Sports Digest 1.17.2011

A little over two weeks into the new year and I am in sports glory–play-off football is great, college basketball is in full swing, the NHL is chugging along and the Australian open is underway. The Steelers are in their 4th AFC Championship game in the past 7 years, Chicago is electric with the NFC Championship game and a huge Blackhawks game this weekend,  Being on this sports cloud-nine–why not dish up our first sports digest of the year?

Syracuse Orange vs. Pitt Panthers

Everyone knows this is going to be a good game. Tonight, you have the unbeaten #3 ranked Orange against perennial Big East powerhouse #5 Pitt. As much as I love the Orange, and as good as they are looking (#1 seed come tourney time) they always struggle against the Panthers, losing the last four meetings. I don’t think that this is going to change tonight–I think that Syracuse has a mental block against Pitt..they just don’t bring their A-game until it’s too late. Add in the loss of lead scorer Kris Joseph for the game tonight and I think it spells extra trouble. Hope I’m wrong and we pull off the W  (as Pitt is the only team from the ‘Burgh that I actively root against, and just can’t stand) but the odds aren’t looking good. That’s alright though, we’ll rebound to beat Villanova on Saturday at the Dome with in front of a record crowd.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Right before the NFL Championship game the NHL’s national game of the week is a rematch of the Stanley Cup last year. The Flyers have had a pretty dominant season and currently hold the #1 power ranking. The Hawks have had a lethargic start to the season but are finally finding their mojo. With a tough game Saturday vs. the Red Wings, look for the Hawks to turn the tide on a national stage and upend the Flyers on home ice.

The Demise of the Patriots

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Patriots get outplayed. And that’s exactly what happened yesterday. After a shaky first quarter, Mark Sanchez settled down and maintained the tempo of the game and the Jets just, for lack of a better term, laid the smackdown on the Patriots. They got lazy in the fourth quarter and started playing too conservatively, and showed no modicum of class during their on-field celebrations but they got the job done. And I’m pretty sure I saw Tom Brady cry during the game, which just added to my joy. Hard to believe, as Adam Schefter put it, that Tom Brady has now lost three consecutive play-off games. Looking back, it all started going “south” when they lost the Super Bowl in the last seconds to the Giants–(or has it been since his knee injury?) Will Tom ever get another ring? Hard to say, but none of it diminishes that he (in my opinion) is the best QB to play the game..as much as I HATE to admit it. So we’ll have to wait another eight months (or longer) to discuss his Bieber haircut.

The Steelers NOT beating themselves

I’m STILL pumped about that Steelers win on Saturday. The team showed so much resolve coming back to dominate the second half–allowing the Ravens a TOTAL of 28 yards throughout the end of the game. Yes, they had their heads up their asses in the first half, and they won’t be able to play like that again and expect to move on but the determination of the steel curtain defense, as well as some AWESOME play by my boy Big Ben solidified the W. You can say what you want, but Ben Roethlisberger is a top 3 QB in the league (in my opinion two) He has the same number of playoff wins as Peyton Manning (9) with six years less experience. He plays hard, he scrambles, he takes control of the offense, he’s tough and he delivers. As long as there’s time on the clock, if the ball is in Ben’s hands, I honestly think we have a shot to win. Off-field drama aside, I don’t know that there’s another QB I’d take if I could have my pick–Brady gets frazzled–doesn’t seem like Ben does. He’s a great leader and he makes things happen. I like our chances on Sunday.

Are you on as much as a sports high as we have been this week? What’s been the highlight for you?

Let’s us know … we’re always up for a chat

Sports Digest 9.15.2010

Fall is in full swing, as the weather in Chicago reminds us every morning. With football back, MLB races heating up and another U.S. Open in the books, Chicks Dig Sports Too is over-due for a sports digest.

NFL

New York Jets-I’m sticking with my pick of the Jets going to the Super Bowl. Did they play horribly on Monday night? YES. Their sloppy play resulted in one converted third-down the entire night, Cromartie had more dumb penalties than he has children and don’t even get me started on Keller’s fourth down play which was one of the biggest bone-head plays I’ve ever seen. A pathetic offensive performance, yes, however the Jets defense DID hold the Ravens to 10 points (albeit, the Raven’s offense was pretty horrendous.) With DT Jenkins out, it will be an uphill battle for the Jets but ’m not flip-flopping- it’s just week one. Team’s should be playing their worst ball, and the bright side is, the Jets offense can’t get much worse. Maybe Sanchez had the jitters, maybe he’s an awful quarterback, time will tell, but I’m not ready to bail yet. Am I concerned? Sure but not ready to call a fire drill just yet.

Perhaps exchanging recipes after the game??

