ANOTHER DOMINO FALLS: BOISE STATE TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

June 10th and the 11th of the year 2010 are going to go down as the days the college football landscape was shaken to it's core. First Nebraska started by leaving the Big 12 to join the Big Ten. Then Colorado left the Big 12 to join the PAC-10. And today ESPN has reported Boise State has left the WAC to join the Mountain West Conference which is quickly becoming more powerful then the Big East and the ACC in terms of football programs.

The Boise State Broncos now join TCU, Utah, Brigham Young, Air Force, Wyoming, UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference who could look to join the BCS discussion for conference affiliation. The Broncos are BCS busters twice as well as Utah and even TCU made a BCS Bowl game last year. This conference to me looks more top heavy than both the Big East and ACC and soon to be obsolete Big 12 conferences.

The Broncos have gone 49-4 under coach Chris Petersen and essentially earned the right to move up and make more money in a better conference. The WAC Conference hasn't sued anybody and handled it like a human being. A lesson could be learned by this.

Personally I had hoped the PAC-10 would find a way to include Boise State but I think this is a great move for the Broncos and the Mountain West Conference. They should look to expand to 12 more teams and add Kansas and Kansas State if they are in fact going to be left out after the Big 12 implodes. Kansas has been solid in football and even made a BCS appearance. We all know about the basketball program which is one of the founding fathers of the college sport. And the Wildcats are a top 10 program in basketball and their football program was solid when Bill Snyder was roaming the sidelines.

So now the question is what, when, and where is the next domino to fall for conference realignment. Will Texas go to the Big Ten or the Pac-10? Will Oklahoma go to the Pac-10 or the SEC? Will Notre Dame finally accept an open invitation to the Big Ten? All of these questions and many more should be answered within the next couple of months if not days.

God I can't wait till college football starts.

WHINE FOREVER

Pete the Cheat just doesn't get it. The NCAA found out one of your coaches (Todd McNair) knowingly tried to hide the fact that Reggie Bush was receiving improper gifts and money. If McNair knew then there is a pretty good chance you knew what was going on. This isn't hear no, speak no, see no violations here Pete. You guys cheated. Accept it and try to move on instead of denying. Don't pull the Pete Rose defense.


But then again it looks like Pete Carroll was taught to look the other way from AD Mike Garrett. Check out the balls on this fucking guy:

“As I read the decision by the NCAA, all I could get out of all of this was … I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans,” Garrett said to cheers Thursday night at the San Francisco Airport Marriott.

If you want to look up the definition of "lack of institutional control" then I think we need to put a reference picture of Mike Garrett. This guy might be one of the biggest morons to walk the planet. It's like Lindsay Lohan's alcohol craved soul drifted into him.

“Regardless of what happens in that appeal, we know this: SC is more powerful than anything else,” Kiffin said. “The university, the football program, the basketball program -- no matter what they try to do to us, it won’t matter.”

The lack of humility if just astonishing. At first I thought the NCAA coming down and hammering USC with these sanctions yesterday would help clean up their program. But now I have no doubt they will continue to be renegades. They don't want to even confess that Reggie Bush fucked up. The guy was a hell of a player but the way he walked around and took every single handout for him and his family and yet their compliance department and coaches are going to stick to their guns and say they knew nothing about it just makes me wish they got the SMU treatment.

In short: FUSC.

THE NON-SOCCER FAN’S GUIDE TO ENJOYING THE WORLD CUP

As a rabid soccer fan for most of my life (I haven’t missed a game since 1994, the first year the tournament was widely broadcast in the US), you might think that I am the last person to know how an average American sports fan might get interested in a “foreign” sport like soccer. But the fact is that over the years I have had a chance to convert many people from non-participators to rabid fans, and there is no better opportunity to do that than The World Cup.

I understand entirely that soccer can be difficult and even boring to watch at times, especially if you don’t know what the hell is going on. Trust me that I have seen games played at the top level that are just plain painful to watch, full of diving, crying, and cheap shots, and all of them have involved Cristiano Ronaldo. But apart from hotly contested league matches in England or Italy, The World Cup is generally the most exciting soccer you can see, especially in the early rounds when teams are trying to assert themselves and get into the knockout stages.

