The Sports Voice

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2011-04-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

On Hiatus

2010-02-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone,

So I know it's been a while since the blog has been updated, there is a reason for that. I've been busy with things in my life and sadly my sports writing has taken a hit. But don't fear, The Sports Voice will return as soon as I am able to dedicate the amount of time that it deserves. So please check back regularly and i promise that one day soon, new articles will return.

Forget "Good-Bye", in Wisconsin it's "Go Saints"

2010-01-24T12:53:00.008-06:00

I've noticed something interesting while walking around this past week. I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and that means I live in the land of the Packers, and Packer fans worshiped God and Brett Favre, and not necessarily in that order.

Then came the summer of 2007 and the first retirement, and in turn the first return from retirement. Cheeseheads were split, but many sided with Favre. They blamed the Packers brass for not welcoming back the hero that they'd followed for 16 years. Eventually Favre was traded to the Jets, and after a lack luster year in New York retired again.

That's when things started to turn for Packer fans, the rumblings got louder and louder, thier hero was angling to play for the rival Vikings. And when it was official, most Packer fans disowned Favre. Throughout the past season they've not only cheered for the Packers to win, but every week they've cheered for the worst possible situations to befall the once loved Favre.

This brings me to what I heard around Milwaukee this past week. Nearly everyone i came in contact with ended the conversation the same way. in place of "later", "Talk to you soon", and "i'll call you" everyone said "go Saints".

That's how much Packer fans don't want Favre to succeed tonight, that's how much they want to see Favre crumble, they've actually changed their vernacular to suit their hatred of the old man.

"I just don't want to see him win in that purple jersey...i didn't like it when he was in New York, but now that he's a Viking he's dead to me", that was what an employee at a local grocery store told me when i was shopping this morning and she's wasn't the first to tell me that. Oh and of course when i was walking away she said, "have a good day and go Saints!"

I can't believe how the mighty have fallen in Wisconsin. What fans don't realize is that rivalries in the current sports landscape, aside from maybe Yankees v. Redsox, are fan made. Players don't buy into them as much as fans do. I don't fault Favre, he wanted to play for a winner and when he looked around the Packers locker room, he didn't think they were gong to be able to compete (Aaron Rodgers has shown that he was wrong) and the same thing happened with the Jets. It's amazing to see how quickly Packer fans have turned on him, how quickly they've gone from loving his "good old boy" act to despising it, and believe me it's always been an act.

So if the Vikings win today and the Old Gun Slinger leads them to the Super Bowl, I imagine that everyone in the state of wisconsin will be replacing Good-bye with "Go Colts" or "Go Jets"

Fantasy Football Draft Preview

2009-08-26T21:22:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the year again; the time that average Joe's get to live out their dreams of becoming the next Wellington Mara or Al Davis (before Davis became the Archie Bunker of the NFL). Obviously Fantasy Football is not a part of our culture, you'd be hard press to find an office in the country that doesn't have some sort of fantasy football league every fall.

I'm no different, I love the last weeks of the preseason because it normally means my drafts are coming up. that being said here are some important points, trends, and players to look at going into your drafts.

Beware of Michael Turner...seriously - You've heard it all off-season, beware the curse of 370. I don't know what it is about the 370 carry mark but it does something to backs. Looking at the 27 backs in NFL history who have reached the mark of 370, only two ('03 Ladainian Tomlinson and '85 Walter Payton) matched or exceeded their Touchdown mark of the previous year. I'm not saying Turner is going to have a down year, I'm just saying I've got 4 other running backs ahead of him.

Just because Brett Favre is a Viking, don't expect the production of other Vikings to significantly increase - Look, obviously the receivers are going to get a bit better looking now that a decent QB is in town, but if Favre has another horrible stretch run those receivers are going to fail you right when you need them most. Maybe look at them a few picks higher, a round higher at most. And Adrian Peterson can't be ranked higher than 1.

DeAngelo Williams should be mentioned with the top fantasy backs - Jonathan Stewart is still bothered by the Achilles injury that shortened his '08 season. Williams is a great back to start with, but if Stewart is bugged by injury throughout the year, look for Williams' numbers to only improve from last years bust out season.

This is the year of the Wide Receiver - Forget the tried and true method of drafting Running Backs with your first two picks, this year you have to get a receiver early, because the drop off after the first two tiers (Moss, Fitzgerald, Wayne, A. Johnson, C. Johnson, Wayne, Colston) is drastic.

Happy Drafting everyone!

It Has Begun!

2009-08-18T17:26:00.005-05:00

You know a lot of people were making the joke that it wouldn't really be football season without a Brett Favre story. Well a few weeks ago everyone got their punchline, but it seemed like that was it. Well now there's a whole years worth of jokes and punchlines to be made, but who's going to be laughing?

In case you've been living in a shanty in a remote village in China, you've heard that Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier today, a contract worth somewhere between $10-$12 Million.

People had to know this was coming, they had to know that Favre was going to find a way to get on to the field this year, that he was going to find a way to play against the Packers this year.

Favre joining the Vikings makes the NFC North the most insteresting quarterback division in football. Every team has a story behind center this year.

Vikings - No explanation needed.

Bears - The rebirth of Jay Cutler or The decline of Jay Cutler

Lions - Can Stafford return the Lions to the top of the divison? or at least get them a win?

Packers - Was last year an fluke or is Aaron Rodgers the real deal?

The Sports Voice Podcast - Episode #2!

2009-06-14T10:30:00.002-05:00

In the second episode of The Sports Voice podcast, we look at the NBA Playoffs vs. The NHL Playoffs. We also talk about a possible trade brinign Shaq to the Cleveland Cavs, and I backtrack a bit from the statement that Lebron might be ready to take a seat next to “his airness”.

The Sports Voice - Episode #1 Online Now!

2009-05-17T11:22:00.002-05:00

The first episode of The Sports Voice Podcast is live and on the air! Check it out and let us know what you think!

Download this episode (right click and save)

When was the last time we had a playoff that was this good?

2009-05-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

No matter who wins the game 7's tomorrow, one thing is for sure, This has been the best NBA playoffs season in recent memory. Honestly, think back to last year, what do you remember most about it? You remember the Celtics and Lakers in the finals...That's it. Maybe, if you're a big NBA fan, you'll remember the Lakers v. Jazz series or maybe the game 7 duel between Paul Pierce and Lebron James. But, on a whole just through 2 rounds, this years playoffs has been more entertaining then any in a long while.

- When was the last time you saw the defending champions taken to game 7 in the first round, while watching a budding rivalry between two of the best and youngest point guards in the league?

