How Good are These Tigers?

The 2012 baseball season is still quite young, but as always, there has been plenty of excitement to start off the new season. Since the Detroit Tiger's are the home team and have a strong following around here, I've decided to take a serious look at how good this team is and where I can see them going this season.

Now, at 3-0 and coming off the swept series against the Red Sox, a team that has been an upper echelon team for years despite their current struggles, it might be easy to predict the sky for this ball club. While I don't agree that this makes them an automatic lock for the World Series, I think it is safe to say that the team is off to a very potent offensive start and if they can keep that level of run production up, they need only for their defense and pitching to calm down and they are serious contenders. They currently sit at 2nd in the league in runs scored and OBP, and lead the league in batting average and slugging percentage. Their large offseason acquisition, first baseman Prince Fielder, along with Miguel Cabrera, arguably the most underrated hitter in baseball, have already combined for 5 home runs and eleven runs batted in. I'm not going to drool over "on-pace" numbers because they are incredibly premature at this stage, but at least to this point, the offense seems to revolve well around these two.

From a pitching standpoint, I don't think Detroit has much to worry about. Justin Verlander, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, looked great on opening day, which is no surprise, but it is certainly encouraging to see that he is picking up where he left off last season instead of dropping off. No.2 man Doug Fister has been spectacular for the Tiger's both this season and last after being traded away from the Mariners. Fister is actually a very good starter, he just never got the run support he needed in Seattle, an issue that he will not find in Detroit. And when Detroit needs to turn things over to the 'Pen, they're in good hands, as Duane Below has looked solid early this season, and the returning closer, Jose Valverde, was one of the best in baseball last season, not blowing a save all season on his way to a career high forty nine saves.

Moving on, I think a fair point to be brought up is what is to be done with Brandon Inge. A capable player for the Tiger's in years past, Inge has had a cataclysmic drop in value to this franchise, as both his defense and especially his hitting have been deplorable. Management hoped some time in the farm organization might straighten things out for him, but it doesn't seem to have worked, and on Opening Day, he received boos from his own home crowd. It's an unfortunate situation for all involved because of what he has meant to this organization, but at the end of the day, he remains more of a liability to this team than a viable piece of a contender.

As far as this season goes, it doesn't look like the Tiger's will have much of an issue taking the AL Central, they appear to be the dominant team in the division, both with pitching and hitting, and they are also very viable contenders for the World Series as well. It is possible this team could get even better with a trade, possibly to tinker with their leadoff position or maybe try and move Inge or Young. Either way, the Tiger's have assembled one of the better teams in baseball this season so far, and if they can continue this hot play, they can possible bring home a title this year. Just don't go counting on 162-0.

We're goin to DisneyWorld!

Well folks, March Madness came to an abrupt yet long awaited end last night as bracket favorites Kentucky rolled over Kansas to secure the national title. In  a gesture of celebration for the school, ESPN has been gracious enough to leave a picture of some serious man/trophy love makeout session in case we needed a reason to lose our appetite.

I say a long awaited end because this year, like always, The Committed Fan filled out a bracket. He took careful consideration and thought into his bracket. He considered coaches, eligibility, hot streaks,  the wind speed inside auditoriums, and the revered science of "Bracketology" as he made his picks. This year, however, a collection of high seeds simultaneously decided they didn't belong in the tournament and went ahead and lost to some teams that no one has ever heard of. I'm pretty sure there was a high school boys team in there somewhere that advanced to the second round. It was ridiculous the amount of brackets  that turned to garbage so early on, and how many people simultaneously went "aww, f*@k it", and went back to watching How I Met Your Mother.

My best pick this year? Not filling out  a damn bracket.

Ok, I've got a group of people to give a shout out to. With how nasty the tournament got this year, I was of the belief that no one could have possibly won their bracket pool that everyone seems to have through their work (do bosses check for illegal sports gambling anymore?). However, somehow, people ended up picking some of these games correctly and won their pool. So respect to you sir, or you ma'am, for keeping your cool while others wept and pulled their hair out, for keeping that smug shit eating grin on your face because you knew you had it won. I respect you, and I will do so for the next year, but come March, watch your back. 

