Best Sports Commercials

A little vacation through time, and your vehicle is sports commercials. I couldn't give these outright rankings, so they are grouped by what they are advertising for. Also all of these products should pay me for the vast amount of publicity I am giving them. Enjoy.

Farewell, Bruce.

And just like that, he's gone. Almost as abruptly as he entered, Bruce Boudreau has left the Capitals, except this time it he didn't have a say in it. There are many who won't be surprised by the firing considering that the Capitals have been in the midst of a miserable month of hockey--losing 7 of their last 10 and falling out of 1st place in the Southeast Division for the first time in a long time. There has also been lots of talk recently about how he has mishandled the superstars of the team (i.e. Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin), and how his reputation as a softy coach has come back to haunt him. With a roster as talented as the Capitals, and considering their futility in the playoffs the last few years, fans (and apparently the front office as well) were fed up with the underachieving that has been synonymous with the Capitals over the past three or four seasons. People were calling for Boudreau's head on a platter.

Rock Out Cause They Aren't Locked Out

            All I want for Christmas is Lebron James Vs. Dirk Nowitkzi; Paul Pierce Vs. Carmelo Anthony; Derrick Rose Vs. Kobe Bryant… lucky me!  A lot of people don’t really care about the NBA but here are upwards 34 reasons why you should watch the NBA this year (about one for each team and 5 reasons for the San Antonio Spurs).

Best Celebration Ever?

Stevie Johnson, of the Buffalo Bills, just scored a touchdown against Plaxico Burress and the New York Jets. He then preformed what could be the greatest touchdown celebration ever. Take a look.



Shawne Merriman then tweeted this during the game.

@shawnemerriman
Shawne MerrimanNever tweet during the game but what @StevieJohnson13 did was disrespectful & not needed & should never ... http://t.co/6nlUO0rC 14 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry · powered by @socialditto

The Prodigal Son Returns

Sidney Crosby, hockey’s chosen one, returned to NHL action last night after missing almost a full year with a concussion, and immediately reminded us what we were missing without him.  As a Capitals fan, it pains me to admit this, but Crosby is the best hockey player on the planet.  Crosby netted two goals on eight shots on goal, also adding two assists, in his return to the ice.  Despite my hate of the Penguins and Crosby in particular, even I have to admit the NHL has been far less interesting with Crosby off the ice.  The absence of an NBA season looks more and more likely with each passing day, and the NHL needs Crosby to be back in full force to capitalize on the opportunity to be the premier winter sport and expand their fan base.

Fantasy Madness

               March 

     Fantasy Madness

I for one have been devastated by the NBA lockout.  I’ve paid a little more attention to the NHL and even have begun to follow -- gasp -- the MLS.  Luckily Love Boat Sports has come up with a new fantasy college basketball game called Fantasy Madness to help fully integrate you to the college season.  The Loveboat staff is currently drafting but it has been a long process that has been made longer thanks to this guy.  We will get some posts up after the draft but until then here are the rules:

Why I Love Tebow, Even if You Hate Him

          

           Tim Tebow has made one of the most boring, irrelevant teams in all of football fun to watch.  That alone is a commendable feat.  Bill Simmons tweeted earlier tonight, “I’m irrationally excited for this Broncos-Jets game”.  However most people don’t watch the Broncos because they want to see good football-- that is why one watches the Packers.  People watch the Broncos because they want to watch Tim Tebow: @DJShampoooo before gametime Thursday night, “EVERY DAY I’M TEBOWING”.  And I would argue people watch Tim Tebow not because he is a particularly fun player to watch, but because they want to be right.  And up to this point, whether you hate Tebow or love him, you have most likely felt justified in your beliefs. 

Yet Again, A Touching Moment in Sports


It's a pretty common, yet always appropriate occurrence in sports; either before or during a game the home team will take the time to honor our nations military personnel who attended the game that day.  At Nats park, the military men and women all go down to right behind home plate in between an inning and the crowd gives them a standing ovation.  I will never tire of it, and I will always applaud until my hands are red.  Something like that at a hockey game after the jump, including an unbelievably emotional video.

