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So Long 2011—It was a Strange Year
Well, for what it's worth, I did it. Not really a major accomplishment, more of a credit to sticktoitiveness than anything else, but I did it. Every Monday in 2011, I wrote and published a little something that was going through my head—usually about sports. As the final week of the year begins, you'll see and hear a lot of “year in reviews”. Here's mine... (continued)
Is NBA Time “Jimmer Time”?
The NBA lockout is over, a short training camp and free-agent signing frenzy has begun, a blockbuster trade was made, voided, and made with another team, and games actually begin for real in less than a week. League owners and players really haven't done much for fans to really care about what happens this season, but there is one player that I am eager to see. His name is Jimmer Fredette... (continued)
Pujols, Paul Just Part of Wild Week in Sports
I know Hanukkah is still over a week away, but (with apologies to Adam Sandler) these have been Eight Crazy Nights. From Monday night to Monday night, this has been a wild sports week. It began with the opening of baseball's winter meetings where the always frugal Florida (now Miami) Marlins opened their wallets, got shortstop Jose Reyes, and made a mega-offer to slugger Albert Pujols. Also add Pujols ultimately going to the Angels, an MVP testing positive for steroids, a twice-rescinded NBA blockbuster, a brawl... (continued)
BCS Title: We've Seen This Already
We knew it was coming. We were warned by all of the analysts and pundits. We were given advance notice, but that does not make it right. It doesn't matter what we think now, LSU will face Alabama in college football's championship game. On Saturday afternoon, you heard it from CBS' Gary Danielson, and ABC's Todd Blackledge and Kirk Herbstreit, that no matter what happened, third-ranked Oklahoma State was not going to catch... (continued)
So THAT'S Why They Call It Black Friday
So this is the tradition in our society? People spend some time with their families on Thursday, and then after dinner, go out and rip people's heads off in order to save a few bucks on video games? Malls and box stores were filled with shoppers for “Black Friday”, hoping to find fantastic bargains to kick off the Christmas shopping season. The mad rush got its name because all of the early-bird shopping the day after Thanksgiving... (continued)
Baseball Changes: Selig Disappoints Again
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced some changes to the sport on Thursday, three things that are pretty radical for a sport that doesn't change all that quickly. One team is switching leagues, which will created an odd number of teams in each league (which means constant interleague play), and also two teams will be added to the post-season. And while the changes have been rumored for the last several months, that doesn't necessarily mean that they were well-thought out... (continued)
Initially It Seems JoePa is Getting a Raw Deal
It seems to be a minority opinion, except for maybe the students on campus at Pennsylvania State University. Maybe it's my ignorance of the whole situation, or maybe the university acted emotionally and prematurely, but I don't believe football coach Joe Paterno should have been fired. At least, not yet... (continued)
Hooray! They're Leaving! Now What?
Six words Dodger fans thought they wouldn't hear for a long time--”Frank McCourt is selling the Dodgers!” It's music to the ears of Angelenos, and those outside Los Angeles who bleed blue. McCourt and his soon-to-be ex-wife Jamie leveraged their way into buying the Dodgers, then filtered money away from the team to live a lavish lifestyle, leaving the club in bankruptcy... (continued)
My 'Two Cents'
Like October into November, the sports calendar is supposed to be turning. It's worked out in recent years that as soon as the World Series ends, NBA basketball begins. But Tuesday night, instead of watching the Dallas Mavericks raise their championship banner, followed by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers hosting Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, we'll have to watch Dancing With the Stars... (continued)
Random Thoughts About the World Series (and other stuff)
I know there are baseball fans out there, but World Series ratings are way down. Games one and two were both decided by one run. Yes game three was a blowout, but Albert Pujols became only the third player (Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson) to homer three times in a Fall Classic Game. Derek Holland pitched a gem for Texas in Game Four, and the Rangers just pulled out a dramatic win in game five. According to Nielsen, game one drew 14.2 million viewers—the second smallest ever for a World Series opener... (continued)
30 Years Is a Long Time To Pass By This Fast
Friday was the 30th anniversary of the death of my father, and though I knew for quite awhile that I was going to write about it, I just didn't exactly to know what to say. I remember the night it happened just like it was yesterday, but I didn't want to write about that. I know that my life would be much different if he were still here. I don't know exactly how, but I like to think that it would be better, and I would certainly be much better off. There's not much... (continued)
NBA Lockout, Baseball, and Other Stuff
In what now seems like another lifetime, I used to cover the NBA. I was at every Sacramento Kings home game from 1985-1995, and worked many Utah Jazz games from the late nineties through 2001. If there was something going on in the league that I had a question about, I could ask someone—a player, a coach, or a General Manager. I remember during one of the labor problems of the early 1990s... (continued)
Let the Greatest Sports Month Begin!