Interestingly enough, while watching the game last night an important piece of news did come out from the announcers. While it had been previously stated that Anthony Davis was departing for the NBA draft, Kentucky will be able to count on his unibrow returning for a sophomore season to shore up what will undoubtedly be a weakened front line for the Cats. 

"Ultimately, it was a very hard decision, but in the end, my eyebrow had to do what
was right for its future. It will be returning to Kentucky next season for Coach Calipari"

All kidding aside, Davis joins several teammates from Kentucky that are going straight to the NBA after only one or two seasons in college, and they are not alone. Now consider what you, the fan, would view as the top 10 players in the NBA right now.
1. Lebron
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Kevin Durant
4. Dwayne Wade
5. Dwight Howard
6. Pau Gasol
7. Carmelo Anthony
8. Derrick Rose
9. Dirk Nowitzki


    Now, depending on the fan and who they view as the top players in the NBA, the Committed Fan can pick 5 out of his top 10 players in the NBA right now and notice that they did not play any college ball. Three came right out of high school and two came from overseas. Now, does this undermine the belief that a college career is necessary to refine the game and will make you more successful in the pros? I think it has to call this idea into question, because you have an extremely talented group of individuals who seized their potential and  jumped to the NBA and haven't looked back since. Can everybody do it? Of course not. Some players are just made for the college game and will develop, through 4 years of collegiate competition, the skills for the next level. However, as far as the notion of players needing to go through college beforehand to break into the NBA, the idea is quickly going the way of the skyhook. 

Female Superstars: A Brutal Irony

If you're a fan of Tennessee women's basketball, you were probably quite stoked when Brittany Griner was ejected in last nights game. After all, she was abusing the Lady Vol's defense like it was some grade school travel team. Only problem is that when she did get ejected for leaving the bench after a hard foul on a teammate, there was less than a minute left and she had already done her damage. In fact, had she stayed out just a minute or so more, she would've ended with a triple double of points, rebounds and blocked shots.  Griner made what should have been a marquee matchup into a rout, and its rumored that Sarah McLachlan has agreed to put her famous hit "The Saddest Damn Song Ever" onto a collage of Lady Vol's players in a desperate PR move to nurse their broken egos.

The problem here is that even while Griner ripped their defense to shreds and had a great game, they actually held her below her season average and for once, the Lady Bears's leading scorer wasn't the 6' 8" forward. I'm assuming she's a forward, but if you're looking for an ESPN box score to tell you her (or any player's) position, you're in for some disappointment. But thats another issue entirely. The problem here is that while the mens college basketball system has super powered teams and just as many up and coming superstars, everything more or less equals out  because on any given day, any mens team in the country could play a very close game with or beat a powerhouse squad, such as Duke. The reason? Distribution of talent. The depth of skill that is prevalent in men's college basketball means that every game has that chance of and upset, a barn burner, a court rusher. We thrive on that chance, and what better chance for a team to upstage a contender than March Madness, the national month of Cinderella teams.

Who DIDN'T see that 12 seed beating that #5? Or that #3? Or the #1?

I digress. The point I'm making here is that while Griner may be the poster child for women's basketball ( and the only one that most people care about right now), she is also the single biggest example of what is wrong with women's basketball. One player, of larger than usual size or length, makes a huge impact on any game she plays in, as evidenced by Griner's success. However, this problem is not solely limited to Griner. Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Tina Charles. All of these players have been elite level women's players who dismantled other womens teams to a level previously unheard of. In a way, I feel like this dominance is not good for women's basketball. Sure, Griner makes Sportscenter when she dunks in a game, but her success projects the image that the competition she is playing against is just all the more awful. So when Baylor dismantles Chattanooga 91-31 and doesn't break a sweat, the credibility of womens basketball takes a hit. Griner is, forgive my expression, like a man amongst boys out there, and no one likes a bully.