Pittsburgh Steelers-The Steelers fought hard for that win on Sunday and they deserved it. Dixon performed fine, which is exactly how he needed to-controlling the ball and having as few turnovers as possible. With an inexperienced QB (and a  usually solid kicker that inexplicably froze TWICE in his home stadium) the rest of the team, especially the steel-curtain defense, stepped up to secure the win…and don’t even get me started on Hines Ward’s layout catch in the second quarter. With the win over the Falcons, the Steelers are already better than worse-case scenario of going 0-4 without Ben, which is huge. Hopefully they can scrape together another win against the Titans on Sunday.

Mendenhall Rushes for the Game-Winning TD

Washington Redskins-I love when games come down to one play–under the lights on a Sunday night is about as primetime as you can get. For what it’s worth, Dallas QB Tony Romo did a great job of leading his team down the field and was an inch away from stealing the game at FedEx field (another bonehead play to end the game). But I was impressed with Washington. Shanahan appears to have whipped this team into shape. McNabb is playing well and they seemed way more prepared than I gave them credit for. In a far departure from the previous 15 years of my life, I actually am warming up to the idea (read: would relish every second of) McNabb winning a Super Bowl WITHOUT Philly. It would be just desserts to a city that treated him like garbage for a majority of his time there…hmm. I like the thought of it

Philadelphia Eagles-Ugh. A quarterback “controversy” in week 1? Philly I am so over how easily your love can be bought. In my opinion, there should have never been a “controversy” to begin with–Vick’s your guy.

MLB

The Twins are on FIRE which is unfortunate for the White Sox who have been playing their best ball all season. A  crushing 9-3 loss last night may have delivered the final blow to the team. As a Cubs fan, I’m not sure what’s worse–being 20 games back in July and continuing down a spiral of misery through October, or having a glimpse of hope towards the end of the season and having it extinguished. But I will tell you one thing–it’s rough to be a freaking Chicago sports fan.

Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers is appealing his one game suspension with the MLB. I’m torn on this one–however, being ejected means you cannot be a part of on-field activities and  Kinsler’s boyhood excitement for a walk-off home-run, which is undeniably charming, can’t be claimed as a reason for not abiding by the rules. With the Rangers magic number down to 10 with 18 games to play, I think he should just serve it and move on while they have some wiggle room to lose a game or two. I would hate for this to get tied up and have him serve it at a later time when they need him in the game (i.e. magic number is two with three games to play.)

U.S. Open

Another U.S. Open is in the books and I couldn’t be happier about comeback kid Kim Clijsters and perennial powerhouse Rafael Nadal winning the Slam in singles.  For Clijsters, a former number 1 who retired due to injuries in 2007, it was her second-straight U.S. Open win, making her the first woman to achieve this feat since Venus Williams did it in 2000-2001.

Clijsters Wins U.S. Open

In typical fashion, Rafael Nadal was dominant in his  performance in Flushing-dropping only one set in seven matches at the Open. At 24 years old, this win gives Rafa a career grand slam, as well as a “golden slam”-all four grand slam titles and a gold medal. (Sidenote: at 24, my biggest slam accomplishment is housing the free Denny’s Grand Slam on my birthday…but I digress ) Rafael Nadal is poised to pass Federer as the best tennis player of all time (given their head-to-head record, he already has in my opinion), and I, for one, couldn’t be happier for him.

What are your thoughts ont his crazy week in sports? Are the Jets really that bad? Are the ‘Skins that good? Should Kinsler appeal his one game suspension? How much of the Open did you watch?

Talk to us people…from traffic numbers (which have been INSANE the past few weeks..thank you! ) we know you’re lurking…we’d love to hear from you!

–Sam

Sports Digest 6.26.10

Hi Everybody! 

  Happy Summer! Goodness I absolutely cannot believe it’s been over two months since I last blogged! In the interim, I’ve been getting settled at a new job, visiting family, learning how to drive in the city, doing bikram yoga, preparing for multiple weddings, going to as many Cubbie games as possible and enjoying summer in the best city in America. Of course, I have been following sports, so here is a round up of sports highlights in a nutshell. Also, we are going to be making some changes around here so that we never have to go 2.5 months AGAIN without a post. We have some really neat ideas for upcoming posts & series, guest bloggers and giveaways!  We’ve missed you all and are so glad to be back! Let’s kick this off. 

Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Champions!  

I’m not going to lie to you, I’m a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. That being said, having lived in Chicago for over a year, I couldn’t be HAPPIER that the Blackhawks won. It was awesome to see their awesome playoff run, Big Buff come into his own and the whole city catch on fire and buzz with excitement over every single second. The Blackhawk’s whirl-wind celebration tour was amazing, not to mention a million people showing up for the parade. The fact that they beat a team from Philadelphia was just icing on the cake So I’m so glad to have been in this city and experience the peripheral excitement, buzz and sense of accomplishment that everyone in the city felt by ending a 49-year championship drought. Since the win, there have been talk of repeats, trades and “where do we go from here’s,” but it’s been such an awesome experience to just savor the championship. 

