Athete of the Decade

This week the AP (Associated Press) voted for their choice for Athlete of the Decade. This had to be one of the most controversial decades ever, having the steriods era in the MLB to the gambling and conspiracies alleged in the NBA all happening within the last 10 years. How do you determine an Athlete of the Decade? There are so many sports and athletes that have to be considered. Some people will question what is considered a "sport". Jimmy Johnson has won 4 straight NASCAR cups, never done in it's long history. Does his dominance in his particualr 'sport' warrant him a chance for athlete of the decade? Personally, I dont think so. I started thinking about what should be considered when picking the candidates. Here is what I came up with:

1) Player's dominance of their particular sport. There is always those select few players in each sport that are head and shoulders better than the rest.
2) Competition from players within the sport. How strong is the competition within the sport?
3) Consistancy of Dominace. This athlete should prove time and time again that no matter the circumstances, they are the dominant player period. Dominating one season does not mean anything. Being the best year after year after year.
4) Team sport or Individual? In team sports (basketball, football etc.) your supporting cast is a huge factor in your production. Where in Individual sports (golf, tennis, etc.) its one on one. Your production is the only one that counts.

Obviously there are the players that may suffer an injury and miss significant time that could ultimatley derail their chances. Fact of the matter is, injuries are part of the game. For example, Tom Brady's chances to win the award are hurt because he missed an entire year due to injury. The kicker in this whole debate, is the team sport or individual sport. As stated above, if your playing a team sport, your teammates have much to say about your production. To be considered the best, the player must show that HE himself is largely responsible for the the other players success. Example, whould Marvin Harrison be a great receiver if Peyton Manning isnt putting the ball exactly where it should be everytime? No doubt in mind that Manning made Harrison a GREAT reciever. He would have been good otherwise, but not great. Ok so let me give you the players that were considered and maybe throw some other players that didnt get consideration.

Athletes that recieved Votes:

Tiger Woods: Tiger ultimatley took the award but suprisingly, it wasnt even close. Of the 142 writers that voted for the award, 56 of them went to Woods. Hard to argue with the decision. Put aside the media circus that is going on rigt now, Tiger absolutely dominated the sport on the golf course. He won 56 PGA tours in the decade including an astonishing 12 majors. He also won 3 Grand Slams (winning all 4 majors in one calendar year). Ok, safe to say he dominated his sport for the decade. The competition he was facing is no joke either. He was dismantling the best golfers in the world and making it look easy. However, their wasnt a golfer that challenged Tiger for the best golfer on the planet. Some say that just proves his dominance even more, but I say it hurts him a little. If he had one golfer that challenged him consistantly I would be more for giving Tiger this award. Don't get it twisted, I think he deserves this title maybe more than anybody else. He consistantly was great throughout the decade. The man swept all 4 Majors in 3 different years! Lastly, he plays in a sport where his individual talent is displayed without the help of others to aide him. Heres the kicker with Tiger. How much of an 'Athlete' do you need to be to play golf? Playing golf myself, I can say there are few things harder than playing golf well and doing it consistantly, but if were talking about "Athete of the Decade" are we forgetting the athlete part? Kind of hard to make a case for golfers being athletes when you see John Daily out there teeing it up.

Lance Armstrong: Coming in second place, Armstrong single-handedly put bicycling on the map. He won the Tour de France six times and did so consecutively. No one even knew about the Tour until Lance. Based on my criteria, he dominated his sport and did so decisively. However what about his competion? Can you name another cyclist that participated in the Tour this decade. Didn't think so. Don't feel bad, I couldn't ethier. Now I think what those guys do is amazing. Riding their bikes for thousands of miles and having to do so in a three week period going uphill, downhill, thru inclimate weather. You have to be in damn good shape to compete in the event, let alone win it. With that being said, its bicycling people! I love Lance and what he did to overcome cancer and come back to compete is a great story. He made the most of his fame and does great work thru his organization to help cancer carriers. But second best athlete of our decade? No thanks for me.