Ahh, October. Football fans have the college and NFL seasons to keep them busy over the weekends, normally pro basketball fans could get reacquainted with their teams as training camps start up, hockey fans are ready for that season-opening face off, and of course Major League Baseball has its post-season. No matter which sport is your favorite, you almost have to rank this month as the greatest sports month of the year. On Saturday, when the calendar turned to October 1, I started thinking about how the other months would rank... (continued)
“Moneyball” Is A Hit If You're Into It
I can't remember the last time I saw a movie the day that it opened. It's been awhile, but I snapped that personal streak when I went to see Moneyball on Friday. The story was right up my alley—baseball, statistics, and even a Major League team in northern California. I had always meant to read the book, so with just two days before the movie opening, I decided to make a Barnes and Noble run and get a copy. It was a pretty easy read and I crushed through it in just two nights. Good thing I did or I may have been lost come movie time... (continued)
“Men” and other Broadcast News
For the last several months, September 19, 2011 (tonight, as I write this), has become a marquee date on the television calendar. Not because The Big Bang Theory (the funniest show on TV) makes its debut in syndication and you can see the pilot episode, but because Two and a Half Men returns to CBS... (continued)
9/11 + 10
Everyone who is old enough to remember ten years ago, has their own 9/11 story. Fortunately, mine is boring. I didn't lose a friend or family member, I don't really know anyone directly who lost a friend or family member, and I was nowhere near New York City, Washington, or Shanksville... (continued)
Scandal and Crime Aside, Football Is Back
College football kicked off over the weekend, and the NFL season begins on Thursday. America's favorite game is back, but unfortunately, so are some of those who play it, and run it. The biggest off-season news in the college game was from the University of Miami, where a booster named Nevin Shapiro, who is in prison for his part in a 930 million-dollar Ponzi scheme, blew the whistle... (continued)
Irene, Britney, Amy, and Vin
Hurricanes make great television. You see a reporter tied to a tree in hundred mile-an-hour winds, high waves smashing against the coastline, a downed tree here and there, and the obligatory multi-colored Doppler map indicating the varying degrees of heavy rainfall... (continued)
Random Thoughts About the Baseball Season
With no baseball on TV locally, and most of the sports-viewing public watching the meaningless preseason version of Monday Night Football, I thought I'd take a long look at the Major League Baseball standings. I haven't really done that in awhile... (continued)
I'm Still Not Quite Ready For Some Football
Don't break out Hank Williams, Jr. just yet, at least not for me. With the “longest work stoppage in NFL history” (no regular season games missed) now over, the meaningless preseason games have now begun... (continued)
Ode to the Gold Sox
For the last few years, I have ended the seasons of Gold Sox broadcasts with a poem. I decided to do that again this time, and also, to kill two birds with one stone (wow, what a barbaric expression), include it here in my weekly post... (continued)
A Little Championship Means A Lot
If you like sports, it's cool to see teams win championships, even if the titles aren't really all that significant. Sunday night, the Marysville Gold Sox defeated the Norcal Longhorns 9-5 to clinch their division in the Horizon Air Summer Series... (continued)
Farewell to the Space Shuttle After 30 Years
30 years. 135 missions. No more. Early Thursday morning, the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed on the runway at Cape Canaveral, Florida, marking the end of the shuttle program. I know the event was televised, but it seems like it didn't get the coverage or attention it deserved... (continued)
Things I Didn't Know About Women's Soccer
I hadn't watched any of the matches, but certainly I was aware of the buzz that the United States women's soccer team was generating during the World Cup. So after seeing highlights over and over again of Abby Wambach's header to beat Brazil, I watched the championship game Sunday... (continued)
Just Before 3000, Jeter Goes Classless
On what turned out to be the day before reaching a milestone that no other New York Yankee had ever achieved, Derek Jeter did something completely classless, disrespectful, and stupid. He announced that he would not be a part of Tuesday's All-Star Game in Phoenix. Jeter cited his sore calves for taking the time off, but that didn't bother him the next day... (continued)
It's as American as...
