Need to Get Rid Of Penalty Kicks for Big Games

Real Salt Lake won this year's MLS Cup over heavily favored Los Angeles and while the result was surprising, it didnt surprise me that much that this game ended up with penalty kicks deciding the winner. It seems as if any big soccer result ends up coming down to penalty kicks. Soccer needs to change their rules on this. Not asking for big radical moves here, just ones in regards to high profile matches, such as the World Cup.

The past two World Cups have been decided by penalty kicks, and in my opinion, I think that somewhat tarnishes the result. I know the soccer purists out there are against changing the rules, but what is wrong with having the game decided by the same way in which you played it for the past 90+ minutes. Yes, I realize that players get tired after running up and down the pitch so much during this contests, but endurance is part of the game.

Here is my proposal. Have a 45 minute sudden death period (with a 15 minute break after each sudden death period), where each team has three opportunites to subsitute players. If they prefer, teams can also make substitutions for players who previously left game.

What makes a product good is consistency, and thats why soccer should change to this format in order to make the world's most popular sport even that much more popular.

Brian Kelly should be coach at Notre Dame in 2010

Notre Dame fans everywhere have to be devastated that Jon Gruden has agreed to a two-year contract extension with ESPN, to continue to do Monday Night Football for the network. If  Jack Swarbrick knows what he is doing, he will have Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly on the sideslines in South Bend next season.

The football program at Cincinnati has grown by leaps and bounds in the three seasons Kelly has been there, just like Central Michigan did in the three years Kelly was their prior to taking the Bearcat's job. Kelly is an offensive mastermind, as evidenced by his Grand Valley Univeristy team averaging a staggering 58.4 points a game during the 2001 season.

The Irish have a hard time getting top notch recruits due to their academic requirements compared to a typical college or university. Urban Meyer was oh so close to coming to Notre Dame instead of Florida, but withdrew his name from consideration at UND because of the aforementioned academic requirements. This is another reason why hiring Brian Kelly makes so much sense.  He has the brains to put up decent offensive numbers no matter how talented the team is in which he is coaching.

Iverson needs to stop acting like a selfish brat

AI Needs to Stop Acting Like an ASS

Some of Allen Iverson's recent decisions in judgment have been perplexing to say the least. First of all, Iverson signed a one year, $3 million dollar contract with Memphis. Despite the fact that only four teams finished with worse records than Memphis (24-58) last year, Iverson said "he felt they were commited to developing a winner". Well, Allen, thats not exactly a ringing endorsement about the team. I mean, what team isn't commited to developing a winner?

Just a few games into this season, Iverson has already complained publicly about his role coming off the Grizzlies bench. Not exactly the type of veteran leadership skills Grizzlies coaches were hoping for out of the gate from AI, who has five years more playing experience than any other player on the Memphis roster.

Now it seems that Iverson can't even stay consistent with the reasoning behind his recent leave of absence.  According to ESPN, Iverson has asked for a leave of absence from Memphis so he can tend to a  family issue.  Yahoo sports is saying that Iverson is leaving to clear his head and has been arguing with Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins about his lack of playing time. I dont want to make assumptions out of Iverson's personal life, but I can make assumptions about his professional life, and that is the guy should do everything that Hollins asks of him.

If Iverson shows the Grizzlies that he is commited to winning like he ... [More]

Are Jags About to be Terminated?

Not sure if many of you know this, but in late October, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed off on a stadium bill to help expedite construction of an NFL stadium in the San Gabriel Valley. So it looks like the NFL will be coming to Los Angeles very soon.

Now comes the question. What team will Los Angeles land? All signs have to be pointing to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While it may be the largest city in Florida, Jacksonville has a lack of  major corporations which has caused the city to fail to consistently support the NFL team year in, year out. The Jags have poor attendence despite having one of the lower average ticket prices in the league.

Another thing that doesnt bode well for the Jags surviving in Jacksonville, is they have no real legacy with the city. The team has only been in Jacksonville since 1995, and while the Jags miracuously made the AFC  Championship game in just their second season, the team has yet to win an AFC Championship, having reached that game one other time in 1999.

Los Angeles is the second largest city in the United States and is currently without an NFL team.  With with the way the economy is, and with the Terminator signing the stadium bill, you can be assured that the NFL will be back in Los Angeles in the next couple years.

