In case you guys weren’t able to skip work and make this day into the national holiday it deserves, I decided to do some quick hits on the first day of Madness. In return hopefully someone will return the favor tomorrow when I’m stuck at work?
1) ND vs. Old Dominion aged me 10 years at least: It was like football season was back and I didn’t even know it...and just like football season Notre Dame finds a way to lose at the very end. How many times do I have to watch a Notre Dame game and bite my nails till the very end? Notre Dame really owes me a serious manicure!
2) Can you think of a better way to start March Madness then having two of the first three games go to overtime?? Didn’t think so!
3) Why does ESPN not have March Madness? It is ridiculous to not have three different channels to watch every game on. I watched the double OT game of BYU vs. Florida...and while this was exciting, I really wished I could have watched at the same time the tie game between Robert Morris and Nova with 1 minute left. With ESPN, we would have a game on ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC and I wouldn’t have been searching furiously for places to watch the action on the internet. NCAA please make this switch to ESPN happen!
4) Is it bad karma to pick against the school you’ll probably be at next year? Hope not, or I’m screwed from picking Murry St over Vanderbilt...then again, watching Murry St hit that game-winner at the buzzer was worth any bad luck I’ll get!
5) The Low Point of the Day: Wait...you have to be kidding me right? There is no way that CBS decided to turn off college basketball when a great game was going on (Butler vs. UTEP) for Judge Judy! Think I’m kidding? I wish...but believe me, I couldn’t come up with something that sadistic. Another reason for ESPN to take over (as if you really needed one!). The saddest part of the whole thing though...I wasn’t surprised at all that this happened.
6) Some trivia for you…what is the biggest first round upset ever? A 15 seed beating a 2 seed! It’s happened four times: Richmond over Syracuse in 1991; Santa Clara over Arizona in 1993; Coppin State over USC in 1997; and Hampton over Iowa State in 2001. Well…that would have been the answer this morning. Now there are five 2 seeds that have lost...welcome to the group Georgetown!
7)Northern Iowa vs. UNLV continued the theme of great games. Another last second shot to win the game..and that shot was WAY downtown. Definite NBA range baby (there will continually be dickie v quotes throughout March Madness...so deal with it)! reat opening day to the best sporting event ever.
8) A sixteen seed still hasn’t won a game against a one seed...well, there’s always tomorrow!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Navigating the Madness
It’s time for that most wonderful time of the year again boys and girls…no I’m not talking about Christmas! Even better! Mid-March has arrived and that means that the Madness has officially begun.
Tomorrow, I will sit in front of the TV from the first game at 9:45 till the last game at 9! Don’t think it’s possible? Well you are overlooking my TV-watching powers. I have the local pizza place on speed dial, which takes care of lunch and dinner, and have cleared out my day of any messy entanglements (aka work). As far as I’m concerned the opening day of March Madness is a national holiday and I am intent on treating it like one.
For those of you who are slightly more sane than I am when it comes to March Madness (aka, everyone), I have devised a quick cheat sheet concerning the upcoming tournament.
1) Filling out your bracket – Underdog Teams are fun, but they won’t win you a bracket. I know you always hear that the person who always wins the bracket has no idea what is going on, but trust me. The person who wins will not have a final four Lehigh, Temple, Old Dominion and Gonzaga. If you want to be different, stick to picking the 3 and 4 seeds to win the whole thing.
2) First Round Games that are a must see:
. a) Old Dominion vs. Notre Dame: Thursday at 9:45 am pacific; I have Notre Dame making it to the sweet sixteen, but unfortunately they got matched up against a team that can easily send them packing yet again in the first round.
. b) Oklahoma St vs. Georgia Tech: Friday at 4:15 pm pacific; if you love the NBA, watch this game. More than a few “diaper dandies” as Dickie V would say.
. c) Tennessee vs. San Diego St: Thursday at 6:45 pm pacific; my upset pick of the first two days!
3) Have food on standby: Plenty of snacks are necessary to keep up the energy. Twelve hours is a long time to concentrate on basketball games, and you guys don’t have the stamina that I have built up over my 24 years of hardcore sports watching.
4) Dismiss your Bracket Quickly: I always feel bad for those people who can’t appreciate a good upset. Honestly, unless you have an interest in the game other than getting one more meaningless point in a bracket you aren’t going to win, go for the upset. Just much more arresting television and even better, you’ll feel like you’ve been part of that once in a lifetime upset.
In the words of Dickie V, “March Madness…It’s awesome Baby!” So sit back and enjoy!!
