Author Archive

Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriquez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and now Phil Mickelson?  Well if you ask professional golfer Scott McCarron Phil belongs on this list of cheaters.  Being labeled a “cheater” in baseball is old news these days, but cheating in golf, a sport which exemplifies honesty, now this is interesting.  A sport which has seen its greatest player take an indefinite leave for his involvement in a sex scandal, the great comeback story in John Daly quit this week, and now slanderous comments made towards one of golf greatest players.  This is certainly not what the PGA Tour had in mind coming off one of its most successful seasons on record in 2009.

Why is Phil being labeled a cheater?  No, it’s not because he’s all juiced up on performance enhancing drugs, but simply because he used an illegal club this weekend at Torrey Pines; or did he?  If you’re not familiar with the recent rule changes in golf, let me break it down for you.  Basically this controversy stems from the design of recently made clubs, designed to improve player’s performance.  Player’s up until this year have been using clubs with square shaped grooves, allowing for better control and spin rate out of some of the most hazardous conditions the PGA Tour has to offer.  To reduce scoring, and put the emphasis back on hitting a good tee shot, the PGA Tour placed a ban on square shaped grooves; essentially forcing players to use “V” shaped grooved clubs.  Thus we have our controversy. This weekend at Torrey Pines, Mickelson was one of four golfers using a Ping-Eye 2 wedge created over 20 years ago containing, you guessed it, square shaped grooves.  How could Phil get away with using a banned club at this weekends Farmer’s Insurance Open?  Ill tell you how, Phil found a loophole.  According to USGA rules, the square-groove wedge found in Phil’s bag remains legal because of a lawsuit Ping filed back in 1990 stating the club holds precedence over any rule change.

“It’s cheating, and I’m appalled Phil has put it in play,” Scott McCarron said in The San Francisco Chronicle.  First of all, no its not we have already established that, and second who the hell is Scott McCarron.  How is a no name golfer who mind you has only 3 PGA tour victories in his 18 year career going to call out the #2 ranked golfer on the planet.  It seems to me that Mr. McCarron is slightly jealous of the success of Phil Mickelson and is looking for a little publicity.  I guess you have to label someone the dirtiest word in all of sports for people to actually realize your still on the tour.

To the Scott McCarron’s of the world I leave you with a few words of wisdom.  If your going to call out the second best player in all of professional golf for “cheating”, make sure he’s actually breaking a USGA rule.  Also, you may want to concentrate on your own game right now considering you have yet to make the cut in 2010 for all 3 events you have participated in.  Your best finish in a major since 2004 is 24^th, with those kinds of numbers I’ll take “lefty” playing with right handed clubs in any tournament of your choice.  I wish you the best sir and ill make sure to tune in each week as Phil contends for majors, and you battle to keep your PGA Tour card.

I will admit I’ve never been a huge proponent of all star games in the past,  but any weekend  activities that are promised to “make the Super Bowl look like a bar mitzvah,” you can bet your children’s unborn children that I’ll be watching.  Although still a few weeks away, the 2010 NBA All-Star game has already began stirring up controversy.  From Lebron’s dunk contest woes, to Allen Iverson’s decision to start, to the most recent comments made by Mark Cuban, All-Star Weekend should not disappoint.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Lebron James told Cheryl Miller at last year’s event that he was a “preliminary contestant” for the 2010 slam dunk contest.  Yea right!  If you actually believed the words of Lebron James on TNT last February I apologize.  Many of Lebron’s harshest critics say that if he ever plans on being the next Michael Jordan, he needs to not only compete, but win the dunk contest.  First of all there will never be another Michael Jordan, and especially not Mr. James.  What upsets me most about King James decision was not the broken promise, or the fact that I won’t get to watch him showboat all over my television some more, but the reaction from the media.  Many of them sound like a bunch of whining children begging their mom and dad for a new toy, “But I really, really want this Lebron”!  He filled your hearts with excitement and anticipation I know, but Lebron James will not dunk in 2010, or 2011, or should I keep going? King James will never participate in a contest like this for the fans until he can simply get over himself.  Lebron James you’re not nor will you ever be the next Michael Jordan.