Heisman Selection Committee, Voters Getting Lazier and Lazier

Heisman Selection Committee, Voters Getting Lazier and Lazier

Personally, I think its offensive that the Heisman trophy winner is always given to an offensive player, typically a quarterback. Often times the Heisman winner isn't really even one of the top three quarterbacks at the collegiate level. I am not saying that the Heisman should go to whatever player is most NFL ready, but I think its a crock that the quarterback for the best college team for a particular season, routinely wins the Heisman Trophy. Gino Torretta winning  in 1992 and Danny Wuerffel winning in 1996 seem to fit the bill here.
Torretta defeating Marshall Faulk for the Heisman in '92 is certainly one of the bigger travesties in Heisman history. Torretta was in a great system, and wasn't a great player. First of all, he is playing for one of the better programs, and had three star wide receivers (Kevin Williams, Lamar Thomas, Horace Copeland) to throw to and they were all drafted ahead of him in the NFL. Since Torretta was a senior, and Faulk a sophomore, many voters voted for Torretta, figuring Faulk would win the Heisman the following year. Ignorance is bliss. Wuerffel also had three great wide receivers (Ike Hilliard, Jacquez Green, Reidel Anthony) who would play in the NFL, so his winning the Heisman was the product of being in a great system at the time, not being a great player.

I understand that 15-20 years ago, they didnt have access to see the games like they do today, so I... [More]

Perry's Perspective NFL Needs to Extend Trade Deadline

Perry's Perspective
NFL Needs to Extend Trade Deadline

There has always been one thing that annoys me when I think about the NFL trade deadline. This is that the trade deadline occurs far too early in the season, and this is often the reason why there are not more trades made in the NFL. The NFL is the only professional league that has their trade deadline before the halfway point of the regular season. This hardly makes any sense to me. Every other major professional sport in North America has their trade deadline at least 60 or 70 percent into their regular season. The NBA trade deadline takes place a little over 50 games into their 82 game schedule. Major League Baseball has their trade deadline a little over 100 games into their 162 games slate. Even NHL commish Gary Bettman has his league's trade deadline about 60 games into their 82 game regular season.


This year's trade deadline occurred on Tuesday afternoon, with once again hardly a trade to be had.  I dont blame many teams for not pulling the trigger on a trade at this point of the season, unless you are 0-6, 1-5, 5-1 or 6-0.  In my eyes, the NFL is always the king of sports, in that any team can go from 4-12 one year, to 12-4 the next. But its often tough to find out what deficiencies you have, as a result of either poor play by current personnel or because of unexpected injuries this early in the season. Maybe if commisioner Roger Goodell extended the trade deadline to after week ... [More]

Baseball Needs More Instant Replay

After seeing left-field umpire Phil Cuzzi call a ball that was a half a foot fair at a critical juncture of the ALDS game between the Twins and Yankees I can see why Twins manager Ron Gardenhire asked the media "We had six umpires out there. I think, right, six? Six umpires."  The reason Gardenhire stressed six, is that during the regular season, there are four umpires instead of six. But increasing the amount of humans from four to six, isn't going to solve missed calls like this, because of the "human" element just mentioned.

I know I have chimed in on this topic before, clamoring for baseball to be more extensive as to what exactly what is subject to instant replay, but I feel strongly about this and want to see baseball address this issue. I mean these guys play 162 fricken games a year, and then some guy totally messes up a call in the 11th inning of a playoff game. If this was an NFL game, the call on the field would have been amended and justice would have been served.

I have a suggestion regarding instant replay: Give the manager one opportunity to challenge ANY, yes any call on the field. Baseball games in the 00's take an hour longer than they did in the 80's, so whats an extra couple minutes of action due to instant replay? At least we know you will never go away saying "I cant believe we lost because of that awful call".

What do you think about baseball giving each manager one chance to challenge any call and using Instant Replay as a... [More]

