Rudy

One of my all-time favorite Sports Movies is Rudy. I was lucky enough to recently acquire a copy of this movie. As with my other favorite sports movies, Rudy is about much more than sports, or football in this case. It is based on a true story of one kid's dream to attend and play football for Notre Dame, the mecca of College Football. From his youth he tells people of this dream and is consistently told he couldn't do it. Rudy sets out to prove them wrong by leaving home and moving to South Bend. Acquiring the dream of attending Notre Dame is only the first hurdle in his quest to play for Notre Dame. This movie has taken on a completely different meaning for me after completing college and understanding the difficulties that come with being a student. Rudy is a good clean movie that everyone in the family can learn a life lesson from.

6 Days til London

I can hardly wait for the London Olympics to start. I think of all that has happened over the past four years of my life and can't imagine all of the work and preparation the athletes have been put through during that time frame. Their are always great stories that come from the games. Michael Phelps captured our hearts in Beijing. Who can forget Ali lighting the torch in Atlanta? Surely their will be new stories to come over the next few weeks. The Olympics have already begun in a way as we know who will and won't be competing. I was devastated that Rafael Nadal will be out due to injury. He was set the carry the Spanish flag in the Opening Ceremonies and will be watching instead of participating now.

Over the past week I have come across two stories that have caught my attention. The first athlete I want to highlight is Gabby Douglas. Her remarkable story was displayed on this weeks edition of Rock Center. It tells of her stuggles and dedication to gymnastics. To view Gabby's story, click here. She is truly an inspiration and her genuine desire to win the gold medal is what the Olympics are about.

The other story is about Guor Marial. Marial is a native of Sudan who fled as a refugee and came to America. His story is one of great sacrifice. To read an article on Marial, click here. While it is unexpected that he medals in London, his story is an inspiration to all.

Sandusky Trial

While this blog mainly focuses on the positive things to be learned from Sports, I can't ignore those things that may cast a negative light on sports either. A few previous posts have centered on the tremor that forever shook Penn State last fall. Jerry Sandusky was accused of the most heinous crime. This past week, a jury made up of his peers found him guilty on forty-five counts related to child sex abuse. Watching this case was difficult for me, even though I was nowhere near the courtroom. I couldn't realize how such awful things could go on for so long and nobody knew about them. As much as I didn't want the accusations to be true, I wanted justice (as much as possible) to be served. The shadow over Happy Valley is large and may stick around for awhile. Accusations will continually be made about people not speaking up sooner or going directly to the police, but we should never forget that it was Jerry Sandusky that committed the heinous crimes.

Bryan Stow

For those that follow sports regularly, the story of Bryan Stow is one that shocked many when the baseball season began last year. He traveled to Los Angeles to see his beloved Giants take on the Dodgers to open the season. Following the game, he was beaten almost to death by others that clearly didn't understand the true meaning of sports. The Giants community has rallied and continues to rally for Bryan and his recovery. Before the start of each game, one person is selected to throw the ceremonial first pitch. This is a great honor to anyone that is invited to throw out the pitch. The San Francisco Giants stepped up big time and asked Bryan to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. Due to injuries that he had sustained from the beating, he was not able to attend the game. The Giants did the next best thing and allowed his son, Tyler, the honor of throwing the pitch.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I look forward to this weekend every year. Most of America loves Super Bowl Sunday, me being one of them. However, their will always be a special place in my heart for Selection Sunday. Nothing is as nerve racking as sitting and patiently watching at waiting to see if your team will be selected to go to the Big Dance. For those lucky teams that have guaranteed their spot in the tournament with great seasons, tomorrow is all about finding out where they play. Other teams were smart enough to battle through the conference tournaments to guarantee their spots in the tourney. Then their are those others, that had a great season, didn't win their Conference Tournament, and have to spend their day waiting and contemplating for the nearly hour long show to see if they made the cut.

Selection Sunday is a great day! The day shows why the Big Dance will always be more fair than the corrupt BCS. To me it is one of the most wonderful times of the year, when 68 teams get to battle head-to-head until 1 team is left standing on April 2, earning the title of 2012 Men's College Basketball Champions!

Real Fans

Real Fans don't boo at their team or the opposing team. They never throw items in the arena and especially not onto the court or field. While true fans can create a raucous environment, chants and cheers should never be hateful or derogatory towards someones lifestyle or beliefs. Last week, the students at Gonzaga University decided to take a stand. They started a "Take the Hate out of Hoops" campaign. This was started in response to other students promising to show up to a game and making derogatory chants and showing up in attire to mock the opposing team. The "Take the Hate out of Hoops" campaign is a great movement that Gonzaga Students have started. I hope that it is something that will continue to spread throughout the country and Sportsmanship will begin to dominate hate.