This all may be a little bit overwhelming to some readers. Its okay. Sit down, take a drink of water, get in the shade, and think about it. If sports fans love to watch men's college basketball because every game can be riveting, at least for a little while, wouldn't they enjoy the same aspect out of women's ball? Frankly, if you're not enjoying the Brittney Griner show, you certainly won't enjoy any aspect of the 88-19 or 91-31 wins that the Lady Bears are becoming synonymous with.  Men's superstars are kept humble by the pure number of other players who can make them look bad or keep pace with them on a given night (Right Lebron?). This sort of unofficial balance system makes sure that no team racks up some dynastic record of perfection, such as the UConn huskies had for several seasons, and like what the Lady Bears are doing this season at 38-0. When Griner leaves, Baylor will probably fade back into the pack, and teams will be fighting over the next Griner to help them dominate for the next four years. This is not a trend you want your sport to be following.

Look, I'm not here to decide which girls can or cannot play college basketball. It's not up to me, regardless. I'm simply stating that Griner and players like her can be a vicious double edged sword, and I'm simply expressing caution, that the NCAAW doesn't cut themselves too deep. Take me away, Sheryl. 

Drugs in Sport: An Ethical Question

"Steroids are for guys who want to cheat opponents" -Lawrence Taylor


The battle over steroids and other medical drug use in sports has been around for decades, moving from a laughable issue in the 70's to a full fledged argument today. Entire careers and records have been shattered and tainted beyond repair by the use of anabolic steroids, yet the practice continues even today. When I think about the possible TRUE number of athletes who use steroids who just haven't been caught yet, I can't help but shudder. What we see as a settled issue may just be the tip of the iceberg, and we're not out of the woods yet. While steroids have been a thorn in the side of the MLB in the past several decades, they have afflicted all sports in some degree.

What I see as the real issue here is not the drugs themselves, because steroids do have a lot of practical medical uses that can change lives, I'm seeing a bigger issue with the athletes themselves and the culture they live in, one that promotes winning at all costs.

In this sort of supremacist society, there is no shortage of people willing to do whatever it takes to get tat extra edge, and in a super competitive training camp setting, many players will do what they need to to stay ahead of the competition. For many athletes, the fame and fortune in front of them outweighs any possible negative consequences and makes taking steroids that much easier.

An interesting topic of discussion has surfaced recently in this debate with the notion of allowing steroids and other drug use in all sports settings and trying to regulate the process instead of trying to stop it. Theoretically, this would allow Brett Favre to play around 15 more years in the NFL, so right then and there, this idea loses my support. However, the proposed plan brings up some interesting ideas. Would we see the majority of pro athletes take advantage of this law and use the drugs, or would most stay clean? You have the "good guys", the Tim Tebows and the Peyton Mannings of the world, who would probably not take the pills, and then you have the notorious roid-heads like Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire, guys who popped more pills in one week than the entire cast of The Matrix.

C'mon Morpheus, no more fooling around. Both colors, I want your entire supply. 

If players are going to find ways to take the drugs regardless of current rules, would it be better to change our stance and attempt to regulate, control and potentially profit from this habit? Some players would benefit from using certain drugs to recover from injuries and prolong their careers just a little bit longer. The level of competition would be raised as a majority of players reached all new levels of physical fitness, which could make the game more entertaining. Are we willing to open the flood gates to potential problems to reap the benefits that come with drug use in sport? How far will sports fans allow the game to stretch and still watch?

Just because an idea is new and revolutionary doe not make it a good idea, and I think this plan falls into that category. Allowing athletes to use steroids opens up a whole new can of worms, and the sports world is not set up to handle those sort of issues. If we allow steroid use on the premise of making money, it will just further cement the growing belief that sports is, and always has been about money.

Why the Fight That Won't Happen is Driving Me Crazy

I'm not a huge boxing fan. 


I don't feel like you have to be a casual fan of boxing to understand the general properties of the sport, and its ability to garner huge audiences (i.e Muhammad Ali). There are many well known boxing greats, and lots of very famous bouts between titans in the ring. Another huge potential showdown has been in and out of the works for the past couple years now, and that is a bout between unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. The two have been half heartedly trying to negotiate a fight for a while now, and both have fought matches against middling opponents in the meantime. I think I speak for lots of people when I say we don't CARE about Mayweather vs. Cotto or Pacquiao vs. Santa Claus. We want the big match, the real deal, the moneymaker. We want to put the top two boxers in the world in the ring against each other, winner takes all. I, for one, cannot stand Mayweather Jr. and would relish the opportunity to see him lose, so maybe he can finally shut up. I'd be so excited for this fight to happen, I'd seriously even consider paying to watch the damn thing somewhere. It should be a Congressional mandate that these two fight in 2012. I don't know what your feelings are on the Mayans but we may not get many more shots, you know? Heck, I bet they would probably grant us some sort of extension if we could guarantee the fight was gonna happen soon. Even the Ghost Mayans want this fight to happen.