- When was the last time you saw such a dominating performance by one man, seemingly carrying his entire team through the playoffs mowing down anyone in their path?

- When was the last time you saw a Team put it all together at the exact right time, show that they could be a true championship contender when everyone viewed them as an afterthought?

- When was the last time you saw one of the best players in the league going off nearly every game in a series and still have his team pushed to a game 7 against an injury riddled team that no one thought had a chance?

And we're not even to the conference finals yet. In a league that has had some rather underwhelming playoff seasons as of late, this is just what the doctor ordered. I'll be watching both game 7s (flipping to check in with the NHL Conference finals as well) as I imagine everyone else who calls themselves a sports fan will be.

NBA's new idea...a flop?

2008-05-29T11:17:00.006-05:00

Alright, how exactly is the NBA going to enforce their new rule?

Basically the NBA is going to start fining players for flopping. All this comes on the wake of about 23 hours and 57 minutes of constant discussion on ESPN about whether Brent Barry should have jumped into Derek Fisher to get a foul call (the other 3 minutes of coverage were divided between the cracked foot of Big Brown and a profile of former spelling bee "icon" Samir Patel)

Flopping has been a problem in the NBA for a while, and we all know it, ever since the great Vlade Divac started the tradition when he suited up for the kings. No other NBA issue, besides the referees, is talked about more on fan blogs and sports talk radio more than the flop and its non-place in the game of basketball. So in theory this new "rule" should be great, a player blatantly flops and he'll get fined...great!

Here's the problem with this new "Rule". The flop is used to draw a foul call, normally either a charge or a hack, sometimes the ref calls it sometimes they don't...it's a judgment call. the only thing that this new "rule" is going to do is shift the judgment to someone else. The NBA will tell its refs to crack down on floppers in the off-season, but otherwise the new "rule" won't change the way the game is officiated, so it really doesn't change a thing.

The fines will more then likely be small enough that the players that use the flop as part of their game (I'm looking at you Tony Parker) won't change their game, the only thing that will do that is if after a certain amount of fines there are suspensions. But even then how do you determine what is a, and I'm quoting the story, "serial flopper" is flopping or actually fouled. I think it's idiotic to substitute one person's judgment for anothers and call it a solution.

And otherwise, how can the NBA be able to put "in-arena observers" at every game to search out floppers, when MLB can't put one more person at games to watch replays to get the calls right?

Did Obama Just Get the Tar Heels in Trouble?

2008-05-01T14:31:00.002-05:00

Ok,for those who don't know, Yesterday Presidential candidate Barack Obama played a pick-up game with the University of North Carolina Tar Heel basketball team. If you haven't seen it, check the YouTube video right here...gotta admit he looks like he could hold his own a little bit.

But here's the "problem", it's possible that this game violated two NCAA regulations. First UNC Coach Roy Williams was at the game, and coaches are not allowed to view pick-up games in the off season. Second, the game was apparently mandatory for the team, and NCAA regulations state that their can be no mandatory athletic events during the period of finals (which started Monday at UNC).

The NCAA has already said they'll wave the violations because it was such a "special opportunity" for the team. Now, I'm not saying that the NCAA was right or wrong, but it makes you wonder. What do you think?

Why Weaver?

2008-04-17T11:32:00.006-05:00

Here in Wisconsin, the Brewers have very quickly become a sexy team. What I mean by that is that they have become very popular...very quickly, because they have gotten very good...very quickly. So the hot button issue right now with the Brew Crew is that they've signed former post-season hot shot Jeff Weaver to a minor league deal.

My question is why? I haven't really understood the moves the Brewers have made with their pitching staff this year. There are major concerns for me in this pitching staff.

I get that Ben Sheets looks really good, but I wonder if he's going to stay healthy?
Chris Capuano is gone for the year, getting the second Tommy John surgery of his career. After the season he had last year that might be a good thing.
Jeff Suppan is your #2, I Like Suppan but I don't think that he's a #2 on a world series contender (am I wrong?)
After Sheets and Suppan, the rest of the rotation is either unproven (Yovani Gallardo, Manny Para and Carlos Villanueva) or incredibly streaky (Dave Bush a.k.a. "The Human Light Switch")
Move to the Bullpen and you get more stability. Pitchers like Guillermo Mota and Seth McClung have been a great addition to the staff...
..But move to the closer role and again their are concerns. With the departure of Coco Cordero to Cincinnati, the position has become a weakness. How long will Eric Gagne hold up in the closer role (he hasn't been the same since he got hurt with the Dodgers...a brief appearance of the old Gagne in Texas last year was erased by a horrendous stint with in Boston)? and if he falters who's set to take over the closer role? Derrick Turnbow who was dubbed Derrick "Turnblow" by many in Milwaukee (Turnbow just hasn't been the same since his bobble head day at Miller Park).

The NL Central is still going to be decided between the Cubs and Brewers, and the cubs have their own problems too, but the Brewers' pitching staff concerns me...a lot.

...and Out Come the "Sue" Birds

2008-04-15T11:46:00.003-05:00

Former Seattle Supersonics' (yeah I called them supersonics!) owner Howard Schultz isn't very happy with new owner Clay Bennett's plans to move the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

If you're a sports fan you've no doubt heard this story already. But, this morning it was discovered that Schultz isn't going to take the move lieing down. There are reports that Schultz is planning to sue Clay Bennett for breach of contract. Schultz is arguing that when he sold the team to Bennett, Bennett agreed to make a "good-faith effort" to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

I found this local news report from Seattle's NBC King 5 (I swear to god, that's their tag line) from this morning.

Calling all Knuckleballers!

2008-03-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

It's not a secret that baseball is my favorite American sport. It's also not a secret that the Knuckleball is my favorite pitch in the history of baseball. Because of that, this ESPN.com Feature caught my eye. If you have a 5 or so minutes check out this video. Makes you think about how game changing a good knuckleballer can be.

So it's finally happend...the ground feels so cold

2008-03-04T11:05:00.004-06:00

Alright so it's finally happened. Brett Favre has retired. (Yeah I called that one a little early I guess)

While it's still not 100% that he won't change his mind in 2 weeks. He may come back after he's seen all the talking heads yapping about how he still has 3-4 good years left, and how he's got a great young team that's just starting to come together. But for some reason this just seems to fit.

Doesn't it though? I mean everyone when they first heard it was shocked, I know I was, but after thinking about it you start to realize it fits. If you believe the reports, he doesn't have any close friends left on the team, FB William Henderson was the last of those (Henderson was released last March). He's been toying with the retirement idea for over 5 years, He's wanted Randy Moss for 2 years and hasn't gotten him, and i'm sure he doesn't want to go through yet another training camp.

