January 11th update

Wednesday spotlight: Lionel Messi

• Here at Sportico, we've recently been made aware that a good portion of the world refers to football as a game primarily played with your feet instead of your hands; a game which Americans know as soccer. To this point, the best soccer player in the world is a diminutive Argentinian named Lionel Messi so we're going to do our best to highlight his career so far.
• Messi has won the last 3 Player of the year honors in EuroCup play after scoring a staggering 37, 48 and 53 goals respectively the last 3 seasons. He also led his team in scoring in all 3 Champions league finals that Barcelona won under his leadership and the team has won 5 La Liga (the main league in Spain) titles as well. None of these honors come close to having your very own Sportico spotlight but they're none too shabby.
• Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Soon aftewards, he became a member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine ever to play in the World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa America tournament the following year. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics he won his first international honor, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentinian team.
• For those of you wondering why he plays internationally for Argentina but for a Spanish team in league play, it's simple: Europe is where the (soccer) money and prestige is just as America is with basketball.


Skier in coma after fall

• Sarah Burke, a 29 year old Canadian freestyle skier with eight Winter X game medals to her name is in a coma after a fall during a training run in Utah. According to Canadian team CEO Peter Judge, "It wasn't anything that looked like a catastrophic fall, so I'm a bit mystified," but nonetheless she is currently not conscious and is under observation after the training accident that occurred after a trick.
• Burke has won an ESPY for best female athlete and additionally was the first woman ever to land a triple spin (or 1080) in a competition. With halfpipe making its debut in the 2014 Winter Olympics she was considered one of the early favorites and may still be, depending on how bad her long term prognosis ends up being following this accident.
• Her husband, skier Rory Bushfield, and Burke’s mother are trying to find someone willing to let them use a private jet to shorten the travel time to Salt Lake City. "Sarah is a very, very strong human and she will be fine," Bushfield said in a statement. We hope he is correct and that this incident will be nothing more than a footnote during Burke's competition at the 2014 Olympics.


Boring Title Game leads to Questions

• The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the LSU Tigers 21-0 in Monday night’s NCAA Football Championship game. While there game was slightly higher scoring than the first game, the level of offensive play was still atrocious, especially from the #1 and undefeated LSU squad.
• The lack of offense was probably due in large part to the talent both teams had on defense. Until the final minutes of the game, LSU was able to hold Alabama to multiple field goal tries and the Alabama defense, which has been historically good, made the LSU offense look silly, keeping them off of their side of the field until well into the 3rd quarter. Both defenses have a plethora of future NFL players on their roster and were able to shut down the opposing offenses that averaged 30+ points a game this season.
• This victory throws the BSC championship into major question. While Alabama won the national championship game, LSU ended the season with one additional victory (13 to 12), a conference championship (Alabama didn't even play in the SEC championship game) and a victory earlier in the year against Alabama. The Associated Press (who have the second most widely recognized poll) gave Alabama their #1 spot by a wide margin but LSU or even Oklahoma State could stake claim to the top spot given the vague standards used to determine who is best.

November 23rd update

Baseball Awards Announced

• About a month after the baseball season ends the major awards – MVP (for best player) and Cy Young Award (for best pitcher) in each league are announced as well as the rookie of the year and manager of the year. The most talked about winner this year was Justin Verlander in the American League. Verlander became the first pitcher in any league to win both the Cy Young and MVP since Dennis Eckersley won it in 1992 and the first starter since Roger Clemens in 1986 since Eckersley was a relief pitcher.
• The National League Cy Young was awarded to Clayton Kershaw. The Ace of the LA Dodgers has overcome some serious off-field distractions from his owner to pitch a fantastic season winning 21 games. The NL MVP was awarded to Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Ryan Braun. The Hammerin Hebrew won in an upset over Kershaw’s Dodger teammate Matt Kemp. The Brewers won their division this year, which is generally a help to a player in the MVP race. Braun’s teammate Prince Fielder finished second in the voting. The Tampa Bay Rays swept the other awards with Starting Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and manager Joe Maddon winning the Rookie of the year and Manager of the year respectively. In the National League, Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson took the top spots.
• Baseball also announced a minor change to their post season. They will award an additional wild card spot (2 instead of the current 1) starting next season, in each league. The two wildcards will play each other in a one-game playoff game. The winner will continue on to play according to the current format.