But let’s not concern ourselves with any of that. I am here to talk to the guys that hate the game. I’m not here to tell you why it’s great, to learn the rules, to study the history and to suddenly become some kind of multi-culti pansy that people like me are repelled by. Not at all. Instead, I want you to have a reason to join the party, despite the fact that you think soccer is for Euro-trash and illegals. So here we go:



A) It’s a chance to be fiercely patriotic:

The US is progressing. We have a passable and improving professional league with an increasingly talented pool of players. Most of our guys have proven themselves in Europe’s best leagues. But we’re still pretty weak in the eyes of the world, and the World Cup is a chance for us to stick it to some elitist, pompous asses who don’t give us a chance. We are a country that is used to winning everything it really wants to, and soccer is the last place in the world where America isn’t feared. Well, if that doesn’t get you fired up, you’re not my audience.

The last time the US faced England in The World Cup we won, 1-0. It happened in 1950, and nobody here cared, but the English hate to be reminded of it. Even if they beat us on Saturday by twenty goals, their record against us in major competitions will only be 1-1. Don’t let them forget that.

I love England, and will pull for them in every game but ours. They have been our best friend since we booted them, their taxation, their syphillis and their in-bred king off of our shores, but for 90 minutes on Saturday they are the enemy, and that’s some fun stuff. All the rest of the countries involved? Well, I’m sure I can come up with a reason to hate each of them with a passion for 90 minutes, and so can you. If you treat each match-up with that same blind xenophobia, you will have something invested in all 64 matches.

So get out there and root for The Yanks if for no other reason but to rub it in somebody’s face that doesn’t look like you. And when we eventually get eliminated (and we will), I’m sure one of your ancestors escaped from one of the remaining countries a hundred plus years ago. Adopt that hell-hole for the rest of the month and support them with a passion. This might be your best chance ever to score with a foreign girl. Trust me, they’re usually drunk.

B, C, and D) If you need any other reasons, you can go to Hell


There you go! Enjoy The World Cup!

Hopefully I’ll get asked back as we go to blog about whatever is interesting to me during the Cup. I also hope this offended some people. Please let me know in the comments section.

Signed,

Captain America*

*=in no way related to or in violation of Marvel Comics and their creations

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PHILLIES FANS?

THE FIGHTINS have yet another despicable picture of a Phillies fan gone wild. I thought those people up there only drank Natty Light and Yuengling? Coors Light? Are you fucking kidding me kid? This kid should have got tasered for bad taste. Cold activated bottle my ass! This kid would probably throw batteries at me if he knew I was making fun of him.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS! IT'S NOW A LOSS OF 3O SCHOLARSHIPS FOR USC

Reggie Bush and USC assistant coach Todd McNair royally screwed over the future of the USC Football program. Check out this excerpt from the NCAA report:

``At least by January 8, 2006, the assistant football coach had knowledge that student-athlete 1 and agency partners A and B likely were engaged in NCAA violations. At 1:34 a.m. he had a telephone conversation for two minutes and 23 seconds with agency partner A during which agency partner A attempted to get the assistant football coach to convince student-athlete 1 either to adhere to the agency agreement or reimburse agency partners A and B for money provided to student-athlete 1 and his family. Further, during his September 19, 2006, and February 15, 2008, interviews with the enforcement staff, the assistant football coach violated NCAA ethical conduct legislation by providing false and misleading information regarding his knowledge of this telephone call and the NCAA violations associated with it. The assistant football coach failed to alert the institution's compliance staff of this information and later attested falsely, through his signature on a certifying statement, that he had no knowledge of NCAA violations.''

Now the official word is USC will lose 10 football scholarships per year for 3 years. A total of 30! This is absolutely devastating for any football program no matter how much depth you have on your roster. They are banned from postseason for 2 years and their wins from 2004 and 2005 have been vacated by the NCAA since Bush was ineligible. Now the Heisman Trophy Trust can look into taking away Bush's Heisman since essentially he wasn't an eligible player that season. Vince Young will now wrap his sweaty chest around the stiff arm statue. All of Bush's records will be erased from the USC books and it will be like he never played in 2004 and 2005.

