New Home Plate Collusion Rule.. How Will It Pan Out?

If you saw Jim Boeheim’s tirade on Saturday after a bang-bang call (it could have been called a blocking or charging foul) you will expect the same reaction to calls when it comes to the new plate collisions rules.

All of home plate collisions have been banned except a one year experiment: if the catcher has the ball and is blocking the runner's direct path to home plate, and if the catcher goes into the basepath to field a throw to the plate. I wasn’t alive to see many of the home plate collisions that I have seen rerunning on Sportscenter when they were discussing why plate collisions is essential to the game. Major League Baseball is trying to be as cautious as the National Football League is with injuries and concussions. I figured there was going to be a change in this rule when All Star Buster Posey sustained a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle. I doubt baseball wants to see their players sustaining season ending injuries and possible career ending ones as well.

I still feel a lot of sports rules have their share of gray area and there will be a few controversial calls, just like the Syracuse vs. Duke Game this past weekend. I understand why a catcher will block the plate, his job is to prevent runners from scoring. I would have an issue having a catcher block the plate with his whole body especially if he doesn’t have the ball, how will a runner be able to get around the catcher without ramming him. Runners need to protect themselves as well, catchers have gear to protect their whole body while a runner has a helmet and the speed approaching home plate as an advantage. The runner can slide but if there is no room for the runner to slide he is only left one other option. I don’t see a player jumping over a catcher like Willy Mays Hayes in Major League.

With new rules being implemented you also have to look at how umpires officiate them. Umpires can see calls differently and should read these new rules. I don’t want to hear an excuse about not knowing all the rules, that’s the job of an officiator, know the rules and make sure they are being implemented in a right and fair way. Especially that the video-review system can be used to check if the rule was violated by a player. I believe this rule was implemented as a safe way to keep home plate collisions in the game instead of completely banning it. As long as the runner has some space to slide and the catcher can block the plate I don’t see any issue with this new rule. We will see how this rules turns out.

Sports Mount Rushmore

It has been almost two weeks since I have made a blog post. The horror of not having a computer and busy intern life. I wanted to write this piece last week but I never got around to it. My friend and I were talking at a bar last week and we started talking about the whole Mount Rushmore debate Lebron James started. We decided we wanted to make our own top 4 players for each sport that we watch. I will only take in account to the years I have watched baseball, basketball and football. I only recently started getting in to hockey and soccer, it only made sense not to include those two sports. When I do these I l will making a decision based on the players as the faces of the sport and the skill set as well.

This is intended to be a short article. I started watching sports in 1997, I felt it was fair to choose players from the time I started watching each sport.

Rushmores

MLB

Derek Jeter
Ken Griffey Jr
Albert Pujols
Ichiro Suzuki

NFL

Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Michael Strahan
Ray Lewis

NBA

Tim Duncan
Kobe Bryant
Shaq
Lebron James

Jeter says goodbye in 2014

Derek Sanderson Jeter aka Captain Clutch aka Mr. November will be bowing down as a New York Yankee at the end of this upcoming 2014 season. I don't even know where to begin I started watching baseball in 1997 when the Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. It has been a pleasure watching him play for the Yankees. He is one of my favorite Yankees from the 90s-00s era right next to Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez and the list can go on for another ten or so players. This is officially the last Yankee to retire from that 98-00 dynasty, the players in this team inspired me to want to play and follow the sport of baseball.

He will and should be considered in the top 5 Yankees of all time, right next to Babe, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle . He is the Yankee all time leader in Games (2,602), At bats (10,614), Hits (3,136) Runs (1,876) and Stolen Bases (348). These stats should be impressive for any baseball fanatic especially the amount of great players the Yankees have had over the past 100+ years. He won the Rookie of the Year and won the World Series in the same year, he's the only player to hit a homerun as his 3,000 hit, 13 time All Star, a 5 time World Series champion, won the All Star Game MVP in  2000 5 Gold Glove Awards, 5 Silver Slugger Awards, 2 Hank Aaron Awards and a Roberto Clemente Award and many more accolades. It's hard to argue that Jeter won't be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Growing up I knew I couldn't be a shortstop because I am a lefty but watching him play made me want to play the position in pick up games. The 90s was filled with an array of amazing shortstops from Nomar Garciaparra, A Rod, Omar Vizquel, Cal Ripken Jr, Barry Larkin, Edgar Renteria. The 90s feature great talents in both the short stop and center field position, it was a great time for baseball especially since I wanted to play in the outfield. I grew up watching movies such as Major League, The Sandlot, Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield, The Sandlot and most recently Moneyball. I'm glad I was around in the mid to late 90s to enjoy baseball at that peak and of course watching the Yankees win 5 Championships, I feat many fans can't say besides the Bulls and Lakers. I had the chance to meet Jeter once at the movie theaters but was too much a chicken to say anything, I remember it was after 1 PM game and my father and I were heading to watch Inside Man.

