In case anyone is still out there, I'm back.
Not that I ever left, really. The end of baseball season has given me plenty of interesting things to write about but, unfortunately, school has not given me lots of time to do so. Hopefully this can be remedied because, as I said, there are loads of things going on out there right now. How did I chose what tantalizing topic to discuss today? Not surprisingly, I picked a topic while watching ESPN. It wasn't a specific game or player who caught my eye, though; it was a commercial. And while it might not have succeeded in convincing me to go out and buy FRS health drinks, it did give me an idea and it's something I've been thinking about for a while now so I'll share it with you.
The accuracy of this commercial is really astounding. A little history, for those of you who don't know what I'm getting at. Tim Tebow played for Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2006-2009, starting as quarterback in his second season. He was the team captain his junior and senior seasons and the only Florida player to ever win 3 team MVP awards (2007-2009). The Gators won the National Championship twice with Tebow - his freshman and junior years. In 2007, Tebow became the first ever sophomore (and the first previously home schooled student) to win the Heisman Trophy. Amongst other awards won in college, Tebow was a 2 time winner of the Maxwell Award for the nation's top college football player, winner of the James E. Sullivan Award for the nation's most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport, 2 ESPY's for best male college athlete, the LOWE's senior class award winner, and Sports Illustrated's college football player of the decade. Just to name a few. He was drafted in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Denver Broncos, the 25th overall draft.
This season, the Bronco's started off 1-4. In the 5th game of the season, coach John Fox replaced starting quarterback Kyle Orton with Tim Tebow in the start of the 2nd half against the San Diego Chargers. Despite the two touchdowns (one thrown and one run) by Tebow in the 4th quarter, the Broncos still lost. Fox made the decision after this game to start Tebow. That was five weeks ago. In the last five weeks, the Broncos are 4-1 (and that one loss was to the Lions. I had a hard time deciding who to root for.)
So here's the question: why is the world so determined to watch Tim Tebow fail? Make no mistake, everyone is determined to see him fail. Going back to that commercial from the beginning of this post, Tebow has proven that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. This week, Tebow led the Broncos to a stunning victory over the Jets. This morning, I listened to sportscasters now debate whether he can continue to win long-term or whether this is some fluke. The show (which was First Take on ESPN, if you're curious) showed an interesting set of statistics, comparing Tim Tebow to legendary Broncos quarterback and NFL MVP John Elway at this point in their careers: Tebow has more passing yards, more rushing yards, more touchdowns, a far superior touchdown to interceptions ratio, and more wins.
Now let me share a little bit about Tim Tebow as a person. He was born in the Philippines, the youngest of five children of Pamela (the daughter of a U.S. Army colonel) and Robert Tebow, a pastor. While pregnant, Pamela was infected with a life-threatening pathogenic amoeba, the drugs of which treated her led to a placental abruption. Expecting a stillbirth, the doctors recommended she have an abortion rather than risk her life. She refused. As I mentioned, he was home schooled for high school but a 1996 law allowed him to play for Nease High School in Florida. His home schooling was heavily influenced by his mother's Christianity, which has in turn influenced most of his life, including his football career. During college, Tebow frequently wrote biblical verses on his black eye paint (which often led to numerous google searches after the games. During the 2009 BCS championship, John 3:26 was searched by 92 million people.) This is banned in the NFL, so he doesn't do this anymore, and, coincidentally enough, it's now banned in college football too. The unofficial "Tebow Rule" prohibits the use of writing on black eye paint as of 2010 in order to reinforce the intended use of black eye paint, shading the sun from one's eyes. Tebow starring in a controversial abortion commercial during the 2009 Super Bowl. Recently, the newest Tebow-related fad is "Tebowing" - kind of like planking, but not as stupid. Tebow often kneels down in a prayer-like position on the field; now others are doing it too.
Here's the answer to the main question (remember? Why do people want Tebow to fail?): it's because he's different. Tim Tebow is not a typical NFL quarterback, i.e., he doesn't view the game or himself as bigger than anything else in this world. Sure, the analysts can say they're concerned about him because he can't pass, he won't stay healthy, he doesn't have the right personnel to make his offense work; maybe those are legitimate concerns, but why is this question still being asked? Why are analysts still searching for a way for him to fail rather than praising his accomplishments thus far? As Skip Bayless put it, "Tim Tebow is the most over-criticized young quarterback in the history of the game." These people want Tebow to fail because they don't know what to do with him. Give them someone like Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, or Brett Favre, someone who is arrogant, who does place themselves higher than the law; those kind of quarterbacks, people can handle because it's so common. It's so easy for athletes to take that route and so it's easy for reporters to find a story or for analysts to to stir up some controversy by overlooking their obvious character flaws because of "what they've done for the game". But give them someone moral, someone humble, someone who is not only a good football player but a good person as well, and they're all lost. There's no story. There's no controversy. So they have to make one. And if the only way they can do that is by his failure, then that's what they're going to hope for. As for me, I've become Tebow's #1 fan. Except when he plays the Lions.
Today's blog is named after Jordan Schultz, #12 for the Oklahoma State women's basketball team. She's a 5-10 freshmen guard from Claremore, OK and, being a freshmen, doesn't have a lot of statistics to show yet (but just wait, I'm sure they're coming). Mostly this entry is dedicated to head coach Kurt Budke, assistant coach Miranda Serna, and Olin and Paula Branstetter, all of whom died yesterday in a plane crashed in Perry County, Arkansas. Budke was the youngest coach ever inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. Since 2005, when he came to OSU, he was 99-68 and appeared in 3 NCAA tournaments. This was Serna's 7th year with the team. RIP.
Gotta go!
The Sports Nerd
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
While looking at the not-so-recent history on my laptop, I came across a sports website that seemed vaguely familiar. After reading for a few minutes, I realized that it was a blog. It took a few more minutes of reading for it to occur to me that it was my blog.
Obviously, readers, this didn't actually happen. However, it has been a while since I've written and I apologize for that. Life, in the form of 13 final exams, got in the way. But now that they are done, I have plenty of time to catch you up to everything that has been happening in the sports world during the last few weeks while I've been otherwise engaged, studying macromolecules and Serbia's role in World War I and Mozart's Symphony No. 41.
With this in mind, I recently turned to channel 206 and sat back to watch a long game of......baseball. The next day, I did the same thing with the same result. The third day, hockey was on. Then baseball. I'm not a baseball fan. I enjoy my brother's games and the highlights, but I simply don't have the patience to watch a game and write about it. And since Vancouver did not win the Stanley Cup, any feel-good story I had about them was made irrelevant. I tried to write an argument against the Big Ten's proposal to pay student athletes, but it became extremely complicated and overdone. If you don't know what I'm talking about or are remotely interested, my main arguments can be seen in a simpler way in this blog.
So I resigned myself to stop searching for a story and wait for one to come to me. And it did as I watched the NBA draft. No, it's not about my belief that Jimmer Fredette will ultimately prove unsuccessful with the Kings. It's not about David Lighty's being the #1 most talented player not to be drafter or what his career hopes are from here. It's not about which Morris twin is better. The story that caught my eye was that of Jimmy Butler, former Marquette small forward and the newest addition to the Chicago Bulls roster.
