The New England Revolution, of Major League Soccer (MLS) have had quite the week. In what I can only describe as a long shot, they had the chance to (and did) sign a young (26), experienced, US National team player. His name: Benny Feilhaber. In another great move, they announced a major partnership with United Healthcare that will now be a sponsor on the Revs' jerseys.
With a brand new international forward they brought in last week, the Revs have potential? Potential to succeed, depends on your definition of success. These moves certainly won't guarantee them an MLS Cup, something that has evaded them for quiet some time. But what these moves do are create some buzz around the team. Whether they can capitalize on such buzz is another question.
If we didn't have names, stats or salaries of our newest acquisitions we'd possibly think these are NY Red Bull type deals. In fact they are not, not even close. They don't have to be (it would be extremely difficult, and costly to bring in another Henry-caliber player).
But what this does make me think about is how after all these moves we are not making strides in the league. The Revs aren't the first to do this (both bringing in a DP-like player, or having a jersey sponsor), in fact they are one of the last. So although the Revolution fans are ecstatic that the team is making moves, it should remind us of just how, dare I say bad, we were? The Revs are finally stepping up to league average, and hopefully this is the start of something great.
I hate to bring the negativity to the table, but this is the first time in a few years the Revs have done anything really worthwhile. Hopefully it's not too late and we can return to being one of the premier teams in the league.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Should Varitek Change His Name?
Anyway, news came out today that Jason Varitek has proposed to his girlfriend. Congrats to Tek, but here comes the question for our beloved catcher and captain... Does he take on her name or keep his own? You may say this is quite the easy decision as his current name is widely known. BUT... if he takes on her name, he could 1-up Salty, and have the longest name in MLB history (15 letters).
Her name you may ask? Panagiotopoulos
To make it easier for you to count: Panag-iotop-oulos
Anyway, I think Jason Panagiotopoulos could catch on! Although I'm still not sure how to pronounce that.
vs.
... and before you judge, I never said I was an artist.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Coach K vs. The Devil
As I was watching today's Duke vs. Michigan 3rd round tournament game, I noticed something... Coach K. and the Duke mascot look pretty similar. How have I never noticed this before?
The nose, the chin, the ears... dare I say twins?
vs. 
Well I thought I'd touch up Coach K's picture a bit, and now you can't even tell them apart.
The nose, the chin, the ears... dare I say twins?
vs. 
Well I thought I'd touch up Coach K's picture a bit, and now you can't even tell them apart.
March Madness
It's been a while my friends, but I'm back writing... for now.
As I'm watching another "3rd Round" March Madness game, I had to comment on how great this tournament is. Besides a few first round games - namely the 1 vs. 16 games - every game is up for grabs. Any team, regardless of seeding, could pull off an upset. When you get past the initial games, this is even more evident. Seeing a #1 Pittsburgh lose, watching another #1 Duke almost lose in the final seconds, one realizes anything can happen. Like "any given Sunday" in the NFL, on any day a team could win and that's what makes this tournament so great.
Another reason college basketball is so entertaining is the fact that these kids are passionate. They're not spoiled millionaires (although some will be soon) and they're playing with heart.
There's been talk of expanding the tournament to 96 teams, and I think that's just ridiculous. By adding almost 30 teams, you're just watering down the competition. You will still have teams and fans complaining their team didn't get in, unfortunately that will never end.
Just a couple thoughts...
GO UCONN!!!
As I'm watching another "3rd Round" March Madness game, I had to comment on how great this tournament is. Besides a few first round games - namely the 1 vs. 16 games - every game is up for grabs. Any team, regardless of seeding, could pull off an upset. When you get past the initial games, this is even more evident. Seeing a #1 Pittsburgh lose, watching another #1 Duke almost lose in the final seconds, one realizes anything can happen. Like "any given Sunday" in the NFL, on any day a team could win and that's what makes this tournament so great.
Another reason college basketball is so entertaining is the fact that these kids are passionate. They're not spoiled millionaires (although some will be soon) and they're playing with heart.
There's been talk of expanding the tournament to 96 teams, and I think that's just ridiculous. By adding almost 30 teams, you're just watering down the competition. You will still have teams and fans complaining their team didn't get in, unfortunately that will never end.
Just a couple thoughts...
GO UCONN!!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Meaning of Records
Have you ever thought about the meaning of a sports record? What it says about a player? What impact it has on that sport?
