A Special Day: #1,000

By Josh Kramer

Let’s get this party started with a little video tribute..

Before we get into the sappy and reflective stuff again, what would a post be without a little sports chatter?

Sports Theories:

Baseball:

-Baseball shot itself in the foot back in 1973 when the American League added the DH.

-The art of bunting has gone in the toilet (watch the Reds if you want confirmation).

-The MLB should nix interleague play, divisions, and the playoffs, just having a World Series between the teams with the best record in the AL and NL.

-Hitting a 100 mph (especially when you aren’t sure it is coming) fastball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

-Due to playing on the wrong coast, Jered Weaver never receives the media attention he so rightfully deserves.

-If I had the opportunity to be a professional athlete for a day, I would choose to be Derek Jeter.

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Food for Thought 7-24-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Penn State will have to turn their back on the tarnished legacy of Joe Paterno (pictured above) moving forward.

By Josh Kramer

Think back to November 22, 1997.  On that particular day in history, Penn State defeated Wisconsin 35 to 10 at Beaver Stadium.  Mike McQueary was the starting quarterback and Jerry Sandusky was the defensive coordinator for Penn State.  Talk about the irony.  After Mark Emmert and the NCAA officially came down with the wrath of fury on the Penn State football program yesterday morning, this somewhat insignificant day of nearly 15 years ago will go down as the final victory of Joe Paterno’s career.

I know this will be hard for many of you to believe, but I am floored by the NCAA’s extremely harsh punishment on Penn State.  This punishment makes the infamous death penalty of 25 years ago at SMU look like child’s play.  I realize what went on at Penn State was arguably the most egregious act ever to occur in collegiate athletics.  I am well-aware of the magnitude.  These were despicable acts, but “criminal” acts at their core.  I feel the NCAA has completely overstepped their bounds and now are making current players and coaches, who had nothing to do with these horrific acts, pay the price.  And yes, I feel for the victims and their families who are still feeling the pain of the monster that is Jerry Sandusky.  Their pain is far deeper than that of the current players and coaches.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

By Josh Kramer

Take a look at the official March Madness selections from TheSportsKraze…

2012 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Elite Eight:

Kentucky over Duke

-The Laettner shot of 20 years ago is still fresh in the minds of Big Blue Nation.  Too much Kentucky talent and too much Anthony Davis for the Blue Devils this time around though.

Michigan State over Marquette

-Marquette’s dynamic senior duo of Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder have been impressive  all year.  But Tom Izzo’s smarts and Draymond Green’s unwavering work ethic will prove too much in this one as the Spartans make their 7th Final Four appearance in 14 years.

Florida State over Syracuse

-The Big East regular season champs would have proven to be far too deep for a Florida State team that vastly exceeded expectations this year had Fab Melo been on the floor.  No “Melo,” means no Final Four for a very good Syracuse team.

North Carolina over Kansas

Tyler Zeller and Thomas Robinson battling it out in the paint?  It doesn’t get much better.  North Carolina not only has the size to match up with Kansas, but they also have the depth.  There will be no Rock Chalk Jayhawk on this day as Roy Williams breathes a sigh of relief.

Final Four:

Kentucky over Michigan State

-This has been the best coaching job of Tom Izzo’s career.  Finally, the lack of talent in Spartyville will be put on full blast against the nation’s most talented group out of Lexington.  The Spartans will have no answer for Anthony Davis, much like the rest of the nation.

North Carolina over Florida State

-So much for the ACC being down this year.  Beating a team two times in the same year is one of the most difficult things to do in college basketball.  Defeating a team three times is almost unheard of.  Just ask a Kentucky team that was clearly better than SEC-foe Vanderbilt.  UNC is the better all-around team.  And it will show on this day as they avoid a clean sweep from Florida State.

National Championship:

North Carolina over Kentucky (73 to 72)

-As we learned in the BCS Championship Game this year, beating a great team two times in the same year can be very difficult. Not only did UK defeat the Tar Heels back on December 3rd, but they also beat North Carolina in last year’s Elite Eight. Young Kentucky learns the hard way on April 2nd against a surging Tar Heels team that can match their depth and athleticism.  Let the Calipari questioning begin.

Good luck with your picks and enjoy the best three weeks we have in sports.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

Throwback Saturday Part VIII

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Jerry Sandusky (pictured above) is one of the many faces that represents a year of scandal in the NCAA.

By Josh Kramer

Welcome to the eighth edition of “Throwback Saturdays.”  By this point, I think you all know the drill.  What was happening in the wide world of sports on March 10, 2011?  How about on March 10, 2010?  Well let’s find out.

One year ago..

State of College Athletics

Here is a snippet..

“The NCAA’s core purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount.”

That is directly from the NCAA website.

It’s hard to believe in those words these days.

