Today seems to be deja vu all over again. If you happen to catch the 2008 men’s college world series games, do not adjust your set. They are real. It is not deja vu. The biggest difference in today’s game is that both Bulldog teams (Georgia and Fresno State) remain undefeated in the Omaha series and the teams that they face each have 1 loss. Georgia beat Stanford in the second round to send them to the losers bracket and Fresno State did the same to North Carolina in their second round game. Both losing teams then fought their way out of the cellar for a chance to face the winners again.
vs 
06/21/2008 @ 2PM on ESPN
vs 
06/21/2008 @ 7 PM on ESPN
I have to say that this series is heading to a place that I would have never picked. I truly thought that Florida State would be in the finals as powerful as they looked. With that said, they could not even win a game in Omaha. I will have to say this though. With the teams left and the way the second round games went, I see both undefeated teams remaining that way. With respect to both North Carolina and Stanford, I can not see them winning their respective games. I looks as though the championship games will be that of a BULLDOG fight.
*DISCLAIMER* All logos are hyperlinked to the teams baseball page and will pop up in a new window. All other links will also pop up in their own windows.
By Bud L. Ellis
http://bigleagueblog.net
As the byline states, I’m not Tiger Woods. But if I was, this is what I would say:
I am Tiger Woods, and I am the U.S. Open champion.
I am Tiger Woods, and I’m not quite sure myself how I did it.
I am Tiger Woods, and I should be on crutches, not using my driver as a cane.
I am Tiger Woods, and I conquered one of the world’s toughest courses with a leg that would put you in the hospital.
I am Tiger Woods, and I wasn’t supposed to play.
I am Tiger Woods, and I told my doctors I had a job to do.
I am Tiger Woods, and while I have more money in the bank than you’ll ever see in five lifetimes, my portfolio doesn’t matter.
I am Tiger Woods, and the love of competing outweighs the fortune and fame.
I am Tiger Woods, and there isn’t a challenge in my line of work I can’t overcome.
I am Tiger Woods, but 91 holes in five days on that leg was tough.
I am Tiger Woods, and I know how to rise above adversity.
I am Tiger Woods, and I know how hard playing golf is for the rest of you.
I am Tiger Woods, and actually, I don’t know how hard playing golf is for the rest of you.
I am Tiger Woods, and I appreciate the history of this great sport.
I am Tiger Woods, and I’m the greatest professional sports athlete of this generation.
I am Tiger Woods, and now I’m a dad.
I am Tiger Woods, and I miss my dad.
I am Tiger Woods, but I know how proud he is of me.
I am Tiger Woods, and I will be back.
–30–
Shortly after winning the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is putting his clubs away for the rest of this season. Tiger played through the entire Open with a bad knee. And now, he is opting for surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee that he injured 10 months ago. He also suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open, ignoring doctors’ advice to take six weeks off to let it heal. With all that paid he still played 72 holes of golf to win the U.S. Open one more time. Anyone that has gone through this kind of injury can attest to the pain that it causes.
Posted on June 18th, 2008 in
Sports | Author:
dannyt |
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Florida State Seminoles became the first team to exit the 2008 World Series today. Today’s Loser’s Bracket game loss to the Miami Hurricanes was the final straw to send the Noles to the showers and once again become spectators.
When they played Stanford on Friday they looked great for 8 innings and then went off the deep end to lose 16-5 to the Cardinal. Today, it was different in that FSU left 17 men on base to tie an NCAA record for most stranded runners. With that said, The ninth inning was where all the fireworks were for Florida State as they were able to score 3 runs and left the bases loaded as Jack Rye hit into a force out to end the game.
Leaving that many people on base tells you that the Seminoles did not do what needed to be done to call themselves National Champions. As great as it was to see them in the College World Series again this year after last years melt down in the Regionals, it is still a big let down to their fans and to themselves after being one of the most powerful and explosive teams in all of college baseball. One might question if their bats are back in Tallahassee where they lost the first game of the regionals on to come back and dismantle every team one their way to scoring 74 runs to advance.
The jit parade then continued to the Super Regionals where FSU dismantled Witchita State by 14 runs winning the best of 3 series 2-1 and scoring 32 total runs.
Posted on June 16th, 2008 in
Sports | Author:
dannyt |
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By Bud L. Ellis
http://bigleagueblog.net
One put a golf club in his son’s hands as a toddler. The other instilled a love for driving fast and crossing the finish line first.
Somewhere Sunday afternoon, I suspect Earl Woods and Dale Earnhardt Sr. looked down upon this world with fatherly pride.
On a Father’s Day stuffed with drama and choked with emotion, Tiger Woods and Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed us by the collar and reminded us why we love sports so much.
