Man U wins…in pointless fashion

THe UEFA Champions League Championship game was a hard fought 120 minutes of futbol and showcased some of the best talent in the world.  Manchester United eventually came out on top, but really didn’t prove they were the better team.

After the second overtime period, it was one to one on the scoreboard.  I was prepared to grab a snack and come back to watch the third overtime.  Instead, I was shocked, utterly shocked, when the teams were lining up for a shootout!  What the hell kind of a way is that to end the championship game in the world’s most popular sport?  It basically just shows which team is going to be more lucky on that given day.  Man U only won because the 5th and final shooter for Chelsea slipped and fell while he was attempting to shoot the winning goal and the ball hit the wrong side of the post and didn’t go in.  A couple shooters later the Man U goalie stopped a shot and it was all over.

To me, this is so ridiculous that this game went into a shootout.  What is the point to having a shootout when for 120 minutes both teams have competed so strongly.  If the game hasn’t been decided in 120 minutes, let them keep playing!  These elite athletes don’t want to kick from a few yards from the goalie five times and see who makes more goals.  Instead, they’d probably rather fight it out on the whole pitch until someone finally scores another goal.  This is even worse than the PGA Players Championship where the first playoff hole was the 17th, which has the island green.  A sporting even of such stature, like the Champions League’s last game, should be played out until the best team emerges victorious.

Red Sox Young Pitcher Continues to Inspire

On Monday night a young Boston RedSox pitcher threw his way into the record books after pitching a no-hitter on 130 pitches with nine strikeouts and just two walks.

No hitters are always impressive whenever they happen, and it takes a special performance on a special night to ever accomplish this task.  Monday night’s situation, however, is extra special because Lester, a 24 year-old left hander, battled and beat cancer in 2006 and 2007.  And, while the fight against cancer and the long road to rejuvenating your life after it never ends, this young man is able to play baseball at the highest level throwing mid-90 mph fastballs! 

This is a fantastic story and accomplishment for Lester and in the MLB, but in the realm of cancer patients and survivors it serves as a tale of inspiration that is sure to give some patients the strength to figher harder to overcome a dyer situation.  In my opinion, cancer fighters and their families are some of the toughest people in the world.  Just think if the general population, most of whom don’t have a life-threatening illess, worked that hard in everyday life…what a great world in which we’d live.  After seeing someone, Lester, rise from that illness to become an elite athlete, it puts a lot of things in perspective.  His no-hitter might be one of the most important sporting occurences ever, especially when you think about the off-field influence it may have.

Virginia Tech Anniversary

One year later. There are a lot of articles out there about what this day means to people all over the country. To me, however, this day begins and ends at Virginia Tech. We should be focusing our attention on remembering those who were killed one year ago. We should be focusing on the feeling of safety that was fractured on that day. I write this particular article in a classroom similar to those that the event took place. As I sit here, I cannot imagine what the feeling would be like to see someone do what that man did. At the least, the victims deserve to not be forgotten. They deserve our attention to be focused not on other possible tragedies but the one that actually occurred.

It is rather disturbing that it takes a tragedy like this to get the cities and the campuses to take action. Days after the event, campuses around the country were cracking down on emergency systems. An overreaction, in my opinion, as I still do not believe there is much that the officials could have done. Days after the event, students around the country, including me, were glued to CNN and other news services to find out any information on why someone would do this. Days after the event, people wanted to know what actions would be taken to prevent this from happening again. Here in Madison, a girl was recently murdered a few blocks from where I live. Days after that tragedy, police were seen everywhere. There were four to a corner, six to a block, and 15 to a neighborhood. The point is that no matter how many police we have roaming the streets now, we cannot go back and prevent the murder from occurring. The safety we hold so dear is only protected after a tragedy. It is not enough to be prepared after a tragedy. Cities and campuses must be prepared before a tragedy. That is much easier said than done.

I have digressed from the main point of this post. This is a day for remembrance. It is a reminder that life can be taken away so quickly. It is a reminder of the disaster that can strike. Finally, it is a reminder of how we, as a society or student body, can come together and be one to celebrate life as a daily routine, rather than wait to come together to mourn death.

April Fools Day!

It’s April 1st and most people probably do not realize why this is such a special day. Well, I did some great research (mostly on Wikipedia) to find out how this day became. It is not exactly clear how the day started. The near holiday was a custom in Scotland in the 18th century known as “hunting the gowk.” A gowk somehow compares to “cuckoo” or fools. Another connection is by the French back in the 16th century who were pioneers in making January 1st the official “New Year’s Day.” Those who did not agree and stuck with the belief of the new year starting on April 1st were subject to the amusement of mock gifts and other jokes by those who knew the “truth.”

There are other possibilities, but whatever the reason it is easily the dumbest thing we celebrate right? Nobody ever does anything anyway, or do they…

- In April of 1998 an Alabama newspaper claimed that the value of pi was being changed from 3.14 to 3.

- Taco Bell claimed to have purchased the Liberty Bell in 1998 and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell:

- A Dutch television station claimed that the Tower of Pisa had falling over. Kinda mean if you ask me.