Championship Banner

 

Los Angeles Lakers 2010 NBA Champs 

I don’t want to say yawn. I don’t. But the Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA Championship 5 times in the past 10 years. Which, really, is an unbelievable feat. And Lakers v. Celtics? Is this even a marquee match-up anymore? *yawn* let’s mix it up a little NBA.  Let’s have a finals consisting of th Utah Jazz vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. THAT’S something I’d be interested in. Even if it would only appeal to 2% of the NBA watching population. Maybe it’s just me, but I kind of feel when the finals are the Lakers vs. the Celtics it’s like Tori from Saved by the Bell vs. Stephanie Tanner. I mean, which one would you rather be? Both are equally horrible in their own ways, but you give the edge to Tori (Lakers) because well, you just IMAGINE being Stephanie Tanner. Plus, I LOVE me some Pau Gasol. I can’t explain it, I can’t put my finger on it, but I just perk up whenever I see him or hear his name being mentioned. 

The girl that rode the motorcycle to school to be "edgy"-aka the LA Lakers

 

How Rude! (Boston Celtics)

 

   In related basketball news, the Chicago Bulls hired Tom Thibodeau as their head coach. Solid move. With Lebron watch in the single digits-it will be interesting to see where he ends up. 

Oh and in NBA Draft news, Wes Johnson, from the Syracuse Orange is joining Mr. Jonny Flynn on the Minnesota Timberwolves. And my boo, and future husband, Andy Rautins was drafted by the Knicks. Congrats boys! Can’t wait to see what you do in the NBA  

USA Impresses in 2010 World Cup 

Maybe I’m a bad American, but I ALWAYS cast the U.S.’s chances of success in the FIFA World Cup between ‘no chance in hell’ and ‘slim to none.’ Well the boys have absolutely proved me wrong, by winning their group for the first time since the 30′s. And can we talk about Landon Donovan’s goal in the plus time to move the US to the elimination rounds? These boys have set America more on fire for the sport of soccer than I ever dreamed possible. Everyone I know, myself included, is revolving their day around the US/Algeria game at 2:30ET today. USA! USA! USA!  Stay tuned, because a good friend of mine just was at the World Cup for the first week of competition. Maybe if we bat our eyelashes and ask really politely he’ll guest blog about his experiences  

Captain America.

 

 Longest Tennis Match Ever 

I get a side-stitch just thinking about it. I can’t get over how these tennis pros make tennis look so EASY. I play six points and “retire,” and move to lay out by the pool. My hats off to both gentleman. 

Of course there have been A LOT more things going on, but these were the highlights for me. What have been the highlights for you? What sporting events are you going to this summer? How much did you miss me? Talk to me people–it’s good to be back!  

–Sam

Sports Digest 3.25.2010

I’m happy to say that Spring is here! Although you may not even be able to tell in Chicago, spring doesn’t just signify the awesome changing of the physical seasons but also the changing of the sporting seasons. So here is what I’m looking forward to most in may (hint, WELCOME BACK MLB!)

Final Four/Men’s Championship

We’ve see a lot of good basketball over the season, and especially last weekend. Come April, it will be time for everyone to put their  money where there mouth is. The four best teams in the country will be left standing. Which will then provide us with three amazing games to see who ends up being the NCAA champion. (My money’s on Syracuse but, then again, isn’t it always?)

Major League Baseball

MLB, welcome back from friend. For some reason, the MLB off-season seems to drag on longer than any other. Maybe cause the league plays for a majority of the year. But I’m ready to see my cubbies win the 2010 World Series. (What? A girl can dream! ) But I’m most excited to go to games. There’s nothing like heading to Wrigley, grabbing a few bears and taking in a baseball game in the sunshine. Yes, Wrigley is cool when Elton John and Billy Joel are rocking it, and it’s also cool when it’s frozen over for ice skating at various points in the winter. But let’s get serious. Wrigley’s for baseball and I cannot wait to head to my first 2010 game there! (Pirates vs. Cubs, May 15). Oh, and it also marks the return of one of the most hilarious Web sites ever. http://www.isthereacubsgametoday.com/ (The rationale behind it is hilarious)

The Masters

I’m not a golf fan. I won’t watch one second of the Masters. But why am I excited? Because maybe after Tiger Woods gets his “first appearance” over with (and analyzed to DEATH before, during and after), we will finally get the media circus to die down about his personal life. He’s holding a third press conference…really Tiger? Really? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Tiger Wood’s love life is absolutely none of my business. I could care less that he’s a sadistic, power-hungry, slut banging machine. I don’t give a shit what his text messages say, I don’t care how many people he’s been outside his marriage with. I never bought anything because Tiger Woods did…I don’t have kids, but I don’t know ANY kids that look up to Tiger. (If they are, maybe that’s something to look at…a golfer? Really?!) So Masters please come and go and then PLEASE can we put death to this Tiger Woods story? I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again…WHO CARES?!?!