Woods snaked home a tough 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole, tying Rocco Mediate for the U.S. Open lead and forcing an 18-hole playoff Monday at Torrey Pines. Earnhardt gambled by not stopping for fuel during the final 55 laps at Michigan and it paid off, snapping a 76-race winless streak.
Playing for the first time since knee surgery, Woods grinded and limped his way into the lead with a stirring charge up the leaderboard Saturday, sparked by two long eagle putts. But it looked like he would come up one shot short Sunday as the season’s second major arrived at the par-5 18th, where Woods had to make birdie to force the playoff.
Woods hit his tee shot into a bunker, and his sand shot carried into the right rough. But Woods lofted a perfect wedge shot onto the right side of the green, then sank the must-have putt, the ball lipping around the hole before falling as the crowd roared.
There will be plenty who will howl about Earnhardt’s return to victory lane. After inheriting the lead with five laps to go – while most of the leaders came down pit road for a quick splash of fuel – Junior benefited from a spinout with two laps to go. Even though the race would finish with three overtime laps, Earnhardt shut off his motor at times while the yellow flag was out to save gas.
It worked. Earnhardt had just enough, coasting for victory when the field froze on the final lap after another spinout. It’s his first victory since he left his late father’s race team to join the stable of giants at Hendrick Motorsports this season. After winning the non-points Budweiser Clash and one of the Daytona qualifying races to start the season, Earnhardt has ran well enough to be in contention, but not quite enough to grab a checkered flag.
Until Sunday, that is.
For Woods, work remains to be done to win his 14th major title. Can his knee hold up for 18 more holes? We’ll find out Monday.
Regardless, this Father’s Day ended with two of America’s most well-known athletes smiling in the spotlight and adding another chapter to their legendary careers.
And undoubtedly, their dads were smiling, too.
–30–
That was the question that the Los Angeles Lakers are asking themselves today as the Boston Celtics beat them black and blue in the second half. I am not a huge NBA fan, but the betting man inside picked the Lakers to crush the Celtics and tie the series. As I checked in at half, it looked as though my projections were going as planned.
Then, halftime was over and Doc Rivers took charge. The Celtics went small in hopes to spread the floor and make the Lakers match up one on one. With 4 shooters on the floor one would think that defense would be lacking. With that said, the 58 to 40 lead that the Lakers enjoyed at halftime started to dwindle to just a 2 point lead at the end of the third quater.
Kobe Bryant was held in check the entire first half and did not score a basket until the 3rd quarter. Once he started he pumped in 17 points, but it was not enough. The entire second half saw the Lakers score a measly 33 points. The Celtics worked the Irish luck and pulled out the upset of the tournament in their quest to become the 2008 NBA Champions.
Posted on June 13th, 2008 in
Sports | Author:
dannyt |
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By Bud L. Ellis
http://bigleagueblog.net
Greetings! I know, it’s been a while. First and foremost, gotta say nice job to dannyt, who has posted several stellar posts recently while I’ve been away attending to other duties.
Now, what have I missed recently:
We have a series: Trailing entering the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring elimination in the face. Yes, I know you have to win four times to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but when you go down 3-0, you’re just about dead.
(Unless you’re the 2004 Boston Red Sox, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs or the 1975 New York Islanders. But I digress …)
Instead of slipping quietly into the night, the Lakers steadied themselves and took control in the final 12 minutes, their 87-81 victory making the series 2-1 in Boston’s favor.
Is it me, or are you tired of hearing about Kobe Bryant? True, I’ve never been a big Kobe fan, and yes, I’ll readily admit he’s been as focused in this championship pursuit as just about any athlete I’ve ever seen. But seriously, is it all Kobe, all the time? That’s all you hear on ESPN and in other media outlets, and personally, I’m just a little tired of it.
The Lakers are a heck of a team … emphasis on the word TEAM. Yes, Kobe can take a game over and when he’s on, he’s just about as unstoppable as they come in basketball. But Los Angeles set themselves up for this by signing Derek Fisher in the offseason, then trading for Pau Gasol in February.
L.A. is much more than Kobe. The pieces in place around him are much better now (don’t think anybody is missing Kwame Brown, are they?) and Los Angeles is plenty good enough to win this series.
As for Boston, all the Celts really need to do is win one game in L.A. They get two more cracks at it Thursday and Sunday. Win one, and all the Green Machine needs to do to win the title is take one back at home, where Boston has lost just once all postseason. I said Celts in 6 at the start and I’ll stick by that.
Upside-downness reigns supreme: I wrote back in April how the major league baseball standings looked like somebody was holding the newspaper upside down. It’s now mid June, and several teams remain in unexpected positions.
