-point shot. On top of that, there are other good teams lurking behind them, not as many as the media makes it out to be, but still a few that can steal that title from them. One being my Tar Heels. Yep that's right, don't act like I'm not going to leave them out of this blog. The Heels currently sit in the number two spot and it's an absolutely fair ranking, because they are not the number one team right now. Arguably the deepest team in college basketball and if they are to ever start completely clicking, could very well be the best team in country. Right now, even with posting an 18-2 record, there are concerns. Label me as the nitpicking, unappreciative fan, but there are serious hesitation factors looming with the Tar Heels. Ah, lets see, two of their STARTERS are weak spots right now. Marcus Paige and Justin Jackson. Right now Paige would have a hard time shooting himself out of a paper bag. Hell, forget the three-pointers going in how about we start with making wide open layups. It almost seems like he hasn't scored since his 30 point game at FSU. I really feel sorry for him recently because he can't make ANYTHING right now; its tough seeing a senior who has given so much and has had so much success struggle like he is. As for Jackson, he has always been so hard to figure out. I say always yet he is only a sophomore, but he is just too inconsistent. He hasn't found his outside shot at all this year and if it wasn't for his awkward floater he might not have any scoring besides put-backs. You're probably thinking, man with fans like these who needs rivals, but those are just the ugly truths of this team. Of course as a fan and supporter of the Tar Heels AND their players I have the utmost confidence both will turn it around. They are both too talented not to. However, the slightest possibility that these two do not turn it around will sadly (or not so sadly, depending on your fandom) lead to this team coming up short of their potential.
Moving on from my college basketball rant, you have the NBA. The NBA is struggling this year as a whole. Outside of four teams there is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING. No intriguing story lines and certainly no competitiveness. You have the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, and Thunder as the only teams who can save the NBA from absolute boredom and quite frankly those last three teams I listed are all playing for strictly relevancy. The Warriors are flat out making a mockery out of the rest of the league. I will go as far as saying that the league just needs to cut the season short and go ahead give them the trophy. I am hope I'm wrong for entertainment sake, but I don't see them not repeating. The Golden State boys are literally hurting the league through their greatness right now. Curry will never get old though, he is someone aspiring players can relate to and on top of that his cerebral shooting is an absolute show to watch. Honestly, the only hot topic outside of the masterful performance that is Warriors basketball was the recent firing of David Blatt.
Bare with me here because the stance I have on the situation is one I would imagine most basketball will not agree with. The problem with the Cavaliers is Lebron James and there are issues on both fronts. Let me start with the "King." James is hurting the Cavs by ego, brand, and posse. I don't believe James is intentionally being a dictator towards the organization, it simply his stardom and power that cause this to happen. Do I believe he flat out said that he wanted Blatt fired? My belief in the goodness of man tells me no, but that is something that could be debated over and over again. James has literally blackmailed his hometown team. He has signed back to back one year deals which business savvy for Lebron, but also puts a handcuff on the organization. It is pretty much telling them we have to keep Lebron happy by any means necessary so that he re-signs. Meanwhile, it causes the organization to not fully focus on winning. Also, look at Lebron's career, from the early years in Cleveland to Miami and now back to Cleveland he has had issues with his involvement and the coaches there. Does the media make stories to drive the drama? Of course they do, but I won't completely excuse James from this glaring problem. To quote Lebron's boy Stephen A. Smith,"if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it ain't a damn mongoose!" Well lets hold that same standard for Lebron James. Now, the same can absolutely be said for the Cavs, Dan Gilbert who runs the organization is a successful businessman, but his actions towards James when he first left is biting him in the ass now. The Cavs have handcuffed themselves into having to cater to Lebron. Listen, am I reaching when discussing this issue? Possibly. But do not be ignorant to the fact that these underlying problems could lead into the Cavs coming up short of their goals. A peace meeting and delegation of powers needs to be had by the Cavaliers organization and Lebron, because at the end of the day Lebron is a player and management is management. It's time to act like it. I would love to see Lebron give his team the championship they have been longing for, but his actions, as well as others, are holding the process back when it comes to reaching that goal.