NFL Draft

I remember the good old days back in college, when the NFL draft was one of the biggest party days of the year. We’d get a keg and watch the draft…which always took all day. The NFL draft is really awesome. I mean, who would have predicted a few years ago that the Miami Dolphins would pick Ted Ginn Jr. over Brady Quinn?! However, the changes the NFL is starting to make is driving me nuts. Cutting the clock down from 15 minutes to 10 minutes to speed things up, I could live with that. However, now the NFL is trying to market the draft as a marquee event and moved it into prime time. On a Thursday night. That’s where you lost me. Because the Saturday at Noon, fifteen minute format is what was so awesome about the draft. You could discuss potential pics and trades, you could run to the bathroom you could do all sorts of stuff. And, as a fan, fifteen minutes is the perfect amount of time to make you sweat while you’re waiting on your team’s first round pick.

The rationale behind the prime time move is that it’s the most watched night of the week. Well, DUH. Any show that’s worth anything is on Thursday night. The NFL thinks they can compete with Thursday night juggernauts? REALLY NFL?! REALLY?! List of TV Shows the NFL draft will go up against: Community, Parks & Rec, The Office, 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Project Runway, one of the NCIS’, one the CSI’s, Vampire Diaries (?), gotta be a cake boss/ace of cakes, and maybe even a No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain…just to name a few. Guess what NFL?! You’re going to lose. Because if I know one thing, a man’s NFL draft will fall to the power of his wife’s weekly McDreamy fix.

So I’m excited to see who my Steelers take, but I’m bummed that you robbed me of a semi-holiday in April, NFL.

What sporting events are YOU looking forward to in April? What did I leave off? Are you digging the NFL change?! Talk to me people…and Happy Spring!

–Sam

Sports Digest 2.14.10

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Vancouver Olympics

What a start to these Olympic games! So many great stories already and I love seeing sports that only pop up on the radar every 4 years.

Simon Ammann is back folks! Forget him? Switzerland’s ski jumper burst onto the scene at Salt Lake in 2002 and grabbed two gold medals in the sport. After an absence in the Torino games, Ammann captures a gold in the normal hill event yesterday, bringing his total to 3 gold medals. Not too shabby. What’s so enjoyable about Ammann is his enthusiasm and joy for the sport. His frantic and excited interview after medaling mirrored his interviews in 2002. It’s nice to see his enthusiasm for the sport never faded in his through his trials in the past eight years

Unbelievable.

Apolo Ohno is the bomb. Seriously. Anyone that reads this blog, even semi-regularly, knows that my Valentine Ohno and I go way back. While I’ve always admired his athletic ability in addition to his dashing good looks; I think that last night, Ohno’s athletic ability definitely took over. In the 1500 preliminary round, Ohno sat in last place and, with two laps to go, passed the ENTIRE field in about 2 seconds and won by about a quarter lap. I have NEVER seen anything like that in sports. (I can’t find the video ANYWHERE to include in here! If someone has it please let me know! ) Make sure, if you didn’t see that AWESOME display of athleticism, that you do.

After coming in second in the semi’s, Ohno earned the silver medal in the 1500 event. (After two Koreans trip and fall with a quarter lap to go … sports are so fun when they’re unpredicatable!) This medal ties Ohno with Bonnie Blair as the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. It’s well deserved. Check out the craziness of the final race here : NBC Olympics

Side note: BIG Congrats to Bronze medalist, American JR Celski. JR had a severe injury in September (some reports said he almost died on the ice) when a skate cut his thigh. It’s amazing to see him bounce back five months later for Olympic glory. A lot of people are saying that Celski is the heir apparent to Ohno. Whether or not that’s true, these two definitely have a great mentor/mentee relationship.

Ohno & Celski

Hannah Kearney wins the US’s first gold medal of the games in Women’s Freestyle Moguls. Kearney, who wasn’t supposed to win, had a near flawless final run to capture the prize. Holler for the first US winner being a woman and holler for how awesome the sport is!

Gold medalist Kearney

College Basketball

Syracuse is tipping off right now in the dome vs. Louisville (i miss it so much!) Hopefully they can play tight and will still be on their current run when they Face-off against Georgetown on Thursday. I still think Kansas is the best team in the country (obviously) but I’m not quite sold on Kentucky yet. While I know Kentucky is a good team, I don’t see how they leap-frogged Syracuse for the #2 spot. In fact, at 24-1, Syracuse not only has the best record in the country, but also has the best shooting percent. So I’m not quite sure why they’re hanging back at #3.

Daytona 500

I’m not a huge NASCAR fan. My family leaves the knowledge of that sport to my older brother, Chris and his wife, Alicia (@alicamflynn) are the staples here. So while I can’t comment whose going to win, I am going to say that Danica Patrick crashed yesterday and that’s all I was hoping for.

NBA

Everything about the All-Star break is lame. Props for trying though!

MLB

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT IN THREE DAYS!!! HOLLER!

What’s your favorite sports story of the Olympics so far? What am I missing? Do you think Kentucky deserves its ranking? Anyone been to any NBA All-Star events ever? Talk to me people, and Happy Valentines Day!

-Sam

Sports Digest 2.11.10

Lots of stuff happening this week. Before the Vancouver Olympics start on Friday, and monopolize a ton of sports coverage, let’s discuss some of sports biggest stories.

College Basketball

I’m really not sure what to make of this Syracuse team. Don’t get me wrong they look GOOD. Really good. AT 24-1, they are off to the best start in school history. Andy Rautins has become and INCREDIBLE leader for the Orange. It’s been awesome to see this Canadian, second-generation SU player transform from 3-point shooter to such a force to be reckoned with. He’s hardly recognizable playing his heart out on defense, setting up to take charges, being a spot-on free throw shooter and assisting his way through games. Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph regularly put up double digits. Onuaku is playing well. Scoop and Triche are growing into their own. The team is GREAT.

Rautins, sans Faux-Hawk

…they just can’t put together a solid 40 minutes of basketball, and THAT worries me. They were down 12 to Georgetown, down 18 to DePaul and lost at 10 point lead to UConn last night. I have said in the past that if we face a better team, we won’t be able to get away with that. On the flip side though, Syracuse ALWAYS manages to find a way to win. They get scrappy, they play tough, they shut it down at the last second. So it’s hard to vote against them. I’m excited for this team, I want them to be Final Four bound and I think they can do it. It will be very interesting to see SU vs. Georgetown and SU vs. Villanova, they add W’s in those contests and its hard to argue that you’re not looking at a National Championship team.

Also, what’s the deal with UNC? If you would have told me that Hansborough would make such a huge difference (i mean unc is 2-7 in the ACC this year) I’d say you were crazy.

Yes Tyler, UNC is THAT bad

Kansas is also looking really good. Would LOVE to se a KU-SU matchup for the championship. Wall’s starting to crack over at Kentucky … keep your eye on him. I’m already tired of the ESPN story about if Wall and Calipari get along. Calipari is the coach, he should push Wall to be his best and Wall should respect that. End of coach/athlete relationship. As long as that’s going on, who cares if they’re drinking buddies?

To the windowssss....to the (John) Wall!

Side note: Pitino, you tried to the whole NBA thing a few years ago. You almost lost your damn mind. Stick to college hoops. Some colleges just can’t make the transition (*future post alert!*) Oh, and I don’t believe for one second that there’s no truth the rumors that you’re looking to save the FOUR WIN NETS. It’s a trap-job. Don’t do it.

NHL

Hockey, I will miss you these two weeks. I understand the importance of letting your players duke it out for an olympic gold-medal. It will be really cool to see NHL teammates facing off on opposing sides. It does suck that there will be an interruption to league play, especially when it was getting SO good. The Washington Capitals 14-game win streak was JUST ended by the Ottawa senators. (With a league best 89 points though, I don’t think they’re too worried), Mark Cuban is talking about buying the Dallas Stars, and how ’bout those Penguins?! (Note: for the love of God, please don’t get Cuban involved in the NHL!)  This season has delivered really exciting hockey. We’ll anxiously be awaiting your return!

MLB

34 Days ’til Pitcher & Catcher’s report! Holler!

Geovany, my boo

College Lacrosse

• Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse is set to get under-way next week. Look for perennial powerhouse  and defending 2-time NCAA champion Syracuse to make some serious waves. (Don’t count out Virginia though…they’re tough and SU has to play them on the road this year!)

10-Time NCAA Champions

• On the women’s side,  you can’t help but feel that Northwestern is going to go for all the marbles again. This year, they are defending their FIVE CONSECUTIVE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS. I don’t even know who can uproot them SU is ranked #4 , but has lost their All-Star and all time BIG EAST scorer, Katie Rowan. Georgetown is always a really strong program as well. (*future post alert–NU is playing Georgetown here in Chi in March!)

The Unstoppable Wildcats!

Who do you like in college basketball? Do you think any team this year can upend Women’s Lacrosse champs Northwestern? What’s your favorite NHL story? Early predictions on World-Series bound teams?

Talk to me people

–Sam

Sports Digest 1.26.10

Hockey

Since I NEVER talk about hockey I’d just like to say: How ‘Bout Dem Penguins?! Cooke’s last-minute goal on a Power Play Sunday helped the Pens send the Flyers home crying…AGAIN. A win at the Rangers on Monday has the Pens sitting pretty, tied for third in the Eastern Conference. I smell a repeat But I AM ridiculously biased.

2009 Stanley Cup Champs!

Australian Open

Bummer about Andy Roddick. Huge bummer. He wasn’t playing his best tennis, that’s for sure, but I always see him as a dark horse in any grand slam competition (minus the French Open though, since he can’t play for squat on clay) After his win in Brisbane, I thought he had a good shot. Roddick was playing a lot of grueling long matches throughout the Australian Open and it looked like he was favoring his shoulder. While those are all valid excuses, I don’t want to take anything away from Cilic, who went up on Roddick 2 sets to love and staved off a triple break point in the 5th.

