Sports Topics that need discussion






11-11-04


Here's Hoping They All Stay Undefeated:
Six of the 117 NCAA Division 1 teams have yet to lose this season. Oklahoma and Auburn have the toughest road with the Big 12 and SEC Championships on the horizon respectively. USC and Wisconsin each have a big test ahead with Notre Dame coming to California in two weeks and Wisconsin going to Iowa the same day. Mid-Major Utah (from the Mountain West) faces it's leagues two best teams, Wyoming and BYU, while Bosie St. (from the WAC) has an easier road with San Jose St., Nevada, and La. Tech. More....


2-2-04


Brady is not Montana...yet; Super Bowl XXXVIII wasn't the great(est):
Three quarters of ugly football turned into the most exhilarating 4th quarter in Super Bowl history. And Tom Brady's cool demeanor under pressure led his team to a second Super Bowl title in three years. Many have started to compare him to one of the game's best, Joe Montana. Montana won two Super Bowls very young just like Brady but he wasn't considered great until a 92 yard drive against Cincinnati in 1989. More....


1-12-04


Quarterback will always be the most important position:
Fans can argue whether Peyton Manning is the second coming of Johnny Unitas. Or whether Jake Delhomme is the second coming of Trent Dilfer. But the bottom line is simple. You will not win NFL Playoff games without a leader. The leader of every team is the quarterback. Even in the 2000 Super Bowl won by the Baltimore Ravens, middle linebacker Ray Lewis still needed Dilfer to help lead him to a ring. Not to say that Dilfer outshined Lewis; just that quarterbacks can't make mistakes. More....


9-10-03


Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should get every vote:
Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Hank Aaron all have something in common. Despite dominating baseball and being some of the greatest to ever play this game, some didn't vote for them. Nobody in the history of the Baseball Hall of Fame has been unanimously voted in. That is the only reason why there might never be a unanimous vote. Who is worthy enough to do what Ruth and Young couldn't? Two men are. Barry Lamar Bonds and William Roger Clemens. More....


5-6-03


Dusty, The Giants, and the IRS:
Dusty Baker spent 10 years as the manager of the San Francisco Giants. After their long relationship, both sides made a decision to part ways. Just two days later, a story leaked to media outlets that Baker was in trouble with the IRS. Baker was furious the story was leaked. Not because the public found out about it. But the fact that the organization he helped take to a World Series one month earlier, had known about this story for years. Baker felt there was a good chance that someone in the organization leaked the story. More....


4-29-03


Role Models in Sports:
A role model is defined as a person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to emulate. In sports, those people are children. And millions of kids in America cheer for their heroes in the sports world. Athletes are thrust into the spotlight and that’s exactly the way they want it. Many will say that they don’t want the negatives that come with fame. But in the 21st century, the power and money that come with professional sports forces athletes to except their status. More....


4-29-03


The Masters Controversy:
I think the initial knee-jerk reaction is to shout that women must be allowed to be members at Augusta National golf course. To not allow a human being to a part of something simply because of their sex is unconstitutional. And as much as it might infuriate many in the public, Hootie Johnson has every right to make limitations on who can be a member of his club. However, there is a double standard to me when the golf course itself is public, and the most watched golf event in the world plays there. The uproar has come because of the Masters. I think that the two don’t fit together. If you allow anyone who qualifies for the event to play, and allow anyone with enough money to step onto your golf course, then you can’t stop them from entering just a little bit further. Something has to change to allow any qualified human being the right to join a golf club. More....


3-11-03


Is Tony Smith right to turn her back to America?:
Toni Smith, a college senior who is standing alone in a protest against the United States, has caused quite an uproar. Many people are commending her for standing up for what she believes in. Many people are asking she be attached to some of the bombs we are sending to the Middle East. And many people feel the way I do. More....


3-04-03


USOC needs to clean house:
Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Ward resigned on March 1, adding another name to list of resignations from the U.S. Olympic Committee. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., has been urging Ward to resign for several weeks. Ward makes seven people that have resigned since early February. Campbell says “there’s still a ways to go” and “we need a clean slate down there.” Campbell wants the people hired under Ward to resign as well. More....


1-16-03


The Last of the Great Young Coaches:
Felipe Alou is one of the best coaches of this generation. Ron Wilson has had great success with other hockey teams. Oakland has brought in three coaches: Bill Callahan, Ken Maccha, and Eric Musselman, who have been long time assistants and were cheap replacements. So it comes as no surprise to me that the 49ers decided to let Steve Mariucci go with one year remaining on his contract. Dusty Baker, Art Howe, Jon Gruden, and Darryl Sutter all took their teams to the playoffs the season before they were asked to leave. Mariucci did the same. If you include Tyrone Willingham leaving Stanford for Notre Dame, the Bay Area has lost some of the best minds in sports. And it all comes down to two things: Power and Money. More....