The Bush Push of 2005 doesn't exist and now Notre Dame can claim victory. If they want they can be like Alabama and chalk up another National Title that they didn't earn.

It looks like Lane Kiffin's start in Los Angeles is off to a great start. He seems like a good, clean play by the NCAA rules coach to help clean up the program.


So what does the SportsCrack nation think about the sanctions? Fair? Not so much?

Dudes a Deuche...

Picture of TrueBall

That’s just my opinion but seriously, am I the only one over Ben Roethlisberger?

Granted the guy has won two Super Bowl rings for the Steelers, but how many girls do those rings allow him to (allegedly) molest? I mean really?!?!? I’ve watched him first hand pass around girls like they were another Coors Light… wait my bad, in Pittsburgh, the drink IC Light (Iron City Brewing Company for those of you not familiar, is cheaper, yet not as fulfilling version of Miller). I’m not denying the guy’s athletic ability, I’m just curious to know how someone who’s just a shade away from becoming the next OJ Simpson, off the field of course, keeps getting away with whatever heinous crimes he'd like.

I’d love to see Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, Marcus Vick, Terrell Owens, “Pacman” Jones, the entire Minnesota Vikings Team (I’m on a boat!), Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano, John Rocker, Lou Holtz (sorry Matt, but it’s way past his time to move out of the spotlight), Ron Artest, Gilbert Arenas, and Stephon Marbury compete on a new reality game show called “The Biggest Head Case”. I mean really, how much do athletes think they can get away with? They say money can’t buy happiness, but it should be able to buy an adviser who helps you make good decisions and a PR agent that helps smooth over the bad decisions that you make anyway. How are kids supposed to look at athletes as role models when the people who are in the public spotlight somehow think that it is okay to carry guns through airports, in locker rooms, rob kids outside of McDonald's, force themselves on young girls, or fight with their team mates on the field? Personally, I don’t want my kids to grow up as thugs and I’m tired of watching professional athletes make a mockery of the class of our parent’s generation.

Guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken should be the norm, not the exception. In the era of steroids, cheating scandals, gloves that seemingly don’t fit (even though DNA evidence does exist), skipping court hearings at will, toting pot in “hidden water bottle compartments”, giving yourself fake names (Ron Mexico was hilarious though… haha… someone has the bumps… haha), cheating on your spouse and claiming you’re addicted to sex (seriously… who’s not?!?!?) and public figures literally getting away with "murder", I can honestly say I miss the days when we were worried that a pitcher may have a bit of petroleum jelly under the bill of his hat. Now I have to worry that the same “superstar” may be in a bar one day with the daughter that I don’t have yet and convince her that “it’s okay” and show he has a temper if she doesn’t consent to whatever he feels justified in doing.

Not that I wish harm on anyone, but I wouldn’t be sad if a certain someone rode his motorcycle into the Allegheny River, without a helmet, got frostbite, lost a few fingers, couldn’t play football again, and ended up on a couch like the rest of us talking about our “glory days”. Just in case "Big Ben" is reading and gets his feelings hurt, he can always send his bouncer to beat me up like he tried to do in Jack’s (check it out if you ever go to the Burgh by the way... cheap beer... good crowd) in Pittsburgh back in 08, but somehow I feel like he may be too busy riding his motorcycle without a helmet or scaring another girl into sleeping with him as he’s been accused of in the past.

Just in case you haven't seen the latest, check out this article from Katie Thomas and Richard Sandomir of the New York Times

The 20-year-old college student who said she was assaulted by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told an investigator that she and her friends thought his presence in their college town was “weird” and said she did not fight because she feared he had a short temper, according to interviews released Wednesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

During a 10-minute video interview, the woman said she and her friends were initially excited when they learned that Roethlisberger was spending the evening of March 5 in Milledgeville, a town 80 miles southeast of Atlanta that is home to Georgia College & State University. Roethlisberger owns a vacation home nearby.

But upon reflection, she said on the video, which was posted on the Web site of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “That’s weird. You’re in a college town. He’s 28 years old.”