Granted he could have pulled a Strahan and just kept the packers guessing through half of training camp so he wouldn't have to go through it, But that probably doesn't go over well with a QB as opposed to a DE.

Either way I think this is legit, he deserves to walk away after the great year he and his team had. even if he did end his Career with an interception. That really conveys his career, he was a gambler. He'll throw more then his share of INTs, but with that you get a lot of TDs.

Even as a childhood Bears fan, I'll miss Brett Favre, and I'm sure all football fans will as well.

The East is "Lost" and the West finds "Other" means

2008-02-19T11:08:00.006-06:00

(I actually took about 5 minutes thinking of that title...I found it to be quite clever)

The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, a little over 60 hours and counting, and we've already had one of the most interesting trade seasons in recent NBA memory. When was the last time you heard names like Jason Kidd and Shaquille O'Neal going to new teams all in one season?

But there seems to be a slant to this trading barrage, it seems that the Western Conference has simply been raiding the Eastern cookie jar, and the East hasn't been able to do the same. If the league approves the deal, Kidd will go from the Nets (east) to the Mavs (west) and Shaq went from the Heat (east) to the Suns (west).

The East hasn't made any moves in that have helped its top teams. While the Celtics get a free pass becasue of the trading the made in the off season, the Magic, Cavs, Pistons, Raptors...none of these teams have made any moves to try and prepare themselves for the late season push. why not?

Does the East honestly think they can compete with the top teams in the West as they are right now? The West's 78% winning percentage in the NBA finals since 1999 tells a different story.

Bottom line, the West is going to win the NBA Championship again, more then likely (personally I think the Celetics could give a few Western teams a run). But the East is going to need Lebron to become the next MJ to shift the power again.

only 30 minutes left

2008-02-01T15:23:00.000-06:00

Johan Santana and the Mets are still negotiating the contract extention that is needed to complete the 5 player trade.

According to multiple reports the two sided are deadlocked on a guarnteed 6th year, the mets don't want it...Santana does.

Dhani Jones Becomes a Two Sport Athlete

2008-02-01T09:26:00.001-06:00

Rugby has long been my favorite sport in the world. The combination of footballs aggressive and physical play with soccers athleticism and field position battles is really a sight to see if you've never seen it.

Well, Bengels LB Dhani Jones is going to try out Rugby Union first hand.

Really Minnesota...Really?

2008-01-29T20:15:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen, the Minnesota Twins have agreed in principle to trade former Cy Young winner Johan Santana to the New York Mets. In Return the Mets agreed to send CF Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra.

The deal does hinge on the Mets and Santana being able to work out a long term contract extension, but something tells me that Omar Minaya can get that done

Now, I know that the Twins wanted to get rid of arguably the best pitcher in baseball, but for that package...really?

According to this ESPN story, some MLB talent evaluators pinned this package as the fourth best offer that the Twins since they put Santana on the trade block.

Guess they held onto Santana for a little too long. I know the Twins didn't want to part ways with Santana, I know they've had problems agreeing to a long term deal, but letting Santana go for four magic beans that the twins hope will grow? Really Minnesota...really?

Guts...Just Pure Guts...

2008-01-20T21:14:00.000-06:00

Watching the Giants vs. Packers game was quite possibly one of the more enjoyable times i've had watching an NFL game in a long time.

The entire game can be summed up in one word...Guts.

IF nothing else it took guts for Tom Caughlign to send Lawerence Tynes out there to try a 47 yard field goal with the game on the line, after missing his last two.

Wow...

Championship Sunday - Weather Report

2008-01-20T06:56:00.000-06:00

28 Teams are sitting at home in their heated houses watching the games today, all of them wishing they were on the frozen fields that the Chargers, Patriots, Packers, and Giants are playing on today.

Both games are going to be cold...the type of cold that your grandfather told you he walked to school in (uphill! both ways!). So in honor of that fact, here are the game time weather reports for both Conference Championship games.

San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots - 2:00 PM CST
Temperature - 23ºF
Feels Like - 11ºF
Wind Speed - 13 mph NW

New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers - 5:30 PM CST
Temperature - 3ºF
Feels Like - -11ºF
Wind Speed - 11 mph W

Peterson Wins No Brainer Award

2008-01-02T16:17:00.000-06:00

Was anyone surprised that rookie RB Adrian Peterson (a.k.a. Purple Jesus), won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award?

Peterson racked up 1,341 yards and 12 TDs...only LT had more yards and touchdowns, and Peterson only played in 14 games due to injury.

The rest of the NFC North is going to have trouble with Purple Jesus for many years to come.

Sean Taylor 1983-2007

2007-11-27T15:18:00.001-06:00

The Sports Voice has been on a small hiatis as of late, however something has come up that needs to be talked about.

Sean Taylor has long been a favorite here at the Sports Voice. We've loved watching him on the field ever since he was a Dime and Nickel back at the U. Infact, atleast one of us went out during Taylor's rookie year to buy a #36 Washington Jersey (he had since changed his number to 21, which is closer to the 26 he wore in college).

Sadly, Taylor was shot in the leg last night in his Miami home by an armed intruder, who local police are figuring as a burgler. After losing a large amount of blood from the wound, Taylor died this morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Reguardless of how you may have felt about Sean Taylor off the field, he was a Son, a Father, a Brother, and a Teammate.

Unlike some of the news outlets (who only seem to remember the good things the man did) i'm going to tell you, yes Taylor had alot of problems outside of football (and even some attitude problems on the field).

Yes he had alot of issues with anger managment and being smart with money.

And yes he was arguably the best saftey in the NFL.

Sean Taylor will be missed. We here at the Sports Voice know, we won't be able to watch a Redskin game in the same way for a long, long time.

Blog Talk Radio Show

2007-11-08T17:51:00.000-06:00

Hey yo everyone,

I've been looking at this Site www.blogtalkradio.com . It allows anyone to host a live call in show over the net.

So I will be hosting a show, entitled "The Sports Voice" (obviously). the first show is going to be Tomorrow (Nov. 9), 10pm CST. If you're able to, check it out. I'll post when future shows will take place on here.

But, for now if you can show up Tomorrow at 10:00pm CST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sportsvoice please come and we'll have some fun.

We're going to talk about A-Rod and the GM Meetings, the Young NBA season and who looks to be poised for a breakout season, and we'll look ahead to this weekends NFL matchups.