Thanks for taking the time to read, I have more work already lined up and plan on posting blogs closer together. Thank you for your support and feel free to leave comments or suggestions! My goal is to provide entertainment to my readers, even if it just means I'm your bathroom reading!
Take Care!
To start off let me discuss the topic that is driving all sport fans' conversations, the Super Bowl. How compelling is this match-up? You have the potential of Peyton Manning riding off into the sunset if the Broncos are able to win the game. There is also the possibility of Cam Newton completing his own storybook ending to what has so far been the year, or season, of "SuperCam." Another story line, however there are many more, is that you have the number one offense versus the number one defense. So as you can see or may already have known, there are many interesting plots arising from this Super Bowl match-up. I've decided that there since there is nothing closet about my fandom socially, I will no longer be closet about my fandom in my writing. That being said, I am obviously rooting for a Panther win, and at that a blow out. I understand it's the Super Bowl and the majority of fans, viewers, the league, and the TV people want a close game for its entirety. Nope, screw that. I want a blow out, runaway, behind-the-woodshed beat-down in favor of my Panthers.
There are two reasons on my I feel so strongly about having that outcome. The first one being this, Peyton Manning. Don't even try to sell me the cop out statements on how he is old, washed up, can't win his team the game. Because I'm not buying. Go ahead and put me Around the Horn for that topic on the Buy or Sell segment. I'll give Tony Reali a lesson. Okay anyways, my thinking and honest belief is that this game is the Panthers game to lose. So if the game is close the more nervous I will become and the more likely my phone will be going through my wall. I do believe in Cam's growth that he would be able to lead a Super Bowl winning drive, but I'm also equally confident (or respectful) in Manning. I mean how could you not be afraid of a Hall of Fame lock having a chance to break your heart? As for the second reason on why I want a pounding from the Panthers is the fact that so many experts and Twitter coaches have had nothing but hate for a potentially all-time great team. I won't say that if they win they are the best team to ever win a Super Bowl. However if you want to test me, I'm fairly certain I could make a pretty strong argument. I want a convincing win to put the icing on the proverbial cake that all Panther fans can throw into the face of all the doubters. Plus, it would be epic for Riverboat Ron to have a Coach Yost moment with a "Cam, leave no doubt!"
All kidding aside this Super Bowl has great potential. It's early and this prediction is being made with over a week away from the game, but I'll obviously be taking the "thers" by the score of 30-17. I know may have gone a little high with the over/under total and I know defense wins championships, but I also know that a great offense beats a great defense.
Okay moving on from football. Let me talk about the other sport going on right now which is basketball. I'll start with college basketball because let's be honest, the NBA doesn't reach full national attention until the NFL has ended.
Alright, so in case you haven't been tuned into the college basketball season, Oklahoma is the best team in the country. Plain and simple. Not only are they ranked number in the country according to the Associated Press, but anyone who understands what it takes to be a great team in basketball knows Oklahoma has it all. They have size, depth, and they can shoot you right out of the gym. Oh, not to forget, they have the best player in collegiate basketball right now in Buddy Hield and he shows up to play EVERY game. My man is averaging 26/6/3. NEWS FLASH, that's pretty good. I won't go as far to saying go ahead and give them the trophy, because this is college basketball, upsets happen almost as much as Stephen Curry hitting a three-point shot. On top of that, there are other good teams lurking behind them, not as many as the media makes it out to be, but still a few that can steal that title from them. One being my Tar Heels. Yep that's right, don't act like I'm not going to leave them out of this blog. The Heels currently sit in the number two spot and it's an absolutely fair ranking, because they are not the number one team right now. Arguably the deepest team in college basketball and if they are to ever start completely clicking, could very well be the best team in country. Right now, even with posting an 18-2 record, there are concerns. Label me as the nitpicking, unappreciative fan, but there are serious hesitation factors looming with the Tar Heels. Ah, lets see, two of their STARTERS are weak spots right now. Marcus Paige and Justin Jackson. Right now Paige would have a hard time shooting himself out of a paper bag. Hell, forget the three-pointers going in how about we start with making wide open layups. It almost seems like he hasn't scored since his 30 point game at FSU. I really feel sorry for him recently because he can't make ANYTHING right now; its tough seeing a senior who has given so much and has had so much success struggle like he is. As for Jackson, he has always been so hard to figure out. I say always yet he is only a sophomore, but he is just too inconsistent. He hasn't found his outside shot at all this year and if it wasn't for his awkward floater he might not have any scoring besides put-backs. You're probably thinking, man with fans like these who needs rivals, but those are just the ugly truths of this team. Of course as a fan and supporter of the Tar Heels AND their players I have the utmost confidence both will turn it around. They are both too talented not to. However, the slightest possibility that these two do not turn it around will sadly (or not so sadly, depending on your fandom) lead to this team coming up short of their potential.
