This was by far the biggest news of the day, and quite frankly, with the amount of press that it has gotten in less than 24 hours, there was little point for me to write my own blog post…again. So, I collected a bunch of articles that I think people wouldn’t mind reading, and threw them all in a blog post. Enjoy.
Brian Burke Believes Maple Leafs Will Take Over Big House
Big Chill Alumni Recall Experience
The Big East’s pathetic attempt to salvage their conference has led them to their latest addition of the University of Memphis for next season (ESPN). While this obviously helps them in regards to basketball (although I’m not entirely sure how you replace Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia), all it does for football is give me more fuel for my argument that the BCS should drop the Big East’s automatic bid. At this point they might as well just create a special rule that gives Boise State the bid every single year, because there is not a football team in the Big East that will beat them. All the Big East is doing is lowering the talent they have in the conference, and for the love of God I wish they would just give up. Taking the best teams from the Conference USA will not make them better or replace the teams they have lost. The truly sad thing is it’s not even the Big East’s fault that they are losing these teams. The blame rests squarely with companies like ESPN and Fox, as well as the BCS. Unfortunately for the Big East, ESPN is too busy mentioning Tim Tebow and counting their stacks to care.
One of TSN’s hockey analysts Bob McKenzie (TSN is Canada’s version of ESPN), said today on Twitter that the 2013 Winter Classic matchup will be made official at Thursday news conferences. He also said the matchup will be Toronto vs. Detroit in the Big House. This is obviously the worst kept secret in the entire NHL. It has been rumored for over a month that this would be the next matchup. The NHL is dying to get more people to attend the Winter Classic, and what better way to do that than have the game in the biggest football stadium in the country. This matchup gives the original six another pairing in the Winter Classic, and will keep Canadians at bay from complaining about another Winter Classic with only American teams. Continue reading
Before I dive in here, I want two things to be known, one, I only used this image because I like the design of it, and do not in any way support the seedings in this playoff system. Florida International? Nevada? UCF? UCONN? In the BCS Playoffs? It’s really a shame I can’t say what I really want to say about these seedings. Also, my roommate Mark suggested a topic for my blog and I want it to be known publicly that it will be done later this week, I just don’t have the energy to do it tonight.
ESPN reported earlier this week that West Virginia was dropping Florida State from their schedule for next year and was going to pay $350,000 so they don’t have to play them. That part of their contract is known as their “escape clause.” Florida State now has to find a replacement game for West Virginia and has to decide if they want to go to Morgantown next year. The issue that arises here is the lack of non-conference games that highly ranked opponents want to play against each other. Of course you will always get a handful each year, and Michigan/Alabama in Dallas should be an interesting one, but because of the BCS, nobody wants to play a serious non-conference team and that’s why Michigan plays at least two MAC-esque teams each year. Continue reading
I’ve been a big fan of Roger Goodell since he became the new commissioner of the NFL. I think that he has done a very good job handling various issues around the league and even when the NFL was having trouble getting a new Collective Bargaining Agreement done, he still over saw a process that didn’t result in any lost regular season games. That being said, I have a huge issue with him trying to expand the league to 34 teams. I don’t like the idea of having 17 teams in each conference and then having unbalanced divisions. The current setup is as perfect as you can get. I understand that he wants to add a team in Los Angeles because it is one of the biggest markets in the United States, but to what end? The talk is that if the NFL adds a team in Los Angeles, as opposed to moving a current franchise there, that they would try to add a team in London (Forbes). Continue reading
I would love to go in-depth and discuss every player in Michigan’s recruiting class and how they will impact the team next year, but quite frankly, it would turn into a 5,000 word essay and I do not have the time to do a lengthy post justice. In short, I absolutely love Michigan’s recruiting class. They have guys who can contribute right away, guys who will add much-needed depth in the trenches and even had two surprise commitments right before signing day.