11-04-02


Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Ray Guy's wait should be over. The greatest punter in NFL history has been denied too many times of the greatest prize a player can receive; induction into the Hall of Fame. Now, Steve Tasker, the greatest special teams player in the history of the sport has been nominated for induction. To me, that is a sign that the wait will be over for another special teams standout. More....


6-18-02


Steroid use in Baseball:
Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did it in 1998 and again in 1999. Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa did it in 2001. For 37 years nobody could reach Roger Maris' 61 home runs in a single season. It has been shattered six times in the last four years. In 1989, Kevin Mitchell bashed 47 round trippers to lead all of Major League Baseball. His name is no longer in the top 50. Ten times since 1997, someone has hit at least 56. Something is going on...or maybe something is going in. More....


3-08-02


How Important is Winning?:
In the wake of St. Louis' Az-Zahir Hakim's signing with the 1-15 Detroit Lions and London Fletcher singing with the 1-15 Buffalo Bills, got me thinking a very tough question. How important is winning a Super Bowl to these two guys? The Rams have been to two Super Bowls in the last three years. The Lions and Bills combined win total of 2 equals the Rams win total in the post-season. Every athlete in sports talks about the importance of winning a Championship. But once you have a ring, is money all that matters? More....


3-7-02


The Gruden and Mariucci Saga:
It's time for me to toss my two cents into the buckets of money being spent and saved in this soap opera of two young Bay Area coaches. Jon Gruden and Steve Mariucci are two of the best young minds in professional football today. That being said, they both have taken a lot of heat from the media and the fans right here at home for their lack of success. Mariucci is 46 and Gruden is 38. They both were given head coaching jobs very early in their careers and took over teams with great history and tradition. One raider fan wrote to the San Jose Mercury News saying Gruden is expendable because "he is no Lombardi or Walsh" Who is? in the 82 years of the NFL, only 12 coaches have shrines in Canton, Ohio. And none of them had the scrutiny of today's NFL head coaches. More....


1-25-02


Black Head Coaches in the NFL:
Dennis Green and Tony Dungy were fired in the 2002 off-season. That leaves first year coach Herman Edwards as the only African-American Head Coach in the NFL. Dungy has since taken a head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. Green seems only interested in the two Bay Area teams at this time so he might not coach this coming season. But with the Buccaneers and Chargers still looking for head coaches, it is also evident that neither is looking to hire a minority coach.. More....


1-19-02


Michael Jordan's Comeback:
Michael Jordan cannot make up his mind. He is the most competitive athlete of this generation but he can't decide what to compete in. Basketball, baseball, golf, acting, business, and who knows what else. But of all his passions, basketball is what made him infamous and what he is best at. He has already done this before. Said he was done with basketball forever and changed his mind. I am just tired of writers and sports experts telling Jordan to stay retired only because he made his last shot. If you still have that passion and are given the opportunity to continue it, I say why not. More....


1-05-02


College Football Playoffs:
College Football loves to be different. They love that they are not like pro football. They want to have different rules. But one rule and tradition that needs to change is the postseason. If the NCAA can turn the "Granddaddy of them all," The Rose Bowl, into a championship game not played on January 1, there is a chance of more change. I do not disagree with the voting. I think when you have teams with weak schedules going undefeated and a team with strong schedules only losing two games ranked higher, that is what makes college football unique; But to not give the two teams a chance to prove who is better makes college football far from great. More....


12-01-01


Are Dynasties Dead?:
The New York Yankees have played in the last four World Series and have won four titles in the last six years. The greatest organization in professional sports is dominating again. Baseball has allowed that to happen by letting the best stay the best. If a team wants to improve their ballclub, they can. But in other pro sports, dynasties may have died. The Dallas Cowboys, Boston Celtics, and Montreal Canadiens no longer embrace championship trophies consistently as they once did. The once storied franchises are not being written about anymore. More....


11-30-01


Trimming Teams in Baseball:
The thought of getting rid of two teams is amazing to me. 50 major league ballplayers moving to a new town. Countless minor league players being shipped all across the country. Who gets who?? Do they get thrown in a draft?? Do the Yankees, Dodgers, Braves and Mets pick out their favorites and leave the rest for the remaining 24 teams?? Baseball has been about the have and the have-nots for years so why should anything change now. More....


11-11-01


The Salary Cap:
As in most issues worth arguing, the salary cap in sports has its supporters and its doubters. I prefer the NBA's method. A salary cap with designed loopholes. The ability to re-sign your players, spend more than the cap if you want to pay the price, and spend less than the cap to save for the future. I like options. More....


11-09-01


Phil Jackson:
Six NBA Titles with Jordan and now another two with Shaq leads me to believe that Phil Jackson is the smartest man in basketball. He has coached the two greatest players of this generation. And it is possible that they were not even the best players on their own team. Kobe Bryant is so good and Scottie Pippen was so good when coached by Jackson, that many NBA experts felt they were better all around players than the big two. Jordan proved he was the greatest during their second three-peat and Shaq may prove the same, but as for now, Phil Jackson is the luckiest man in NBA History. More....