Tampa Bay is 11 games over .500 and one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East. The White Sox have won seven of 10, opening up a 6 ½ game lead on the Twins in the AL Central. Oakland – which everybody thought was in rebuilding mode – continues to surprise in the AL West, trailing the Angels by just five games. Florida sits only three games behind Philadelphia in the NL East. The Cardinals are hanging on in the NL Central, 12 games over .500 and 2 ½ behind the Cubs. In the NL West, the Giants are only six games back.
What’s just as telling are the preseason contenders that are struggling. The Yankees sit in the cellar in the AL East. Detroit is 10 games under .500 and 10 games out in the AL Central (and the Tigers shipped Dontrelle Willis all the way to Class A on Tuesday). Seattle, a pick by many to win 90 games, has the worst record in baseball and sits 16 ½ games out. Two of the preseason favorites in the NL East – Atlanta and the Mets – are under .500. Milwaukee is 7 ½ back in the NL Central.
Could be quite a summer in some places where it appeared football season would start early.
Tiger’s ready: Recovering from knee surgery, Tiger Woods pronounced himself ready for the U.S. Open, which opens Thursday at Torrey Pines.
Woods, the winner of 13 majors and the man who causes other golfers to shake at the knees just by entering the field, won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in January. He has a long record of success at the California course … not a good sign for the others eyeing the national championship.
No triple: I don’t watch horse racing much, but I tuned in to see Big Brown’s last-place finish at the Belmont last weekend. I can’t say I was really pulling for the horse to win, and that’s just a selfish part of me. I have no interest in horse racing, and now that I don’t work for a newspaper, I honestly don’t care about the sport. Sorry. Just the way it is.
With that said, if a horse wins the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness – as Big Brown did – I’ll watch the Belmont. But if a horse wins the Triple Crown, then I’ll probably never watch another race. Just doesn’t have the same appeal to me if I’m watching a horse run for the Triple Crown and it happened last year or two years ago. It’s been 20 years since a horse has won all three crown jewels of horse racing in the same season … good to keep that streak going, I say.
–30–
Posted on June 11th, 2008 in
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U.S. Open | Author:
bud |
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As I am writing this 6 of the elite 8 have made it in. Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Bulldogs, Florida State Seminoles, North Carolina Tar Heels, Stanford Cardinal, and Rice Owls all make up the 6 teams in with two teams left to be decide. There are just two games left to be played today to determine the final 2 teams of the tournament. LSU Tigers will be taking on the UC-Irvine Anteaters tonight at 7pm EST. The other game also at 7pm EST tonight pits the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The road to Omaha is a gruling one. It is sorta like the basketball tourney as it starts with 64 teams and then whittle down to 16. Those 16 play a best of 3 series for the right to go to Omaha and play the other 7 best teams in the nation for the chance to call themselves World Champions.
The final games will be played in Omaha’s Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium that was built in 1948 and has been home to the Men’s College World Series since 1950. It will once again commence there on June 14th through June 25th of 2008 to decide who will leave as World Champions. Eight walk in, but only one can walk out a winner.
Each of the eigth teams that are making this trip will also carry supporters with them. I know for myself, i will be glued to the tv whenever the Seminoles or Georgia take the field as I am a huge supporter of both. Pick your posion and lets see who makes it to the top.
Posted on June 9th, 2008 in
Sports | Tags:
Arizona State Sun Devils,
baseball. college world series,
Florida State Seminoles,
Fresno State Bulldogs,
Georgia Bulldogs,
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium,
LSU Tigers,
Miami Hurricanes,
NCAA.com,
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Stanford Cardinal,
UC-Irvine Anteaters | Author:
dannyt |
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Today, we lost a great in the sports world. Jim McKay (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008) at the age of 86 passed away earlier today. Jim was probably better know for his hosting ABC’s Wide World of Sports from 1961 to 1998. Jim also covered sports like horse racing, golf, and Indianapolis 500.
It is truly a sad day in the sporting world. We have lost a voice common to the sports world and when a legend falls, the world is silenced for a moment in time to remember them. Today, let us take a moment out of our time to remember one of the greatest voices to ever commentate.
Posted on June 7th, 2008 in
Sports | Author:
dannyt |
1 Comment
Last night was a big night for Larry “Chipper” Jones. In front of semi packed house, Chipper Jones not only owned the Marlin’s pitchers for the night going 4 for 5, he also crushed his 400th home run over the right center field fence. It was all any braves fan could do to stand and cheer for a home town hero that has made good on his career wearing the colors of one team for his entire big league career; The Atlanta Braves.
Anyone that follows this guy knows that he is a student of hitting. He spends countless hours watching video tapes of pitchers that he is about to face. he looks at hours of footage before a game so that he can be prepared with a game plan for the day. My hats off to one of the current day’s best hitters in the game.