Flags getting excessive on excessive celebrations

I am watching the LSU/Georgia last week, and while it was a bit of a low scoring snoozefest for three quarters, things started to really get interesting in the final stanza. The teams traded touchdowns with Georgia scoring in the first minute of the quarter, and then LSU returning the favor 13 minutes later. So with a little more than a minute remaining in the game, Georgia records a 16 yard touchdown pass and as a natural reaction, the players celebrate their touchdown. Nothing over the top, just a group of guys clapping their hands and hugging each other, happier than normal considering there is is barely a minute remaining in the contest, and they just scored the go-ahead points (making the score 13-12). So what does one of the referees do, throw a flag on the Bulldogs and penalize them 15 yards for excessive celebration.  Just 15 seconds later, LSU miraculously breaks off a 33 yard touchdown run to now the lead the game 20-13. The LSU players are naturally going bonkers, jumping up and down, and their undefeated season and top five ranking are still intact. Guess what one of the referee does, throws his flag. Cmon. Give me a break.
I gotta think that a good majority of these officials played the game of american football themselves competitively for quite some time. Well I am sure if they were true competitors that they realize that flags shouldnt be thrown in situations like this. I can understand if during one of the two excessive celebration infractions again... [More]

I paid my taxes, why do I keep seeing Matt Millen on TV?

Perry's Perspectives -I Paid My Taxes, Why Do I Keep Seeing Matt Millen on TV?

You have to question why ESPN and the ABC television network would hire former Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen so quickly after he was terminated by the NFL team. Did they think that a person such as Millen would be a hot commodity after assembling a team that was the first in NFL history to compile a 0-16 regular season record?

ABC did a good job of cleaning out their closet when they replaced Tony Kornheiser with Jon Gruden in the Monday Night Football booth earlier this year. Broadcasts often became difficult to endure when Kornheiser rambled on about Brett Favre or something else that had nothing to do with the game at hand. Gruden has a great personality and will appeal to both the person who watches football occassionally, but is also someone who garners a whole lot more respect from the astute football follower as well. The reasoning behind this is simple: Gruden is a winner as a leader, and Millen is a loser.  So what if Matt Millen calls a good NFL game, a ton of people can announce a decent sporting event. What separates a decent announcing crew from a great one is having a football mind in the booth that knows the game. Fox has it with Jimmy Johnson in the booth, and Troy Aikman calling games. Same with NBC with Tony Dungy in the booth, and Cris Collinsworth announcing Sunday night games.

Matt Millen was GM of the Detroit Lions from 2000-2008, and y... [More]

Perrys Perspectives: No clear No. 1 in NCF

We are now a few weeks into the 2009 college football season, and one thing if for certain: There is no dominant team that stands out above the rest. It seems as if every team ranked in the top five has a noticeable flaw.

Top-ranked and defending champion Florida still returns the heart of their squad in QB Tim Tebow, but they are missing their soul (wide receivers Percy Harvin & Louis Murphy, who are now in the NFL). No one has stepped up in Harvin's or Murphy's place, but the season is still very young.

#2 ranked Texas returned 16 starters on both sides of the ball, including QB Colt McCoy, so a huge season is a expected out of the Longhorns. However, I think that McCoy is worried about making a mistake or getting injured like OU's Sam Bradford (sprained shoulder, timetable to return appears to be Oct 3 against Miami-Florida). McCoy is not having fun in the huddle, you can see it in his eyes, and as a result, he is missing wide open receivers far too often this year. This is one reason that Texas has still yet to cover a game in three contests this season. You can expect Bradford to be back by the Texas game on October 17, will McCoy be back to his normal self by then?

Alabama is ranked #3 in both major polls, but they are a bit inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball, returning only four starters. The Crimson Tide lost three offensive lineman from last season, including Andre Smith. Very important stretch of games for 'Bama starting in Octo... [More]

Perrys Perspectives - NFL Week 1: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

NFL Week 1: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good: The Good teams don't appear to be as good as oddsmakers might have thought, especially teams in the AFC. The Steelers opened up the regular season campaign at home with a hard fought overtime win over Tennessee. The Steelers running offense looked horrenedous versus the Titans, and Ben Roethlisberger will need more support from his running mates if the Steelers want to hoist their seventh Vince Lombardi trophy in February. On Monday night, for 55 minutes, the Patriots did not even remotely resemble the squad that oddsmakers considered the clear cut team to win the Super Bowl.
The Bad: The Bad are not as bad as we thought. Lets start with the worst from last year, the winless Lions. Detroit didnt cover last week against the Saints and let Drew Brees throw for six TDs. This team will improve record wise no matter what, but they will give enough of a consistent effort throughout this season that will impress even the most skeptical Lions fan. The Kansas City Chiefs should really be commended for there effort against the Ravens, considering they didnt even have their starting QB Matt Cassel
The Ugly: I am amazed many subpar and selfish starting quarterbacks there are in the NFL. Jake Delhomme almost had a worse day in week 1 in the 38-10 loss to Philly (4 INTs) than he did in last year's 33-13 playoff loss to the Cardinals (5 INTs).  If JaMarcus Russell really wants to improve the Raiders chance of winnin... [More]

College fooball coaches need to hit the books

College classes have just began for many students out there. After one week of college football, it appears that the students aren't the only ones that need to do some studying.  A couple head coaches who really need to put in some extra homework are Rutger's Greg Schiano and Colorado's Dan Hawkins, who both lost embarrassing home contests on national television.

