Archive for February, 2014

WATERCOOLER CHAT: NO THREE-PEAT FOR SHAUN WHITE, MICHAEL JORDAN’S TWINS

OLYMPICS

The major story line of day was whether or not Shaun White would get his third gold medal in the Snowboard Half Pipe.  This is a huge deal for these snowboarders, as it essentially determines who is the best snowboarding trickster in the world.  Plus, for White, winning this medal allows him to keep and garner more endorsement deals.  Funny how it all comes down to just about 40 seconds of competition.

About a week ago, White hurt his wrist, causing him to drop out of the downhill event.  So he was completely focused and wanted this half pipe win.  But, as you may have heard in the news, the Sochi Olympics conditions haven’t exactly been great.  And many of the snowboarders complained that the half pipe wasn’t up to par, and had some slush and bumps at the bottom.  That significantly can affect their run.

When it was all said and done, Iouri Podladtchikov from Switzerland landed his perfect YOLO twist (which he also invented) and stood in first place.  Unfortunately for White, while his tricks were still dazzling, he just made too many mistakes and didn’t nab a good enough score to even stand on the podium.  It was unfortunate watching someone who is truly magnificent make some mistakes, but that’s why the Olympics are such a big deal.  You have to be perfect in front of the entire world.  White will likely be back in 4 years, and will still likely dominate in competitions for years to come.  But for these Olympics, he wasn’t able to bring home a medal.

BASKETBALL

And in some other “greatness” news, Michael Jordan recently got married again.  Tuesday, his wife, Yvette Prieto Jordan gave birth to twin girls.  Michael Jordan’s sons never really panned out at the collegiate and definitely not at the professional level, but perhaps his daughters will become incredible athletes

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: KANSAS STATE UPSETS BRO, LEBRON DUNKS, NO CREEPY MASCOT

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, all the talk before the season was about the Kansas Jayhawks.  They are loaded with talent, however, they have proven to be beatable.  Currently, they’re ranked at #7 in the country, and had to take in their cross state rival Kansas State Wildcats, who would be trying a little extra hard to take down the Jayhawks.  The Wildcats played superbly, but blew a lead in the end of the game to send it to overtime.  In OT, unranked Kansas State turned it on and were able to upset their big brother rivals.  Come tournament time (yes, March Madness is almost here), it wouldn’t hurt to have Kansas getting upset in your brackets.  Everyone wants to beat these guys.  Kansas State 85, Kansas 82.

Elsewhere, in the NBA, everyone is always egging LeBron James to do the dunk contest.  Clearly he’s one of the game’s best dunkers, and it makes sense that he would show his skills on all-star weekend.  Even Kobe Bryant used to do the dunk contest back in the day.  This year, the dunk contest will feature some solid NBA stars, but no LeBron.  However, we got treated to something special yesterday, when a video was posted on dunking skills that LeBron showcased in a Miami Heat practice.  It was truly amazing — you can see it here:

Finally, in some funny news out of the NBA, there has been a lot of complaints about the New Orleans ‘Pelicans mascot.  People describe him, as… “creepy,  a scary looking bird that is the stuff of horror movies”.  The Pelicans organization have decided to change the mascot’s appearance into something a little more lighthearted, but they decided to have some PR fun with it.  They told fans that the mascot is going to have “reconstructive surgery on his beak”.  You can see the “before” pics here:

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: MICHAEL SAM TELLS WORLD HE’S GAY, RUSSIANS WIN SKATING GOLD, CHEEKS FIRED

 

FOOTBALL

In college football,  Michael Sam, a defensive end at Missouri and NFL Draft Prospect, has come out and told the world he is gay.  This is a big deal, because unlike Jason Collins (former NBA player), who came out at the end of his career, Sam is coming out at the beginning.  He is hoping this admission won’t affect his draft prospects and is career in the NFL.     He said: “It’s a big deal. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be … I want to be a football player in the NFL.” (Los Angeles Times)

OLYMPICS

And in the Olympics, the Russians are off to a great start in skating, as they took home the gold for team figure skating.  This is the first gold for Russia in these games, but they are always strong in figure skating, which dates back at least 50 years.   There is still a long way to go in the skating competition, including the individual and the overall gold medal champion, and there’s a good chance Russia will be standing atop the podium again.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Detroit Pistons were expected to be major competitors in the East coming into the season.  They have two young big guys in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe.  Then they went out and got all-star Josh Smith from Atlanta, and a very good rising-star point guard in Brandon Jennings.  It looked like a fantastic starting line-up.  But, of course, that was only on paper.  In actuality, they are only 21-29, and that’s not acceptable for a franchise that just spent a lot of money trying to become relevant again.  Thus, it was time for head coach Maurice Cheeks to go.  The Pistons gave him his pink slip over the weekend, hoping that they can find a new guy to turn things around.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: SEAHAWKS CANCEL SCHOOL FOR PARADE, BAMA GETS RECRUITS, SCHILLING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, Seattle Seahawks fans are still rejoicing after the city’s first Super Bowl win.  The Seahawks were not much of a threat for most of their existence.  They had a nice spurt in the middle of the last decade, even making a Super Bowl appearance before falling short.  But this year looked to be their year, and, of course, it was.  So Wednesday, an estimated 700,000 people showed up for the victory parade in Seattle.  That is a lot of people in a confined area.  Reportedly, teachers were even cancelling classes to make the the historic event.  It was practically a state holiday in Seattle.  And, Super Bowl MVP, Malcolm Smith also took to the streets (of Disney world)  for his well deserved parade.

