NBA Lockout

As most of you know the NBA is still in a bitter war between them and the player’s union. Unlike the NFL lockout it does not seem like either side is that interested in working this out, and as a huge basketball fan this concerns me. The NBA is exciting, fast paced, and heart wrenching and we might miss out on that this year. Since ninety nine percent of the TV I watch is sports, and the NBA is the preferred show, it leaves me with one question, what sports will I watch if the NBA season does not happen?

            One sport that I could watch is obviously football, whether it is NCAA or NFL. I love football but to me it is not even close to as good as basketball. I can only watch football on weekends and that leaves nothing to watch on the weekdays, which happen to be the days I like to watch TV the most. Another thing that bothers me about football being my go watch sport is that it can get boring after the first game or two. Every game usually goes slow and is not that exciting compared to basketball in my opinion.

            Another option, at least for the next two months, is baseball. My only problem with this is that I hate baseball and I find it incredibly boring. I never really saw why everyone referred to it as “America’s past time” as I thought football definitely beats this sport out for that title. So with those factors out there I feel that this will be the least likely sport I will be watching without the NBA on.

            Hockey is about to start up and my inside source (Barry Melrose of ESPN) says that this season should be really exciting. I enjoy me some hockey on occasion, especially when I can see my man Alex Ovechkin and not have to hear about the other guy in the NHL. Unlike baseball and football I can actually see myself watching hockey so this sport will be one that I will have to test watching night after night.

            INDOOR LACROSSE starts up in a couple weeks and this is my sport. I love lacrosse and indoor lacrosse has way more fights than the field version and is faster paced so there is no way this could be bad. Never mind this is not going to happen because TV networks have not come to their senses and aired these games. The one sport that I know I would not have a problem watching is not even going to be on the tele, so it seems like I’m reading about the outcomes of the games all season.

           

            There are my choices of other sports to watch during the lock out but I feel that NCAA basketball will probably be what I turn to. Gives me the feel of an NBA game just less points and talent. Even though it is not the same it will have to do and I’m just going to have to accept it. I’m going to be trading in talent like Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant for players like Draymond Green, Austin Rivers, and Trey Zeigler. I’m not excited for this, but I am ready for it.

UFM= Ultimate Fighting Movies

After seeing “Warrior”, one of the best movies I have seen in a while, and hearing about the Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz fight, I have decided to make this post about what I feel are the five best fighting movies ever. Now there are a few things that make a fighting movie great and they are fighting sequences, girls, an awesome actor, and a nice story line. So in this list I will name the movie and provide why I think it should be considered on of the best. Here they are, the five best fighting movies ever (in my opinion).

5. Ali- Will Smith, enough said.

4. Fight Club- Fight club makes the list for a couple reasons, one being that a group of guys getting together to beat the crap out of each other sounds pretty insane. Another reason is the fact that the movie caused a plethora of fighting groups to be formed all around the United States and people are still fighting today. The cultural impact is surprising because it didn’t even fair that well in theaters but everyone loves it now on DVD.

3. The Fighter- Marky Mark did work in this movie, as did Christian Bale. They played brothers who are both boxers. Mark is just leaving his prime while Christian is a drug addict trying to make a comeback. In the end Christian’s character gets clean and trains his brother to a world championship and they live happily ever after. I like this movie a lot because of all the accents in it and because it is based on a true story and those are always my favorites.

2. Never Back Down- Most people probably haven’t seen this or can’t believe it’s on the list but it is and really for one reason, the fighting scenes are awesome. It seems like someone is beating the living snot out of someone every five seconds and every fighting scene is so thrilling it is hard not to love this movie. Almost made me want to be a fighter but then I realized I probably wouldn’t be to good at it.

1. All the Rocky movies except number 5- Not a surprise here because everyone knew there was going to be a Rocky movie on here, like there is on every other list in the world. Rocky movies aren’t only entertaining but they also broke the ground really for every other movie on this list. I leave out Rocky 5 because I feel it was a giant disappointment from all the other movies, which makes me happy that they redeemed themselves by making the sixth one. Each movie changed the story line just enough so that it wouldn’t be a repeat of the one before and they were able to make them all great.