We give them another year, tops. If we get too generous,
we'll look like the U.S  government.

Listen, we're missing our window here. Theres been allegations of drug use, quarrels over blood testing, theres been scheduling disputes, all intermingled with insults, condescending remarks and other miscellaneous trash talk. Pacman is 33, and may not be boxing much longer. He holds political office in his native Phillipines and wants to expand on that career soon. Mayweather is 34, has had several legal issues and is due for a ninety day jail term very soon.  Luckily, a boxer's biggest weakness is their own vanity, and hopefully they both feel like they need this fight to really push themselves into elite status. If this doesn't happen in the very near future, it may not happen at all, and then we'll all be left to wonder what could have been. And me? I'll be checked into Shutter Island, patient DXB-4801, life term.

Be our Valentine, Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is everywhere.

The sports world's newest star, one of only a handful of successful Asian-American NBA players, has risen to absolute stardom in just one week, after being overlooked by many teams in the league. He's off to the hottest start of any NBA player in their first five games, during which he has led the Knicks to a perfect 5-0 record. His hot start includes a 38 point game against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, of all people. Yes, Jeremy Lin is everywhere, from replays on TV, to blogs like this one, to Sportscenter Top Plays, hes even been the butt of a few racist jokes( courtesy of Ball Don't Lie). Lin was a star in college, but since he played for Harvard, more credit was given to his academics than his basketball skills. Make no mistake however, Lin can and has balled with the best of them.

       Got my Doctorate in Dunking. 

Given Lin's meteoric, though short rise, I'm not surprised that he has gathered a lot of attention. Lots of guys can put up the numbers he does, and they frequently do. So whats the big deal? Well, Lin is Asian-American, which is unusual in the NBA but also very good for the league. His success thus far will help to promote more of a global market for the NBA, as it is highly likely the Chinese market will embrace Lin as they did Yao Ming when he was the most successful player of Asian descent.  He took harsh criticism from Kobe, wasn't intimidated, and even outplayed Kobe, scoring 38 on the Lake show as his team ran past them at home. He does all this on the biggest stay in basketball, Madison Square Garden, a place that has seen its fair share of ballers. 

So whats the point of this post? Unless you live under a rock, don't watch sports, or have been missing Sportscenter to watch the Walking Dead Marathon, then you probably have already heard of Jeremy Lin. The point is that he has become America's newest spotlight athlete, a great feel good story that is quickly becoming a huge media event. Lin is the Tim Tebow of the NBA, a like able player who earned everything he was given in this league. America loves a poster boy athlete, and with the Tim Tebow hype on temporary offseason lockdown, they've found a replacement.  As a society, we love to love the underdog, the small guy, the hard worker instead of the talented egotistical athletes. We love the gym rats, the Rudy's, the guys and girls that never say no. Tim Tebow is that guy. Jeremy Lin is that guy. We love the athletes who can perform well and be the hero and be humble about it, but we praise their ability to be something other than an athlete, something better. Lin has already said that Tebow is his role model, to which Tebow would probably say something like "Well I don't know why, I haven't done anything important."THAT is why we love these guys.  

I'm a lover, not a fighter.

Pro Bowl Make Me Holla. Also, Doping.

I'm sorry. 


It's difficult for me to say this, but.....theres another site. We've been going steady for a couple weeks now, and I just have to say, the connection is stronger than ours. I'll keep in touch, I swear. Its not you, it's me.


Look, look with your special eyes. Thats probably how I would tell you, in an overdramatic fashion, that I've been busy writing for a actual news outlet as of late, which is why I haven't been posting  much. I got hired on to Sesame Street to cover sports, and I work under the cookie monster. Honestly though, I know I've been gone recently and to all my original and loyal readers of this site, I want to thank you for reading.

