Sports n Stuff

6/6/2022

Ok, so pro sports are kinda dying down for the summer in my opinion. Tonight, there is a good chance Avs sweep the Oilers, and in 3 days Game 3 for the NBA finals is going to happen (stay tuned for an article about it). Nobody cares about baseball so what is there to write about? It’s time for a new segment that I will be writing about called Top 10s, where I will be listing the top 10s for everything. This is my own personal list so it is very controversial, but here we go.

For the first ever Top 10, I will be doing the top 10 sports movies of all time. These are all movies that I have seen at one point in my lifetime, and they were all pretty fucking good, regardless this is the list.

10: We Are Marshall, this is a really sad movie. It is terrible that it is a true story, and how an entire team passed away from such a terrible accident. Matthew McConaughey (alright alright alright) was pretty solid in the movie, and I liked the ending, even though they got railed in every game that year, they were proud to be there as a program.

9: The Mighty Ducks, Quack Quack baby. This is an all time childhood sports movie for me, as well as hopefully any other kid in the country. I don’t think I need to explain anything about it other then why it may be a little low on the list. I have higher movies on the list because they are deeper and have better stories, except for the next movie on the list.

8: Space Jam, all time basketball movie. Adults to this day still quote Space Jam, a kids movie, so it had to of been pretty good. The mix between cartoon and real life was awesome, and Jordan being the centerpiece around the entire thing was genius.

7: Cool Runnings, Jamaica we we gotta bobsled team man. Yes, it’s a funny movie sort of like Mighty Ducks and Space Jam, but it gets ranked higher because it’s a true story. I think it’s awesome that to this day when the Jamaican bobsled team rolls out everyone just calls them Cool Runnings. Their story of how they got to the Olympics is truly remarkable.

6: Coach Carter, This is the second highest basketball movie on my list, and for good reason. It had an awesome cast, and and even greater storyline. I loved that this movie wasn’t just about basketball, but how using sports can help transform troubled people into good, honest individuals. It’s a good movie for people to understand what it means to be a student athlete as well as setting your goals highers then to what you may think they are.

5: Glory Road,which just bumped out Coach Carter for the best basketball movie, as well as the first spot in my top 5. The story of UTEP in 1966 is truly inspiring, to see what they had to deal with, at what I imagine a movie friendly pace with the level of racism, and still win the National Championship against Pat Riley the player, is an awesome story. This ranked as my top basketball movie because I liked that it was early basketball for some reason, and obviously you can’t hate the story arch.

4: The Blind Side, this is my second highest football movie on the list because it’s an awesome movie. They story is great, along with the acting and some all time lines as well. I didn’t rank Ferdinand the Bull and the Blind Side any higher because I was told that a lot of the dramatic parts in the movie were all Hollywood and didn’t actually happen. Now, I don’t know how much of that is true with other sports movies but I didn’t like it was fake, it took away from the movie more than it gave.

3: The Sandlot, this might be controversial. This is the only baseball movie on the list, but it can’t not be on the list because it is arguably the best baseball movie of all time. It really hits at what sports are for kids. It’s a way for kids to make friends, have fun, and most importantly, to dream. It’ll last in sports history FOR-EVER.

2: Remember The Titans, this is the best football movie out there and I won’t hear otherwise. It’s awesome that it’s set in the 70’s so it has that grittiness to football that’s lost in present day football. The themes of racism behind it make it an inspirational story. Also, shoutout Northern Virginia for the movie because TC Williams High School is like 15 minutes away from where I grew up.

Honorable Mentions: Like Mike, Slapshot (because I haven’t seen it yet) Any Given Sunday, Varsity Blues, Field of Dreams

1: Miracle, If you watch this movie and don’t feel the need to run through a brick wall after, then there might be something wrong with you. It has it all: the epic storyline, amazing sports scenes, the all time lines, and most important, the best pre-game speech ever. It helps that the movie was about arguably one of the best moments in sports history, including the best moment is US sports history. Do you believe in miracles?

https://youtu.be/tdmyoMe4iHM

5/31/22

Yesterday ended the college lacrosse season, with the Maryland Terrapins beating Cornell with a final score of 9-7 earning the program’s 4th National Championship. The Terps ended the season 18-0, with only a handful of teams in the history of college lacrosse ever accomplishing this, the last of which being the 2006 Virginia Cavaliers. With all that said, one has to ask the question, was this the best team ever?

