Maybe Next Year

This has been a year of unlikely happenings. And while the world seems to be falling apart everywhere you look with the economic crisis, the on going wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the end of these being nowhere in sight, there have been some great things that have happened this year. And with the new year comes new hope.

I'm just going to talk about the good things in the sports world. Though I love politics, I've tried to keep this blog free of my personal views on the election. However, it is impossible to talk about things happening this year without at least mentioning the historic election of Barack Obama. And to tie this into sports somehow, he has expressed interest in getting a playoff system for college football. And for that policy he has my whole hearted support.

This year has been one of upsets and unlikely characters winning. The World Series featured the Tampa Bay Ray, who had never before had a winning season and the Philadelphia Phillies, whose city had suffered from a 25 year championship drought. The Phillies won and the in an even more unlikely turn of events, everyone is Philadelphia was happy for a few weeks. That was a truly amazing sight. The Rays gave hope to every small market team that with good management and a well stocked farm system allows a team to compete even in a division with the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Another surprise this year for me was the Ravens actually being competitive. With so much turnover and so many changes I picked them to go 5-11. They are now one win away from having the opposite record and going to the playoffs. My hopes for maybe next year turned into maybe this year. A win over Jacksonville tomorrow will cement a playoff berth and even a loss with some help could send them into the post season. The Ravens have been competitive all season and had some hard losses. Overall, they've been really fun to watch and it's been great to finally see some offense from this team.

The Terps football team was one of constant surprises. Each week a different team seemed to take the field. And they seemed to win the games they were supposed to lose and lose the ones they were supposed to win. They went from thoroughly enjoyable to completely unwatchable. It was a frustrating season, but they ended with a respectable record and a bowl game. So next year hopefully they'll be a tad more consistent and go to a bowl game in a warm city, instead of Boise. But a bowl game is always nice, expect another post about this soon.

The Terps basketball team is off to a great start this season. They are 8-2 and winning at the moment. They haven't lost any truly damaging out of conference games. They're only two losses coming to Georgetown and Gonzaga, both ranked. And they have managed upset wins over Michigan and Michigan State. They are playing well with a young team and look to be in a good position going into ACC play in the new year. Hopefully this season will end with a tournament appearance, and not the NIT. Right now things are looking good for the young Terps team.

I also discovered hockey this year. And apparently at the right time. The Caps went from being one of the worst teams in the league to winning their division and making the playoffs last year. Even though they were eliminated in the first round, they fought til the end and gained good experience. This season, the Caps have suffered injury after injury and are still leading their division by ten points. They could make a good run this season if they can get everyone or mostly everyone healthy by playoff time.

Even the Orioles seem to be moving in the right direction. They are shoring up their farm system and trying to sign young players to improve their core. They didn't get Teixeira, but not all is lost. The hometown boy probably wouldn't have been the savior they were looking for anyway. And while it's a slap in the face to go play in New York, that money can be better spent on quality pitching, a far more pressing need for this team. But with Baltimore back on the jerseys, maybe next season will be a winning one.

The Summer Olympics also took place this year. Michael Phelps popularized swimming and won a record eight gold medals. There was also some scandal involved with possibly underage gymnasts. And Usain Bolt shattered his world record 100 meter time even though he slowed down at the end to showboat. China dominated sports I didn't know existed like synchronized diving and trampoline. But the US had strong showing overall and I got sucked into watching sports I didn't care about and cheering for unlikely comebacks. I'm actually excited to see what happens in four years.

The new year is a time to look back and see how far things have come. Its a time to remember the good things of the year and think of ways to make the next year better. With so much turmoil and uncertainty in the world right now its nice to be able to look at sports think of the eternal hope of sports fans. Maybe next year things will turn around.

Thanks for everyone who has supported and read my blog this year. I've really enjoyed writing it and appreciate all the comments and criticisms. I'll try to get a few more posts up this year, but I thought I'd thank you all in advance. Have a happy new year.

Leave it to the French to Add Drama

I was tired last night. So tired I was no longer enthusiastic about watching the Olympics. I even said, "I just want this relay to be over so I can go to sleep." That was before the race. After the 4x100 free style relay I was literally jumping up and down yelling. If you didn't watch the race, then you missed out. I'm still pretty pumped about it.

First, let me set the scene. The American B team relay set a new world record in the semi-final heat. The French however, also had their B team swim. Both teams wanted to let their best swimmers rest up for the final. The world record holding Frenchman, Alain Bernard, added to the intrigue by talking trash before hand. When asked what he thought about the American team, he commented, "The Americans? We are going to smash them. That's what we came here to do." I mean its ok to be cocky, but you better be ready to back up strong words like that. Especially when the US B team broke the world relay record. Even the announcers seemed convinced that there was no team that could possibly compete with the French. They were just too good.

