Sporty things! They happen! And they’re exciting! And sporty! They often involve balls, and people, and people doing things to balls. How can anything be better than that?
And so, in honor of the Crasstalk Day of Sporty Things, the Question of the Day: In Your Opinion, What was the Greatest Sporty Moment of 2011? Continue reading
Do you have a soccer fan who already has every jersey, scarf and Official Team Wine of his or her favorite club? Are you racking your brain trying to figure out what to get him or her, be it a birthday or holiday? Here’s a list of more, er, unique gift items for your favorite ultra:
(1) Auto valve cap: For the extremely detail-oriented car owning fan (offered by Borussia Dortmund). Continue reading
When I was sixteen years old I was a member of the Junior Varsity Cheerleading Team for Claremont High School in Southern California. I was your typical cheerleader in that I had a ready smile, some athletic and dance skills, and above all team spirit.
My family is the average “football family;” games are always playing during family gatherings, my uncle was the assistant coach for Grambling State University (an HBCU in Louisiana) for several years, plus my cousin played for the Seattle Seahawks in the early 1980’s and now his sons play for their high school and junior high teams. As for other sports, my Dad has been a fan of the Lakers since they were in Minnesota (hence why they’re called the Lakers…as in “Land of 10,000 Lakes”) and a cousin of mine had season tickets for the Kings. We’re quite the sporty sorts. Continue reading
We are big ESPN/SportsCenter fans in my house. Honestly, the only reason we keep cable is for ESPN. We’ve been watching SportsCenter with breakfast every day for many years, and get a good chuckle out of their witty “This is SportsCenter” ad series. Continue reading
In baseball, there are the teams that can afford to pay any price for talent and then there are the teams not called “Yankees.” Michael Lewis spent part of the 2002 MLB season with the Oakland Athletics to see this practice in action. Lewis used the material from the time he spent with the team to write Moneyball. In 2011, a film based on the book was released.
Instead of looking for one player with a dream stat lines, Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane looks for players that in the aggregate would have the same stat line as a team that a superior team would. It’s a great way to save money, or just stay within budget. Despite having a payroll of $41 million, which was about one-third of the Yankees payroll, the A’s were playoff contenders Continue reading
Sports are exhilarating,
It was announced early Saturday morning that the NBA players and owners have reached a tentative deal, ending the NBA lockout at 149 days. NBA Commissioner David Stern said that the deal requires “a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25.”
An attorney who represents some of the alleged victims of Sandusky, Ben Andreozzi, is none too pleased with Penn State’s Board of Trustees.
“The board of trustees got it wrong. They should have consulted the victims before making a decision on Mr. Paterno… they should have considered these victims watch TV and are aware of the students’ reaction and may not want to be associated with the downfall of Mr. Paterno. The school instead elected to do what it felt was in its own best interest at the time. Isn’t that what put the school in this position in the first place?” I think the attorney has a point here. Continue reading
Joe Frazier was born in South Carolina in 1944. In his autobiography, he says he got into boxing when his uncle took a look at his nephew’s build, and said “that boy is going to be another Joe Louis” Frazier built his own heavy bag, out of a burlap sack filled with rags, corncobs, and bricks, and hung it from a tree on his back yard. He wrapped his hands in his mother’s stockings. Continue reading
