Another Potentially Interesting Oxymoron…American Soccer.
Thoughts?!?!
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=270153&cc=5901
Picture from espn.com
Hockey in the South…Ain’t just an oxymoron y’all
So, it has been more than a year since my last post. Based off the hundreds of people a day who look at my blog entry about Sidney Crosby , I figured it would be nice to talk a little bit about the hockey team I’m cheering for–the Carolina Hurricanes–and their quest for the cup.
Since I have a feeling all the Penguins fans were pretty perturbed to find a blog referring to the hotness of Sidney Crosby instead of a detailed description about his uncanny ability to slide the puck around the ice, I will refrain from discussing the looks of the Canes (However, ladies, I have two names for you: Cam Ward and Eric Staal-google them you will not be disappointed. Heck, google any of the 4 Staal brothers…all have been drafted…. and none of them are hard to look at!)
Okay. Sorry. Got distracted. The Carolina Hurricanes.
Formed in ’71 as the New England Whalers, they moved to the National Hockey League in ’79 as the Hartford Whalers. Residing below the Mason-Dixon line, the Hurricanes have now been in North Carolina for 11 years. While southern hockey typically has received less hospitality and a lack-luster fan base, the ‘Canes have slowly built theirs up, made namely larger after their first Stanley Cup win during the ’05-’06 season. Prior to this season, a lack of media coverage and attendees made the Hurricanes a joke in the eyes of many in the sporting world.
While I had never seen a hockey game until this year (unless you count Mighty Ducks), I have fully come to appreciate what gets all those Northerners up at 5 AM in below zero weather to practice. Adrenaline pounding, punch throwing, last second shots to end a game-the Carolina Hurricanes have it all. This year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs is proof alone that hockey is as exhilerating to watch as any sport. With the quarterfinals and semifinals playoff rounds lasting all seven games, the Canes have had their fair share of close calls. The last game in the semifinal series versus the Boston Bruins went into overtime, with stressed out, Scott Walker scoring to eliminate the Bruins hope for the Stanley Cup.
Its been a while since I’ve uploaded a video, so not sure if this clip will work!!
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the good-looking Sidney Crosby and his Penguins is Monday night, 7:30.
Maybe the South will rise again.
The Crosby Show
I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my next Cute Athlete of the Week. Ladies, meet Sidney Crosby.
This 20-year-old NHL star was named the Pittsbourgh Penguins’ team captain, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history. As a Canadian-native, Crosby was also the youngest player ever named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team. According to Wikipedia, Crosby “was the first pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and was one of the most highly regarded draft picks in hockey history, leading many to refer to the 2005 Draft Lottery as the ‘Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes’.”
Check out some of the stats of this Canada-born star:
- He was awarded an Espy for best NHL player.
- This season, he signed a contract with the Penguins for $8.7.
- He was nominated as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2007.
Since all girls love a man who can dress, I just wanted to make sure y’all knew he has partnered with Reebok to create his own clothes line. ( Well, its pretty much all hockey gear). Check out his line, named SC87!
Lets just put it this way, Crosby makes a hockey game worth watching.
Picture and info about Mr. Crosby curtesy of AskMen.com
Not Quite Fabulous Four
So, this week I got some of my friends to tell me about their Final Four experience. While this game obviously did NOT go the way I wanted it to (the first half alone was disturbing to Tar Heels everywhere!), my friends had some interesting experiences and even better pictures!
Torie (far left), Senior, UNC
I watched the game at my friend Matt’s. There was a group of about 20 of us piled into a tiny den and crowded around a big screen TV to watch the big game. We ordered pizza and bought a keg. Everyone was really excited, but the atmosphere was intense because we all knew what a big game it was. We could hear lots of other people in the neighboring apartments cheering along with us, so it was definitely a fun, memorable experience even though we lost the game.