Jenks...but no Jenks

2007-10-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

It seems as if the longest tenured star of the Milwaukee Brewers will be roaming the outfield somewhere other than Brewtown next year.

The Brewers declined the $9 million team option that would have brought OF Geoff (proper pronounciation Gee-off...atleast to me) Jenkins back for a 10th year.

With the Brew Crew a lagitimate contender in the N.L. for the next 4-5 years, this was a move that had to be made. And while letting Jenkins go might not win over many people who concidered him a fan favorite, it makes "baseball sense."

plain and simple, the Brewers have too much young talent, this past year it was hard enough to find playing time for players like Gabe Gross and Tony Gwyn Jr. With one less man in the rotation the Brewers will be better.

Plus, $9 million is alot to pay for a wannabe power hitter who hit only 21 HR, batted under .260 and had a slugging perctentage of only .471.

Mike Vick "Jersey"

2007-10-29T08:24:00.000-05:00

I saw this in a Halloween costume shop yesterday. Is it a funny satire or in poor taste? I'm really not sure yet. What do you think?

MLS Playoffs Start Thursday...No Seriously

2007-10-23T08:32:00.001-05:00

I've lost a lot of you already. Yes, i'm going to talk about soccer, more specifically the MLS. For those of you who don't know the MLS (Major League Soccer) is the U.S. professional soccer league, don't get mad people...some people honestly don't know that.

As a public service to those who don't understand how the MLS playoffs work, I will explain.

The MLS is split into two conferences, Eastern and Western.
Eight teams qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season.

The top two teams from each conference qualifies for the playoffs.
The remaining four teams with the highest point totals, regardless of what conference the team is in, qualifies for the final playoff spots

The playoffs have two rounds before the championship, known as the MLS Cup.
The first round of the playoffs aggregate goals over two matches determine the winner

As G.I. Joe used to say, "now you know, and knowing is half the battle." Of course, my pick is gonna be Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire...hey it's a Chicago thing.

2007 MLS Playoff match-ups:

Eastern Conference

D.C. United(1) vs. Chicago Fire(4)
Red Bull New York(3) vs. New England Revolution(2)

Western Conference

Chivas USA(1) vs. Kansas City Wizards(4)
FC Dallas(3) vs. Houston Dynamo(2)

San Diego...Super Chargers...

2007-10-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

The Chargers have had a rough start to their season, but they're starting to shape up. After losing three of their first four games, and having LT gain less than 100 all-purpose yards in three of those games didn't help.

But the team and LT have turned it around, Tomlinson has helped the Chargers win their last two games. That includes a 198 rushing yard, 4 TD performance last week against the Raiders.

The Chargers have always had adequate talent at the WR position, and they've always gotten by on it. But now they might have the piece of the championship puzzle they've been missing.

The chargers have acquired WR Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins for a 2008 2nd round draft pick.

Here's the full story

Goodbye Kitty-Kats

2007-10-11T10:33:00.001-05:00

the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League have ceased operations, In other words, they are no more. This according to the teams official website.

This is the second go around for the Kats of the AFL. The team orignally existed for five seasons (1997-20001) and the most recent team operated for just three seasons (2005-2007). Think of the Cleveland Browns coming back as an expansion team in the NFL in 1999 and you have the right idea.

Click here for the official statement from Kats owner K.S. "Bud" Adams, Jr.

A Cleveland Heroes' Welcome?

2007-10-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

I heard this on The Heard this morning. I thought it was funny.

Apparently, when the Indians got back to Cleveland, they flew into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. When they got there, fans were waiting to congratulate them for beating the Yankees and advancing to the ALCS.

So far so good, but here's the funny part.

there were 12 people. not 120, but 12 people waiting for them! When the cubs won the NLDS in 2003 they turned people away at the doors of O'Hare International Airport because there were so many people there to welcome them home.

Cleveland has great fans, too bad they couldn't find any of them to stay up to welcome home their team.

Click here for the full AP story

Say It's So Joe...Say It's So

2007-10-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

So Joe Torre is going to be "fired" as manager of the New York Yankees. It's inevitable people, deal with it. I can already hear the Yankee fans calling up sports talk radio - "We gotta keep Joe! Look what he's done in the past!", "He's the best manager in baseball, how can we get rid of him."

Yankee fans, Torre leaving is the best thing for you right now. let me explain.

Torre isn't going to be fired, he's simply not being offered an extentsion. So the Yankee's won't be paying Joe for sitting at home.
Torre isn't the best manager in baseball. In fact, before he came to the Cashcow that is the Yankees his managerial record was 894-1003 (.470). It wasn't until he had star players that he started winning World Series' and manager of the year awards.
I'm sure I'm not the only person sick of seeing Torre sitting in the dugout like a bump on a log, showing no emotion, no matter what happens. I know the manager doesn't do much in baseball, that's why he's a manager and not a coach, but come on! Show some emotion Joe! Something, Anything!

Joe Torre's out, get Joe Girardi in. Girardi can handle the young players that the Yankee's are going to need to start bringing up from their farm system.

Reports say that Girardi and Yankee bench coach Don Mattingly are the top candidates if Torre doesn't return.

Bears take down the Pack...but will power shift in the NFC Central

2007-10-08T08:52:00.001-05:00

First off, I will put this out there, I am a Bears fan. Take that in consideration when reading this, I feel I'm objective when it comes to this, but be forewarned.

Green Bay did got to 5...not five wins, but 5 turnovers. 5-0 was in the grasp of the Packers, but division rival Chicago continued their winning streak in Lambeau Field, winning 27-20 on Sunday Night Football. The Bears have won in Lambeau for 4 years straight.

Brian Greise did exactally what the Coach Lovie Smith wanted him to do, manage the game and not loose it. However, the Bears didn't really win the game, Green Bay lost it. Green Bay showed weaknesses that they hadn't exhibited in the first four games this year, and you can guarantee that Washington (coming off a dominating win over the Lions) is hoping that Greg Jones gets the ball every down.

All this being said, The Packers are still the class of the NFC North, At least as of right now they are. The Packers have, for the first time this season, real problems that they have to fix. If they can't plug the holes, the Bears and Lions are waiting in the wings to take back the lead in the division.

NBA Draft Night + Exclusive interview with Milwaukee Bucks GM Larry Harris

2007-06-29T00:04:00.000-05:00

Yes you read that right. Here at the Sports Voice, we've always concidered Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Larry Harris a good friend. I've worked with him on other projects in the past. So when I ended up attending the Milwaukee Bucks Draft Party at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, I had a chance to talk to Harris before anyone else had a chance to talk to him 1 on 1. Click Here or Click on the picture to listen.

