The Joe Story of the Day:
I can’t claim to have deep insight into my favorite baseball team, the New York Yank
ees. I casually follow them and will watch them on television every once in a while. On the outside, it appears that the Bronx Bombers are in great shape. They are 94-53 this season, which is 7 games ahead of their rival Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. They are a lock to make the playoffs. They have the best record in baseball, by far. They signed Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, all who have panned out with great seasons.
But I just don’t feel that this is their year. They have had too many come-from-behind victories and dramatic finishes. Eventually, luck runs out, right? This is especially true in the postseason when the opposition is much more ramped up than usual. The pitching is starting to get shaky, I feel. Burnett is fairly unpredictable, mixing in 10-run games with his three-hitter gems. The Yanks have been coddling young star Joba Chamberlain to the point where he won’t be able to last through tight, grind-it-out games and will have to be relieved by the Yankees’ subpar relief corps. Offensively, I am a bit more comfortable with their line-up, but I’ll be closing my eyes during every Alex Rodriguez at-bat.
Besides all that, I feel that the Red Sox still have the Yankees’ number. Sure, the Yanks have won the majority of the recent games between the two, but the Sox still have the mojo of having won two recent World Series titles, and I think they are in the Yankees’ heads. If the Yanks can get by the Tigers in the first round, chances are they’ll face the confident Red Sox in the ALCS with the rowdy Fenway crowd. I don’t like their chances. I just don't.
Reader Review:
I am not the biggest fan of ESPN’s Rick Reilly. I guess I just don’t like his style. I heard him say in a Podcast that he focuses on trying to bring us the story of the athlete instead of analyzing sports or results. That is fine, but I don’t think he does that very well. He once worked to get access to an entire day with Kobe Bryant, and his article revealed very little insight. I came away feeling like he had wasted a golden opportunity to write about the personality and character of one of the most interesting athletes in NBA history. If Bill Simmons were to have an entire day with Bryant—good night!—we’d have a 6,000-word column full of insight and comedy, even if all they did was sit on the couch and watch soap operas all day.
At any rate, I decided to read Reilly’s latest article that criticized Michael Jordan after his Hall of Fame induction speech. I can’t agree more that Jordan can be a jerk and is very ego-centric. I’ve heard story after story that demonstrates this. And I’m fine if you want to write a personal piece that rips the character of a public figure. But I came away with the impression that he had a personal grudge against Jordan about how he was treated as a reporter. Reilly came out a little unprofessional to me. I get the same feeling when local radioheads (Patrick Kinahan) rip on Bronco Mendenhall simply because he doesn't always return requests to be interviewed. Move on and keep reporting.
I haven’t listened to Jordan’s induction speech yet. I’ll give it a listen and share my thoughts another day.
College Football:
There was a big game tonight played between ACC powers Miami (#20) and Georgia Tech (#14). The Hurricane won with relative ease, 33-17. Miami shut down Tech's vaunted flexbone offense, holding them to 93 yards rushing (aided by the shoulder injury sustained by their star running back Jonathan Dwyer). Meanwhile, Miami's sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris had his second straight strong game to start this season, completing 20-of-25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
Clearly it is early in the season, but Miami has staked their place atop the ACC Coastal Division with a 2-0 record. They play next weekend at #13 Virginia Tech, in what is sure to be a big game on the national radar.
In their first game of the season on Labor Day, Miami beat in-state rival Florida State 38-34 in an instant classic decided on the final play of the game. It is always hard to tell after just one game whether or not a team is really good, so I was anxious to see these teams' next games to get a better idea. Florida State bounced back with a last-minute comeback victory over FCS opponent Jacksonville State, which was obviously less than impressive. But Miami looks like a legitimate power this year after toppling one of the ACC favorites.
This Saturday evening, the Seminoles travel to Provo to face the #7 BYU Cougars. I expect Florida State to play similarly to how they played against Miami, as opposed to their poor showing against Jacksonville State. Their quickness on the ball will be evident and will cause problems for BYU's front seven. Last weekend, I thought their offense was hampered down by bad weather and an uninteresting foe; both factors will not be in play in Provo.
On the other side of the coin, Florida's defense is still young and full of holes, and if Jacory Harris and JSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux can routinely complete passes for 20+ yards, I can only imagine what Max Hall will be able to do.
I think this game will be high-scoring and closer than a lot of people expect, but the altitude and energy from the home crowd will be too much for the Seminoles. My prediction: BYU 45, Florida State 38.