Another interesting story leading up to this year’s All-Star weekend involves Allen Iverson’s decision to start for the Eastern Conference.  Many sports writers and Iverson critics think he’s taking a spot away from a deserving All-Star, one like Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, or David Lee of the New York Knicks.  You know what, there probably right.  However don’t blame the man for starting a game in which he was voted into by the fans, the same fans who will be there February 14^th in Dallas.  If you’re going to be pissed off that he doesn’t deserve it, go ahead you have a valid point, but don’t be pissed off at Allen; take your aggression out on the NBA.  The NBA allows fans to vote online or via text message once a day for approximately 3 months.  Does anyone else see something wrong with that?  Do I have the answer on how to fix voting for All-Star games, no, but what I do know is the answer needs to include the fans.  They are the ones buying the season tickets and the numerous amounts of team merchandise to show their loyal support to their favorite franchise.  So to all of you who blame Allen Iverson for starting, back off, take your complaining right to David Stern.  Oh yea one more thing; if you got voted into the NBA All-Star game, would you start?  If you said no, you’re lying to yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, Lebron James is allowed to change his mind and Allen Iverson does not deserve to start in an All-Star game, but who’s really to blame for all the hype of these controversies?  The media again portrays two situations that essentially are irrelevant and turns them on the athlete.  Lebron is labeled as a liar, while Allen Iverson is selfish for starting a game he doesn’t deserve.  All I can say is thank God Allen Iverson doesn’t have to come off the bench in this game, we all know how that worked out it Memphis earlier this season.  “I don’t know no all league player to come off the bench, I don’t know no 2 time NBA scoring champ to come off the bench, I …. “ ok I’ll stop.   Make sure to tune in February 14^th on TNT as 80,000 plus are anticipated to pack Cowboy stadium for the 2010 NBA All-Star game.

The 2010 Men

Does being the top ranked men’s college basketball team in January have any relevance come Selection Sunday? If you ask the players and coaches they’ll tell you “Were taking it one game at a time. Were not worried about that”, or “We don’t pay attention to that kind of thing.” The only benefit to mid season rankings are there role in determining each teams RPI. From an NCAA standpoint in season rankings are used merely as a promotional tool in making an important game, that much more important.
Mid-season rankings mean very little to the players, coaches, and writers of the game; but what about the fans? The fans that wake up at the crack of dawn on the west coast just to be a part of college gameday. The same fans that continue to pack student sections night in and night out looking to claim their school as number one. So fans, does your school have what it takes to be my number one team in college basketball?
The battle for my number one ranking focuses on, you guessed it, Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova, and Syracuse. .
1.) Obviously with each team dropping only one game all year, you can’t separate these teams by record alone. So instead you must consider the team with the most recent loss, and that as we all know came Tuesday night as South Carolina and Devan Downey handed Kentucky its first loss of the season. Because of this, Kentucky “You are NOT my number one team”.

2.) RPI, RPI, RPI. Wins against some of the top ranked RPI teams in the country played a major factor in my decision to eliminate another contender. More specifically I looked at wins against the RPI top 25 as well as strength of schedule. Syracuse has 3 wins over RPI top 25 teams, Kansas with 2, and Villanova with just 1. I didn’t penalize them for only being one RPI top 25 win away from tying Kansas, but the two 2 point victories over RPI 80th ranked Marquette, and a 1 point victory over George Mason early in the season sealed their fate. Villanova, “You are NOT my number one team”.

3.) And then there were two; Syracuse vs. Kansas in a rematch of the 2003 National Championship game (minus Roy Williams and a guy named Carmelo). I decided to look at several factors in a best of 3 series to determine my number one team. Once again I took a look at the RPI, more specifically each teams last 5 games. During Syracuse’s 5-0 stretch they have faced an opponent with an average RPI ranking of 62nd, including 2 wins against top ten big east foes. Kansas on the other hand has faced teams with an average ranking of 70th, and not a single team in the top 30 during their last five contests. Syracuse 1 Kansas 0. Next, I focused on each teams one loss. Syracuse losing to Pittsburgh at HOME, while Kansas lost an emotional hard fought game at Tennessee. Syracuse losing to a relatively similar ranked opponent at home as opposed to having its only loss come on the road, I give the advantage here to Kansas. Syracuse 1 Kansas 1. I needed something to set these teams apart, a statistic that would leave no debate; and that’s exactly what I found. So far this season Syracuse and Kansas have played four similar opponents; Memphis, Oakland, California, and Cornell. Kansas has beaten all four by a combined 52 points; or an average of 13 points a game. Syracuse however has outscored those same opponents by a total of 79 points; an average of 19.75 a game, with no game closer than twelve. The level of play against the same four opponents between Syracuse and Kansas favors the Orange, and for that reason; Syracuse “You ARE my number one team”.
Jim Boeheim has his Syracuse Orange off to a (20-1) start. Thier next game comes this Saturday @ Depaul University at 2:00 pm. If Syracuse continues to “Shut it Down” this season the Orange faithful and “Otto’s Army” will watch as Wesley Johnson and crew cut down the nets in Indy.