And in college football, Wednesday was signing day, where some of the top recruits in the country pick their schools.  They usually wind up picking the bigger name schools, and this year was no different, as experts say that Alabama boasts the top class this year.  They even plucked one of Auburn’s star recruits, Rashaan Evans, who went to Auburn High School.   He said that Alabama was the best school because he liked their academic program as well as their football program.  Alabama wound up signing 5 out of the 18 recruits.  Look out  for ‘Bama next year — this program isn’t taking any steps back.

BASEBALL

Finally, in some sad news, beloved Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer.  Schilling is known for his acute knowledge of the sport of baseball.  He used to take a Peyton Manning like preparation to his game, even keeping his own spreadsheet of what pitches he threw to what batters. He has been an excellent baseball analyst on ESPN, and everyone is hoping he makes a speedy recovery.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: MCGRADY WANTS TO PITCH, JAMEIS WINSTON BASEBALL ALL-AMERICAN, #1 DRAFT NEWS

BASEBALL

In some interesting news, former NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady may be done with his basketball career, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with sports as a whole.  It appears that McGrady is going to follow in Michael Jordan’s footsteps and try his hand at baseball.  On top of that, McGrady wants to try pitching and is even working with Roger Clemens.  McGrady may get a shot with an independent baseball team in Texas called the Sugarland Skeeters.  It’s unlikely he will be pitching for the Yankees anytime soon, but over time, you never know. McGrady has said that he is taking this seriously — it’s not a gimmick.

In some other baseball news, current Heisman Trophy champion Jameis Winston has been named a pre-season baseball All-American.  Winston is pitching for the Florida State Seminoles, and had a decent year relief pitching last year with a 3.00 ERA.  He will definitely get the media attention that Florida State would like, and if he turns out to be really good, we might have our first double-sport athlete since Deion Sanders.  Winston will likely enter the NFL Draft after next season, but until then, he’s going to do his best to win some baseball games.

FOOTBALL

Finally, in some NFL Draft news, the Houston Texans are very interested in taking a quarterback with their #1 overall pick.  Sources say that they are choosing between UCF quarterback Blake Bortles, who rose to prominence after defeating Baylor in a BCS Bowl, or Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel.  Manziel  (or Johnny football as he’s sometimes called) is the hometown pick, as Houston would love to have a real Texan as a Texan.  But there are a lot of questions surrounding his height.  Then again, those same questions were asked about Russell Wilson at only 5’11, but he just won the Super Bowl.  Manziel would be the good PR pick, but Bortles might be the safer option.  Then again, a lot can change between now and May.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: SUPER BOWL A SUPER BLOWOUT, MALCOLM SMITH GOING TO DISNEYWORLD, BRUNO TERRIFIC

FOOTBALL

The game felt over after the first 12 seconds. In the first snap of the game, the Broncos’ center flipped the ball over Peyton Manning’s head and the Bronco’s recovered in their own endzone for a safety giving the Seahawks 2 points and the ball back. After that, the game felt over. The Seahawks  went on to score 36 consecutive points in the opening of the game. Down 22-0 at halftime, it still felt as if Manning and the Broncos could make an historic push back, but then Seattle’s Percy Harvin returned the kickoff for a touchdown and the game was essentially over. Everyone will be talking about Manning’s legacy and whether he’ll retire. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s upsetting to think this might be Manning’s last game. He said it best, “To finish this way is very disappointing.  It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”  Super Bowl XLVIII is tied for third largest win in Super Bowl history. Seattle 43, Broncos 8. 

Clearly, the Seahawks’ defense did not disappoint and fittingly, Malcolm Smith, Seattle’s linebacker, won the most valuable player. He intercepted Manning for a pick six, recovered a fumble,  and had nine tackles among his incredible plays . He is only one of three linebackers to win the MVP award.  Within seconds of the end of the game, cameras approached Smith and and he answered the question asked in the most iconic SuperBowl ad in decades,  “I’m going to Disneyworld”.  Smith will go to Orlando on Monday and march down main street in a hero’s parade.

Of course the Super Bowl isn’t just about football, it’s about the halftime show and the commercials. I wasn’t particularly impressed with any commercials but thought Bruno Mars was terrific as the halftime performer. His singing, drum playing, dancing, and choreography felt a bit retro compared to other halftime shows, but for me, it was true quality entertainment.

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