Jimmy Butler's story started when he was 13 years old and on the streets of Tomball, Texas, after his mother kicked him out with no explanation. With no money, no home, and no other relatives to turn to, Jimmy struggled to survive. Throughout high school, he bounced from one friends house to another to find a place to sleep each night. The one constant factor in his life was the basketball he bounced with him. This continued until the summer before his senior year when a scout pulled him aside.
It wasn't a college scout, though. It was a freshman named Jordan Leslie, who'd been watching him play, a sports star to Tomball as well. Jordan challenged Jimmy to a 3-point contest and the two quickly became friends. Gradually, Jordan's house became one of the houses that Jimmy frequently spent the night. Jordan and his siblings welcomed him. At first, Michelle Lambert, Jordan's mother, was fine with the situation. However, when the family that Jimmy usually stayed with needed their bed back, Jimmy stayed with the Leslie family more and more often. With four kids from her first husband combined with the three kids her new husband brought with her, money was tight and there were rumors about Jimmy. When he began staying on school nights, Jordan's parents told him Jimmy could stay 'no more than two nights in a row'. On the third night, one of Jordan's siblings claimed it was their night for Jimmy to stay.
After a few months, Michelle told Jimmy he could stay for good. There were a few conditions, like improving his academic performance, staying out of trouble, meeting a curfew, and being a good role model for the other children. However, she also told him, "This is not a conditional love. This is forever. We will argue, and I might not agree with you, but there is nothing in this world that you could do that I’m turning my back on you." For Jimmy, who'd spent years with no where to go, it meant he'd found a family.
Soon after, Jimmy became the star of the Tomball basketball team, averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Despite making the all-district first team, he played on no AAU team and no colleges recruited him so Jimmy spent his freshman year at Tyler Junior College. In his first game, he scored 34 points. He led the team for the rest of the year and, by April 2008, had several offers from colleges across the nation, including Clemson, Kentucky, Butler, and Iowa State. Michelle Lambert pushed him to make academics a priority as well and so he transferred to Marquette University.
The first season at Marquette was tough. Jimmy went from being the star to riding the bench. He called Michelle Lambert multiple times, frustrated and ready to come home. She told him to deal with it. To be fair, his coach, Buzz Williams, was tough on him. He said, "I've never been harder on a player than I've been on Jimmy. I was ruthless on him because he didn't know how good he could be." During his time at Marquette, Coach Williams put Jimmy in a new role. Sure, he improved his scoring average from 5.6 ppg his first season at Marquette to 15.7 ppg in his senior season, but that came naturally from being a good basketball player. He shed his 'scorer' label and became the 'glue' guy - the team leader. His versatility is what first got him noticed by NBA scouts and what ultimately led the Bulls to select him with their first round draft pick.
If you've seen The Blind Side or read the book (which I recommend), this story might sound somewhat familiar. However, I think it goes to show that it's not an uncommon event. It also shows that there are more than one generous family out there. One last note: The last thing that Butler's mother said to him was, "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go." How much is she regretting that right now?
This entry is named after #11 on the runner-up NBA champions team, the Miami Heat. The 2010-2011 season was his first with the Heat; prior to that, he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers since 1997. He was the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He's from Lithuania and in 2009 he and his wife adopted twin boys from there. He's an avid reader, especially about military topics, and often reads in the locker room before games. His average points per game (5.0 ppg) was an all time low this season, which might be because he attempted exactly 0 three point shots. I chose Ilgauskas for two reasons: Firstly, to give myself an excuse to mention that LeBron James (and the rest of the Miami Heat) lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals. Mostly, though, I picked him because he has an awesome name.
I'll be back.
The Sports Nerd
Obviously, readers, this didn't actually happen. However, it has been a while since I've written and I apologize for that. Life, in the form of 13 final exams, got in the way. But now that they are done, I have plenty of time to catch you up to everything that has been happening in the sports world during the last few weeks while I've been otherwise engaged, studying macromolecules and Serbia's role in World War I and Mozart's Symphony No. 41.
With this in mind, I recently turned to channel 206 and sat back to watch a long game of......baseball. The next day, I did the same thing with the same result. The third day, hockey was on. Then baseball. I'm not a baseball fan. I enjoy my brother's games and the highlights, but I simply don't have the patience to watch a game and write about it. And since Vancouver did not win the Stanley Cup, any feel-good story I had about them was made irrelevant. I tried to write an argument against the Big Ten's proposal to pay student athletes, but it became extremely complicated and overdone. If you don't know what I'm talking about or are remotely interested, my main arguments can be seen in a simpler way in this blog.
So I resigned myself to stop searching for a story and wait for one to come to me. And it did as I watched the NBA draft. No, it's not about my belief that Jimmer Fredette will ultimately prove unsuccessful with the Kings. It's not about David Lighty's being the #1 most talented player not to be drafter or what his career hopes are from here. It's not about which Morris twin is better. The story that caught my eye was that of Jimmy Butler, former Marquette small forward and the newest addition to the Chicago Bulls roster.
Jimmy Butler's story started when he was 13 years old and on the streets of Tomball, Texas, after his mother kicked him out with no explanation. With no money, no home, and no other relatives to turn to, Jimmy struggled to survive. Throughout high school, he bounced from one friends house to another to find a place to sleep each night. The one constant factor in his life was the basketball he bounced with him. This continued until the summer before his senior year when a scout pulled him aside.
It wasn't a college scout, though. It was a freshman named Jordan Leslie, who'd been watching him play, a sports star to Tomball as well. Jordan challenged Jimmy to a 3-point contest and the two quickly became friends. Gradually, Jordan's house became one of the houses that Jimmy frequently spent the night. Jordan and his siblings welcomed him. At first, Michelle Lambert, Jordan's mother, was fine with the situation. However, when the family that Jimmy usually stayed with needed their bed back, Jimmy stayed with the Leslie family more and more often. With four kids from her first husband combined with the three kids her new husband brought with her, money was tight and there were rumors about Jimmy. When he began staying on school nights, Jordan's parents told him Jimmy could stay 'no more than two nights in a row'. On the third night, one of Jordan's siblings claimed it was their night for Jimmy to stay.
After a few months, Michelle told Jimmy he could stay for good. There were a few conditions, like improving his academic performance, staying out of trouble, meeting a curfew, and being a good role model for the other children. However, she also told him, "This is not a conditional love. This is forever. We will argue, and I might not agree with you, but there is nothing in this world that you could do that I’m turning my back on you." For Jimmy, who'd spent years with no where to go, it meant he'd found a family.
Soon after, Jimmy became the star of the Tomball basketball team, averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Despite making the all-district first team, he played on no AAU team and no colleges recruited him so Jimmy spent his freshman year at Tyler Junior College. In his first game, he scored 34 points. He led the team for the rest of the year and, by April 2008, had several offers from colleges across the nation, including Clemson, Kentucky, Butler, and Iowa State. Michelle Lambert pushed him to make academics a priority as well and so he transferred to Marquette University.
