Whine or lose

Poor Cleveland

As a Washington D.C. sports fan my guard is always up.  I didn’t think there was any possibility that the Capitals would pull out a game seven on the road against the defending champion Bruins; based on the Capitals' recent history in the playoffs and more importantly the recent history of D.C. sports as a whole, the notion that the Caps might win (in overtime no less!) wasn’t even conceivable.  For my generation of Washingtonians, we are a city of sports failures.  Strangely enough, these failures have given me a certain type of traction among friends in sports conversations.

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: Round 1

Eastern Conference
-By The Gelf

#1 Chicago Bulls vs. #8 Philadelphia 76ers 

 Sources say while Derrick Rose was rehabbing his injury he actually took the SAT himself and passed. Just kidding.

Could the Lakers benefit from Metta World Peace's vicious elbow?

When Ron Artest Metta World Peace viciously elbowed James Harden in the head on Sunday, it was obvious to those watching that a suspension was imminent. It was announced today that World Peace will miss seven games as a result of his transgression.

And yet, it is entirely possible that the Los Angeles Lakers will eventually benefit from this disgusting act, a fact I have not seen mentioned in the aftermath of this altercation.

In case you live under a rock:

Conquer to achieve World Peace

“Some people believe for us to achieve world peace the only way that can be achieved is through sheer will and through force of nature so sometimes you just have to go and conquer the territory and that's when you establish world peace.” – Kobe Bryant

            Kobe Bryant said that to Metta World Peace after finishing “that Clippers battle” at the Staples Center recently.  That quote shades World Peace’s vicious elbow to the head of James Harden a little differently, doesn’t it?

Why do we care about Fenway?

Personally, I don’t care that Fenway Park is 100 years old. I’ve never been there, and I don’t feel a particular urge to.  Clearly the LBS staff (not to mention the sports community generally) will differ with me on this. Major sports outlets at the moment are filled with stories praising the glory of standing in a place which was once home to Ted Williams and Babe Ruth, where the strength of generations of baseball history brings an inescapable communion with those who have gone before which immeasurably enhances the baseball experience.  This article, published on Yahoo, is an almost too perfect example of this kind of adulatory journalism, as it extols the virtues of Fenway from the perspective of someone who has never even been there. I have also never been to Fenway, but for me that provokes not a driving urge to go there, but the feeling that I should not judge what I have never sampled.  It could be a nice place, but probably not much nicer than other ballparks. So what’s all the hype?

Wednesday Quote

This quote comes courtesy of former Vikings fullback Leroy Hoard,

"You need one yard, I'll get you three. You need five yards, I'll get you three."

The Office: Power Rankings Part 2

Here is Part 2 of The Office Power Rankings, you can check out Part 1 here.  Spoilers.  Side note, writing this post was so much fun because I watched over 100 of the best clips from the show on youtube.  Devote a day to watching clips of The Office on youtube.  Do it.


#15 -- Bob Vance -- 'Kevin Malone.' 'Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.' 'Stanley Hudson.' 'Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.' 'Ryan Howard.' 'Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.'...... 'So what line of work you in Bob?'

My picture of a Cuban sandwich was used on DC Sports Bog

Ignore the fact that I was "that guy" who was taking a picture of my food and tweeting it at DC Sports Bog, and instead just look at how my art is being appreciated.

Check out the full story here.

The timeless start of baseball

It really is amazing what the sense of smell can do to you. Thanks to the recent episode of 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan has taught me that the sense of smell is actually the most important sense for memory. For me, and millions of others across the home of the brave, the smell of spring means only one thing: It’s baseball season.

Dissecting pay-for-play in college sports

Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated

            The importance of collegiate athletics in our country is something unique to America.  In other countries collegiate sports are recreational and not used as a source of profit for universities.  However, in the United States, college sports are nearly as popular as their professional counterparts and in some areas more popular.  This popularity, particularly in men’s basketball and football, brings in millions of dollars for large universities.  However, other than scholarship money, the players don’t get to see that money.  The absence of pay for college athletes has created a schism among sports fans.  Some fans go to extremes, believing college football is a form of modern day slavery, with a large, poor population of black males making a small population of white males rich.  The question many sports fans are struggling with is whether or not athletes should be paid, but this question is more complex than a simple yes or no answer.  Which athletes should be paid; by whom should they be paid; and how much they should be paid are all questions that need to be answered if a pay-for-play system is to be instituted by the NCAA. 

