It’s been quite some time since my last “Chat Rat” article. Then again, it’s been quite some time since there was a sports story worthy enough to talk about. I’m sure some of you are thinking there was plenty of sports news to talk about over the summer of 2010. And I understand that this summer has been way more interesting than the normal bore of sports during the summer months (midseason baseball). As for the interesting and important sports developments that did occur this year (NBA Free Agency, World Cup 2010, all the major championships in golf, NFL Preseason and college football conference expansion, etc), the best way for me to hit all of these events and shed some light on the implications of them is to start a new segment. So here it is, some “Rat Chatter” to bring together the events of summer 2010 and get you prepared for the start of football season.
• But first, how could we possibly move on without first talking about that amazing battle between the Lakers and Celtics in the NBA Finals?! Yawn…
• Chicago finally won a Stanley Cup again! Yes, that did happen. What a series between Philly and Chi-town. In case you haven’t noticed, youth has become increasingly vital to success in the NHL since the lockout.
• Time to talk some World Cup 2010! How great was that tournament? I know some hard-core baseball and football fans will always knock soccer in the USA…and to be honest, they have every right, because it will NEVER be as popular as either of those two sports…but that was an incredible display of international competition.
• The Americans battled hard but ended up losing to Ghana…again. The goal of the U.S. team was to win the World Cup. Instead, maybe it should have been to make it past the first five minutes of the game without giving up a goal.
• As for the Campeones! ESPAÑA! The favorites coming in showed why they were the team to beat. As you may recall, I picked Spain to win it all when the tournament in my World Cup 2010 article. Congratulations to a very respectable football nation, Spain, who won their first ever FIFA World Cup.
• Man it must suck to be a fan of the Netherlands. They STILL haven’t won a World Cup after being in the finals three times! Ouch.
• Speaking of never winning…poor Cleveland.
• Just to clarify, in NO way did I enjoy what happened with LeBron’s “Decision”. But can you really blame the guy? I mean, that city is really, really dull. Miami probably looks like Paris to Bron-Bron right now.
• With that said, how pathetic and ridiculous was that scenario? I mean, an hour TV special on the mother-ship just to say he was leaving Cleveland to join D-Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat? For you Miami fans, it’s the best thing to happen in sports for that city since the undefeated Dolphins season.
• Nobody cares that Bosh and Wade chose the Heat over the Knicks and Bulls. Only that LeBron left the Cavs. It seems like he went from being one of the most-liked players in all of sports to the most-hated…pretty impressive for a guy just switching teams.
• By the way, he’s no longer “The King” in my book.
• Magic fans! CONGRATS! For what, you say? I don’t know. Pretty lame offseason for Orlando. Maybe they can beat the Heat on inspiration? Doubt it.
• At least Orlando still has Tiger Woods…errr. Wow, has that guy dropped of the pedestal over the past year! Hard to believe that before this year, we all envisioned him breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories and becoming the greatest golfer ever. Now, without a win since his cheating fiasco, and 0-4 in majors this year, Tiger looks more average than ever.
• As for the rest of the field, what a crazy year! So many different winners this year that even a casual golf fan would not recognize. It was good to see Phil win the Masters after all that has happened with his wife and her battle with breast cancer.
• Speaking of cancer, my best wishes go out to former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Bill Cowher, who lost his wife to breast cancer over the summer.
• Well, it’s baseball season!…STILL! Almost playoff time now, actually! I know, 162 regular season games isn’t enough! Right…
• Truthfully, the race for the pennant has been much, much closer than normal. Still…WHY?! Why is the baseball season so long?
• Don’t get me wrong. I’m a baseball fan. I love the game. But is it really necessary to play 18 games against each team in your own division? On top of that, we have known who the playoff teams are for a month already!
• Have you seen Stephen Strasburg pitch? Wow, that kid is impressive.