Cavs vs. Pistons Part II

2007-05-31T22:22:00.001-05:00

Overtime.  The Cavs unable to close out the Pistons.  imagine that, another team not able to shut the door on a team that's made the Eastern Conference Finals ever year of this milenium sans one.

Cavs vs. Pistons...happening right now.

2007-05-31T21:49:00.001-05:00

Don't look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are pushing the Pistons around in the paint.  At 81-79 Cleveland leading late in the 4th, this could be the boost that the Cavs needed to overcome Detroit.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been leading the charge in the paint, simply by manhandling whoever the Pistons throw at him, whether it be Dale Davis, Scott Pollard, or Sheed. 

This is where we get to see if the Cavs are cut-throat enough to close out a team.

Atlanta Falcons Find Their Man

2007-01-08T01:55:00.000-06:00

Less then one week ago the Atlanta Falcons fired then head coach Jim Mora Jr. after missing the playoffs, tonight they found his replacement. Louisville Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino was wooed away from his Big East home, and as T.O.'s Publicist might say, "he's got 24 Million reason to be alive". Petrino comes to the Falcons with a 5 year $24 million contract only days after leading the Louisville Cardinals to a 12-1 record and a BCS Bowl victory over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.

More analysis to come.

The WBC is now open for business!

2006-03-03T03:34:00.000-06:00

First game of the World Baseball Classic is in the books...Korea 2 - Chinese Taipei 0...all around good performence from the Korean team, especially their pitching staff who only gave up 5 hits on their way to a shut out. Jae Seo picks up the first win in WBC history...giving up only 2 hits in 3.2 innings...then the trio of Byung-Hyun Kim, Dae-Sung Koo, and Chan Ho Park came in to seal the game. so congrats to Team Korea...next WBC game is at 3:30 am CST friday...Japan vs. China Live from the Tokyo Dome.

Everyone will miss you Brett...honest

2006-01-30T12:46:00.000-06:00

While yesterday I did say that I would try and expand into other sports…away from football, I must write about the stories that pop up.
Brett Favre appeared on Sportscenter last night, a one on one interview with Chris Mortensen. First off this should have been a red flag to those who know anything about Favre…he never does more interviews then he needs to. Remember that multiple times this season he skipped out on talking with the media after games. But if you can get past that, we can move on to what he said…and why it spells out, “I’m done.”
To give a brief overview of the interview…Favre basically said that he’s not sure what he’s going to do…but he’ll probably arrive at his decision in the next month as to allow the packers time to plan. That he physically is still able to play, but mentally that might not be the case. In a nut shell, he’s saying he’s ready to give it up for all intensive purposes. And for those still on the fence, the lines “If I had to pick right now and make a decision, I would say I'm not coming back,” and he commented that he wasn’t sure if he wanted the ball in crunch time with two minutes left…those should tell you all you need to know.
If I’m the coach of a team…I want my QB…my field general…to want the ball when the game is on the line. He can win or lose…but he wants the ball. That competitive fire is something that a leader of a team needs. Michael Jordan wanted the ball when the game was on the line, even though he missed more last second shots then he made, Ray Lewis wanted to be in the middle of the defense on the goal line with 1 second on the clock.
Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying though, I’m not ripping Favre. Favre deserves to retire if he wants to, he’s been through a lot and he’s had a great career. Brett is a first ballot Hall of Famer, he’s a top 20 all time QB, he’s done everything there is to do. The packers are rebuilding…Favre will not get to another superbowl…there’s nothing left for him. Brett you’ve had a great career…in all seriousness if you want to see your daughter graduate from H.S. and spend time at home on a tracter, who are we to tell you no.
In my life I have seen a lot of football games, and living in Wisconsin a lot of them were packer games. Now I will admit, I’m a Bears supporter…but I’ve always respected Favre. The performance he put on December 22 of 2003, only one day after his father died…on the road…on Monday Night Football...is the greatest performance I have ever seen by a QB on a football field…quite possibly the greatest sports performance I’ve seen live with my own eyes.
Brett we’ll miss you, yes even us Bears fans. Do what you want to do…don’t wait for Ted Thompson to “cut you loose.” Go home, see your family…your legacy will always be remembered…no doubt about it.

Senior Bowl...check...next up...NFL Combine.

2006-01-29T11:28:00.000-06:00

Allright, I know that I focus alot on Football on the blog. but not awhole lot else going on right now. Hot Stove action hasn't been that big...basketball is in mid season and the biggest stories have been kobe's 81, the Artest/Peja deal, and the Piston's quest to overtake the 95-96 Bulls. Ok, so now that I read that there are some stories...so i'll throw those in in the coming days.

But yesterday, to help those having football withdrawl becasue of the superbowl off week, we had the NCAA Senior Bowl. Basically, the Senior Bowl takes the best graduating seniors in college football and pits them against eachother, not so much to see who'll win...but for the NFL scouts. This will be the last "game situation" that the NFL Scouts see before the draft. So the game went down yesterday...with the north winning 34-14...and after watching the game and the practices televised on ESPN all week...here are my top 3 movers...both up and down.

Moving up

DeAngello Williams RB Memphis
D'Brickashaw Ferguson OT Virginia
Dominique Byrd TE USC

Moving Down

Mathias Kiwanuka DE Boston College
Anwar Phillips Saftey Penn State
Jason Avant WR Michigan

Well I will talk to you all next time...and now that I have some more topic ideas...shouldn't be too long. Hasta

Quick Hit Tuesday...January 15 - January 24

2006-01-24T14:33:00.000-06:00

In an effort to shake things up from the normal post I do...taking an entire post to talk about one subject...Tuesday will usher in a new feature here. Quick Hit Tuesdays! In a nut shell, QHT (as they will now be referred to) will take all the headlines from the past week and put my two cents on them. This way I can get to the headlines that deserve some time, but just didn't make it into a post. So without further ado, the debut of Quick Hit Tuesday!

Week of Jan 15th through Jan 24th

Andy Roddick and the Williams Sisters eliminated in the early rounds of the Au stralian Open

The great hopes of the United States couldn't cut it with the rest of the world "Down Under." Maybe Maria Sharapova kept Andy up too late the night before. As for the Williams' well they've been streaky their entire careers, and in reality I think that both of the Sisters are overrated and are as big as they are, simply because American wanted Tennis Superstars...that goes for A-Rod as well.

Antonio Davis Going into the stands in Chicago

Where'd this story go? All the talking heads went crazy the day after Wednesday night's Knicks v. Bulls game. Saying that this was simply another example of the Player Fan relationship breaking down. But if this was such a huge problem...why did it get pushed out of view as soon as another story came along?

