TSDMike | June 29, 2009

I can’t believe it has come to this. I am actually writing a post about Soccer.

It’s not that I don’t like soccer. I kind of view it as I see the game of rugby. It’s an interesting game and as a sports fan, I can see why people like it. But I am an American. And as an American, my attention span is already filled to capacity with the likes of professional baseball, pro football, pro basketball, college basketball, pro hockey, MMA, the major golf tournaments, and women’s mud wrestling. There just isn’t enough room for anything else, save for the occasional Olympic event or the local minor league sports franchises.

Many people, like Jeffrey Kayer from BleacherReport.com, think that this is going to be the turning point toward a significant rise in the popularity of soccer in this country. I disagree.

Category: Other/General Commentary, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Tags: popularity, soccer, sports, usa, zidane

TSDMike | June 22, 2009

I rarely read Rick Reilly’s columns on ESPN.com. I’ve always found his pieces to be highly critical items of little substance whose sole position was to imply a morally superior position when his is often anything but. But, I don’t bitch about him. I refrain from bashing Mr. Reilly even though I find it quite pretentious that you can’t find one of his articles online without a tidbit about the 11 Sportswriter of the Year accolades he’s won invariably floating around the page in a conspicuously impossible-to-ignore spot.

But, after checking out his latest article, I have to make an exception. In short, Reilly’s latest digital version of Charmin substitute absolutely rips the softball coach of a Minnesota women’s softball coach for winning a game on the technicality of an obscure (and likely widely uninforced) rule.

Category: Other/General Commentary, Uncategorized | 16 Comments »
Tags: Baseball, coaching, integrity, Jean Musgjerd, jennie finch, kids, pony league, teenagers, winning, womens softball

TSDMike | June 16, 2009

After landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated a couple of weeks ago, baseball’s LeBron is once again turning heads and raising eyebrows with news that he is foregoing his final TWO years of high school to take the H.S. diploma equivalency exam – resulting in him being awarded a GED (in the words of Chris Rock, a “Good Enough Diploma”). It was also reported that he intends to attend community college in the fall. All of this is suited to one purpose – to make him eligible for the 2010 amateur draft.

As a likely high first round pick right now, the move makes sense in the respect that he’s not going to really improve his stock much by playing high school ball for two more years. He’s got the body of a 21 year old, and power that’s possibly never before been seen at the high school level. The video of his moon shots at Tropicana Field is impressive to say the least.

But, was this the right move?

Category: MLB, Other/General Commentary | Comments Off
Tags: amateur draft, Baseball, bryce harper, drew henson, ESPN, high school baseball, home runs, hype, scrutiny, teenage boy, turning pro early

TSDMike | June 14, 2009

A lot has been made of the fans’ reaction to the second period hit by Johan Franzen that knocked Sidney Crosby out of the game. I’ve read in comments and blog posts by various writers displaying the ubiquitous opinion that Detroit fans showed no class by cheering the injury to Pittsburgh’s franchise player when it occurred.

But, this is severely out of context, and the criticism is unwarranted.

Category: NFL, NHL, Other/General Commentary | 10 Comments »
Tags: collision, contact sports, detroit red wings, fans in detroit, game 7, hit, injury, joe louis arena, johan franzen, NHL, pittsburgh penguins, sidney crosby, stanley cup finals, violent game

TSDMike | June 6, 2009

If I were a pro athlete, I’d be getting fined more than T.O., Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace combined. Not because I couldn’t control myself on the court, but because of my inherit disdain for the mainstream media.

The thing I detest the most about how the press is set up is the incredible power in which the public has bestowed upon it. The Media routinely shapes our perceptions and ultimately our opinions on virtually every type of public figure – professional and amateur athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, etc. In the court of public opinion, the Media is the ultimate judge, jury and executioner.

So when David Stern gave LeBron James a pass for skipping out on the media after his Cavaliers were knocked out of the playoffs, I was perfectly fine with that. James shouldn’t have to talk to anyone if he doesn’t want to. And really, what was he going to say? Had he attended the post game press conference, he would have been shelled from all angles with stupid questions designed for one thing: to antagonize the reigning MVP into saying something foolish that he’d later regret. That’s the job of the Media after all – to expose the subjects of their scrutiny for the flawed human beings that they are.

But then a few days later, Stern reversed his decision in a move reticent of an NFL line judge reviewing a play in the last two minutes of the half, and imposed a fine of $25k against LBJ strictly for skipping the Media after the game.

Category: NBA, Other/General Commentary | 2 Comments »
Tags: bcs, congress, david stern, fine, Lebron james, NBA

TSDMike | April 22, 2009

Gary Sheffield’s 500th home run of his career also happened to be the first one with his new team, the New York Mets. This is apparently the first time this coincidence has occurred. What’s so noteworthy about this?

Category: MLB, Other/General Commentary | Comments Off
Tags: 500 home run club, 500th home run, Baseball, commentary, gary sheffield, major league baseball, mark mcgwire, new york mets, obscure data, sammy sosa, sportscenter, stats