Roger Federer: Now this man is an athlete. Playing tennis is no joke. You have to be in great shape and be able think fast and react faster. The level these guys (and girls) play at is incredible. Not much of a tennis fan myself, but I have found myself watching this guy play whenever the opportunity arises. Let me run you some of these sick numbers this man has posted this decade. He played in 21 overall Grand Slam titles, winning a record 15 of them. 22 straight GS semi-final appearances. 237 staight weeks (4.5 years) ranked #1 in the world. 24 staight wins in tournament finals. 65 consective wins on grass. 56 consective on hard court. When Pete Sampras says "What he has done this decade has never been done, and will never happen again" thats saying a little something about this guys dominance. Here is the thing I love about Federer. He has great competition. Rafael Nadal is constantly trying to knock this man off his throne. And each time, Federer continues to show he is the clear number one in his sport. Again, being able to play tennis at this level, you have to be a great athlete. Dont try to convince me otherwise, I wont hear it.

Michael Phelps/Usian Bolt: Ok lets begin with Phelps. Wow, this kid is a freak. No need to explain his accomplishments, they have been well documented. Phelps smoked his competition (along with some grass; sorry couldnt help myself) in the Olympics this decade, and was doing so against the best in the world. Bolt blew us away with his speed and ability to make the fastest sprinters in the world look like a Junior Varsity CC team. Both were superstars of the world while the games were going on. What hurts them is the respected sports they are in. Swimming and Sprinting are not the ideal 'Must see TV' sports. So they get to show off thier excellence only every 4 years. Not gonna cut it in this debate.

Tom Brady: Mr. GQ himself got a little love from the voters. Let me run you some of his absurd numbers. Got drafted in 2000 but didnt play until Drew Bledsoe went down in 2001. Stats: 30,276 yards, 63.3 completion %, 220 TD, 97 INTs, 93.2 QB rating, all in the regular season. Not too shabby. Add 3 Super Bowl wins out of 4 trips, 2 SB MVPs. Brady holds numerous regular season and postseason records, including most touchdown passes in a regular season (50), highest single-game completion percentage, regular season or postseason (26/28, 92.9%), most completions in one Super Bowl, most completions in Super Bowl history (career), the highest winning percentage of any quarterback ever during his first 100 starts (76 wins), and the longest streak of games with 3 or more touchdown passes (10 games). Brady is the fourth-fastest player to reach 200 career passing touchdowns (116 games). He is the first quarterback in NFL history to have reached said mark with under 100 career interceptions (he had 88 interceptions). However, as mentioned in the intro, he missed an entire season and that hurts him.

Players who got no recognition:

I was suprised to not see any of these athletes recieved even one vote!

Peyton Manning: How does Peyton Manning not get one vote? Manning stats since the turn of the decade are ridiculous. 41,659 yards passing, 310 TDs, 64.7% completions, 95.3 QB rating! The one that jumped out at me, he has thrown for over 4,000 yards in every year this decade except one. He failed to win more than 10 games in a season just once! He smokes Brady in every catagory except INTs. So why no love for Manning. His one Super Bowl ring. Great players are measured by the rings they wear. You'd be a fool to think Manning wont win another ring in this career. And have you seen the dudes commericals? Hilarious.

Kobe Bryant: Its no suprise that I am a Kobe fan. Growing up in Southern California, I watched the Lakers back in the 90's when Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell played in the Forum. Watching Kobe as a young and dumb player throwing up airballs in the playoffs to what he is doing now is phenomenal. This guy has the "It" factor that makes players great. He's also the most hated player in all of sports, and he wouldnt have it any other way. His numbers back up his greatness. Just in the decade, 21,758 points for an average of over 28ppg in the regular season and keeping the pace in the playoffs with a 27ppg average. 4 NBA titles in 5 attempts, one Finals MVP, and the owner of a 81 point game, which ranks as the second total number of points ever scored in an NBA game. Not just an offensive machine either. 9 out of 10 years he made the All-Defensive NBA team, 7 of those years making the First team. The one knock on him, was if he could win a title without Shaq and he proved so last June and looks to continue to do so.

Albert Pujols: King Albert was the one player I thought of that should be in the Top 3 atleast. Since coming into the league in 2001, he has been nothing short of spectacular. By the time this guy is done doing damage, which doesnt look very soon, we could be witnessing one of the greatest players ever to play the sport. Easily the most feared hitter in baseball, he is also is Mr. Iron Man, missing just 59 games out of 1458. For you baseball junkies out there, check out these sick digits he posting. .334 career batting average, including two season when he hit over .357! Averaging almost 41 HRs and over 123 RBI a year over the course of the decade. 3 NL MVP awards, batting title, Gold Glove winner. In an era where Steriods skew the numbers, Pujols is putting up these monster numbers, and doing it clean.