The first season at Marquette was tough. Jimmy went from being the star to riding the bench. He called Michelle Lambert multiple times, frustrated and ready to come home. She told him to deal with it. To be fair, his coach, Buzz Williams, was tough on him. He said, "I've never been harder on a player than I've been on Jimmy. I was ruthless on him because he didn't know how good he could be." During his time at Marquette, Coach Williams put Jimmy in a new role. Sure, he improved his scoring average from 5.6 ppg his first season at Marquette to 15.7 ppg in his senior season, but that came naturally from being a good basketball player. He shed his 'scorer' label and became the 'glue' guy - the team leader. His versatility is what first got him noticed by NBA scouts and what ultimately led the Bulls to select him with their first round draft pick.
If you've seen The Blind Side or read the book (which I recommend), this story might sound somewhat familiar. However, I think it goes to show that it's not an uncommon event. It also shows that there are more than one generous family out there. One last note: The last thing that Butler's mother said to him was, "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go." How much is she regretting that right now?
This entry is named after #11 on the runner-up NBA champions team, the Miami Heat. The 2010-2011 season was his first with the Heat; prior to that, he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers since 1997. He was the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He's from Lithuania and in 2009 he and his wife adopted twin boys from there. He's an avid reader, especially about military topics, and often reads in the locker room before games. His average points per game (5.0 ppg) was an all time low this season, which might be because he attempted exactly 0 three point shots. I chose Ilgauskas for two reasons: Firstly, to give myself an excuse to mention that LeBron James (and the rest of the Miami Heat) lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals. Mostly, though, I picked him because he has an awesome name.
I'll be back.
The Sports Nerd
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Fran Tarkenton
85 scholarship players are allowed on a college football team. No more than 25 new scholarships kids can be brought in every year. When more scholarship players sign than there are scholarships available, many coaches, such as Alabama's Nick Saban and Ole Miss' Houston Nut, will pull scholarships from upperclassmen in order to nab the incoming stars, forcing the veteran players to take a "greyshirt"or a medical scholarship. With a greyshirt, players postpone the use of their scholarship to play football at a later time, but they have to pay their own tuition during the greyshirt period. A medical scholarship allows players to keep their financial aid, but forbids them from playing football again. In basketball, coaches view the Big Ten as the cleanest conference. In regards to pulling football scholarships, I think the Big Ten ranks pretty high on the 'cleanliness' scale as well.
Anybody who has read more than one post of mine will have figured out by now that I'm a Michigan State fan. As a fan, I know all about Arthur Ray Jr.'s story, but for readers who don't closely follow all things Michigan State related, I'd like to tell you about it and how it relates to the apparently unrelated information in the first paragraph. Arthur was already the star offensive lineman at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, IL, his freshmen year. By senior year, he had nine different scholarship offers to chose from before he settled on Michigan State in January, 2007. Prior to his signing, he'd noticed a bump on his right leg, but shrugged it off as a football injury. The bump continued to grow larger until one day, after he signed with MSU, it became so painful that he couldn't climb the stairs at school. Doctors began testing the bump, which they initially believed to be hematoma, or internal bleeding. The day before the Michigan State spring football game, it was revealed that the bump was not hematoma but was actually a cancerous tumor. Arthur was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that about 300 people of the 900 diagnosed each year succumb to annually. The doctor told him, "Throw the football out the window. The most you'll do is run around with your grandkids."
A few days later, a second opinion assured him that he would play football again. The first doctor's diagnosis was about 3 inches off. That is to say, if the cancer had been about 3 inches higher on Arthur's leg, by his knee instead of by his shin, he would have needed knee replacement surgery and then his dreams of playing football would be through. All he needed, though, was chemotherapy, nine surgeries, and 25 months using crutches to walk.
In July, 2007, Arthur underwent a 14-hour long surgery to remove the tumor. Rods, screws, and a plate were inserted into his leg to keep the bone in place. The surgery went well and Arthur seemed to be recovering until the doctors found a bone infection. He had another surgery in March, 2008, and this time, his tibia was removed for cleaning and replaced with a cement spacer for 8 weeks until he could have yet another surgery to reinsert the clean bone. This was far from his last surgery - that would be in December 2009, almost three years after his initial diagnosis.
How does any of this relate to the opening paragraph? Well, Arthur didn't come to school in fall 2007, but since he arrived in 2008, Michigan State has kept him on scholarship. While he was on crutches. When there was a still a chance that he might need his leg amputated. In January, 2011, over a year since his last surgery, MSU asked the NCAA to allow him to play again. On April 7, he put on his number 73 jersey and practiced for the first time in his collegiate career. It's unknown what will happen at this point - he might redshirt the 2011 season, play as a 5th years senior in 2012, and apply for a 6th year in 2013. He's determined to play this season. No matter what happens, though, his story has been pretty fantastic and pretty inspirational.
Something to watch if you have lots of time on your hands (and something to read if you have even more time): this series of videos and this book. Louie Zamperini was an Olympic runner in the 1936 Olympics; obviously, Jessie Owens won that year, but Zamperini (at age 19) ran the last lap in 56 seconds; when Hitler met him, all he said was, "The boy with the fast finish." This was, of course, before Louie became a soldier in WWII, survived a plane crash, 47 days lost at sea, and two years as a POW in Japan. It's a pretty awesome story.
Today's honorary player is #10 Fran Tarkenton, the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings from 1961-1967 and 1972-1978 (playing a few years with the New York Giants in between there). He holds the Vikings career passing yards record with 33,098 and the Vikings career passing touchdowns record with 239. Although he was the NFL MVP in 1975 (as well as the offensive player of the year) and went to 9 Pro Bowls (amongst other accomplishments), he never won a Super Bowl.
Goodbye!
The Sports Nerd
In July, 2007, Arthur underwent a 14-hour long surgery to remove the tumor. Rods, screws, and a plate were inserted into his leg to keep the bone in place. The surgery went well and Arthur seemed to be recovering until the doctors found a bone infection. He had another surgery in March, 2008, and this time, his tibia was removed for cleaning and replaced with a cement spacer for 8 weeks until he could have yet another surgery to reinsert the clean bone. This was far from his last surgery - that would be in December 2009, almost three years after his initial diagnosis.
How does any of this relate to the opening paragraph? Well, Arthur didn't come to school in fall 2007, but since he arrived in 2008, Michigan State has kept him on scholarship. While he was on crutches. When there was a still a chance that he might need his leg amputated. In January, 2011, over a year since his last surgery, MSU asked the NCAA to allow him to play again. On April 7, he put on his number 73 jersey and practiced for the first time in his collegiate career. It's unknown what will happen at this point - he might redshirt the 2011 season, play as a 5th years senior in 2012, and apply for a 6th year in 2013. He's determined to play this season. No matter what happens, though, his story has been pretty fantastic and pretty inspirational.