- A San Francisco radio station changed it’s format to “the best 15 seconds of every song.”

- Finally, and my favorite concerns Burger King. They ran an ad saying that people could order a “left-handed whopper” whose condiments would drip out the right side. The crazy part is that many people specifically asked for the “old” right-handed burgers on that day.

Okay, enough fun. It’s time for me to move on and create some shenanigans around here!

All research was seriously done on Wikipedia. So, go there for a more complete analysis.

April Fools Day!

It’s April 1st and most people probably do not realize why this is such a special day. Well, I did some great research (mostly on Wikipedia) to find out how this day became. It is not exactly clear how the day started. The near holiday was a custom in Scotland in the 18th century known as “hunting the gowk.” A gowk somehow compares to “cuckoo” or fools. Another connection is by the French back in the 16th century who were pioneers in making January 1st the official “New Year’s Day.” Those who did not agree and stuck with the belief of the new year starting on April 1st were subject to the amusement of mock gifts and other jokes by those who knew the “truth.”

There are other possibilities, but whatever the reason it is easily the dumbest thing we celebrate right? Nobody ever does anything anyway, or do they…

- In April of 1998 an Alabama newspaper claimed that the value of pi was being changed from 3.14 to 3.

- Taco Bell claimed to have purchased the Liberty Bell in 1998 and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell:

- A Dutch television station claimed that the Tower of Pisa had falling over. Kinda mean if you ask me.

- A San Francisco radio station changed it’s format to “the best 15 seconds of every song.”

- Finally, and my favorite concerns Burger King. They ran an ad saying that people could order a “left-handed whopper” whose condiments would drip out the right side. The crazy part is that many people specifically asked for the “old” right-handed burgers on that day.

Okay, enough fun. It’s time for me to move on and create some shenanigans around here!

All research was seriously done on Wikipedia. So, go there for a more complete analysis.

Woods for President

Literally… If Tiger Woods was running for President of the United States, I would vote for him.

Most people know Tiger Woods because of his name and due to the success he has had, and is having, on the golf course…after all, he hadn’t lost in a tournament in over six months until Sunday. He also is third all-time with 64 career PGA Tour victories. Aside from golf, many know him from various commercials and advertisements he has appeared in throughout is illustrious career. So why the hell would I want some 30-something year old golfer/model/spokesperson running the United States of America? It’s simple really…

First of all, TW attended Stanford University as a young lad instead of jumping right to the PGA Tour where he could have had immediate success. Instead, he showed patience and maturity by trying the college thing for a time…and I don’t hear anyone faulting him for continuing with a career as a golfer instead of a physician or lawyer.

Secondly, he’s basically Barack Obama in a red shirt, a minority in society who grew up from the streets to make something of himself. However, instead of using a political platform to preach national unity and health, Tiger does it by earning and donating millions of dollars to charities and foundations to make the country a better place. We see these efforts within the Tiger Woods Foundation, which is giving youth in America more opportunities every year to succeed and become what they want to be. I’m fairly certain that no other American athlete donates more money to benefit society than Tiger Woods…what a wonderful country we would have if all professional athletes were like that.

Finally, in my opinion, he already is the face of this country. I would bet money that more people in this country could recognize a picture of Tiger Woods than one of any one of the last three U.S. Presidents. Also, I would venture to say that Tiger Woods’ approval rating is supremely higher than that of any U.S. President in the history of the country!

Now, I understand that he hasn’t had to make important decisions that affect the entire country; however, I can honestly say I would be comfortable with him making those decisions based off the success he has brought to the Tiger Woods Foundation and just generally how he lives his life. I can’t think of a better human being I’d rather have running America than Eldrick (Tiger) Woods.

A rebuttal…

In light of Scott’s interesting post, I thought some clarification was needed on this topic. In other words, I don’t know what the hell he is talking about when he says the NBA is better than college basketball. All you need to realize is what Scott says in his post: the NBA regular season means nothing, especially since it’s so long. In college basketball, the best teams are supposed to win almost every game they play throughout the season. This just makes for such a great competitive atmosphere in so many of the games. And, the different conference rivalries are another great part of the regular season. Every year I can’t wait for Big Ten basketball to start up!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the NBA and can name at least 7 players on every roster in the league. Yes, the players are better, the shot clock is shorter, and there aren’t as many three pointers made. However, who wants to watch a group of multi-millionaires walk the ball up and down the floor and run high pick-and-rolls all day?? There is a reason the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are fun to watch…it’s because they play like many college teams; they run the ball down the floor in transition and create open three pointers for their teammates. The Suns are in the NBA and shoot a ton of three pointers too! It’s not fair to criticize college basketball players for shooting so many, especially when the arc is too close (I agree that it should be pushed back). Also, to go along with my ‘multi-millionaire’ comment, NBA players are often times un-coachable. The college game is so highly influenced by coaching and getting guys to play together as a team. This is why teams like the Badgers can be so great with no all-americans on the team!