Attempt #1 into the coveted "Mailbag"

Bill Simmons is a sports writing genius. Whatever he writes is epic. He writes for ESPN and has a Mailbag that fans can write to him and he give his hilarious responses to. So my buddies had an idea to see which one of us could be included in this select group of readers. Here is my first attempt to make the bag...

Best play call of the year: Week 14 Saints up 26-23 on Atlanta. 4th down and Saints line up for a chip shot field goal. Instead, they run a fake and have 64 year old Mark Brunell roll out and look for G Carl Nicks in the end zone. I nearly fell out of my chair laughing watching Brunell roll out like he was back in his Jacksonville days and seeing Nicks wave his arms in anticipation of the pass. Instead the pass was incomplete and the next shot you see is Brunell slamming a cup of Gatorade like he just completed the Iron Man. Classic. Are the Saints that good where there toying with the rest of the league? I know they dismantled your Pats on MNF and they get a bye against Dallas, but c’mon!

Movies

Its not very common, but every once in awhile I decide to venture out and explore the other 200 channels that are on my TV, besides the ones that are part of the ESPN family. While I was surfing the absurd number of channels this weekend, I came across some movies that I have not seen in some time and decided to refresh my memory on them. I got to thinking about how many great movies there are out there that I have never seen. My first job ever was working at Hollywood Video. The one great perk that came with that awful career move was the unlimited free rentals the employees were granted. We were "encouraged" to view the movies, so that we were knowledgeable about different films and to give our opinions to the valued customers who were looking for a movie for that given night. I would leave each night with a different movie and another title to add to my impressive list of movies I had watched. However, as I got older and moved on from that job, I found myself with less free time and not watching as many movies as before. At times, I hear conversations about movies and how great they are, and often make a mental note to make an effort to watch them. Besides the obvious great cinematic masterpieces, I have listed some movies that I believe are must-see and maybe never considered to view to the average joe. I encourage you to list the movies that dont get the recognition, but are great in their own right, in the comments section below.

The Departed- This was the movie I came across and sparked the discussion. This genius piece of art is a dude-flick 100%. Leave your date at home for this one. Jack Nicholson stars as an Irish mob boss in Boston, who grooms a boy into a star police detective (Matt Damon) by providing him with inside information on criminal activity. At the same time a young undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob. All-Star cast and Martin Scorsese's vision combine to deliver a solid film watching experience. Suprising fact: The "F" word is used an astonishing 226 times during the film. Sweet!

Poolhall Junkies- I must have watched this movie over 15 times in the first month I saw it. Perfect example of a movie that nobody has heard of, but needs to be seen. A talented pool hustler who has stayed out of the game for years, must go back to his old ways when his little brother gets involved with his enemy, the very man who held him back from greatness. The movie is filled with comedy but has some dramatic scenes. If you have ever played pool, please watch this movie. Some of the shots these guys make will make you wanna find the nearest pool table and try your luck. Plus Christopher Walken is in it. That should be enough.

Point Break- Ill be the first to admit Keanu Reeves is top 5 worst actors of all time, but this movie to cool to ignore. Full of adrenaline through out the movie, it somehow takes outlaw surfers who rob banks and makes it must see TV. For me, its one of those movies that if its on TV, you watch it no matter how many times you have seen it. I know Patrick Swayze (may he RIP) is more famous for his chick-flick roles in movies like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, but his role in this film, in my mind, will forever cement his place in the 'All-Time Movie Character Bad-Ass' catagory. If there is not a catagory for that, Ill personally take it upon myself to create one.

The Ultimate Gift- Ok, time to get soft. Guys, this is a great film to suprise your girl when she is always complaining when you bring home the newest Steven Segal movie. There is always that time when you know your gonna be sucked in to watch some crappy film like "The Notebook" and be scarred for life. Beat her to the punch. This movie will have her crying like a Cowboys fan in December, but is actually a decent enough movie that a man can stomach for 2 hours. Basically, its a story about a guy who was given everything in life and lost the meaning of what life is really about. He is given the opportunity to learn these things from a late grandparent who will refuse to hand over his inheritance until he completes certain tasks. Im not saying its an Oscar-winner but decent none-the-less.

