ACC/BIG 10 SHOWDOWN

Every year in college basketball, it is a tradition for the top teams of each conference to match up against one another so that their conference can have bragging rights. This year the ACC was matched up against the Big 10 and the premier game was scheduled for yesterday. The game was  #2 Ohio State vs #5 Duke as both teams were hoping to stay undefeated. Here is a short recap of the game.

Ohio State Buckeyes(Big 10)  85

Duke Blue Devils(ACC) 63

Coming into the game, this was suppose to be a very tight contest. Right from the tip off, the home team Buckeyes were determined to knock the wind out of Duke as soon as possible. Ohio State was able to jump out to a 13-0 start and they never looked back. At half, the score was 47-28 and in the second half, the Buckeyes coasted to a surprisingly easy victory at home. You have to think that Duke must be extremely tired after winning the tournament in Hawaii last week but either way, the Blue Devils didn't come to play. An interesting stat from this game was that the Buckeyes starting five scored 79 out of the teams 85 points. If Ohio State wants to make a run at the championship, they will need to develop a bench as the starters could tire towards the end of such a strenuous season. Jared Sullinger is the star of Ohio State as he decided to forgo the NBA draft in hope of winning it all this year with the Buckeyes. He finished with 21 pts and 8 rebounds as the Ohio State Buckeyes made it look easy with a 85-63 victory.

On a side note, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade made an appearance at the game. As Lebron walked onto the court, he was booed at pretty loud which was quite humorous. Fans from Ohio still can't get over that he left Cleveland for Miami two summers ago.

The sophomore Jared Sullinger has looked really impressive this season averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Thanksgiving Football

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed watching all of the football games. Since I spent the break in Wisconsin, I think it is fair to write an article on the Packers Thanksgiving game.

Green Bay Packers 27
Detroit Lions 15
Since the early years of the NFL, it has been a tradition for the Packers and Lions to play on Thanksgiving Day. This year was no different as the two matched up to kick off the NFL Thanksgiving games. Coming into the game, the Packers led the NFC North with a perfect record of 10-0. As a surprise team this year, the Lions were just a few games back at 7-3. This truly was going to be a measuring stick for the Lions to see if they were real contenders for the Super Bowl this season.

Many had predicted the game was going to be high scoring due to the teams prolific offenses but early on, neither team could get a drive going. Heading into halftime, the Packers only led 7-0. The third quarter was a different story as the Packers scored 17 straight unanswered points. The highlight of the game was Aaron Rodgers 70 yard strike to James Jones for a touchdown. Lions star defensive end Ndamukong Suh was also ejected in the third quarter after he stomped on one of the Packers offensive linemen. This proved the Lions were getting very frustrated as the Packers took a 24-0 lead heading into the final quarter. In the end, the Packers coasted to a 27-15 victory as they remained unbeaten on the season. Following the game, Aaron Rodgers was given the Galloping Gobbler Award "MVP" as he finished with 307 passing yards and 2 TD's.

It was definitely an intriguing game going in, but the Packers really confirmed their hold on the NFC with this victory and it will need to take a complete team effort if anyone wants to give them their first loss.

MLS Cup

All season long, the LA Galaxy had one goal in mind, to win the MLS Cup. Sunday night they had their chance as the Galaxy hosted the Houston Dynamo to determine who would be crowned champion. This cup in particular was very exciting because David Beckam was getting his first chance to win the MLS championship, something that had eluded him for so long. Beckam joined the MLS five years ago, in hope of elevating the interest of soccer in the United States. Since Beckam's arrival, there have been four teams added to the league, and many teams have their stadiums sold out every night.

Since Beckam has joined the Galaxy, struggles such as team chemistry have prevented the team from winning the MLS Cup. Coming into this season, there was a lot of hype for the Galaxy as they brought in striker Robbie Keane to play alongside David Beckam and Landon Donavon. Finishing first in the regular season, the Galaxy were favorites to finally win the cup. Their opponents were the Houston Dynamo who had played well up to the finals and looked poised to win their organization's third title.

The game coincidentally was  hosted in Los Angeles so the Galaxy definitely had the crowd advantage. After both teams had numerous chances, USA soccer hero Landon Donovan scored in the 72nd minute after a beautiful through ball by Keane. The score held up to the end as the Galaxy won 1-0. After five years, David Beckam finally won in the last year of his contract. It will be interesting to see if he signs a new contract or decide to hang up the cleats for good. Either way, he has helped make soccer a more popular in the United States and we should thank him for that.

College Basketball Tip Off!