Moving on from my college basketball rant, you have the NBA. The NBA is struggling this year as a whole. Outside of four teams there is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING. No intriguing story lines and certainly no competitiveness. You have the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, and Thunder as the only teams who can save the NBA from absolute boredom and quite frankly those last three teams I listed are all playing for strictly relevancy. The Warriors are flat out making a mockery out of the rest of the league. I will go as far as saying that the league just needs to cut the season short and go ahead give them the trophy. I am hope I'm wrong for entertainment sake, but I don't see them not repeating. The Golden State boys are literally hurting the league through their greatness right now. Curry will never get old though, he is someone aspiring players can relate to and on top of that his cerebral shooting is an absolute show to watch. Honestly, the only hot topic outside of the masterful performance that is Warriors basketball was the recent firing of David Blatt.
Bare with me here because the stance I have on the situation is one I would imagine most basketball will not agree with. The problem with the Cavaliers is Lebron James and there are issues on both fronts. Let me start with the "King." James is hurting the Cavs by ego, brand, and posse. I don't believe James is intentionally being a dictator towards the organization, it simply his stardom and power that cause this to happen. Do I believe he flat out said that he wanted Blatt fired? My belief in the goodness of man tells me no, but that is something that could be debated over and over again. James has literally blackmailed his hometown team. He has signed back to back one year deals which business savvy for Lebron, but also puts a handcuff on the organization. It is pretty much telling them we have to keep Lebron happy by any means necessary so that he re-signs. Meanwhile, it causes the organization to not fully focus on winning. Also, look at Lebron's career, from the early years in Cleveland to Miami and now back to Cleveland he has had issues with his involvement and the coaches there. Does the media make stories to drive the drama? Of course they do, but I won't completely excuse James from this glaring problem. To quote Lebron's boy Stephen A. Smith,"if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it ain't a damn mongoose!" Well lets hold that same standard for Lebron James. Now, the same can absolutely be said for the Cavs, Dan Gilbert who runs the organization is a successful businessman, but his actions towards James when he first left is biting him in the ass now. The Cavs have handcuffed themselves into having to cater to Lebron. Listen, am I reaching when discussing this issue? Possibly. But do not be ignorant to the fact that these underlying problems could lead into the Cavs coming up short of their goals. A peace meeting and delegation of powers needs to be had by the Cavaliers organization and Lebron, because at the end of the day Lebron is a player and management is management. It's time to act like it. I would love to see Lebron give his team the championship they have been longing for, but his actions, as well as others, are holding the process back when it comes to reaching that goal.
Thanks for taking the time to read, I have more work already lined up and plan on posting blogs closer together. Thank you for your support and feel free to leave comments or suggestions! My goal is to provide entertainment to my readers, even if it just means I'm your bathroom reading!
Take Care!
Friday, January 1, 2016
Why this is the WORST bowl season in a very long time...
Ah, bowl season, usually a great ending to the college football season whether your team wins or loses. Key word there? USUALLY. Work with me here and really think about what is about to be said regarding the absolute garbage that came from this particular bowl season. Before I tell you exactly why this is the case go ahead and bash me for my saltiness over the absolute butt-whooping's that both UNC and Florida got and deserved in their respective bowl games. Okay, hope that was fun, now that that's out of the way let's be realistic about how awful this bowl season was.