The 2022 Terps were the 14th team all time to go undefeated, the first, appropriately enough, were the ’73 Terps. Out of these 14 different teams, some of the ones that stand out among the rest are the ’79 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, the 1990 Syracuse Orangemen, the 97′ Princeton Tigers, and the aforementioned 2006 Cavs.

Each one of these teams has a lot of significance to them. The ’79 Blue Jays had some defensive legends of the game, including arguably the best defensemen ever in Dom Petromala and lacrosse icon Quint Kessenich. They dominated the defensive end of the ball on their way to an undefeated season. The 1990 Syracuse team was flatout absurd. They changed the world of lacrosse with three words: the Gait brothers. Paul and Gary changed the way lacrosse was approached and the level it was being watched. They did things on the field that made people want to try and do themselves, as well as made people want to watch. They inspired guys like the Powells to go to Cuse and play lacrosse as a family, even though the Princeton Tigers would ultimately rule the 90s.

Princeton won 5 championships in the 90s, including 3 in a row from 96-98. The best of those teams was the one in the middle, the ’97 Tigers. The Brilliance of Bill Tierney is what made this team so spectacular, along with an absurd roster. Tierney introduced slide packages with doubles involved, which was unheard of before hand, and was able to turn the ball over in more ways than the offense chucking the ball, faceoffs, and saves. It was truly innovative for the sport. Finally, the ’06 Cavs were put together like the ’92 dream team. Ben Rubeor. Matt Ward. Kyle Dixon. Michael Culver. Matt Kelly. Kip Turner! I mean, the roster speaks for itself, its fucking stacked. They beat teams individually. Across the field, the Cavs would win their own individual matchups. It was awesome to watch, and it was a very different way then how the Terps played this year.

The Maryland Terrapins beat teams as a unit. In one word, the Terps this year were selfless. Starting on their effortless offense, they waited patiently for the right shot, not necessarily the best one, but the right one. Everyone on the field for their offense had the potential to beat their defensemen and shoot it, and maybe it was in a good place on the field, but it was not the right shot. Maryland would move the ball across the field without cradling and shoot the shit out of the ball for the right shot. Second, it was selfless of Coach Tillman to stick with and trust Luke Wierman after the last play in the ‘ship from last year. He trusted him and Wierman balled the fuck out this year. Lastly, the defensive side of the ball was as selfless as ever. It starts with the D-mids, and Bubba Fairman switching over from offense to defense. Changing positions is tough, but Fairman knew it was for the greater good of the team. The close D played as a unit, which is always a pure sight to see. And in between the pipes, Logan Mcnaney balled out the entire year, particularly Memorial Day Weekend. So, where does this team rank among the greats?

I am trying to compare these teams against any team all time. That means the older teams would have to play with the shot clock, and the more recent teams might have to play without the clock. Personally, I don’t think anyone can touch the ’90 Syracuse team. They were loaded everywhere on the field, and on top of that, they changed the game forever. Second on the All-time list in my opinion is the Princeton team. It isn’t based on any other fact that they won three years in a row at one point. Their dominance lasted for such a long time, and that isn’t really seen in lacrosse today. Third, I’m taking the ’06 Cavs team. As I said, they remind me of the ’92 USA basketball team, and I think it would be very tough for any team all time to matchup against them. Even the next team on the list, this year’s Terps. They had absurd individual pieces, so that isn’t the problem, I just doubt how they’d do against better teams in big games. They were obviously better then Princeton and Cornell this year by a lot, but Maryland kept making stupid mistakes to keep both teams in the game. Lastly, ’79 Hopkins is in last because although they arguably had the best defense of all time, their offense was laking. The Blue Jays didn’t have the kind of balance these other teams had.

Maryland was absurd this year, no question, and they are easily a top 5 team of all time. Congrats to the Terps on a hell of a year and I’m pumped to see what they have in store for next year.

5/27/22

Memorial Day Weekend is known to many as the beginning of the summer. It’s a chance for Americans all over the country to get outside, grill some burgers and dogs, and to crack open a few beers and hangout with family and friends. For the lacrosse world, however, Memorial Day Weekend is a celebration of the sport.