..When I got up this morning and went online on this Independence Day, the first thing I saw on my welcome screen was a story about Joey Chestnut winning the annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island. I know they hold that contest on the the fourth of July every year, but I never really associated the contest with the holiday. If you think about it, though, I guess it's appropriate... (continued)
Random Thoughts About Sports N Stuff
This past week bas been a busy one. The collegiate wood-bat summer team that I broadcast was on the road, so I'm a little behind. Let's see if I have this straight... (continued)
An Evening With Dave Dravecky
Dave Dravecky pitched in a World Series. He threw a two-hit shutout in the playoffs. He lost his arm to cancer... (continued)
Michigan Kid Makes Marysville Proud
It's not everyday in a city of 12,000 people, or even an area of roughly 75,000, that you may personally know a Major League Baseball player, or even say that you saw one pitch one summer during his college days. That's why it was a big deal Sunday... (continued)
More Playoffs May Be Good Thing For Wrong Reason
It's not a topic that's getting a lot of headlines lately, but it's coming. Starting perhaps as early as next season, Major League Baseball will have more playoff teams... (continued)
Marysville's 'Boys of Summer' Return
For a college baseball player, it's a long year. Of course you love it, doing what you want to do, but it's still a long year. School starts in late August or early September. Besides enrolling and attending classes, there's fall ball. The college baseball season starts in late February, and runs into May. After that... (continued)
It's the End of the World As We Know It? I Feel Fine
What should happen when someone makes a bold and outrageous prediction, and turns out to be wrong. I'm not talking about predictions like "The Cubs will win the World Series" or "No one... (continued)
With Lakers Out, Who Is There To Root For?
For all intents and purposes, the NBA season ended on May 8 when the Lakers were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. Oh I'll pay attention to the games remaining, but I don't know how many of them I'll watch. I also no longer have much of a rooting interest... (continued)
Lakers Roller Coaster Season Crashes In Dallas
All year long, the Los Angeles Lakers messed with us. The two-time defending champions, in a quest for a three-peat, began like they were on a mission. They won 13 of their first 15 games, and looked unbeatable. Yes, their schedule was front loaded with a lot of home games, but Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and company looked like the team to beat... (continued)
I Stayed Up All Night For This?
Certainly the attack and killing of Osama bin Laden is the more important event, but last week, all eyes were on London for the Royal Wedding. And if you live in the Pacific time zone, and wanted your eyes to see it, you pretty much had to ... (continued)
Maybe The Dodgers Could Use Our Help
When I went home for my mother's birthday last week, I offered to take her to a Dodger game. Mom likes going to games, and we usually hit two or three a year. But this time, she said no thanks. Turns out, Mom is not alone. Season ticket sales are way down, and the Angels could outdraw the Dodgers... (continued)
Up, Up, and Away For Mom's Big Birthday
A few year's ago, my uncle turned 75 and decided to commemorate the occasion by jumping out of an airplane. When he asked his sister, who is not quite as adventurous as that but still a little competitive, what she would like to do to celebrate her 85th birthday this year, she replied that she wanted to ride in a hot air balloon... (continued)
"Sunday Night" Different Without Jon and Joe
After 21 years of successfully doing Sunday Night Baseball, for whatever reason, ESPN decided to make some changes. The most notable is their announcers. No more Joe Morgan, the Hall of Fame player turned analyst. Some of you could maybe see that one coming... (continued)
Greatest Tournament Ever?