Paige, Junior, UNC
Saturday in general was a crazy experience. All day town was completely chaotic, there was no parking ANYWHERE on or off campus. Even the hippies at Whole Foods were in on the Tarheel madness–there were sky blue cupcakes and cookies galore. Possessed fans started swarming toward the Dean Dome at around 6 and of course these fans did not realize they were impeding my studying ability with their yelling at 6:00 (I live in Ram’s Village). Unfortunately, for the actual game I had the grave responsibility of being the “sober contact” for the Senior Final FOURmal. While I would much rather have been sitting in my apartment in sweatpants with a pint of Chunky Monkey, I had to put on a cocktail dress and heels and go to the Carolina Club. The first half of the game I checked people’s IDs to make sure they were 21 (sort of a moot point when they’re all seniors) and the second half I spent with my two roommates, Jennifer and Anne. As the half progressed, we began to have a small amount of hope, and then I really began wishing I hadn’t volunteered to be the only sober person there. Directly after the game, I ate around 9 chocolate covered strawberries and spun around the dance floor to “Carolina Girls” with my fabulous friend, Jonathan. The picture was taken right after we lost, and pretty must epitomizes the mood of the gathering at that point…though most people drowned their sorrow in more lethal substances than chocolate covered strawberries. Overall, it was an interesting Final Four experience, I’m sincerely hoping my sweatpants will forgive my abandonment and welcome me home and us to victory next year.
Rachel (far right), Freshman, UNC
I watched the game at Chapel Hill in a friend’s apartment. A lot of my friends from high school came from other colleges to watch the game. It was really good to see them, even though we lost. I was very disappointed we weren’t able to rush Franklin Street!
Sarah Ann, pictured with her fiance Jeremey during a football game, Senior, UNC
I actually flew to Philadelphia on Friday morning and got to see all the UNC fans decked out in their Carolina blue at the RDU airport who were going to San Antonio for the big game! It was great to see such an awesome fan base making the trip to support the Tar Heels! Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it back to Chapel Hill Saturday night for the Final Four game but I did watch it at home in Raleigh with my parents and fiancé. We ordered pizza and watched the embarrassing showing of UNC basketball versus Kansas. The first half of the game was hard to watch because we all knew that’s not how Carolina plays. It was definitely exciting to watch them make a comeback to within four points!! We really thought they were going to pull through and win it. It was definitely disappointing. But, even though the Tar Heels didn’t advance to the championship game, they did have a great season! Sad though that we won’t be celebrating a national championship game on Monday night. Still, as always, GO HEELS!
Katherine, Junior, UGA
Being that I go to the University of Georgia, I don’t have many fellow Carolina fans…sad! I made sure to wear my Carolina gear all around campus on Friday to show my support. My roomate Brittany was nice enough to watch the game with me on Saturday night. I was devastated that we lost, but we still had fun watching it. GO HEELS!!!
Ryan, UNC ’07, Navy Officer
*Katie’s note: Ryan didn’t include an explanation of his Final Four evening. However, I did want to explain the picture. This lucky UNC grad got to watch the game IN SAN ANTONIO!!! Talk about a true fan!
Kelly, Junior, UNC
I watched the game at my friends house with a group of about 15 other UNC students. We had a keg and pizza and two TVs to watch the game on. We piled on the floor the stairs and each others laps holding hands when things got close. We were all very depressed at the loss but that didn’t keep us from going to Franklin Street after!
Katie (I’m on the left, Kelly’s on the right), Junior, UNC
Well, all my friends shared their stories so I thought I would tell show you what I did. I spent this disappointing evening with Kelly and some of our friends. Here are a couple pictures of my night!!
Regardless of the final score, all I have to say is GO HEELS!!!
Finalizing the Final Four: Davidson vs. Goliath
I am blogging live in Chapel Hill during the Davidson and Kansas men’s basketball game. The guys are playing in Detroit for the Mid West Regional Finals.
Final Score: Kansas 59 Davidson 57
Curry couldn’t get shot off!!! Kansas wins. All four No. 1 seeds are going to the Final Four for the first time ever!! Carolina, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA will be contending to play in the national championship next weekend!
