Quantcast

Archive for February, 2009

The Weekend Connect - Feb 27

Feb 27

Posted by Blake Murphy in Blake Murphy, Extra Content | No Comments

The Weekend Connect is a weekly round-up piece I’m going to be experimenting with, recapping the week past (ODC articles, links from around the internet, etc) and pointing you in the direction of the weekend ahead. Feedback on what you would like to see included would be appreciated.

Favorite Links (in no specific order)
Jennifer Jones Heating Up Curling Rinks and warming my heart. I love you Jennifer. Xoxoxo.
Beyond OPS, Including Double Plays, Etc - I didn’t love or hate this article, but it’s nice to see someone statisticizing (huh?) my constant sentiment – a strikeout is no more harmful than a ground out or fly out, so get off Adam Dunn already. On the real, a ground out can lead to a double play, but a strikeout can’t advance a runner…it’s probably a wash overall, but don’t hate on the K!
Orlando Hudson a Great Signing for Dodgers. Well, obviously, he’s the man, and they got him cheap because of the market. I’d imagine he’ll parlay this deal into more dollars in a stronger market, but for now I’ll enjoy seeing my boy O-Dogg on a winner.
The NFL Has Taken to Cutting Big-Name Players and it makes good financial sense. Maybe even good football sense. But it can suck from a fan’s perspective (see: Freddy Taylor, sighhh).
Darius Miles, Feel Good Story. Who would have thought the retired actor (Van Wilder, The Perfect Score) would make it big as a baler. Seriously though, he’s always been one of my favorites and everyone hated him, now we can share the love. Next, a Ricky Davis reclamation!
The Jays Won’t Trade Roy Halladay - yet, warns Jayson Stark. More on this from me next week.
Bill Simmons Spent Deadline Day with B-Dizzle and man, what a sad situation he’s in – one of the league’s most entertaining players without motivation and without the tools around him.
Exploring the 2008 v. 2007 Draft Classes - I think everybody knew this already, but it’s nice to see it confirmed in numbers.
Can Michael Lewis Make Me a Better Pick-Up Ball Player? This author says no, but I see a lot of myself in Battier (right down to the enormous head).
Anthony Randolph is a Future Star and I must admit, I was wrong. I hated this kid coming out of LSU, thought he needed more time in college and would be quick to be labeled a bust. I was wrong, I like him a lot, I admit it.

What to Watch More after the jump!

Arab Money - Video of the Day

Feb 27

Posted by Blake Murphy in Extra Content, NBA Ball | No Comments

Sick song, sick baller, sick moves. Enjoy.

UFC 97 in Montreal in Question

Feb 26

Posted by Matt Murphy in Matt Murphy, MMA | No Comments

UFC 83 set a landmark for Canada; for the first time, Dana White, alongside Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre and other top level fighters, brought the UFC to The Bell Centre in Montreal. It seemed the entire city came out to watch as the sellout crowd (including me) lined up for what seemed like forever. After a great night of fights and excitement, it finally concluded with Georges “Rush” St. Pierre redeeming his recent loss of the Welterweight Title, as he won his belt back from Matt Serra. In an interview afterward, Dana White said that he had never heard a crowd as loud as when the official decision was announced by Bruce Buffer. It seemed like this would spark a new reign of sports entertainment in Canada.

However, after an altercation at a recent Titan Fighting event, The QAC (Quebec Athletic Commission) has been trying to change the regulations of mixed martial arts, and therefore, the rules governing the UFC for their next trip to Canada. At the Titan Fighting show, a gentlemen’s contract was issued to the fighters. The contract stated that the fighters were to keep all fights standing along with other small changes to the regular MMA rules. It seems somebody decided to neglect one fighter, as James Thompson shot for a take down instantly in the main event. The crowd rioted and charged the cage as the two fighters (Thompson and Steve Bosse) and referee Yves Lavigne ran. After this debacle, the QAC underwent a process to try and change their rules. The new set of rules excluded elbows, knees and takedowns, and may even regulate cage sizes moving forward. The QAC has notified the board of directors of the UFC that in order to hold UFC 97 at the Bell Centre as planned, they would have to comply with these new rules, or there would be no show.
More after the jump!

How I Made the Final Four

Feb 26

Posted by Blake Murphy in Baseball, Blake Murphy, Extra Content, Football, Hockey, NBA Ball, Outside Writing | No Comments

Remember how last week I was in the first leg of a sports debating tournament? (A refresher.) Well, devoid of a finished article and the motivation to hammer one out, I decide to copy and paste my debates from that event. I won my region and will participate in the Final Four sometime in the future. I’m not saying I debated well in any of these cases, and it was a poor format (it has since been revised for the remaining regions), but here they are.
More after the jump!

