Sports Takes Category

Basketball used to come at a perfect time for me. Usually, by October, I’m chomping at the bit for basketball to begin. Usually there’s no basketball over the summer, other than Summer League, and by mid-October, my beloved Dallas Cowboys have already shown signs that they are headed to another season of mediocrity. This year was a bit different. The FIBA World Cup, along with an exciting rookie class, kept my attention throughout the summer. Also the Dallas Cowboys started off well, winning 6 of their first 7 games. WhenRead More

Technically, there are no playoffs in tennis. But this week is as close as it gets. There is reason to be excited with the best 8 players in the world competing against one another in a round robin format.   Who looks poised to win? Thus far, everyone has played 1 match. And they have been quite underwhelming. Milos Raonic has yet to show up to his first career World Tour Finals, falling hard in his opening match. And Marin Cilic didn’t perform terribly against Novak Djokovic but Djoko is too hotRead More

With just over a month left to play in the 2014 NCAA football season, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: even with the switch from the dreaded BCS to a 4-team playoff system, there is an overwhelmingly good chance that there will be all sorts of controversy over whether the four best teams in America actually make college football’s new Final Four. As things currently stand, the four teams that would vie for the National Championship would be Mississippi State (obviously), Florida State (obviously), Auburn (okay…), and Oregon (ummm). LeftRead More

Like many other sports writers, I have ranked all 32 teams in the NFL at the midpoint of the season. Unlike any of them, I have written a haiku to sum up each team’s season. I think it’s the most effective way. Let’s get started. #32 – Oakland Raiders No playoffs forever This year is no different Will they win one game?   #31 – New York Jets When Michael Vick is Your team’s best shot at winning You must really suck   #30 – Jacksonville Jaguars Congrats Jaguars fans! YouRead More

Hey baseball fans, do you remember what things were like a month ago? The Angels were tearing through everybody, Detroit was motoring their way to another AL Central title, and the Dodgers were cementing the NL West. Wow… I guess the old adage is true, “this is why we play the games.” And it especially applies to this postseason.     Partying Like It’s 1985 One of the truly remarkable sports stories in recent memory is that of this year’s KC Royals. Similarly to their ’85 team, most odds makers didRead More

“Here’s to God and football and, 10 years from now, Street, good friends livin’ large in Texas.” ~Tim Riggins, Fictional American Hero, Dillon Panthers Fullback.   Many professional football players love God very, very much, if their on-field behavior is to be believed. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever watched even a quarter of football. Ostensibly, everything they do is for him (or her). But does God love football players very, very much? We decided to sit down with the Big Man (or woman?! We’ll never tell!)Read More

RoyalTober All is well in Oz! The KC sports scene is hotter than a stolen microwave. The tidy 3 game sweep of El Halos will go down as a legendary moment in midwest sports. Thankfully, the story continues this weekend in Baltimore.     O’s-tober Creative name, I know. But the Maryland Ballers are giving October all they have, and proving a prime candidate for a world championship. There is nothing stopping them…. aside from the aforementioned red hot Royals squad. This weekend is set to be very exciting.  Read More

After 162 grueling games (163 for the Royals and Giants), we are down to the MLB’s final eight teams. Our remaining eight contestants now face off in a best-of-5 series in the League Division Series to advance to the League Championship Series. So who gets through to be one of the final four contenders for this year’s World Series? Here are my thoughts.   ALDS   Kansas City Royals (90-73) vs. Los Angeles Angels (98-64) The Royals are fresh off an exhilarating extra-innings win against the Oakland Athletics in theRead More

There is nothing more exciting than a New England Patriots’ nationally televised humiliation. Now that I’ve let that out of me, let’s look at this week’s takeaways…   All Is Not Well In DC This is definitely true regarding politics, but lately it applies to the ‘Skins as well. Since the injury to RGIII (déjà vu), Washington has looked stagnant in just about all facets of football. Especially defensively. They gave up 4 TDs to Eli Manning on Thursday night in an ugly home loss to the G-units. Total, they’veRead More

Teams, I see you. We’re beginning to notice who came to play this season and who’s pining for a top draft pick in 2015. So without further ado, here are my 3 biggest surprises of the early season.     3. Atlanta Falcons The Bucs might be terrible, but they are still an NFL team. For Atlanta to demolish them 56-14 on Thursday night was nothing short of spectacular, and hints at the season to come. It was a night of high octane offense for the Falcons, but the momentRead More

The season has legitimately arrived, now with 2 full weeks in the books. There were many highs and lows both on and off the field, but here are the top 5 takeaways. 5. Controversy Although I care more about what happens on the field, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge what is happening behind closed doors. Especially when it involves domestic abuse. Despite some amazing games over the weekend, all anyone is talking about is Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. Peterson is the latest in dead beat dad horror stories,Read More

Despite having graduated from Baylor University, I am not a big fan of RGIII. Yes, it is wonderful that our football program has gained attention and respect, and, yes, it is wonderful that Baylor Football has a Heisman Trophy winner on its resume. The athletic department has been gifted a brand new football stadium that is beautiful and right on the river as well as a statue of RGIII… yes, a statue of a man that has had a mediocre-at-best NFL career. I have an issue with this. When IRead More

The best offense in college football has opened up the season with a light non-conference schedule, but they have shown that they are just as good as last year’s team in almost every measure of the game. The Bears opened up the first week of the season hosting SMU for the first annual game in McLane Stadium. The Bears opening performance was just as beautiful as the stadium on the Brazos as they dominated the Mustangs, winning 45-0. While the offense wasn’t as explosive as it wanted to be, the defenseRead More

In a recent article, San Diego was voted as the most tortured sports city. Both the Padres and Chargers do not have a single championship to their names since their introduction into professional sports in 1969 and 1970 (post-AFL), respectively. San Diego has also hosted a couple basketball teams (the Rockets and Clippers), but the market was never strong enough to keep them. I know, somewhere Champ Kind is crying into a plate of chicken wings. However, as a native San Diegan and avid Charger/Padre supporter, I felt inclined toRead More

Pigskin season is upon us. Time for cooler weather, beer, and…. more beer. With Week 1 firmly in the books, let’s review the 5 takeaways.   #5. Seattle Is Still Seattle While most fans around the league are unsure about their team’s future, Seahawks fans are reclining in their La-Z-Boys and laughing at the rest of them. The men from the Northwest (I think that’s in America) came out of the gates sprinting. They made Green Bay look like a bunch of cheese packers. Their defense stunted Aaron Rodgers forRead More