Lets start with Hawkins, who as a double-digit favorite, got
beat straight up by intrastate rival Colorado State at the first time at home since 1986. What made this loss so troubling to a Colorado fan such as myself is that CSU outgained Colorado in rushing yards 168 to 29.

Hawkins should be the first to take blame on this loss because of the offensive gameplan he allowed to happen. Colorado's Darrell Scott, who was the #1 ranked high school running back prospect in 2007, had a grand total of one, yes one carry for one yard. Coach Hawkins son, Cody, was last in the Big 12 in passing efficiency in 2008.

So what does the coach do?

He has his kid throw 41 times, despite an early interception in the
ballgame. I wouldnt be suprised if Darrell Scott decides to transfer and go somewhere else for his 2 years of eligibility. After all, how can you possibly do anything to help your team, when you only get to touch the ball one time a game?

Coach Hawkins will really be in hot water if his team loses to Toledo this week. Speaking of Toledo, Hawkins is on his
way ... [More]

Anyone Else Ready for Some "Meaningful" American Football?

The first week of college football is upon us, and I feel like a six-year-old child just a few days before Christmas. Not many things get me excited these days feeling like that kid during Christmas, but the start of the college football season is definitely something that stirs great emotion for me.

First of all, my alma mater, the Colorado Buffaloes get to begin their season with their annual game against their intrastate rival Colorado State, and its always an added plus to watch the Buffs try and put a damper on CSU's season.

Secondly, its a chance to try and make some money betting on these games, as its tougher for oddsmakers to set lines on opening games for college football teams, because the personnel for many of these squads is quite different this season.

Before the college season begins, I wanted to get everyone's opinions on a few topics for college football (I have included my answers below)

1) Who do you think will win the National Championship?

Texas. Longhorns' offensive line and special teams are noticeably better than Oklahoma's. Texas beats Florida

2) Name a darkhorse for this season.

Kansas. Like the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 North. They are stacked at the offensive skill positions (QB Todd Reesing, WR's Dezmon Briscoe and WR and former QB convert Kerry Meier).

3) Let's have your favorite play for the opening week of college football?

Michigan -13. With all the talk that Michigan had its ... [More]

Favre Back in NFL? You "Brett"er Believe it

When my phone was ringing at 7:30am this morning, I was ready to yell at my buddy for calling me so early. Then when he told me that my favorite team, the Minnesota Vikings were in the process of flying Brett Favre into town to sign the 39 year old QB, I was suddenly invigorated.   Now that the Vikings finally have a quarterback that they can count on, can the Vikings be counted on to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender? The answer is an emphatic "Yes".   By inking Favre, the Vikings will now find themselves as a slight favorite to win the NFC North. Before today's news, the division was considered a three-team race between Minnesota, Chicago, and Green Bay.
In fact, many people liked Chicago or Green Bay to finish ahead of the Vikes because they had much more talent at the quarterback position. I am amazed that Tavaris Jackson is still getting a chance to be a starting quarterback.   How much grooming does this kid need?   Jackson showed what he was all about in last year's playoff game against Philadelphia, when he was too afraid to throw the ball downfield and would time-after-time settle for the short pass instead.   Sage Rosenfels was likely not going to be the answer either. He has bounced around four different teams now, and has 30 lifetime touchdown passes and 29 Interceptions. Not exactly a stellar ratio here.   If anything, the most recent news about Favre will not only be a good thing for the Vikings, it will b... [More]

Is Boxing Almost Down for the Count?

I understand why MMA has passed boxing in terms of popularity.

There are more ways to win a match, plus you can still knock out your opponent with one punch, just like with boxing.

When I visited Las Vegas in July last year, I saw firsthand that MMA has not only passed boxing, but its lapped it a few times.

I was tempted to go to UFC 86 (Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin), but when I saw it was going to be $500 just to get in, I balked.