With the NBA in lockout, basketball fans must turn to college if they want to get their fix of basketball. College basketball is actually a lot more talented and competitive than in recent years because the NBA lockout prevented many skilled underclassmen from entering into the draft. Those guys definitely made the right decision because instead of sitting at home with no paycheck, they are still out on the court representing their colleges. A week into the season, there were already a few key highlights:

Opening Night on the U.S.S, Carl Vinson:
The first game of the season tipped off on Veterans Day at a location never done before. Fans have seen basketball games played in arenas, stadiums, etc... No one has ever seen a  basketball game played on a boat. Last Friday to support Veterans Day, UNC and Michigan State traveled all the way out to San Diego to play a game on the navy ship ported in Coronado, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. With a crowd of just over 8,000 #1 ranked UNC was able to show off their skills on a windy night in San Diego and defeat Michigan State. Much of the crowd were men and women serving in the navy here in San Diego so it was definitely a special moment for them. The game was so big, even President Obama made an appearance with his wife. It was quite a scene here in San Diego and if you don't believe a basketball game was played on a boat, here is a picture to prove it.

The U.S.S Carl Vinson on the sea. (left)



The U.SS Carl Vinson ported in San Diego with 8000 fans crammed in to watch a basketball game. (right)

Coach Mike Krzyzewski breaks Bob Knight's Record:

Coming into the season, everyone knew Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski needed only two wins to break Bob Knight's record for most wins in Division I history as a head coach. Tuesday night, at Madison Square Garden, Coach K was able to notch that 902nd victory which puts him alone on top as having the most wins ever for a college coach. Coach K called Bob Knight his role model so the two were able to embrace and enjoy this moment together. For those of you who do not know Coach K, he took over the basketball program at Duke University in 1980. Since then, he has made it into a powerhouse team in the ACC as Duke has won four national titles ('91, '92, '01, '10). He also led the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. This decorated coach has set the standard on how you are suppose to coach a college basketball team and it was a great sight to see him accomplish yet another record.

There is much respect between Bob Knight (left) and Mike Krzyzewski (right) as both are legends and role models to college basketball.

STARTING THIS WEEK, I WILL HAVE A POWER RANKING FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL'S TOP TEN TEAMS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG!

NFL Midseason Awards

Here are the NFL Midseason Awards for 2011:

MVP: Aaron Rodgers (QB)
Aaron Rodgers has led the Green Bay Packers to an astounding 8-0 start. The Packers electrifying offense has put up an average 416 YPG. So far, Rodgers has pass for 2,619 yards completing 72.5% of his passes. He has a TD to INT ratio of 24:3 and he and the Packers look poised to win back to back super bowls.

Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton (QB)
Although the Carolina Panthers are (2-6), Newton has shown all critics he can be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Not only can he pass but he can rush as well making him very hard to defend. The reemergence of WR Steve Smith has really helped Newton feel comfortable passing in the pocket because he knows that Smith will always come down with the ball if Newton throws it up for him.

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh (49ers)
In the NFL, there has been a history of college coaches struggling when they tried to coach in the NFL (ie. Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier). This has not been the case for Harbaugh as he has led the 49ers to a 8-1 record. Coming from a head coaching job at Stanford, Harbaugh has exceeded expectations as the 49ers have capitalized on a very weak NFC West.

Surprise Team: Cincinnati Bengals (6-3)
After a disastrous off season dealing with the retirement of their starting QB Carson Palmer, the Bengals were left with many questions entering the season. They had a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and his main target at wide receiver was another rookie, AJ Green. To much amazement, these two along with a stout defense have led them to 6-3 and in the mix of the playoff race in the AFC.

Most Disappointing Team: Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)
The "Dream Team" had high expectations going into this season. They had spent millions and millions of dollars picking up talented players such as Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, and Vince Young. Instead of thriving, this team has really struggled as they are now out of playoff contention in the NFC. You have to think head coach Andy Reid is on the hot seat and the front office of the Eagles is really regretting they gave Michael Vick a 100M contract at the start of the season.

Jim Harbaugh has brought new life and energy to the bay area.

Penn State Scandal

A college football team that has been so consistent for decades and decades finally has cracked. News broke out a few days ago that former longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had sexually assaulted nine little boys throughout his time at Penn State. This is a major criminal offense that was never brought up to police while it was happening in the 1990s.

All of this drama started to migrate towards head coach Joe Paterno starting yesterday. For those of you that do not know "Jo Pa", Paterno is 84 years old and has been coaching at Penn State for over 40 years. He has transformed the Penn State football team into a $50 million dynasty. He has spent hours and hours giving back to the university and holds the record for most wins as a coach in college football history. No one expected this news to come at the time it did and all of a sudden Paterno was put under pressure for the first time. Sources say Paterno did indeed know about these molestations but only talked to the Athletic Director and not the police about these actions. Sadly, the board of Penn State had to fire Paterno today in order to clear the slate of a program that toppled to the ground in only a few hours. A couple of hours before his firing, Paterno did tell the media he would be retiring after this season but he will not get to finish the season like he desires to do. After probably a very difficult meeting, the Penn State representatives decided to cut the season short for Paterno and let him loose after 44 years of coaching.