            This is the list of the best fighting movies ever (in my opinion). Although you might not like the choices and I might have left some off it’s my opinion so make your own list if you don’t like it. If Mrs. Schmidt is reading this please don’t dock points because it’s about movies, they are sports movies and I cover sports so it’s ok.

Live Vs. Live on Tv

Which is better, watching a game live in the stadium or watching it live on your TV? This has been an argument that has been debated for years ever since the beginning of television. It appears that their will never be a clear winner, but that won’t stop me from trying my best to answer this timeless question.

            There are some great things that come with watching a game in person at the stadium. You get to be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of fans that like you are there for one purpose, to make sure your team wins. The fan is the ultimate bench player and can very easily decide the outcome of the game and when your there, your in the game yourself.

            Another reason why being at the game in person is so great is that there really isn’t anything quite like hearing a drunken fan scream random stuff. I had the privilege to attend this weeks Michigan State game and I was in awe of what some of the “looser” fans were saying. While I won’t get into any specifics lets just say that this wouldn’t be something you would want your mom to hear you say. I’m not proud to admit this but the rants from these guys increased the greatness of this game by such a large margin. I can honestly say that you can’t get any better commentary than those men (and a few women).

            While going in person does have it perks, it also has some drawbacks. While watching the game in person is enjoyable, paying a butt load of money the whole day is not. To start, depending on what ticket you want you could be spending anywhere from $20 to $200 for just one ticket. After that then you have to pay for gas down to the game, pay $5 for a $1 hot dog, and money for parking. With expenses like this it might ruin the game for some and probably their wallets.

            Now a plus for watching a game in the comfort of your own home is that you have a big screen TV, HD channels, and all the food you could want. With the big screen and HD you wouldn’t even realize that you’re at home in a nice comfy chair instead of at the stadium in the hard seats they provide. You get the best seat for the whole game and you don’t have to sit there for timeouts or half time! The food can only make it better with you deciding what you want when you want it compared to hot dogs and pop at the stadium.

            Another advantage from watching the game at home is you being able to control what you are watching. If your team is absolutely destroying or getting destroyed you don’t have to watch it, just flip to the other game. While everyone at the stadium is watching each teams third string trying to score one measly point, you are watching the night game on ABC or ESPN.

            One disadvantage from staying home for the game is that you’re not in the big crowd. Sadly most people find themselves watching the game with a small group of friends or worse… their mother. Things like this could ruin the full game experience for some as well as end their passion for the game.

            As you can see there is no clear winner, as each has its ups and each has its downs. It seems researchers will be working on this problem for years until they find a solution. Until then the decision is up to you, go to the stadium or stay at home.

Lacrosse

     Since this is my first post I have decided to post about one of my true loves in sports, lacrosse. Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports known to man, with the Native Americans playing it years before the settlers took it over.
     Lacrosse is played on a field and has 10 players from each team on the field at the same time. Each player has a helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads and a stick for equipment. The object to the game is to take the ball in your stick and advance it up the field and throw the ball in the goal for a point.
    One player for each team is a goalie and they are in charge of keeping the ball out of the goal. They have a different stick than the other players do. The top of the stick, which is referred to as the head, is bigger so they have a better chance to catch the ball. The goalie is also supposed to be in charge of the defense and direct his teammates where to go.
    Three players from each team play defense and they are in charge of getting the ball out of the offenses stick. Once they accomplish that then they try to give the ball to their offense. Their sticks are longer than the offenses which makes it easier to get the ball out. Defense players can only stay on their defensive side of the field at all times.
    Another three players from each team play a position called middies and they play both offense and defense. They can go on both sides of the field and are in charge of providing offense and helping up top on defense. They have a short stick that all offensive players use. In some cases some middies use a long stick like a defensive player, but not to often.
    The final three players are called attacks and they play offense. Their job is to score and create offense for the team. Like middies they have the shorter sticks so it is easier to score. Attacks probably receive the most punishment as they are hit around by defenders and goalies.
     In case you have never seen a lacrosse game here is a highlight video from this years college season. If this doesn't get you fired up i don't know what will.