The World Baseball Classic

MLB has gone to great length to ensure that the WBC will be a success. The latest attempt was allowing Cuba to participate. This is a great thing, not only for Cuba, but for the U.S. and MLB. Not only does it give the event more Legitimacy, making it a true world baseball classic, but it will only add to the revenue that MLB will make from the even on a whole. Now the only question is...what's the Over/Under on the Number of Cuban players that will Defect during the WBC?

That and Mr. Barry Bonds...You're a man that I've had little to no respect for...and this doesn't help your case with me at all. I know you were "Hurt" last year...but you took the year off to get healthy...and playing for the U.S. could act as another rehab for you if some guidelines were set before the Classic. I know you never said that you'd play and you never agreed to it...but you should if only to try and save part of your image...You don't deserve to break Hammerin' Hank's record...you don't deserve to be #2 on the all time HR list. You can pump yourself full of whatever you want and I won't have a problem...but to borrow a line from Mr. Costner..."you don't respect the game...and that's why I got a problem with you."

Kobe's 81 point game

short and sweet...Incredible individual performance...made even more special by the fact that the Lakers needed the points because they trailed at half. Is it better than Wilt's 100 point game...you could say that it is because of the different era's that they each played in, but on the other hand I look at the game and say... the Lakers needed one guy to score 81 of their points...the team has some holes.

Nascar turning to the foreign market?

It was announced that Toyota will join the Nascar circuit starting in 2007...So the "sport" that has trouble generating excitement in the Northern half of the U.S. is now alienating part of it's core southern audience by breaking the "made in America" tag of Nascar.

Super Mario calls it quits...again

Mario Lemieux retired from the NHL for the second time last night...a great player who had the heart and desire to play for 10 more years...simply didn't have the body to allow him to make the comeback he wanted to. Should he have stayed retired? Probably...Did he tarnish his legacy by coming back? I don't think so. Strongly considered the greatest hockey player ever, next to "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky, the NHL will miss Super Mario as it tries to get back on it's feet. Farewell Mario...and Merci.

Heading for Mo-Town

2006-01-24T01:46:00.000-06:00

A Fitting Send off for the Bus...and the Start of a long Career for Big Ben

2006-01-23T11:22:00.000-06:00

The knock on Bill Cower in Pittsburgh has always been he's never won a championship. He's the longest tenured coach in the NFL, having coached the Steelers since 1992 on. Let's not forget either that he was the successor to Chuck Noll...Some big shoes to fill in Pittsburgh to say the least.

But now, Cower has made it back to the Superbowl for only the 2nd time in his time as head coach. The Steelers went into Mile High and doubled up the Denver Broncos 34-17, becoming the first #6 seed ever to reach the Superbowl and the first team to win 3 road games on the road to the Superbowl since the mid 80s (The last was New England in 1985...who eventually lost to the Bears in the most lopsided superbowl ever). But this is not that type of team...this team isn't going to get blown out...this team isn't afraid of the #1 seed Seattle Seahawks...in fact...this team is good enough to win it all. I know it's Cliche, and please forgive me, but this team looks like a "Team of Destiny."

Let's put aside the fact that Big Ben Roethlisberger has been one of the most consistent QBs in the NFL over the past two season. Put aside that they had the #4 Defense in the league during the regular season. Put aside that they are known for being the toughest team in the league. Put aside they have the chance to put a story book ending on Jerome "The Bus" Bettis' career, with Superbowl XL being played in his hometown of Detroit. Forget that they beat the #3, #2, and #1 seeds in the AFC playoffs. Put all that aside and you still have the fact that...They've learned how to pass! They're no longer simply a run to set up the run offense. In fact they can now pass to set up the run, or even better pass to score.

Don't get me wrong, I am still a throwback/Old School fan. I love 14-10 games, I want to see big punishing runners drive up the middle for 3-4 yards a carry, I want to see Grass instead of Astroturf. But in looking at the match-ups, the fact that the Steelers now have the ability to pass with Big Ben to, not 1 but 4 quality receivers (Hines Ward, Cedrick Wilson, Antwan Randle El, and Heath Miller), opens up the Pittsburgh Offense to a scary level. And of course the Steelers always have their Run game with Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, and Duce Staley who's expected to be active for the Superbowl. Nice when you can refer to the Steeler run game as an after thought.

That will about do it for, what I'm sure will be the first of more then a few breakdown of the two teams and games. But I will put my early prediction on the game out, and I reserve the right to change this, Steelers 21...Seahawks 17. Until next time...See ya when I see ya.

Superbowl Xtra Large is set

2006-01-23T00:57:00.000-06:00

Alright we've got our two teams. Steelers from the AFC and the Seahawks from the NFC. One was supposed to be there all along, the other is the first of its kind. Tonight we'll look at Seattle and tomorrow I'll cover Pittsburgh.

Let's take a look at the Seahawks. Seattle came out on top of Carolina 34-14, in a game that was dominated from the start. As the #1 seed in the NFC, they we're supposed to be here...and for good reason. The Seahawks run the best offense in the NFC, they have quite possibly the most Underrated QBs in the league, and oh yeah...The NFL MVP, Shawn Alexander (pictured left), Running the ball for them. Another thing you probably noticed coming into yesterday's NFC conference championship...those that had jumped off the Panther bandwagon halfway through the season...were back talking all the smack they could about, "Oh I picked the Panthers in the preseason." or "Carolina has been my team since the beginning of the year." Funny how that worked out huh?

I'll admit that the Panthers did look good coming into the game, taking down both the Giants and Chicago on the road...but Seattle's offense and their Defense was too much. While we credit Alexander and Hasselback...remember that the Seahawk defense picked off Jake Delhomme 3 times. Coming into the game Delhomme had the best QB ranking in the history of the playoffs...his QB Ranking today...34.9 (this according to Primecomputing.com). Truth be told, it was Seattle's Defense that won the game. Not only did MLB Lofa Tatupu (pictured right) knock out Panthers' RB Nick Goings, and Intercept a pass...but the Rookie out of USC ran the Seahawk defense, as he has all year, to perfection. Shutting down the most explosive WR in the league in Steve Smith, holding him to just 33 yards on 5 grabs. If they had MVPs of Conference Championship games Tatupu would be it.

Sehawks are in, as they should've been from the beginning. But they're going to face a team with a chip on their shoulder, a team with a 7 game win streak, a team that's sending off its hero and a sure fire hall of famer, a team with a QB who will be the best out of a very deep draft (the first round saw Eli Manning, J.P. Losman, Philip Rivers, and "Big Ben" Roethlisberger go alone). The Steelers will be a tough team to beat...and we'll look at their win over the Broncos tomorrow.

