Auburn Oregon showdown

Recently we found out that Auburn will face Oregon in the BCS National Championship on Monday January 10, 2011. This is exciting for many college football fans across the country because both teams are undefeated and have had great seasons, however it disappointes many fans as well. Almost everyone would like to see a BCS Playoff system so every team in the country has a fair chance. TCU for example went undefeated as well but they only have the chance to play in a BCS bowl and not for a title. It would be nice to see a playoff system but it seems like the NCAA isn't headed in that direction. Either way it appears the best two teams in the country will be playing for all the marbles and it should be a good one. I'm looking forward to the game because of the stars on each team and the high powered offenses they both have. It should be an exciting one.

Star Shines on the field, but faces trouble off

Allegations surrounding Cam Newton have been the main talks around college football for a few weeks now. The front-runner Heisman Trophy Quarterback from Auburn is all over the media and facing investigation because of people accusing him of his college choice being a matter of money. He claims he didn’t do anything wrong along with his father and they have obtained a lawyer. However, illegal recruiting is one of the most deviant acts in sports today and is hidden throughout many big-time division one programs. I saw it happen first hand when I went to WVU my first three semesters. So many big time athletes want a little extra when they are making a college choice. We also discussed earlier in the semester that illegal recruiting is one of the top abuses in intercollegiate sports. Newton was also accused of academic cheating when he went to school at Florida. All of this recent negative attention has society looking at Newton as a bad person and cheater. In the chapter about deviance in the book it discusses academic cheating. It suggests that athletes cheat more often because they have to obtain certain grades to stay on the team. I believe this is very true and Cam Newton directly relates to this because he was caught three times at Florida.

Pirates make moves

The Pirates were pretty quiet during the winter meetings but in the days following the meetings they made a few aquisitions. They signed free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay and outfielder Matt Diaz. This goes along with a few smaller signings they already made and the big adding of manager Clint Hurdle. Maybe the future is a little brighter for the BUCS?

BCS Madness

Every year around this time everyone starts to talk and complain about the good old BCS system. Already this year like in recent ones past it has created conroversy. Many fans want to see a playoff system for various resons. I would also like to see a playoff format for the simple reason that every top team has a fair shot. In the current system there are teams going to BCS bowls from the Big East and ACC who are unranked and underserving of playing in these bowls. However, I like most people would rather see a playoff system because the BCS is a huge mess.

Oden Done for the Season, Again

Former number one overall draft pick Greg Oden will undergo microfracture knee surgery and not play this season. The Portland Trail Blazers center hasn't played since December 5th of last season because of other injuries. This begins to raise the question if Oden is a bust because he has now missed two full seasons and the majority of last season after being drafted first by the Blazers in 2007. He missed his rookie season because of the same surgery on his right knee and now he will have surgery on his left knee that repairs damaged carlidge. Oden has only played 82 games over his first three seasons and will be a free agent this summer. He is the first number one pick since Kwame Brown that won't be offered a contract extension at the end of his rookie contract. It's disappointing to see something like this happen to a player because his career was so promising coming out of college at Ohio State.

Posey is NL's Top Rookie

San Francisco Giants cather Buster Posey was named the NL Rookie of the Year today. In my mind this was an obvious choice because he carried the Giants through the playoffs offensively to an eventual World Series Championship. He hit .305 during the regualar season with 18 homers and 67 RBIs. He didn't even play the entire season as he was called up from the minors in May. His strong point of the season though was in the playoffs where I can remeber seeing him on the SportsCenter highlights numerous times for hitting big home runs.

Cold night for the Heat

The "Big 3 Era" of the Miami heat began last night but not as expected. Lebron James managed to score 31 points but the Heat fell to the Boston Celtics 88-80. I turned the game on in the second half last night and just laughed and flipped the channel because Miami was down 15 points. This was the story for the majority of the game as the Celtics were ahead by 12 to 15 points. Miami's struggles can be contributed to only 21 points combined by Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and too many turnovers by the big three. With three superstars like this on one team you had to expect some problems though. I know they are saying championship or bust in Miami and I would like to see them win because I am a LeBron fan, but I just don't see it happening without a dominant post player. I can see much of the season going like last night where James and Wade turn the ball over and miss many shots because they both are used to having the ball all the time and being the premiere perimeter player on their team.