Something to watch if you have lots of time on your hands (and something to read if you have even more time): this series of videos and this book. Louie Zamperini was an Olympic runner in the 1936 Olympics; obviously, Jessie Owens won that year, but Zamperini (at age 19) ran the last lap in 56 seconds; when Hitler met him, all he said was, "The boy with the fast finish." This was, of course, before Louie became a soldier in WWII, survived a plane crash, 47 days lost at sea, and two years as a POW in Japan. It's a pretty awesome story.
Today's honorary player is #10 Fran Tarkenton, the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings from 1961-1967 and 1972-1978 (playing a few years with the New York Giants in between there). He holds the Vikings career passing yards record with 33,098 and the Vikings career passing touchdowns record with 239. Although he was the NFL MVP in 1975 (as well as the offensive player of the year) and went to 9 Pro Bowls (amongst other accomplishments), he never won a Super Bowl.
Goodbye!
The Sports Nerd
Sunday, April 17, 2011
J. J. Watt
College basketball is done. The NBA playoffs have begun. Spring football has started. The NFL is in a lockout. The Master's are over. Baseball season is underway. For most sports fans, these athletics take priority over high school cross country. Yet today I saw a special on ESPN on the San Francisco University High School girl's cross country team. And it was probably the most interesting bit of sports news I saw all morning. In case you didn't get to see it, I'll fill you in.
Since 1995, Jim Tracy has been the coach of boys and girls cross country at UHS. During that time, the teams have combined for 27 conference titles and 21 North Coast Section titles. The girls have won state 4 of the last 9 years and entering the 2010 season with 7 school championships, were tied for most in California history. Trouble began five years ago, when a muscle in his thumb stopped functioning. Two years later, when he was fifty-seven, during one of his daily 10-mile runs, he found that he was unable to lift one of his feet off the ground. In 2009, he finally went to a doctor. At age 60, he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatalistic disease that affects the neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. As it progresses, voluntary movement disintegrates. In random order, Jim Tracy is slowly losing control of all of his muscles.
At the start of the 2010 season, tears were shed when his team learned of his disease, and a decision was made. The girls decided that now, more than any other season, they had to win. "Do it for Jim" became their motto. Their determination was put to a test at the championship meet in Fresno last November.
The race was something special for each girl, and it showed. Sophomore Lizzy Teerlink ran the fastest race of her life by more than a minute and finished 36 out of 116. Senior Adrian Kerester, who had never run in a state final before, finished 25th. At the 100 yard mark, sophomore Jennie Callan fell and landed in last place. She passed more than 150 runners and finished 16th. Junior Bridget Blum, who had never led in a race before, led the entire pack for more than half the race and finish 3rd. When she crossed the finish line, though, instead of being excited, Coach Tracy was concerned. His captain and star runner, junior Holland Reynolds, hadn't finished yet. If she hadn't finished, Tracy assumed that something had gone very wrong.
At the 2.5 mile mark in a 3.1 mile race, Holland Reynolds was in 2nd place. Then the dehydration kicked in. Breathing became difficult and she slowed down, allowing other runners to pass her. As she approached the final stretch of the race, Reynolds was bent over, running at almost a ninety degree angle as she struggled to finish. With about 10 feet left, she collapsed. No one could help her - the official standing over her told her that if anyone assisted her at that moment, she would be disqualified. She had to walk or crawl to the finish line herself. And she did. Agonizingly slowly, Holland Reynolds crawled the remainder of the way to cross the finish line, where she was immediately picked up and transferred to an ambulance to be treated for dehydration. She finished in 37th place.
The way a cross country team places in a race is determined by the combined finishes of the top five runners. For UHS, this included Holland Reynolds. An hour after the race ended, Reynolds was given the news: by crawling across the finish line, she secured a victory for her team and an 8th state championship for her coach.
This isn't the first time that something like this has happened, of course. The most memorable incident that comes to mind is Derek Redmond in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, whose father helped him cross the finish line. It's pretty inspirational, nonetheless. There's a program to support Jim Tracy and learn more about ALS here.
Today's blog is in honor of J. J. Watt. While most mock drafts project Tyron Smith from USC to be selected 9th to the Dallas Cowboys, one version (by Brian Baldinger) has chosen Wisconsin's J. J. Watt. One article actually refers to Watt as the best defensive lineman in the draft because of his great instincts, long arms (34"), and impressive speed for a 290-lb guy. During NFL workouts, he placed first in the vertical jump and three-cone drill for defensive linemen. He's also been described as one of the "cleaner" prospects in the draft. He's kind of a jack of all trades and will play well in a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense, making him a very versatile draft pick.
Cheers!
The Sports Nerd
Since 1995, Jim Tracy has been the coach of boys and girls cross country at UHS. During that time, the teams have combined for 27 conference titles and 21 North Coast Section titles. The girls have won state 4 of the last 9 years and entering the 2010 season with 7 school championships, were tied for most in California history. Trouble began five years ago, when a muscle in his thumb stopped functioning. Two years later, when he was fifty-seven, during one of his daily 10-mile runs, he found that he was unable to lift one of his feet off the ground. In 2009, he finally went to a doctor. At age 60, he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Lou Gehrig's disease is a fatalistic disease that affects the neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. As it progresses, voluntary movement disintegrates. In random order, Jim Tracy is slowly losing control of all of his muscles.
At the start of the 2010 season, tears were shed when his team learned of his disease, and a decision was made. The girls decided that now, more than any other season, they had to win. "Do it for Jim" became their motto. Their determination was put to a test at the championship meet in Fresno last November.
The race was something special for each girl, and it showed. Sophomore Lizzy Teerlink ran the fastest race of her life by more than a minute and finished 36 out of 116. Senior Adrian Kerester, who had never run in a state final before, finished 25th. At the 100 yard mark, sophomore Jennie Callan fell and landed in last place. She passed more than 150 runners and finished 16th. Junior Bridget Blum, who had never led in a race before, led the entire pack for more than half the race and finish 3rd. When she crossed the finish line, though, instead of being excited, Coach Tracy was concerned. His captain and star runner, junior Holland Reynolds, hadn't finished yet. If she hadn't finished, Tracy assumed that something had gone very wrong.
At the 2.5 mile mark in a 3.1 mile race, Holland Reynolds was in 2nd place. Then the dehydration kicked in. Breathing became difficult and she slowed down, allowing other runners to pass her. As she approached the final stretch of the race, Reynolds was bent over, running at almost a ninety degree angle as she struggled to finish. With about 10 feet left, she collapsed. No one could help her - the official standing over her told her that if anyone assisted her at that moment, she would be disqualified. She had to walk or crawl to the finish line herself. And she did. Agonizingly slowly, Holland Reynolds crawled the remainder of the way to cross the finish line, where she was immediately picked up and transferred to an ambulance to be treated for dehydration. She finished in 37th place.