More tragic news in the world of sports

• As touched on in our Monday update, Arkansas TE Garrett Uekman was found dead in his apartment this weekend. Uekman’s is one of four sudden deaths to figures in the sports world in the past few days.
• Oklahoma State Universities head women’s basketball coach, and one his top assistants were killed in a plane crash on Thursday night. Kurt Budke and his deputy Miranda Serna were killed when their plane crashed into a Wildlife Management Area west of Little Rock. The planes pilot and another passenger were also on board and killed in the accident.
• Seattle Mariners 24-year old outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death on Rotterdam in his home country of the Netherlands. His brother is being held in relation to the murder. Halman was a young prospect who had played 44 games in the major leagues. He was also part of the 2009 Netherlands team that played in the World Baseball Classic (Baseball’s version of the World Cup).


Thanksgiving Weekend Football Matchups

• Turkey Day Games: 3 Fantastic NFL Games headline the Thursday games this week in the NFL. First, the shockingly competitive Detroit Lions take on the undefeated defending champion Green Bay Packers. The Lions, coming off of a big comeback win, look to continue their fantastic season against the best team in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys look to continue a 3-game winning streak against the Miami Dolphins in the Thursday afternoon game. The Thursday night game features a sibling rivalry between the San Fransisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
• College game of the week: after the major shakeup at the top of the BCS Standings this past weekend, the #1 LSU Tigers take on the #3 Arkansas Razerbacks. If LSU wins they’re all but guaranteed a shot at the National Championship game. If the Razorbacks win, then it will be a 3 way tie between those two teams and Alabama. If that happens, the lowest ranked team in BCS standings will be eliminated and then the winner of the head to head between the last two will win the SEC East. The full process is explained here, but it seems sketchy, as some of the involved coaches can make anonymous votes that actually affect the results of the poll.

November 14th update

MLB player Ramos endures kidnapping ordeal

• Towards the end of last week, a shocking development hit the world of sports as Washington Nationals Catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted from outside his home in Venezuela. Ramos, 24, had a promising rookie season and had just returned to Venezuela to play in a winter league.
• He was whisked away to a secluded area in the mountains that Ramos admitted he thought was too remote for him to be found and rescued. The kidnappers, apparently Colombian, only told him that he was going to be ransomed for a lot of money. Kidnapping of high profile targets is a growing business in parts of Central and South America and in Venezuela, many such potential targets employ full time bodyguards (according to FOXnews).
• Gladly, this story has a happy ending as Venezuelan police conducted an airborne raid and exchanged gunfire with his abductors, only 48 hours after he Ramos was taken. The raid ended with four of the kidnappers being arrested and four more apparently being searched for by police. As for the shellshocked but incredibly grateful Ramos, he's now safely back in the arms of his loved ones.
• While he didn't endure any physical injuries, Ramos readily admitted that he's sustained plenty of emotional damage. We can only hope that he recovers fully and that local and federal police can get a better handle on the kidnapping trade to keep not only athletes, but the general populations of these areas safer in the future.