Sports movie of the month

I am a little bit behind from when I planned to release this post. February is the month of the Winter Olympics and I chose the movie 'Miracle' to focus on this month. The movie is all about the 1980 US Hockey Team and their miracle run to the Gold Medal in Lake Placid, New York. The story line follows the life of their coach Herb Brooks. The movie begins with him being interviewed for the head coaching job, team tryouts, practices, exhibition games, and then the Olympics. What really makes the story so powerful is the political climate that surrounded the games. The United States and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War. Many people thought that nuclear war could start at any moment. Prior to the Olympics, Team USA host the USSR in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden. The Soviets dominated the Americans, a huge embarassment on our home ice just prior to the games. The great thing about this story is that any team can win any game on any given day. It is a great month to watch 'Miracle' if you haven't yet this year.

Joe Paterno: The Day the Legend Died

Like many of you, I was deeply saddened by the loss of Joe Paterno. I was heartbroken to hear that his condition took a turn for the worst last night. The first thing I thought about this morning was wondering if the legend was still alive or night. A coaching career that spanned several decades a produced many championships was abruptly halted last November. While he scandal that ended the career of Joe Paterno was a terrible thing, we should all remember that he wasn't the person that molested young boys. Should he have done more to involve law enforcement? Only time can and God know the answer to that question. Hopefully his family can have peace at their time of great loss.

RIP Joe Pa

Sports movie of the month

In memory Dr. Martin Luther King, this month's movie is Remember the Titans. Once again, a movie that you should see if you haven't yet. The plot focuses on the year of integration at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. It was the first time many of these players had been teammates with their peers of another race. A black coach was also brought in to coach the team. What comes of the season is great unity as the members of the community and the players on the football team look past skin color. The story line is great and reminiscent of Brian's Song. If you haven't heard of that story, it is one I will refer to on a later post.

Here Coach Boone teaches the boys that it is more than just football.

What to watch for in 2012

Every year there are great sporting events to look forward too. Here are the big events to look forward to each month.
January - NFL Playoffs begin this weekend with the wild card. The next few weeks feature the Divisional Round and Conference Championship games. The NFL Playoffs are unique in that they are one and done. There are no series or finals, but winner takes all each round.
February - The NFL Playoffs conclude with the Super Bowl, America's unofficial holiday. Most Americans know what teams play in the Super Bowl, but no idea who they had to beat to get there.
March - March Madness, the most wonderful time of the year. Teams work hard all season just to qualify for the tournament. In the words of Dick Vitale, "It's upset city baby!"
April - The Masters and Horse Racing Season. While I am not a huge fan of either, both play a major role in American sports history. Will this year be the year that a golfer wins the grand slam? Will a horse finally win the triple crown after such a long hiatus?
May - NBA Playoffs turn up a notch as the teams prepare for Conference and NBA Finals.
June - Wimbledon begins in London, shortly before all eyes are focused on Great Britain in the coming months.
August - Skipping July to focus on the biggest sporting event in the world, the 2012 London Summer Olympics. The Olympics are the reason that sports are so amazing. It is a time of unity and competition. I love the Olympic games, when the world can be unified as one great family.
September - The beginning of College Football Season. There are few other sporting events that I look to than the start of college football. My only wish is that there was a National Championship and that all teams were invited to participate.
October - America's past time concludes its regular season and commences with the playoffs. The playoffs conclude with the one and only World Series.
November - The annual Turkey Bowl held by families and friends throughout the country.
December - College Football Conference Championship games and the beginning of Bowl Season.
These are just a few of the events to look forward to in the coming year.

Athletes that can be role models in 2012

Too often these days athletes are falling from grace, that is, they are are top of the world and behave as if the are invincible. Tiger Woods is a prime example. He is one of the greatest golfers of all time, but showed complete disrespect for his wife and kids. Michael Phelps was the hero and the face of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Within six months of his return to the states photos surfaced of him smoking marijuana. The list goes on with Ben Roethlisberger, Terrelle Pryor, Barry Bonds, and others. The youth (and common fans) of the world need athletes that they can look up to as examples on and off of the court. These are people who show by their actions that they aren't any superior than the rest of us. The get up, go to work (although in a different manner), and have to do the everyday things that we all must do. Feel free to add to this list as athlete/role model list can never be too big.
1. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
2. Jimmer Fredette (Sacramento Kings)
3. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts)
4. Eli Manning (New York Giants)
5. Ray Allen (Boston Celtics)
6. Chauncey Billups (Los Angeles Clippers)
7. Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
8. Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)
9. Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
10. Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
This list is in no particular order. It also goes off people that I know of with an emphasis on the NBA (I know NBA players better than other professionals). This list is not meant to be all inclusive, but just a place to start.

