CHOCOLATE TOWN=TITLETOWN?

This week I have been following the Calder Cup Finals. The Calder Cup pits the Hershey Bears against the Manitoba Moose. They play in the American Hockey League that is the premier minor league of the NHL. While this series is most likely not going to be on Sportscenter’s bottom line it means a lot to me. The Hershey Bears are one of my favorite teams in all of sports because my dad took me to see them as a kid and I will never forget those times.

When I was younger my dad took me to a Hershey Bears game every winter. As a kid the city of Hershey is the best place in the world. It is a town that smells chocolate and has an amusement park and a hockey team. But unlike the big roller coasters I did not need to be “Twizzler-size” to go to a Bears game.

One year we went to a game in which the Bears took on the Albany River Rats. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the game, who scored or even who won. But the real story was in the stands as my dad showed me how to become a fan. First of course he taught me how to find our seats that were unfortunately right behind a trio of fans that refused to sit down. As the game went on my dad tried to explain all of the rules of hockey to me. It got increasingly difficult for us to do so with the Albany fans on their feet. Of course I lost interest and wanted something to eat. My dad left me at the seats. When he returned he gave me the large soda. Little did I know that my little hands were not big enough to hold this drink. My tiny hands, the size of the drink and the condensation on the cup became a dangerous mixture. The soda slipped out of my hand and splashed around the Albany fans that had ruined the game for everyone in my section. The Albany fans eventually vacated the wet and sticky area and cleared the way for us to see. The section cheered and I was a hero. I was able to spend some quality time with my dad and learn more about the sport that I ended up loving.

It is ironic that the stories that make us love sports so much are often the stories that are not found on the front page of the sports section. Let’s change all of that today, please write in and let us know your stories. Share the stories that made you fall in love with sports and your families.

NCAA: No Conscience At All?

Dear Mr. Myles Brand,

You’re not going to meet a lot of twenty year old sports purists like myself. Aside for my faith in major league baseball (which waivers), long have I held college athletics as a better display of pure athletics than that of the professional ranks. However, lately your NCAA has done a poor job of promoting this purity.

Let’s start with my favorite, the BCS. Everyone knows, including the man that resides in Washington, that a playoff is needed and that the BCS is just a way for the NCAA to rake in millions. True champions are rarely discovered in this system, due to controversy, and even some undefeated teams (Utah, 2008) don’t get the crown. This needs to change, and starting in 2010, when the BCS contract is up, a playoff needs to be in place. Heck, the NCAA Men’s Basketball TOURNAMENT makes far more money for you than the BCS anyway.

On a different note; this week USC coach Tim Floyd resigned his position due to allegations that he paid off the man that directed O.J. Mayo to USC. Floyd is not the first coach that has faced allegations about illegally recruiting players to their schools and he will certainly not be the last. However, it has become a growing trend. In the past couple years, we’ve seen Coach Sampson get caught in Hoosierville, UConn face allegations, new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin face some violations, and now the USC/Floyd scuttlebutt. While there is no one solution, I offer an attempt: lower coach’s salaries. Salaries have become so outrageous that winning has become the sole focus. Developing young men and women has become secondary unfortunately. I know there are still great coaches out there, ones that focus on their kids as much off the field as on it, but the reputation of being a college coach is becoming tarnished.

Talking about salaries…what’s up with the $900,000 one you bring in? You were brought in to restore NCAA academics, you know, being an ex-president of a university and all. However, there have been few changes since you take office to reform GPA standards and eligibility rules. Not exactly earning the living if you know what I mean.

College athletics is supposed to be about promoting purity, fundamentals, and academics. It was never intended to become a minor league system for the pros. While I love seeing my team win as much as the next guy, I want to be able to know what I’m supporting. I understand that this has become a business, but its getting out of hand. Especially since the product, the student-athletes, don’t get any of the cut on this business. Legendary coach John Wooden said that “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” So I hope for some NCAA change

So Mr. Brand, if you feel inspired to make changes and would like to know which University this writer belongs to, it’s Villanova University. If you feel enraged and want to slap down violations on the University to which this writer belongs, I go to St. Joe’s.