College Football standings endure major shake up

• The BCS title picture is beginning to clear up some thanks to a few games on Saturday. The Oklahoma State Cowboys absolutely obliterated a pretty decent Texas Tech team 66-6. It was the biggest defeat in school history for Texas Tech, the team who only a few weeks earlier, gave Oklahoma their only loss. Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden threw for 423 yards and 5 touchdowns and helped his school to their first ever 10-0 start.
• #4 Stanford was not so "Luck-y," losing 53-30 to last year's national runner up Oregon. Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck who was considered a massive favorite going into the game, might now face some competition in the form of Weeden, Alabama RB Trent Richardson and Oregon RB LaMichael James who blistered the Cardinal for 146 yards and 3 TDs on only 20 carries.
• Oregon will almost certainly play in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game in early December and has only lost twice since their opening game in 2009 against Boise State (when current NFL player LaGarrette Blount was so frustrated that he punched a Boise player in the face after the game).
• Those same Boise State Broncos saw their BCS title chances vanish on a missed field goal for the second straight season. Last year it was a missed FG at Nevada with 1 second left and Boise went on to lose in OT. This season, they trailed TCU (probably the best rivalry the casual fan hasn't heard of this past decade) 36-35 but had a chance to win with a 39 yard field goal. But it was pushed right and Boise was once again left to wonder if they had given away a chance at a title game or if finishing yet another season undefeated would even matter with richer teams from bigger conference generally getting preferential treatment in the Title Game.
• Now it comes down to whether or not LSU and Oklahoma State can win out as both look to be firmly in control and #3 Alabama's proponents are getting quieter and quieter after the team struggled to beat lowly Mississippi State. Many feel that Alabama deserves another shot at LSU but Oregon's only loss was also to LSU and they have arguably been more impressive in their other games. It will be very interesting to see how things shake out if one of the top 2 lose.
Check in Wednesday as we do a full overview of the college basketball season (which has already seen a couple entertaining and historic games this past week).

November 6th update

Exciting Games Abound in the NFL

• New York Giants 24 – New England Patriots 20: In a matchup hyped as Brady vs. (the other) Manning, this game was a shocking 0-0 at halftime as both teams looked sloppy and unorganized early on. It was the first game of the year that was 0-0 at halftime. The second half saw a 180 degree change though as both teams had a chance to get their games in gear. Eli Manning threw a touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game to cap a wild 4th quarter with 31 points scored. Manning (as we discussed on Friday) played fantastically against the porous defense of the Patriots. It was the first regular season home loss for Brady since 2006, a streak of 31 straight wins.
• Green Bay Packers 45 – San Diego Chargers 38: The exact opposite of the first game; there were four touchdowns in the first quarter, including 3 by the Packers in the span of 4 minutes. The Packers took a 45-24 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game, and looked to be in control. However, two quick touchdowns by the Chargers put them back into the game and when the Chargers got the ball back with 1 minute left they had a chance to tie the game. However, a long errant pass by Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was intercepted to end what was a very entertaining comeback. The Chargers have now lost 3 straight games that they could/should have won and Philip Rivers despite having 385 yards and 4 TDs today also had 3 interceptions, increasing his NFL lead in that dubious category.
• Baltimore Ravens 23 – Pittsburgh Steelers 20: Capping off a wild Sunday was a great Sunday Night game in possibly the best rivalry of this decade. After dropping a touchdown pass earlier in the drive, Torrey Smith did not fail when given another attempt, capping off a 92-yard drive in just over 2 minutes with a diving catch in the end zone. With 8 seconds left, the Ravens regained the lead they held for most of the game. After winning both games against Pittsburgh this season, Baltimore gained a big edge in the race for the AFC North crown. Pittsburgh falls to 3rd, behind Cincinnati as well as Baltimore.


LSU wins, Oklahoma State up to #2

• The "game of the century" might as well have been the game of last century when offenses were still developing and defenses ruled. LSU and Alabama, the top two teams in the nation combined to score 0 TDs. The difference was 4 missed field goals by Alabama, including one in overtime as LSU won 9-6.
• At this point the national championship picture is starting to come into focus:
#1 LSU will almost certainly make it to the final game, possibly even if they lose once.
#2 Oklahoma State has put up mind-blowing offensive numbers but still plays at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma in their final 3 games.
Alabama only falls to #3 despite the loss but will not have a chance to contend for the SEC title which will certainly hurt them in the eyes of voters.
Stanford is #4 and features Andrew Luck, everyone's choice for the Heisman Trophy (college football's player of the year) , but they still have a very tough test against Oregon.
#5 Boise State, who seems to continually get shafted by voters (with a few exceptions) even though they never seem to lose will probably be on the short end of the stick again, however an opening week win over Georgia who is now 7-2 and in first place in the SEC East is helping them a lot. Oregon and Oklahoma are 6th and 7th but likely have not shot at a title game appearance because of losses to LSU and Texas Tech respectively.