'THE' Ohio State University

While this is old news, the sanctions from the NCAA were handed down rather quickly. One thing that I have often praised the NCAA for is being a stickler on the rules. Last year, it was learned that several football players were receiving improper benefits. Originally the school planned to suspend the players, which included star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, for the Sugar Bowl or the first six games of the upcoming season (2011 Football Season). When the players announced that they would be returning to school, they were officially suspended for future games in the 2011 season. This is the first big mistake that was made. The University had an opportunity to send a message that ethics and playing by the rules were more important than the wins. Soon thereafter it was discovered that Head Coach Jim Tressel had known about the allegations and did not report them to keep his players on the field. Wait, aren't head coaches supposed to be the example to the young student athletes? Not too surprisingly, Terrelle Pryor skipped his senior season and entered the NFL. Jim Tressel was asked to resign once his involvement in the issue was discovered. Now the NCAA places Ohio State under a one year postseason ban and scholarship reductions for the next few seasons. While I wished that the punishments would have been more severe, those that were involved are no longer part of 'The' Ohio State University. Coach Tressel has received sanctions that will effect future NCAA Coaching opportunities. The NFL had the guts to step up and suspend Pryor from his first six NFL games (likely reflecting the college ban that he would have served) even though they had no obligation to do so. While their are egregious acts performed at Penn State and Syracuse this year, the violations that Ohio State performed with the knowledge of their coach are still severe. To me the school is tainted, and will be for several years, with the mark of the cheater.

Tebow Mania

The Tebow Mania has hit an all-time high, prior to today's game with the New England Patriots. Bronco fans have already been comparing him to John Elway! Seriously! Elway took the Broncos to five Super Bowls, winning two of them. Tebow is in his second NFL Season, his first as a starter. Their six game winning streak was great, but it wasn't like they played the most difficult teams. Is Tebow a great athlete? Yes, but not on the same level as Elway. Most sports fans (not from Denver) are reasonable about the Tebow Mania. I saw this video last night that capitalized on the Tebow Mania. While I don't agree with the message, it is quite a funny video.

Skip Bayless should know that does other things than winning, including losing to one of the most dominant NFL teams today.

Sports movie of the month

Although this story focuses on a deeper meaning than sports, The Blindside is the featured movie of the month. This is another great that everyone should see. It is the story of Michael Oher and the charity of the Tuohy Family in Memphis, Tennessee. He is taken off of the streets and into one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Memphis. The Tuohy's never asked for anything in return. It is a great movie to watch at this time of the year and helps us all to know that we can make a difference in the world.

Dark day for College Basketball

While most of the country enjoyed the upset in Bloomington, Indiana, an even occurred in Cincinnati that will leave a dark mark on Cincinnati and Xavier for years to come. The Crosstown Shootout (as it is known in Cincinnati) was a great rivalry game that fans from both schools always looked forward too. The usual trash talk proceeded the game and a horrible fight broke out. It was so horrific of a fight that many players may be suspended and even dismissed from the team. Watch the video and see for yourselves what you think.
Clearly this is something that will effect the image of these teams for the rest of the season. The bright spot in this brawl was Coach Mick Cronin's postgame news conference. Their are some players that should receive severe punishments, if not dismissals from their teams. It will be interesting to see if the Coach will stick to his words in the coming days.

How the BCS got it wrong

Do to lack of a playoff system, only certain teams are allowed to play for a so called Championship. The season is treated like a playoff as they would have us believe. One loss can literally remove you from the title. The Alabama LSU rematch is a joke to say the least. They mat once during the season with LSU winning a close game. Now the two teams are set to play each other for the BCS National Championship (a championship only for BCS teams). Is LSU being punished for having a perfect regular season? They beat the Crimson Tide once already and now they have to do it again to win the BCS Championship? LSU must go 2-0 against Bama this year to win it all while it is okay for Bama to go 1-1 and be claimed Champions. It appears that more and more people are crying foul, even those that are fans of BCS schools. How big will the cry be if Alabama beats the Tigers in the rematch. Will LSU fans rise and join the outcry? With all due respect to the Crimson Tide, the Oklahoma State Cowboys deserve their chance to play LSU for the BCS Championship.

