Sports Then and Now

Despite having many of the top stars in Major League Baseballs, the Brooklyn Dodgers won only one World Series title.

Now that the 2011-12 NBA season will happen, sports prognosticators will return to projecting how many championships the Miami Heat will win. Forget about the disappointment of last season — this team has more than enough talent to bring home at least a few Larry O’Brien Trophies, right? That’s what people were saying about the Lakers in the ’60s, Mets in the ’80s, and Mariners in the ’90s (different trophies for the latter two, of course), yet they wound up with just two championships between them when all was said and done. The following would-be dynasties failed to meet expectations for a multitude of reasons — including injuries, team chemistry problems, free agency, drugs, and even a strike — leaving fans wondering what might have been had things gone a little differently.

1940s and ’50s Brooklyn Dodgers
Even if the Dodgers had won multiple World Series titles during this era, the franchise would’ve been more remembered for its role in integrating baseball by signing and promoting Jackie Robinson. More than just an inspiring figure in the Civil Rights Movement, Robinson was an ideal second baseman with tremendous speed, excellent contact ability, and exemplary defense. He played alongside Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax, one of the most talent-rich rosters in baseball history. From 1947 to 1956, the team won six NL pennants and the 1955 World Series, a resume worthy of NL dynasty status, but not MLB dynasty status.

1960s and ’70s Los Angeles Lakers
Before the Buffalo Bills, there were the Lakers. Sure, they had already won four of the first 10 NBA championships, but, with seven Finals losses in nine seasons during the 1960s and ’70s, they were the original poster child for second best. The primary culprit for their failures was the Celtics, who reeled off a remarkable 11 championships in 13 seasons. The Lakers also faced a 76ers team with perhaps the most dominant player off all time, Wilt Chamberlain, and a hungry Knicks team led by Willis Reid and Walt Frazier. When management figured out the mere presence of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor wasn’t enough, it added an older but still effective Chamberlain. The team finally got over the hump in 1973, after Baylor retired and Gail Goodrich had been added to the roster. Read the rest of this entry →

The Big East will produce at least 6 teams to the NCAA Tournament This Season.

As we near the start of the 2011-2012 College Basketball Season, we look at the unanimous best conference, the Big East:

Prime Timing Sports Preseason Big East Rankings:

*- makes NCAA Tournament

RBEC- Regular Season Big East Champion

BETC- Big East Tournament Champion

#1- Connecticut Huskies*RBEC, BETC

#2- Syracuse Orange*

#3- Pittsburgh Panthers*

#4- Louisville Cardinals*

#5- Cincinnati Bearcats*

#6- Marquette Golden Eagles*

#7- Notre Dame Fighting Irish*

#8- West Virginia Mountaineers*

#9- Villanova Wildcats

#10- St. John’s Red Storm

#11- Georgetown Hoyas

#12- Rutgers Scarlet Knights

#13- Seton Hall Pirates

#14- Providence Friars

#15- Depaul Blue Demons

#16- South Florida Bulls

Prime Timing Sports Preseason Big East All 1st Team:

Ashton Gibbs- Guard- Pitt

Jeremy Lamb- Guard- Forward- Uconn

Kevin Jones- Guard-Forward- WVU

Kris Joseph- Forward- ‘Cuse

Tim Abromaitis- Forward- Notre Dame

Prime Timing Sports 3 Things To Watch:

1. Can Villanova make the field?:

With the Big 3, Pena, Fisher and Stokes all gone, Maalik Wayns will have big shoes to fill. With Isiah Armwood transferring to George Washington, Maurice Sutton and Wayns will be to go to guys, along with Yarou. Villanova Coach Jay Wright always puts a solid team out on the floor, but it will be interesting to see how the Wildcats compete in the competitive Big East Conference. Read the rest of this entry →

The Princeton football program was once more dominant than USC, Alabama or Florida have been in recent generations..

College sports fans often complain about the disparity between the “haves” and “have nots.” In college football, Alabama, Notre Dame, USC and Oklahoma own a bulk of the national titles from the last 90 years. In college basketball, UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana and Kansas are the dominant six that have presided over the sport over last several decades. While parity may never truly take hold, the powerhouses will likely change over time, as evidenced by the examples of former powerhouses provided below. These programs aren’t nearly as dominant — or nearly as relevant — as they were years ago, but they’ll always have those glory years in which they immeasurably contributed to the evolution of major college athletics.

Princeton Tigers football
With 28 claimed national titles, even Alabama fans are taken aback by Princeton’s early dominance. The Tigers were early adopters of the sport, a variant of rugby, participating in the first-ever football game against Rutgers on November 6, 1869. They lost 6-4, but won the rematch a week later, leading to a split of the first national title. During the first 40 years of college football, the Tigers won 22 national titles, an era of success unparalleled by any other college athletic team — save for their rivals at Yale. Their last national title came in 1950, which was followed by Dick Kazmaier’s Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1951, the only time a Tiger has won the award.