• That’s another thing. Welcome to the POST-steroid era. (Yes, Roger Clemens, you did use steroids.) In 135 years of professional baseball, only 20 perfect games have been recorded. Two of those were this year with Dallas Braden (who?) and Roy Halladay. On top of that, another three no-hitters were thrown in 2010. REALLY?? Of course, how could you forget that ridiculous call on Armando Galarraga’s bid for yet another perfect game! At least umpire, Jim Joyce, was kind enough to admit his mistake.
• Which brings me to my next point, instant replay in baseball. To Commissioner Bud Selig…Do it. Football did and it was just fine. Actually, football is better now than it was before they adopted instant replay. It won’t affect the game or its integrity. Lets get the calls right and move on.
• I can feel it in the air already. Hot dogs, sausages, and burgers cooking on the grill. Ice-cold beer sitting in the cooler. Cheerleaders, bands, and FOOTBALL.
• Football season is like nothing else. It’s the biggest and best sport in America. The NFL Preseason is in full effect, as are college training camps. Taking you around both levels of competition is my next stop.
• Hey, did you hear Brett Favre is back? SHOCKER! He says now it’s definitely his last year. Can anyone who knows anything about this guy believe that? He’s going to help that team though, no doubt about that.
• Nobody could possibly get more notoriety or preseason hype than the New York Jets. They make it to the AFC Championship one year and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. They did manage to bring in guys like LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor, and Antonio Cromartie. However, I don’t see the J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! in the Super Bowl if CB Darrelle Revis continues to hold out this season.
• At least Revis is holding out for guaranteed money and not suspended (see Ben Roethlisberger). Although I guess a 4-6 game suspension isn’t that bad. I want Ben’s lawyer. That guy is good.
• Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning…no surprise there! Although if you haven’t seen Eli’s bloody performance this week, you need to.
• Terrell Owens said, “I’m Batman,” leading Chad Johnson to reluctantly respond, “And I’m Robin.” We’ll see how that dynamic duo works out. My guess: complaints to QB Carson Palmer, by game three.
• Carson Palmer graduated from USC. So did Reggie Bush. What a mess that has been. How appropriate for Lane Kiffin to be involved (he’s like the LeBron of football). USC has to vacate wins, a national championship, and is banned from bowl games for the next two years…all because Reggie Bush accepted gifts from an NFL agent. Reggie doesn’t care. He still has his Heisman Trophy sitting at home and last I checked, a Super Bowl ring. As for USC, they are still going to be a dominant force in the Pac-10 (soon to be Pac-12.)
• Which brings me to my next point, conference expansion. Interesting choices with Nebraska moving to the Big Ten while Colorado and Utah both set to join the Pac-10. More recently, Nevada and Fresno State have opted to join Boise State in a move from the WAC to the MWC.
• What happened to the Big East? They were expected to be one of the first conferences raided and nothing happened! Bad news for UCF. Or is it? The Knights are looking to join a BCS conference, but it is still unclear whether the Big East is the best choice. There is still more shuffling expected in the next few years, and UCF is certainly on the BCS conference radar.
• Did you notice that ESPN had UCF going 11-1 or 10-2 this year? WOW! I would feel more confident if I knew we had a capable quarterback, but man our team is talented. Should be an interesting season. In my opinion, a successful season for the Knights would be a Top-25 ranking at the end of the year and a bowl victory. That would do GREAT things for recruiting.
• NO MORE TEBOW! Except for you newly converted Broncos fans. What is up with that?! Buying Tebow NFL gear just cause he WAS a Gator? Pathetic. How many Kevin Smith Lions’ jerseys do you see around UCF? Honestly…this is just absurd.
I graduated from UCF in the summer, but still have every intention of writing sports articles for KnightNews as an alumnus contributor. I will have an in-depth look into the start of football season in early September, and also will be covering the UCF football games weekly, so stay tuned for that. So now that the summer months are over, and the busy months of sports are about to begin…LETS GET IT ON!!!