Sincerely,
Michael

If you would like to talk some more about this topic or any topic, send me an email at michael.bobich@villanova.edu

THE PRACTICAL SON HAS RETURNED

Once upon a time there was a college basketball player who grew up on the in a gym at Villanova. As he honed his skills under the tutelage of his coach he gained the confidence to go off on his own. This player declared to ascend to the professional ranks a year early. As he tried out for a few professional teams he found that his skills were not worth as much yet as he had thought. After testing the field he decided to come back to that gym he grew up on. He knew that no matter what home had in store for him, it was far better than being spit out the bottom of the NBA. Then one day in the shadows of the Davis Center, the coach saw a silhouette on the horizon. The player had returned home. The coach was even better looking and forgiving than the player could have possibly imagined. The player had made the practical and logical decision to return for another run at the title. They were united once again to accomplish incredible things. The town rejoiced for the practical son had returned.

Villanova star, junior guard Scottie Reynolds is returning to school for his senior season. He once was a Big East Rookie of the Year, then eventually a key leader on a final four team. This season he averaged 15.2 points per game. "The best decision for me is to return to Villanova for my senior year," Reynolds said in a statement released by the school. "I'd like to thank everyone who put their time into helping me get better during these NBA workouts. I especially want to thank my teammates and coaches here for all of their support. I felt like I learned a great deal from this process. "I'm blessed to be in the situation I am in. I'm happy to be back at Villanova."

It was truly a great situation for the young guard. On one hand he was able to try out for seven different NBA teams and receive feedback on different aspects of his game that need improvement. Furthermore he is able to do this in a year that features a very impressive draft class that hopefully will leave the door wide open for him next year.

As Captain Kirk turns to Scottie for more power, more warp speed on Star Trek countless times, our coach Jay Wright turns to Scottie to power the 09 Wildcats to even more success. The Wildcats unfortunately lost great seniors in Cunningham, Anderson and Clark and are going to turn to Reynolds for some much needed leadership. It is comforting to know that Scottie will be manning the furnace room on a ship that contains a lethal crew full of fearsome big men underneath and able marksmen on the perimeter. Luckily for Nova fans the practical son has returned with a desire to journey to the final frontier, the Final Four.

If you would like to talk some more about this topic or any topic, send me an email at nicholas.esposito@villanova.edu

Rare to Impossible

Many measure success historically against milestones. Last Thursday, Randy Johnson joined the 300 win plateau, considered the most praised milestone among hurlers, by pitching a six inning, two-hit gem. Thursday’s decision not only gave Johnson a pass into one of the most elite clubs in all of sports, but punched his ticket to Cooperstown, if he had not already done so. The elite club includes only 24 players, with recent entries including Roger Clemens (2003), Greg Maddux (2004), and Tom Glavine (2007). These entries are the first since 1990, when Nolan Ryan joined, demonstrating the rarity of this feat. However, it’s a feat that’s about to get a whole lot rarer, if not impossible.

The first member of the club was Pud Galvin, who won number 300 in the year 1888. At the time, Benjamin Harrison had just been named the 23rd President of these United States, and people were fearful that, in a decade or so, the streets would be piled feet high with horse…you get the idea. Roughly 120 years later, we have seen 21 more presidents fill the oval office, and are currently trying to fix the pollution disaster that Henry Ford’s horse is creating.

Many changes have taken place in the American pastime as well over these years. At the time of Galvin, pitchers took up only a few spots on the roster. Now, some teams carry as many as 11 or 12 pitchers. In turn, pitchers do not pitch as many innings, giving them less opportunity to earn a decision. Innings pitched has also decreased due to a five-man rotation (starters only manage to take the mound 34 times a year) and the evolution of pitch counts, which limits a starting pitcher’s opportunity to go late into ball games. These changes in the game, changes that are definitely here for the long haul, have limited pitchers chances at reaching the 300 milestone.

Currently the closest suitors are Jamie Moyer (250) and Andy Pettitte (220), however both of them will see their careers end short of this mark. The closest pitcher under the age of 35, is ex-A’s ace and current Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson (146). However, his health will prevent him from coming close. Some have thrown out the name C.C. Sabathia. The new pinstripe ace currently has 122 wins in his pocket at the age of 28. Even with this good jump on the club, Sabathia would have to average 18 wins if he were to pitch ten more years, and 15 wins if he were to pitch until he was 40. No small feat to average 15-18 wins in your 30’s (Greg Maddux is an exception). In essence, a pitcher must average 15 wins over 20 years or 20 wins over 15 years, take your pick. So is the door locked to the club that is the 300 win club? Not necessarily, but the door is extremely hard to open.

