SportSpectator Blog

December 29, Week in Sports

:: NFL POST-SEASON SET (Pro. Football)

:: YANKEES ACQUIRE MARK TEIXEIRA (Pro. Baseball)

:: LAKERS SNAP CELTICS’ WIN STREAK (Pro Basketball)

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PIGSKIN PLAYOFFS

The NFL regular season ended this weekend and the playoff teams were finalized. The playoffs begin next weekend and culminate weeks later with the Super Bowl, the biggest event in American sports.

Twelve teams make it to the playoffs in the NFL. This year, the following teams made the cut: Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Minnesota Vikings. If there is a favorite at this point, it is probably the New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl last year and had a very strong season. However, maybe even bigger news was the list of teams that did not make the playoffs, and the Dallas Cowboys are at the top of that list. Before the season, many NFL experts predicted that the Cowboys would make it to the Super Bowl. However, after a mediocre season and a devastating loss on Sunday, the ‘Boys are out of the running yet again.

The Detroit Lions finished the season 0-16 after their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. After completing the worst season in the history of the NFL, the Lions fired their head coach.

Quote of the Week: “Week 17 had it all. And for so much of it, there was really no way to see it coming. It happens every year that way, and still we’re surprised by the surprise of it all.” — Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Further Reading: ”NFC Preview” — Jeffri Chadiha, ESPN ; “AFC Preview” — John Clayton, ESPN

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BRONX BOMBERS DROP ANOTHER BUNDLE

Star first baseman Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees last Tuesday for $180 million over 8 years. Teixeira was one of the most coveted free agents this off-season.

Teixeira is one of the best hitters in the game, as well as a Gold Glove-winning fielder, but his tremendous abilities were overshadowed this week by the amount of money that the Yankees spent in order to sign him. So far, the Yankees have spent more than $400 million dollars this off-season–by far the most in the league. The Yankees, of course, have a well-deserved reputation for big spending. During the 2008 season, they had a payroll over $200 million, ten times the payroll of the Florida Marlins and $70 million more than the next highest team, the New York Mets.

Major League Baseball has no salary cap, which allows for that kind of disparity in spending, but the Yankees’ outrageous spending has been highly criticized this year. Expect the criticism to heat up in the coming weeks, when the Yankees are expected to sign even more free agents, including star pitcher Andy Pettitte.

Quote of the Week: “As of 4 p.m. today, the Yankees have spent $423 million on free agents this offseason…. Six months ago, the Yankees asked the city of New York for an additional $480 million to fund [their new] stadium. They bulldozed parks that used to be playgrounds for the children of the South Bronx…. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, NYC taxpayers.” — Rick Chandler, Deadspin

Further Reading: “Buying an umbrella in New York” — Joe Posnanski

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Stocking Full of Kobe

On Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics by a score of 92-83. Before the loss, the Celtics had won 19 games in a row–the longest streak in franchise history.

The victory over the Celtics served as a small measure of revenge for the Lakers, who were badly beaten by Boston in last season’s NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant, the superstar Lakers guard, led all scorers with 27 points. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who made a name for himself with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, reached a truly impressive milestone on Thursday, as well, notching his 1,000th career victory.

The Lakers and the Celtics were the two best teams in the NBA last year, and this year, the two teams look poised to meet again in the Finals. As of Sunday, the Lakers had a record of 24-5 and the Celtics had a record of 27-4. Other than those two teams, only the Cleveland Cavaliers (25-4) and the Orlando Magic (24-6) had winning percentages over .800.

Quote of the Week: “Last year, they won the championship. This year, it’s our year, we want to take it all the way.” — Sasha Vujacic, Lakers guard

Further Reading:  ”Lakers put end to Celtics’ 19-game win streak” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Bowl Games, already underway, continue this week. New Year’s Day is a huge day for college football, since the Rose Bowl is almost always played on January 1st. The Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game in the nation, and always features two of the best teams in the country. This year, the game will be played between the USC Trojans and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Rose Bowl is played in Pasadena, California.

