College Football Preview: What not to look for...

Although this comes one day after the official start of the 2008 college football season, there is good reason for being tardy. There are many experts that can make bold predictions before the first kickoff, but it takes a truly skilled eye to pick up on little nuances in the middle of the first nationally televised game of the season and determine the outlook of every single game that will be played this year. This is something that will transcend all the records, the polls, the BCS standings, and the Heisman Trophy race all packed together. This is something far more important and meaningful than all of that. It is the very nature of the college game, and it's something that no one will be seeing this season.

And so, without further ado, what not to look for this season: Fun.

Last night, one the very last play of the 3rd quarter with South Carolina ahead of visiting North Carolina State 13-0, something happened that will undoubtedly become all too common in college football this year, and it was devastating to witness. Gamecocks junior safety Emanuel Cook stepped in front of a pass attempt thrown by NC State QB Daniel Evens and nearly had USC's 4th turnover of the game (the Gamecocks would intercept a pass later on in the 4th quarter). After the play Cook was visibly upset, he knew he had that pass and wanted to come through on the opportunity. So after missing out on the pick, he dropped to the ground and punished himself by doing 10 push-ups right out in the middle of the field. The crowd appreciated the gesture, and gave a resounding cheer to signal their approval.

Then came the yellow.

Cook was flagged for "unsportsmanlike conduct" and his team was penalized 15 yards. After cheering initially for Cook's gesture, the crowd seemed perplexed and gave a confused "boo."
Cook also seemed puzzled, but he and his teammates carried on and proceeded to shut-out the Wolfpack by the score of 34-0.

That one play, by far not a turning point in that game, was a signal of what is to come in college football. There are already rules set in place that prohibit excessive celebration and calling attention to one's self, which indeed has no place in football. While one player may be at the center of the play, he must know that without his 10 teammates executing their assignments, his moment in the spotlight would have never come to be. That's why running backs so often give praise to their offensive line, because without them there would be no holes to run through.

But what Cook did could hardly be classified as a celebration, and the attention he brought to himself was not out of ignorance of his teammates; instead it was a gesture of apology towards them. On that play, the Gamecock defense executed their assignments perfectly which left Cook in the opportune position to make a play for the defense, and the team in general. Although he did break up the pass, Cook missed out on coming up with a big play. With those 10 push-ups, Cook was able to say to his team, "I miss that one, guys. My bad. I'll get it next time." Above all, it was a fun way to get the crowd and the rest of the team a little more pumped up and was not in the least bit disrespectful to the other team.

But that's not how the refs saw it; what they saw was a player showing up his opponents. Sadly, this type of action will most likely be cracked-down on all over college football, stripping away another piece of innocent fun for the players and the fans. While the game is fun in itself, it is also very taxing. The months of preparation during the off-season and the hours of practice, weights, and film all add up and when the game finally comes around, expressing exuberance or frustration through small gestures is to be expected. And when theses expressions are not excessive they should be allowed.

It doesn't look like that's going to happen very much if at all this year in college football, and its too bad. It would be a shame if football could be fun for the players and fans, but there seems to be no room for that.

Fantasy owners not real fans

Its that time of year again; when August turns to September and all the nation can rejoice in the fact that for the next 5 months football and all its splendor will be abundant in all its many forms: high school, college, and - of course - the NFL. The NFL season is but a week away, and all of the anticipation built up through free agency, the draft, OTAs, mini-camps, training camps, and the preseason has nearly come to a head. We are seven days from watching the first meaningful NFL action in nearly seven months, and right off the bat we are presented a fantastic match-up between the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants and bitter divisional rival Washington Redskins. Questions abound for both teams, but there is no question to the fact that this could be one of the finest seasons the league has seen in its now 89 seasons.

But behind all of this hype, there lies another desire that has become equal to - if not more - enticing than the start of the actual football season, and that is the Fantasy Football season.

Before the preseason starts, fantasy commissioners begin recruiting fantasy opponents for their fantasy leagues to compete in fantasy games and fulfill their fantasy lives. And while it appears the entire nation is engrossed in this "fantasy land", there are a few who chose to remain in the real world. Those people are REAL football fans.