In addition to the interview with Roethlisberger’s accuser, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released other audio and video recordings related to the case. In April, the local district attorney declined to prosecute Roethlisberger, citing a lack of evidence and the accuser’s desire that he not be charged. But he was suspended for up to six games by the N.F.L. for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy.

In Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger took part in a Steelers practice session Wednesday but did not talk with the news media, according to The Associated Press.

One of the woman’s friends, Nicole Biancofiore, said Wednesday that she was upset the agency released the videos, including one that featured an interview with Biancofiore, who was in the club that night.

“I think it’s ridiculous that the videos are released when there are no charges being pressed,” Biancofiore said in a text message to a reporter.

A call to a number listed as belonging to the accuser’s mother was not returned. She has not made any public statements about the case.

The videotaped interview with the woman was the second she had given to investigators: the first took place soon after the reported assault, when the woman acknowledged that she was drunk. The second interview was conducted the next day, and she appeared relatively calm as she answered questions. In the video, her face is blurred.

Asked about some details of the sexual encounter, the woman, who said she is 5 feet 4 inches, said she did not fight back. “I noticed throughout the night he kind of had a short temper,” she said. “I obviously didn’t want him to hurt me any more than he was going to.”

Like I said, dude's a deuche, but that's just my opinion...

RUH ROH: TEXAS A&M TO THE SEC?

Just when I thought everything was going to kind of make sense in this college football conference realignment Andy Staples of SI.com has the balls to throw this wrench....

A source confirmed to SI.com late Wednesday that emissaries from the SEC initiated discussions with Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne months ago, and while the SEC is just one of several potential options for the Aggies, it remains an option heading into Thursday's meeting between Texas A&M and Texas officials. At the meeting, power brokers from both schools will discuss a last-ditch effort to save the Big 12, even if Nebraska's Board of Regents votes Friday to leave for the Big Ten. "It's on life support," the source said of the Big 12. "But people have come off life support before."
Officials also will discuss a potential invitation from the Pac-10 that also would include four other Big 12 schools. Presumably, they also will discuss the SEC's talks with Texas A&M.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/06/10/aggies.options/index.html#ixzz0qTAe7ahO
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive has an ace up his sleeve or at least he thinks in A&M. But what the fuck dude? You could have got Texas! Why settle for pennies when you can get Franklins. SEC just needs to go balls to the wall and go get Notre Dame. Sure ND not close to the Southeastern region but neither is A&M. The revenue and rating with Notre Dame in the fold would be tremendous. Maybe Slive has pocket aces. Who knows?

"WE GOT KILLED"

Inside USC's Scott Wolf had this terrific quote in regards to the USC sanctions...

``We got killed,'' said a source who saw the report but not wish to be identified.

I feel bad for them. There is no reason for them to stick around. It's a murder scene now. Transfer. Transfer. Transfer and get out of that hell hole before you get sliced too.

Yours truly,

SportsCrack.com


Disclaimer=This shirt has no affiliation with any USC organization. It refers to "FUCK" AND "U" AND "SPOILED" AND "CHILDREN."

ANOTHER DOMINO FALLS: COLORADO STAMPEDES TO THE PAC-10

Matt Hayes of the SportingNews.com is reporting that the University of Colorado is set to announce a move to the Pac-10 Conference as early as today.

Colorado is now officially the first domino to fall in college football expansion. The Buffs will formally announce today that they are leaving the Big 12 for the Pac-10, according to a source close to the situation.

The Big 12 is also expected to lose Nebraska to the Big Ten, and those two losses will be the beginning of the Big 12's breakup.

Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are also expected to announce their plans to leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10 as soon as today.

Even if Nebraska doesn't leave for the Big Ten, Colorado is still committed to the Pac-10. If the Big 12 somehow stays intact –- without a Nebraska defection — CU still would be part of a two-team Pac-10 expansion, possibly including Utah.

The Nebraska situation could be cleared up as early as today.

The PAC-16 is going to be an amazing football conference finally. I know there are PAC-10 apologists out there but the only real football history the conference has in terms of national power is Southern Cal. But now with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma you could make a solid argument that they are now the best football conference in the nation. Take a deep breath SEC fans.

