SportSpectator Blog

January 12, Week in Sports

:: NEW YORK GIANTS FALL TO PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (Pro. Football)

:: FLORIDA BEATS OKLAHOMA IN BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (College Football)

:: CARDINALS STUN PANTHERS (Pro. Football)

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GIANT KILLERS

 

On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants, knocking them out of the playoffs. The Giants are one of the most popular teams in the league, as well as the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a long and dramatic season, with most of the drama centered around embattled Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and his talent is undeniable, but he is past the prime of his career. Age, injuries, and a contentious relationship with Philadelphia fans have dogged McNabb the past few years, and earlier this season he was struggling so much that he was actually benched by his coach. But now that McNabb has led the Eagles past Eli Manning and the New York Giants, one of the best teams in the league, McNabb will be the hero of Philly–at least for the time being. The Eagles play the Arizona Cardinals next week, and the winner of that game will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

On Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers. As a result, the Steelers and the Ravens will face off next week, and the winner of that game will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

 

Quote of the Week: “He is the best quarterback in the NFL. I don’t think I have to say anything more than that.” — Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles Coach on Donovan McNabb

Further Reading: “Eagles Pick Giants Apart” — Associated Press, via ESPN

 

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FLORIDA CHOMPS DOWN ON OKLAHOMA

On Thursday night, the Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to win the BCS championship game. The BCS title game is the culmination of the college football season, and the victorious team is the national champion.

The Florida Gators have now won the national championship two out of the past three years. The past two years, the face of the team has been quarterback Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and was a finalist for the award in 2008. Tebow was the driving force in Florida’s victory this year. Meanwhile, the winner of the 2008 Heisman Trophy was Sam Bradford, the quarterback for the losing team, the Sooners. Because two of the most impressive quarterbacks in the nation were facing off in the national championship game, the game was widely expected to be a high-scoring affair. In reality, the game was relatively slow-paced, and both team’s offenses made critical mistakes throughout the contest. In the end, though, Florida managed to outlast Oklahoma.

The college football season is now over, with Florida winning the championship and being ranked number one overall. However, there is a small contingent of sports writers who made the case that Utah, despite not even playing in the national championship game, should be regarded as the best team in the country. Utah was undefeated this year, and defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. However, according to the current college football ranking system, the degree of difficulty of Utah’s schedule was not as high as Florida, making their quest for the number one spot impossible. In the end, Utah was ranked number two in the nation.

Quote of the Week: ”Florida? Oklahoma? Who cares? Utah is the national champion.” — Rick Reilly, ESPN

Further Reading: ”Florida Raises another Trophy” — Pete Thamel, New York Times

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WILD CARDS

The Arizona Cardinals handily defeated the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs on Saturday night, winning the game by 20 points. The Cardinals were major underdogs in the game (and in the post-season in general), but now they are one win away from making it to the Super Bowl.

The Cardinals are led by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, the aging superstar who made a name for himself ten years ago, when he was the league MVP and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory. Since then, Warner’s presence on the national stage has diminished–at least until this year, when he led the Arizona Cardinals to an unlikely playoff berth. The Cards were widely considered the worst team to make the playoffs, but now that they have two post-season victories under their belts, Warner and star receiver Larry Fitzgerald are turning some heads. Of course, they got some help from the Carolina Panthers, who had a complete meltdown on Saturday night, when Panthers quarterback Jack Delhomme threw five interceptions.

Earlier on Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens knocked off the Tennessee Titans. The Ravens, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league, did not play particularly well on Saturday, but they still managed to drop the powerhouse Titans. The Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play next week, and the winner will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Quote of the Week: “We picked a bad day to have a bad day.” — John Fox, Carolina Panthers coach

Further Reading:  “Soaring Cardinals one game away from first Super Bowl berth” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. FOOTBALL: The playoffs continue next weekend. The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Arizona Cardinals. The winners of those two games will ultimately play each other in the Super Bowl, the biggest event in American sports.