Songs For Days

            Let’s take a look at some of the best songs from sports.  Now I don’t mean the best songs athletes have made.  That list would be a lot shorter and far more humorous.   I’m talking about the songs you hear and immediately think of something sports.  Without further ado here are the Top 10 songs in sports with a few honorable mentions.

A Much Needed Classic

Tonight’s Carrier Classic served as a representation of everything that’s still good in sports.  In the midst of an unthinkable scandal defaming one of our most beloved figures and the prolonged NBA lockout, we needed an event like the Carrier Classic to remind us why we love sports.  With the game played outdoors on an aircraft carrier, both teams wearing camo jerseys, and frequent interviews with military personnel, including the Commander in Chief himself, the game was a great celebration of Veterans Day.  Although there were questions about whether or not having the game outdoors would affect playing conditions, both teams’ players and coaches did not even consider moving the game to the lower deck of the ship.  While there were a few slips here and there, the outdoor conditions did not cause any real problems.  The game itself was not particularly exciting, we were treated to our first look at UNC, the pre-season number one.  In the midst of one of the most depressing sports periods in recent memory, it was a refreshing change to see two teams of amateurs putting it on the line to make history, playing the first outdoor game in college basketball history, and more importantly, to put on a display for the troops.  While most of us will probably sleep in tomorrow morning and have a relaxing weekend, the sailors on the USS Carl Vinson will be up before six performing their regular duties, and soon enough, will be deployed.  They will carry the memory of tonight’s game with them through long days and nights overseas, and if that isn’t enough, at least for one night, for any sports fans out there, I’m not sure what is.

Improvements Must Come Soon

When Jürgen Klinsmann took over as the US mens national team coach on July 29th everyone expected the team to start producing goals or at the very least some attacking play that Klinsmann's Germany team displayed in their 2006 World Cup run. After six games under the new regime the team is just 1-1-4 which includes a disgraceful loss at the hands of Costa Rica's "B" team.

New Domain Name

Just wanted to keep everyone updated, we will now be at www.loveboatsports.com as opposed to www.loveboatsports.blogspot.com. Thanks to everyone for the support!

The Worst Ending to the Best Career

Joe Paterno is (was?) the greatest college football coach of all time.  No one has more wins, no one has been doing it longer.  Unfortunately, this famed coaching career has now crashed and burned in the absolute worst way possible.

Say It Ain't So, Joe

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke

The Fate of the Cardinal

Often times, sports journalists and announcers seem to only know how to speak in hyperbole. If we as viewers were to believe everything that we heard from different media outlets, we would believe that we were witnessing history just about every weekend. The first example that comes to mind is the Alabama vs. LSU game this past weekend. Promoted as "the best 1 vs. 2 matchup in a decade" for 2 weeks straight, the game really wasn't that great to watch, and because of the ridiculousness that is the BCS, we may be watching the exact same game in a couple of months. Sometimes though, there are games that do truly change the course of college programs and college football itself. I believe the Stanford vs. Oregon game this weekend falls into that category. The implications of this game are huge for Stanford, and in turn, the future of the West Coast college football landscape. Assuming that Stanford will beat 2 average teams in Cal and Notre Dame, here are just a few things this weekend's game will most likely determine:

What's Left For Roger Federer?

Roger Federer won the ATP tournament in Basel, Switzerland last week. While it might sound ridiculous, I think you should savor that victory because there might not be a whole lot of them left. There are certain figures in sports that it is almost impossible to root against. Guys like LeBron James, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Roger Federer might be the most likable, dominant athlete there is in the world of sports right now. 

Usually when a person or team experiences success at the highest level over and over again people begin to grow tired of that team or person, and they will find reasons to dislike them. Champions will also fall from the good graces of the general public due to their own doing, looking at you Tiger. Roger Federer though has been able to maintain his popularity and reputation better than many of the champions that have come before him and will undeniably do so better than many of the champions that come after him. He not only celebrates his victories with the utmost amount of class, but he handles heartbreaking losses with amazing dignity. The funny thing is, one of the men who has began to dethrone Roger in recent years from the pinnacle of tennis, possesses the exact same characteristics that he does, that man being Rafael Nadal. This clash of admirable champions has led to numerous inner-conflicts when it comes to deciding whom I'd prefer come out on top when they square off head-to-head. Recently though it has been an easy choice. Roger. 

