U are Fired

After an unexpected loss on Saturday to South Florida, the University of Miami fired head football coach Randy Shannon. The Canes coach took over in 2006 and after a 9-4 season in 2009 big things were expected from this team. Shannon, who is a former Miami player could not translate all the talent on the roster in to another good season as the Canes finished 7-5. For the complete story:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/528453-randy-shannon-fired-from-miami-canes-crusade-will-continue-without-head-coach

While this move doesn't surprise me, I am still saddened to see Randy Shannon go. As a big Miami fan I was certainly disappointed by the season but Shannon brought a whole new culture to the team. The football program has drastically improved academically and had a significant drop in off the field problems.  Unfortunately they did not improve in on field success. The talent is definitely there the U must now find a coach that can bring that talent out every game, and make Miami the national powerhouse it once was.

Until next time, take it easy.

Bending the Rules

In a Champions League soccer match on Tuesday Real Madrid from Spain beat Ajax from Netherlands 4-0. But all people could talk about after the game was the deliberate or thought to be deliberate actions of Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho. In the finally minutes of the game it appears that Mourinho directed Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso to intentionally receive a second yellow card in order to get a red card and be ejected from the game. While he denied the claim, it makes sense because the red card would suspend the players for a meaningless game and wipe the two players slate clean for the remainder of the tournament. For the complete story:

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/championsleague/story/uefa-should-throw-rule-book-at-real-madrid

This is a very controversial topic in the soccer world the past few days. Many believe that what Mourinho did is legal and is simply doing what gives him the best chance to win. But the majority believe that it is cheating and that players should not be allowed to intentionally get themselves thrown out of a game. Personally, I have to agree with the majority not because I believe it is cheating but that it takes away from the integrity of the game. It is almost an unwritten rule, if more players keep doing this it will quickly ruin the great game of soccer.

Until next time, take it easy.

Slap Happy

In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive end Richard Seymour of the Oakland Raiders was ejected after punching  quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the face. After completing a pass the quarterback appeared to say something to Seymour who then turned and struck him. Luckily Roethlisberger was wearing his helmet so he was not injured. The Steelers went on to win the game 35-3. For the complete story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5835336

This comes as a surprise to me because Seymour was always a classy player and usually didn't cause trouble. Of course in the heat of battle emotions can run high and players might do things that they are not used to. I don't see this as a major problem just a mistake in Seymour's judgement. He is sure to get a suspension but will be fine after that.

Until next time, take it easy.

Youthful Act

In an international friendly on Wednesday the U.S Men's National Soccer team beat South Africa 1-0 in Cape Town. Revisiting the site of the 2010 World Cup the U.S team only carried five members from the World Cup so they could get a good look at many new faces against good competition. One of the members to shine was 17 year old Juan Agudelo, who scored the games only goal and became the youngest player to ever score for the U.S national team. For the complete story:

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/5818373/juan-agudelo-17-scores-lift-us-south-africa-friendly

This game is a good indication of the future of the U.S soccer. While many are still unsure how the young players will mature tonight was definitely a good sign of whats to come. The main stars of the U.S were home resting the U.S was still able to get a strong victory against a good opponent in South Africa. Hopefully these young players will learn from our best players and continue to improve soccer in America.

Until next time, take it easy.

Down the Final Stretch

Snapping a 70 race winless streak Carl Edwards took first in Phoenix in the second to last race in Nascar's Sprint Cup. But the bigger story was after a bad fuel strategy points leader Denny Hamlin lost some of his points to Jimmy Johnson. With one final race to go the points lead has never been this close in the new playoff format for Nascar. For the complete story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=5806394

While Nascar does not really interest me, this is big news in the racing world. I believe if I passionately followed the sport than I would be very excited for the last week. I can compare it to baseball where at the end of the season several teams are fighting for the last playoff spots. Except in this instance the racers are already in the playoffs and the winner is the champion.

Until next time, take it easy.

Twitter Mistake

A Baltimore policeman will not be charged after receiving an autograph from professional football player Ray Rice during a traffic stop. Rice was pulled over for an illegal tint on his windows and after receiving a warning, the running back offered the policeman an autograph for his son. For the complete story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5791255

This is a funny story because I'm sure the cop was shocked when he saw who he pulled over. I can only imagine meeting my favorite sports star in such a strange encounter. I'm also glad Rice was not pulled over for anything stupid and that the cop was not punished because in fact he did not give Rice any special treatment. Rice received no ticket and the cop got an autograph for both of them it was a good day.

Until next time, take it easy. 

Mr. President

While this story happened in September it was not publicized until recently. On September 18th, 2010, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant had the honor of playing some pick up basketball with President Barack Obama. Durant, who led the NBA in scoring last year had the help of his agent to get in contact with Reggie Love, a former NBA player and advisor of the Obama administration. Durant also invited his mother, grandmother and two teammates for the special invite. For the complete story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5776652

I like this story for a couple reasons. First it is nice to see someone other than Lebron James or Kobe Bryant to be recognized by the president. Durant is an up and coming star in the league and he deserves the honor of meeting the president. Second I like how Durant invited his family to celebrate the event. For his mother and grandmother to live through times where blacks faced adversity, it must have been really special for the two to meet the first African American president.

Treating A Legend

After an unusual off year for the Yankee captain, Derek Jeter is now a free agent. Many believed it would be an easy decision to re sign the shortstop but maybe not. Hal Steinbrenner, son of the late great George Steinbrenner said recently that negotiations could get "messy". For the complete story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5761615

I am a die-hard Red Soxs fan and this story just makes me hate the Yankees even more. Of any player in major league baseball no player has meant more to their team than Derek Jeter. For fourteen years Jeter has been the backbone of the historic franchise and the fact that the Yankees are treating him like just another player is despicable. While I'm not saying he deserves a ton of money because he is getting older but he he deserves the respect of the organization. The Yankees have so much money that it's not a problem and if Jeter does sign with another team it will be an extremely sad day for baseball.

Until next time, take it easy.