So here's a quick recap. Phelps led off for the US and broke the American record and was just one hundredth of a second from the world record without having the best split in the pool, that honor went to Australia, who set the new 100 free world record. (The world record can only be set on the first leg of the race or in an individual event.) Then, the Weber-Gale swam a great second split keeping pace. Cullins then had the slowest split on the American team, a tenth of a second slower than Phelps. But that was enough for the French to take a commanding lead. By the time the anchors hit the water, Bernard had a good lead on Lezak, and coming off the turn into the final 50 meters Bernard had almost a full body length on Lezak. Lezak, a seasoned 32 year old athlete, said the momentarily gave up hope. But then he dismissed those thoughts and dug deep. Really deep. He started to muscle back. And all of a sudden the announcers that had written him off, saying he was swimming for silver, started to change their minds. Lezak gained and gained and at the end Lezak and Bernard were separated by just a finger tip. Lezak finished 8 hundredths of a second ahead with the fastest split in relay history, 46.06 seconds.

And the crowd went wild, his teammates went wild, my brother and I went wild, everyone I talked to today said they went wild. We're talking about a swimming relay race at 11:30 at night. And yet, most of the people I know were watching it and cheering. The American underdog team broke the world record by over 4 seconds. In fact, the top 4 teams all broke the world record set only the night before. Imagine breaking a world record and not even medaling. This is what makes the Olympics special, the vast majority of the time, no one cares about swimming. But last night, it brought us together. So many people were glued to the TV routing on a few swimmers most people had never heard of before. We watched an impossible comeback and we cheered. We were united. This race was truly what the Olympics are about.

Olympic Obsession

So, I'm not quite at the level of that girl in the AT&T commercial; but, I have realized that I'm pretty obsessed with the Olympics and Michael Phelps. Last night while walking to meet some friends out at the bar, I walked by a different bar and saw all eyes turned to the race on TV. Assuming that, it must be the 400 Individual Medley, Michael Phelps first final. Come on, there's no other reason that a bar full of guys is watching swimming. Oh, I love the Olympics. I dart into the bar, ask about the race, and my suspicions were correct. Someone asks the order of strokes. And I'm off on a tangent and commentary about the race, Phelps and swimming in general. Someone comments that I need to come and be their swimming announcer for the Olympics. Then the race is over, Phelps has dominated by finishing two and a half seconds in front of the silver medalist, and I'm out the door on my way to meet up with my friends somewhere else.

And then I realize, I'm a little obsessed. I just spent a few minutes explaining to strangers that Phelps has a longer wingspan than his height. That he's racing against one of his close friends and great swimmer in the 400 IM, that he has freakish ankles that help him kick better, and that his turn are where he gains his real advantage. And I did not for one second feel awkward or weird about it.

When I get to the next bar, my eyes are glued to the TV. I probably should have stayed home and just watched the Olympics since I'm that anti-social. With Mixed Martial Arts on the other TV, I am surprised when I'm not the only person watching swimming. Did I mention, I love the Olympics. When else is it possible to not only watch swimming on TV, but watch it at the bar. I am in heaven. My biggest problem is the lack of underwater camera use. I think the underwater camera should be used for more than just highlights at the end of the race.

Also, there's other random sports on in between swimming. When does anyone ever watch mens gymnastics? But all of a sudden its on and I'm watching. And I realize something else. While I'm sure that it takes a lot of strength and agility, but it just doesn't look that hard. And its kind of boring. Wow, you can hold onto some rings, I can see why no one really watches this sport. I'm sure its hard and all, but I'm sorry, its just not exciting and doesn't really look that cool. And somehow, I still watched it last night at the bar. That's what the Olympics is all about, getting excited about random competition between countries. And with the burgeoning US-China rivalry, this storyline is worth watching no matter the event.

Its Time to Start Getting Excited

The end of summer is generally a time of anticipation for sports fans. NFL training camps start up. College football is almost here and the preseason rankings and speculation come out. And the playoff race in baseball is heating up. But this year we sports fans have an extra treat. In just a few day the Olympics are going to begin.

Eight is a lucky number in China, so the Opening Ceremony will take place on 8/8/08 at 8:08 pm. Hmmm.....the number 8 is also significant to Americans this Olypmics. Or at least one American swimmer who is vying to win 8 gold medals in one games for the first time in history. Michael Phelps, in case you haven't heard, is the swimming prodigy for Maryland, who actually has a shot at doing this. He has freakishly long arms, with huge hands and feet. He's broken what seems like every possible world record and he just keeps getting better. And man, is he fun to watch swim. I'd check it out if I were you. In a concession to the Americans, the major swim races will be held in the morning so they can be broadcast live in prime time in the US. So you won't have to hear the announcer disclaim that this event is on a 12 hour time delay, which is sure to happen during pretty much every other telecast.

I love to watch swimming but the Summer Games are really just all around great. Track and field, gymnastics, I even find myself watching pieces of cycling during the Olympics. Most of the time I'll just flip through those other random sports, but something about competing on the world stage against not just other athletes but other countries is enthralling to me.

So while training camp is going on (and I plan on going soon) and people are talking about whether or not the recent arrests will effect UGA's chances as the number one ranked school for preseason college football, I will probably find myself watching Judo, or synchronized swimming. Not that I won't be keeping up with everything else going on. It'll just be on the back burner. I'll still know that the Ravens are injury plagued already, but still are only saying good things about Harbaurgh. Or that Maryland managed to get 4 points in the USA Today poll. But the Olympics only happen every 4 years. So right now I'll stick to watching the rhythmic gymnastics and the medal count. And hoping and dreaming that a 8 gold medals really is possible. It's going to be fun.