I was spending time at my special lady friend’s house not all that long ago.  She had family and friends in town visiting from Columbus, Ohio (yes, Gator dates Buckeye… riots ensue).  While watching television, one of her younger houseguests was having difficulty recalling the name of “that heavyset guy” that used to be on Saturday Night Live way back in the day.  She was in her early 20s, so I figured she couldn’t possibly be talking about John Belushi, although he was the first person that came to mind.  I blurted out the other obvious answer, Chris Farley, to which she responded ‘Oh Yeah!’

Suddenly, I felt old.  I thought to myself, had it been that long ago that Farley was on SNL (1990-95) and is this generation even familiar with Belushi’s humor as one the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.

Continue reading "Brett Farve, Chris Farley And A Longing For Yesterday"

We have been patient the entire summer and September means we are finally rewarded with football… glorious football.  This season brings new hope for thirty-two NFL teams and while San Diego, New England, Indianapolis and Dallas are overwhelming favorites to win a championship, the Giants proved last year that the Super Bowl winner can be anyone’s guess.

AFC East:  The chances the Patriots lose this division are about as good as George Bush becoming our next president.  Although the Pats won their first eighteen games last year,  this year they should come out with a chip on their shoulders after losing their last.  The Dolphins begin the Bill Parcells era and the Bills are also loaded with question marks.  Not much is expected from either of them.  The Jets, however, will have a significantly new look.  Brett Favre traded one green uniform for another and has decided to continue his career under center for the Jets.  This move, at a minimum, will make a Patriots-dominated division slightly more interesting.

Continue reading "A 2008 NFL Preview (in 750 words or less)"

When the original Dream Team tore through the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, it was like the Beatles reunited.  With the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Clyde Drexler suiting up, the team touted so much star power that opposing teams didn’t mind getting drubbed by over forty points a game.  Although a gold medal for Team USA was a forgone conclusion before the games even began, the team was still a joy to watch.  It was arguably the greatest sports team ever assembled. 

It became clear to marketing wizard David Stern that the NBA could significantly expand its fan base, and revenue, by actively promoting itself overseas.  As fans worldwide became more enamored with the game, the NBA soon found out that young Americans were not the only ones who wanted to ‘be like Mike.'

Continue reading "How David Stern and Michael Jordan May Have Destroyed The Game"

Why Team USA Almost Lost....

Defense: Going into these Olympic games, there were a few basic concerns for Team USA on the defensive end.  How would an undersized US team defend the post with only one and a half centers (Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh) and how would they effectively defend the perimeter against hot shooting European or Latin American teams?  In the gold medal game against Spain, Team USA’s defense was horrific.  While it seemed this team had gotten progressively better defensively throughout the Olympics, Team USA allowed Spain to shoot over 60% from the floor in the first half.  Marc Gasol was having his way on the inside.  Spain repeatedly ran alley-oop, pick and rolls which the U.S. was unable to stop.  Juan Carlos Navarro scored at will with running jump shots, breaking down whoever was covering him.  And future NBAer Rudy Fernandez, 7-13 from the floor, looked like he could have started for the Americans.  In the final game, rather than rely on their defense, which to date had been their staple, Team USA counted on their offense to bail them out.

Continue reading "Redeem Recap: How USA Almost Lost The Gold... And Why They Ultimately Won"

Football season is upon us and, once again, Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators field a team with national championship aspirations.  While they’ll only admit to setting their sights on an SEC crown, a BCS bid would likely go hand in hand with that accomplishment.

Last year, only one year removed from winning the second national championship in school history, the Gators (9-4) had what, by their standards, could be considered a disappointing season.  While featuring a quarterback who had arguably the most productive season in college football history, the Gators were still saddled with several weaknesses, including a porous and inexperienced secondary and an inconsistent rushing attack.

The 2008-9 season brings another year of promise to the Gainesville faithful as the Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators have as good a chance as anyone to bring home a conference and potentially national title.

Continue reading "Your (Unofficial) 2008-2009 Florida Gator Preview"

On a day when Ohio State was leading its home opener 13-0 early and LSU led last year’s giant-killer Appalachian St by 31 points at halftime, it appeared at least early on that Hawaii would give the Florida Gators a fight.  Florida won the coin toss and deferred to give Hawaii the football to start the game.  The Rainbow Warriors then proceeded to drive down the field and take what seemed like a lot longer than three minutes off the clock before having to punt.  The Gators were unable to score on their first possession.

Florida's first quarter woes continued as they were once again unable to stop the Rainbow Warriors on their next possession.  That was until Ahmad Black ended a promising Hawaii drive with an interception in the end zone.  Twelve minutes into their season, the Gators had already committed five penalties and looked like they had plenty of kinks to work out on both sides of the ball.  Hawaii had controlled the ball for 8:46 of the first quarter, running 17 plays.

Continue reading "Gators Fi-Lei Rainbow Warriors; Prove Florida Is Hotter Than Hawaii"