There are two main reasons why fantasy football has taken away what it means to be a fan. The first of which lies in team allegiances. Throughout the years, teams have developed their own unique rivalries; and from those rivalries each team and their fans have progressed through the phases of simple distaste to utter, pure, stone-cold hatred for their Nemesis. Not only do you not want your rival to do well, you pray that they get pounded into the hard, unforgiving dirt on every single play during every single game. These rivalries make for heightened drama whenever the two teams play and fuel the fire that is the NFL. But what fantasy football has done is softened a fan's stance towards their sworn enemies.

Typically a Cowboys fan would never dare root for anything positive to come from a Giants game, unless that fan has Plaxico Burress on their fantasy roster. In that case, a twisted and contradictory turn of events occurs where they root for Plaxico to do well but the Giants still lose. In a normal world, only one possible outcome would be alright: the Giants lose AND Plaxico rack up the stats. But in the world of fantasy, that Cowboys fan would be alright with a Giants win if Plaxico preformed well and would be very upset if Plaxico preformed poorly in a Giants loss. Poor performance and a team loss seem to go hand in hand, so it's as if that fan is rooting for an impossible outcome. And in the event that the Giants win, that fan is happy to learn that their fantasy all-star made them a few points.

This is as close to blasphemy as it can get. It is a fan's duty to their team to root as hard for their rivals' demise as they do for their own team's success. But in the world of fantasy, fans only take in mind their own personal interests rather than that of the team. Allegiances have been skewed and mutated so much that they are almost unrecognizable.

The other reason why fantasy football detracts from real fandom is that it tries to establish a rooting interest in other games when there should be should be no reason to do so in the first place. Football fans should be able to turn on the TV and immediately become engrossed in whatever game is on for the sole reason that there is football on the TV. In every region of the country, those fans have access to their team's game along with a handful of others. They get the joy (and agony) of watching their team win (or lose) and should be delighted that the football weekend does not end with that one game. A real fan can find joy in just having football to watch; and it doesn't matter whether or not the game is good, the fact that its football makes it good already.

The game of football has so many intricacies within it that watching it unfold at the highest level should be able to provide enough pleasure to last through a 4 hour contest. When you throw in artificial attractions it taints the very nature of fandom and takes away some of the appreciation of the game. Instead of being able to absorb the game as a whole, fantasy football focuses the attention on individual players and their stats.

If a running back does not rush for 100 yards or score a touchdown, that player's fantasy owners around the nation will whine and mope and complain that the player was unproductive. But if stats were not the be all end all of the game and that player's performance then viewers could be privy to the notion that that running back put his whole self on the line for his team and may have been the determining factor in the outcome of that game. Fantasy football takes away from that appreciation and leads to cynical, unappreciative, and uneducated fans.

The NFL now is inextricably linked to the fantasy game and it seems doomed to fall further down the path of destruction. Perhaps people will begin to learn of the errors of their ways and change their attitudes and actions before it's too late. Sadly, though, believing that this will come to pass truly is the stuff of fantasy.

Forget the language barrier, solving the sponsorship barrier

Its official, America is becoming a more and more intolerable country by the second. While it is a little shocking and slightly offensive to minorities all around the United States to hear that the LPGA has begun to require their players to have a certain level of mastery of the English language or risk suspension, the real problem is that since this news broke a little over a day ago, an alarming number if ignorant comments have been appearing all over the internet. It seems that bigotry is again out in full force. Immigrants to this country have been dealing with situations of this nature for a while now, and it appears that the same ignorant sentiments about migrant and low-wage workers from poor countries applies even to million-dollar athletes: "If you cant speak OUR language then get out of OUR country!"

There could be so much time and effort devoted towards this ruling and the indecency behind it, but enough attention has been paid to that already. The only thing that needs to be said is that the LPGA is wrong; English should not be a requirement for their golfers. The entire notion of it reeks of bigotry and ignorance.

What does warrant some extra attention is what the LPGA claims as the reason behind their decision. According to multiple sources, the LPGA is struggling financially. The tour has already dropped a few tournaments due to lack of sponsorships and is in serious danger of loosing more. So in order to fend off this trend, the LPGA decided to attack the problem by pandering to their current and potential sponsors. Libba Galloway, Deputy Commissioner of the LPGA, said that their players have a high level of interaction with sponsors and players, and that communication between the two parties is key.

