Simulated Gameday Experience

Sometimes you need to half-start over. (read more…)

This Penguins season could’ve been one for the ages. Sidney Crosby had taken yet another step forward, comfortably establishing himself as at worst the best player in the Eastern Conference (and even that only holds with cynics and homers, not to say I’m not one myself but the point stands) and running riot over opponents. At one point, the Penguins won 12 in a row, only one of which came from the shootout. While that kind of winning streak isn’t exactly the precursor or a guarantee that a Cup is coming home, it’s damn impressive in its own right.

It all fell apart in three games. (read more…)

By all rights, this has been Manchester City’s most successful season in a generation, at least. With a Champions League play-in berth guaranteed (and with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger currently seeing bats and hearing voices in their sleep, third isn’t completely out of the question) and a trophy finally – finally – sewn up thanks to it being a sunny Saturday in Wembley and not a rainy Tuesday at Stoke, there isn’t much to complain about, right?

And yet, I feel somewhat like an imposter. (read more…)

To understand what’s going on with the Tennessee QB situation, it makes sense to go back a few years. 2010 was going to be a season of reckoning as most of the players we thought were going to be stars were upperclassmen of some form or fashion going into 2008. (In the case of Eric Berry, that’s a non-issue; we knew he was gone after 2009 anyway.) Four-year starter Erik Ainge departed after a successful 2007 season, so it fell to talented but largely unproven Jonathan Crompton to shepherd the team through the ’08 season. And then things fell to shit. (more…)

Let’s start with the obvious; those of you who have been following my writing for years should’ve noticed a distinct lack of any discussion on the NBA. Considering I watch pretty much any team sport that’s broadcast in the US (and a few that aren’t – hello, handball!) you figure I’d follow professional basketball, and yet I never really got into it. I’d watch it occasionally, but never really with any conviction or particular interest in results or players. And yet, I’m drawn to LeBron’s Game 6. (more…)

So the Nats’ Opening Day was on Monday. That isn’t necessarily news, but the crowd composition ended up making the most headlines. A group (and by “a group”, I mean “more than a few thousand”) Phillies fans ended up crashing Opening Day in DC, turning the game into a virtual home game for the Phillies. Those of you who are aware of foreshadowing are probably smart enough to figure out where this is going. (more..)

So I get the idea that Spring Training is supposed to be a time for hope, rebirth, and warm fuzzy feelings that make you excited about watching baseball for the next six months. My problem is that the franchise I’m dumb and/or crazy enough to follow decided to spend most of their offseason talking about moves that were progress and great for the franchise and generally the kind of treading-water crap we’ve come to expect from the likes of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. I should be excited over these guys? (more…)

With the postseason winding down, we’re down to just two teams standing. Er, um… wait… we arbitrarily picked two teams out of five contenders around this time last month, and said here you go, have fun. Indeed, the BCS has got to be breathing a sigh of relief, as unbeatens #3 and #4 fell in the last week. (Boise State, we’ll just conveniently ignore them, like in 2006 when they were the only team in the country to win all of their games.) But if you are planning on watching this game, don’t let that spoil your experience. This is a compelling matchup of two teams who came very close just a year ago, achieved perfection in 2009, and have earned the right to be in this game – even if another team should have earned that right too. (read more…)

We remember the first BCS Busters – Urban Meyer, Alex Smith, and the 2004 Utah Utes. We remember 2006 Boise State for the Hook ‘n Ladder and the Statue of Liberty in their epic Fiesta Bowl triumph. The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs, unlike any of the unbeaten midmajors before them and unlike their upcoming opponent in tonight’s Fiesta Bowl, received quite a bit of consideration for and discussion about inclusion in the BCS Championship Game. What separates these Frogs from the BCS Busters that came before them? (more…)

In retrospect, it’s my own fault I saved the Papa John’s bowl for last; of course I’m having issues with motivation when a bowl is pitting a couple of 7-5 teams against each other. The most notable on-field incident between South Carolina and UConn is UConn’s triple-OT win over Notre Dame, made famous because of a) the name of the team they beat and b) the significance of their first win following the tragic death of Jasper Howard. Aside from that, it’s a long way down; (more…)