SportSpectator Blog

 

November 24, Week in Sports

 

:: OKLAHOMA KNOCKS OFF TEXAS TECH (College Football)

:: PUJOLS, PEDROIA WIN MVP AWARDS (Pro. Baseball)

:: MARK CUBAN CHARGED WITH INSIDER TRADING (Pro. Basketball)

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BIG 12 BEATDOWN

On Saturday night, No. 5 ranked Oklahoma beat No. 2 ranked Texas Tech by a score of 65-21. This game had major ramifications for the national standings in college football, and for the Big 12 Conference.

Three of the best teams in the country this year are in the Big 12 South–Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Each of these three teams now has a 10-1 record on the year, and in each case, the one loss came from one of the other two teams: Texas Tech beat Texas, Texas beat Oklahoma, and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech. A reasonable person might look at that fact and say that these teams are more or less equal to each other. However, there is a ranking system in college football that sometimes ranks teams in a way that seems unfair. The way that the college football season is set up, rankings are determined by a combination of human polls and a computer-based scoring system. Every year, a controversy like this seems to pop up, which is why college football has some of the greatest fan frustration out of any sport in the country.

After Texas Tech’s loss, they plummeted to No. 7 in the A.P. poll. Oklahoma narrowly rose above Texas, to the No. 3 spot. The top two teams at the end of the year get to play in the national championship game.

Quote of the Week: “Order was simultaneously restored and destroyed here Saturday night.” — Pat Forde, ESPN

Further Reading: ”Pointing Fingers” — Pat Forde, ESPN

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A.P./D.P. WIN MVP

Last week, Major League Baseball announced the final major player awards for the 2008 season. Albert Pujols and Dustin Pedroia were named the MVPs of the National League and American League, respectively. The Most Valuable Player awards are among the most coveted player awards in baseball.

Albert Pujols, the first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, won the award after receiving 18 out of 32 first place votes. Ryan Howard of the Phillies came in second place, with 12 first place votes. Pujols had a tremendous year, batting .357 and swatting 37 home runs, all while playing injured on a bad team that missed the playoffs. This is the second time that Pujols has received the MVP award.

Dustin Pedroia, the second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, won the award by a slightly bigger margin–he received 16 first place votes, while Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins brought in 7 first place votes. Pedroia, a famously undersized ballplayer, was last year’s Rookie of the Year in the American League. It is rare to see a second baseman win the MVP award–the last time it happened was in 1959–so it took a truly exceptional season from Pedroia to capture the award.

Quote of the Week: “For most of his baseball life, Dustin Pedroia has heard the doubts. He’s heard he’s too small, too slow or that his swing is too long, and that, one way or another, he just doesn’t measure up. But now, he might be too good for his own good.” — Sean McAdam, Boston Herald

Further Reading: “Pedroia beats out Morneau to win AL MVP” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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CUBAN CRISIS

 

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was charged with insider trading by the SEC last Monday. Cuban is one of the most well-known owners in professional sports, and these allegations are sure to follow him around for quite some time if he is found guilty.

 

The SEC filed a civil lawsuit against Cuban, which means that if he is found guilty, he would only have to cut the SEC a check of approximately one million dollars–reportedly, no criminal lawsuit will be filed against Cuban, so jail time seems very unlikely. The SEC has alleged that Mark Cuban sold all his shares in a company called Mamma.com after hearing that shares in the company’s stock would be sold to the public below market price. Knowing that this would certainly devalue his stock, Cuban reportedly dumped all of his shares in the company. While Cuban can surely handle a million dollar fine, the damage to his reputation might be harder to deal with. For example, the Chicago Cubs are currently for sale, and Mark Cuban was one of the interested bidders. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Cuban was no longer being considered as a potential owner, and some have speculated that this was because the Cubs organization got word that Cuban was about to be charged with insider trading.

 

Cuban is a very hands-on owner, who is famous for yelling at referees during Dallas Mavericks games. In recent years, he has cooled down significantly, and he gained an even greater level of prominence when he appeared as a contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Quote of the Week: “However this plays out, it’s a hit on Cuban’s reputation as the Everyman fan who hit the Internet lottery, became a billionaire and bought his favorite team.” — Associated Press

Further Reading:  “SEC’s Mark Cuban Insider Trading Allegations” — Henry Blodget, Silicon Alley Insider

 

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: COLLEGE FOOTBALL: As the season winds down, the games become increasingly important. On Saturday, No. 1 Alabama plays Auburn and No. 2 Florida plays Florida State. If both teams win, then Alabama and Florida will play each other the following week in the most crucial matchup of the year.