Of course there are so many movies out there that are overlooked and too many to list, but hopefully you have some movies that are good, but dont get the credit they deserve. I look forward to your responses.

December Struggles

I am certain that there is no team in all of sports that is under a microscope more than the Dallas Cowboys. If a player so much as sneezes' in the locker room, I'm convinced you can find an article about it. It's pathetic. The media hype that surrounds this team is astonishing. I listen to a fair amount of sports talk radio, and its sickening how much these hosts can talk about one game. The topic this week is about the Cowboys struggle in the month of December. Thats not the only thing that they should be worried about.

December Woes: I thought December was suppost to bring joy and happiness and all that holiday goodness. Someone forgot to tell the Cowboys. The Cowboys havent had a winning record in the month of December since 1996. Are you kidding me? Thats laughable. Think about that for a minute. The #1 movie in America was "Independence Day", "Macarena" was the atop the music charts and Bill Clinton had just became President. And the news gets worse: Look for the streak to continue. Their remaining schedule looks as follows: San Diego (9-3), @New Orleans (12-0), @Washington (3-9), Philadelphia (8-4). A combined record of 32-16 . Ouch. The players are doing a good job of telling the media that this year is different and they are not thinking about past failures, but everyone knows its in the back of their minds. How can it not be.

Hot Seat: Being the head coach of the most recognizable franchise of all of sports is not easy. The spotlight is on you constantly and the pressure to win is unbearable. Its no suprise that Wade Phillips' contract is over after this year and Jerry Jones has made it clear that Wade's future will be determined by the Cowboys making the playoffs and winning a playoff game. Sorry Wade, but your time in Dallas is over. That kind of pressure on a person is explosive. Wont be so bad though. Have you ever heard a Wade Phillips press conference? I'd rather eat glass. It's that painful.

RB Situation: What the hell happened to the Three-Headed monster we were so accustomed to seeing? The potent combination of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice worked wonders the first half of the season, as Dallas led the league in rushing. The last couple of games has been painful to watch. Romo is forced to throw over 50 times in a game and we all know thats playing with fire. Barber looks hurt and is not running over players as were so used to seeing. Felix has lost his explosiveness since his knee injury earlier in the year. Where is that homerun threat everytime he touches the ball? And Tashard saw time when Barber and Felix were out, but since then, has been non-existant.

BCS Bowling

The BCS bowls were announced on Sunday and as always, there was controversy. It was obvious that Texas and Alabama would meet for the championship after their wins on Saturday. However, there was almost a major shakeup after Nebraska had an amazing defensive effort and slowed down the jaugernaut that is the Longhorns offense. (Side note: Ndamukong Suh is an absolute BEAST. If he gets no recognition for the Heisman, it would be a travesty. I remember one play in general, when Texas ran the ball up the middle and Suh was fighting off a Texas offensive linemen with one hand, then grabbed the RB with the his off hand and threw him about 3 yards to the ground. I have never seen a player dominate a game like that on defensive ever. Ill get off his nuts now.) If Nebraska had any offensive output in that game at all, we would be talking about one of the biggest upsets in recent memory and a circus to determine the team that would face Alabama in the championship. Texas proved they were a good team and good teams find a way to win under any circumstances. The other bowl games that were selected were not what everyone wanted. I will list the bowl games and give my opinion on the game, as well as the team I believe will win.



National Championship: Texas vs Alabama- I wont automatically hand Bama the trophy just yet, but their dominance displayed against Florida combined with Texas' deer-in-the-headlights look against Nebraska makes it look like Bama will run away with this thing by the first half. I have watched a lot of Texas football this year (unfortunately) and they look unbeatable when their firing on all cylinders. However, on Thanksgiving night, Texas A&M exposed them and if it wasnt for Colt McCoy's superman like play, they lose that game. You cant tell me that Nebraska didnt see what A&M was doing and used that same gameplan to stop Texas. Now Nick Saban (who I do not like one bit but Im not dumb; the man is one hell of a coach) has a whole month to prepare for McCoy and the Longhorns. That is bad news for Texas fans. I predict Alabama wins this game, but I am reluctant to say it will be a blow-out.



Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Iowa- This game in my mind is the weakest of the bowl games. Ive seen Iowa play a couple times this year and they seemed to pull some kind of miracle out of their ass every week. When they were in the top 5 this year, you just knew they didnt belong and they were gonna screw up somehow. Then it happened. They lose to Northwestern. Then again to a solid Ohio State team the next week. Their glory was short lived. Havent seen much of Tech this year. Only two losses were to Miami who was solid to start the season and Georgia, who was a dissapointment this year. Im giving this game to Georgia Tech, soley on the fact that if Iowa trails, they have no more magic left. Plus you gotta give the ACC some love. Its no longer just a basketball conference.



Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Cincinatti- Very interesting match-up. I was a little upset that TCU didnt get a chance to play Florida and prove to everyone that they are a legit contender. However, this game should be outstanding. Im seeing lots of big, breakout plays and a high scoring affair. Cincinatti can put points on the board, no denying that. Florida is coming off a devestating defeat to Bama in the SEC championship game. I have seen Tebow play a lot in his career and he never looked more out of sync than he did in that game. Bama proved he was human, something that hasnt happened since he got his head knocked off against Kentucky earlier in the year. One interesting fact about this game: The game will be played in the Superdome in New Orleans on New Years Day. Yeah. Im just saying. If I am a college student in NO on New Years Eve, I think its against Man Law not to go scope the Mardi Gras-like party that is happening just a block away. Im sure Urban Myer is planning an Alcatraz-like security lock down of his hotel just so none of his players even think about the opportunity. That being said, I have Florida winning this game, IF Florida is smart and none of their players get suspended, which is highly unlikely. Florida is used to the big stage, as they have won two championships in recent years. I also think that Cincy lacks the "Big Game" experience that is often overlooked in these situations. It also doesnt help that their head coach will be interviewing for the Norte Dame job during the preperation for this game. Talk about a distraction. We really know where his priorities are.

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Ohio State- This game has potential to be an entertaining match-up. Oregon is fun to watch. I mean the first game of the year, their stud RB thinks hes Iron Mike in his prime and cold-cocks this dude who has no idea its coming. (It was one of those moments when you feel bad for the guy whos laying unconscious, but can stop watching the replay thinking to yourself, "That was so bad ass". Anyone who has played a sport knows there are times when you just want to release your fury on someones grill. Some people just handle it differently than others.) Ohio State on the other hand reminds me of the San Antonio Spurs. Boring as hell to watch, but very efficent. Run-and-Gun Outlaws vs Grind-It-Out Professionals. Two contrasting styles playing for the Roses. That QB Masoli for Oregon made a very solid USC defense look like he was playing a Pop Warner All-Star team. (over 400 total yds and 2 TDs). And Chip Kelly is a perfect fit for that program. Give me the Ducks in this one.

Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs Boise State- Ok thats it. To hell with the BCS. TCU deserves better than this. I hate that they are getting penalized because they play in a weak conference and that they didnt have a Conference Championship game. This team is for real. Gary Patterson is a great coach and dosent get the credit he deserves. The man pretty much has to watch all the top recruits in his state go to the Longhorns, but it dosent matter. He wins with what he gets. And whats even better, he doesnt complain about it one bit. Whenever everyone thought he would go to Norte Dame, he signs an extension to stay in Fort Worth, because he believes he can win a National Championship at TCU even with the corrupt BCS system. TCU is lucky to have that kind of loyalty. Anyways, off that soapbox. Boise State is no push over. I just think everyone would have liked to seen how Boise State and TCU matched up with the power conference teams. Oh well, this is what we get. Havent seen much of Boise this year, with exception of the 1st round TKO that happend in the first week of the season (see above). They beat an Oregon team, which I am high on, so this game will be hard fought and interesting. But after this game, the winner will have to face the questions of how good they really are. Its not fair. These smaller conference schools can play with the big boys, they just need a chance. (Example: Boise State upends Oklahoma on the famous Statue of Liberty play, and last year Utah smoked Alabama 31-17. Nobody gave Boise or Utah a shot in those games.) I have TCU winning this game in a close one.

Welcome

Thank you for checking out my blog. I will be writing about a variety of subjects here. Whatever comes to my mind that day will be jotted down for everyone to see. You can expect a lot of posts about sports, as I have a strong passion for the subject as well as a wealth of useless knowledge that is really quite pathetic. I encourage your feedback and look forward to debating with most of you. If you somehow feel the need to disagree with anything I post, please feel free to let me know as it would be my pleasure to prove you wrong. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

-Fresh-