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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 continue this week and culminate in the Super Bowl, which takes place later in January. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now over, with Florida defeated Oklahoma 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. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season is currently under way and runs through April of 2009.  [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]

January 5, Week in Sports

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

:: USC TROUNCES PENN STATE IN ROSE BOWL (College Football)

:: RED WINGS TOP BLACKHAWKS IN WINTER CLASSIC (Pro. Hockey)

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AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT…

This weekend marked the beginning of the NFL playoffs. There were four games, which means that four teams advanced on the post-season path toward the Super Bowl: the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and Philadelphia Eagles.

The most surprising moment so far in the post-season came during the game between the Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts. The Chargers won the game in overtime–a surprising outcome, given the fact that the Chargers had a shaky season and the Colts were universally regarded as one of the strongest teams in the playoffs. In any case, the season is now over for Indianapolis and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who was recently named the league MVP by the Associated Press.

Other major NFL news came earlier in the week, when a series of coach firings were announced. The fired coaches included Romeo Crennel (Cleveland Browns), Eric Mangini (N.Y. Jets), and Mike Shanahan (Denver Broncos). None of the members of that group were too surprising, except for Shanahan, who led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late 90s.

Quote of the Week: ”For the sixth time in nine playoff appearances, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have been bounced from the playoffs in the first round.” — Dashiell Bennett, Deadspin

Further Reading: ”An early ending for the Colts, again” — Paul Kuharsky, ESPN

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COMING UP ROSES

The USC Trojans defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game in the country, and one of the most famous.

This is the third year in a row that the Trojans have won the Rose Bowl. While many teams in the country would look at a Rose Bowl victory as a huge accomplishment, in many ways, it is a consolation prize for USC. Every year, the Trojans are projected to be one of the best teams in the nation, and even though they generally live up to expectations, they have not made the national championship game since 2005, when they lost to Texas.

The loss in the Rose Bowl came as a big disappointment to Penn State, who had an outstanding season and finished the season ranked sixth in the nation. Penn State belongs to the Big Ten conference, and under the current Bowl Game system, the Rose Bowl is played between teams from the Big Ten and Pac-10 conferences. However, the Big Ten has had no success at the Rose Bowl under the current system, and the last time it came home from Pasadena victorious was in 2000, when Wisconsin beat Stanford.

Quote of the Week: “It would take a heck of a football team to beat Southern Cal the way they played today.” — Joe Paterno, Penn State’s Head Coach

Further Reading: “Trojans are in full flower in Rose Bowl victory” — Gary Klein, LA Times

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BLACKHAWKS DOWN

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey game played on New Year’s Day. The Winter Classic is one of the most widely watched hockey events of the year, and this year’s game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field between the rival Red Wings and Blackhawks was very highly anticipated.

The Detroit Red Wings won the championship last year, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals. They are also traditionally one of the strongest teams in the league. The Chicago Blackhawks, though one of the original teams in the league, have gone years without making the playoffs, and the Chicago fan base has been largely indifferent to the team as a result. In the past two years, though, that has changed dramatically. After the owner of the Blackhawks died, his son completely overhauled the team’s image, and so far this year the Blackhawks have the best attendance in the league, as well as a very good record. For that reason, and because of the fact that the game was taking place at historic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, the Winter Classic was a hugely successful event.

A big part of the Blackhawks’ revival has been the play of young superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Both players are 20 years old, and they were recently selected to this year’s All-Star team.

Quote of the Week: “If this was the day they re-established themselves as meaningful in this town, it was also a day on which they realized, again, how far they have to go to get to the level of the defending champion Red Wings.” — Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune

Further Reading:  “Winter Classic a perfect day” — Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: COLLEGE FOOTBALL: On Thursday night, Oklahoma and Florida will face off in the BCS national championship game. This game is the most important event of the college football season, and is widely watched around the country.

:: PRO. FOOTBALL: The playoffs continue next weekend. For the full schedule, check your local paper or www.nfl.com.

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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 continue 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 are almost over. Florida and Oklahoma will play each other in the national championship game on Thursday. [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]