The Game That Means Everything December 3, 2009

Cancel all your plans for Saturday afternoon.
Eliminate office parties.
Tell your relatives to re-schedule that holiday gathering.
Put off your monthly dinner with your sister.
Just go with me for a second here.
Holiday shopping can wait, the weather will be lousy and everyone needs to see the absolute incredible display of sport that will take place at the [...]

Driving Sideways November 30, 2009

 
“At least you know
you were taken by a pro
I know just how you feel
She talked a perfect game
deflecting all the blame
you took the jack
and changed the flat
and got behind the wheel–
now you’re
Driving sideways
taken in by the scenery
as you’re propelled along
And your companion
will not help you to navigate
for fear she may be wrong” – “Driving Sideways” [...]

The Best Rivalry In Sports November 17, 2009

How does a game that means nothing matter so much for a number of people?
On Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University will meet on the football field for the 106th time. Ohio State, the champions of the Big Ten conference, will play in the Rose Bowl [...]

Unlucky 13 November 11, 2009

Strange things happen on Friday the 13th.
I’ve seen movies about it.
When the majority of elite teams tip off Friday night in college hoops, the likelihood of a big upset looms large. (And yes, I’m basing all of this on numerology.)
Washington, the 13th ranked team in the country, plays late in the evening on Friday at [...]

Game 6 November 3, 2009

In a World Series where the only consistent thing remains the time of game (all have been within a two minute window hovering between 3:25-3:27), the anticipation should reach a crescendo on Wednesday night in New York City -unless we have a 7th game for the first time since the Angels beat the Giants in [...]

3:25 November 2, 2009

If you look at a box score long enough, you’ll start to see things that don’t exist. 
 Exhibit A: The 2009 World Series.
Checking out the composite box score of the first four games of the series, you’d think the Phillies are at least tied with the Yankees. They have more homers, have struck out less and [...]

Ripping The BCS October 26, 2009

The Bowl Championship Series must be run by a group of 14-year-old girls who list slushies and Aunt Anne’s pretzels as their reason for living one week and then develop an eye shadow fetish a week later.
While wonderfully naive, they are quite fickle. There’s no big picture for the majority of teenagers and they change [...]

Calling All Angels October 19, 2009

Just after 1:00 AM on Sunday morning, Maicer Izturis made the biggest mistake of his life.
 
Izturis didn’t pick up a DUI, get into a fight he couldn’t win or cheat on a spouse. During a driving rainstorm at the new Yankee Stadium in the second game of the American League Championship Series, Izturis got in [...]

On A Street With No Save October 13, 2009

If you haven’t a chance to watch the Philadelphia Phillies in baseball’s postseason, don’t even worry about catching the game in the first eight innings.
It doesn’t get good until the 9th.
In a pivotal game that saw the winning pitching blowing a late-inning lead, Philadelphia beat the Colorado Rockies in a tight four game series to [...]

Do They Know It’s Christmas Time At All? October 6, 2009

For the next month, the best tournament to find a champion takes place in eight baseball stadiums. It’s the only game that consistently relies on a team concept to win a title. In football, the best player almost always involves himself in the decisive play. In basketball, the clutch shooter either makes or misses the [...]