Everyone in college lacrosse knows the importance of Memorial Day Weekend. This is when the final four for division one plays, and eventually the National Championship on Monday. For divisions 2 and 3, however, their seasons will end on Sunday with their National Championships. Regardless, Memorial Day Weekend is filled with nothing but the fastest game on two feet.

With all that said, do not expect the unexpected for this year’s D1 Men’s National Championship. The first game tomorrow will be a very competitive game between Cornell and Rutgers. It’s the battle of the Kirst brothers, with Rutgers’ Goalie Colin Kirst facing his younger brother and Ivy League rookie of the year, Attackman CJ. Cornell is also sturdy on the defensive end of the field, with unanimous first team All-American Gavin Adler locking down the other’s team number one attackman day in and day out. Yes, he’s only 5’8, but he has amazing footwork in and around the crease, and he’s strong as a bull when it comes to guarding bigger attackman. He is also very fundamental when it comes to throwing checks and making sure he isn’t beat on the perimeter.

Meanwhile you have Rutgers. They’re old, and they’re loaded with veteran players. The Scarlet Knights have 28 seniors on their roster. THAT’S INSANE! What that means for Coach Brecht’s squad is that they can run without the fear of being gassed on one side of the field or the other. He has confidence in all of his players to go out on the field and ball out, and if someone is tired they’ll just sub out and get a breather. This means Rutgers can run in transition and play the game it was mean to be played, fast as fuck. Because of this I think Rutgers is going to beat Cornell. I think it’ll be close at the half, but because Rutgers can simply outrun the Big Red, The Scarlet Knights will win by 4-6 goals. I wish I could say the same for Princeton to be close to the Terps.

The second game of the weekend is between Princeton and big bad Maryland. Maryland is going to win the National Championship. It’s that simple. They are unstoppable and arguably the greatest college lacrosse team OF ALL TIME. Coach Tillman has said multiple times that his team has not played a perfect lacrosse game yet, and he’s right. If you look at the tape, it is very clear, as Tillman said, that they haven’t played a perfect game yet. Early in the year against Syracuse they allowed a subpar Orange team to go toe to toe with them until halftime. In the Big 10 tournament, they let John’s Hopkins mount a comeback late in the game to only lose to their rivals by 5. The thing that separates Maryland from other teams that make mistakes is that they are good enough to comeback from terrible mistakes. The Terps can play at 75% of their best game and they’ll still blow teams out. I think their best games this year were against UVA both times they played them, and they embarrassed the champs by beating them by 9 both times. Maryland is going to embarrass the Tigers and then smoke either Cornell or Rutgers.

Princeton got some bad luck in drawing Maryland in the final four. I think Princeton does not have a chance at beating the Terps at all, but I do expect them to make it interesting at some point during the game, weather it be early on or making a final push in the fourth quarter. Princeton just has not been consistent enough throughout the season, so it’s tough to figure out which Tigers team we’ll see tomorrow. Will it be the team we saw early in the year who dominated everyone they faced, except the Terps, or will it be the team we saw play any other Ivy League team, where they went 4-3 in the league? Either way, I do think they have the potential to make it a close game, but don’t expect Princeton to upset the soon to be champs in UMD.

Finally, the expected National Championship, Maryland against Rutgers. It’s a rematch of the Big 10 Championship, and it’s going to be a Maryland by a mile. In the first two games these two have faced off in this year, Maryland crushed Rutgers by scores of 8 and 10 respectively. Based off this trajectory, Maryland would be expected to win by 12, which would be absurd. I think it would be more of a game then this, but the score might not show the dominance that Maryland will most likely have in the Championship. Expect the Terps to play their best two games of the season this weekend, and expect three high scoring games in 2 days for D1.

