The Continuance of Doldrums: Summer's Almost Over!

I must apologize for the huge delay in posts.  The last few weeks, I have been a staff member at several high school marching band camps.  In my free time, I also enjoy working extensively in the music world.  My interest in music had to take priority over my interest in sports for a few weeks.  

But!  I'm back, with a few tidbits of news I've found interesting.  

• Jeff Hogan, the Columbus Blue Jackets' pre-game co-host since October of 1999, has decided to leave his position in order to take on an expanded role at WBNS-10TV.  Hogan had been the longest-tenured broadcaster since the club's debut.  

• Terrell Owens signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on July 27.  He will join receivers Chad Ochocinco, Antonio Bryant, and a slew of other big names players as the Bengals prepare to take on the Dallas Cowboys tonight in the the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  I'll be DVR-ing this one, since I have to work late tonight.  But I'm interested to see how much chemistry has been developed between Carson Palmer, Ochocinco, and Owens in the little time they've been together.  

• Albert Haynesworth finally passed a conditioning test.  Seriously man?  You received a $21 million roster bonus, demanded a trade, and then FAILED a conditioning test?  You're the most selfish player I've ever seen.  

• ESPN tells us that LeBron James finally thanked the city of Cleveland for everything its done for him.  While I don't think that's newsworthy, I guess the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports" has to find something to talk about to fulfill its obligation to talk about LeBron James at least once a day.  I bet that was a part of that deal to air "The Decision" on ESPN...but I digress. 

That's all I've got for now, I'll blog again following the Hall of Fame game to give my thoughts on the Bengals. 

Summer Doldrums

Yeah, summer has inhibited my ability to update.  Not because of how busy I've been, or how many cool places I've seen, but because there's not really been enough to talk about.  

• The MLB All-Star Game was last night.  The National League won for the first time in 13 seasons.  That is definitely noteworthy.  However, it was eclipsed in importance by the death of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.  George was a great businessman, and saved the Yankees from dropping off the face of the baseball world in the 70's.  He will be missed.

• The World Cup has finally come to an end.  Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in extra time to capture their first championship.  Hopefully this will ease some of the civil tensions within Spain.  Spain needed some good news, and this was it.  Congratulations.

• As I mentioned previously in this blog, Thierry Henry has finally signed with New York Red Bull of Major League Soccer.  He is by far the biggest signing in recent history.  Recent meaning dating back to 2007 when David Beckham signed. 

• Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson is resigning from his position.  In 2008, he led the Commodores to a 5-0 record to start the season, and a No. 13 ranking in the national polls.  The Commodores then lost 5 of their last 6, but still managed to defeat Boston College in the Gaylord Music City Bowl for their first bowl victory in 53 years.  

Now, for some PERSONAL opinions:

• LeBron James made a decision that best suited his personal career.  Too bad he won't be able to set foot in Cleveland ever again.  He'll be 80, and still unable to find solace in his hometown.  Wonder if he thought of that before he jumped ship?

• Bob Bradley made huge tactical errors in the United States' final Cup match against Ghana.  He should be held accountable for these mistakes.  Should he be replaced by popular pick Jurgen Klinnsman?  I daresay, he should.  You can't make those mistakes in what should have been the most successful World Cup appearance in the history of American soccer.  The United States, not Uruguay, should have been in the semifinal against the Netherlands.  

• The Cincinnati Reds didn't try hard enough to land lefty ace Cliff Lee before the All-Star break.  Now, he'll lead the Texas Rangers to the playoffs, and not the Reds.  If the Reds don't make the playoffs this year, it will be because of their pitching.  

• The Columbus Blue Jackets will not sell-out a home game (with the exception of opening night) until after the New Year.  There are too many question marks for a team with so much to prove this coming year.  Forget 2008-09, 2010-11 will be the most important year in club history.  It will make or break the Columbus fan base.  Another losing season, and most will give up.  Win a playoff series, and the Jackets will be embraced more than ever.

PLDS: Post-Loss-Depression-Syndrome

So, since the U.S. lost in their Round of 16 game last weekend, I became quite depressed when it came to sports.  It's only now, a week later, that I've been able to get up the gumption to actually write on this blog. 

What have I learned?  

Well, I've discovered this new medical condition called PLDS (Post-Loss-Depression-Syndrom).  It's that gut-wrenching feeling that settles in after a colossal sports loss by one of your favorite teams, and it doesn't go away for a while.  For me, after last weekend's loss to Ghana, it took about 5 or 6 days to fully recover and stop thinking about it.  

When Ohio lost to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament in March, it took a good two weeks to finally realize that they weren't good enough to beat Tennessee, following their upset of Georgetown.  