:: HOCKEY: The “Winter Classic,” an annual NHL game played outdoors, is scheduled to take place on New Year’s Day. This year, the Classic will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, between the Chicago Blackhawks and arch-rival Detroit Red Wings.

:: PRO. FOOTBALL: The NFL playoffs begin next week, when the AFC and NFC wildcard playoffs are played on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to see the game schedule.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

 

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 season is currently underway. It runs from late October to April of 2009, when the playoffs commence.  [Official NBA Website]

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): The college basketball season is currently underway and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The playoffs begin this week and culminate in the Super Bowl, which takes place later in January. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The regular season is over and the bowl games have already started. Florida and Oklahoma will play each other in the national championship game. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: GOLF

MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. Now that the PGA Championship is over, mainstream golf news will most likely revolve around Tiger Woods’ return from injury and preparation for next year’s Majors. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season runs through April of 2009. By the new year, the league power rankings should be pretty well set. [Official NHL Website]

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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OFFSEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s World Series. During the off-season, baseball news will focus on major trades and player signings. [Official MLB Website]

 

October 27, Week in Sports

 

::  PHILLIES LEAD RAYS 3-1 IN WORLD SERIES (Pro. Baseball)

::  COWBOYS SNAP TWO-GAME LOSING STREAK (Pro. Football)

::  NBA SEASON PREVIEW (Pro. Basketball)

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PHILLY FEVER

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently leading the Tampa Bay Rays 3 games to 1 in the World Series, which means they are one win away from taking the title. The World Series is a best-of-seven series that determines the champion at the conclusion of the baseball season.Up until Sunday night, every game in the series had been decided by just one or two runs, making for a very close, extremely competitive matchup. However, the Phillies, sparked by two home runs by slugger Ryan Howard, beat the Rays 10-2 in Game 4, which has changed the nature of the series completely. With a 3-1 advantage, the Phillies are now poised to win the championship. They only need one more win to finish off the Rays in the World Series, and their chances look very good–especially considering the fact that their best pitcher, Cole Hamels, is scheduled to take the mound in the next game.

But as Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” The Rays are not finished yet. The remaining games in the series will be played on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night.

Quote of the Week: ”It will be absolute bedlam. It will be one of the craziest places on Earth.” — Ryan Howard, on what Philadelphia will be like if the Phillies win

Further Reading: “Wide Awake” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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STAR POWER: COWBOYS EKE OUT WIN OVER BUCS

 

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-9 on Sunday afternoon, snapping a two-game losing streak. The Cowboys were off to a good start this year, but they have struggled greatly the past two weeks. Since they were widely expected to be a Super Bowl caliber team, their struggles have not gone unnoticed.

 

Part of the reason that the Cowboys have played so poorly lately has been because of the mounting injuries the team has sustained–the most important of which is Tony Romo’s broken pinkie, which has sidelined the team’s superstar quarterback. Without Romo, the Cowboys have relied on backup quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson was coming off a particularly poor performance, which made Sunday’s victory all the more important for the Cowboys. Moreover, the Buccaneers are one of the better teams in the league, so the Cowboys’ victory is a strong indication that they are still one of the most competitive squads in the NFL. Once Romo is back and healthy, the Cowboys will likely recover their status as one of the favorites to go far in the postseason this year.

Quote of the Week: “We got the dinks and dunks.” — Terrell Owens, Cowboys receiver, on the team’s narrow victory

Further Reading: “Star Turn” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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HOOP DREAMS

 

The 2008-09 NBA season begins this Tuesday with three games: Cleveland vs. Boston, Milwaukee vs. Chicago, and Portland vs. Los Angeles. The NBA season always begins in late October and the regular season runs through April of the following year.

 

Since every team begins the year feeling optimistic, only time will tell which teams will be the strongest this season. However, there are a number of story lines that figure to be prominent in the 2008-09 season.

 

1. Boston Celtics: Last year, the Celtics were the story of the year. After trading for Kevin Garnett, they had the winningest team in the league, and they ultimately won the NBA Finals. Everyone will be watching to see whether or not they can repeat last year’s success and defend their title.