With the formation of a 16 team power conference in the "Pacific" you would have to think the Big Ten is now looking to expand from the 12 teams they have now (I'm including Nebraska) and will look to add 4 more teams. Notre Dame joining makes sense. So does Missouri, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers because of the TV market.

The SEC should look to expand and raid some of the ACC teams. Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, and Georgia Tech could be outstanding additions and would further expand the SEC TV reach (although it could be argued that Clemson and Georgia Tech regions are already SEC dominated).

The problem with all of this is you still need at least one more "super" conference. The Big East, ACC, and Big 12 leftovers would have to form a new conference. Kansas with it's rich basketball history and tradition would be left grasping for conference straws if all this goes down. That doesn't seem right and I believe teams like Utah, Boise State and TCU deserve the chance to move into a power conference. I'm not using "BCS" anymore because with these super conferences the BCS would become void and we could move forward to an eventual playoff system with 8 teams (4 super conference champs and 4 at-large bids).

A College Football playoff would get almost or near the same ratings that the Super Bowl gets domestically. It would be huge and the buildup to win the conferences or at least be in the top 5 at the end of the year to reach the playoff would not diminish the regular season at all as some idiots have argued.

Do It!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

This is what sports is all about. Jeremy Roenick is so proud of his former team in the Chicago Blackhawks winning their first Stanley Cup in 49 years that he loses his composure. I can respect players who gave their all for the team and I believe Roenick was one of those guys during his playing days. Plus he was a hell of a threat from the right wing in EA Sports NHL 93. Only one of the greatest video games of all-time. Don't even try to argue it. Here is the video courtesy of The Big Lead...



And by the way the only time you are allowed to cry in sports is because you are so happy. It's like seeing the birth of your kid. Crying allowed. Losing a game you are not allowed. Man up.

I LOVE THE TASTE OF SANCTIONS IN THE MORNING

Photo courtesy of AJC.com

The LATimes is reporting that the NCAA will hand the USC Trojans a 2 year bowl ban and a reduction of 20 scholarships. Ahhhh....what sweet justice it is....

A two-year bowl ban and a loss of more than 20 football scholarships are among the sanctions that the NCAA has dealt USC, a source with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.

The NCAA, the governing body for collegiate sports, informed USC of its decision after a four-year investigation regarding allegations centered on former football player Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo. The NCAA could make its decision public as early as today.

It took almost 4 years but it looks like the NCAA woke up and did the right thing. Listen I get it that a lot of major football programs bend the rules and have "excessive practice time" and "players get paid on the side" and most of these "student" athletes don't in fact go to class or even take their tests. But the way USC just blatantly told the NCAA to F off for all these years in regards to the obvious infractions caused by the Bush and Mayo cases and then to go out and hire a snake like Lane Kiffin makes everything they got worth it in my opinion.

Now all the players on the team can transfer without penalty of sitting out a year because of the infractions. You hear me Seantrel Henderson and Kyle Prater. These 5 star athletes can transfer almost immediately from my understanding and can play next season under NCAA rules. Notre Dame, UCLA, and Cal could always use an extra tackle or wide receiver. I'm just saying guys you might want to take a look.

Only if you want to take a pay cut. Consider it pro bono work and getting an actual education before you go to the NFL.

THE DOMINOES ARE STARTING TO FALL: NEBRASKA TO THE BIG TEN BY FRIDAY?

With all the rumors and innuendo going around the college football landscape about conference realignment it's hard to distinguish what is actually got validity and what is bull shit. This report from the Omaha.com seems to have an element of truth...

An executive at a Big 12 school relayed to The World-Herald on Tuesday that he expects Nebraska to become a member of the Big Ten as early as Friday.
NU Chancellor Harvey Perlman has declined all interviews about conference realignment and expansion. He is expected to address the topic with the Board of Regents at its Friday meeting in Lincoln.

Direct confirmation from Nebraska of a conference change for the Huskers wasn't immediately available. Sources at two other Big 12 schools told The World-Herald that their athletic directors have instructed them to be ready by week's end for a briefing on probable Big 12 changes.
Nebraska A.D. Tom Osborne offered implicit confirmation Tuesday night that the timetable on national conference realignment has been accelerated.

