BCS Strips USC and Reggie Bush Of "04" Title

So the BCS finally came down and stripped USC of it's "04" championship. I think the BCS is a load of bull and a money grab anyways, but rules were broken by Bush and usually the school pays the price. A lot of people on Twitter are outraged by this and basically say "what happens off the field shouldn't effect what happens on the field". I understand where they are coming from but can't agree.

In my eyes it is a little simpler than that, a player who violates league and school policies, should be ineligible to play and Bush should not have been playing. It hurts me to say this, but the same should happen to Ohio State if the NCAA and BCS find they also broke policies and rules. Players need to learn that their personal actions not only affect them but their schools. I also think the NCAA and BCS need to step up efforts to monitor players and not put all the weight on the schools and coaches. Coaches are paid to be coaches and not baby sitters, they have no way to monitor their players 100% of the time.  In the last month we have seen players cost schools a championship and a coaches job. The NCAA needs to stop turning a blind eye to some violations and really crack down all around. Maybe paying these student athletes would get rid of some the violations..or would it?

Lebron James And That Chest Bump...

As you know I picked Lebron and The Heat to win the championship and after game 2 the outlook is a little cloudy. It's time for Lebron to silence his critics me included, Lebron is a great player and nobody can deny that. But people are up in arms about the Heat blowing the lead and for some reason it circles back to Lebron and his chest bump with Wade.

One player chest bumping another doesn't lose games, it's a lack of defense and focus. Yes it might help light a fire under the other team, but if your a professional athlete playing for a championship you shouldn't need it.With Lebron everything is under a microscope, even something as simple as a chest bump. If it's anybody besides Lebron this is a non-story. Cut Lebron a little slack and focus on the real problem at hand, the Miami Heat need to play defense to close out games and if Lebron wants to silence his critics he needs to step up that D.

Shouldn't we compare Kobe to Jordan and not Lebron?

Enough is enough with the Lebron to Jordan comparisons. Thank-you Scottie Pippen for bringing it up again. If you want to compare someone to Jordan then use Kobe. It is not a knock on Lebron, but he is still young and needs to win a couple championships before we can proclaim him better than Jordan. Kobe has proven clutch and able to win multiple championships with a different cast around him. Kobe elevates the players around him to make them better. Lebron has Wade and Bosh while Kobe has Odom and Gasol. I think Lebron has the better supporting cast and by the time he is done should have multiple championships in Miami. In the end Lebron could be better then M.J, but how about we let Lebron be Lebron.

Take Fan Voting AWAY!

If you want a good laugh today, check out the all-star voting for baseball’s mid-season classic.  I know all star games in pro sports have become nothing but popularity contests but this year’s baseball voting is downright comical and sad at the same time.  Generally every year there are players that get left off the roster that should have been on it and sometimes players will sneak on because of popularity but this year, so far anyway, the fans have got it very, very wrong.

First let’s talk about the leader at 1^st base, Mark Teixeira.  He’s having a pretty good year so far (16 HR’s, 38 RBI, .901 OPS) but is he really the best 1^st baseman in the American League?  Adrian Gonzalez is having a monster year (.918 OPS, AL high 46 RBI, .329 avg.), Miguel Cabrera is having another MVP type season (1.001 OPS, 40 RBI, .311 avg.).  Heck even DH David Ortiz, who if you had to put at a position would be 1B, is having a monster year (.964 OPS, 13 HR’s, 28 RBI).  So is Tex the best option at 1B?

Now let’s take it to the National League at the same position.  Albert Pujols currently leads the voting and is so far having one of his worst statistical years ever.  His batting line of .265/.335/.412/.746 and 9 HR’s, 31 RBI looks putrid next to Joey Votto (1.001 OPS, 7 HR, 32 RBI, .338 avg.) and Prince Fielder (.924 OPS, 11 HR, 42 RBI, .291 avg.) who are putting together fantastic starts to the year.  Why does Pujols belong this year?  Is it because of his past MVP seasons or maybe his hardcore St. Louis fan base flooding the ballots?

The rest of the National League however is pretty good.  The voting seems logical and all the leaders in other categories I could reasonably say deserve to go to the All-Star game.  The biggest travesty comes from the American League.  Your leading vote getter so far at the position of short-stop is….Derek Jeter.  What the…?  Derek Jeter?  Really?  He of the following stat line - .264/.328/.332/.660 with 2 HR’s and 16 RBI?  Wow.  Let’s see there are probably 7 other SS that should be ahead of him, but I’ll narrow it down for you to 3.  Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians is having a beast of a year so far (.875 OPS, 10 HR, 39 RBI, .299 avg.) and should be the leading vote getter.  But there’s also Erick Aybar (.315 avg., .800 OPS, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 14 SB) and Jed Lowrie (.305 avg., .803 OPS, 3HR, 22 RBI) tearing it up right now.