Then I saw on the same night as UFC, that there was going to be a boxing match between Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt to decide the WBO light welterweight title.

I could get fifth-row tickets for $150 each. Sign me up. While I have never been to a MMA event, I hadn’t been to a boxing match, either.

While 11,000 people were going bonkers at Mandalay Bay before the start of the UFC event, Planet Hollywood was listless, as there may have been 4,000 people at the boxing event.

In between fights, Paris Hilton shockingly made a cameo, something that Showtime obviously paid big bucks for. The crowd was amused actually.

Earlier in the day, I went to Imperial Palace and made a bet on the "Total Rounds" the fight would go. I bet over 9.5, figuring I would either see a few knockdowns or win some money. After seeing the 2/1 underdog Torres knock down Holt twice in the first 30 seconds, and then Holt knockout Torres 30 seconds later, I had never been so happy to lose a bet before.
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Attendance dropping, but sport ticket prices aren't

With the way the economy is at the present moment, you are seeing many people give up their season tickets to their favorite sports teams.   The Detroit Pistons reported that over half of their season ticket holders decided not to renew for the upcoming season. It seems to me that for the most part, teams aren't being proactive in finding ways to get more people at their games, and are staying stagnant with their ticket prices.   I have no problem watching more games at home these days.
I mean HDTV is such a better product than what we had just a few years ago.   Sports franchises need to make more of a concerted effort to try and show people that they realize that in today's world, its not as
economically feasible to go to a sporting event, and are willing to work with the fans.   For instance, the teams need to have agreements set it place with advertisers (ex: food and drink companies) or other retailers
(ex: sports apparel shops) where if people buy items from these
companies, that they get free or reduced prices for tickets.   The people who run these teams know that they make an unbelieveably good return on investment on concessions during a game, so the more people they have at their games the more moolah they make.   Have you seen a reduction in prices for sporting events where you live?
Please let me know.   Michael Perry is an oddsmaker with ... [More]

Philly holiday if champs land Halladay

Philadelphia would be better off trading a few of their prospects for Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay. Toronto would be better off dealing him as well. I know that many people are saying that Philadelphia shouldnt make a trade for Halladay, because they are doing well enough without him.    I believe that right now, the Dodgers are the best team in the National League, because their pitching is much better than the Phillies. L.A. boasts the 2nd best ERA in the NL at 3.67 and Phily is 13th at 4.41. If Phily pulls the trigger and gets "Doc" Halladay, they will then probably be a slight favorite over the Dodgers if they meet in the postseason.
Plus, the Blue Jays will at least get more value if they trade him this season. His contract expires in 2010, and I dont anticipate him resigning with Toronto. as it's so tough for the Blue Jays to keep pace with the Red Sox, Yanks, and now Rays in the AL East.   Favre Not Feeling Minnesota   Brett Favre's decision to stay retired and not join the Vikings caught me off guard, like I think it did most people. After all, he is an ultimate competitior, and Minnesota seemed like the perfect fit to lock horns with the Green Bay Packers twice this season. Plus he had a legitimate chance to do what John Elway did: Ride into the sunset with another Vince Lombardi trophy.   Favre ticked off alot of people by waffling  so much the past 3-4 years when it came to retirement. But I think the media is to blame ... [More]

Time to revise instant replay in baseball

After seeing home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski call out Minnesota Twins player Michael Cuddyer at the plate, to end the game with Oakland winning 14-13, my heart sank and I wanted to throw my phone at the TV.
But I couldn't, as my friend would be quite upset, as the TV is his and he paid $7000 for it. Now only if we had a replay system where a moment such as this could be challenged and overturned.   I think I have a feasible option where almost everyone who is a baseball fan would agree.   Here's my proposal: Give each team one chance to challenge any play on the basepaths, where instant replay would be implemented. I know there are the baseball aficionado's who dont want "America's pasttime" tampered with anymore.   Well its time for those purists to stop living in the past and to give this new replay system a chance.  These baseball "purists" say that games are already taking long enough thesedays compared to the 1980's and 1990's.   But the reason that the games typically go closer to 3 hours these days instead of 2 hours, is that so few few starting pitchers pitch more than 6 or 7 innings a game. If we had a replay system with each team getting one challenge, it would take up about a grand total of a minute or two, so thats just a drop in the bucket when it comes to a time issue.   All baseball fans, and sports fans for that matter, want to see a well played game with a lot of effort. But we also want to see the tru... [More]