For American born players this concept does not present any problems, as the shared language makes it easy for them to entertain sponsors. But for the foreign born players - a full quarter of the tour (121 golfers in all) - the language barrier is difficult to overcome, making it harder for a player from South Korea (45 of the 121 foreign players are from South Korea) to interact with an American sponsor. One of the staples of the LPGA's marketing to potential sponsors are the Pro-Am tournaments, which pair a player on the tour with a willing patron who has dealt out anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 or more to play with a professional. But when there are language and cultural barriers present, sponsors are less willing to shell out that kind of money. According to the LPGA's ruling it is easy to see their thought process: language barriers turn into sponsorship barriers.

While this may be true on some level, the perceived solution to this problem is extremely shallow and narrow-minded. What the LPGA needs to do to solve its financial woes is to think outside the box, and outside the country.

Think Korea.

As mentioned earlier, 45 of the 121 foreign players on the LPGA Tour are from South Korea, making them the largest contingent of foreign-based players on the tour. The LPGA doesn't need its Korean players to attract American sponsors, it needs them to attract Korean sponsors. The ironic notion to all of this is that while the LPGA is struggling here in the United States, it is flourishing in South Korea. This is according to Eric Adelson, a writer for ESPN, who has profiled the LPGA's influx of Korean players and their affect on the game here and in their home country.

It seems very logical that internationally based companies might be willing to attach themselves to players from their native lands; all the traditional lessons of marketing seem to line up with this idea. And by doing so, the LPGA could help solve their Pro-Am crisis by selling those spots to international customers, those who speak the language of the player. It makes perfect sense for the the LPGA to venture out to where they are most popular and attract sponsors from those regions.

But sadly no, the single-minded LPGA did not try to solve their problems by looking outward. Instead they took the easy and misguided way out and instituted a system of exclusion in order to get their players to fit into a nice, comfortable package to sell to American sponsors.

What the LPGA doesn't seem to realize is that it doesn't matter what language the players are speaking, American sponsors aren't biting. There are numerous reasons why, but it would be safe to say that one glaring reason is the the LPGA Tour has doesn't have a recognizable - and marketable - American face. In the past few years the tour been dominated by a Swede, a Mexican, and a swarm of Korean players.

The LPGA needs to realize that unless they start venturing out they could go belly-up.

The 'Real' Medal Count (adjusted)

The Olympic Games are a few days over now, and in the aftermath of all the splendor on display in these past few weeks it feels appropriate to comment on the most important outcome of these games:

The medal count.

As much attention that was paid to each of the competitions and the athletes in them, it might not be a stretch to say that an equal amount of attention was paid to the medal count - both gold and total - especially by the American and Chinese audiences. The importance of the medal count has been somewhat debated, with a few making the case that the athletes, not the countries, are the only competitors that matter. In fact, the total medal count for each country is not even an official Olympic statistic, just an artificial category created by the media. And every single media outlet covering the games gave an updated medal count after each night of competition.

But there is real interest in the medal count, and not just from audiences, from the countries themselves. A gold medal can bring prestige to any country if but only for a few fleeting days and weeks, but the importance of that time in the spotlight is something that countries cherish. For that, many countries are willing to reward their gold-medal athletes with money, houses, cars, and other elements of wealth. But for many years now, China has gone beyond just offering rewards for their athletes.

The Chinese government has instituted a national program - called Project 119 - in order to increase the number of gold medals in specific sports, ones that have the most gold medals available. China also has 221 state-run sports academies that take children from a very young age and encompass them with rigorous, daily training routines in order to have them prepared for athletic stardom and Olympic competition that are still many years down the road.

With all this evidence, it is hard to dispute that the medal count is not important. So how did the countries fare? Well, if this were an official event, the United States (110) would win gold, China (100) would take home the silver, and Russia (72) would claim the bronze in the "total medal" competition. In the "total gold" category - which some claim to have equal, if not more, importance than the total number of medals - the Chinese (51) claimed the top spot, with the USA (36) taking silver, and Russia (23) again taking the bronze.

For the most part, all of these medals were won fair and square, however these totals can be amended at any time when (and hopefully this does not occur) athletes are proven to have cheated through illegal steroids or banned substances (or even, perhaps, age). There is no time-table of when these discoveries can be made, Marion Jones has already taught us that Olympic medals can be stripped at any time. So for the time being, the "official"-unofficial results end with the United States and China as the top two countries in both categories.

But sometimes appearances are more than meets the eye.