Soccer:
My favo
rite English Premier League (EPL) Team is the Fulham Cottagers. I decided to pick a favorite team two years ago, and I chose Fulham for the random reason that they had the most Americans on their squad. Currently they are down to just one American—Clint Dempsey, one of the heroes for the United States in their run this past summer to the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Due to their relatively high finish in the EPL standings last season, Fulham was invited to participate in this season’s UEFA Europa League, which is the little brother to the much-more-prestigious UEFA Champions League. To put it in American terms, it would be like playing in the NIT college basketball tournament instead of the 65-team NCAA Tournament. Nobody really cares too much about the Europa League, but it is big for the teams because it generates a boost in revenue, experience, and reputation.
Currently the Cottagers are in the group stages of the competition, drawn with Basel (Switzerland), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), and Roma (Italy). They play each team home-and-away. The first game was earlier today, and Fulham claimed a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria against CSKA Sofia. The home side got on the board first in the 62nd minute, but Fulham drew level three minutes later when Frenchman Diomansy Kamara punched it in. Not a bad result for the Cottagers when you consider that they were on the road and took a squad of mostly substitutes and reserves.
With five games remaining in the group stage, they are tied for second place (with Sofia) on one point, two points behind Basel. Their next game in the competition will be on October 1 when they host Basel. This Sunday, they resume Premier League action at newly-promoted Wolverhampton.
In other notable Europa League games:
1. Everton—the other English team in this competition notched a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park over Greece’s AEK Athens. The Toffees are led by American goalkeeper Tim Howard.
2. Celtic—the biggest name in the fading Scottish Premier League lost 2-1 in Israel against Hapoel Tel-Aviv. It has been an outrage among their fans that they didn’t qualify for the group stages in the Champions League, and this setback will only infuriate them even more.
3. Villarreal—The Spanish side recorded a goal in the 72nd minute to get the home victory, 1-0 over Bulgarian side Levski Sofia.
4. Werder Bremen—The German squad took second place in the UEFA Cup last season, and opened up their group stage play this year with a 3-2 road victory over Portugal’s Nacional.
5. Shakhtar Donetsk—The Ukrainians are the defending champions of this league, and they started off their defense with a 4-1 blowout win at Belgian side Club Brugge.
I can’t claim to have deep insight into my favorite baseball team, the New York Yank
ees. I casually follow them and will watch them on television every once in a while. On the outside, it appears that the Bronx Bombers are in great shape. They are 94-53 this season, which is 7 games ahead of their rival Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East. They are a lock to make the playoffs. They have the best record in baseball, by far. They signed Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, all who have panned out with great seasons.But I just don’t feel that this is their year. They have had too many come-from-behind victories and dramatic finishes. Eventually, luck runs out, right? This is especially true in the postseason when the opposition is much more ramped up than usual. The pitching is starting to get shaky, I feel. Burnett is fairly unpredictable, mixing in 10-run games with his three-hitter gems. The Yanks have been coddling young star Joba Chamberlain to the point where he won’t be able to last through tight, grind-it-out games and will have to be relieved by the Yankees’ subpar relief corps. Offensively, I am a bit more comfortable with their line-up, but I’ll be closing my eyes during every Alex Rodriguez at-bat.
Besides all that, I feel that the Red Sox still have the Yankees’ number. Sure, the Yanks have won the majority of the recent games between the two, but the Sox still have the mojo of having won two recent World Series titles, and I think they are in the Yankees’ heads. If the Yanks can get by the Tigers in the first round, chances are they’ll face the confident Red Sox in the ALCS with the rowdy Fenway crowd. I don’t like their chances. I just don't.
Reader Review:
I am not the biggest fan of ESPN’s Rick Reilly. I guess I just don’t like his style. I heard him say in a Podcast that he focuses on trying to bring us the story of the athlete instead of analyzing sports or results. That is fine, but I don’t think he does that very well. He once worked to get access to an entire day with Kobe Bryant, and his article revealed very little insight. I came away feeling like he had wasted a golden opportunity to write about the personality and character of one of the most interesting athletes in NBA history. If Bill Simmons were to have an entire day with Bryant—good night!—we’d have a 6,000-word column full of insight and comedy, even if all they did was sit on the couch and watch soap operas all day.