The way a cross country team places in a race is determined by the combined finishes of the top five runners. For UHS, this included Holland Reynolds. An hour after the race ended, Reynolds was given the news: by crawling across the finish line, she secured a victory for her team and an 8th state championship for her coach.
This isn't the first time that something like this has happened, of course. The most memorable incident that comes to mind is Derek Redmond in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, whose father helped him cross the finish line. It's pretty inspirational, nonetheless. There's a program to support Jim Tracy and learn more about ALS here.
Today's blog is in honor of J. J. Watt. While most mock drafts project Tyron Smith from USC to be selected 9th to the Dallas Cowboys, one version (by Brian Baldinger) has chosen Wisconsin's J. J. Watt. One article actually refers to Watt as the best defensive lineman in the draft because of his great instincts, long arms (34"), and impressive speed for a 290-lb guy. During NFL workouts, he placed first in the vertical jump and three-cone drill for defensive linemen. He's also been described as one of the "cleaner" prospects in the draft. He's kind of a jack of all trades and will play well in a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense, making him a very versatile draft pick.
Cheers!
The Sports Nerd
Monday, March 28, 2011
Ryan Braun
On March 13th, so-called experts on different sports shows declared this year's field of 68 to be the weakest in recent memory and they weren't wrong. Not only did this tournament feature the most double-digit loss teams ever, it also contained 5 teams with 14 losses; there have only been a total of 6 teams with 14 losses ever to compete in the tournament since it expanded in 1985. So the experts might have been right - this is the weakest field in recent memory. It also might be the most interesting.
A weak bracket should mean that the number one seeds have an easy route to the Final Four. Except not one made it. This has happened twice before: in 1980, with Louisville (2 seed), UCLA (8 seed), Purdue (6 seed), and Iowa (5 seed), and in 2006, with Florida (3 seed), UCLA (2 seed), George Mason (11 seed), and LSU (4 seed). However, this year, there are no number 2 seeds either. There's never been a Final Four with a 1 or a 2 seed in it. So much for that 'weakest field' argument. This year's Final Four is UCONN (3 seed), Kentucky (4 seed), VCU (11 seed), and Butler (8 seed). The match-ups this upcoming weekend are interesting for a number of reasons.
First, a quick look at the first match-up. UCONN and Kentucky already played each other once this year in the Maui tournament (UCONN won 84-67). It's easy to see the draw of the UCONN and Kentucky game. Neither are strangers to the Final Four; this is UCONN's 2nd trip in the last 3 years, Coach Calhoun's 4th trip, two of which have led to national championships; Kentucky hasn't been to the Final Four since 1998, which is when they obtained one of their 7 national championships, but Coach Calipari is now the only coach to take three different teams to the Final Four (even if the first two were vacated by the NCAA). Some people might love this match-up because of the tradition of these two legendary programs and coaches. I'm rooting for UCONN because my little sister has them winning the tournament and she's the only member of our family whose bracket hasn't gone down in flames and because I think it would be a waste of a tournament if Calipari won, only to have the wins vacated later because it's bound to happen eventually.
The other match-up, however, poses a problem for many. Often in this tournament, unless your bracket is still in the running to earn you some money (in other words, unless you're jspearlman), people tend to root for the underdog. But this is the match-up of the underdogs. An 8 seed vs an 11 seed. Two young, up-and-coming coaches (whose combined ages are less than Jim Calhoun's 68 years). So here's the problem: which bandwagon will you jump on?
Here's where I try and convince you to root for VCU, the 3rd 11 seed to ever make the Final Four. Butler beat Old Dominion (9 seed), Pitt (1 seed), Wisconsin (4 seed), and Florida (2 seed). VCU beat USC in the play-in game, Georgetown (6 seed), Purdue (3 seed), Florida State (10 seed), and Kansas (1 seed). (On a side note, Kansas has become the dream opponent for mid-major schools. Since 2005, they've lost to Bucknell, Bradley, Northern Iowa, and VCU.) Give credit to both of these teams for making it this far. Just give more credit to VCU.
From the very moment that VCU's name was announced, they were questioned, particularly from Jay Bilas, who called out the selection committee by saying their choice of allowing VCU into the tournament was "indefensible" and wondering whether the committee "knows if the ball is round". His criticism wasn't wrong - VCU probably didn't deserve their bid and probably robbed either Colorado or Virginia Tech of theirs - but VCU has used it for motivation. They've played five games so far, as opposed to the four that Butler has played, and they haven't just won these games: they've dominated. They beat Georgetown (albiet an injured and struggling Georgetown) by 18 points. They beat an incredibly healthy and incredibly talented Purdue team by 18 points. They just managed to get past another cinderella in FSU in overtime before they beat the Morris twins of Kansas by 10 points, leading at one point by 18. Butler, on the other hand, has edged over their opposition with the help of crazy shots and foul calls in every game except their victory over Wisconsin, with their largest victory being by 7. Don't get me wrong: Butler's a good team and they've played hard. I'm just suggesting that VCU has been a tad more motivated and a bit more impressive thus far.
Butler's had their cinderella story. Brad Stevens got his Bulldogs to the Final Four in their home town of Indianapolis against all odds last year, brought them to the championship game, and was one half court shot away from bringing home their first championship. This year, it's Shaka Smart's turn. VCU had never been past the second round of the tournament until this year. This year, Brad Stevens has shown that he can get it done twice, that he wasn't depending on Gordan Hayward to win last year. This is not the last time we'll see Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs; in fact, I expect him to take home a championship within the next 5 or 6 years. Hopefully just not this year. It's too early to say whether Shaka Smart and VCU will be able to do this again; whether this is the beginning of upward turn for VCU or one anomaly of an otherwise average basketball program. If that's the case, this might be the last chance VCU has for a while. They've been questioned and they've responded without any help from Lady Luck or the NCAA officiating team. They've fought too hard to stop now. If that's not the case and Shaka Smart takes this team to the next level, they're still the underdogs this year. Butler can only win so much before they're not a cinderella story anymore. They've reached that point. Back-to-back Final Fours will do that. That's a good thing - it means that they've established a successful and respectable basketball program. It also means they're not the underdogs anymore.
There you have it. I'm not telling you that you have to root for VCU. If you're a Butler grad or know a Butler grad, if you have ties to the school or if you think their mascot is cute, then by all means root for Butler. But if you're rooting for the underdog, you gotta root for VCU.
Today's blog is titled for Ryan Braun, an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. He's from California and attended Miami University in Florida. He made his debut for the Brewers on May 25, 2007. In 2009, he became just the 8th player in MLB history with at least 100 runs, 100 RBI, 200 hits, 30 HR, 20 SB, and a .300 batting average in the same season. He's single and enjoys the beach, water sports, movies, and car. He also has his own batting line (RB8's) and clothing line (Remetee). Baseball's opening day is this Thursday. I'm not nearly as excited as this commercial says I should be.
Hasta la vista!
The Sports Nerd
Hasta la vista!