I became attached to the Wildcats. The entire nation seemed to love their Cinderella story. They have no reason to hang their head because they had an amazing season and gave their all.
7:12 p.m. ET
Kansas has ball with less than 30 and up by two. Missed shot!!!
With 16.8 left, Davidson has the ball!!! The can tie or win!!!
7:06 p.m. ET
59- 53 Kansas. Time-out. With only 59 seconds left, the fans seem to be getting tense. I keep forgetting to type because my eyes are glued to the screen. Davidson makes one foul shot and they regain possession! Curry hits a three with 54:4 seconds. 59-57!!!
7:01 p.m. ET
Kansas seems to be doing a successful job of containing Curry. His last made basket was at 8:48 in the game. Only 2:20 left.
Davidson’s big man, Lovedale fouls out. Kaun, with 12 points, goes to the line and makes one shot. Curry can’t get a shot off. I feel like this might be the beginning of the end for Davidson with a 57-53 lead by Kansas and only 1:15 left.
The best part of college basketball…anything can happen.
6:55 p.m. ET
Barr now has made 11 points, all in the second half. With every great shot by Kansas, Davidson counters immediately. Kansas has a three-point lead, and there is less than 3:30 in the half! Ladies and gentlemen, we could easily have overtime tonight!!
6:47 p.m. ET
Barr just made another three!! 49 to 45, Davidson!! This boy is on fire. Kansas’ Kaun quickly responded with a lay-up for two. Davidson won’t back down. Another two-point jumper by Curry! 51-47 Davidson.
6:41 p.m. ET
Back-to-back threes for a one point game! Davidson’s Barr only points have been these 6 points in a total of 30 seconds!
6:35 p.m. ET
As a North Carolina native, I was thrilled to hear that the small, private school of Davidson had a dominant basketball team. Even when my highly ranked Tar Heels played them earlier in the season, I was apprehensive about what the outcome would be due to the talent of the small school. Now, watching them play as well as they are against the Jayhawks, I’m nervous again thinking about the possibility of facing them in the Final Four!
Largest lead of the game: Kansas 43 Davidson 37.
6:26 p.m. ET
According to the announcers, Kansas is using a box-and-one defense. I had no idea what that was so I looked at Wikipedia:
“The Box-and-one defense is a particular type of defense used in basketball. The box-and-one is a hybrid between a man-to-man defense (in which each defensive player is responsible for marking a player on the other team) and a zone defense (in which each defensive player is responsible for guarding an area of the court). In a box-and-one defense, four players play zone defense, and align themselves in a box protecting the basket, with typically the two larger (or frontcourt) players playing directly under the basket, and the two smaller (or backcourt) players playing towards the foul line. The fifth defensive player in a box-and-one defense plays man to man defense, typically marking the best offensive player on the other team. A box-and-one defense is usually used against teams with one dominant scoring threat. The idea is to try and shut that player down by forcing them to score against a dedicated man-to-man player, and a supporting zone. “
I guess that player would be Mr. Curry.
However, there is a weakness to this defense:
“The biggest weakness of a box-and-one defense is its vulnerability to a pass to the middle of the “box.” As there is no defensive player responsible for this area of the court, good passing offensive teams are often able to exploit this gap.”
6:20 p.m. ET
Curry now has 17 points. I swear he just thinks 3-points and he makes the shot! As I was typing that, he made another 3. So 33-32 Davidson. Kansas is letting Davidson take some shots from outside-that doesn’t seem like a successful game plan so far!
Sander scored with an amazing shot and was fouled by Arthur in the process. He misses his free throws. 35-32 Davidson. Both teams haven’t been doing to hot on the foul line!
HALFTIME
Here’s a video of Curry from YouTube. Not the best quality but gives you an idea about all the hype around him!
5:55 p.m. ET
Curry made three free throws after he was fouled by Darnell Jackson. 28-28 with 1:17 left in the game. Davidson’s Sander fouled by Arthur. He missed his free throw. I get so surprised by missed foul shots at this level. With such a close score, both teams will be regretting these missed opportunities. Arthur picks up his second by fouling with 52 seconds left. Kansas up by 2 as Jackson hits a lay-up to end the half.