Really quick, the D2 and D3 games. Both National Championship games are on Sunday; Mercy against Tampa for D2 and RIT versus Union for D3. I can say I haven’t really been paying attention to the D2 teams, but based off the level of dominance Tampa had against a historic powerhouse Limestone in the semifinals, I think Tampa will be the champs. For the D3 natty, I think it’s astonishing that its a Liberty League battle for the hardware. RIT’s play in the substitution game is ridiculously effective, and nobody in D3 has been able to stop it for the past 2 years. The Tiger’s create a ton of transition from D to O, with their goalies told to look deep for streaking players after making a save, and through the sub game they are able to create mismatches where they get O-middies stuck on D. I think this game will be close, as Union has played RIT close historically, but I think RIT will be back to back champs.

Starting tomorrow, I will be parked on the couch doing nothing but watching the game I love. I would normally be going to the game, but seeing as it is an 8 hour drive to the games again this year, that will definitely not be happening. Happy Memorial Day to all, and let’s watch some lacrosse baby.

5/23/22

The Caps are out of the Playoffs, they have been for a few weeks now, and I am still sad. That being said, it does not change the fact that there is a ton of other games going on from a bunch of different leagues. From Hockey, to Basketball, to D1 and D3 lacrosse, here is the opinion on this playoffs from but wee sad sportsfan.

Connor McDavid is really fucking good at hockey. I think it’s less of the Flames playing bad hockey, even though as Biz said they need to get back to playing their game, but more of McJesus is the reason why they haven’t been playing their game. The run n gun game is right up McDavid’s alley, but not Calgary’s, so they need to figure their shit out and playing more defensive. But anyways, Connor McDavid’s statline that he had so many multi point playoff games this season is absurd, including 24 points in 10 playoff games. If he stays on this path for the Oilers, I legitimately think they could give the Avs a run for their money in the Western Conference finals.

The Florida Panthers are a joke. As a Caps fan, I have personally witnessed Presidents Trophy winners sucking in the playoffs, but this takes it to a whole other level. They haven’t even given the defending champs a series; the bolts have outscored the Panthers 11-3 in this series. The worst part of it is the rumor going around that, “a lot” of the Panthers players went out to a strip club after the loss. They have to play again tonight, and already being down 3-0, kiss this series, the the cats season, goodbye.

https://www.houseofhockey.net/REPORT-Florida-Panthers-players-out-until-3am-at-Strip-Club-after-game-3-loss-127354

Heads up for this one, I don’t really watch basketball so if you do, you might just hate this part of the blog so skip it.

The Warriors are really fucking good. They’re up 3-0 on Dallas and Steph is just as dominant as ever. He seems like the player he was when Golden State was a powerhouse. Luca seems so beat up and tired that I don’t see the Mavs being able to come back in this series. Lastly, the stat that teams in the NBA have never won a series after being down 3-0 is scary for Mavs fans. In the other series, I still think it’s too early to tell who’s going to move onto the finals. Boston had one dominant game, but Miami bounced back taking the lead in the series 2-1. I think tonight in the “Gahdan” (Boston accent for Garden) will be a big test in figuring out who is going to come up on top in this series.

College lacrosse is insane. First, for D3 action. We got knocked out in the first round to Bowdoin, who lost to championship bound RIT in the quarterfinals. They’re gonna play Liberty League rival Union for the hardware. Union, in my opinion, got an easy route to the championship, at least easier then RIT. RIT had to slay the NESCAC, Bowdoin first then Tufts, who was coming off a high of beating Salisbury the day before. Union had to battle an unimpressive Gettysburg team and a York team the next day who was dead tired after beating CNU in OT. I think that D3 needs to figure out a way where they can play the rounds with more time in between games then playing on back to back days. It’s fucked for the guys because their bodies are shot if they move onto the next round and it’s tough for the coaching staffs to scout. Either way, I think RIT was the surprise of the season because I don’t think anyone thought they’d be as good as they were last year. I am pumped to watch that game this upcoming Sunday.

Finally, with Memorial Day weekend coming up, here’s how some of those teams got there and the highlights from the tournament so far (preview of the matchups soon to come). Congrats to Delaware for making it as far as they did, they deserve the respect of all lacrosse fans for how they battled and beat Gtown as well as how they played against Cornell. Second, Rutgers is doing great. I think they can potentially fly around against Maryland in the Championship but the problem is that Maryland plays the run n gun game, Rutgers’ MO, better than Rutgers. Congrats to the Ivy’s for sending 2 teams to Championship weekend, but it was statistically expected since they had 6 teams in the tournament. They had the chance to send three but Rutgers is good, not sorry. I’m hoping we see a Big 10 championship game.