The Sports Nerd
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Elmore Morgenthaler
With basketball season wrapping up, this may be one of the last posts I'm able to get in about said sport before I'm forced to write about something else. There are so many great moments from this year's March Madness already, and we're only four days in, but writing about the great moments isn't nearly as fun as watching them and, hopefully, most of you have seen most of these moments live anyway so reading about them would just be redundant. If you missed them, I'll let you wait until this year's "One Shining Moment" video to relive them all. In the mean time, I'll tell you a little about some of the great players creating those great moments. Today, halfway through VCU's beat down of Purdue, the four Naismith Finalists were announced. None of them are particularly surprising:
Jimmer Fredette - BYU
Jared Sullinger - (the) Ohio State
Kemba Walker - UCONN
Nolan Smith - Duke
Each one of them is very deserving of the award. I know which one I want to win. Unfortunately, since I'm too cheap to text my pick to 345345 and can't maneuver the darn Naismith website to vote, my opinion doesn't matter at all. However, if you aren't and you can, here's some details that might help you make your final decision.
Jimmer Fredette: I talked extensively about the BYU program and Fredette's teammate, Brandon Davies, in my previous post, but I didn't get into too much detail about the team's star himself. James Fredette is a senior from New York and is the starting guard of the Brigham Young Cougar's basketball team. He averages 4.3 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds a game while also shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc and averaging 28.8 points a game. (That's an average. So far in this tournament alone he scored 32 on Wofford and 34 on Gonzaga. He scored 49 on Arizona back in 2009 and 52 on New Mexico earlier this year.) The average seems low because of the occasional off game. "Off game" here meaning 16 points against Hawaii at the beginning of the season). He came into the spotlight during last year's NCAA tournament, particularly in his 37 point effort that pushed BYU past the Florida Gators in double overtime (who, coincidentally, will be who they play in the Sweet Sixteen next week, the first time BYU has ever advanced this far.) He was the Mountain West Conference's player of the year as well as cbssports.com's national player of the year. Although the Naismith is presented on facts alone, his back story is pretty interesting as well. In case you don't feel like watching that whole video, it basically shows how his brother used to help him practice by setting up scrimmages for him. With the inmates of a nearby jail. If that doesn't toughen a kid up, I don't know what will.
Jared Sullinger: Earlier this year, I shared this same video with you. I couldn't find a new one (some OSU fans need to step up and make a new mix). Also earlier this year, I questioned tOSU as a basketball team. I don't like being wrong and, with the except of my terrible bracket this year, I have a pretty good record (EX: Penn State made the tournament), but I was wrong here. Very, very wrong. Ohio State is a great basketball team and, hypocrite that I am, I think they'll win the National Championship because, honestly, who is going to beat them? Part of the reason they're so good is Jared Sullinger (and Aaron Craft, who doesn't get nearly the amount of attention that he should). He's a freshman and he averages a double-double each game: 17 points and 10.1 rebounds. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He's also very active on twitter (tonight he's having some conversation with Duke's Kyrie Irving. Fraternizing with the enemy.) A few weeks ago, I showed his "Party in the USA" video. Apparently, the whole video was his idea. It's his favorite song (he tweeted that when some girl asked him if he really liked it, he took off his headphones and it was playing on his iPod). In fact, when a Minnesota fan tried to taunt him with a sign of him, he asked for the poster so he could give it to his mom (the Minnesota fan gave it to him).
Kemba Walker: I'd like to point out that one of the very first games that Kemba Walker started receiving national attention for was their victory over Michigan State in Maui. That's not a good thing, but it's where I first heard his name. Walker ranks 4th in the country in scoring with 23.6 ppg. He was particularly important during Uconn's run through the Big East tournament, where he scored 130 points in five games on five straight days. One might think that all those game right before the NCAA tournament might wear him out, but that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. He's from New York, says that he always wanted to come to Uconn, but if he hadn't, he probably would have gone to Cincinnati (which is the team that Uconn beat by 11 in the Big East championship game. Good decision.)
Nolan Smith: Kyle Singler's decision to not live up to pre-season expectations and Kyrie Irving's toe injury opened up a nice path for senior Nolan Smith to average 20.9 ppg, 5.3 apg, and 4.5 rpg, establishing himself as the ACC's player of the year. He was the starting shooting guard last year for Duke's championship run in March and has put the team on his back for most of the year. During the game over Michigan today, he scored 24 points on 8 out of 13 shooting, including a critical stretch where he scored 10 straight points. In my opinion (and, hey, since it's my blog I guess I can put my opinion), he's been somewhat overlooked most of the season. Obviously, he's not too overlooked since he's a Naismith finalist, but a lot of attention was focused on Kyrie Irving. With him gone, Smith led Duke just like an experienced senior should. His dad died when he was 8 years old and he now has a tattoo with the words "Forever Watching" on his arm.
So there are this year's finalists. I know who I want to win (and maybe you can figure it out too) and maybe this has influenced your opinions; maybe it hasn't; or maybe you don't really care that much at all.
As for Elmore Morgenthaler, he was the first 7 foot tall (7'1'', to be exact) basketball player. He played at college ball at the New Mexico School of Mines, professional basketball with Providence and Philadelphia from 1946 to 1949, and, despite his height, averaged less than two points a game.
It should go without saying that the thing to watch this week is the remainder of the NCAA tournament. However, if you happen to be watching a game that the great Gus Johnson isn't calling, then you could always listen to Oscar Cuesta, the Spanish Gus Johnson. Skip to about :45 seconds in; this guy is so happy he's either crying or laughing maniacally.
Peace out!
The Sports Nerd
Jimmer Fredette - BYU
Jared Sullinger - (the) Ohio State
Kemba Walker - UCONN
Nolan Smith - Duke
Each one of them is very deserving of the award. I know which one I want to win. Unfortunately, since I'm too cheap to text my pick to 345345 and can't maneuver the darn Naismith website to vote, my opinion doesn't matter at all. However, if you aren't and you can, here's some details that might help you make your final decision.
Jimmer Fredette: I talked extensively about the BYU program and Fredette's teammate, Brandon Davies, in my previous post, but I didn't get into too much detail about the team's star himself. James Fredette is a senior from New York and is the starting guard of the Brigham Young Cougar's basketball team. He averages 4.3 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds a game while also shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc and averaging 28.8 points a game. (That's an average. So far in this tournament alone he scored 32 on Wofford and 34 on Gonzaga. He scored 49 on Arizona back in 2009 and 52 on New Mexico earlier this year.) The average seems low because of the occasional off game. "Off game" here meaning 16 points against Hawaii at the beginning of the season). He came into the spotlight during last year's NCAA tournament, particularly in his 37 point effort that pushed BYU past the Florida Gators in double overtime (who, coincidentally, will be who they play in the Sweet Sixteen next week, the first time BYU has ever advanced this far.) He was the Mountain West Conference's player of the year as well as cbssports.com's national player of the year. Although the Naismith is presented on facts alone, his back story is pretty interesting as well. In case you don't feel like watching that whole video, it basically shows how his brother used to help him practice by setting up scrimmages for him. With the inmates of a nearby jail. If that doesn't toughen a kid up, I don't know what will.