The final piece to the travesty that was the college football bowl season is the quality of play by the teams themselves. I already addressed the performance of both of my teams, UNC and Florida, but there were other poor showings throughout the bowl season. I don't know I might just be nitpicking or just bitter on how my teams did, but this year felt like a disappointment on the overall product. There were bright spots, very far and in-between, but bright spots nonetheless.
Now, I understand that bowl season is not yet over with and who knows, maybe we get a national championship that people will talk about for years. But for now, we have to settle with a below average bowl season. Many aspects of this bowl season can be fixed, the actually play of the teams cannot, but simple marketing and business strategies will fix the poor fan experience from this years forgettable bowl season. I understand that hindsight is 20/20 however, we have these professionals making these decisions, let us at least get it right. Anyways, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a great New Years, because through it all, those are what matter the most this time of the year. Get ready for a blog reviewing this college football season as well as providing some predictions for next season!
Aside from the first week of the bowl season which had a few good performances there was nothing that the average college football fan could get excited about. The bowls were terribly matched up, the scheduling of the games was embarrassing, and the actual games were just miserable to sit and watch. Of course I say this as I sit here and watch the Christian McCaffrey show, but use this game for example. I understand why these two were matched up in the Rose Bowl; tradition, Big Ten vs. Pac 12, yadda yadda you can save that for someone else.
This game proves that the College Football Playoff Committee and bowl selection committee simply dropped the ball instead of letting it happen on its own for New Years. This match-up should be Ohio State vs. Stanford. Be honest, everyone had enough of Iowa after the Big Ten Championship game that more than likely put the viewers into a comatose state of living. College Football tried to be politically correct and "reward" Iowa for their year instead of looking at the actual material that was going to be put on the field. It wasn't smart from a business perspective and obviously not from a football persepctive. I could honestly make the argument that this is should be Michigan State vs. Stanford, but I will spare you from that.
That is my one and only example that I will elaborate on regarding the undesirable match-ups, but for fun my other examples would be San Diego State vs. Cincy & LSU vs. Texas Tech. Just really think back and look at the match-ups, I'm certain you will find it depressing.
Then you have the scheduling... Who in their right mind thought it was good idea to have the College Football Playoff games on New Years Eve? I agree sports run most of society and definitely education, but NYE is a day where you can never change tradition. People are simply not around their TV's on NYE, the only time they are is when the ball drops and even then people are too drunk to really acknowledge what is going on. Last year the CFB Playoffs were on January 1st and had ratings that can only be topped by the Super Bowl, but no, let us put it on NYE so we can dilute the many traditions that the people of this great country have had for many years. The College Football Playoff executive Bill Hancock even had the gall to say this, "I really feel like we're going to change the culture of New Year's Eve in the country." Really dude? You might be able to change a couple NYE cultures, but you aren't ending the NYE parties, you aren't ending the family gatherings and you certainly are not ending the amount of alcohol consumed. When people drink, they do not want to sit in front of a TV, drinking is a social activity and NYE provides people the one day where getting highly intoxicated to the point of embarrassment is socially acceptable. So best of luck to you Mr. Hancock, money talks so I'll look forward to going back to my original New Years tradition. By waking up hungover and watching the best college football games of the year on the first of January.The final piece to the travesty that was the college football bowl season is the quality of play by the teams themselves. I already addressed the performance of both of my teams, UNC and Florida, but there were other poor showings throughout the bowl season. I don't know I might just be nitpicking or just bitter on how my teams did, but this year felt like a disappointment on the overall product. There were bright spots, very far and in-between, but bright spots nonetheless.
Now, I understand that bowl season is not yet over with and who knows, maybe we get a national championship that people will talk about for years. But for now, we have to settle with a below average bowl season. Many aspects of this bowl season can be fixed, the actually play of the teams cannot, but simple marketing and business strategies will fix the poor fan experience from this years forgettable bowl season. I understand that hindsight is 20/20 however, we have these professionals making these decisions, let us at least get it right. Anyways, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a great New Years, because through it all, those are what matter the most this time of the year. Get ready for a blog reviewing this college football season as well as providing some predictions for next season!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)