Well that’s it for now, I like watching the playoffs, but I’d love it if my teams were still balling. I’m hoping for as many 7 game series as possible but I don’t think we will have too many. It’s going to be a fun next couple of weeks in sports.

5/7/22

With school winding down to an end, there is a ton of shit on my mind. I’ve got to finish my season of lacrosse with the boys (shout out the fellas). I’ve got to finish school, which is gonna be a pain in the ass. Lastly, which is gonna suck, I have to pack up my apartment and send it to a storage unit for a month. But, as the old saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn.

I have just finished all of that pesky stuff, and completed easily the greatest devised roadtrip the world has ever seen. Just like in the Lord of the Rings, my journey took me east, not to the land of Mordor, however, but home to DC. It was planned in a way where my caravan, or Fellowship if you will, was able to enjoy the many fine things the cities of this beautiful country have to offer.

It began on Thursday, with about a 10 and a half hour drive from Colorado Springs to Dallas, Texas. On the way we stopped in Alamosa, Texas, at the Big Texan home to the 72oz steak challenge where the steak is free if you eat the whole thing. We finally arrived in Dallas, where the Fellowship spent time in the Highland Park area and went to a dope little Mexican restaurant that Ezekiel Elliott tends to frequent. It was an awesome time,”Deep in the heart of Texas”.

The journey didn’t end in Dallas, though, as on Friday the Fellowship continued the journey east to Nashville, Tennessee. It was approximately a 9 and a half hour journey to the country music capital of the world. Along the way, the Fellowship stopped in Memphis, Tennessee, home of the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid. For those who are wondering, it is a literal pyramid, the tenth largest in the world to be exact. It was literally a Bass Pro Shop, but with a hotel and Wahlburger inside. I’ve never had one before; they were small but not half bad. It was a wonderful piece of American architecture.

Anyways, we continued the journey through Tennessee to Smashville. We were in Nashville on a friday night. FRIDAY NIGHT! NASHVILLE! Needless to say, we had an amazing time. Broadway is an experience like no other. The amount of live music is awesome, and everyone there always has a good time. Nashville is a great city with an amazing culture. I love Nashville.

The Journey’s done right? Nope.

The third leg of the trek home was a 7 hour and 45 minute drive to Charlottesville, Virginia. Yes, Charlottesville is very close to home for me, but it isn’t home. You see, Charlottesville is the place where UVA is located, and is the school of old friends, that I spent a Saturday night with. This is coordinated for the chance of having the most fun at a normal college town, even though it was graduation weekend. Since my school is so small, it was awesome to experience a college town, one that I have seen as a kid, but never as a college kid.

Finally, the expedition (no pun intended since that’s the name of the car I drive) took me home, after a brief 2 hour drive home yesterday. The journey took about 29 hours and 45 minutes and about 2043 miles. Of course, this is a lot of time in a car, however I was graciously accompanied by the boys (shout out the boys) and we were all in it together. I made an absurd playlist for the roady and for the rest of the summer, which was banger after banger. It got tough for a bit, but the job was done, and now I’m home.

5/3/22

Here we go Caps Nation. Game 1 of the playoffs today against the Florida Panthers. I’ll be honest, I’m feeling pretty confident. Out of the potential teams they could of faced, the Panthers is the team I would of wanted to play. I don’t think they would’ve done well against the Hurricanes at all, and I don’t want the Rangers until the team is feeling hot and confident in the playoffs. Here is what a dumbass like me who has no hockey experience thinks needs to happen for the Caps to win this series.

Second and Third lines need to be buzzing around. For game 1, it looks like the lines are Johanson, Backy, and Tom Wilson for the second line and Mo, Lars the tiger, and TJ Sochi for the third (Daily Faceoff). I like the full balance of those lines, and each one brings offensive and defensive prowess to them. I am concerned about the chemistry between these lines, but then again, the lines have been so mixed up all year because of injuries. I think Backy needs to lead that second line offensively and get Johanson and Tommy good looks for scoring chances. That third line needs to play hard and agressive and capitalize on Florida’s mistakes. It’s honestly loaded with offensive firepower, and although Lars and TJ aren’t the biggest guys, they play like they’re 6’6. I want to see that third line bump guys around in the neutral zone and get the Panthers off their game.