Yale Bulldogs football
During the late 19th century, college football became more structured, closer resembling the sport we know today. Head coaches were being hired for the first time, perhaps the most notable of which was Walter Camp, the “Father of Football,” who finished his playing career at Yale six years before he was hired. He tallied a 67-2 record at the helm, capturing three national titles. None of his successors lost more than two games until 1914, 22 years after he left the program. The foundation he nurtured is the primary reason Yale ranks second all-time in wins behind Michigan, boasts 28 College Football Hall of Fame inductees — such as Amos Alonzo Stagg — and two Heisman winners.

Harvard Crimson football
Yale’s archrival isn’t quite as accomplished, but possesses a rich history of success consisting of 12 national titles and 20 College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Although the Crimson’s last claimed national title came in 1920, a year in which it defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, it remains the eighth winningest program in college football history. Their most cherished wins have come in “The Game” — though they trail the series 54-65-8 — which has been played since 1875, making it the second-oldest continuing rivalry in college football. Many of the sport’s rules and traditions were born during the yearly event. Read the rest of this entry →

In case you have had your head in the sand, or perhaps in a basketball, for the last three years, these are not particularly good economic times for most Americans. The unemployment rate remains above 9 percent and the even more significantly under-employed rate is over 16%. At the same time, wages for those who are lucky enough to have and keep a job are increasing at about one third the rate of expenses for the average American.

Yet, despite this climate of economic crisis, the NBA and its players have decided that now is a good time to engage in a battle of wills that appears to be destined to derail the start of the NBA season and potentially the entire season.

You would think they might have learned something from their counterparts in the NFL.

After five months of throwing punches back and forth, when the NFL and its players absolutely had to make an agreement to avoid a work stoppage they came to a deal that will help keep growing their $9 billion industry. The result is that ratings are up so far in 2011 and the sport has seen no lasting impact from their short-lived labor woes.

As the NBA reaches their point of no return before regular season games are scrapped, they might want to take a hard look at their sport and its place in the American hierarchy.

Even in a normal year, only die-hard fans of the 30 NBA teams really pay attention to the start of the NBA season. It typically isn’t until after March Madness ends in early April and the NBA playoffs are about to begin that the sport seizes control of sports talk shows and the interest of most sports fans.

It appears to me as an outsider that losing early season games likely has a greater impact on the players than it does on the owners. The league has been hemorrhaging money for many years and except for the most successful markets where they have a strong season ticket base, games in November and December when there are many other things to occupy the interest of fans probably aren’t the biggest draws. Plus, since most of the nationally televised games happen in the second half of the season and in the playoffs, missing a month or two shouldn’t have a huge impact on television revenue.

However, for players who have not seen a paycheck since last spring, they probably have been counting the days until the paychecks start rolling in. While the superstars with outside endorsement deals are likely to be okay for a while financially, the average NBA player is probably starting to sweat a bit at the prospect of additional months without significant income. Read the rest of this entry →

Recent "scandals" have brought up the topic of paying Collegiate Athletes.

This offseason has been by far the worst offseason in the history of College Football. USC and Ohio State have broken NCAA regulations and the allegations surrounding Miami (though not yet proven) are even worse. These situations, along with many others in recent years, beg the question as to whether college athletes should be paid.

Here’s the answer:

This a tough question, because everyone wants to see their favorite team out on the field and winning games, not being inspected and searched by the NCAA, but college athletes should NOT be paid or rewarded beyond what they already receive. Read the rest of this entry →

The 4 Major Sports Teams In Philadelphia.

For years, the thought of Philadelphia as a sports city was unheard of and rare by national fanatics. Now, with the recent surge from the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and possibly even the Sixers, Philadelphia is finally becoming known to the sports nation.

We’ll start with the Philadelphia Phillies, baseball’s best team. With only 2 championships in hand, the Phillies reputation is diminished and scarce. In 2008, doubters were quieted after a postseason field day was brought to the city of brotherly love, with the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the 2008 World Series. After a year of heartbreak, the Phillies are back for more. At 74-39, Philadelphia is completely destroying Major League Baseball, and a 9.5 division lead over the Braves is showing it. With a more than solid pitching rotation, including Hamels, Halladay, Oswalt, Lee and outstanding rookie Vance Worley, Philadelphia has a 3.06 team ERA. Recently acquiring OF Hunter Pence from Houston solidifies the lineup and brings more power and consistency for the postseason. For the Phillies, it can’t get better than this.

Now we turn to the Eagles, a team getting national attention for the big named players recently acquired by the organization. Philadelphia was keen on defense, bringing in CB Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie, CB Nnamdi Asomaugha, and DE Jason Babin along with shipping out unhappy QB Kevin Kolb in the process. Don’t forget the pickup of QB Vince Young, which is solid security for the injury plagued, mobile Quarterback Michael Vick. With Desean Jackson ending his holdout, and WR Jeremy Maclin getting healthy, Philadelphia has emerged as the team to beat. Granted, the season hasn’t even started yet, but the Birds new look is hard to argue against. I’m not sure with the “Dream Team” phrase that has rumored around the city of brotherly love, but a Playoff Caliber team is surely in store for the Eagles. Read the rest of this entry →