When one thinks of the Olympic games, thoughts immediately turn towards truly hard fought athletic competitions that test the strength, speed, and endurance of any person at the highest level of sport in all the world. And then when one looks at the roster of events for this year's Olympics, thoughts turn to questions with the most prevalent being: "That's a sport?"

Its true, the Olympic games are riddled with head-scratchers and eyebrow-raisers that have a good number of audiences giving a collective "huh?" when television cameras focus in on sports such as race walking, trampoline, and table tennis. How can these events, and many others, be considered good enough to be Olympic sports? There are 28 events in the Olympics, and a few of them are greatly under qualified when it comes to being classified as a sport. And even if some have compelling enough arguments to be classified as sport, they are hardly worthy of the Olympics.

With this in mind, the medal count is somewhat misleading as all the events are jumbled together. So in order to determine a more precise measure of a country's athletic prowess, a simple solution was designed to sort through the clutter and separate the real and faux events. Those events deemed not worthy of Olympic competition were discounted and, along with a few other adjustments, a more accurate medal count was created.

This is the real medal count (adjusted).

Before the revealing of the adjusted numbers, here are some the explanations and thought processes that went into creating this new total:

Trampoline
Out. While all of the twists, turns, and flips are highly difficult, preforming these moves on a trampoline is exponentially easier than preforming them in the floor exercise, balance beam, or uneven bars. Any person that gets on a trampoline can automatically preform feats that could not normally preform on solid ground. The trampoline is an aid, and therefore can't be used in competition.

Badminton and Table Tennis
Both out. These sports are variations of tennis, which is a legitimate Olympic sport. But these two smaller mutations of the sport are played on smaller surfaces and do not require the same amount of athletic ability or skill. For that reason, these two are discounted as Olympic events.

Synchronized Swimming and Diving
Both out. It will be conceded that these events require a decent amount of skill, but they are stylistics sports which are judged by third party observers. More importantly, these sports do not exhibit the traditional elements of competition which seek to determine the biggest, strongest, and fastest competitors and reward them accordingly. It can be argued that gymnastics as a whole falls into this category, but gymnastics also involves extreme levels of strength, balance, and endurance that put them into another category altogether and make them legitimate sporting competitions. Nothing shown in synchronized swimming or diving compares to those levels of athleticism, so therefore the are deemed unworthy of Olympic competition.

Sailing
Out. Much like equestrian, the biggest determining factor in winning and losing is the vessel. When an external object can account for most of the competition, then it can't be classified as a true Olympic event.

Shooting
Out. Archery is the original and true test of accuracy and aim. While shooting may require vast amounts of skill, it is simply not up to par in terms of being and Olympic competition. The competitors in the the shooting events can't even be the best in the world; the true great snipers are exactly that: snipers. If a contingent of military snipers from around the world were competing I'm sure they would blow the competition out of the water.

Equestrian
Out. All of it. The most athletic competitors in these events are the horses, and until they start giving the medals to the horses then equestrian cannot be considered eligible for Olympic sport. It is not being argued that equestrian competitions are not difficult or that they require some skill, but the brunt of the skill is being executed by the horses. There is no way around that fact.

Modern Pentathlon
Out. While some of the events included in the modern pentathlon are most definitely considered sports and worthy of Olympic competition, two of them (show riding and pistol shooting) have already been deemed not sports. Therefore, the entire event must be thrown out.

Rhythmic Gymnastics
Very out. Gymnastics already has an artistic/rhythmic styled event, and its called the floor exercise. An article was written by a former gymnasts on this very subject. She said that as she was into gymnastics when she was young, but as she got older the gap in skill level between her and her fellow gymnasts started to become a little more evident. For that reason, the coaches and instructors moved her to the rhythmic competition. Basically, she wasn't good enough for regular gymnastics competition so she was placed in rhythmic gymnastics. This story alone points to the fact that rhythmic gymnastics is a lesser form of gymnastics not suitable for Olympic competition.

Race Walking
So very out. The true test of speed and endurance is to run. Race walking is exactly what it sounds like: walking as fast as you can without running. When a walker is determined to have broken into a running stride, they are given a warning. Three infractions and the walker is disqualified. All of this is determined by third-party judges, which can create controversy. But aside from the human error portion of the event, the entire concept of racing but not at full speed is enough to disqualify race walking from Olympic competition.

