Why the Miami Booster Scandal Comes As No Shock

Earlier today Yahoo! released the findings of an 11-month investigation into a University of Miami booster and his gifting to Miami football and basketball players and coaches.

This report tells the story of Nevin Shapiro and how he did everything from buy Devin Hester his engagement ring to paying for a stripper that a player had impregnated to have an abortion.

Of course this is only one side of the story, but judging by the length of investigation and the amount of sources, including players, who confirmed what Shapiro said, I imagine it is mostly the truth.

To be honest my first reaction was not shock at all. Maybe that was because for the past few days we have heard about how the NCAA is going after Miami next, or maybe it is largely based on the fact that as a college student I see how athletes are often treated as royalty.

Miami has always had that somewhat 'full of itself swagger', and I think that could in large part be why I'm not shocked. A more holy program like Notre Dame would be a shock, but a school located in the extravagant South Beach that is as much known for its party season as it is for its sports teams just doesn't seem that farfetched.

I think another reason I wasn't blindsided by this was the fact that just months ago another very successful program was going through something similar in Ohio State. Even before that there was the whole Cam Newton, which I'm sure was just a very specific example of an overwhelming problem in college football.

With so much money on the line for this big name programs, it is easy to spend a bit more on recruiting and keeping current players, which will then produce much better teams. Some people argue that paying athletes would help curb this underground problem, but I look at that as just another system that a school will find a way to take advantage of.

To be blunt, it seems as though the NCAA is in over their heads in terms of policing college athletics around the nation, and it is not until the schools themselves stop turning a blind eye that this mess will be cleaned up.

Why I Love Mark Sanchez Wanting to Fight Rex Ryan

GQ Cover

For those of you that don't frequent GQ you may have missed out on Mark Sanchez telling their reporter that he wanted to fight Rex Ryan after benching him.

Of course the media has taken off on this story and is painting Sanchez in some sort of negative light for calling out and being angry at his coach. I look at it in quite the opposite light, I think what Sanchez did shows a side of him that most fans have never seen.

Sanchez stepped up and stood up for himself, but didn't do it in a stupid cry to the media way. Instead he waited until the moment passed and didn't go talking to ESPN of Fox Sports, instead he went to the respectable and not exactly sporty GQ.

Before this story came out I thought that although Sanchez was successful on the field, he didn't ever really stand up for himself. Now I look at Sanchez as a player who not only wants the team to do well, but wants himself to be the leader of that.

For those of you who think Sanchez saying this makes his teammates and coach lose respect for him, I think it will actually do quite the opposite. I can't wait to see what Rex Ryan says, I imagine it will be something about walking over tougher guys on his way to a fight, but in a joking way.

With the Jets just minutes from kicking off their 2011 season, it is nice to see that it is not an injury to a star that is making headlines, but a quote that hurts no one.

Universiy of Maryland Athletics Department Puts On Full Court Press for Battle With Miami

For the past few years the general understanding is that the University of Maryland is a basketball school, that also happens to have a football team. Although this label has not been to the extreme as schools similar to Duke, in general the basketball team has outperformed the football team.

Within the past year the tide has shifted in a big way. First the football team had a much better than expected season, improving on a abysmal 2009 season in which they went 2-10 to a 9-4 finish in 2010. Then basketball season rolled around and the Terps failed to not only make the NCAA tournament a year after being seconds from beating a Michigan State team that lost in the Final Four by two, but also to even make the NIT. Then to put a little icing on the cake, Gary Williams retired from coaching, setting off a domino effect that hurt Maryland both in recruiting future players and keeping current players.

It seems as though the University's athletic department has taken notice of this, and is now trying to capitalize on the upswing that is going along with the football team. Before classes ended for the past spring semester, countdown clocks to the September 5 match-up with Miami were placed in the dinning halls and student union.

Now the department has made a pretty cool website promoting the football team, and every time you visit the general athletics page you are greeted by Randy Edsall in the bottom right corner.
This will all culminate on that September 5th match-up, when "Operation 54K" plans on having every seat in Byrd Stadium filled and depending on sections, a very cool red, white, black and yellow color scheme.

The big question is will people come to the game, one in which as of now the Terps stand at around five point underdogs. Either way, it is up to the football team to carry Maryland athletics until the basketball team settles down and gets back on track. 

Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, Americas New Teams

The public in the United States of America is a sucker for the underdog story. We like it at the horse track, we like it in movies, and we especially like it in the sports world.

For most casual fans of a sport, it is hard to not get behind a team and jump on the bandwagon as they rise from the bottom of the standings to the top.

As a New York Yankees fan, I have always had little vested interest in the National League, and as shown by the last eight seasons of inter-league play, have thought it was not up to par with the American League.

Yet, there are now not only one but two NL teams that I can't help but root for, and I actually think I may get more genuinely excited when I hear that they won than when I hear the Yankees do.

The two teams I am referring to, are of course, the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

To give you a frame of reference for how bad these teams have been in the past, let me throw you some numbers.

The last three years one of these two teams have been the worst team in all of baseball. Also in the last three years both of these teams have finished last in their division. The Pirates have actually finished last in their division the past six years, and the last time they were not on the bottom was when the Nationals were actually the Montreal Expos. In the same time frame the Nats have finished last in the NL East five of six times.

To say these teams have been bad, and bad for a while, would be an understatement.

Yet when you look at their records now, you find that not only are both not in the bottom of their division, they are actually both above .500, and could easily contend for a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is only two games back of St. Louis in the NL Central.

What makes both these teams even more exciting is that the best is still yet to come. The Nationals have future stars in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, while the Pirates have Andrew McCutchen.

As someone who lives in the DC metro area for most of the year, and have attended a Nats game more recently than any other MLB game, I can tell you I am very excited to watch the Nationals games down the homestretch. I'll also be following along with the Pirates, who have a much better chance of doing the unthinkable and making the playoffs.

I know both these teams have gained my attention, and the sports media pack is starting to pick up on it too. The big question will be can these teams sustain this effort through the second half of the season. I sure do hope so, both for my personal pleasure but more for the fans that have stuck it out with their team for so many years and it has now been made all worth it.

Tune Into the Yankees' Games, Cause Jeter Is Reaching 3,000 Soon

A brief minor league appearance may have delayed Derek Jeter, but he now sits just four hits away from reaching the magical 3,000 hits.

Jeter's pursuit has become a national story, as he is one of the few players, and one of the very few New York Yankees, to have made it through his entire career without a tarnished reputation due to steroids, women, and the such.

The fact that Jeter has hit a few bumps in his path to 3,000 should make it that much more exciting when he does hit the number. The Yankee captain really struggled through the first part of the season, and suffered a calf injury that slowed him down.

I thought a cool idea would be to have people share their favorite Derek Jeter memory, so spread the word and add it in the comments section.

Why the US Can't Afford To Lose To Sweden

The United States will play their third and final pool play game Wednesday, when they take on the other undefeated team in the group, Sweden.

While both teams have six points with wins over North Korea and Columbia, the US has done so in a much more convincing fashion, with a goal differential of five as opposed to just the two goals Sweden has put up over in their two shutouts.

This means that either the winner of the match will be the winner of Group C, or if there is a tie the US will advance. The reason this is so important is that the loser of the match, and second place finisher in the group, will most likely take on Brazil.

Brazil has been very strong on the international level the past few big tournaments, and also has the best women's player by far in the world in Marta.

Obviously the US was not planning on throwing the match against Sweden, but they need to make sure they keep the foot on the pedal and don't let a run get behind them.

It is not crucial that the US wins this match, as all they will gain is momentum and personal satisfaction, but it is crucial that they do not lose.

Antonio Cromartie Goes On Twitter to Complain About Visitation Rights

Lets take a break from the NHL free agency coverage to talk some football, or at least something related to football.

Antonio Cromartie, who last year played for the New York Jets and will become a free agent once the lockout ends, took to Twitter Saturday to complain about his lack of visitation rights.

Why You Want This Man Running Your Hockey Team

"I'm taking my talents to South Beach." -LeBron James

In what has now become the most famous reference to Miami since this, last summer LeBron James announced he was heading to the Miami Heat to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

This summer, it is a different sport and different Miami team that has players saying 'I'm taking my talents to South Beach,' the NHL's Florida Panthers.

NHL Free Agency Day 1 Remarks

Well folks it is July, and along with those BBQ's we will all be having this weekend while enjoying our nations independence comes the beginning of free agency in the NHL.