Ranking the Metro

The D.C. Metro is one of the most under appreciated features of the nation's best city. Washington boasts one of the best train system in the United States. It's cleaner than NYC's more useful than Chicago, and more existent than L.A.'s I give you here, the top stations on the Metro.

Why Jose Reyes to the Nats Makes Sense

The Washington Nationals showed a commitment to spending money towards building a contender when they signed Jayson Werth for seven years and 126 million dollars, making him the 14^th highest paid player in baseball history. Although nearly everyone, including Nationals fans themselves, realized that Werth was being severely overpaid, it was important for the Lerner family to show the Washington faithful that they were devoted to making the Nats a contender after six disappointing seasons in Washington. Although Werth had a down year, drawing boos from Nats fans and mockery from the national media, Wilson Ramos, Jordan Zimermann, Danny Espinosa, and of course, Stephen Strasburg gave the Nationals reason to believe that the future is bright. There has been a lot of talk about the Nats going after one of this summer’s big name free agents, and while most people are advocating a run at Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, the hot stove’s top two sluggers, the Nationals should look in a different direction: shortstop and lead-off hitter Jose Reyes.

NCAA Hoops Is Here

Ladies and gentlemen, college basketball season is upon us. I couldn't care less if the NBA returned anytime in the next decade. This is what basketball is all about. College basketball is the greatest form of basketball on this planet, and anyone who believes otherwise is a basketball fan for all of the wrong reasons. I love everything about it, from diaper dandies to march madness. There is no equivalent in the sports spectrum that can come close to the purity and selflessness displayed in college basketball. There are no labor disputes or absurd max contracts. There are no Andray Blatches, Lebron James, or Nick Youngs and all of the dunks and drama they bring. I would take a back door cut or a well run flex any day. So while everyone is watching a bunch of spoiled, stupid wastes of space complain about how to split the last 30 million on ESPN everyday, I will be watching that Seton Hall vs Depaul game and loving every second of it. Because this is day one and it's anyone's season....except Michigan.


Greatest point guard to ever live: Gerry Mcnamara
Enjoy...

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The Great Tim Tebow

Homer at the Bat

The Simpsons series has long been considered one of the funniest television series of all time.  The writers have consistently created comedic genius, setting the bar high for animated series.  Although they're all great, my favorite Simpsons episode ever is ‘Homer at the Bat’.   If you’re a sports fan and haven’t seen this episode yet, you should go watch it and then come back and read this article, (it’s available to watch online, not that I condone watching tv shows illegally or anything).  The episode does a wonderful job of playfully jabbing at baseball customs that are accepted within the baseball culture, but ridiculous outside of it.

The Great Gelfandini's All NBA Athlete Team

In the world of professional sports, just about everyone is a great athlete.   But, within this bubble of supreme manhood, lie a few individuals that are a little better than the rest.  These are the guys that are referred to as "Freaks" or "Animals."
They are the ones making sportscenter's Top 10 on a daily basis.  They are the ones little kids try to emulate.  Quite frankly, they are the best athletes.  So I am proud to present you with my All-Athlete team.  I will go sport by sport honoring the worlds best physical athletes.

Today, I start with the NBA.  Provided that this list of players didnt stop working out during the lockout, you will be seeing them posterizing slow centers and flying across the paint to swat floaters.

Take A Lap, Sanchize

Let's start Monday off with a little humor from yesterdays slate of NFL games.  Obviously, some QB's are better suited for the wildcat offense than others.  The best part is that he immediately begins laughing at himself.  He had to have been in a good mood, since he had led his team to a 27-11 lead in Buffalo with 3 minutes left, and Rex Ryan decided to put him up at wideout.  Safe to say not familiar territory for Mark.  Terrific block, however.

MLB Free Agency Roundtable--2012

It's that time of the year again, folks--that's right, I'm talking about MLB free agency. The Winter months always provide tons of entertainment in the form of athletes receiving gazillions of dollars from various MLB teams, and this Winter should prove to be no different.  Now that the dust has settled and Brian Bixler has landed in Houston, we can finally take a look at the top of this year's class.  This free agency class boasts some of the biggest names in baseball, and there should surely be quite a bit of cash thrown around the league.