NBA Lockout Update

• As previously reported on Sportico, the NBA has locked out its players in a labor fight that has already forced the cancellation of the first month of the season (which was to have started this past Thursday). The players were offered a deal but they quickly turned down, essentially signaling that the sides are still nowhere close to a deal.
• There is a fissure growing amongst the players. The average length of an NBA career is just above 2 years and many members of the Player’s Union are more concerned with maximizing their moneymaking ability than getting the best possible deal for the union as a whole. The head of the Union is L.A. Lakers Point Guard Derek Fisher, who has been in the league since 1996. Many of his rank and file are angry with him because they need to get a paycheck while they still can.
• Meanwhile, the owners side is not as unified as commissioner despite financial incentives for solidarity. Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan have been fined 6 figures for venting and making comments that could be seen as breaking ranks with the league's stance.

November 2nd update

College Football Preview: LSU at Alabama

• The game of the year. It’s not the actual National Championship game; it’s not even a conference championship game. However, this weekend’s matchup between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama has all the makings of the game of the year or as one writer on ESPN called it, the game of the century. Both the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide feature top rated defenses and offenses that are efficient, if not explosive.
• The Tigers have undergone their share of off-the-field issues but have come out firing this football season, beating defending national runner-up Oregon and never looking back. They are undefeated and came into the season with high expectations after returning 18 of their 22 starters from the previous year. They have lived up to expectations winning every game they’ve played by at least 13 points. Their defense has only allowed more than 11 points twice in their eight games.
• The Crimson Tide returned 17 of their starters from last year and possibly have a better defense than LSU. They have not given up more than 14 points including 2 shutouts. Meanwhile their offense (that is replacing their Quarterback, Running Back and Left Tackle from last year) has been unstoppable.
• Alabama is a slight Vegas favorite due in large part to the game being in Tuscaloosa. The winner of this game would almost be a lock to play in the actual National Championship game on January 9th (which is coincidentally in New Orleans, Louisiana). Both of us here at Sportico would bet on Alabama if you're looking for a winner.


Rivers fumbles game away in Halloween Horror.

• Thirty three years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won one of the most stunning games in NFL history over the New York Giants after a Giants player fumbled with only a few seconds left and an Eagles defender ran the fumble into the end zone the other way for a touchdown. The play was dubbed "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" (because that was the name of the stadium where it was played) and while it has been considered one of the single worst plays in NFL history, it may have met its equal on Monday in what I'd like to dub the "Halloween Horror."
• After completing a wild comeback that saw the San Diego Chargers tie the Kansas City Chiefs up at 20-20 with only a minute left, the Chargers simply had to kneel the ball a couple times and attempt a chip shot field goal to win and give them a two game lead in the AFC West. But then the unthinkable happened. Rivers failed to handle the snap from center Nick Hardwick and the Chiefs recovered the ensuing fumble, sending the game to overtime where they won with their own short field goal. Instead of a 2 game lead, the Chargers are now tied for first with both the Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders.
• There are actually a few connections to the Chiefs and the Miracle at the Meadowlands. The Eagle defender who returned the fumble was none other than Herm Edwards, who was the predecessor to current Chiefs coach Todd Haley. And the Chiefs coach before Edwards was Dick Vermeil, who coached the Eagles in the Meadowlands game. The Chiefs have won 4 in a row despite losing their star RB Jamaal Charles, star S Eric Berry and up and coming TE Tony Moeaki for the season, all by halftime of game #2.
• Rivers had two interceptions, and now leads the NFL with 11 and failed to get the Chargers into the end zone more than once despite 7-8 trips inside the Chiefs 40 yard line. Afterwards, TV cameras caught him mouthing "Worst. Game. Ever."