Jared Sullinger: Earlier this year, I shared this same video with you. I couldn't find a new one (some OSU fans need to step up and make a new mix). Also earlier this year, I questioned tOSU as a basketball team. I don't like being wrong and, with the except of my terrible bracket this year, I have a pretty good record (EX: Penn State made the tournament), but I was wrong here. Very, very wrong. Ohio State is a great basketball team and, hypocrite that I am, I think they'll win the National Championship because, honestly, who is going to beat them? Part of the reason they're so good is Jared Sullinger (and Aaron Craft, who doesn't get nearly the amount of attention that he should). He's a freshman and he averages a double-double each game: 17 points and 10.1 rebounds. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He's also very active on twitter (tonight he's having some conversation with Duke's Kyrie Irving. Fraternizing with the enemy.) A few weeks ago, I showed his "Party in the USA" video. Apparently, the whole video was his idea. It's his favorite song (he tweeted that when some girl asked him if he really liked it, he took off his headphones and it was playing on his iPod). In fact, when a Minnesota fan tried to taunt him with a sign of him, he asked for the poster so he could give it to his mom (the Minnesota fan gave it to him).
Kemba Walker: I'd like to point out that one of the very first games that Kemba Walker started receiving national attention for was their victory over Michigan State in Maui. That's not a good thing, but it's where I first heard his name. Walker ranks 4th in the country in scoring with 23.6 ppg. He was particularly important during Uconn's run through the Big East tournament, where he scored 130 points in five games on five straight days. One might think that all those game right before the NCAA tournament might wear him out, but that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. He's from New York, says that he always wanted to come to Uconn, but if he hadn't, he probably would have gone to Cincinnati (which is the team that Uconn beat by 11 in the Big East championship game. Good decision.)
Nolan Smith: Kyle Singler's decision to not live up to pre-season expectations and Kyrie Irving's toe injury opened up a nice path for senior Nolan Smith to average 20.9 ppg, 5.3 apg, and 4.5 rpg, establishing himself as the ACC's player of the year. He was the starting shooting guard last year for Duke's championship run in March and has put the team on his back for most of the year. During the game over Michigan today, he scored 24 points on 8 out of 13 shooting, including a critical stretch where he scored 10 straight points. In my opinion (and, hey, since it's my blog I guess I can put my opinion), he's been somewhat overlooked most of the season. Obviously, he's not too overlooked since he's a Naismith finalist, but a lot of attention was focused on Kyrie Irving. With him gone, Smith led Duke just like an experienced senior should. His dad died when he was 8 years old and he now has a tattoo with the words "Forever Watching" on his arm.
So there are this year's finalists. I know who I want to win (and maybe you can figure it out too) and maybe this has influenced your opinions; maybe it hasn't; or maybe you don't really care that much at all.
As for Elmore Morgenthaler, he was the first 7 foot tall (7'1'', to be exact) basketball player. He played at college ball at the New Mexico School of Mines, professional basketball with Providence and Philadelphia from 1946 to 1949, and, despite his height, averaged less than two points a game.
It should go without saying that the thing to watch this week is the remainder of the NCAA tournament. However, if you happen to be watching a game that the great Gus Johnson isn't calling, then you could always listen to Oscar Cuesta, the Spanish Gus Johnson. Skip to about :45 seconds in; this guy is so happy he's either crying or laughing maniacally.
Peace out!
The Sports Nerd
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Julius Erving
There is a reason for why I haven't written in almost a month. It's not that there hasn't been lots to write about, because there has been. (Quick review: Carmelo Anthony goes to the Knicks, Blake Griffin dunks over a car, Trevor Bayne wins Daytona 500, baseball is in full swing, no NFL lockout....yet, tOSU wins Big Ten). I had plenty of choices. No, the reason I haven't written is because, after my last post, I told myself I would go out on a limb and write about something other than college basketball. Obviously, I've had plenty to chose from. I couldn't do it. I can't write an (interesting) post about NBA trades or NFL drama, my post on the Daytona would have been something along the lines of, "He turned left faster than everyone else", and I can't force myself to watch a full game of baseball; I prefer the ESPN highlights. So I've finally given in and have resigned myself to writing another post on college basketball. This could be a very dull blog after March. I'm not going to write about tOSU winning, though. There's someone far more controversial and interesting out there right now and his name is Brandon Davies.
A little backstory for anyone who doesn't already know where this is going. Brandon Davies was, until recently, the sophomore forward for the Brigham Young Cougars men's basketball team. He was the leading rebounder, averaging 6.2 per game, and the team's third highest scorer, with 11.1 ppg. At the beginning of the season, BYU caught the media's attention because of their senior guard, Jimmer Fredette, who averages 27.9 points a game and shoots 40% from beyond the arc. By playing (and winning) a decent non-conference schedule and beating then #6 (now #4) San Diego State on January 26th, BYU ended the month of February 27-2, 13-1 in the Mountain West, and ranked #3 in the polls, poised for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Then Brandon Davies was suspended for the remainder of the season for breaking the Honor Code. He had sex with his girlfriend.
BYU is a Mormon school with a strict Honor Code. When you agree to attend BYU, you agree to that Honor Code, which includes promising to "live a virtuous and chaste life". He didn't. After his suspension, the Cougars lost to New Mexico for the second time this season and then beat Wyoming. They are still ranked #3 and while the Cougars can definitely still make a run in the tournament, this is definitely not a small challenge to overcome. Davies has the ability to score anywhere from 6 to 20 points a game, he started 24 of 27 games, he's had two double-doubles this season, and BYU was already short-handed after an injury to Chris Collinsworth earlier this season. Davies was the main player for Fredette and the team's second highest scorer, Jackson Emery, to feed to, as well as the main distraction that freed up said players on the outside. This will a be a huge hurdle for a team that fell in the 2nd round of the tournament last year and, despite 24 tournament appearances, has never reached the Final Four.
This is where the controversy comes in. College students have sex. College sports players have sex. College sports players do things much worse than have consensual sex with their significant others and are not kicked off their sports teams. Case in point: Davies' girlfriend is a volleyball player for Arizona State and she still plays, even though she slept with her boyfriend. A recent study done by CBS and Sports Illustrated revealed that of the 2,837 players that made up the 2010 pre-season top 25 football polls, 7% had criminal records, including actual sex offenses. (Here's a link to the results of the study, if you're interested.) Players are paid, breaking NCAA rules, and are forgiven and allowed to continue playing (I really can't go many posts without mentioning Cam Newton). So should Brandon Davies, who did nothing illegal or dangerous, get suspended, when so many others commit worse crimes and get away with it?
The answer: yes. With all the aforementioned scandals and lack of discipline in college sports right now, BYU should be praised for their ruling. Brandon Davies agreed to that Honor Code. If he didn't want to follow it, he could have attended any other school in the nation. But he chose BYU. And by choosing BYU, he chose to not have sex. Although that might not appear to be a huge misdemeanor when compared to what other student athletes get away with, he's breaking the rules nonetheless. And while other schools allow their players to get away with the crimes without punishment in order to keep their chances of success alive, the BYU administration upheld their values, jeopardizing one of the best seasons in school history. They're setting an example. They're sticking to their morals. Kudos to them.