The defense needs to play smart. Nothing new has changed in the lineups for the D, but against this high powered Panthers team, they need to just play smart. Florida’s first two lines are arguably the best two lines in the NHL right now, so the Caps D needs to just disrupt them. They need to make it difficult for the Panthers to set things up in their offensive zone, and they need to be physical around the boards.

It’s VV time. Goaltending is the X-factor for how well the Caps will do in the playoffs. They have a very capable backup in Sammy but I’m nervous about both of them. I really hope Vitek just plays cool, calm, and collective. VV has been solid down the stretch in between the pipes, and I think if he gets a few good saves early, it’ll help his confidence the rest of the way.

I feel like I’m missing something…Oh ya.

KEEP FEEDING NUMBER 8. It’s that simple. Kuzy has been feeding Alex the puck all year long, and he needs to keep doing it. The Caps captain needs to get humming from the first shift, and I know he will. The pace of play will start with the Russian beast flying around, hitting guys, and shooting the shit out of the puck in the Power Play.

If the Caps can do these things, I genuinely think that the Caps can win in 6. I think the Caps can steal a game either today or Thursday, and I know from experience that Capital One Arena will be rocking the red when they get back home. I hate to bring this in as a factor, but I don’t think Florida fans will have an impact at home. It’s a small fan base, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t a couple of Caps fans making some noise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG9xUSVQDBE

At the end of the day, I’m super excited for tonight, at 5:30 mountain time, when the Caps have a chance to start the campaign for another Stanley Cup. As all Caps fans know, LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!

4/29/22

The first round of the NFL draft was, in one word, chaotic as shit. What was supposed to be a dull draft with no surprises turned into utter chaos, starting with the very first pick. Travon Walker going number one was something that few expected at the start of everyone’s mock draft, but it was no surprise that it happened. The Baltimore Ravens trade of Hollywood Brown to the Cardinals for more picks was something that nobody really saw coming.

The big takeaway from the draft was the damn Eagles snagging Jordan Davis, who for those of you who don’t know who he is, is probably one of the biggest human beings to ever play in the NFL. The guy is 6’6, 341, oh and he also runs a 4.78 40. Imagine having someone like that coming after you to rip your head off. It’s fucking terrifying. Along with Davis, Philly traded the 18th and 101st draft picks for A.J. Brown. It was easily the most unexpected move of the draft so far, and Philly is so much better for it. They now have a ton of weapons for Jalen Hurts if he can be consistent in being a capable QB.

Moving on from the Eagles, because nobody cares about them, Joe Schoen did what Dave Gettleman could not, and that was make smart decisions with 2 top 10 picks. I’m not gonna lie, I was terrified that Evan Neal was going to be off the board at 7 because I was worried the Panthers would pick him, but it didn’t happen.

I think Kayvon Thibodeaux slipped in the draft a bit, from being the no brainer 1st overall pick, because he got hurt during the middle of his season at Oregon. He gives me huge Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora vibes, and I think he can easily be the next great Giants pass rusher. Lastly, it was hilarious that he dapped up Roger Goodell and Goodell had no clue what was going on.

https://youtu.be/hKABoxtb2Rw

With the seventh pick, Schoen picked who I thought was the best offensive lineman in the draft, Evan Neal. What you need to know about Evan Neal is that he was an absolute STUD at ‘Bama. He was easily their best player in the draft, and it’s always good to draft someone that Saban coached. Mel Kiper said that Neal is traditionally a right tackle, which is huge to help support Andrew Thomas on the left side. I like having both ends of the line jacked up to protect Daniel Jones against the elite edge rushers in the league, especially with Micah Parsons and Chase Young in the division.

Overall, I loved what Joe Schoen did in the first round. I think if he traded down to try and get more pieces it would of been disastrous. Taking two amazing talents on both sides of the ball is exactly what the Giants needed. With 2 top 10 picks in the building along with a new front office and coaching staff, it brings even more excitement for the start of the season. If Schoen can snag a couple of more promising draft picks in these next couple of rounds I will be so pumped. I think the Giants have the potential to have a shocking year (in a good way) and I am excited for the future. Giants fans, you should be too.