Later in his career Jeter was considered overrated when it came to his defensive stature. There were better defensive shortstops in the league especially Vizquel, A Rod and others but there are so many high light reels that he had that were unforgettable. The flip play against the Oakland Athletics, the dive play in the stands against the Red Sox in that ridiculous extra inning game. He won't be the greatest shortstop defensively if you count what he accomplished during his time, his timely hits and plays when needed to be done it's hard to argue that he wasn't the best shortstop or even player during his career. He wasn't a home run hitter but he didn't have to be, Derek hit huge home runs when they counted for the Yankees in the World Series and playoffs and if I'm correct only has one grand slam in his career. It's interesting to imagine if the Yankees would have accomplished the 5 Championships without him.

With all the steroid scandals that took place during the 00s Jeter was the white knight of the MLB. For someone to be the face of sport and not a controversy in the media city of the US is impressive. He dated many celebrities and had many endorsements from Gatorade to Nike. He lived a life many people wanted. He didn't post amazing numbers but he got the job done and had the it factor. This all sounds like biased info because I love the Yankees especially the late 90s team. With Trout, Harper, Kershaw, McCutchen and others its time for the new generation to carry the MLB. 2014 will be the year we celebrate Number 2. Here's hoping for a healthy season and a 28th World Series championship. 

Shaun White doesn't medal

I did not enjoy that this news was announced seven and a half hours before the event was even televised. I felt that same way during the Summer Olympics when social media ruined how the Fab Four and Phelps won their gold medals way ahead of it being televised by NBC. I understand it's hard to keep news like that secret in this day and age with social media. I will have to do my best to stay away from Twitter and Facebook next week during the Hockey medal games. 

I don't think it was a huge disappointment that Shaun White didn't medal because it is very hard for athletes to win three straight Winter Olympic medals in the same event.  There is a reason why it has not been done before, I was one of those people who believed he would get the gold but these things happen for a reason. He is considered the best snowboarder and for him to not win the gold should be a way of saying he lost his mojo. He still has the highest jumps than the rest of the field.  If it wasn't for those two awkward landing he could have easily had at least the silver. This is probably one of the first times White goes in to his last run not having the Gold already locked in. It's hard when you have hug expectations as Shaun White does: he has won the Gold in the Superpipe 6 years in a row from 2008-2013, he did bow out of this years event to prepare for the Olympics. When you are that consistent of an athlete especially for that amount of time you are expected to never fail. This can be a good thing for him. He will probably come back with a vengeance in 2018.

This reminded me of the 2012 Summer Olympics when a lot of friends of mine assumed that Ryan Lochte was going to be the new Phelps, and that Michael was passed his prime. Especially after he didn't medal in his first event (men's 400 meter individual medley) of the Summer Games. Lochte ended the Games with 5 medals ( 2 Gold Medals, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze) compared to Phelps who had 6 medals ( 4 Gold and 2 Silver Medals). Many people would have considered Phelps medaling in six of seven events a failure considering he won eight gold medals in eight events in 2008. That takes a lot of energy out of anyone, the fact that he came back and still picked up six more medals should be commendable. Athletes have such high expectations when they are considered the best in their field such as Peyton Manning and LeBron James they aren't perfect in the Finals/ Super Bowl but will definitely go down as one of the best. Everyone can't be a Jordan or Montana going perfect in their Championship games. If it wasn't for these athletes they would not have motivated the next breed of atheltes. There will be a next Shaun White and Michael Phelps and it will be entertaining to compare and contrast their skills. 

I was not fond of watching the Super Pipe last night because they only televised five riders in the Final event: The top three Iouri "IPod" Podladtchikov, Ayumu Hirano, the youngest rider in the competition at age 15, Taku Hiraok, Shaun White and American Danny Davis. I understand that NBC has to cover over 30 different sports and it's impossible to go through every event and athelte. It makes sense to focus on the athletes in our country and the podium winners. I realize that the best event to watch when it comes snowboarding and Skiing is the Winter X Games since you get great access and detail from every round. I'm hoping for more exciting events in the next couple of days and it's time to wait about three years or so to see if White will return in 2018.