11-07-01


Proposal to Major League Baseball:
Alex Rodriguez made $21 million this year. The Minnesota Twins 25-man roster made $20 million. That is why I want to propose a minimum team salary of $40 million for every team. Force owners to spend more on their ballclub. And if an owner won't abide by the rule, the league can penalize them until they do. More....



11-07-01


Proposal to the National Football League:
The Atlanta Falcons traded up to grab one of the most exciting players college football has ever seen. Michael Vick could turn out to be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL History. He could also end up being a worse draft choice than Ryan Leaf. Leaf was looked at coming out of Washington State as having a stronger arm and better size than Peyton Manning. Manning has become one of the best quarterbacks in the league and Leaf is playing for his 3rd team this year. More....


5-06-99


NBA Set For Playoffs:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
With a 50 game schedule in 89 days, many teams were making a run at the 1999 NBA playoffs. Now that the regular season is over, the real season begins. However, the 16 playoff teams were not the only ones who had success in the shortened season. In the West, the biggest disappointment was the Seattle Supersonics who fired their head coach, George Karl, at the end of last season, and could not keep their post-season hopes alive with first year coach Paul Westphal. The Golden State Warriors, on the other hand, improved dramatically over last season by winning two more games than last year, and in 32 less games.
 More....


5-6-99


WNBA drafts from the ABL to merge the two leagues:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
In the third annual WNBA draft, the Washington Mystics used their first overall pick to select three time NCAA champion Chamique Holdsclaw from Tennessee. After Holdsclaw was taken, the ABL took over, the 10 team league that declared bankruptcy after 2 1/2 seasons. Of the next 49 picks, 35 were players with ABL experience. The next college player was not selected until Duke center Michele Van Gorp was taken by the New York Liberty with the 18th pick. The first player of the former ABL taken was Yolanda Griffith, a power forward of the Chicago Condors, by the Sacramento Monarchs. The first Bay Area player to be selected was former Stanford and San Jose Laser star Jennifer Azzi with the fifth pick by Detroit.
 More....


3-24-99


Baseball Gets Worse:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
After the seven year $105 million deal given to San Diego Padres pitcher Kevin Brown to cross towns to L.A., it appeared baseball had reached an all-time low. Unfortunately, they found a way to make it worse. Four time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees for ace pitcher David Wells, relief pitcher Grahme Lloyd, and second baseman Homer Bush. David Wells was the heart and soul of a Yankees team that won 125 games and the World Series in 1998.
 More....



3-24-99


Rodman Goes To Hollywood:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
With the addition of Carmen Electra's husband to their lineup, the Lakers do gain toughness. However, that doesn't mean they are the front-runners to win the NBA title. The distraction of whether or not Electra's husband would join the team is no excuse for their three game losing streak. In response to their pitiful play, the front office made a bold move in the firing of Coach Del Harris
 More....


3-10-99


A Living Legend Is Gone: Joe DiMaggio:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
Joe DiMaggio, who in 1969 was named "the greatest living ballplayer," died Tuesday, March 9, at the age of 84. DiMaggio was "the class of the Yankees in times when the Yankees outclassed everybody else." DiMaggio played 13 seasons for the New York Yankees, played in ten World Series and won nine.
 More....



3-10-99


Time To Get 'Mad': March Madness:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
Not since the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV in 1991, has a team been so favored to win the national title. Duke, who finished the regular season with a 32-1 record, an undefeated conference record and an ACC tournament title, has been dominating. Joining the Blue Devils as number one seeds are Connecticut, Auburn and Michigan State.
 More....


2-24-99


Atlanta Proves The Cap Works:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
After the NBA lockout finally concluded, a great sense of relief came over me. The NBA hardened the salary cap and extended rookie contracts to make every team feel optimistic about the upcoming season. Pro football has had this for a while now. The Atlanta Falcons worked harder then any other team in the National Football Conference to make it to Super Bowl Sunday and the Denver Broncos were able to keep most everyone from last year's championship team. The Falcons proved that with the right players in the right system, every team can reach the peak of professional football.
 More....


11-24-98


Revenge Is The Sweetest Victory:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
From the late 1800's when some of today's great sports were first being thought of to the late 1900's in the age of the mighty dollar, the one constant is that revenge is the sweetest victory. And I'm not talking about an eye for an eye; I'm talking about winning when the odds are against you and no one gives you a chance. When you have been beaten before and you avenge the loss. Revenge brings out the true thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Every team in the United States, from baseball to rugby, has won and lost. They have dominated and been dominated. And they remember every time they fell short as if it was yesterday.
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9-24-98


What's In A Name?:
West Valley College
By Michael Saltzman
"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Keep dreamin' Romeo. Strapping up your equipment before the big game and marching onto the gridiron to battle the opponent will not intimidate anybody as the Fighting Camels. Campbell University apparently thinks this is a good school name. A school or university's nickname is just as important as rich alumni. As an avid sports fan, this is the first question I ask when looking into a college: What's their mascot?
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