The last comparison I wish to make is that of the post-season dynamics of each the NBA and NCAA. Both the NBA’s playoffs and the NCAA’s conference tournaments coupled with the NCAA Tournament are incredible viewing experiences with hardly a dull moment. While I think Scott and I agree that college basketball has the best format for deciding a national champion in comparison with any other sport, we can’t discount the NBA’s format at all. To be a champion in that league you must win 4 seven game series’ in a relatively short time! Talk about fatigue! It just proves how extremely athletic and talented NBA players are, and it showcases the competitive effort of the league to all it’s fans…proving how the “40 games in 40 nights” slogan really fits well.

In sum, the NCAA College Basketball season and post-season tournament together are truly more entertaining and worthy of watching on a nightly basis as compared to its professional counterpart. What does it for me is that when March rolls around, a team must win 6 straight do-or-die games in the Big Dance in order to call themselves champions. On this topic, Scott, it is I who knows what is up!

Legend vs. Legend

Over the weekend the two greatest players to ever play the game of tennis collided. Their presence on the professional tour came one after the other. Pete Sampras retired around the same time that the current number 1 Roger Federer was on the rise. Because of this, the last two decades have had a dominant player.

These two players careers have some similar traits. Both of them have big serves. Both use one-handed backhands. Both have very complete games. Sampras had a rival in Andre Agassi while Federer has a rival in Rafael Nadal. The difference? Sampras and Agassi are both Americans while Federer and Nadal are both from two different European nations. This, my friends, is my number one reason why many casual sports fans could not put a face to the name Roger Federer. Back when Sampras was a big name in the tennis world everyone knew who he was, and everyone knew when Agassi was his opponent. Nowadays, the fact is, Federer does not get the same type of publicity that those guys did and why not? Well, the big reason I’ve mentioned is that he is a foreign player so those in America do not get exposed to his brilliance.

A big reason why many fans will tell you that Federer is not as popular as Sampras once was is his personality. I do not agree with this at all. Federer and Sampras are very similar in this respect. On the court, neither of these players ever showed much emotion. Federer fixes his hair sometimes; Sampras is known for his mouth open approach. Federer doesn’t talk much to the media; Sampras is known for being very shy and his avoidance of the media. The fact is that neither of these guys have the charisma of Andre Agassi, yet one of these men is put on a pedestal with fans while the other, Federer, is talked down about his personality or lack thereof.

The match itself must have been great. Two of the game’s greats together on the same court. I respect both these players and have always loved to watch them play. (Even though I was an Agassi guy, sorry!) For those who loved Sampras so much, let us realize that he and Federer are not so different after all.

Photo: (AP Photo/Ed Betz)

Springin’ Forward

I wake up this morning to the time of 9:00am and think “Okay, I should get up soon, but I’ll relax for a little bit.” Well, 9:15 rolls around and that’s when I realize I didn’t switch my clock and it is now 10:15! I understand the reasoning behind the switching (I guess), but I wonder why we have to make it happen on Saturday night. My plan = Friday night!

Listen, it bothers less people! For those going to church, especially at 8am masses, that gives them a day to prepare for losing that hour of sleep. (Although, those who go to 8am masses probably don’t care as much as others about losing that hour of sleep) For people who simply want to sleep, Saturday usually isn’t a very productive day anyway for most people in college or around that age. Hence, the idea of losing the hour on Saturday so Sunday doesn’t get all screwed up! It is really hard to catch up on this sleep by the start of the work week. That hour will most likely cause a massive decrease in grades across the country, efficiency at the office, and fatigue at the big game for your favorite team.

All I’m saying is that there are too many consequences for this Sunday Spring. Move it back and all can be right in the world.

P.S. If that aroma/light up alarm clock actually wakes anyone up I’d love to know. The product has been in SkyMall for something like 29 years. Nobody can wake up to lights coming on slowly! It cannot be done!

Introduction

Allow myself to introdue…myself…

Hello all! I’m Dan and my esteemed colleague is Scott. We’re comin at you from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. We wanted to take a minute to introduce ourselves so you know a little bit about the crazy guys you’ll be listening to!

Dan: Hailing from suburban Minneapolis this UW Junior is an imagintive, easy-going Pisces who likes to argue about any and every issue on the table. He believes himself to be a comic genius and can freak out at any given time. He closely follows many sports and teams but notes UW-Madison college sports and Minnesota professional sports (Twins, Wolves, Vikings, Wild) as his priorities. He also enjoys romantic dinners for two, which I’m sure his long-time girlfriend loves!

Scott: This Detroit native, a sophomore at UW, is a skilled sportscaster here in Madison and enjoys debating about sports, pop culture and politics. He loves to talk about his beloved Detroit sports teams (Pistons and Wings), especially when they’re among the best in the league. He enjoys long walks in the park, spontaneous dance breaks, and dreamy dates at his favorite food joints in town.

Together their UW Tennis Club team won the USTA Midwest Conferenece Tournament earning a bid to the National Championships in Cary, NC. The team was captained by Dan, and Scott paved the way for team success excelling in both singles and doubles; however, they both agree that without their superior teammates, none of it would have been possible. Congrats to UW Tennis Club!

There it is….us. That’s who we are. We know what’s up.