At 12 noon eastern time Friday the flood gates opened as teams were officially allowed to sign players that were on other teams rosters the past season.

Photo From Ebay Ad

Of course it would be absolutely ridiculous to go through every player that was signed, so I'm only going to give my two cents on the most important signings (or lack of signings in Brad Richards' case) of Day 1.

USA- North Korea Live Blog

USA Kicks Off Women's World Cup Today

The USA will open up their bid to back up the number one ranking when they begin pool play Tuesday at noon.

The American ladies will be taking on a North Korea team that is ranked 8th in the world, but that almost no one knows anything about.

The USA is the top ranked team according to FIFA, but it has been Germany who has won the last two World Cups.

For the USA to win they are going to need Abby Wambach to perform at great heights. As shown in the England Mexico game, headers will go in even from 17 yards out, and Wambach can do that.

The other key for the US is of course in goal, where Hope Solo returns from a shoulder injury. Many consider the US to have the strongest goal-tending in the world, and it is going to be very difficult for North Korea to get shots off, let alone good ones.

I'm thinking the US is going to win this one, although apparently just last week they lost to Norway 3-0 in a closed door match, so it really depends on what team shows up.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @cleyden1 for some uneducated soccer tweets during the match.

Chris' Quick Weekend Sports Recap

Hey folks, was in Albany this weekend so I was not able to get anything up here. Hope you enjoyed Mike's posts on the NBA draft, I know I did.

Just wanted to hit on some of the big sports topics of the weekend, in an extremely brief bullet point form.

NHL Releases Schedule, 10 Dates to Circle Now

The NHL released the 2011-2012 schedule Thursday, with the season set to start in early October. Below are ten dates to circle as some of the best regular season games.

1. October 6- The season opens up on this night, with three games. The Flyers travel to Boston to take on the Stanley Cup champion Bruins, the Canadians take on Canada rival Toronto, and the Stanley Cup loser Canucks take on coach of the year Dan Bylsma and the Penguins.
2. October 7/October 8- The rest of the NHL teams kick off their seasons on these dates, but the real reason I pointed them out is because of the games being played overseas. The Rangers, Sabres, Kings and Ducks will all travel to Europe, with games in Stockholm, Helsinki and Berlin.
3. October 9- The first game in Winnipeg since 1995 will be when the still to be named Winnipeg team hosts Montreal.
4. October 15- The past two Cup winners play each other in Chicago. Also of note the Islanders and Rangers square off in what is my personal favorite rivalry in hockey.
5. October 28- With the Oilers selecting #1 Friday and the Avalanche selecting #2, this could be the first time these two players face off when Edmonton travels to Colorado.
6. December 1- Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin meet in the Verizon Center as the Penguins visit the Capitals.
7. January 2- The Winter Classic is a day later this year, but that won't make it any less exciting as the New York Rangers take on the Philadelphia Flyers in an Atlantic division rivalry.  The game will be played at Citizens Bank Ballpark, the regular home of the Phillies.
8. January 7- A Stanley Cup rematch, the Bruins will welcome Vancouver to an arena that saw Roberto Luongo completely collapse.
9. March 20- With a bunch of games on the schedule as the season winds down, what that I really focus on is the Sharks taking on the Kings in a battle between LA and San Jose.
10. April 7- The last day of the season is also the busiest, when all 30 teams play in 15 games that could mean a lot to not only the playoff seeding, but who is in and who is out. Very smart by the NHL to do this as opposed to staggering the games.

This is of course just a taste of what the NHL schedule has to offer. If there is an important date I left out please let me know in the comments section.

Was Stamkos Right for NHL 12 Cover?

During the NHL awards Wednesday night EA Sports announced that Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning would by the next cover-boy for its very popular NHL franchise.

There seemed to be a lot of uproar about Stamkos being selected, despite him being one of the brightest young stars in the game. Judging by the comments on the photos on EA's Facebook Page most fans wanted Tim Thomas on the cover, not Stamkos.

I personally can see it both ways. Thomas did just lead his team to the Stanley Cup and had one of the best years in goal of recent memory, but it is very rare that a goaltender is shown on the cover. The last one to be on the EA Sports cover was John Vanbiesbrouck all the way back for NHL 97.

It makes sense that EA wouldn't put a goalie on the cover, because for the most part you are never playing as the goalie, even though there seem to be big changes to the goalie play this year.