Hey Lesnar, UFC isn't the WWE

Brock Lesnar had something to prove at UFC 100 on Saturday night. He had only been in a grand total of four UFC matches, yet he was already heavyweight champion. The critics were out there, as Lesnar certainly had an easy route to the championship. Many had thought Frank Mir should have received the tile shot against Randy Couture in UFC 91. After all, Mir defeated Lesnar just 9 months prior.   Lesnar's actions this past weekend were ludicrous. First of all, he decided not to shake Mir's hand before the fight began. Then after he defeated Mir to retain the championship, he decided to flip off the crowd for quite some time. But Lesnar didnt stop there. He then went into some tirade about how he doesn't drink Budweiser because they don't sponsor him, and how he feels so good that he might even decide to lay on top of his wife, former WWE diva Sable.   Frank Mir did say some choice words for Brock in the days prior to their fight. The gist of what he said was that the UFC is not the WWE, which is the truth. Yet, this somehow enraged Lesnar so much that he acted the way he did.   When I first saw Lesnar acting like such a buffoon, I was thinking that UFC prez Dana White was possibly pushing him to be this way, in an effort to make him look like a heel (bad guy) in pro wrestling. But after hearing how White was enraged at Lesnar's actions, I now realize that despite winning his match, that Lesnar is the biggest loser in the sport at this moment.   ... [More]

Perry's Perspective - McNair was a True Gamer

Steve McNair was sort of like Frank Sinatra: He did things "His Way". In high school in Mississippi, he was named an All-American by SuperPrep Magazine. Being right in the heart of SEC country, McNair could have easily gone to a high-profile Top-20 program, but he decided to go to Alcorn State.

In 1995, McNair helped put Alcorn State and Division 1-AA on the national stage as ESPN started to broadcast games in which he was playing. Big reason behind this was McNair was in the process of setting records for career passing yards (14,496) and total career yards (16,283) records which he still holds today.

McNair's college numbers were gaudy enough to get him drafted No. 3 overall in the 1996 Draft by the Titans. In 1999, he was part of the "Music City Miracle" game, and this same team, was 1 yard away from taking Super Bowl XXXIV to overtime. Getting to the Super Bowl is an accomplishment that 90 percent of NFL quarterbacks never reach, and McNair had already reached this moment in only his fourth season.

I think McNair's finest moment as a player came in 2002. He had his taste of the Super Bowl and did everything, and I mean everything in his power to be in the trenches for his team. His team started out 1-4 and looked like a long shot just to make the playoffs. McNair was nursing multiple injuries (strained ribs, turf toe, and back pain), and was in so much pain he didn’t practice at all in December. But he laced 'em up, got on the field on game da... [More]

Coyotes Should Make Run North of the Border

Last Friday, Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said he has promised to make an offer to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes in an effort to keep the team in Arizona. Thats all fine and dandy, but what Reinsdorf is doing is not in the best interest of the game.   Yes, Phoenix is a wonderful city, with a lot of people with money, but its a retirement community. I think this is one reason that professional sports teams have a hard time being accepted here. There is no sense of identity to Arizona based teams for people who have just lived here for only a short time.   The Suns are "the" team in Arizona, and I would say that no other team comes even remotely close to them in popularity. The Cardinals, yes they did go to the Super Bowl from out of nowhere, but this team doesnt get the support that it deserves considering it has been there for over 20 years.
How many times do you see the Cowboys come into town, and they outnumber the Cardinal fans everytime they play in Arizona?   Another team that I think could be better suited to move to Canada are the Florida Panthers. Miami is another wonderful warm weather city, but the people of that area really could care less if they have hockey where they live. The atmosphere at a Panthers home game is almost library-like.   The crowds the baseball team, the Marlins, get are embarrassing. To make matters worse, here is an organization that has given Miami not one, but two World Series C... [More]

Three For The Ages

When assessing sports, June and July are generally referred to as the dog days. After seeing the performances of Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, I would say you are doggone wrong in that statement, at least in 2009.

Let's start with the most deserving of the winners, and thats Federer. Last July he lost in what could be the greatest match of all time to Raphael Nadel in the Wimbledon Final. With the way Federer struggles on clay, some saw this match as a changing of the guard. I am sure Federer was questioning if he was no longer the best in the world. Looks like he didnt question himself too long, as he won the US Open the following month to become the first player ever to win five consecutive Wimbeldons and five consecutive US Opens. Remarkable. So what does he do in his next grand slam, he has the intestinal fortitude to eek out two 5 set wins and claim his first ever French Open title. Now he is tied with Pete Sampras with 14 career slams. I cant wait till Wimbledon man.