This all makes Johnson’s feat last Thursday all the more impressive; especially, since he spent the first half of his career with mediocre Expo and Mariner clubs. Johnson will likely go into Cooperstown, not just on his wins alone, but also on his 4800+ strikeouts and career sub 3.50 earned run average. Not to mention going in as the most physically dominating pitcher perhaps of all-time.

All in all, the 300 win club should start to make its way towards DiMaggio’s streak as one of the hardest things to accomplish in baseball. Oh, and yes Cy Young (511), I think your feat is pretty safe too.

If you would like to talk about sports some more, feel free to contact me at Michael.bobich@villanova.edu

I WENT TO A FIGHT AND A GAME BROKE OUT

Today I wanted to talk about sports altercations. And I am not talking about a “TO-called-me-a-name” type of altercation and certainly not a “Lebron-didn’t-shake-my-hand-after-the-game” spat. I am talking about a sports fight. A fight in which two athletes try and rip into each other like two monkeys into a cupcake. A fight that makes you want to stomp your feet and grunt like Tim Allen. Now in order to talk seriously about sports fights you need to understand the different levels of athletic combat.

First, are the sports that are actually “fighting” sports. Great fighters such as Muhammed Ali and George Foreman were beloved for their ferocity and strength on their quest for the heavyweight title. But contemporary fighters now battle titles such as Junior-light-heavy-featherweight division; just saying it kind of demeans the whole thing. But nowadays even the boxers are not the “fighting” world’s elite. The national craze of ultimate fighting has continued to grow; I mean the name truly says it all. Essentially they grab the scariest men they can, lock them in a steel cage, give them tiny gloves and let them wreak havoc on each other’s bodies until one of them is a breath away from death. I can safely that these 21st-century gladiators get the nod for being the best at sporting altercations.

But let’s get real, that wasn’t much of a contest so let’s examine sports whose function isn’t to bash each other’s skulls in. The four major sports are attractive to fans even without fighting but on the occasion where one breaks out fans don’t seem to be disappointed.

It would surprise many that I have football at the bottom of this list. Yes it is true that football is the most physical of these sports but physical is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about sports fights and unless you go to Miami (FL) or Florida International you don’t have a great deal of football-fighting experiences. This isn’t a knock against football by any means because the players are able to get out their aggressions every play as they pummel each other into the turf.

Baseball on the other hand is not a sport that is steeped in tradition of being a bunch of tough guys. Each fight is nearly identical as a batter blitzes the mound and battles the pitcher. This slap fest leads to a bench-clearing affair in which the cavalry gallops in from the bullpen. Personally baseball fights always give me a little chuckle because it is a bunch of players wearing hats, tight pants and button down shirts fighting each other. Really? But how do these unauthorized slugfests begin. They begin in a way that I do not approve of.

I think that the most cowardly act in all of sports is when a pitcher beams a batter. I understand the need to brush him back to reclaim your real estate on the plate but to belt him in the head is just wrong and lame. If the pitcher wants to beam a batter I think the batter would be justified to bring his bat out to the mound and show him how it works. Let’s see how long the high and tight pitches would last.

Next is basketball, these guys are bigger, stronger and can pack a punch. Needless to say these guys like to take their sporting altercations to an interactive level (citing PACERS-PISTONS). This is something I personally do not condone. The only reason that basketball is #2 is because there is no chance that baseball is climbing any higher than where it is plus the fact that I would put Shaq against any player in Major League Baseball.

Maybe it’s biased, call it hockey elitism but hockey takes the honor of having the best fights. Hockey mixes the intelligence of baseball, physicality of football and athleticism of basketball and turns it into the fastest sport in the world. But it is common that this high-octane game halts for a brief moment to let its athletes’ tempers flare. In hockey they try to take off padding in order to inflict the most pain onto their adversary. They do not fight to throw a hissy fit and it certainly doesn’t begin by a beamed ball. They fight to jump start a comeback, defend a star and send a message.

Now hockey has the best fights in sports but I’m not sure what a hockey player would say if they encountered something like this…a bicycle fight. It is this fight that officially gets the Dishonorable Mention. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET6QGBDzNkQ

If you would like to talk about sports some more, feel free to contact me at Nicholas.esposito@villanova.edu

WELCOME

This is Nick Esposito and along with Michael Bobich we are the hosts of Sports Night. Every week on 89.1 WXVU we bring somewhat-extensive, somewhat-serious coverage of the best and most captivating stories of the sports world. With my worldly renowned technological skills I set up this blog so that you all can get your SportsNight fix the other 6 days of the week. So let’s get right down to it.