At any rate, I decided to read Reilly’s latest article that criticized Michael Jordan after his Hall of Fame induction speech. I can’t agree more that Jordan can be a jerk and is very ego-centric. I’ve heard story after story that demonstrates this. And I’m fine if you want to write a personal piece that rips the character of a public figure. But I came away with the impression that he had a personal grudge against Jordan about how he was treated as a reporter. Reilly came out a little unprofessional to me. I get the same feeling when local radioheads (Patrick Kinahan) rip on Bronco Mendenhall simply because he doesn't always return requests to be interviewed. Move on and keep reporting.
I haven’t listened to Jordan’s induction speech yet. I’ll give it a listen and share my thoughts another day.
College Football:
There was a big game tonight played between ACC powers Miami (#20) and Georgia Tech (#14). The Hurricane won with relative ease, 33-17. Miami shut down Tech's vaunted flexbone offense, holding them to 93 yards rushing (aided by the shoulder injury sustained by their star running back Jonathan Dwyer). Meanwhile, Miami's sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris had his second straight strong game to start this season, completing 20-of-25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
Clearly it is early in the season, but Miami has staked their place atop the ACC Coastal Division with a 2-0 record. They play next weekend at #13 Virginia Tech, in what is sure to be a big game on the national radar.
In their first game of the season on Labor Day, Miami beat in-state rival Florida State 38-34 in an instant classic decided on the final play of the game. It is always hard to tell after just one game whether or not a team is really good, so I was anxious to see these teams' next games to get a better idea. Florida State bounced back with a last-minute comeback victory over FCS opponent Jacksonville State, which was obviously less than impressive. But Miami looks like a legitimate power this year after toppling one of the ACC favorites.
This Saturday evening, the Seminoles travel to Provo to face the #7 BYU Cougars. I expect Florida State to play similarly to how they played against Miami, as opposed to their poor showing against Jacksonville State. Their quickness on the ball will be evident and will cause problems for BYU's front seven. Last weekend, I thought their offense was hampered down by bad weather and an uninteresting foe; both factors will not be in play in Provo.
On the other side of the coin, Florida's defense is still young and full of holes, and if Jacory Harris and JSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux can routinely complete passes for 20+ yards, I can only imagine what Max Hall will be able to do.
I think this game will be high-scoring and closer than a lot of people expect, but the altitude and energy from the home crowd will be too much for the Seminoles. My prediction: BYU 45, Florida State 38.
Soccer:
My favo
rite English Premier League (EPL) Team is the Fulham Cottagers. I decided to pick a favorite team two years ago, and I chose Fulham for the random reason that they had the most Americans on their squad. Currently they are down to just one American—Clint Dempsey, one of the heroes for the United States in their run this past summer to the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.Due to their relatively high finish in the EPL standings last season, Fulham was invited to participate in this season’s UEFA Europa League, which is the little brother to the much-more-prestigious UEFA Champions League. To put it in American terms, it would be like playing in the NIT college basketball tournament instead of the 65-team NCAA Tournament. Nobody really cares too much about the Europa League, but it is big for the teams because it generates a boost in revenue, experience, and reputation.
Currently the Cottagers are in the group stages of the competition, drawn with Basel (Switzerland), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), and Roma (Italy). They play each team home-and-away. The first game was earlier today, and Fulham claimed a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria against CSKA Sofia. The home side got on the board first in the 62nd minute, but Fulham drew level three minutes later when Frenchman Diomansy Kamara punched it in. Not a bad result for the Cottagers when you consider that they were on the road and took a squad of mostly substitutes and reserves.
With five games remaining in the group stage, they are tied for second place (with Sofia) on one point, two points behind Basel. Their next game in the competition will be on October 1 when they host Basel. This Sunday, they resume Premier League action at newly-promoted Wolverhampton.
In other notable Europa League games:
1. Everton—the other English team in this competition notched a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park over Greece’s AEK Athens. The Toffees are led by American goalkeeper Tim Howard.
2. Celtic—the biggest name in the fading Scottish Premier League lost 2-1 in Israel against Hapoel Tel-Aviv. It has been an outrage among their fans that they didn’t qualify for the group stages in the Champions League, and this setback will only infuriate them even more.
3. Villarreal—The Spanish side recorded a goal in the 72nd minute to get the home victory, 1-0 over Bulgarian side Levski Sofia.
4. Werder Bremen—The German squad took second place in the UEFA Cup last season, and opened up their group stage play this year with a 3-2 road victory over Portugal’s Nacional.
5. Shakhtar Donetsk—The Ukrainians are the defending champions of this league, and they started off their defense with a 4-1 blowout win at Belgian side Club Brugge.
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