Team Sports
Team sports that do NOT have teammates competing simultaneously are not considered eligible, with exceptions coming in track and swimming relays and gymnastics. Therefore, events like team archery and team fencing are out. With these events, a team score is comprised of each team member's individual score. What, then, is the difference between team fencing and regular fencing? Broken down its still just one-on-one and so it cannot be deemed a team sport, so they are out.

Weight Class Sports
Not out, just amended. These sports include boxing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling, and weightlifting. These events have FAR too many weight classes. Taekwondo has the fewest with four, judo has seven, weightlifting has eight, boxing has 11, and wrestling has 14 (seven in each category, Greco-Roman and freestyle). Also, boxing, taekwondo, judo, and wrestling each award two gold medals for each weight class, which means that four people are awarded medals instead of the standard two. All said, there are too many medals awarded in these sports. Combining a few of these weight classes in each of these sports would make for far better competition and a more accurate medal count. Therefore, in order to compensate for this, only HALF of the medals awarded in these events will be counted in the adjusted tally.

So, after much deliberation and numerous calculations, the adjusted medal count for the top three finishers at the Beijing Olympics are:

1) USA - 94 total, 31 gold
2) China - 66 total, 29 gold
3) Russia - 41 total, 12 gold

While this is not an exact science, debates of this nature have prompted questions of the legitimacy of certain events in the Olympics. Feel free to scrutinize these definitions and calculations and offer you're own, unique view on the subject.

The Epitome of the American Dream

The Olympic Games have come and gone, providing some of the greatest stories we have seen in one single event in a long time. Beijing was the host to some incredible spectacles that will be cemented in history as some of the best the world has ever witnessed.

In these games we have seen everything from the amazing to the bizarre. Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt were the individual stars of these games, preforming feats that had never been accomplished before and previously thought to be impossible, leaving competitors and world records in their wake. While many athletes like Phelps and Bolt fulfilled and exceeded expectations, many others only disappointed. There were tails of rising from tragedy and falling from grace. And like all Olympics, there was controversy aplenty; in the opening ceremony, on the medal stand, in the gym, and, of course, in the testing rooms.

There is, however, one story that has not received the proper attention. It includes all the proper ingredients to make for a great story and has the potential to have all of America talking. This is a tale of a young American man rising from poverty to surpass expectations to achieve the highest honor in his sport, an Olympic gold medal. But beyond the surface, this story also carries with it a touchy subject in American politics. And, above all, this story has the potential to carry the hopes and dreams of an entire people within and beyond the American borders.

This is the story of Henry Cejudo, Olympic gold medal wrestler.

On the surface, Henry's achievement is amazing enough. On August 19, Henry won the Gold Medal in the 55kg freestyle wrestling competition. And at 21, he is the youngest Olympic freestyle wrestling champion in American history. And while this is impressive enough, how he got there is even more amazing.

Born in Los Angeles, Henry is the son of poor illegal immigrants from Mexico. His mother - Nelly Rico - left her husband and moved her family all over the South West, perhaps to find a better situation, perhaps just to escape. She worked multiple jobs in order to provide for her 6 children, but often they only had enough just to get by. The family was often cramped together in small living spaces, sometimes sharing the space with other families, and all 6 children slept in the same bed together.

Henry and his older brother, Angel, got into wrestling and when they reached their teens they were good enough to be invited by USA Wrestling to attend a freestyle wrestling program. The brothers were set up in a room at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and it was the first time that either of the two brothers got to sleep in their own bed. Henry's skill shined through and he was able to surpass his brother and make it to the Olympics. His victory in Beijing is a testament to the hard work and sacrifice that he and his entire family put in through the years despite the surroundings. But Henry's victory is not unique; there are countless stories of children of immigrant parents reaching unimaginable heights, proving that the American Dream is available to all.

One of the most hot-button issues of American politics is immigration, and immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries are the most visible in this debate. But despite where anyone may fall on this issue, there is no denying that the United States is a land of opportunity where immigrants can dream of something more. People of all nationalities flock to the US for better opportunities for themselves and for their families. America is where someone can rise from nothing to the height of success, where all of ones dreams and aspirations can be realized. Henry is the epitome of what immigrant parents wish for their children: a better life.