Which Trick Shot is Better - Video of the Day

Feb 26

Posted by Blake Murphy in Extra Content, NBA Ball | No Comments

You tell me, which is better…
Dwight’s…

Or LeBron’s…

Credit: BDL

Peyton and Marvin; Where Do They Stand?

Feb 25

Posted by john-heymans in Football, John Heymans | No Comments

It’s a sad day in Indianapolis today as the Colts have released one of the all-time great wide receivers in Marvin Harrison. Marvin has worn the Indianapolis white and blue since 1996 and has been one of the league’s best wideouts from then until now. Part of the reason Harrison has become one of the leagues superstars is due to the guy throwing him the passes. Peyton Manning was drafted first overall by the Colts in 1998 and he formed an immediate chemistry with Harrison.
More after the jump!

Tiger Woods - The Robot Returns

Feb 25

Posted by geoff-frigault in Geoff Frigault, Other Topics | No Comments

That’s right. Today signifies the day that the God of Golf returns to his throne. The robot I refer to is, of course, Tiger Woods.

Just to clear things up, I’m calling him The Robot because it’s true, he’s a robot. He started out as the new hot golfer but people were slowly starting to catch on to the truth. He was designed by the PGA to add some zing to the TOUR, which he has successfully done.

Eight months ago, however, the PGA dealt with the fact that he was winning too much. The PGA tried to deal with it via a less than drastic measure - by taking out some screws in his knee and messing with the wiring, but he still came out on top in the U.S. open, so more drastic measures were being considered. He ended his season early to have work done on his knee (read: re-programming), and conveniently had a kid over this time (read: test-tube baby). Shameless acts by the PGA to make him look more “real,” but now, he returns…
More after the jump!

Weave Saves Woman's Life - Video of the Day

Feb 25

Posted by Blake Murphy in Extra Content | No Comments

Free hat to whoever can come up with something to make this sports related.

Spring Training Notes: Unintentional Jays Humor Edition

Feb 24

Posted by Blake Murphy in Baseball, Blake Murphy | No Comments

So, I couldn’t find a Blue Jays topic that could keep my interest for 500 words. Today, instead, you get a few small Toronto Blue Jays spring training notes and opinions.

Vernon Wells Out a Month
And you were ready to jump when Mike Maroth’s MRI came back iffy! Well, V-Dub is out a month with a strained left hamstring. There are a few ways to look at this. Pro: The season opener (April 6) is about six weeks away, which means Vernon should be back in time. Con: The rest of your spring training coverage will include speculation about Vernon’s health. Pro: He’s a slow starter anyways (.769 career April OPS vs. an .812 career overall OPS) so this shouldn’t hold him back too much. Con: He’s already a slow starter, so this could mean a disastrous first half. Pro: Extra spring work for Lind, Rios, and Snider in the outfield. Con: Those three could combine for 100 HR and the Jays aren’t making the playoffs. The point here, of course, is that we always go through this with Vernon and the Jays - consider this your own personal spring training as you get ready to deal with minor injuries and minor disappointments all summer.
More after the jump!

The OKC Thunder Bandwagon: Everybody Hop On

Feb 24

Posted by john-heymans in John Heymans, NBA Ball | No Comments

As sports fans we are all guilty of hopping on a bandwagon at some point in our spectating career. Maybe it was watching the young Tampa Bay Rays make a run at the World Series last year, which most people and so-called experts would have thought was impossible. Some of you might have hopped on the New England Patriots bandwagon during the early part of this decade to cheer for a franchise that was as close to being a championship dynasty as we have seen in a long time. Maybe some of you hop on teams’ bandwagons just because of certain players that you love, like the Cleveland Cavaliers because of LeBron James or the Washington Capitals because of Alexander Ovechkin. What I am getting at here is that it doesn’t matter why you hop on to a team’s bandwagon, but that we are all guilty of doing so.

For those of you who are still living in denial and swear that you have never hopped on a bandwagon, let me educate you on the definition of “hopping on the bandwagon.” Hopping on the Bandwagon, can be closely related to opportunism, as more people come to believe in something, others will follow and hop on regardless of how they might have previously felt.

Now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Oklahoma City Thunder and their bandwagon, which, trust me, has plenty of room for us all to hop on. Some of you might be wondering why I would talk to you about hopping on to the bandwagon of a team who is currently 13-43. My response to you would be that yes, usually the term hopping on the bandwagon refers to cheering for a team because they are winning. But this one is different, because people are going to hop on this team’s bandwagon regardless. Not only are they becoming one of the NBA’s most exciting teams to watch, but they are also on the verge of being a monster franchise within the next five years.
More after the jump!