NFL Busts Part II

2005-11-17T14:48:00.000-06:00

On the heels of my lasts post on NFL Draft Busts, I want to talk about someone that people might not group into the "busts category." David Boston has been an NFL bust, he had all the makings of a hall of famer, and constant all-pro...but on news that his disappointing season is over after an injury, and rumors circulating that his career might be over at the age of 27, it's apparent that his career will be looked at as a disappointment.
David Boston was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1999 draft #8 overall out of the Ohio State University. He was poised to be a star in the league...he was going to be the savior of the Cardinal organization. 6-2, 228 pounds, great hands and body control...he was T.O. before T.O. became what we know today. He was the original freak of nature, His rookie year he had a solid 40 catches, 473 yards, and a couple of TDs. He only got better his next to season, having his breakout year in 2000 with 98 grabs, 1,598 yards, and 8 TDs. 2002 was the year where everything started going down for Boston...he was traded to the San Diego Chargers after an injury shortened '01 season (Boston hadn't missed a game in his three year career before '01, when he played in only 8 games). After a decent season with the bolts, where he missed two more games, he signed as a free agent with the Dolphins. In his first year with the dolphins he suffered a knee injury in training camp and was put on the IR. Now after only 5 games and 4 catches in the current season, he's done for the year again.
It's sad to see that a player of this caliber not make it...but not make it because of injuries. Yes, he did have some problems with steroids when he was rehabing (probably throughout his career...I mean just look at him!). But this is a player that had all the talent in the world...he just caught a string of bad luck.

NFL Busts Part I

2005-11-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the Draft isn’t always an exact science, and yes I know that there have been draft busts and there will continue to be busts in the future. Before we continue I’d like to give you my Top NFL Draft busts of all time…just to give you an idea of who we’re talking about.

7. Penn State Running Backs (excluding Larry Johnson) - various positions over the years - For some reason Joe Papa's RB just don't translate to the pro game (see Ki-Jana Carter & Curtis Enius)

6. Aundray Bruce – LB drafted #1 1988 Atlanta Falcons – The falcons have made a lot of bad picks, this is the worst…recorded just 4 sacks in only 4 season with Atlanta

5. Tony Mandarich - OL drafted #2 1989 Green Bay Packers - Hailed as the greatest offensive line prospect in history...he never lived up to the hype that sports publications made. Why he's not higher? He wasn't bad, he just wasn't as good as everyone was told he was. He could have been a servicable NFL Offensive lineman. by the way, the next three picks in the 1989 draft...Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders.

4. Todd Marinovich - QB drafted #24 overall Oakland Raiders - From birth Marinovich was breed to be an NFL QB. His dad tied his right arm behind his back when he was an infant so he would be a lefty! He couldn't handle the mental strains of an NFL QB...and he wasn't that good either.

3. Akili Smith - QB drafted #3 overall Cincinnati Bangals - Doomed from the start, he almost went ahead of Tim Couch and Donovan McNabb, there was no chance for him. Not only was he drafted by the Bengals, where until recently, has been where college stars go to die...but he was coached by Jeff Tedford...nuff said.

2. Brian "The Boz" Bosworth - LB supplmental draft 1987 Seattle Seahawks - The Boz was a master a self promotion...he knew how to sell himself...with his haircut, his mannerisms, he tried to be the second coming of Muhammad Ali, he wasn't. He's now trying to make it as an actor (most recently in the remake of The Longest Yard) but he will forever be haunted by images of Bo Jackson...you know what i'm talking about.

1. Ryan Leaf - QB drafted #2 overall 1998 San Diego Chargers - Leaf defined the term draft bust...can you believe there was a time when people had serious discussions on who was better Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf?

Congratulations Ryan...You're #1!

Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen

2005-11-07T14:31:00.000-06:00

This one goes out to Green Bay...say it with me Packer fans...1-7. That's right, the Green Bay Packers, the perennial powerhouse of the NFC north and yearly contender for the Super Bowl, have one win. It's not even a good win, it was over the Saints. Cementing their downward spiral was yesterday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field.
Think about that for a second...the frozen tundra has always been a source of power for the packers...You weren't going to beat Green Bay at home...It just wasn't done. However, looking back on the 2004 season and this season, the Pack are 5-7 in their last 12 home games. Good teams win at home. Good teams don't let the Tennessee Titans beat them 48-27 on their own field.
I know many of you who are drinking the green and gold Kool-Aid are going to write me saying, "but look how close they've been when they lose" and "if we just make one more play a game we'd be 5-3." Good teams find a way to make plays and good teams find a way to win close games.
If you haven't picked up on it yet, The Green Bay Packers are Not a good team.
So kick back Packer Backers, grab a miller, and pull your cheese hats over your eyes...I'm going to give you a peek into the future...

Chris Berman - "And now commissioner Tagliabue is coming to the podium with the #1 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft"
Commissioner Tagliabue - "With the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft...The Green Bay Packers select....."

It's been a while...for both these teams

2005-10-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

No more guessing, the fall classic is ready. This Saturday two teams that have been waiting a long time, will finally get their shot at the world series, the Chicago White sox and the Houston Astros. The south-siders are in for the first time since 1959 and the Astros are in for the first time in their 43 year history (dating all the way back to when they were the Houston Colt .45s).

Roy Oswalt earned NLCS MVP after an incredible game 6 start, taking a no hitter deep into the 4th. As I watched Oswalt in game 2 of this series…I realized something. With the possible exception of Chicago’s ‘El Duque’, Oswalt has the nasty stuff in the league! Do you remember that scene in Bad News Bears when Tatum O’Neal claims her curveball is breaking “3 feet”, that’s not far from the truth with Oswalt.

This series is going to be all about Pitching, these two staffs are the arguably the two best in the league, look at the two rotations and you have the proven and hall of fame Astros staff (Clemens, Pettitte, and if he keeps this up Oswalt), and the White Sox staff that's finally putting everything together (Buehrle, Garland, and Garcia) . Some are going to argue that the Astros have a huge momentum advantage going into game one…but remember in baseball “momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.”

In terms of offense, both of these teams have the ability to hang double digit runs on the board, but they also have the ability to be shut out, So the pitching is going to be the most important factor in this series. My pick…if I go with my head, I’ll take White Sox in 6…if I go with my heart, Astros in 7.