On his monthly appearance on the Husker Sports Network, Osborne said:

“I think before too long — I don't know exactly what that time frame is — we'll be able to put this to bed,'' then he jokingly added, “because I'm getting tired of it.''

Fuck yeah! I'm excited about change in the college football world. The Big 10/11 will now have 12 teams and will surely look to add 4 more after Nebraska switches. My hope is Notre Dame follows suit and switches to the conference. Give it up ND folks. It's beyond time to join a conference because the schedule will get watered down with shit opponents. Then every conference goes bat shit crazy and looks to swoop in and get schools before they fall like Roman Empire. The SEC should get Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12. Make it happen. The PAC 10 should try to get Texas A&M, Utah, BYU, Boise State, TCU and Colorado. The Big 10 can go after Kansas and Pittsburgh among others.

Nebraska will get the ball rolling on Friday...hopefully. Everything else will fall in place. Now we just need a playoff system.

STRASBURG FOR PRESIDENT!

With keeping in the StrasburgCrack.com theme we got this week this story was sent in to us by loyal reader John McPeters. I thought it was worth the read. Check it out....

OK, look, maybe President is ridiculous, but I wouldn’t put it past ESPN to endorse it. Call me a cynic, but let’s get one thing straight, Stephen Strasburg’s debut was impressive to say the least, but come one, how much hype can one kid live up to. Yes, his fastball topped at 103 MPH and he was consistently clocked at 95 MPH and above. Strasburg’s change up was clocked as high as 91 MPH and his “slurve” (slow curve for those of you who are not hip to the baseball lingo) dropped another 10 MPH to 81 MPH. Simply stated… sick. Here’s my issue, the kid has had 11 professional appearances before being promoted to the Majors. He’s had 1 start. Let me repeat this, 1 start which was his first time pitching past the 6th inning as a professional. His first major league start was against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the perennial cellar team in the NL Central, known more for trading franchise players than hitting above the Mendoza Line. Even before his start, ESPN was practically giving away the Rookie of the Year award when he got drafted. I’m all about giving credit where credit is due, but dubbing this kid the future of baseball before his first start is a bit much. Let’s be realistic for a minute, barring injury, Strasburg no doubt has the tools to become one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but what if he doesn’t. I can think of quite a few “busts” with all the hype in the world who have seemingly fizzled out of the limelight.

How about “the Natural” Jeff Francouer. Atlanta’s own beloved “Frenchy” was a high school legend in both football and baseball, the hometown kid tore up the minor leagues. After a big league call up, Jeff batted .300 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in his first 70 games. Not bad for a 21 year old, actually, not bad for anyone. In his first full year, “Frenchy” played in 162 games, batting .260 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs. In his second full year, Jeff hit .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs seemingly cementing the hype surrounding his nickname and proving his high school legend was all but a fluke. In 2008, Jeff was sent back to the minors by his beloved hometown team to get his head right and finished the season batting .239 with 11 home runs and 79 RBIs. His poor plate discipline got him traded to the New York Mets where he has seemingly had somewhat of a resurgence, the “future face of the Braves organization” was quickly “shaved clean” after not living up to his enormous billing.

“King” Felix Hernandez was dubbed the Lebron James of baseball. Called up in 2005 after being billed as unhittable, went 4-4 with a respectable 2.67 ERA. Since then he’s had one, I repeat, one dominant season. In 2008, Felix went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA and 217 Ks in 238 innings. His combined record in just over 5 major league seasons is 61-46 with a lifetime ERA of 3.48. Not bad numbers, but my definition of unhittable would not include 3 losing seasons with ERAs in each of his season hovering around 4.00. I’m not faulting Hernandez at all, he’s definitely become a solid pro pitcher, but his career numbers do not live up to the hype that was.