Also a bummer about Rafael Nadal, who retired after being down 2 sets to love with an apparent knee injury. At 23 years old, Nadal is right to be better safe than sorry in retiring, but it’s a shame to see the defending champ bow out. We haven’t had enough of Raffa lately, and tendonitis in the knee has been the cited source of his troubles lately. The sport isn’t the same without him. Similar to Roddick’s case though, we should not take anything away from Andy Murray, who–even with Raffa’s injury– was making pretty short work of the defending champ. His explosive play has really started to capture the tennis world and deservingly so. So instead of a Nadal/Roddick semi…which would have been AWESOME (Raffa leads the series 3-2) but we have Cilic vs. Murray, which is a match no one could have predicted but we arguably are lucky to have.

Nadal getting medical attention during his quarterfinal match

Federer hangs in there as a heavy favorite to be playing on Sunday in the Australian Open final.

On the women’s side, Justin Henin is through to the semi’s (holler!) and a Williams/Williams semi seems inevitable.

Comeback Kid, Henin

College Basketball

How good does No.4 Syracuse look? No seriously, how good do they look? ‘Cuse rallied after being 14 behind in the opening minutes against arch-rival  No. 7 Georgetown yesterday, to win in an impressive fashion with a final score of 73-56. At times, watching this Orange team is almost unbelievable. They look unstoppable. Their one weakness, and it’s a big one, is that they are a second half team. They have been slow to start in almost all of their contests this year. While it’s all worked out alright, it cannot continue, especially when we play Villanova on February 27th. If we can put together 40 minutes of solid ball we’ll be unstoppable. I say right now, on any given day, we play about 30 minutes of solid ball. Either way, I’m excited to see Syracuse ride it out for the season (we’re final four bound) and PUMPED to see them play at DePaul on Saturday

I Heart Dome

NFL

I will do my Super bowl predictions closer to the game but just a word on officiating in the NFL. While I really like the Saints and am SO thrilled they are going to the Super Bowl, the officiating toward the end of the NFC Championship game was tres lame. So lame in fact, that it ruined the whole experience for viewers and robbed the Saints of what should have been a very legitimate game. The three plays I’m talking about all occurred in over time back to back. 1) the pass interference call –which I allowed since they are always somewhat subjective 2) the forward progress call — should have been negated because the running back LOST control of the football 3) THE PASS THAT HIT THE GROUND THAT WAS COUNTED AS COMPLETE.

So while I love you Saints, especially for sending that pompous ass Brett Favre home, I think you deserve to go under better circumstances. The game (as my twinny @jrflynn86 would say) COMPLETELY stood up to its billing, until the end…and EVERYONE deserved a better ending than that. Still, I’m pumped about two #1 seeds playing in the Super Bowl (First time since 1993!) It should prove to be a helluva game.

Congrats Drew!

What are your thoughts on the recent developments in sports? Who you got in the Super Bowl? Who you got in the Australian Open? What basketball team do YOU like?

Talk to me people

–Sam

Sports Digest 1.20.10

College Basketball

How good does Syracuse look? I mean seriously, how good do we look? Wes Johnson is AWESOME. Andy Rautins is on FIRE, Triche is playing well. We weren’t supposed to be this good this year, especially after losing Johnny Flynn (and Harris and Devendorf) Next up, SU faces some tough competition against 2 of 3 of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. First up is Marquette on Saturday, ALWAYS a feisty team and Georgetown, our hated rival on Monday. SU is going to have to play really tight, but I think we’re up for the challenge.

Holla Back Rautins...ooh ooh!

and speaking of playing tight….Congrats to Kansas State! I’m not even going to pretend like I’m familiar with this team, in fact, I had to google their mascot name (wildcats) but they played with FIRE on Monday night. They played a little sloppy at times, but they WANTED it. Their defense was awesome and they managed to hold Damion James to NINE points…which is unbelievable. Kansas State has proven to be a threat by knocking off the undefeated number 1 seed. I’m anxious to see how they do throughout the rest of the season. One thing is for sure, a rivalry was born–cause it got pretty ugly towards the end of the game with the crowd involvement.

Can't you just feel the tension?

Tim Tebow

It came out earlier this week that Tim Tebow and his ma’ are going to star in a pro-life ad to run during the Superbowl. While I may or may not agree with his viewpoint, I applaud him for standing up for SOMETHING. I think a lot of athletes shy away from an extreme stance, as it may affect contracts or endorsements–so it takes guts to take such a firm stand for something–even if it’s not the popular view point. (Although for all we know, Tebow has FINALLY realized that he won’t exactly be a great NFL QB and that maybe his endorsements/contracts won’t be as high as he originally thought, therefore he CAN take a stand on something) I’m not a Tebow fan, obviously, but I respect the decision he made to speak out on his beliefs.