5:48 p.m. ET
So the Coke Zero commerical during the NCAA Tournament have been pretty cool! I found one on YouTube.
5: 44 p.m. ET
Davidson’s defense seem pretty solid. The size difference is not as big of a factor as I thought it would be..
I was surprised by the lack of involvement from Curry in the first ten minutes; however, he is making up for it in the latter part of the first half. Tie game still…23-23 with 3:58 left to play.
5:37 p.m. ET
Tie ball game tied at 23-23. Curry has established himself with fearless drives and great jumpers. He has 12 points. The teams seem more settled. Nerves seemed to have disappeared and been replaced with a competitive drive.
5:27 p.m. ET
Curry finally scores! 3 points! Kansas answers back with two. But Curry is not done. He makes a lay-up. It’s almost like he’s trying to make sure Kansas hasn’t written him off yet…
All a suddens someone lit a fire under these boys!! Davidson up 17-13.
5:21 p.m. ET
Finally, Davidson doesn’t seem to be afraid of Kansas! Davidson up 9-6. Sander made a beautiful 3-pointer from way back and Richards immediately followed with a 2-point jumper! They are on a 7-0 run!
5:15 p.m. ET
I learned that no 10th seed team has ever made it to the final four. Richards, Davidson’s point guard seems to face a constant double team. He’s the leading assister in the nation, averaging 8 per game.
Less than 8 points between the two teams, almost six minute into the half. First substitution of the game for Kansas.
5: 13 p.m. ET
Davidson seems pretty effective in slowing down the big guys of Kansas. However, Davidson seems to be struggling early in the paint. With Curry’s outside range, I was hoping to see some huge early shots from him. But don’t worry, I’m not writing him off yet! A little more than 15 minutes left in the half, tied 2-2.
5:05 p.m. ET: Tip-OFF
Jayhawks, No.1 seed vs 10th seed Davidson. Let’s roll.
Kansa got the ball off the tip-off. I am honestly really curious to see if Curry can live up to the hype. The size of Kansas is intimidating to me, and I am only watching them on a twenty- inch TV. Davidson first on the board…Lovedale made a lay-up. Lets see if they can keep it up!!
Final Four: Jayhawks or Wildcats?
The Davidson Wildcats are facing the Kansas Wildcats tonight at 5:05. The winner will then move on to play Hansbrough and UNC in the Final Four!
If you have been following March Madness at all, you know the player to watch in this match-up is Davidson’s Stephen Curry.
However, Curry’s not the only player worth watching. Check out this ESPN article to get the lowdown on tonight’s game.
I’ll be blogging live starting at tip-off! Who do y’all think has the upper hand in tonight’s game?!
I picked the Wright one, baby.
This summer, I had a once-in- a-lifetime experience. I got to sit fourth row at Wrigley field in Chicago and watch the Chicago Cubs play the New York Mets. I cannot imagine a better place to be sitting in the summer than one of the most well-known stadiums, eating a hotdog and cheering on a player as he slides into home plate.
This particular game was amazing to be at for two reasons.
First, it was at this game where the Mets’ pitcher Tom Glavine became the 23rd MLB player to gain his 300th win. Many sports analysis think that another 300th win will not be happening anytime soon. I found an article from USA Today that does a great job of explaining why this win is so rare.
More importantly, this game was my first introduction to the Cute Athlete of the Week: David Wright.
Wright, the Mets third baseman, is not only known for his goods looks and baseball skill. The 25-year-old has also been credited as a great guy. According to his Wikipeida page, Wright ” is noted for his unaffected politeness and work ethic. He has developed a reputation for arriving very early to the park for games and being uncommonly accommodating with fans and reporters.”
Picture from nyfuturestars.com.
The Golf Pack
I asked a couple of N.C. State golfers some questions about golf, girls and, of course, college basketball.