Reggie Bush.

Cam Newton.

The “Tat Five.”

Lane Kiffin.

Bruce Pearl.

Jim Calhoun.

Jim Tressel.

All of those people were recently involved in major scandals in college athletics. Don’t forget about oversigning either. College athletics is in worse shape than LeBron James’ reputation in Cleveland.

What’s worse is some university presidents and athletic directors will stand by these men at all costs (To finish reading this post, click this link).

Food for Thought 3-6-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Could Danny Ainge and the Celtics really trade Rajon Rondo (pictured above) after watching the show he put on against the Knicks on Sunday?

By Josh Kramer

Trade me?  You must be crazy.

This Sunday was definitely a “Fun Day” in the NBA.  Not only were there great matchups though, there were memorable performances.  Deron Williams dropped 57 as he continues to make his ploy for Dwight Howard to join him in Brooklyn (New Jersey heads to Brooklyn next year).  Kobe Bryant put on a heck of a show in which he scored 18 points in the first quarter to set the tone as LA handled Miami 93 to 83.  And of course there was the exceptional performance put on by the Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo.

I seem to remember heavy gossip about a possible trade of a certain Celtic’s point guard before the March 15^th trade deadline.  Well after watching the show that Rondo put on yesterday against the Knicks, could you really imagine trading this guy?  Three numbers sum everything up.

18, 17, and 20.

Food for Thought 11-29-2011

Photo courtesy of nunesmagician.com. In my opinion, Syracuse has no choice but to fire their legendary coach, Jim Boeheim (pictured above).

By Josh Kramer

I love sports just like millions of other people across the globe.  Sports are something that I confide in.  Something that is always there no matter the time of year or the time of day.  There is always some sort of sport going on.  Sports are a universal langauge that everyone has an opinion on.  I have always been a person who believes in the purity of sport.  A person who believed that sports were about competition, sportsmanship, and fair play.  And sure sports do embody these wonderful attributes.  But sadly, especially over the past couple of months, I have realized just how much sports are first and foremost about money, and riddled with scandal.

Now I am not a naive person.  I realize scandal has been going on since the beginning of time and sports have never been above it.  But lately, scandal has smacked the sporting world in the face.  People thought the Tressel bonanza at Ohio State was big news.  But in the grand scheme of things, college kids selling their memorabilia and getting some free tattoos and cash was not a big deal.  Then little Nevin Shapiro shook up the U.  And these horrific acts seemed to be the end of the world.  It wasn’t.  A couple of weeks ago, Happy Valley became an “Unhappy” place.  Jerry Sandusky ruined the name of one of the most prominent figures in sports and brought down a very prestigious academic institution.  Sadly though, the Sandusky case, though horrible, may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Bye Bye Boeheim

Weekly Nickel 9-25-2011

Photo courtesy of PennLive.com. Regardless of the final outcome, Joe Maddon (pictured above) is the AL Manager of the Year. It has been a remarkable run by Tampa.

By Josh Kramer

It is safe to say that this past weekend was the wildest weekend of football thus far this season hands down.  College football was full of nail biters.  And the NFL was full of surprises.  Plus the MLB pennant races continue to heat up as both the Red Sox and Braves do all in their power to survive their monumental September collapses (each up 1 game for the Wild Card at this time).

Here are the events you should keep an eye on.

5.  NHL preseason hockey is alive and well.  Even Sid “The Kid” Crosby has made his long-awaited return to game play (scrimmage).  And with the NBA in dire trouble, the NHL has to be smiling in that they will not have to compete with the National Basketball League for at least part of the season.  After last year’s amazing playoffs, which featured four game 7’s in the first round alone, and an epic Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL popularity could soar to unprecedented heights this year.

“Weekly Nickel”

Come Wednesday, College Basketball fans are in for a treat as they get to watch Jim Boeheim (left) and Jim Calhoun (right) lead their squads into another epic Big East battle. It should be a great one.

It is another Monday, and you all know what that means.  Lets get the week started with a look at the top events coming up in the sporting world throughout the next 7 days.

“No Chance at Perfection”

The San Diego State Aztecs are currently 1 of 4 unbeaten teams in the nation. Can their star, Kawhi Leonard (pictured above), help the Aztecs run the table and secure a National Championship?

Somehow last evening, a mediocre Florida State Seminoles squad pulled off the unthinkable and defeated the number 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils.  They also accomplished this same feat in both 2002 and 2006.   I guess Duke was too reliant on the 3 Ball last evening heaving up 35 3-Point attempts?  I still do not get how they lost to a team that lost to Auburn. With Duke going down last night, does any team have a prayer at running the table?

Well there are currently 4 choices.

A. Ohio State

B. Kansas

C. Syracuse

D. San Diego State

Lets take a closer look at each of our 4 choices.