This is his pro-life face.

Australian Open

Roddick through to third round (holla!)

Sharapova out (not surprised)

Federer drops his first set but handily wins the next match (jitters)

Nadal on to the third round..(it’s good to have him back)

Upcoming

Spring sports are the ISH! And this year, we get the Winter Olympics! So it’s going to be a busy February with college basketball, the winter olympics, college lacrosse, college softball (my FAV) and MLB pitchers and catchers reporting soon. Not to mention the Super Bowl and the return of LOST…can February get any better?

What are your thoughts on the college basketball scene? Are you surprised with anything about the Australian Open? (Are you even watching the Australian Open?) What’s your take on Tebow? Talk to me people

–Sam

Sports Digest 1.16.10

Lots of awesome sporting events this weekend! Here is a preview!

NFL

So,  my NFL picks last week weren’t in much better shape than my BCS bowl picks but I  DID get my upset special correct. So here is a quick breakdown of who I ‘THINK’ will take it this week, although I’m fully aware that, because I pick these teams, they have a bigger probability of LOSING

• Jets vs. Chargers-I’m going with the Chargers on this one. After their usual tepid start, the team is on FIRE and are winners of 11 straight. While I’m not a full believer in Phillip Rivers (he’s a jag too), I think the Chargers are a perrenial powerhouse. I am a HUGE fan of LT, not just because of his athletic ability, but also how he carries himself as a person. As for the Jets, it’s clear that the defense is carrying this team, but props to Mark Sanchez who turned in a solid effort last week against the Bengals (Everyone else finally on the ‘Palmer sucks’ bandwagon?’) I just don’t see him being able to stop the Chargers. I don’t think the Chargers are going to win the Superbowl–> they’ll run into Indy next week, but they won’t go out to the Jets either. But it’s been a fantastic end to a shaky rookie season by Sanchez where he notched his all important first playoff win.
• Ravens vs. Colts– For many of the same reasons above, I pick the Colts. Ravens on a hot streak but it will end when they run into a team that is just all around better. Then I can breathe a sigh of relief because, as a Steelers fan, I hate the Ravens and I want nothing more than to see them lose. Especially when their motto is ‘Purple Power’…gag me.
• Cardinals vs. Saints — This is my *Upset special* for the week folks. The Saints are awesome…and I WANT them to win, but they’ve been playing like dirt the last three weeks, with all of their starters IN. I’m not exactly sure what has been going on with them, but it’s almost like only one team needed to beat them and now every team can. The Cardinals have an AWFUL defense (yea they made that LAST play last week, but no one talked about how Aaron Rodgers had the nastiest face mask call I’ve seen in ten years and no one called it) but they also have Kurt Warner, and I think we all know not to ever count Kurt Warner out. Also, with some more legitimate rumors that this is Warner’s last season, I think the motivational factor for the Cards is at an all time high. So I’d hate to see it happen but I think it will, since the Saints are in this unbelievable funk.
• Cowboys vs. Minnesota — after careful consideration, I’m NOT jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon. Ok, they beat up the Eagles three times this year, a team their familiar with. Romo seems to have broken his December/January streak, but we’re talking about Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson here. Brett Favre, as much as I hate to admit it, is still freaking awesome. He threw for 33 touchdowns this year and over 3,000 yards, add in Adrian Peterson and his PHENOMENAL year and you have the two best offensive weapons in the game…on one team. (Chris Johnson and Brees/Manning are all excellent, but they are on three different teams) No matter what anyone says, Romo and Barber are NOT the duo to take out the Vikings. I know there’s been some drama with Favre and Childress (seriously tho, after awhile, doesn’t everyone notice that the common equation in ALL of these tifts over the past couple years is Favre) but expect that to fall by the way-side. Vikings will win this one, but I expect the Cowboys to put up a decent fight

College Basketball

No. 5 ‘Cuse vs N0.9 WVU –today at noon. I think Syracuse will handle this one well. In my opinion, WVU ALWAYS seems to have a higher ranking than they deserve. They don’t seem able to put together a solid 40 minutes of basketball and always end up in the middle of the pack in the BIG EAST, (which makes them better than most of the teams in the US) So I’m saying ‘cuse take its.

Side Note: HOW DID KANSAS FALL ONLY FALL FROM NO.1 TO NO.3 AFTER LOSING TO NO. 15 TENNESSEE?! We got ourselves a ‘USC/BCS’ situation here…and I don’t like it.

What do YOU think about the NFL playoffs? What CBB do you like? Tune in tomorrow for my Australian Open preview (just in time!)

-Sam

Sports Digest 1/10/2010

So…., I haven’t posted since Tuesday, blame “The Lovely Bones” and my hectic work week.  Anyway, a lot has happened over the past five days. I’ll try to condense it and make it as concise as possible!