What's even better? After their victory over Wyoming on the 5th, securing them the Mountain West title, they allowed Davies onto the floor to cut a piece of the net for himself. Because he is just a kid. And, compared to a lot of other kids out there, he's a really good kid who deserves a second chance. One question left: how the hell did the school find out?
Today's post is in honor of number 6, Julius Erving. He was born on February 22, 1950 (my birthday, just 43 years early), played basketball for Massachusetts Amherst and was selected as the 12th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in the NBA for 17 years and is considered one of the best dunkers of all time. Recently, there has been some discussion about switching the NBA's logo depicting Jerry West to feature an Erving dunk, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. He was nicknamed "Dr. J", which influenced the nicknames of both Boston Celtics' Glenn "Doc" Rivers (he had a poster of Erving in his Marquette dorm room) and rapper Dr. Dre and the real name of Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.
Here's something not to watch: The ESPN documentary on the scUM's "Fab Five". For those of you who don't know, the "Fab Five" was the nickname for five players in Michigan's 1991 recruiting class (Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson). The five supposedly revolutionized the game of basketball. They never won a championship, though they came close and might have if Chris Webber hadn't called a timeout against UNC in 1993 when they had none remaining, resulting in a technical foul. What they did make popular was trash talking, shaved heads, baggy shorts, black shoes, and high black socks. More often than not, they're associated with the University of Michigan basketball scandal, where scUM booster Ed Martin gave Chris Webber roughly $280,000 in a span of five years. Three other players not from the Fab Five were involved, as was the coach, Steve Fisher (currently the coach of San Diego State. Michigan fired him). The University of Michigan ended up vacating every game in the 1992-93 season as well as 1995-96 through 1997-98, which included the 1992 and 1993 Final Fours, the 1997 NIT title, and the 1998 Big Ten Championship. I'm not sure what exactly the documentary is going to focus on. Yay for cheating!
Live long and prosper,
The Sports Nerd
A little backstory for anyone who doesn't already know where this is going. Brandon Davies was, until recently, the sophomore forward for the Brigham Young Cougars men's basketball team. He was the leading rebounder, averaging 6.2 per game, and the team's third highest scorer, with 11.1 ppg. At the beginning of the season, BYU caught the media's attention because of their senior guard, Jimmer Fredette, who averages 27.9 points a game and shoots 40% from beyond the arc. By playing (and winning) a decent non-conference schedule and beating then #6 (now #4) San Diego State on January 26th, BYU ended the month of February 27-2, 13-1 in the Mountain West, and ranked #3 in the polls, poised for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Then Brandon Davies was suspended for the remainder of the season for breaking the Honor Code. He had sex with his girlfriend.
BYU is a Mormon school with a strict Honor Code. When you agree to attend BYU, you agree to that Honor Code, which includes promising to "live a virtuous and chaste life". He didn't. After his suspension, the Cougars lost to New Mexico for the second time this season and then beat Wyoming. They are still ranked #3 and while the Cougars can definitely still make a run in the tournament, this is definitely not a small challenge to overcome. Davies has the ability to score anywhere from 6 to 20 points a game, he started 24 of 27 games, he's had two double-doubles this season, and BYU was already short-handed after an injury to Chris Collinsworth earlier this season. Davies was the main player for Fredette and the team's second highest scorer, Jackson Emery, to feed to, as well as the main distraction that freed up said players on the outside. This will a be a huge hurdle for a team that fell in the 2nd round of the tournament last year and, despite 24 tournament appearances, has never reached the Final Four.
This is where the controversy comes in. College students have sex. College sports players have sex. College sports players do things much worse than have consensual sex with their significant others and are not kicked off their sports teams. Case in point: Davies' girlfriend is a volleyball player for Arizona State and she still plays, even though she slept with her boyfriend. A recent study done by CBS and Sports Illustrated revealed that of the 2,837 players that made up the 2010 pre-season top 25 football polls, 7% had criminal records, including actual sex offenses. (Here's a link to the results of the study, if you're interested.) Players are paid, breaking NCAA rules, and are forgiven and allowed to continue playing (I really can't go many posts without mentioning Cam Newton). So should Brandon Davies, who did nothing illegal or dangerous, get suspended, when so many others commit worse crimes and get away with it?
The answer: yes. With all the aforementioned scandals and lack of discipline in college sports right now, BYU should be praised for their ruling. Brandon Davies agreed to that Honor Code. If he didn't want to follow it, he could have attended any other school in the nation. But he chose BYU. And by choosing BYU, he chose to not have sex. Although that might not appear to be a huge misdemeanor when compared to what other student athletes get away with, he's breaking the rules nonetheless. And while other schools allow their players to get away with the crimes without punishment in order to keep their chances of success alive, the BYU administration upheld their values, jeopardizing one of the best seasons in school history. They're setting an example. They're sticking to their morals. Kudos to them.
What's even better? After their victory over Wyoming on the 5th, securing them the Mountain West title, they allowed Davies onto the floor to cut a piece of the net for himself. Because he is just a kid. And, compared to a lot of other kids out there, he's a really good kid who deserves a second chance. One question left: how the hell did the school find out?
Today's post is in honor of number 6, Julius Erving. He was born on February 22, 1950 (my birthday, just 43 years early), played basketball for Massachusetts Amherst and was selected as the 12th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in the NBA for 17 years and is considered one of the best dunkers of all time. Recently, there has been some discussion about switching the NBA's logo depicting Jerry West to feature an Erving dunk, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. He was nicknamed "Dr. J", which influenced the nicknames of both Boston Celtics' Glenn "Doc" Rivers (he had a poster of Erving in his Marquette dorm room) and rapper Dr. Dre and the real name of Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.
Here's something not to watch: The ESPN documentary on the scUM's "Fab Five". For those of you who don't know, the "Fab Five" was the nickname for five players in Michigan's 1991 recruiting class (Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson). The five supposedly revolutionized the game of basketball. They never won a championship, though they came close and might have if Chris Webber hadn't called a timeout against UNC in 1993 when they had none remaining, resulting in a technical foul. What they did make popular was trash talking, shaved heads, baggy shorts, black shoes, and high black socks. More often than not, they're associated with the University of Michigan basketball scandal, where scUM booster Ed Martin gave Chris Webber roughly $280,000 in a span of five years. Three other players not from the Fab Five were involved, as was the coach, Steve Fisher (currently the coach of San Diego State. Michigan fired him). The University of Michigan ended up vacating every game in the 1992-93 season as well as 1995-96 through 1997-98, which included the 1992 and 1993 Final Fours, the 1997 NIT title, and the 1998 Big Ten Championship. I'm not sure what exactly the documentary is going to focus on. Yay for cheating!
Live long and prosper,
The Sports Nerd
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