Meet the guys:
Kent is a red-shirt sophomore from Hickory, NC. Chase is a red-shirt junior from Lancaster, PA. Andrew is a red-shirt junior from Henderson, NC.
What I asked ‘em:
1.) Who is your favorite golfer?
Kent: Tiger Woods
Andrew: Tiger Woods
Chase: Carl Peterson
2.) What do you enjoy most about being a student athlete at N.C. State?
Kent: The free stuff
Andrew: All the media attention
Chase: The groupies
3.) What is the worst pick-up line you have ever used?
Kent: I don’t use them
Andrew: Don’t use them
Chase: Here I am. What are your next two wishes?
4.) Who do you think is the up-in-coming golfer?
Kent: Webb Simpson
Andrew: Sean O’Haire
Chase: Matt Hill
5.) Who do you think is going to win NCAA basketball tournament?
Kent: UNC/Kansas
Andrew: Anyone but UNC
Chase: N.C. State on a write-in ballot
Why Tennis is My Retirement Sport
With spring in the air, I am getting excited about all the sporting events that are great to attend under the sun. While initially I was not a fan of the game of golf, ( Who cares about grown men with sticks hitting a teeny-tiny ball? Please. They don’t have to worry about getting tackled by a 300 pound linebacker or being run over by a 7-foot center) my opinion of the game changed greatly when I was convinced by my boyfriend to join him in a round. I hated it. I thought swinging a club was the most awkward motion I had ever done. I swung the driver and actually missed the ball. I couldn’t understand the difference between a pitching wedge and a putter. Why were the clubs numbered? The sand got in my shoes. My attitude did not improve when I had to watch my boyfriend pound the golf ball over 300 yards away. I was even a bad golf cart driver. Slowly but surely, as we walked hole to hole, the game of golf became an opponent, something I wanted to learn to master… solely to spite it. With each swing of the club, I became more confident. I asked my boyfriend questions about strategy. I watched his swing. I made him drive the golf cart and I avoided the sand traps at all costs. By the 18th hole, I had come to respect the game of golf. While you will not see me every Saturday at the country club, perfecting my swing, you might just see me at the local driving range, trying to hit my enemy, the little white golf ball, as far away from me as possible.
Check out my next post…I asked my boyfriend and some of his college teammates for their opinions on golf, girls, and the oh-so-important college basketball tournament…
Auten Gives N.C. Sports Fans “The Business.”
I interviewed Taylor Auten, a junior Engineering student from N.C. State. Auten, one of the most passionate sports fans I have ever talked to, is a sports writer for NCSU’s newspaper, The Technician. Auten also contributes to WRAL.com.
Below is a picture of Taylor Auten cheering on N.C. State.
While Auten was tight lipped about discussing State’s heart-breaking, one-point loss to Duke this past Saturday, he was willing to talk to me about being a sports reporter.
Me: How hard is to keep your personal favoritism out of your articles?
Auten: It’s actually very hard because I only cover N.C.State. Especially with The Technician. My readership is purely N.C.State. Its definitely difficult to stay objective. With sports, it’s less so since it is statistically based. Its easier to maintain objectivity. But it is definitely an issue.
Me: What is the best sporting event you have ever attended?
Auten: I was at the first Master Tiger Woods ever won. That is probably the top sporting event I have ever been to.
Me: What is your favorite part about being a sports writer?
Auten: I think its definitely the perks. You get great seats and they feed you. When you cover football games in the press box, they give you a crazy amounts of BBQ and sweet tea. And with basketball, you have such great seats that you can literally feel the basketball bouncing.
Me: What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while reporting?
Auten: When I was covering NC State Maryland football game this year, the referee gave Kalani Heppe a 15 yard penalty for, quote the referee, “giving him the business.” That was real bizarre. The whole press box was really befuddled. Half the people were laughing and the other half were looking through the rulebooks to find that penalty.
Watch Heppe “give the business” with the following Youtube video:
