A major opportunity missed for US Soccer

Last night I witnessed one of the most heartbreaking defeats I have ever seen--and it wasn't technically a defeat. The US men's national team--comprised entirely of players 23 and under to oblige with Olympic rules--gave up a goal four minutes and twelve seconds into stoppage time to tie El Salvador 3-3. It was a must win game for the US team, who was trying to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament, where they could lock up a spot in the 2012 London Olympic games. The goal cost the team a spot in the semi-finals of the Olympic qualifying tournament and a whole lot more.

Why you should see the Hunger Games, even if you don't want to

I was extremely skeptical when I bought my ticket for The Hunger Games on Saturday night. I feared that the movie would just be a different version of the Twilight Series, but after seeing the film, the only comparison between the two is that they were based on a series of books. And had The Hunger Games not been based on a book series, there is no way anyone would put them in the same sentence. Before I get to why you need to see it, let me first break down what it’s about, even with all the hype the movie has been getting, I’ve still found a lot of people don’t actually know any of the plot.

The Saints Get What They Deserve

No offense to Mr. Tim Tebow, but the most significant NFL news of the day is the harsh punishment handed to the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, one of the most respect coaches in the league, was given a yearlong suspension of his duties, and Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, was indefinitely banned from the league.  The Saints were also fined 500,000 dollars, as well as losing 2^nd round picks in the next two drafts.  NFL Commissioner and friend of the blog Roger Goodell came down on the Saints with an iron fist, as was expected based on his harsh history of penalties for player and team conduct issues.

Video: The most awkward jersey retirement ever...

The Warriors were retiring Chris Mullin's jersey tonight. It did not go well. Apparently Warriors fans were unhappy with owner Joe Lacob for trading Monta Ellis. Or they were upset that their team has only made it out of the first round of the playoffs once in 20 years. Whatever their reasons were, they spoiled what should have been a flawless night for a true star, Mullin. The fans did however provide us with the gem of a video. Awkward...



Video courtesy of  nbavideosnow2

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March Madness: Heroes of the opening weekend

After an uneventful start to March Madness the action really kicked off with UNC-Asheville vs. Syracuse and continued with a wild second day of games. Every March certain guys thrive and provide us with performances we will never forget, even if they come in losing efforts, a la Ben Woodside circa 2009. If you love sports then the opening weekend of March Madness is most likely your favorite time of the year. I myself am a much bigger NBA fan than I am of NCAA hoops but I still can't help but get overwhelmed with joy when the ides of March nears. In addition to being a big time basketball fan, I am a sucker for watching athletes put their heart and soul on the floor, and there is no better stage to watch raw emotions emanate than during the madness. No matter how many times I watch a senior put their jersey on for the very last time I will always be heartbroken as I watch them crumble to the floor when the magic runs out, and this is the single greatest thing about it all. Here are some guys that have provided us with some unforgettable performances to kick off the tournament.

I Know What You Did Last Summer, I think: Revisiting the 90s teen horror classic

I Know What You Did Last Summer was one of the first horror movies I can remember seeing. It was a big step for me after Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas gave me nightmares. I vividly remember walking into my sister's room while the movie was playing. She wasn't really paying attention, otherwise she probably would not have let me watch it. A lot like the time I was watching American Pie in her room and she shut it off after first scene when Jim is trying to watch porn. Anyway, the two things I distinctly remember were developing a huge crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar that continued throughought the Buffy series, and being terrified of the fisherman with the giant hook. Now last night when it came on Cinemax, I had no choice but to re-watch the late 90s cult classic.

2012 fantasy baseball preview: Mid-late round pitchers

My fantasy baseball strategy has previously been all about pitchers. I would not hesitate to take five or six pitchers in the first 10 rounds with Roy Halladay in the first and just draft your Kelly Johnson's of the world in the later rounds to fill up my hitters. This year though I am coming to the realization that the maximum amount of pitchers one should take in the first 10 rounds is four, and you could really take as few as two pitchers and still have a solid staff by the end of the draft. Hitters are simply too weak this season, and there is not enough depth to pass on guys like Josh Hamilton, Jay Bruce and Mark Teixeira in rounds 3-6. Sure Dan Haren, CC Sabathia and Jon Lester are nice guys to have on any fantasy team, but I am here to show you that you can get adequate replacements in the mid to late rounds while stacking your hitters early. Here are five guys that are going in rounds 15 and beyond that are worth a risk and could produce a big reward.

March Madness at its best

"By George, the dream is alive!"

March Madness is a wonderful thing.  Every year produces some amount of madness and resulting ecstasy.  However because awesome upsets are a common occurrence, sometimes we overlook and forget about the great games.  To help you out with this problem, members of the LBS staff will be writing about some of their favorite March Madness games.  Enjoy.

Mike D'Antoni dunzo in New York

The New York Knicks have added Mike D'Antoni to their "dunzo" list. This means there will be no more hanging out and getting food together. No more video games together. No more putt-putt. Dunzo. If you don't watch Parks and Recreation then you have no idea what I am talking about. So to put it more simply, Mike D'Antoni has resigned as the head coach of the New York Knickerbockers.

2012 MLB Preview: National League

With the Major League Baseball season just a mere three weeks away Henno and Matt decided to make some bold and brash predictions that will undoubtedly be wrong. Get your peanuts and Cracker Jacks ready, because by the time you are done reading this preview your house, office or wherever you choose to read Love Boat Sports, will be filled with the sweet aroma of a Fenway Frank. Baseball!

Happy hump day everyone!

RG3 & D.C: Finally some hope for beleaguered Redskins fans everywhere

Courtesy of CBS Sports

When the news broke this past Friday night that the Redskins had traded up for the 2nd pick in this upcoming draft, presumably to select star Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, I felt a wave of relief and optimism as a Redskins fan that I hadn't felt for years. Griffin is going to be a Redskin. I could hardly believe it.

Part 1, The offseason in the NFL: What your team needs to do to win it all in 2012

The Glorious NFL as we know it.
Courtesy of HeadBlitz

The offseason in the NFL is awesome. There are so many stories and so much anticipation leading up the combine and the draft, and then when the OTA's start rolling around in the summer, excitement once again hits an all-time high. The best thing about the NFL, unlike other sports, is that each season, every team feels like it has a shot to win it all. A team's offseason could mean the difference between missing the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl.

So without further ado, here is my list of every NFL team (listed in alphabetical order and split up into two posts due to the sheer size of each post), and what they need to address this offseason to be successful in this coming 2012 season:

Survivor: One World Power Rankings

Wow. I have watched pretty much every episode of Survivor, and that was just about as crazy and good as it gets. Before I get to my power rankings, let me just say how idiotic it was of the guys to give up tribal immunity. There are way too many things that can happen to make giving up the numbers worth while. Especially in a men vs. women season where there will obviously be a tribe swap! In the preview for next week it’s clear that the swap is coming, and now the men are guaranteed to be down numbers in one of the two new tribes. Also, even though I also thought it was dumb when Zapatera threw a challenge to get rid of Russell, at least Russell had some history and they viewed him as a cancer. Bill did nothing wrong! All he did was not get along with Colton. I guess this is what happens when you’re led by a misfit alliance, you get misfit decisions.

With these rankings, keep in mind everything could change due to the result of the upcoming tribe swap.

Here are the Rankings:

1. Kim

Kim is in the best spot to win the game right now. She is quietly controlling the girls while the guys and some of the girls think Sabrina is in charge. That's the best position to be in on Survivor, controlling the game with no target on your back.

2. Jonas

Jonas is riding Colton’s coattails now, but I think he is smart enough to make a big move at some point to put himself in position to win the game. He is also laid back enough to get along with the girls on his new tribe.

The tragic end of Peyton Manning in Indianapolis

It is not a common occurrence for one of the best players in the history of the National Football League to be cut, but that is exactly what happened to Peyton Manning. The man who provided the organization with nine consecutive winning seasons from 2002 through 2010 and a Super Bowl championship in 2006 is being let go. There will be no storybook ending for Manning and the Colts. Manning won't be given a chance to lead the franchise that he built ever again. He won't be able to take the 2-14 Colts of 2011 and make them a contender once more. Instead Manning is in danger of becoming the next Joe Montana, the next Brett Favre. The next nomad quarterback who was turned away from the organization which he had done so much for and left out to graze on the barren fields of NFL teams who need a one-year quarterback fix to magically reach the "next level." The wildest part about this whole saga is that one can't really blame Jim Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts for what they are doing.

Nationally, Training has Sprung

Harper and Strasburg pose awkwardly
Courtesy of Nationals PR

Baseball is under way once again, and all 30 teams have started playing exhibition games and imitating Tim Kurkjian.  I for one am more excited about the Kurkjian imitations, but hey, that's just me.  The Washington Nationals have been playing in the wonderful Viera, Florida where Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are garnering most of the attention.  The Juggernats eeked out a victory against the collegiate Hoyas of Georgetown and took two losses to the woeful Astros.  Fear not Nats fans, for these are merely exhibition games and the Nationals also now have NATITUDE.