Would I have loved to have another impact corner or receiver? Obviously. There are always positions that you would, as a fan, want addressed, but I trust the coaching staff with their decisions and I am satisfied with our haul. With 25 commitments, Michigan filled some of their biggest needs in the trenches and at linebacker. I would expect Kyle Kalis, a 5-star offensive tackle (all-star rankings are according to Rivals), to move inside and push to start at guard. While Ondre Pipkins, a 5-star defensive tackle, will be in the top 3 on the interior line and get significant playing time right away. Joe Bolden is another young guy to keep your eye on throughout the spring and summer. He’s a highly talented linebacker and it will be extremely difficult to keep him off the field.
Up until signing day there were some disappointments, particularly with Josh Garnett (4-star offensive lineman), Armani Reeves (4-star cornerback), and Sam Grant (3-star tight end). All three of these guys would have been great additions to the class and at need positions. Garnett is from the West Coast and eventually opted to stay there, picking Stanford over Michigan. He was a recruit that cared a great deal about his education and wanted to stay close to home. Continue reading
Nike unveiled new receiver gloves and cleats during the Pro Bowl on Sunday and it made the Internet (specifically Twitter) explode with people concerned about teams making changes; much like the fake Nike NFL Pro Combat jerseys that leaked on the Internet earlier this year. From what has been said on NBC sports (find the whole article here) Nike doesn’t have the control to change team logos and colors, which is controlled by the NFL and the NFL executives have to sign off on team changes. This leads me to believe that the majority of teams won’t be making drastic changes and that the Pro Combat jerseys will stay in the college game.
A sports jersey blog (Uni-Watch) seems to echo this sentiment, saying that no one should expect any sweeping changes throughout the league. And while the Seahawks have had discussions with Nike about changing their uniforms, the Jaguars equipment manager has said that the Jaguars will get new uniforms in 2013 (twitter), and the Panthers just unveiled a new logo, that other changes haven’t been announced or hinted at by the other 29 teams. Continue reading
The more time that goes on, the more I believe that Peyton Manning will no longer be in a Colts uniform. Manning has been working since the start of the football season on his rehab since his spinal fusion surgery and as recently as Sunday Night, an NBC Sports writer Peter King, said that Manning is having trouble regaining full arm strength (Yardbarker). Obviously with someone who has as high of a profile as Manning, rumors will swirl and there is no telling what is true and what isn’t, unless it comes from Manning himself. Between the fact that Peyton Manning can’t get healthy, owner Jim Irsay and Manning had a public spat this week (espn.com), Manning is owed $28 million in March for a roster bonus, and the best quarterback prospect in 15 years will be available to the Colts with the first pick, the writing is on the wall. Continue reading
ESPN has been driving me literally insane lately. It’s gotten to the point where I can hardly watch Sportscenter because they’re being so ridiculous. Tim Tebow is on air as much as every other sport combined, and the amount of coverage they give to a below average quarterback because he’s “a good dude and works hard” is utterly sickening. Like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and last but not least, Tom Brady, don’t fit that description? And news flash, those guys are actually good at football. Even worse than the Tebow coverage is the Top 10 on Sportscenter. How many dunks can you possibly have day after day? Keep in mind they’re not even sick dunks. I remember about a week ago the number one play on Sportscenter was a dunk by Chris Bosh and not only was it nothing special, he traveled during the play. So the top play was something that is not even legal in the sport, that makes total sense. (Bosh Traveling). Continue reading
First off, I must say nice work by the Detroit Tigers to lock up Prince Fielder; he’s an excellent way to protect Miguel Cabrera with Victor Martinez down for the year, or so I’ve heard.
Now onto the conference realignment; ESPN is reporting that Navy will join the Big East Conference in 2015 (espn.com). The commissioner of the Big East says that, “It’s a marriage our membership has longed for for many, many years,” and this is quite honestly a load of crap (espn.com). Navy does not bring in a big market, and while their team is occasionally competitive, this is not the situation the Big East ever wanted to run into. It all started in 2003 when Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami all left the Big East for the ACC, and since then the Big East has never been the same (acc.com). Continue reading
The Daily Traub 