Gold Medal or Team Championship??

With the Winter Olympics on the way it gives everyone the chance to show their country pride. I tend to enjoy the competition more than anything else, the hard work that everyone puts comes down to a 5 minute routine or a 1 minute race, it makes for an entertaining event. In terms of the Winter Olympics I prefer watching the hockey games, speed-skating, skiing and snowboarding events. I didn't include figure skating mostly because I personally don't enjoy sporting events coming down to someone scoring you on your performance. Someone is always going to be biased even if they are following a scoring format. I do watch on occasion because as someone who used to dance can enjoy the creativity and amount of work that skaters put in to their routine.  I obviously have a biased opinion with snowboarding because I am a fan of Shaun White but the half pipe is entertaining even though it's judged upon.

I posted this question on Facebook during the 2012 Summer Olympics " would you rather win a GOLD Medal at any Olympic event of your choice or a Major team Championship (NBA Finals, World Series Stanley Cup, Super Bowl, etc). Most of my friends voted for a team championship which I understood because I am a huge baseball fan and would love nothing more than to be hoisting the Commissioners Trophy as a New York Yankee. playing a grueling 162 game season and three rounds of playoff baseball. I have a huge appreciation for what athletes go through in any sport especially Michael Phelps, how much they train and sacrifice to compete in the Olympics or their given sport. I started swimming after his remarkable 2008 Summer Games performance. Swimming for an hour is tiring and this man swims for about 5 or more hours at a faster rate than I do. Eight events and getting a gold medal in each one, watching him get that eight medal on the relay was a moment I definitely won't forget. Honestly I'll put it in my top 5 sports moments that I watched live on television.

I personally would want to win a Gold Medal at a butterfly individual medley or a Men's 4 x 100 meter medley relay. I think the idea of winning an Olympic gold medal trumps winning a team sport. Not only do you win a medal for your country but you will considered the best athlete in your talent for the next four years. The Olympics and World Cup is so huge in terms of an event that it can not be hosted every year, it makes these events more prestigious than any annual MLB, NHL, NFL or NBA Championship title. it may come as selfish to be someone who wants to win an award that only celebrates yourself but it is the best way to prove who is the best athlete in that specific selection. MVP awards are always voted upon but that's is no way to prove if that specific athlete is the best athlete, it's only going by statistics throughout a given year. Even NBA players say winning a Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics is a little bit more special than winning an NBA title just for the fact that you're playing the best from the whole world not just the United States. Winning a championship means a lot to that individual no matter what stage it is in but I clearly think a gold medal has more prestige in my eyes.

Dallas Buyers Club

I have now watched the seven movies I wanted to watch that were nominated for Best Picture: Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, Captain Phillips, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, Her and finally Dallas Buyers Club. I personally have no interest in watching Nebraska and Philomena at the moment. I highly doubt both of the films have a legitimate shot of winning Best Picture with projections and previous award shows. If they do win in one of the categories they are nominated for I will give Nebraska a higher chance of watching on DVD or cable. Dallas buyers Club is nominated for 6 Academy Awards, I will give my take on which categories the film can win in based on what I have watched so far.  

Overall I enjoyed this film from beginning to end. I am always fond of low budgeted films that are able to produce great stories. The first scene was pretty interesting because it went full circle in the end, I won't explain how. I'm not a fan of spoiling movies for people. It was interesting to watch how the AIDS/HIV epidemic took place in the 80s/90s and how people reacted to it. Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof was amazing compared to the romantic comedy roles that I am used to seeing him in. If you haven't watched True Detective yet you have to start watching it. I can see him winning an Emmy and Golden Globe next season for his role in that series. It's dark and witty just like this film. 

This disease was perceived as a gay disease meaning that only gay men were able to contract HIV/AIDS. You realize this right away by the way Woodroof reacts to the news and how he is being treated by his so called friends. He begins by not believing he has this disease, starts to do research on the disease and does whatever he can do to stay alive. I was iffy about him becoming a drug dealer but he is someone who did his research and realizes that out of country drugs are more effective than the drugs the FDA approves. He wants to survive and help others as well in the process giving the government a huge middle finger.

