Diaper Dandies, Good or Bad for College Sports?

Every college basketball fan is familiar with ever so annoying Dick Vitale and his patented phrase "diaper dandy." Vitale uses this phrase of his to point out some of the top freshman in the country. Over the past 5-10 years one-and-done players have become much more occurring in the world of college basketball. None more so than at the University of Kentucky. John Calipari and his staff have brought 3, yes 3 straight number one recruiting classes. Even though not all of his recruits have panned out for UK, Enes Kanter, Calipari has coached 6 one-and-done players who were drafted in the first round. So even though the proud tradition of Kentucky basketball seems overshadowed by their superstar athletes, Kentucky fans seem happier then ever. So the question comes up, are diaper dandies good for the game itself? Many will tell you no and that the rule should be changed, but in my opinion watching a new batch of super freshman enter the college basketball world every year is exciting. I want to see what these highly touted freshman can do, I don't want to see them play 10 minutes a game I want to see them tested and hopefully shine. The flaws of the system are pretty evident, with a lot of players leaving early fans aren't as emotionally attached to the players as they were in the past. There aren't any more Unforgettables, or fans crying on senior day as Tayshaun Prince and Chuck Hayes take their final bows on Rupp's floor. Their is only the fleeting highlight and YouTube video to remind us of the one season we had with them. College basketball has embraced the one-and-done system and I don't see any changes coming to it anytime soon, so in the meantime why not just sit back and enjoy the show.

GO CATS!!!

Joe Pa Fired

Yesterday news broke that Joe Paterno would be retiring at the end of the year in the middle of a sex scandal involving one of his assistants from years ago. Personally i think it's crap that he is taking the fall for this. He told his supervisor and university police who in turn did nothing and let this thing continue for years. Joe Paterno did his job in informing those who were above him and it was those people like the AD (Spanier) who are responsible for the continuation of this horrible thing. Also I think the media has blown this way out of proportion and needs to back off, because Paterno is a great man and an even better coach. Joe Paterno has been Penn State for the last 40 years, without him their football program is obsolete, and the character of the kids they bring in is half of what they are today. I think what disappoints me the most is seeing former Penn State players jumping ship on Joe Pa. he took them and taught them valuable lessons of hard work and perseverance, but as soon as trouble strikes they abandon him like it's nothing. Those players should be standing up for him not sitting in suits on sportscenter saying how much of a disgrace he is. Joe Paterno is arguably the greatest sports coach of all-time and he has been as loyal and hard working as any player he has ever coached. The man is a living legend and the people he thought were close to him have now thrown him out on the street at the first chance. Penn State is making a huge mistake and they know it.

Women's World Cup

Since the women's world cup wrapped up earlier today I thought I would write a few thoughts I had about the tournament as a whole. First of all congrats to the Japanese they played a fantastic tournament and played well when it mattered most. Also our hearts and prayers go out to them in their time of need as they are still recovering from that terrible earthquake/tsunami that struck them in March. The USA played fantastic through out the tournament and captured the hearts of many Americans including myself. From their dominating performance against Colombia to the dramatic and stressful penalty kick win over Brazil this team embodied the American spirit and made me proud to be an American. Unfortunately they came up just a little short, but that should not diminish the legacy this team leaves behind. It also showed me how Americans seem to only get excited for soccer when it's either on the world stage or when something exciting like the Brazil game happens. Then we as Americans either forget that we sat riveted to the television these last two weeks or we settle back into our normal habits of hating soccer because it's "boring" or "slow" well as shown in these last 2 world cups soccer can draw our attention, and the excitement is there. American players such as Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Abby Wambach, and Hope Solo now become household names, and are beginning to change how Americans see soccer. If there was one thing I want everyone to take from this world cup experience is that soccer is a very exciting sport and just because people aren't getting crushed every 5 seconds doesn't mean the game isn't physical, and just because a game ends 1-0 or 0-0 doesn't mean it's not exciting or entertaining. Soccer is a sport the world embraces yet we still hold back. If we embrace soccer now not only will we see what the world sees, but our teams can become more competitive through out the world. With more young kids in soccer than ever before our national teams can compete and someday we can be partying in the streets with a world cup title to show for our efforts. Soccer is fun and enlightening please embrace the international movement that is the beautiful game.

Just Your Regular Tuesday Night

Tuesday was not the most exciting day in sports but there were a few funny highlights I enjoyed. The most entertaining had to be the Cavaliers winning the first and fourth pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The reason it was funny is because Cavs owner Dave Gilbert, one year removed from his nasty comments about Lebron, was worried about saying too much on the subject of who they were looking to draft number 1 overall. Seriously? I mean this guy disgraced himself and his organization with his comments about Lebron, but he's too afraid for his job to say a word about the upcoming draft. Another thing that I recognized on Tuesday was that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks are really good. And if Dirk keeps playing the way he is, there is no way anyone can beat them. On a side note I am really looking forward to the May 28th Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United. I think the game is going to be very close but my prediciton is Barcelona 2-1.
Last but not least tonight's game between the Heat and Bulls will be more exciting than the first but with the same outcome.

NBA Playoffs

When the season started, or after "The Decision" was made I was not a huge Lebron James fan. I had watched him every year that he was in Cleveland, and yes I loved to watch him play cause he was a live highlight reel. However the way he handled the off season was disrespectful and just plain awful. He could have easily released a statement once his decision was made to go to Miami. I understand and respect the decision he made, because look at him now, but he could have handled it better. That said he has been one of the top three players in the league yet again, and has proved that he belongs with the great names in professional basketball. He has also made me a fan once again, with his heroic play in the Celtics series I could not have been more interested in a basketball player, than I am with him right now. Needless to say without his "decision" we would not be at the point to where we can watch three superstars play together on the same team. Finally with the western conference being so crazy this year I hope the grizzlies win it all. They are the most exciting team right now, and just seeing that 8 seed next to their name is impressive enough, without even knowing that this is the first of everything for Memphis. Their first playoff win, their first playoff home win, their first series win, and their first game seven appearance as a franchise.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has recently had a huge downturn in his game, and I know that I've been faithful and hopeful that he would return to his old self once he shrugged off his scandal. However in light of his most recent injury that has him pulling out of The Players Championship, I'm beginning to believe that this could be the end of an era for El Tigre. This last injury if persistent enough may end up forcing Tiger to take another year off, and at his age this would be catastrophic, and would ultimately end his career as a professional golfer. I know golf seems boring to some people, but when Tiger Woods is in the hunt for another major championship, late in the fourth round, no one can resist the intensity he brings. However Tiger needs to worry more about continuing his career than breaking Jack's record. I hope to see Tiger back at full strength soon, cause he is not only good for golf, but for the sports world in general. 

Top Four all Lose

This past week in college basketball has turned into one of the craziest of all time. Kansas one day after being named number 1 lost to Kansas State on the road. Then you had Texas who seemed on their way to number one lose at Nebraska. Then I watched St. Johns complete an amazing comeback with a game winning lay-up with only 1.2 seconds left on the clock to beat 4th ranked Pitt. Then Ohio State lost their second game in three tries to 11th ranked Purdue on the road. March Madness is only three weeks away but to me it seems like the madness couldn't get any better. This past week has gotten me pretty pumped for the weeks to come.
Now the question is who is going to win the NCAA Championship?
Any guesses?