Alright, I missed the GOAT of the week last week and I have one this week so today I’m gonna write 2. So, without further adieu, last week’s GOAT of the Week is none other than coach Jay Wright, and this Week’s GOAT of the Week is the GOAT himself, Wayne Gretzky.

Last week, the long lasting, suit wearing, silver fox Villanova head Basketball Coach Jay Wright called it a career after 21 seasons at the helm. Shoutout Mama G (hi mom), who went to school at Villanova, so it gives me a legit excuse to root for Villanova basketball, because at this era, it was an awesome time to root for them. I vividly remember watching a ‘Nova game at The Pavillion when I was 10 in the student section (I don’t know how I got in with the students) with Coach Wright at the bench calling things out. I remember my entire family forcing my mom to go to Houston when the Wildcats made it to the final four, and she was there for the National Championship, when Ryan Arcidiacono handed the ball off to Kris Jenkins for a deep buzzer beater 3 to beat UNC for the ‘ship. Jay Wright got that team there. Lastly, I remember when Donte Divincenzo went red hot against the Michigan Wolverines 2 years later in the National Championship game to take the trophy back to school. Jay Wright got that team there.

Jay Wright has literally been the head coach at Villanova since I was born, and since then Villanova hasn’t been in the press for anything other then the success they’ve had on the court. Jay Wright did everything to the book and with class. Villanova basketball wasn’t flashy, didn’t have top NBA prospects, and didn’t have really anything super special. What they did have is the best culture in college basketball. Coach Wright formed a program of excellence and discipline, one that had made 16 tournaments, 4 total final fours, and won 2 National Championships in 3 years during his tenure. His success landed him among the greats in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Wright, congratulations on a hell of a career and enjoy your well deserved retirement.

And now, on to The Great One.

99. Wayne. Gretzky. I’m writing this while listening to his interview on Spittin’ Chiclets and he’s just the literal GOAT. Looking back on his career is absolutely absurd. I’ll start with his childhood, where he said he played lacrosse in the summer and I had no idea that he played. It’s so damn cool. Then he said his first ever pro game he wore number 26 instead of 99, which is my number and that’s so cool (I’m gonna look around for that Gretzky 26 jersey). Looking at his career is like looking at a My Player on NHL ’22 on ameture mode. He finished his career with a 1.921 points per game average, which is just absurd in it of itself. 99 had 4-200 point seasons, which to put in perspective, only a few of the best players today barely go over 100 point seasons. He had 5 seasons where he lead in both goal scoring and assists in the NHL, which just means he was the most dominant player period for 5 years. The last stat, craziest of them all, is his grand-daddy point record of 2857. For context, combined, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have 2819 career points, 38 less than Gretzky. For more context, if you took away all 894 of Gretzky’s career goals, you’d get 1963 career points, still first by 42 points ahead of Jaromir Jagr. He was just so dominant for so long, there’s no wonder why he’s called The Great One. Only one record of his is in jeopardy of being broken, and that’s all time goals at 894. Alex Ovechkin is 114 goals shy of that record. 99 is truly the greatest player to dominate and impact their sport.

4/15/22

Yeah Yeah I know I haven’t done one of these in a while, but here we go. This week, my GOAT of the week is Pat Beverly.

This past Wednesday was the play-in game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the LA Clippers. Patrick Beverley played for the Clippers for the past few years after being dropped like a bad habit and sent to the T-wolves.

Now, for those of you that have no clue who Pat Bev is, imagine just the most annoying asshole you can think of, now put him in a basketball game who is a significant shutdown defenseman. That is Patrick Beverley. He might not be the biggest or best, but he gets in players’ heads and throws them off.

Beverley finished with 33 minutes on the floor, 7 points and 11 rebounds in an come from behind win over Paul George and the Clippers, but that wasn’t the main headline. Yesterday, Beverley was hit with a whopping $3oK fine for what he said after the game. Being a firey and emotional guy, Beverley was fined for using, “egregious use of profanity” the NBA announced.

Beverley in his post game presser when asked about what he said to his old team, said, “Take they ass home. Long flight to L.A. Take they ass home.”