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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 started last week and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season is now underway. The Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants are currently the best teams in the league. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now in full swing. The BCS Standings currently place Alabama 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

 

:: 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]

November 3, Week in Sports

 

::  PHILLIES WIN WORLD SERIES (Pro. Baseball)

::  TEXAS TECH UPSETS NO. 1 TEXAS (College Football)

::  NORTH CAROLINA RANKED NO. 1 (College Basketball)

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PHEW! PHILADELPHIA GETS LONG-AWAITED CHAMPIONSHIP

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night to win the World Series. The Phillies have not won the World Series since 1980, and the city of Philadelphia has not had a championship team since 1983.Philadelphia fans have been waiting for this championship for a long time, and they were forced to wait even longer since rain delays plagued this year’s World Series. The most controversial moment of the chamionship occurred last Monday, during Game 5 of the series. When torrential rains came down during the middle of the game, league commissioner Bud Selig decided on the fly to suspend the game. This ultimately meant that the game was simply paused and then resumed on Wednesday with the score tied and three innings left to play. It was through that game that the Phillies clinched the title, squashing the upstart Rays, baseball’s feel-good story of the year.

Cole Hamels, the 24-year old star pitcher of the Phillies, was named the MVP of the series. Hamels was not even alive the last time the Phillies won the World Series.

Quote of the Week: ”Save the jokes, the taunts and all those insults about the losingest team in sports.” — ESPN News

Further Reading: ”For Phillies and City, Title Is Worth the Wait“ – Tyler Kepner, ESPN

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SEEING RED: TEXAS TECH SHAKES UP RANKINGS

In one of the most exciting college football games of the year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the Texas Longhorns, the top-ranked team in the country. With that victory, Texas Tech rose in the BCS rankings, which ultimately determine which teams get to face off in the national championship game.

The Lornhorns have been a very strong team all year, but Texas Tech dominated them for most of the game, at one point leading by two touchdowns. However, the Red Raiders’ lead began to shrink as the game progressed, and with a minute and a half left in the game, the Longhorns actually took the lead. But Texas Tech put together an incredible drive down the field as the seconds ticked away, and they scored a touchdown with one second left in the game, taking the lead once more. When that touchdown was scored, the Texas Tech fans rushed the field even though there was still time left on the clock. Once everyone had been cleared from the field, the game resumed, and the Red Raiders sealed their victory.

As a result of the game, Texas Tech rose in the rankings from No. 7 to No. 2, and Texas dropped from No. 1 to No. 5. No. 2-ranked Alabama won their game 35-0 this weekend, guaranteeing their rise to the No. 1 spot.

Quote of the Week: “On the sideline, I dreamed that I would catch a pass and go in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown, but I do that every game.” — Michael Crabtree, the star wide receiver who caught the game-winning touchdown

Further Reading: “Don’t Blink” — Ivan Maisel, ESPN

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CLICKING HEELS

The North Carolina Tar Heels are currently ranked the No. 1 college basketball team in the country by a unanimous preseason vote. This is the first time in the history of the preseason poll that there has been a unanimous No. 1.

North Carolina is largely ranked so highly because of the presence of Tyler Hansbrough, last year’s national player of the year. Many people thought that Hansbrough would have left the college game for a career in the pros, but he decided to play one more year at North Carolina. With many college players leaving for the NBA after just one or two years, a star veteran is something that very few college teams have to offer, which accounts for the Tar Heels’ top rank. However, last week news broke that Hansbrough was sitting out practice with a stress reaction in his right shin. If the injury turns out to be serious, it would be a disaster for the North Carolina team. Moreover, if the injury turns out to have long-term consequences, it would also mean that Hansbrough would have made the mistake of a lifetime by waiting an extra year before signing an NBA contract.

After North Carolina, Connecticut was ranked No. 2 in the country. Louisville, UCLA, and Pittsburgh rounded out the top five.

Quote of the Week: “This, you see, is the time of year when most teams are trying to figure out who they are and what they have. North Carolina, on the other hand, is fine-tuning the roles of well-established veterans. If the rest of America is going over algebra I right now, North Carolina is already on advanced calculus.” — Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated

Further Reading:  “Tar Heels voted as first unanimous preseason No. 1 in AP poll” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: FOOTBALL: On Sunday night, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles will play in what should be an excellent matchup between two of the traditionally strongest teams in the league. Both teams play in NFC East, which will add to the intensity of the game. The Giants, the defending Super Bowl champions, will enter the game as the favorite.

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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 begins on November 10th and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season is now underway. The Tennessee Titans are currently the best team in the league, with an undefeated record. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now in full swing. The BCS Standings currently place Alabama 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

:: 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]