New rules open the flood gates for NHL

2005-10-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

And let the scoring begin

The NHL has tried almost everything to up its status as the #4 sport in the United States, nothing has really worked. And this isn't like when baseball went on strike in 1994, because baseball had a solid fan base before they went on strike, the NHL has been struggling for years before the debacle that was last year's labor lockout. The big idea that NHL brass thought would change the game for the better this year are the rule changes to make the game faster and more higher scoring.

what new rules?

Red Line is removed and the two-line pass is legal
Goaltender leg pads, blockers, catching gloves and jerseys are all cut down in size

Goaltenders cannot handle the puck behind the goal line, except in a restricted area
Tie games are decided by a shootout

While all these rules favor higher scoring, the one that all fans were clamoring for was the shootout. While ties are not allowed in international play, the NHL has always had ties. The idea that there will be a definitive winner every game, will help the league.

But as baseball learned in '95, the casual fan won't come back to the league simple because they're on the ice again. Hockey needs something, they need a Sosa vs. McGwire, a Peyton Manning 49 touchdown season, a Chicago Bulls three-peat. As of right now, all of this is left on the shoulders of #1 draft pick...dubed "The Next One"...Sidney Crosby.

If you were alive this past Saturday, consider yourself lucky

2005-10-16T19:55:00.000-05:00

As long as you weren't born after about 6 pm CST this past Saturday, the 15th, consider yourself lucky. You were alive during arguably one of the greatest college football games of all time. USC was able to pull out a win against rival Notre Dame in South Bend. If you need to understand how much this game meant to both of these teams, consider this. USC QB Matt Leinart spent extra hours in the film room studying not only Notre Dame film, but also some New England Patriot film, Coach Charlie Weis' former team. As far as Notre Dame, all you need to know is that they busted out the Green Jerseys! Two things about this game. First, you may have heard that there were some possible errors in the last two plays of the game...

After Leinart was hit and lost the ball out of bounds, there were :03 seconds on the clock when the ball went out. When the ball was spotted for the last play of the game, the clock had been reset to :07 seconds.
During that same play, the ball was knocked away from Leinart and went out of bounds at the 3 yard line, but was spotted at the 1...Where Leinart was hit when he lost it. The ball should have been spotted where it went out of bounds, as it was a fumble.
The most important error (one that even Regis Philbin couldn't let go unnoticed) was that RB Reggie Bush (#5 pictured) pushed Leinart (#11) over the goal line! It wasn't as if he may have pushed him over, Bush said in the locker room after the game, "I was pushing as hard as I could." For those of you who don't know what I'm getting at, let me educate you. Section 3, Article 2, sub point b of the Official 2005 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations guide says, "The runner shall not grasp a teammate; and no other player of his team shall grasp, push, lift or charge into him to assist him in forward progress." it can't be stated any clearer then that.

And second, regardless of all the errors that happened...it was still one of the greatest college football games ever played. It's not every week that we get to see 2 top 10 teams play each other, let alone 2 top 10 teams who are part of the most storied out of conference rivalry of all time, dating back to 1926. So like I said at the beginning, be lucky you were alive to see it.

p.s. Gene Wojciechowski of espn.com wrote a great article on this game and its place in history check it out.

The White Sox will take 'em any way they can get 'em

2005-10-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

While we avoided another double-header without a break (18 inning NLDS Game 5 ), I'm sure the Angels would have liked a different ending. After a swinging strike three in the bottom of the 9th, White Sox Catcher A.J. Pierzynski started walking towards the Chicago dugout, as the Angels ran towards theirs to get ready for extra innings. Pierzynski noticed that he had not yet been called out because home plate ump Doug Eddings said the pitch from Angels reliever Kelvim Escobar had bounced before entering his catcher's glove. So Pierzynski hustles down to first base, running past Angels players on their way to the dugout, and is ruled safe. The Umpires got into their little pow-wow to talk it over, and ruled Pierzynski safe at 1st. Pablo Ozuna pitch runs for Pierzynski, Ozuna steals second, then Joe Crede doubles him home, "a White Sox Winner", and the ALCS is tied up 1-1.

This got me thinking about the human errors that play a part in every sporting event and the idea of instant replay. The NHL, NFL, MLS, and NCAA Football use instant replay technology and the question is how much is too much? Would you not care if they stopped the game for 5 minutes to make sure they got a call right? Or would you say that it took away from the flow of the contest, and that human error is and always has been part of the game?

When done correctly, I don't think that instant replay is a bad thing. The flow of the game isn't jeopardized for more than about 5 minutes and getting the right call on the field is what matters the most. Look at how important the NFL's replay system has been, and how the right play has originally been missed, but upon further review the correct calls were made. No matter how much of a purist you may be, you have to admit that replay technology can be a help to the game if executed properly. And if you don't believe that...The L.A. Angels of Anaheim are on the phone for you...and they seem a bit angry.

Be Careful...You Might Get Hurt!

2005-10-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

So far this year in the NFL, injuries have been the name of the game; and few teams know this better then the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. Both these teams have lost Key members of either their offense or defense…or both! The injury bug hasn’t been limited to these two teams; every team has been hit with injuries (NFL Injury Report). Now, before we get an uproar saying that every year teams have injured players, when is the last time we’ve seen this many injuries in one year by week 6? Some injuries were expected (Mike Vick I’m talking to you!) others weren’t (who had Champ Bailey and Rodney Harrison going down in the same season?).

Some teams like the New York Jets were sexy Super Bowl picks. Now, with the ageless wonder Vinny Testaverde at the helm, he’s the sexiest part of the team. What about the Steelers, while we await word on QB Ben Roethlisberger, we look to their back up situation and see that #2 QB Tommy Maddox is out 3-4 weeks with a calf injury. So if Big Ben can't go Sunday against Jacksonville, the Steelers will have journey man Charlie Batch behind center. As if the Saints didn't have enough trouble scoring points already, their main offensive threat, RB Duce McAllister, is done for the year with a torn ACL. They've gone so far as to trade a draft pick to the Dolphins for their 4th string RB Jesse Chatman. Let me repeat that, they traded a DRAFT PICK for a RB that wouldn't have made the team in Miami had it not been for Ricky Williams' suspension.

While you may be ripping your hair out because your team is done because of injury, remember major players that have gotten their jobs because of injuries, Tom Brady coming in for Drew Bledsoe in 2001, Marc Bulger for Kurt Warner in 2002, and *gasp* Brett Favre for Don Majkowski in 1992, and that's just naming a few. It just goes to show, you never know when you’ll find a diamond in the rough. That being said, I still don’t think Packer fans want to see Tony Fisher as the starting tailback…do you?

~Sports Boy Zak