Kobe Bryant is probably the most misunderstood guy playing in the NBA right now. Growing up, he had to travel all the time overseas until he was 13, so that has to be tough on him to develop socially. Based on that I can see why he keeps a low profile for himself and his loved ones. We take this guy for granted, partially because he's been the best player in the game over the past 10 years. Kobe has been stellar so far in Finals, getting his teammates involved early, and t... [More]

Please stay home LeBron

I was as shocked as most people by the way Orlando manhandled the Cavs in the playoffs. I was also shocked to see the lack of maturity displayed by LeBron James to the media following his team's exit from the playoffs.
It's easy to make irrational decisions when you're frustrated. Let's just hope that when 2010 rolls around, that LeBron re-signs with Cleveland.   LeBron's frustration is understandable. The King definitely needs some princes that have some talent. Mo Williams has been the most hyped player Lebron has had as a teammate recently, and look how he panned out in the postseason. What LeBron did was extraordinary. He led this team to the best record durng the regular season. Cleveland GM Danny Ferry has got to be on the hot seat now, as he needs to give LeBron some reason to be enthusiastic on staying in Cleveland longer than just next season.   I realize Jordan supporters are going to give James grief if he doesnt win an NBA championship next season. After all, it will be Lebron's 7th season, and Jordan won his 1st NBA title in his 7th season. But lets remember, Jordan had Scottie Pippen as a running mate, a player who was voted as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Lets also remember that Jordan was 28 years old when he was a champ, and Lebron is only 24.   It would be good for the game if Lebron stays in Cleveland. I hope James puts himself in the place of that 10 year old kid from Akron who often imitates his hero by mimick... [More]

Screw GI Joe, Teddy Ballgame was the real American hero

I would like to preface this week's perspectives by extending a THANK  YOU to all the servicemen and women for their unselfish service.

Tillman and Williams are True Heroes

Professional athletes are looked upon in high regard by most of  society for a variety of reasons. First of all they get to participate  in something we used to do all the time as kids, and thats playing  sports. They also get paid very handsomely for it, for the most part.
 
Plus they are part of a profession that is unscripted. It's no wonder  that so many people look upon athletes as heroes.

Ted Williams was born on August 30, 1918 in San Diego, California. I  don't know where to even begin with all the accomplishments that this  guy achieved. I think that when Irving Berlin composed the song  Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better), that he was referring to Ted  Williams and I am about to tell you why.

Teddy Ballgame could have taken the easy way out, and played baseball  at Navy, rather than serving in World War II. Williams instead wanted  to be a naval aviator and was a highly successful one to say the  least. He not only pulled double duty by playing baseball and serving  the military, he served in two different wars. He served in World War  II from age 24-27 and then again at age 34 in the Korean War. He wasnt  folding napkins in Korea either, and was awarded an Air Medal for his... [More]

We're lucky to have Chucky for MNF

Kudos to ESPN for hiring Jon Gruden to replace Tony Kornheiser in the Monday Night Football booth. For the past 3 seasons, we had to endure 3 years of mediocrity from the MNF annoucing crew, primarily due to Kornheiser's inadequacies.   Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski both know the NFL quite well, but Kornheiser seemed to drag everything down because of his babbling nonsense. Jaworski, who is one of the nicest and classiest guys in the business, seemed to have enough of Kornheiser's shenanigans last season as well.
 
I was shocked when I first heard that Kornheiser was given the job in 2006. I think that the show he is known for (Pardon The Interruption) is fantastic. However, if you really pay attention to him on it, you know his current knowledge on the happenings of sports, is subpar at best.    The guy happened to be a part of one of the most storied programs in ESPN history and company executives thought that could translate over to the NFL and Monday Night Football. I cant fault him for taking the MNF gig. ESPN should be ashamed they hired this guy.
 
ESPN, and all major networks, here's a simple request.  Instead of hiring someone to cater to someone who may not be an average fan, hire someone who will give the average football fan the knowledge and insight to want to come back and watch more. In the meantime, thanks for the upgrade.
  NBA Starting to Become More Competitive
 
I get frustrated when I see ... [More]