Despite his sports’ relative anonymity, Henry's victory is not just another notch for the USA in the overall medal count in these Beijing games; his victory is not even purely American. Rather, Henry's win is a signal of perpetual hope for immigrants everywhere. Perhaps Henry would have found wrestling if he were born and raised in Mexico like his parents, but there is little doubt to the fact that without the advantages and opportunities presented to him and his family here in the United States, he would not be wearing a gold medal around his neck. And for Henry's mother, she could hardly have imagined that her son would not just reach success in America at such a young age, but at the same time be crowned the best in the world.

Michael Phelps will undoubtedly receive the majority of America's attention in the aftermath of the Olympics, but Henry Cejudo should not be forgotten. His story should be told with the same vigor that Phelps's will be recited. While Phelps might inspire a new generation of swimmers, Henry Cejudo can inspire a whole generation of people.

He is the epitome of the American Dream.

A "Silver" Lining?

For those who were paying attention as it was happening, watching in real time the USA play Japan in the gold medal game in softball, and watch the innings pass by and the score remain the same, its hard to imagine anyone really fearing that the USA could loose that game.

They might have been playing poorly, but it was more than rational to believe that team USA could score anywhere from 5 to 10 runs in one half-inning. And it was also not inconceivable to think that Japan's stellar defense through the first 5 innings would eventually break down, like most of the competition that team USA faces. No offense to Japan or any other of the softball playing countries, but when ever team USA steps on the field there is absolutely no doubt that they have the most talent on the field; and when other countries try to defend team USA's remarkable offense, their weaknesses in defense tend to stick out. Softball has been dominated by team USA in every conceivable fashion. The US usually plays to blowouts and shutouts; it is typical to see the US “mercy rule” any given team on any given day. When the Olympics come around, it is assumed that team USA will win gold and only a question of who will capture the silver.

But not this time. Not in Beijing.

Japan took advantage of team USA's errors and mistakes, and when the US was ripe for a huge inning - bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th inning with only one out - they got out of it by inducing two pop outs to the infield. It had to have been one of the biggest upsets of ALL TIME in Olympic competition in ANY sport. The US had already beaten Japan twice before in these same Olympics en route to their perfect record entering the gold medal match.

There are a few questions about the stunning outcome in that game: Why did the US pitch Monica Abbott? Team USA has the best group of pitchers in the world - Abbott included - but wouldn't it make sense for the US to start Jennie Finch or Cat Osterman? Abbott pitched in these teams' previous two outings and preformed very well, leading team USA to 7-0 and 4-1 victories, respectively. But after seeing Abbott twice already, one could assume that Japan had a pretty good scouting report on Abbott and could prepare for what she was bringing.

The biggest question, however, is not about strategy or even this one game. Rather, it is about the uncertain future of the sport of softball:

Could team USA’s losing the gold medal be good for the game of softball?

With both baseball and softball out of the 2012 Olympic game in London and with proponents of the two sports vying hard to have them reinstated for 2016, this could be a valuable arguing point for those who want softball back in the Olympics.

One of the perceived reasons for softball and baseball being eliminated from the Olympics is that there is a lack of competition. Baseball does not have a problem with American dominance; there are many Latin American and Asian countries that have comparable – and perhaps even greater – success in baseball than the US. Softball is an entirely different story; entering the gold medal match, team USA had won every single game it has ever played in, and usually by a wide margin. As mentioned earlier, there was never a question of who was the best, only of who would come in second. With Japan's victory, however, it proves that the US is not alone at the top anymore. And with the development of softball in other countries, with at least 8 years before the next possible Olympic softball competition, there could be more countries to close the gap on team USA.

Whether softball is back for the 2016 games is still a mystery and wont be determined until next year when baseball and softball representatives get to argue their case for reinstatement. The prospects of that happening, however, are greater now that Japan possesses the gold medal then they would be if team USA swept through the games in their typical dominating, undefeated fashion.

Welcome

Welcome to the inaugural post at "The Junior Circuit". Why the name? Simple. It aint the big leagues. This isn't Deadspin, Dan Shanoff, Ball Don't Lie, The Basketball Jones, Tom Friend, Rick Reilly, The New York Times, Washington Post, or even The San Antonio Express-News. Its just a small time blog, updated every-so-often, about sports. I've got my fair share of opinions and insight that I will bring to stories ranging from topics that are both national and local, topical and in-depth, sarcastic and serious.

I'd like to think I'm unique, but that's for you to decide. I hope you enjoy what I have to say; if so I'd love to hear it, and if you don't I'd love to hear it, too.

Thanks for your time.