B(owl) C(rap) S(eries)

I have never been a fan of the Bowl Championship Series in determining a 'National Champion.' The whole process is unfair and exclusive to the biggest school with the most power, influence, and money. Thus the term BCS Buster was introduced when the University of Utah broke the mold and forced their way into the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. BCS Busters have earned a spot in 7 BCS Bowl games, including the one previously mentioned. Only once has one of these 'BCS Busters' lost to a team with automatic qualification into a BCS Bowl Game. While this system is seriously flawed, it has the opportunity of becoming extremely worse this weekend. On Friday night the UCLA Bruins will play in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship game against the Oregon Ducks. This game is a preface for the Rose Bowl (aka the Grand Daddy of Them All) one of the BCS Bowl Games. The Ducks have earned the right to play in this game, (and the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl) with only one in conference loss and and 10-2 overall record. The Bruins on the other hand have a much more dismal record. They have four losses in conference and a 6-6 overall record. If they beat the Ducks they will play the Big 10 Champion in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. The Bruins aren't even ranked, but yet they have a win-or-take-all opportunity at the Rose Bowl. In all likelihood Houston will be the BCS Buster this year and Boise State will just miss out on playing in a premier bowl game. Boise State should be considered for this spot ahead of UCLA. The BSU Broncos are currently 7th in the BCS Standings and will probably be playing in a low tier bowl this year. Also, the BCS Championship Game is most likely going to feature a rematch of the Alabama-LSU game. While these two may be the two best in the country, Bama already had their shot. They lost to LSU at the beginning of the month and will probably be playing for the BCS Championship. LSU has to play in the SEC Championship this weekend while the Crimson Tide (Alabama) get the week off to rest and prepare for their rematch. How is this fair? Since when is the winning team essentially 'punished' for winning? They also have to play one more game before they clinch their spot in the big game. Because this system is so flawed, I refuse to call it a National Championship. Until all teams have a fair chance to play for the National Championship I can't call it a National Championship Game. I refer to this as the BCS National Championship or the BCS Championship Game, since only those teams in a BCS Conference have the opportunity to play in it.

Heavy Heart in Stillwater

As soon as I heard this story, I immediately reflected on the 'other' tragedy at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are no strangers to tragedy, as nearly eleven years ago they experienced a great tragedy. The Cowboy Basketball team lost two members as well as other staff when their plane was on its way home from a Colorado. Now tonight, the community is again morning another plane crash. This one claimed the lives of the women's basketball coach and one of his assistants. It is hard to imagine the pain of those in Stillwater. The great thing about sports is that it offers a great opportunity to mourn with many people, even those cheering for another team. The football team had a rough night against the Iowa State Cyclones, but their was great mourning in the stadium by the fans. May God Bless the families involved and I hope that the healing process can begin again in Stillwater.

Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski has been known by many for his successes at Duke. The headlines today focused on win 902, tying him with the infamous Bobby Knight. About a year and a half ago I read an wonderful article by Andy Katz (ESPN) about a lapel pin that Coach K wears to every game. The story is riveting and I recommend it to everyone. The story explains the deeper meaning of sports and why people as famous as Mike Krzyzewski are human as well. Whenever I think of Coach K I think of this story. In my opinion, this story shows how Coach K uses his position in the world to be super human and make a difference. It is a lengthy story, but well worth the time.

You can read the story here.

The Shadow Engulfs

If you read yesterday's post you will know what this is about. Joe Paterno announced earlier today that he would retire at the end of the season. I was devastated by this news as it was very apparent that he didn't get to choose his retirement date. It is also tragic that a legend has to be taken down so hard. As I said yesterday, the facts are all not out and that makes it difficult to come to conclusions on this matter. Tonight the Board of Trustees pushed back harder firing the University President as well as Coach Paterno. It was devastating news to hear. The man that took the sidelines every week for the past 46 seasons was fired by the university that used to love him (and he loved it in return). The worst part about this whole scandal is clearly those that were abused. That should not be discarded. Another tragedy is that this scandal will forever be on Paterno's record. It should always be remembered that the coach didn't commit these atrocious acts, but he will largely receive the blame for them. When he eventually passes away (hopefully not soon) this story will be retold about why was fired from Penn State. Gone are the glory days and forgotten is the infamous Coach Joe Pa.