Lets talk about the Pro Bowl. Despite the obvious aspects of this game as being a cash cow for the league and a fan driven popularity contest, I have to wonder if it contributes anything else to society? The game is like a community theater production of Cats, no one really cares that much. You're not watching because you care, you're watching because you're bored as all hell and Gossip Girl doesn't come on until 12.  The whole game looks like a glorified warm up, as players are just trying not to get hurt in what translates to an entirely meaningless game. Its played in warm as hell Hawaii, so while the viewers freeze their asses off from Minnesota to Washington, you can watch the players sweat and cool down with giant fans on the sidelines. Thanks for that one, NFL. Thankfully, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said the Pro Bowl could be removed soon, which is great, because then we could all catch Jersey Boys down at the local YMCA instead. 

I'll send you a fruit basket Roger. Well done.

While we're on the subject of raging drug addiction, lets have a talk about competitive cycling. Its unfortunate that the inaugural mention of cycling on this blog is about doping, but at this point, I've reached the point of no return on cycling. Cycling is dirty. Its like a Twinkie picked up off a truck stop bathroom floor, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Honestly though, this isn't just exaggerated hyperbole, there has been a lot of convicted dopers in the competitive cycling circuit as of late. Since 2006, at least 8 riders, including two winners of the race, were disqualified from the Tour or stripped of their titles after testing positive for doping agents. The most prominent alumnus of the Tour, Lance Armstrong, faces much criticism and doubt as to his performance as well. (To his credit, Lance Armstrong has not been found guilty of doping). So you may read that and say, hey, theres only been a handful of riders caught cheating so far, why is that an issue? The issue here, I would say, is that this could be just the visible tip of a very big iceberg. Cycling and baseball are two sports who are developing a very serious PED problem. Its very similar to the Heisman award which was stripped from Reggie Bush this past year. They can't go back and give that award to someone else, so it stays vacant, as constant reminder of someone who broke the rules to get to where they wanted to be. (Cycling awards a vacated first place finish to the rider who finished behind the doper, so as to not have a vacancy.) 

Now, relax. Some of you may go into a rage over this and go looking for facts on PED use in the NFL to throw at me. Whatever, lets go there. All professional sports leagues in the U.S have checks for PED's, and I think they do a pretty good job for the most part. Some athletes will always look for that extra edge, and be willing to go where others won't, and thats just a sad fact of life. Do some dopers slip through the cracks? Yeah, I'm sure. Can 53 year old Madonna sing as well as 25 year old Madonna? I don't know about that. All I'm saying is, in some sports, doping is a problem, and cycling has become too much of a "problem" to enjoy on a casual level anymore. 

Speaking of huge career choices, we HAVE to talk about where Peyton Manning is gonna go. If you're a Colts fan and still think he'll play for you next year um,.....sorry. Possible suitors include Miami, Arizona, and some outside possibilities include San Francisco, Dallas, Jacksonville, New York (Jets, as if I even have to specify after Sunday) and Washington. Lots of choices, lots of decent choices, one good choice, which is San Francisco, but I highly doubt the 49er's repay a strong year by Alex Smith by swiftly replacing him. He did nothing bad to lose the job, Peyton or not. If I were him, I'd choose either Arizona or the Jaguars. Arizona obviously has star wideout Larry Fitzgerald, and they would hook up oh, oh so many times if one the same team together. Jacksonville just got a new owner and coach, but retain their 9th ranked defense and the leagues top rusher from the recently completed season, Maurice Jones-Drew. Obviously, the team would need some receiver help after signing Peyton, but thats what the draft is for. Hear me out here. If Peyton plays for the Jaguars, he gets Tennessee twice a year, shouldn't be tough to beat, Houston twice, which is quite a bit tougher, but the real gem is getting Indianapolis twice, so he could (presumably) play Andrew Luck, his successor, twice a year and, ideally, beat him. Nothing shows dominance like continually beating the guy who replaced you. Dallas has Romo, who they don't seem to have given up on yet, and the Jets have Sanchez, same situation. Dallas is an awful spot to play at, with a clown of an owner and the most inconsistent and underwhelming team on the planet, hands down.