The good news, at least we didn't get a third straight Chicago Blackhawk on the cover.

Overall Stamkos seems like a solid choice, and it could bring some welcomed publicity down to Tampa.

NHL Awards Prediction Time

The NHL Awards are on tonight at 7 on Versus, and are a great way to cap off a relatively memorable NHL season.

Consider this The Technical Fouls official predictions for who takes home the hardware. If you don't agree comments are always welcome at the bottom.

Hart Memorial Trophy: Daniel Sedin- This is a tough choice, as all three candidates (Sedin, Martin St. Louis, Corey Perry) had stellar seasons and will be deserving of the award one year or another. Of the three, Sedin was the only one to go over 100 points, and also blew the other two out of the water in plus/minus, with a plus 30. Sedin's Canucks won the Presidents Trophy (given to team with most regular season points) and Daniel was a large part of that. I don't think he should, or will, be penalized for having a better team than the other two candidates.

Why a True Hockey Fan Knows To Avoid ESPN

The NHL awards are Wednesday (predictions to come sometime before the actual awards) and ESPN thought it would be a good idea to put a page together that allows fans to vote on each award.

A pretty decent idea, if it were executed. Of course ESPN, who puts maybe .001% of their budget towards the NHL, would find a way to screw this up. All I can say is thank god ESPN didn't win the TV rights for the NHL.

Anyway onto the mistakes:

Here is the link to the original story, but I'm sure by the time you read this these mistakes will have been fixed. Because of that there are screenshots below.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/6688754/who-walk-away-vegas-winner

First up we have the Hart trophy, which is pretty much the MVP in the NHL. One of the nominees is Martin St. Louis. Anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to hockey over the past five years would know that St. Louis plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning, not the St. Louis Blues. Still, this is an understandable mistake compared to what's to come.

What To Do During This Sports Lull

So we have come to that dreadful part of the year where the NBA and NHL have just finished their seasons, the NFL is yet to start, and baseball still has way to many games to play for these to really matter.

Thank god this lull is during the summer, because as opposed to sitting around flipping through reruns of Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond, sports fans can go out and enjoy the same games they love to cheer their favorite athletes during.

With this in mind here is a bucket list of sorts of five summer activities to try to do this summer, and hopefully this will at least get us to the MLB Playoffs and a NFL season.

1. Golf- The best thing about golf is that anybody can play it, thick or thin, old or young. It's actually a decent exercise and there is always space for improvement.
2. Water Polo- Don't worry, I don't mean the Olympic type of water polo where you tread water for over an hour straight. Instead throw up a small goal on the edge of the shallow end of pool, get a group of six guys together and play full tackle water polo.
3. Bike Rides- I remember the second I got my license I thought I would never need or want to ride a bike again. Now I look at the bike as not only a great source of exercise, but a pretty enjoyable ride. Unless your driving around in a car with no windshield you don't enjoy that breeze hitting your face. On a bike you do.
4. Beach Football and Sports in General- It's the summer, everyone is bound to take a trip to their local beach, whether it be on the ocean or at a nearby lake. Make sure to pack that football, soccer ball and wiffle ball so that once you get to the beach you are not bored sitting next to your lady friend who is trying to work her tan. The sand makes for an extra good workout, and chicks are totally into the athletic guys at the beach.
5. Roller Hockey- Yea, I know that no one roller-blades anymore. But with the ice melted it's time to hit the street for a little hockey. The best part about this game is that it can easily be played in front of your house with a garbage can resting on the curb as a goal. Grab some sticks, some blades and some balls and enjoy a great workout that can get very competitive.

I'm sure you will enjoy those five summer activities as much as I will. Hopefully we can all go back to sitting on the couch and watching preseason football by August.

McIlroy Roars Into the History Books

No tradition quite says Father's Day like the US Open Golf Tournament, and this year's was especially notable because of the performance by 22-year-old Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy shot an amazing 16 under, doubling up the second best score of eight under posted by Jason Day (who also seems to have a very bright future).