NFL– well it seems like my playoff predictions are going as well as my BCS predictions. So from now I’ll pick the opposite of what my gut says. There has also been some shake-ups in the NFL since my last post

• Pete Carroll- Bombshell! I’m really surprised, not so much that the Seahawks offered Carroll a job but that he accepted it. I have always viewed Pete Carroll as a college football coach.  While Carroll had a lot of success as a defensive coordinator. His track record of NFL coaching has been pretty awful. He has been head coach of the Jets and Patriots. The Jets team went 6-10 and he was fired after one year.  His three seasons with New England earned him one AFC East title and two wild card losses.  So, with this spotty track record, I’m not exactly sure WHY Carroll thinks after ten years of success at USC, Carroll thinks he can all of a sudden coach the NFL. As everyone will agree, coaching college football is really different from coaching the NFL. Carroll is on a list of many coaches that are GREAT in the collegiate setting only (Spurrier, Saban, etc.) Who knows, maybe even JoePa would not be a good NFL coach (thank god he’s never tried) but the difference is, once these collegiate coache have little success they usually stay out of the big leagues. Carroll hasn’t seemed to learn this lesson. So I’ll be very interested to see how he does, but I don’t expect much success from him
• Shanahan to the Redskins-I like it. I think he got the short end of the stick with Denver and I always thought he was a pretty good coach. What he needs to do though, is go into D.C. , clean house and kick some ass.  The Redskins coaching job has seemed like the black hole of the NFL . I haven’t seen a Redskins team playing with purpose for over a decade.  The second most valuable franchise in the NFL (valued at 1.5 BILLION) , you know, the one that broke the Lions 18-game loss streak, needs to get its shit together and put forth a solid season effort. Hell, I think everyone would be impressed if they could finish 9-7. Shanahan might be just be the person to do it.
• Dallas Cowboys—First off. Thank you Cowboys for knocking those Eagles out of the playoffs. I can breathe easier knowing that no Pennsylvania team will win the Superbowl this year. That being said, I can’t figure out how Dallas has managed to embarrass the Eagles all season long. I still don’t believe the Cowboys are THAT good…I just think the Eagles played THAT bad…two weeks in a row. As we all know, McNabb is one of the top 5 choke artists of all time, so it’s not a surprise that he did, but it is uncharacteristic how early in the playoffs he decided to suck this year. Big win for Wade Phillips and Tony Romo…it buys them some more time and credibility (Phillips is the time, Romo is the credibility) The Cowboys-Vikings match-up should prove to be awesome.
• Jets-looking pretty good boys. I don’t think you’re winning the Superbowl, but you’ll put together a pretty nice run. Sanchez played well. Not fantastic but well. ZERO turnovers. Way to go, kid. On another note, can we all finally agree that Carson Palmer sucks? I’ve been saying it since he was drafted. He’s a mediocre QB that can lead his team to the playoffs every few years and lose in the wild card round. OchoCinco was CONTAINED and CRYING. Like a girl. Seriously, he was crying like most girls (myself included) do at the end of The Notebook. Grow a pair, Chad. Seriously. Oh and maybe you think about devoting a little less time to your unnecessary off the field antics and larger than life persona and focus on being a better receiver.
• HOW ABOUT JOE THEISMAN AND JOE GIBBS NEVER DO COMMENTARY AGAIN. HEARING ABOUT THE PUNTER STORY AND THE TIMES WHEN THE JOES WERE RELEVANT PUT ME IN A CATATONIC STATE. Seriously, I ended up shutting off the game because they sucked so much. NBC FAIL.
• Jim Leavitt fired as USF Coach…WOW.

College Basketball

Purdue and Duke lost…which sets things up pretty nicely for my Orangemen who play USF at noon today and handily beat Memphis on Thursday. With only three unbeatens left in the league (Kansas, Texas and Kentucky) this season is shaping up to offer some exciting key matchups throughout the winter. Sidenote: Marquette University WILL play spoiler at some point this season. They are playing well and their luck will eventually change and they’ll be on the winning side of the 3-point difference in the game.

WTA

Justine Hennin-Hardenne, who at one time was the most dominant female tennis player, retired from her match yesterday citing a knee injuring in the second set. This was her first tournament since she came out of retirement. Bummer, since she probably won’t be a go for the Australian Open. I’ll go into some more AO insight as the day approaches

Winter Olympics

Ok. I’m pumped. Sure, I prefer summer Olympics (really WHO DOESN’T) but over the years, my fondness has grown for the winter olympics as well.  And no, not for the figure skating. I’m really pumped to see all sorts of winter sports that I could only DREAM about doing, including giant slalom, hockey, bobsled and of course speed skating. (Shout out to Apolo Anton Ohno…I’ve had a crush on him since I was 16…some things never die )

So that’s it for now and I will be more diligent with my postings J What are your thoughts on coaching carousel? Are you surprised by the jets or the cowboys? What are your predictions for today’s games? Talk to me people

–Sam