 

2. Los Angeles Lakers: Last year, the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, where they were easily defeated by the Celtics. However, with star guard Kobe Bryant at the helm, the Lakers are perennial contenders, and expectations will be high this year, as always.

 

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Since the arrival of LeBron James, the Cavaliers have become one of the most exciting teams to watch every year. James is one of the best players in the league, and since he single-handedly led his team to the Finals in 2007, everyone knows that his presence alone raises the game to a championship level of play.

Quote of the Week: “

Further Reading: SI.COM’S NBA ENEMY LINES –  Sports Illustrated’s team-by-team preview

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: BASEBALL: The World Series continues this week, with games to be played on Monday night, and then Wednesday and Thursday night if necessary.

:: BASKETBALL: The NBA season begins this week. On opening night, the Cleveland Cavaliers — Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers — Portland Trail Blazers will play featured games on TNT.

:: FOOTBALL: Next Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are playing each other at 4:15 ET. Both teams have had good seasons, and a lot of pride will be on the line, so it should make for an outstanding game.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The World Series begins this week. The best-of-seven series is the culmination of the baseball season, and this year it will be played by the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. [Official MLB Website]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season is now underway. The standings will begin to take shape in just a few weeks, once teams begin to play their division rivals. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now in full swing. The BCS Standings currently place Texas as the best team in the country. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: GOLF

MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. Now that the PGA Championship is over, mainstream golf news will most likely revolve around Tiger Woods’ return from injury and preparation for next year’s Majors. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

 

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season runs through April of 2009. By the new year, the league power rankings should be pretty well set. [Official NHL Website]

 

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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OFFSEASON

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The Celtics defeated the Lakers to win the NBA Finals, ending the 2008 season. The 2008-09 season runs from late October to April of 2009, when the playoffs commence.  [Official NBA Website]

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): Now that the tournament is over, college basketball news will focus on which players leave their schools for the NBA, and which college teams land the premier high-school players for next season. [CBS Sports]

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September 1, Week in Sports

 

::   COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON BEGINS (NCAA Football)

::   MLB PLAYOFF RACES HEAT UP (Pro. Baseball)

::   NFL SEASON PREVIEW (Pro. Football)

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF

The college football season officially started last Thursday, and by the end of the weekend, dozens of games had been played. The college football season eventually culminates in 32 bowl games, where the top 64 teams in the country play on the national stage.

Because ranking all of the teams in order is extremely complex (since every team in the country has a different schedule, different opponents, different styles of play, etc.), every college football season is filled with controversy and conflicts of opinion. For many teams in the country, just making a bowl game is a huge accomplishment. The most elite teams in the nation, though, have their hearts set on making the national championship game–which features the top two teams in the country. In order to have a good chance to make it to the national championship, a team can only afford to have one or two losses. But sometimes, even one or two losses won’t cut it. In 2004, Auburn went undefeated, but there were two other undefeated teams who were ranked higher, so Auburn was denied a chance at the national championship. In short, sometimes going undefeated isn’t good enough, so every single game matters.

For better or worse, then, following the college football season mostly involves keeping track of the upsets and watching to see how ranked teams fare against other ranked teams. This week’s big victory (and big upset) came when No. 24-ranked Alabama beat No. 9-ranked Clemson. Clemson is the first top ten team to fall this season, which means they will be knocked out of the top ten in next week’s rankings. But rest assured–those rankings will change many, many times before this season is through.

Quote of the Week: ”A pair of parachuters who were slated to deliver the game ball for North Carolina’s opener against McNeese State inadvertently landed eight miles away–at Duke’s stadium. “In about five years,” said concerned UNC associate AD Rick Steinbacher, “maybe this will be funny.” Oh no–it’s plenty funny right now.” — Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Further Reading: ”The Tide Is Rising” — Ivan Maisel

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ROUNDING THIRD…MLB PLAYOFF RACES HEAT UP

As we enter the month of September, this year’s playoff races are beginning to take shape. The regular season ends on September 28, and the playoffs begin on October 1. Only eight teams make it to the postseason–four from the American League and four from the National League.