A few of the authors here at Love Boat Sports have decided to discuss the possible landing spots for 5 of the biggest names in this year's free agency class: Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson, Jose Reyes, and Jimmy Rollins.

So without further ado, here are the predictions:

Brian's Gone

Earlier today the Astros claimed Brian Bixler off of waivers, ending his short tenure with the Nationals.  It makes sense that the Nationals feel as if they no longer need him with Steve Lombardozzi, and further down the pipeline Anthony Rendon, waiting for their turn to play in the Nationals’ infield.  With that said, I am sad to see Bixler go.  Members inside the Nationals organization admired Bixler’s work ethic.  Before games you could see Bixler getting his reps in all over the field while Ian Desmond did whatever Ian Desmond does before games.  This past year he notched appearances at 6 different positions for the Nats.

The Beauty of the Dogpile

No matter the participants, the situation, or the stakes, I will tune into any final inning of a baseball championship game to see the holiest celebration in all of sports, the dogpile. The dogpile is a sacred celebration, an explosion of joy and celebration of a shared accomplishment that only one team is lucky enough to partake in. The dogpile is such a transcendent part of baseball that the dogpile after my little league championship still ranks in the top moments of my life, and easily the happiest and most vivid memory I have of that team.

Reliving the Glory Days: 1996 Princeton vs. UCLA

I would classify the 1996 NCAA tournament first round matchup between UCLA and the Princeton Tigers as a matchup between David and Goliath.

Kevin Durant is the greatest.

Ever since KD entered the NBA, I have been one of his most adoring fans. Perhaps it is just my DC bias, but I honestly feel like he is one of the nicest, most genuine, and most humble players currently playing professional basketball---oh, and he's also pretty good.

In the midst of an ongoing NBA lockout (which hopefully will come to a conclusion within the next couple weeks), it is understandable that players would try to find things to keep themselves busy, whether it be pick-up basketball games, other business ventures, or in this case, flag football. I spotted this gem over on NFL.com about Kevin Durant lacing up his cleats for a little flag football matchup with the boys of Sigma Nu at Oklahoma St just for the hell of it. He had a pretty successful day out on the field, while also giving a group of guys the time of their lives out there in Stillwater, OK.

Just another reason why I'll always root for a guy like Durant.  Check the video out below or check out the article on NFL.com here.

Joe Buck Finally Nails It

Say what you want about Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, I’m right there with you. Joe Buck’s lack of emotion often ruins big moments and among other things, Tim McCarver does not know how to count. However last Thursday night, during the best game in over 100 years of baseball, Joe Buck killed it.

The Art of the Backup

Is there a greater job in sports than being a backup Quarterback? The easy answer is yes, being a starting quarterback, and that would also be right. But for those not talented enough to make it as a starter, there is nothing better than the life of a career backup quarterback. The problem is that many backup quarterback’s careers are cut short when they are forced onto the gridiron and we can see how inept they really are at playing the position. Others can avoid the starting role seemingly by choice. This is a tribute to those men.

The Best of the Best (Sir, with honors)

Jim Sorgi: If there was an America's Next Top Model for wearing headsets, Jim Sorgi would win every year. Sorgi milked a seven year career out of virtually no talent. After looking and playing exactly like every other Wisconsin quarterback ever, he went to the Colts where he sat behind Peyton Manning. It was in Indianapolis where he accomplished every backup quarterback's dream, never starting a game. That being said, Sorgi also possessed another key skill of a backup, playing well in garbage time to avoid being cut. Sorgi finished his career with a quarterback rating better than the likes of Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Fran Tarkenton, and Bart Starr. Curtis Painter was set to be the next Sorgi, but after abysmal play this year, he will never achieve Sorgi's level of success.

Career Highlight: Winning a Super Bowl ring with the Colts.

Welcome To Love Boat Sports

Welcome to Love Boat Sports, a sports blog run by a group of friends from the greater D.C. area.

The sports knowledge on this site is immense and diverse with each member having their own specific interests and opinions. You can read more about the authors of this blog, here, and get a full description of what exactly Love Boat Sports is, here.

Posts will range from European soccer to American football while covering almost everything in between.

We hope that you will stick by us in our early days while we work out any kinks we come across.

Enjoy the blog!

Sincerely,

The authors of Love Boat Sports
@LoveBoatSports