This is a devastating blow to a Penn State football team that sits atop the Big 10 at 8-1 with only three games left. With the Rose Bowl on the line, the players will somehow need to refocus as two of their remaining three games are against ranked opponents.

No words can describe how tragic this situation is. Something that should have been handled years ago had to wait until Tuesday to break out into the news scene. Penn State is left stunned as coach Joe Paterno walks away from a team and a university that he built with his own two hands from the ground up. His legacy is definitely damaged and it is a shame things had to end this way. My guess is that it will take a long time for everyone to forget this and my heart goes out to all those abused boys that have had to live in silence for 20 years.

Sadly, Joe Paterno's time has run out as head football coach for the the Penn State Nittney Lions.

SEC Showdown

Saturday night marked an epic SEC showdown between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. So much hype had been put into this game that fans were expecting the best. The game took place at Alabama so the Crimson Tide had the home field advantage. The head story line going into the game was which offense could score against each others top defenses. Most knew with defenses of this caliber, the final score would be very low. Those people were correct as at halftime, the score was 3-3. Both teams had missed opportunities in the red zone and the Tide had even missed 2 field goals. The 2nd half wasn't much different as the game was tied after four quarters of play. Heisman candidate Trent Richardson had ran off some nice carries for Alabama, but he couldn't reach the end zone. The play of the game game with seven minutes left when LSU safety Eric Reid intercepted Marquis Maze's pass. Alabama was on the 30 yard line of LSU about to take the lead. Instead of keeping the ball in their quarterbacks hands, Alabama did a trick play instead as the running back Maze received a pitch and looked up to pass. He spotted his man streaking towards the end zone but instead of a solid throw, he put up a floater. The Alabama tight end appeared to of had it in his hands, but as both players were going down, Reid pulled the ball out and it was ruled an interception.

Tied at 6-6, the game went into overtime. LSU won the toss and elected to play defense first. After a few costly penalties, Alabama was forced to attempt a 52 yard field goal. The Alabama kicker missed again for his fouth time in the night and the door was opened to LSU as all they needed was as score to win. After a few nice running plays, LSU had set up their kicker perfectly as they had reached the 12 yard line for a 30 yard field goal. The LSU kicker calmly walked about and despite the raucous crowd, he put it through the uprights. #1 LSU had beaten #2 Alabama on the road and set themselves up nicely to have the chance at competing for the championship come winter.

As many expected, this was a hard fought game as both teams combined for only 15 points. Now the questions comes to many. If both teams win out, do they deserve to play each other in the National Championship. Teams like Oklahoma State and Boise State are in the mix as well, but I would really like to see these two teams duke it out again as I believe they are the top two teams in the nation. Either way, this game was very exciting and LSU proved they are the team to beat in college football.

Manager Openings

Going into the MLB off season, three big market teams will be searching for a new coach. These team are the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, AL powerhouse Boston Red Sox, and the team under the "curse", the Chicago Cubs.

To everyone's amazement, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa retired just last week after his team won the World Series. A future Hall of Famer, La Russa finished third in all time wins for coaches, and he brought two titles to St. Louis and one as well to Oakland. It just so happens that Cardinals star first baseman Albert Pujols is going into the off season as a free agent. It will be very interesting to see if La Russa's retirement effects his decision to stay with the team. It is too early to determine who will get the spot but it will definitely be a job many people will be vying for.

What a finish the Red Sox had to their season. Going into the last month, they were sitting pretty atop the AL East with a 9.5 game lead. It went all downhill in September as they got knocked out of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the regular season. Immediately following the last game, fingers started pointing in Boston and most were to head coach Tony Francona. Lets not forget Francona was the one that brought the Red Sox back to the top as they went decades without winning a world series. In a short time, Francona won two championships with the Red Sox with the most recent one coming in 2008. This season, the team seemed to start to ignore the leadership of Francona and the front office decided it was time for a change. Now, this is probably the most coveted job in sports due to the history that lies inside Fenway Park.

The Chicago Cubs have always been known as the team that has a huge salary cap, but year after year they don't seem to have the wins to support it. They also seem to be cycling through managers quite often. The latest victim was Mike Quade. He spent one year with the Cubs leading them to another disappointing season under .500. With so much negativity surrounding the team, all they could do was go up. A couple weeks ago they went up in  a big way when they signed Theo Epstein to take over as president of the team. The young mastermind turned the Red Sox team into champions and the Cubs are hoping he can do the same thing in Chicago. His first move was firing Quade so now he has a big choice on determining who he wants to coach. Don't expect a decision soon, but it will definitely make headlines when the time comes.

Three teams, three openings. Expect a lot of scrambling and searching for that "right guy" but I believe all three teams will have a coach they are happy with when all is said and done.

People in Chicago are expecting big things from Theo Epstein. Hopefully he can live up to the expectations like he did in Boston.