I get it.  Jeter is iconic and legendary but the All-Star game is for what players are doing THIS YEAR!  It’s not what about you’ve done in your career.  I could see if this was Jeter’s last season in the league and we all knew he was retiring, then great, vote him in one last time and give him his curtain call, but we all know he’s going to continue to play mediocre baseball for the rest of his contract, so why is he the leading SS vote getter?

Maybe it’s me but I think it’s time to revoke the fan voting system MLB has in place.  If Major League Baseball is trying to push this game as “meaning something” and it does by giving the winning league home field advantage in the World Series it’s time to get the best players on the teams.  If it wants to continue with the fan voting popularity contest, then it’s time to remove the meaning of the game and let it be just an exhibition game.

With the game determining home field advantage for the World Series, then it’s in the best interest to have the best players at each position for each league.  Jeter should not be at shortstop and I’m sorry but Pujols shouldn’t be at first base this year.  Take away the fan voting and come up with a new system.  I’m sick of fan bases flooding the ballots to get their favorite players on the field when sometimes they just don’t deserve it.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that although I’m a Red Sox fan, I’m a baseball fan first and a baseball purist at that.  I don’t care that there are six Yankees leading the voting so far.  In fact I believe that 4 of those Yankees deserve to be in the game (A-Rod, Granderson, Russell and Cano) but let’s get rid of the ones that don’t deserve…

Athletes and Twitter

Yes it’s rare that I post two blogs in one day but what the hell. A friend of mine whose blog can be found here touched on Twitter and its purpose. It got me thinking a little about athletes and how Twitter has given them a voice. Athlete’s always had a voice in the media, but the press could spin it however they would like. Twitter has allowed us to see a side of athletes we do not normally get to see. On my post about Chad OchoCinco I talked about how he does trips with his fans and gives stuff away. I follow a ton of athletes and sports personalities on Twitter and it is interesting to see how they interact among each other. They clown each other and usually exchange in friendly banter. I find myself rooting against players because they are Duke or Michigan fan. Last year I was discussing back and forth with Bernard Berrrian about the NBA playoffs and I have talked with Sean May about student athletes and if they should be paid or not. This is where Twitter is at its best allowing athletes to connect to their fans. I think sports leagues should embrace Twitter and use it to there advantage instead of fighting.

Top 3 Sports or Not Sports

Here are my top 3 sports that people do not consider sports and I am not talking about curling. If it is in the Olympics then it is a sport, these are just less mainstream sports or not sports…

3. Fishing – The top fishermen in the world make million’s of dollars and lure makers pocket big dollars off of this sport or not sport. Now anyone can take a reel and a rod throw it in a puddle and consider it fishing, but to make a living off of fishing requires a little bit mental work. I like to fish but apparently am terrible at it, but I hear things like “you need to read the water” and “look to see where the fish are hiding”,  I didn’t know the lake, pond or river was a book cause I don’t  see any words, I look see water and throw my bait. Catching fish is easier said then done.

2. Bowling – Fat guys sitting around smoking and drinking beers while throwing a plastic ball as hard as they can. Yeah I thought the same thing until I joined a league and seen how competitive bowlers can be. The key to bowling is repeating the same approach, delivery and release time after time. Then you have people talking to you about “staying behind the ball” along with “axis rotation and revolutions”..Umm can’t I just throw the ball? Come to find out bowling is one of America’s fastest growing sports or not sports. Bowling is just starting to reach big time with a tv deal on ESPN which broadcast tournaments throughout the year.

1. NASCAR – I’m gonna go straight and then I’m gonna turn left (Cartman voice). Nascar is the ultimate redneck/tailgating sport or not sport. I mean people park their rv’s in the middle of the track and some tracks allow you to bring in your own beer. Sign me up!! But is it a sport? Drive in a circle at high speeds while trying to avoid 30+ other cars with no A/C yeah you get my “sport” vote. I don’t think you need to be a finely tuned athlete to be a race car driver, but I do believe there is a great deal of driving skill required and at the end of the day if you don’t include it as a sport, you should at least respect the drivers for the risk they take.

More Free Fights...

At what point will the UFC start offering more free fights? The UFC currently host one, but sometimes two PPV events a month and for the average fan that is $120 added to their cable bill. I am a huge fan of MMA and slowly have developed from a person who just wants to watch someone get knocked out to a more knowledgeable fan who understands the skills that it takes to compete. On the flip side we have seen some terrible fights over the years where fighters fail to engage and just dance around the ring for 3 rounds or the judges declare a “draw”. Sometimes we just don't feel like we get our monies worth from the events. With the acquisition of WEC and Strike Force the UFC should offer more free fights with larger names on the card. Their stable of fighters has grown so much over the years that in actuality they could charge for every fight and people would pay it. Maybe create a UFC channel and people could pay a monthly subscription for it like MLB and NFL network. I do appreciate that they do give 4 to 6 free fights throughout the year, but they could easily do more. Maybe scrap TUF and offer a weekly tournament “Bellator” style. There is a untapped market that the UFC is missing by charging for the major fights and not being aggressive after the casual fan.