If you want to cross sports, let’s talk football, Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Lawrence Phillips and Brian Bosworth, just to name a few consensus busts with all the hype in the world. How about Alexandre Daigle, the #1 overall pick in the NHL draft in 1993 who tallied a whopping 74 goals in 200 games before being traded to a less than stellar career. How’s that for the next “Great One”? Darko Milicic was the #2 overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. I’d be willing to bet a lot more than my life that the Pistons wish they wouldn’t have passed on Carmello Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, or Josh Howard, instead of taking Milicic who rode the bench for an incredible career span of 3 years. I would go into Tennis and talk about how Anna Kournikova was the #1 Women’s Junior player and has never reached further than the semi-finals in any grand slam event, but she’s so hot that no one really cares about her athletic ability. Besides, I bought a Cannon, and I can assure you, it wasn’t because of the talking dog in the commercials.

For every single Lebron James, there are at least a dozen Kwame Brown’s. I’m not saying Stephen Strasburg isn’t going to have a stellar pro career and be an exception to the rule, simply saying before we dub him the next coming of Jesus Christ, at least let the guy fill every cup in a sold out stadium full of beer for an entire 9 inning game from a single keg, hover to the mound effortlessly without his feet touching the ground, and throw lightning bolts from his finger tips as the ball is released from his hand. Did the Nationals provide baseball with a shot in the arm when signing Strasburg? Of course, and hopefully, “the Phenom” will attract more fans to the sport I’ve come to love. Let’s just hope Strasburg doesn’t give baseball fans everywhere the “Barry Bonds treatment”, opening everyone’s eyes in the immediate future and letting a nation of devoted fans down once reality sinks in. So before we concede the Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year, All Star, and Hall of Fame achievements to Strasburg, all of which he will seemingly accomplish after his second start in the MLB, let’s let the kid enjoy his time and actually earn all of the praise. As a final thought, I’m casting my vote for Bryce Harper on my 2010 Heisman ballot. After all, isn’t Harper’s immense talent the real reason why Tebow was crying during his final game at Florida?

Honestly I could not have said it myself better. Thanks John for the email! Oh yeah, I hope everybody is ready for the "Terrelle Pryor for Heisman" hype that ESPN will be spouting off this college football season. I mean after all he was the #1 prospect out of high school so we have to hype him as the next great phenom right?

FURTHER PROOF AMERICA'S HAT ARE NUTS

First they unleash Bryan Adams on us. Then Celine Dion. And if that wasn't enough now this garbage in regards to sportsmanship...

A Canadian youth soccer league is taking heat after introducing a new rule that says any team that wins a game by more than five points will actually lose by default.

The rule, intended to foster sportsmanship, replaced the Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer league’s former five-point mercy regulation, which said any points scored beyond a five-point differential would not be registered, the National Post reported.

But some players and parents say the new rule will only keep these children from reaching their full potential as players and coddle sore losers.

“They should be saying anything is possible. If we can get five goals really fast, well, so can the other team,” player Kevin Cappon, 17, told the Post. "People grow in adversity… I think you’ll see more leadership skills being used if a losing team tries to recuperate than if they never got into that situation at all.”

Coppon’s father, Bruce Cappon, agreed.


“Heaven forbid when these kids get into the real world. They won’t be prepared to deal with the competition out there,” he told the Post.

The league has 3,000 children ranging from four to 18 years old.

According to the new rules, coaches are encouraged to take measures like making players kick with their weaker foot, moving players out of their usual positions, or taking players off the field entirely if they have a strong team, the Post reported.

Club director Sean Cale told the Post the league is simply trying to make the game fair and that the new rule will eventually be replaced by a pre-season skill assessment to make fair teams, the Post reported.

I mean come on Canada. This is beyond ridiculous. It's called a sport because you have to compete to win it. There are losers in anything with competition and all you are doing is fostering future pansies. No wonder you guys almost lost to us in hockey. Sack up and give these kids some motivation to excel. I swear to God one kid is going to get hit in the head with a ball and soon all the kids will be wearing bike helmets on the soccer field.

I think it's time for America to take over Canada. Don't worry. They won't fight back. It's unsportsmanlike.