Recently Ray Allen, of the Boston Celtics, became the career leader in 3-pointers made in the NBA. He surpassed Reggie Miller, who set the record in 3 more years, and about 300 more games. This is an amazing accomplishment, and says a lot about the skill and longevity of Allen. What may be more impressive is the person with the 3rd most 3-points is almost 1,000 baskets behind, and yet is a hall-of-famer (Jason Kidd).
Listening to the hype around this record made me think about what records mean. Which records really say something about the athlete, and which just mean a guy was able to stay healthy to play long enough? I'll admit that it usually takes both of these to break records. Many great players dealt with early career ending injuries, and many healthy players just weren't good enough to last.
When you look at Ray Allen's newest record you can break it down based on these factors. He's been healthy enough to last 15 years in the league. But when looking at his impact on the game and the others on that list of players, one can acknowledge his great skill.
Another record of where skill and longevity allowed for such accomplishment is that of recently retired Brazilian soccer player, Ronaldo. Ronaldo has a record 15 World Cup goals. Few players had ever scored in 3 different World Cups, and this is no easy feat on its own. Playing at such a high level over at least 9-10 years is impressive, and scoring frequently demonstrates his niche for scoring goals.
Now come the other type of records. These records are still impressive, but were able to happen due to longevity more so than skill. Whether correct or not, I do take a bit away from these records. Some are fortunate to not suffer major injuries and over time records will be broken.
The first example that comes to mind is Brett Favre and all of his records. Whether it be touchdown passes, passing yards, or interceptions, they were all bound to be broken after 20 years of playing. Is he a hall-of-famer? Yes. But statistically he's not the best there is, rather his ability to avoid major injury has allowed this to happen. (Favre's TD:Int ratio is 1.5, Brady: 2.5, Manning: 2.0)
Maybe I just have something against Brett Favre, but I didn't mean for this to be a Favre bashing post. Some athletes are more fortunate then others when it comes to major injuries and when this happens records are less about skill. Records such as Cal Ripken Jr's record of games played or Favre's streak for that matter are still impressive.
This concludes my rant on this subject. It's been on my mind for a few days and I felt I needed to post after being silent the last few weeks. My point is just that in my eye's their are records set with skill, and records set with longevity. Both impressive, yet different.
Thoughts?
Recently Ray Allen, of the Boston Celtics, became the career leader in 3-pointers made in the NBA. He surpassed Reggie Miller, who set the record in 3 more years, and about 300 more games. This is an amazing accomplishment, and says a lot about the skill and longevity of Allen. What may be more impressive is the person with the 3rd most 3-points is almost 1,000 baskets behind, and yet is a hall-of-famer (Jason Kidd).
Listening to the hype around this record made me think about what records mean. Which records really say something about the athlete, and which just mean a guy was able to stay healthy to play long enough? I'll admit that it usually takes both of these to break records. Many great players dealt with early career ending injuries, and many healthy players just weren't good enough to last.
When you look at Ray Allen's newest record you can break it down based on these factors. He's been healthy enough to last 15 years in the league. But when looking at his impact on the game and the others on that list of players, one can acknowledge his great skill.
Another record of where skill and longevity allowed for such accomplishment is that of recently retired Brazilian soccer player, Ronaldo. Ronaldo has a record 15 World Cup goals. Few players had ever scored in 3 different World Cups, and this is no easy feat on its own. Playing at such a high level over at least 9-10 years is impressive, and scoring frequently demonstrates his niche for scoring goals.
Now come the other type of records. These records are still impressive, but were able to happen due to longevity more so than skill. Whether correct or not, I do take a bit away from these records. Some are fortunate to not suffer major injuries and over time records will be broken.
The first example that comes to mind is Brett Favre and all of his records. Whether it be touchdown passes, passing yards, or interceptions, they were all bound to be broken after 20 years of playing. Is he a hall-of-famer? Yes. But statistically he's not the best there is, rather his ability to avoid major injury has allowed this to happen. (Favre's TD:Int ratio is 1.5, Brady: 2.5, Manning: 2.0)
Maybe I just have something against Brett Favre, but I didn't mean for this to be a Favre bashing post. Some athletes are more fortunate then others when it comes to major injuries and when this happens records are less about skill. Records such as Cal Ripken Jr's record of games played or Favre's streak for that matter are still impressive.
This concludes my rant on this subject. It's been on my mind for a few days and I felt I needed to post after being silent the last few weeks. My point is just that in my eye's their are records set with skill, and records set with longevity. Both impressive, yet different.
Thoughts?
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