Several of the eight playoff spots are all but guaranteed already. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago Cubs are virtual locks to make the postseason. The Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox are likely to make it into the playoffs, as well. That leaves just a handful of playoff spots. Here are some of the key battles to focus on in September:

1. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are currently scrapping it out in the NL East. Whoever wins the division will secure a playoff spot, while the other team will go home empty-handed.

2. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks are competing for the NL West. While the Diamondbacks have taken command of the lead in the past weeks, it is a shaky division and nobody is counting the Dodgers out.

3. The Minnesota Twins, White Sox, and Boston Red Sox are fighting for two playoff spots in the American League. The White Sox and Twins are competing for the title in the AL Central. The Red Sox are poised to win the Wild Card, but whoever finishes second in the AL Central could certainly give them a run for their money.

Of course, no team has guaranteed their spot in the playoffs yet, which means that nobody is safe. If one team collapses or another team catches fire, the face of the playoffs could change in a heartbeat.

Quote of the Week: “[The Angels are] in the HOV lane for 90-plus victories and a fourth division title in the past five years. And if you can find a weakness in their everyday lineup, the Rally Monkey will wax and buff your car.” — Gene Wojciechowski

Further Reading: Current MLB Standings — via ESPN.com

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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

This weekend marks the beginning of the season for the NFL–the most popular sport in the country. The season officially begins on Thursday, when the New York Giants play the Washington Redskins. The rest of the Opening Week games will be played on Sunday and Monday.

There are a number of teams that are widely expected to be hugely successful this year, such as the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. And while some teams are expected to be a major disappointment this year, the vast majority of the teams in the league fall somewhere in the middle. The result is that at this point in the year, every team has a chance to make the playoffs, no matter how bleak things look–it is one of the reasons why the sport is so popular. There is no telling where the season will take us. For the time being, though, these are some of the big storylines of the season:

1. New England Patriots: Last year, the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season, but then they were devastated by a loss to the underdog New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Can Patriots quarterback Tom Brady bring the team to a championship this year?

2. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys, “America’s Team,” are perennial contenders, and this year many analysts predict that they will win the Super Bowl. However, as good as the Cowboys have been in recent years, it hasn’t helped them in the playoffs, where they have not won a game since 1996.

3. New York Jets: The Jets traded for Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre during the offseason. Will Favre help catapult the Jets to the playoffs? Will the Packers still win their division without their Hall of Fame quarterback?

Quote of the Week: ”There are exactly 267 games that matter in an NFL season, and it’s always a guessing game to predict the winners and losers.” — Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Further Reading: ”Fact Check: The 2008-2009 NFL Preview” — ESPN the Magazine Staff

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: FOOTBALL: The NFL season begins this week. With games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, you can expect to hear a lot about all of them from your friends, family, and co-workers–particularly from those involved in “fantasy football” leagues. Visit www.nfl.com  for details on the game schedules.

:: TENNIS: The U.S. Open continues this week, finishing up on September 7th.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

 

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): In the final month of the regular season, teams are still jockeying for spots in the post-season–either by winning their division, or by taking the Wild Card spot. [Official MLB Website]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season begins this week. The standings will begin to take shape in just a few weeks, once teams begin to play their division rivals. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football started last Thursday. USA Today and the Associated Press have both ranked Georgia as the number one team. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: GOLF

MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. Now that the PGA Championship is over, mainstream golf news will most likely revolve around Tiger Woods’ return from injury and preparation for next year’s Majors. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The U.S. Open is currently underway–it runs through September 7. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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OFFSEASON

:: BASKETBALL

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): Now that the tournament is over, college basketball news will focus on which players leave their schools for the NBA, and which college teams land the premier high-school players for next season. [CBS Sports]

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, completing the 2007-08 season. [Official NHL Website]

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:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The Celtics defeated the Lakers to win the NBA Finals, ending the 2008 season.  [Official NBA Website]