Why Jay is dumber than James

This episode of Survivor was one of the most frustrating episodes to watch as I can remember. I found myself literally yelling at Jay through the TV screen to get his head out of his ass and start figuring things out. I guess the most frustrating thing was that Jay was close to getting it. His confessionals throughout the show alternated between how suspicious he was of the girls to how much he trusted Kim and Chelsea. Maybe I am just in a post-episode haze, but I honestly believe Jay's play tonight was dumber than James getting voted out in China.

A (Heat) stroke of genius?

To my innumerable readers across the globe,
I sincerely apologize for my serious lack of productivity over the last two months. I wish that I could eek out some semblance of a legitimate excuse for it, but alas, there is none to be had. The simple truth which has dawned on me over the past fortnight or two is that I haven't found myself capable of offering any material I considered worthy of a post, though not for a lack of trying. I've begun, edited, erased, pondered, sat on, rephrased, taken a break from, stared at, and finally gave up on numerous propositions. And here I sit, in the very same workspace (bed) as I did six weeks weeks ago, when I last posted an article on LBS.

Whatever has been holding me back from writing these past weeks, be it writer's block or an ephemeral lapse in ingenuity, I have determined that enough is enough. I have deprived you, my millions (billions?) of avid readers, of my contributions long enough. It's time to get back into the game. Ironically, despite all the great events that have occurred in the world of sports since last we met, my mind remains barren of insights regarding them that I deem useable. So to get me back on track, I am prepared to unleash an idea I have held within me for years, one that, if heeded, could provide several elite sports teams, but in particular the Miami Heat, with a clearer path to a championship.

In defense of Gary Gaines: The Boobie Miles injury

Odessa, Texas is associated with one thing and one thing only.  High school football.  So, when Gary Gaines was given the reigns to the Permian High School football team, there were big expectations.

 

Kentucky and the False End of College Basketball

                Monday night, the University of Kentucky won its 8^th national championship, and first since 1998.  Coach John Calipari finally won his first national championship, with a team basically consisting of three freshman, two sophomores, and a senior.  Somehow, this spells the end of college basketball as we know it, at least according to many bloggers, talking heads, and analysts.  People are quick to jump on the bandwagon of some event being the most important thing ever, and this is no different.  For a number of reasons, Kentucky’s championship will go down as history as just that, a championship won by a perennial powerhouse (or another vacated Calipari Final Four appearance), not the day college basketball changed forever.

Five players to watch at the 2012 Masters

He is ready to seize the Day

The best tournament in golf is less than 24 hours from teeing off, and while the casual golf fans might be tuning in just for Tiger Woods, there are plenty of other guys worth watching. Whether you want to watch some veterans like Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood or Luke Donald battle to get their first major or if you want to watch some up and comers like Ryo Ishikawa, Patrick Cantaly or Corbin Mills there are plenty of names outside of Woods to track. While personally I still will be rooting for a Tiger Woods victory at Augusta, these are the five other guys who I will be keeping a close eye on. Hopefully none of them win the par 3 contest...

Wednesday Quote

I'm going to try and get up one of my favorite quotes every Wednesday...Here is the first one by former Bull Stacey King after Michael Jordan scored 69 points against the Cavs,

"Someday I'll be able to tell my grandkids about the night Michael Jordan and I combined to score 70 points."

The Office: Power Rankings

These are the second power rankings I've done (you can check out the Breaking Bad + Wire here and here) and many of the same rules apply.  Beware, there are spoilers left and right; the characters range from all seasons.  This list is also extremely objective; there are some characters I just don't like all that much.  Sorry if you disagree.  I would say the ranking formula is based 60% on humor, 20% on annoyingness (negative quality obviously), and 20% on importance to the show.

2012 MLB Preview: American League

So technically the MLB season has officially begun. The Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics are tied for the best record in baseball. That is the last time you will see that sentence written all year--unless Yoenis Cespedes hits 100 home runs, which is entirely possible. Henno and Matt covered the National League earlier, and you can find that post here, and now they turn their focus on to the American League. So without further adieu...let's get ready for (American League) baseball!!!!!