Butler almost pulled off the mother of all upsets last year. There's Villanova shocking Georgetown in 1985, and just two years earlier, coach Jimmy Valvano was running all over the court looking for someone to hug after NC State defeated Houston. But top to bottom, you could make the case... (continued)
Fantasy Baseball Is Real Competitive
It's hard to believe that one hour in the middle of a Sunday March afternoon can govern your life for the next six months, but in my case, it does. Well, at least part of my recreational life... (continued)
Random Thoughts About the Tournament
The NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament still has two weekends remaining, but clearly the first one is why they call it March Madness. Out of the 67 played, 52 of them have already taken place. So with only 16 teams still alive after the 68 that started, some thoughts on what has happened so far... (continued)
"Madness" Has New Component With More TV
Today copiers are buzzing, the water cooler is crowded, people are getting out their colored pens and probably a few dollar bills, and you will hear the word "bracket" more times in the next three weeks than you will for the entire rest of the year. Got your brackets filled out yet? Who ya got in your West bracket? March Madness has arrived... (continued)
Baseball Is Back. Madness Approaches.
The crack of the bat. The pop of the glove. The tear of the hamstring. Ahh, March is here, and so is baseball. On Thursday, ESPN televised a meaningless game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves. Heaven. Atlanta scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to win 4-3, but that didn't matter... (continued)
Long (But Fun) Oscar Week Ends With Bland Show
They say it's all about the journey and not the destination. Right? Like millions of Americans, and a billion people all over the world, I enjoy watching the Academy Awards. Usually, in the days leading up to the Sunday night telecast, I'll watch a few of the movies. Last year... (continued)
The Kings leaving Sacramento? It could happen.
When the NBA's Kansas City Kings relocated to Sacramento in 1985, then- Sacramento Bee columnist Joe Hamelin jokingly wrote that the team's stay in California's capital city would be temporary, because the franchise had progressively moved west. It began as the Rochester Royals in 1948, then moved to Cincinnati, Kansas City with several games in Omaha, then just Kansas City... (continued)
Funeral For A Friend
My father was 50. My cousin Korey's husband was 45. John Ochoa was 47. All three men whose heartbeat mysteriously accelerated rapidly, and then stopped. All three were very good men--intelligent, hard-working family men who left this world far too soon... (continued)
Random Thoughts About the Super Bowl
For the last several years, I've been invited to a friend's house to watch the Big Game. This year, there were eight of us (four male, four female), and even before kickoff, it was a pro-Packer crowd. Four were for Green Bay, one for the Steelers, two of us (myself included) didn't really care who won, and a six-year old boy who was mostly interested in playing with his Legos, eating... (continued)
Lakers Don't Look Like Champions
Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers won their second straight NBA Championship, defeating the Boston Celtics in seven games. Yesterday, in the first meeting between the two teams since the Finals, it was all Boston. The Celtics shot 60 percent from the floor in a 109-96 win at Staples Center... (continued)
Undefeated Aztecs March Toward Prominence
Back in November, the first college basketball game of the season I watched was San Diego State at Gonzaga. During the broadcast, the ESPN commentator said that these two teams were probably the best on the West Coast. Gonzaga is always good and has made the NCAA tournament for the last 12 years. But San Diego State? Really? As it turned out... (continued)
Football And Globes Make Fun Sunday
So I thought I was going to write about football, and how next week's championship games (Green Bay at Chicago, New York Jets at Pittsburgh) are probably better matchups than whatever turns up in the Super Bowl... (continued)
BCS Haters Can't Hate This One (But That Doesn't Mean We Shouldn't Have a Playoff)
Remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day. If you are like me and are not a fan of college football's Bowl Championship Series, this is not a good year to scream for a better system. Just about everyone who follows college football agrees that Auburn and Oregon... (continued)
Happy 2011! I'll get there eventually.
With the arrival of the second decade of the 21st century (okay, maybe 2010 was when the decade started, but you can argue that amongst yourselves), I figure maybe it's time to upgrade into the new millennium. So instead of New Year's resolutions, I offer the top ten things I need to do to get into the 2000s (finally). Here they are, along with the excuses as to why I haven't done them already... (continued)
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