In another fine example, it took me only a few days to fully recover from the Bengals' loss to the Jets in the 2o10 NFL Playoffs.  Perhaps that was because I knew the Winter Olympics were on their way, and I needed to save my energy for when it came time to recover from the sudden death loss by Team USA in the gold medal hockey game against Canada.  That one took a good two weeks. 

This is a curious condition, because now that I've finally realized that it occurs often enough to diagnose on a regular basis, I've noticed that it occurs to people I know as well, and their friends, and THEIR friends, and so on.

I was reminded of a story this past week that my old roommate told me when the Bengals lost that weekend in January.  

He told me that his grandfather, a huge Cleveland Browns fan, would be unapproachable if his beloved Browns lost on Sunday during football season.  You wouldn't be able to talk to him until the next weekend, at least.  

Poor Cleveland.  I feel like you guys and gals have had PLDS more often than any other city of sports fans in the history of modern competition.  

And with the pending departure of LeBron James to a bigger city, Cleveland may be in store for another couple weeks of PLDS to go along with that sting of losing to the Boston Celtics not even two months ago.  Let's just leave it at that.   We won't delve into the disturbed psyche of a Cleveland sports fan.  

So folks, here's the remedy for PLDS, as I found to be sufficient:  Sleep a lot, drink a lot (what beverage you actually drink is up to you), listen to depressing music for a couple of days, and have a good cry if necessary.  

Before you know it, you'll be back on your feet and in good spirits! 

The World's Reaction

Check out this video of all the reactions to Landon Donovan's game-winner from yesterday.  Truly makes you appreciate the power of sports to bring people together.  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w

The American Fairytale Continues

 Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Say what you want about soccer. say you don't like it, say you don't think it'll ever be relevant.   But you can't say people aren't watching now.

My Facebook just blew up with status updates like "GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL" and "LANDON DONOVAN AMERICAN HERO!" among a plethora of U.S. Soccer related exertions of euphoria following Landon Donovan's 90th minute game-winner to send the Americans to the knockout round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  

Twitter is "over capacity," and has been now for about half an hour.  I can't even log on to see what the millions of American fans are saying.  This World Cup has crippled Twitter, and quite honestly, I'm OK with that.  

What's the best part of this World Cup?  My friends, who aren't normally soccer fans, are going crazy over what just happened in the game against Algeria.  They've become believers, and it's time for everyone to believe in this team.  

They may not be the most talented, but they have the most courage, the most heart.  That makes them the best team the US has taken to the World Cup, in my humble opinion.  These guys are playing together, and thank goodness they're not taking a page out of the "French Notebook of Soccer Ingenuity."  There is no friction between team and coach, and there is total support from the fans of our nation.

If you're not on the bandwagon yet, it's time to hop on.  Feel free, no one will judge you for even being just a little late to the party.  I myself joined the Columbus Crew bandwagon full-time this season, despite only being a "mediocre" fan for most of their existence.

That's what makes soccer beautiful.  The fans come from every creed, every race, all genders, all nationalities, but are united under one banner:  The love of the game.  The "world's game" is quickly making a statement in the States.  The fans don't judge you for trying to jump on late in the game.  They embrace you, and make you feel a part of something much greater than yourself.  That's why it's the most beautiful game in the world.

Be sure to watch the American's play again on Saturday morning at 10AM on ESPN or ABC.  You won't regret it!

Beginning of Summer Catch-All

I must apologize for the lack of posts lately, but as you know, being a college student requires one to give up any free time at the end of the quarter in order to pass exams, finish ten-page papers, and spend all night on projects that eventually lead to a degree.  Yeah, pretty crappy. 

However, now that summer is here, I've been watching ESPN non-stop, and I've found so many things to talk about.  So consider this a catch-all of my thoughts on the sports world the past week or so.

1.  College Conference Expansion:  My last post focused primarily on the wave of conference expansion that was planned, and to an extent, that has occurred the last 5 days.  However, I was incorrect in assuming that the Big 12 would collapse amidst the raid brought on by the Pac-10.  Nebraska did indeed leave for the Big Ten, and Colorado left for the Pac-10, but Texas stood tall and remained in the Big 12, saving the conference from almost certain collapse.

The reason?  Money.  Texas thinks they can make just as much money in the Big 12 as they could in the Pac-10, so they're going to organize a television network and see what they can do with it.  Good luck, don't drown in all of those Benjamins.

Keep an eye on Utah though, as they may join the Pac-10 in the next few days.

2.  The World Cup:  This is the month I have been waiting for all year, the time when everything gets put on the back burner, in my opinion, and I can sit around and watch soccer for a month straight, with no interruptions.  As I finish writing this, Switzerland just defeated the Spanish, marking this match as the biggest upset thus far in the competition. 