Now look, there were a lot of storylines to follow from this game, A-rod, the new owner, was hammered the entire time, a woman literally glued herself to the court, and the Timberwolves had an insane come from behind win. I think Pat Beverley still took the cake. Just the fact that he was so fired up after beating his old team is awesome to watch. It’s fun to watch players get fired up and say what’s on their minds during the heat of the moment. Another example? Nobody has forgotten that Richard Sherman is the best corner in the league, and to never again try him with a sorry receiver like Crabtree. It is good for the sport that players talk trash to each other, and for that reason, Pat Bev is my GOAT of the week.

4/6/22

This season of division one lacrosse has been, well, insane. With the return of the Ivy League after missing all of last year due to COVID-19, they have made their presence known throughout the land. With 5 Ivy League teams in the top 20, all in the top 10, here is what you need to know about the Ivy League as well as the rest of the field.

The Ivy League is THE BEST CONFERENCE in college lacrosse. There, I said it. Let the ACC and Big 10 fans come at me but it’s true, and here’s why. Nobody knows who is going to win the Ivy. There has been a rollercoaster of wins and losses within the conference. Cornell, Princeton, and Yale all have one conference loss apiece, with Penn having 2 but still holding the 8th seed in the nation. Harvard sits atop the Ivy League undefeated in conference, but they hold the worst Ivy League ranking in the country at number 10. Yale is coming off possibly the best offensive half of the season for any team, shooting 18 goals and beating 13th ranked Boston University 22-15. Princeton scored a total of 18 goals in a dominant win over Marist the same Tuesday night. Like the other 3 Ivy League teams, they all have impressive offensive power all over the field. the biggest thing that will decide who wins the Ivy League is who will have the best defense. These defenses have been shelled not just in conference so the test of getting kills, not stops, will decide the fate of the Ivy League.

With the return of the Ivy League comes the death of the ACC. What the hell is going on with the ACC? To Start, it is evident that the lack of talent for the Syracuse Orange is hurting them a lot. Tucker Dordevic is literally the entire offense, and if he gets shut down then it’s over for the team. Bringing in Dave Petromala should help the defense, right? Nope. They got pummeled by Notre Dame 9-0 IN THE FIRST QUARTER! What they were able to do, however, was somehow beat Duke up in the Dome. The Duke Bluedevils are the biggest frauds in the nation. With embarrassing losses to Jacksonville and Loyola, and barely beating teams like High Point, what is going on in Durham? one Saturday they look phenomenal, the next they get the doors blown off. They need to figure out how to be more consistent. Finally, UVA needs to wake up. I legitimately thought that they had a shot against Maryland a few weeks ago, but they got their asses kicked up and down the field. They then have a statement game by dominating Notre Dame at home, but then get upset by Richmond, losing to them for the first time since the 60s I believe. The Cavaliers have the pieces to win the whole thing for the third time in a row, they just need to show up. The defense, juiced by freshman tendy Matthew Nunes is big and lengthy, the face-off dot should be better but Petey Lasalla isn’t having the best year, and the offense isn’t fair. Every guy on the offense needs a team’s best pole covering them. In the end, nobody in the nation is going to beat those Terps.

I’m still waiting to see Maryland play Rutgers and maybe have those mid/late season inconsistencies they’ve had in the past. but Maryland could be one of the best college lacrosse teams OF ALL TIME. They’re just loaded everywhere on the field with insane depth at every position. Defensively they only lost one senior from last year, but regardless they are stacked with Brett Makar leading the way. At the midfield, they just aren’t fair. Their second line midfield is any other team’s first line by a mile, and the first line is gross. Oh and they have the first overall pick in the NLL John Donville playing like a man out of hell. Finally, you’ve got number 1 down at attack leading the charge. Logan Wisnauskas is holding up the expectations of what it means to wear number 1 for Maryland. Them and Rutgers are the only reasons why the Big10 is still relevant.

For now, this is the landscape of the lacrosse world. With conference play fast approaching, it’ll be interesting what teams do with the remainder of the season. At the end of the day, the Ivy League teams have the best shot, in my opinion, of knocking down the Terps, but I really don’t see Maryland losing a game this year.