Wednesday spotlight: Tony LaRussa

• As mentioned in Monday’s post, The St Louis Cardinals won the World Series on Friday. Their manager, Tony LaRussa announced his retirement on Monday, going out on top. The 67 year old LaRussa, the third winningest manager in the history of baseball, capped off his final season with his third World Series Championship and was only the second manager to win a Series in both the American and National Leagues.
• LaRussa played 10 years in the MLB (though mostly as a backup and a end-of-the-roster player). After getting a JD from Florida State University, he began his managerial career in 1979 in the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox. In less than a year, LaRussa worked his way from the manager of the Double-A affiliate of the White Sox to the Major League Manager. 7 years in Chicago followed by 9 years in Oakland (including a Championship in 1989) led him to St Louis.
• Since 1996 LaRussa has been the skipper of the Cardinals, where along with Albert Pujols, he has been the face of the franchise if not the city. He was fearless, publicly feuding with fan favorite Ozzie Smith and also bringing back disgraced legend Mark McGwire as the team's hitting coach. He led the Cardinals to two titles, the other being in 2006 and made the World Series in 2004 as well where they were beaten by the Boston Red Sox.

October 3rd update

Incredible comebacks top Week 4 of NFL storylines

Generally speaking, if you're down by 20 or more in the NFL in the second half, you're likely to be going home with your tail between your legs. But this season has shown that no lead is safe (and we're not just talking about football) and no game should be phoned in until the clock reads o.oo.
• 2 weeks after the Cowboys lost a game where they had a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter for the first time in team history, they managed to lose to the still undefeated Lions despite the fact that they led 27-3 in the 3rd quarter, assisted by 3 second half interceptions by Tony Romo.
• The Eagles, who many thought would be far and away the best team in the NFC this season, led the 49ers 23-3 but found a way to lose despite a phenomenal game from a banged-up Michael Vick, who snapped at reporters afterwards. The Eagles are now 1-3 while the 49ers are 3-1.
• The Giants trailed the Arizona Cardinals by 10 with less than 4 minutes but took advantage of a controversial call that negated what looked to be an obvious fumble by WR Victor Cruz. On the very next play, Eli Manning threw a TD pass to pass catching machine Hakeem Nicks and the Giants would hold on to win.
• The undefeated Buffalo Bills diverted from their winning strategy of the past 2 weeks, opting not to fall behind by 18+ points and then come back to win as they had in each of those 2 games. Instead, they led the Cincinnati Bengals for most of the game but lost on a late FG 23-20.
• It's only appropriate that the last game to be played this week is Indianapolis at Tampa Bay on Monday Night because the last time these teams played in Tampa (OK, let's see if you've been paying attention to theme of the week so far) the Colts made one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, scoring 21 points in the final 4 minutes to send the game into overtime where they won, 38-35.
• In non comeback-related news, Aaron Rodgers had a "6-Pack" of TDs (4 throwing and 2 rushing) in an offensive explosion for the defending Super Bowl Champions who destroyed the Broncos and the Ravens forced 4 fumbles from Mark Sanchez and scored 3 defensive Touchdowns (which surprisingly, they've never done before) against an overmatched Jets offense. The 34-17 score looked closer than it was simply because the Jets had 2 return touchdowns of their own, one on a kickoff and one on an interception. It was the first game in NFL history with more than 4 return touchdowns.


Big games don't live up to hype in NCAA

• There were a number of big games in the NCAA in week 5, but many of them were blowouts that left TV audiences disinterested. There were 3 matchups that involved 2 top-13 teams and none of them ended closer than 20 points.
• In those 3 games, the Alabama Crimson Tide destroyed Florida 38-10, Clemson continued their terrific run by beating Virginia Tech 23-3 and establishing themselves as a potential title contender and Wisconsin made Nebraska look like they don't belong in the Big 10 (Or the "Legends and Leaders" as they now want the conference to be called) by demolishing the Cornhuskers 48-17.
• Other Big 12 teams had a rough day as Texas A&M lost another big lead, this time to Arkansas in a 42-38 loss, #15 Baylor lost a late lead, losing a heartbreaker to Kansas State 36-35 and Oklahoma dropped from #2 to #3 in the AP poll despite a 56 point trouncing of Ball State because the voters were more impressed by the opposition that Alabama faced.