Some of my favorite moments of the tournament were:

• When McIlroy walked up to the 18th green on Sunday and after sinking the putt to win the tournament walked over and told his father "Happy Fathers Day." All I got my dad for father's day was a lame Apple TV gadget thing, Rory gets his dad the US Open.
• It's hard to not cheer for Y.E. Yang, but what made me love him even more was when I found out that he lives in Texas and that his kids are actually hockey players. I can't think of too many Asian hockey players in the NHL, and can probably think of even less players from Texas.
• The variety of putters used in the tournament was marveling. Adam Scott has long been known to use a long putter, but what really got me was the putter used by Robert Garrigus. Garrigus is a big guy, and I believe has the longest drive of all PGA Tour golfers. So when he walked out to putt for the first time and looked like he was using a mini-golf putter for a 6-year-old I couldn't help but laugh.
• Looks like Rory had a little fun with the trophy. Damn Irish.
• Speaking of the Irish, anyone see the guy throw the Ireland Flag at Rory's face as he walked from the 18th to the trailer to go over his scorecard. Don't know if it was supposed to be political or just some idiot, but Northern Ireland's flag looks like this, not this.

On a personal side note, I like Mike have been gone from this blog for way too long, more for other writing jobs than for an obsession with alcohol. I would say the odds are good that I will be slowing down my contributions to those to nothing, and with that upping my contributions here big time. Nothing like writing about whatever you like, and doing it alongside two good friends.

A Post About Golf

Mike asked me to write about golf, and why not now right after a exciting finish at the Masters and Tiger Woods starting to regain his old form.

First the Masters: Overall it was an exciting last day of golf, with Rory McIlroy collapsing and some random South African guy winning. (I believe his name was Charl, a strange misspelling of Carl) Charl made a great run with plenty of birdies to end it, but it was a bit awkward because he was in the second to last group and had to wait until McIlroy and Angel Cabrera finished. There is no solution to this problem, and golf does it the best way possible, but there is nothing more exciting then the final pairing coming up to the 18th green with each putt having the Green Jacket hanging on it.

Now on to Tiger: Do I think what Tiger did was wrong? Absolutely! Do I cheer for him now? No doubt! There is nothing better than someone doing the time for the crime they committed, and no one has done that more than Tiger Woods. (besides maybe Michael Vick) Woods has paid the price for his actions, and to see him bounce back and make noise at a major is not only exciting but also great for the sport. The biggest difference I have noticed with Woods is that he seems more open to talking with the press, and I think he understands is that the best way to fix his image is to get out there and interact with the viewers. Although Woods interview was anything but charming after his finish on 18, at least he was willing to talk.

So there you go, and you thought I only know NHL. Feel free to comment below with what you think of Woods now.

NHL Playoff's Update

In the same style as Mike did below, I'm going to quickly fly through the NHL playoffs so far:

-Defending Cup Champs Chicago Blackhawks are on brink of elimination, and it should come as no surprise. Chicago backed their way into the playoffs and lost a lot of key parts from last years team. They had a chance of winning Sunday's game but once Vancouver killed that 5 on 3 in the first I knew the Canucks were taking it.
-Kings vs Sharks has turned out to be one of the best series so far, and Drew Doughty had one hell of a game on Saturday (2G-2A, and yes he is a defenseman)
-Phoenix has dug itself into too big of a hole in both of the first two games and I don't see any chance of them coming back against the Red Wings
-The Preds are the team I'm cheering for out West, and they won a crucial one against the Ducks to go up 2-1. Also gotta love the atmosphere in Nashville of all places. Hope to see Shea Weber in an Islanders jersey next season.
-I didn't think the Caps were gonna sweep the Rangers, but I also didn't think the games would be as close as they are right now. Thankful to get Comcast Sportsnet DC because I don't wanna miss a single game for the remainder of that series.
-Shocked! That's how I feel about the Bruins being down 2-0 to the Habs. I had the Bruins winning the whole thing but they have run into a wall called Carey Price (65 saves on 66 shots)Claude Julien could be the sixth coach to see a pink-slip this offseason.
-Love the Sabres and Ryan Miller, but don't know if they can hold on against the Flyers. I see that series going to seven games.
-Could Crosby be back before the Pens series against the Bolts is over? Who knows, but without him I think Stamkos is too much.

Also, for those of you in the DC or NY area, pretty cool video up on the CSN website. Check it out here. It's in regards to that second period no goal as the horn sounded.

That's all for now, Mark claims to have a post coming today and maybe a podcast today too, although the weather forecast says 75 and sunny so don't get your hopes up on that.