England/USA was a huge disappointment, in my opinion.  I was expecting a little more action, a little more liveliness from the Americans, but all I witnessed was a stagnant offense that was saved by a boorish mistake by the English keeper (right).  Hopefully a pre-meditated guarantee of victory made yesterday by Slovenia will strike a fire under the Americans and push them to an expected victory over the European side.

My favorite match, however, has been New Zealand/Slovakia.  Yesterday, Slovakia entered EXTRA TIME in the SECOND HALF with a one goal lead.  Four minutes were added, and during the third minute, Shane Smeltz of New Zealand sent a beautiful cross into the penalty area, where Winston Reid finished the header and tied the match with less than a minute left.  The celebration was euphoric (right), and I couldn't help but jump on my feet and cheer when the ball rolled into the net off the right post.  It was a captivating moment.
  

P.S. Hey FIFA, don't ban the vuvuzelas, they're awesome, and the French are being babies about the whole ordeal.  If anything, you should worry more about playboy Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal flopping around like a fish every time he's touched by an opposing defender.  I feel embarrassed for him.  Grow up, man.
  

3.  The NBA Finals:  Despite this year having an epic showdown between Los Angeles and Boston, I find myself...not caring at all.  My interest in other topics of interest has proven to me that, unless it involves Cleveland, I don't care about the NBA.  Tom Izzo (right) said "no" to the Cav's last night, and honestly, I would've said no too if I couldn't have any of knowing whether LeBron James was coming back to Cleveland or not.

4.  The Crew:  They came into the World Cup break losing two of their last three, and tying the other game.  Not the way a team would like to enter a two week break, but perhaps they got the losing out of their system early in the year.  Their disappointed result against Los Angeles, and the terrible play against Colorado left much to be desired, but I fully expect them to return to form when they engage D.C. United on June 26.  The return of defenders Danny O'Rourke and Frankie Hejduk should help shore up the defense.

  

5.  The Cincinnati Reds:  Wow, how about the Reds being tied for first as we slowly approach the All-Star break next month?  Now, the Reds are notorious for tanking, and tanking bad, following the All-Star break, but this year may be different.  The offense is producing, and the pitching has stayed stable, despite some boneheaded decisions by manager Dusty Baker.  He alone has probably cost the Reds six or seven games.  Imagine if they had won those games.  The Central wouldn't even be close.

6.  The Columbus Blue Jackets:  I reported a few posts ago that Guy Boucher was reportedly named the new head coach of the Blue Jackets.  That report was incorrect.  Boucher became the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel was hired as the new bench boss of the CBJ (right).  Long-time Jackets assistants Gord Murphy and Gary Agnew were fired yesterday, clearing the way for Arniel to bring in his own staff.  I approve of these decisions.  More on the Jackets as we move closer to the draft in the coming weeks.  


Finally, I'll leave you with my favorite Wooden-ism.  John Wooden, the greatest basketball coach in the history of the game, passed away on June 4th.

"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

Major Shifts in the College Sports Landscape

 Here's four little snippets to begin my post today:

1.  The Big 12 announced today that Nebraska and Missouri have until Friday afternoon to state whether or not they intend to stay in the Big 12, or move to the Big 10. 


2.  The PAC-10 chancellors and presidents have given PAC-10 commissioner Larry Scott "all the authority he needs to expand the PAC-10."

3.  The maelstrom of speculation on whether or not Texas will join the Big 10 hit a high point. 
4.  The SEC has flexed its muscles and said that "will not allow ourselves in any way, shape or form to be anything less than we are now."


What does this mean?


Money is king.  It's all about the Benjamins. 


Pretty soon, we're going to have a 16-team super league out west (The Sunny 16), a colossus conference in the midwest (The Big and Beefy 14), and a southern faction of heavyweights (The Even-Bigger-Yet-Ridiculously-Speedy 14) that will dominate the college sports landscape. 


This will leave the Big East, ACC, Conference USA, Mountain West scrambling to keep up as the other four major conferences that make up the "BCS" schools. 


In the wake of those other four filling vacancies and adding their own firepower, mid-major conferences such as the Mid-American, Western Athletic, and Sun Belt will be left in the dust, and an even bigger separation will occur between the BCS and the Best-of-the-Rest. 


This isn't the first time that expansion has happened, but its the first time I can think of that such a large-scale, money-driven poaching has occurred.  This undoubtedly will add firepower to the argument that the BCS has a monopoly over college sports.


How will smaller conference schools, such as Ohio, ever be able to catch up at this point?  Will they ever be able to challenge for a national championship in the next 10 years?  20?  100? 


The answer, unfortunately, is no. 


Granted, there may be an opportunity for Ohio to move up to, say, the Big East, but will the Big East be relevant in 5 years?  How about Conference USA?


This whole situation spells doom for small conferences, since the rich will only become richer. 


I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that it can't be good.  Not good, at all.