The movie was pretty predictable but still an enjoyable film. The relationship between Woodrood and Rayon was really touching not at first of course but the way it developed from hospital mates to business partners. I read how Leto prepared for the role and how he wore heels throughout the whole film, stories like this always intrigues me with the amount of effort these men and women put in to their craft. Both Leto and Matthew both deserve their nominations. It was a pleasant surprise to see Jennifer Garner in this film, I felt like a teenager again seeing one of my high school crushes. If there's one thng that I took away from this film is Woodroof doing whatever he can to stay alive and finding a way to profit from it and attempting to help others with the same disease. Showing the struggle of Woodroof and other with this disease because the FDA have not come up with a good enough cure yet was informative drama. I can only imagine what people had to go through during this time. I would recommend this movie to anyone. I gave it a 4/5 on Rotten Tomatoes. 

I highly doubt this film can win Best Picture I have Gravity winning this. 

Best Actor- Matthew and Leo are the top two for this category. I'm fine with either or winning the statue. 

Best Supporting Actor- I loved Leto but if I had to choose I'd vote for Fassbender. 

Original Screenplay- I would have voted for Her

Best Hairstyling and Makeup- I'm a bit surprised that this was nominated and not American Hustle but I would have voted for DBC here. 

Best Film Editing- I would vote to Gravity or Captain Phillips in this category. 

Super Bowl Wrap Up

As I looked outside to see how the weather looked before I left to my internship I see a few inches of snow on the ground. All I could think was that the NFL was lucky this snow took place after the Super Bowl ended. Throughout the day the weather was perfect in the high 40s, low 50s no need for a coat just a slim jacket worked perfectly on my end. Enough of the weather and let's go straight to the game that everyone was talking about yesterday.

Starting off with some stats:

Peyton- lowest QBR since Rex Grossmam against the Colts

Seahawks gave up no INTs or Sacks

Number one defenses is 4-1 against number one offenses in the Super Bowl

QBs who have lead the league in yards and touchdowns lost in the Super Bowl: Manning, Brady, Warner and Marino

The first play after the kickoff was a foreshadow of what game was going to be for the broncos, a fumble that leads to a safety a score not many people would have assumed would have taken place as a first score of the game. It took until the end of the third quarter for the broncos to score their first points of the game. Yes points. At that point the Seahawks already scored 38 points. I was amazed by this game. Mostly because I was hoping for a close match up. I did pick the Broncos but I still won a date out of this game so I won at the end of the day. This game summed up the season in my eyes. Entertaining but not exciting. I think everyone can agree that the BCS championship had twists and turns than the Super Bowl. 

By halftime when it was 22-0 I was just hoping for an exciting half time show which was delivered by Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers (playing one of my favorite rock songs Give It Away). When the second half began I started to think there might be a repeat of last years Super Bowl, no not the blackout but a come back to make it a closer game. Well there was a repeat a kickoff return by the leading team leading to a touchdown and 29-0 lead. 

Peyton had the worst QB Rating since Rex Grossman, he throw for 72 more yards than Russell Wilson but threw 2 more interceptions. The Broncos turned it over 4 times while the Seahawks kept the ball away from Denver's hand. Marshall Lynch only ran for 39 yards but it didn't matter with the way this Seattle defense was playing. The Broncos couldn't get much work done offensively the receivers would catch a ball and get tackled right away. There was no hope for Denver. I'm glad a second year quarterback won a championship game again, similar to Big Ben with Pittsburgh against the Seahawks. One thing that impressed me about the Seattle D was that they never played Prevent defense at any point throughout this game even while being ahead the entire game. 

By the second quarter I was more intrigued by the commercials. They didn't really catch my fancy as much as other years. I enjoyed for the TurboTax Prom, Tim Tebow having more commercials than the Broncos had touchdowns and the little girl demanding a puppy with Cheerios. I enjoyed the trailers for movies that I was anticipating for : Need for Speed, Amazing SpiderMan 2, Captain America and even the Transformers teaser was interesting. I enjoyed the Cure  commercial making fun of both Peyton Manning and Richard Sherman. If there's one thing everyone noticed is the amount of car commercials and the fact that they looked like movie trailers. I almost cried for tear jerking commercials Coca Cola and  Microsoft. Morpheus I will choose a Kia Optima over many cars, it is one of the few vehicles I have driven. 

Overall I'm hoping for more competitive and entertaining games from the NFL next season. There was news about a possible team in LA which will be exciting  considering Los Angeles is the second largest city in the USA and don't cover all four major sports. It's seven months until the beginning of next season we will see what happens next for now it's on to basketball and baseball.