SB Nation User Blog: skywaker9

Pistons Fire Head Coach Michael Curry

skywaker9 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:18:13 -0000

Pistons Fire Head Coach Michael Curry

"Hours before the start of NBA free agency, Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars made a splash of a different sort Tuesday, firing coach Michael Curry after just one season amid ongoing concerns about Curry's command of the locker room and fears that keeping him could hamper Detroit's offseason business.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the Pistons -- projected to have more spending money than any team in the league when the market opens for business at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday -- had been contemplating the move for weeks after Curry's rocky debut season, and decided to go ahead with the change, in part to help maintain their position as the team with the most free-agent ammunition this summer.

After making what he described as a "difficult" decision," Dumars told ESPN.com Tuesday afternoon: "As we have continued to go through this transition, it has become clear that we needed a more experienced coach to help guide us through this period."

Stepchildren No More: US Soccer Has Arrived

skywaker9 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:46:01 -0000

Today started out better than I possibly could have dreamed of. With two goals in the first half an hour (the second a particularly splendid goal from Donovan) it seemed as if a second miracle was in the offing. It was not to be and Brazil proved why they are the best offensive team in the world today as they overpowered the US for three goals (which should have been four, one saved off the line appeared to be in). It was a loss yes, but one that showed how far this team has come.

Since the shock performance in the 2002 World Cup, the US has struggled to maintain anything close to that form with the notable exception of one match (a 1-1 draw vs. Italy in the 2006 WC). In particular they had struggled to score goals, scoring exactly one goal in the 2006 WC (the other was an Italy own goal). Even a few weeks back, they looked absolutely horrid against Costa Rica and not much better against Honduras in WC Qualifiers.

Then last Sunday happened and the miracle that was the one and only result that would see the Americans through to the semis. Then they beat Spain and nearly beat Brazil. While my head tells me that this is just an aberration, that the US just caught fire in a bottle the last week and may never again, my heart and indeed my instincts say more than that. What's more, the world notices us. We are no longer just another after thought, another minnow for the true world giants to crush, in short we are step-children no more.

Just look at these headlines/comments from around the world:

BBC-Those celebrations from Brazil showed you everything about how much it meant - Lucio was in tears at the end. Brazil really took the game to USA in the second half and they ran out of steam, you have to feel a bit sorry for them. It wasn't cagey at all though, it was a brilliant final.

Folha Online (Brazil, Google translated)-blockquote>Brazil wins over valiant US squad.

Gazetta Dello Sport (Italy, Google translated)-In losing, the US showed the world that they are for real, they have truly arrived.

El Pais (Madrid, my translation)-The Confederations Cup was almost perhaps the most stunning upset in FIFA history. For much of the night, it seemed that we were going to see a miracle of epic proportions, much like Obama's win of the Presidency in the United States last year. It was not to be but the courage and much of the glory go the United States.

Report: Donaghy injured in prison

skywaker9 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:33:00 -0000

Report: Donaghy injured in prison

Apparently former NBA ref and game fixer Tim Donaghy was attacked in prison today and suffered "significant damage to his knee"

The guy is a lowlife but he doesn't deserve this, his public shaming was enough IMHO.

Researchers' NBA officating study detects biases, but not necessarily the ones fans suspect

skywaker9 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:50:15 -0000

Researchers' NBA officating study detects biases, but not necessarily the ones fans suspect

From the O:

"An academic study of NBA officiating found little to no evidence that referees favor teams from large media markets in the playoffs, a favorite conspiracy theory of skeptical fans.

But the same study found that NBA referees tend to favor home teams, teams trailing in a game and teams trailing in a playoff series.

The study, conducted by three economics researchers, fuels the perennial debate about the influence of NBA officials on games. It suggests that forces ranging from league executives to simple human psychology can influence calls in a measurable way -- though not always enough to affect a game's outcome."

Not sure I believe this but we'll see...

L*ker$-Jazz Open Thread/Live Blog

skywaker9 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:28:15 -0000

Thought that as there wasn't one yet, I'd open up a thread for game 4 of the series to determine which team plays Portland in the second round (I Still Believe!).

Here's how it's gone so far:

Game 1: at LAL
LAL 113, UTA 100 - Final

Game 2: at LAL
LAL 119, UTA 109 - Final

Game 3: at UTA
UTA 88, LAL 86 - Final

Fakers win 108-94, and will likely wrap it up Monday at home....

This sounds wrong, but GO JAZZ!

Remember this Kobe?

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Oregon and Rupp win National CC Titles

skywaker9 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:41:18 -0000

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Oregon successfully defended its CC title today and Galen Rupp won his 1st ever individual title in any sport as he outkicked his Liberty opponent at the finish. Oregon's Women finished 2nd to heavily favored Washington. Official Press Release after the jump.

Last year, Galen Rupp fell short during the final stretch of the race, finishing a second shy of Josh McDougal of Liberty. This time around, after going step-for-step with Sam Chelanga in the final quarter of the race, it was Rupp who had the final kick, pacing his national champion Oregon team with an individual championship of his own.

Early Lines for this weekend's Pac-10 Games

skywaker9 — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:34:27 -0000

Favored team listed first, home team in Bold.

Oregon favored by 7 over Purdue.

Oregon State favored by 12 over Hawaii.

Arizona favored by 10 over New Mexico.

Arizona State favored by 22 over UNLV.

Cal favored by 14 over Maryland.

BYU favored by 8.5 over UCLA.

Oklahoma favored by 20 over Washington.

TCU favored by 12.5 over Stanford.

Washington State favored by 2.5 over Baylor.

USC favored by 10.5 over Ohio State.

Maui Invitational Bracket

skywaker9 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:12:39 -0000

Maui Invitational Bracket

Oregon will play Alabama in the opening round of this fall's Maui Invitational and with a win would likely face North Carolina in the second game.

Early Lines for Week 2 Pac-10 Games

skywaker9 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:54:33 -0000

The following is the early lines for this week's games involving Pac-10 teams, courtesy of: NCAA Odds

Favorite listed first, home team bolded

Oregon favored by 35 over Utah State.

Penn State favored by 16.5 over Oregon State.

Washington and BYU currently no line (Injury?)

Arizona favored by 22 over Toledo

Cal favored by 13.5 over Washington State.

Arizona State favored by 14.5 over Stanford

USC and UCLA have byes.

Oregon State intro video (TOO FUNNY!)

skywaker9 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:37:23 -0000

Oregon State intro video (TOO FUNNY!)

Attached is the link for Oregon State's intro video this year. The Beavers are so cute, this video so bad....