Article HT: Dave

STRASBURG ELECTRIFIES IN DEBUT

Video courtesy of TheBigLead

Ignore everything I said yesterday about Stephen Strasburg. The kid looks like the real deal. His 14 strikeouts in his major league debut was one short of a Major League record and it set a Nationals team record for K's in a game. His fastball was touching 100 mph. His "slurve" was buckling kneecaps and brought back memories of Kerry Wood in 1997. His changeup was in the low 90's. THE LOW 90'S. Absolutely fucking ridiculous.

I know the Pittsburgh Pirates are about as far away from being a juggernaut hitting club but what Strasburg did was come into a game in which he should have been feeling overwhelmed from all the attention and hype and simply took all that energy and mowed them down with relative ease. The way his pitches moved in the strike zone was similar to Pedro Martinez back in the late 90's. He puts a lot of torque into his motion and gets a ton of movement. If he stays healthy and it appears the Nats are intent on keeping him on a strict pitch count than he can be one of the best. If he stayed in the game last night he might have struck out 20 guys the way he was coasting. I have little doubt he could be up there with the Jimenez, Lincecum, Halladays and Greinkes of the pitching world this year.

But then again it was just one game. Let's see how hitters do against him now that there is some what of a scouting report on him. He will face the Cleveland Indians next which shouldn't be a huge problem but I would love to see how he does against the Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, and so on lineups who have more balance from 1-8 in the order.

In short: Strasburg is fucking legit! Now everyone get on your knees for him.

HEY EVERYBODY, DID YOU HEAR STRASBURG IS PITCHING TONIGHT?

Holy shit I get it ESPN! The kid is the greatest thing to hit the majors since Jason Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Mark Prior, and Ben McDonald combined. I don't give a shit! Let him pitch a fucking game before you start calling him Jesus (which has been trademarked by Strasburg's attorney no doubt). Listen, I think he is going to be good. But right now he isn't Ubaldo Jimenez. That is the guy you should be doing specials on. He has been lights out all year in the MAJORS. Not minor league ball.

Stephen Strasburg may be the greatest thing since Jimenez or Lincecum or Greinke or whatever but can we please wait and see what he does against the lowly Pirates before putting him on a pedestal? I admit I get a little caught up in these prospects. As you know I got caught up with some kid who hammers pitches out of the ballpark with their first swing. And guess what that got me? Well you know what it is because I'm afraid to even mention his name without being served.

Will you be watching Strasburg pitch tonight? I love baseball so I most certainly will but I'm doubting 90% of the rest of the country even knows who he is. They think it's a German town. Hell Hitler didn't get this much coverage.

But then again he can't throw 103 mph.

Sigh.

*image courtesy of TrueBall

WHAT A SWEET MET'S FAN

I tell you what, this guy clearly has a heart of gold. David Wright was obviously throwing the ball to the grown man's kid and not the little kid with the oversized glove it was going directly to. Because if you have watched Wright this season you would know how far off his intended throws have been so far. It's like he has vertigo.



Video HT: Extra Mustard

PHILLIES FANS DRINK AT AN EARLY AGE

Not only do they taser each other and vomit on young kids but now they even let their little kids slug back beers at the fucking games. No wonder the Phillies are sucking ass this year. They let David Eckstein drink when everyone knows the little guy can't hold his shit together.


What the fuck is next Phillies fans? You going to piss on an old lady? How about Dirty Sanchezing Utley's wife? Or you can slip Charlie Manuel some Viagra so we can see the old guy rock hard while arguing about balls and strikes. Go on. Do it. It's in your DNA.

Sincerely,

Bravos fan who is enjoying first place.

NEWS REPORTER BLOOPER

See how easy it is kids? All you need is a hammer, a camera crew, a junkyard, an unlocked car, and a gashed hand and you too could be a thief this summer. Happy stealing!

THE IRON SHEIK IS NOT A JIM JOYCE FAN

BarStoolSports has this video of The Iron Sheik laying it out on umpire Jim Joyce. Back in the day I use to love watching Hulk Hogan make the Sheik look like a little bitch. I even had the action figurines and the ring. Yep, I was pretty much a loser who played wrestling with guy dolls. By the way, are those skis in the background? I never took the Iron Sheik as a skier. He seems more like a Turkish wrestling type of guy.