Tomorrow, I will sit in front of the TV from the first game at 9:45 till the last game at 9! Don’t think it’s possible? Well you are overlooking my TV-watching powers. I have the local pizza place on speed dial, which takes care of lunch and dinner, and have cleared out my day of any messy entanglements (aka work). As far as I’m concerned the opening day of March Madness is a national holiday and I am intent on treating it like one.
For those of you who are slightly more sane than I am when it comes to March Madness (aka, everyone), I have devised a quick cheat sheet concerning the upcoming tournament.
1) Filling out your bracket – Underdog Teams are fun, but they won’t win you a bracket. I know you always hear that the person who always wins the bracket has no idea what is going on, but trust me. The person who wins will not have a final four Lehigh, Temple, Old Dominion and Gonzaga. If you want to be different, stick to picking the 3 and 4 seeds to win the whole thing.
2) First Round Games that are a must see:
. a) Old Dominion vs. Notre Dame: Thursday at 9:45 am pacific; I have Notre Dame making it to the sweet sixteen, but unfortunately they got matched up against a team that can easily send them packing yet again in the first round.
. b) Oklahoma St vs. Georgia Tech: Friday at 4:15 pm pacific; if you love the NBA, watch this game. More than a few “diaper dandies” as Dickie V would say.
. c) Tennessee vs. San Diego St: Thursday at 6:45 pm pacific; my upset pick of the first two days!
3) Have food on standby: Plenty of snacks are necessary to keep up the energy. Twelve hours is a long time to concentrate on basketball games, and you guys don’t have the stamina that I have built up over my 24 years of hardcore sports watching.
4) Dismiss your Bracket Quickly: I always feel bad for those people who can’t appreciate a good upset. Honestly, unless you have an interest in the game other than getting one more meaningless point in a bracket you aren’t going to win, go for the upset. Just much more arresting television and even better, you’ll feel like you’ve been part of that once in a lifetime upset.
In the words of Dickie V, “March Madness…It’s awesome Baby!” So sit back and enjoy!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Movie Magic
In honor of the upcoming Oscars, I thought I would discuss my favorite class of movies...the sports flick genre! Surprised?? Ha, yeah I didn't think you would be. But seriously though, sports bring out all the best and biggest emotions we can feel. So it's not that weird that some of the best movies of all times are about sports.
So here are my Sports-themed Oscar Awards:
1) Best Actor: Kevin Costner in Bull Durham
If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to. Kevin Costner is the Kings of sports movies, so it’s only fair that he walks away with my Best Sporty-Actor Oscar.
2) Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Blind Side
Hey, one of my awards matches an actual Academy nominee! Blind Side is in the top ten of my favorite sports books and Sandra easily steals the show. Not even Julia Roberts (who turned down the role) could have done a better job.
3) Best Supporting Actress: Gena Davis in A League of their Own
Classic for any girl athlete, so if you have a little girl who loves sports make sure she sees this movie. I’ve seen it at least a hundred times and still die during the “THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL” scene.
4) Best Supporting Actor: Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans
My favorite football movie of all time; it walks the line between cliché and realism like a pro.
6) Best Adapted Screenplay: Miracle
As the Miracle on Ice is the best sports moment in history, it’s not surprisingly that the movie is equally compelling. It’s amazing to see how true to the story Disney stayed. Watch the bonus scenes and you’ll see them show movie clips side-by-side with the actual footage of the game; there is not a single difference between the two. “Do you believe in Miracles?” sums up the movie nicely.
5) Best Movie: The Field of Dreams
Honestly, there is not a better movie out there, let alone sports movie. End of story!
Quite the list right? And that doesn't even include Rudy, Rocky, Caddyshack and other classics!! Enjoy the Oscars...and let's go Sandra!!! Knock them dead!
So here are my Sports-themed Oscar Awards:
1) Best Actor: Kevin Costner in Bull Durham
If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to. Kevin Costner is the Kings of sports movies, so it’s only fair that he walks away with my Best Sporty-Actor Oscar.
2) Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Blind SideHey, one of my awards matches an actual Academy nominee! Blind Side is in the top ten of my favorite sports books and Sandra easily steals the show. Not even Julia Roberts (who turned down the role) could have done a better job.
3) Best Supporting Actress: Gena Davis in A League of their Own
Classic for any girl athlete, so if you have a little girl who loves sports make sure she sees this movie. I’ve seen it at least a hundred times and still die during the “THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL” scene.
4) Best Supporting Actor: Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans
My favorite football movie of all time; it walks the line between cliché and realism like a pro.
6) Best Adapted Screenplay: Miracle
As the Miracle on Ice is the best sports moment in history, it’s not surprisingly that the movie is equally compelling. It’s amazing to see how true to the story Disney stayed. Watch the bonus scenes and you’ll see them show movie clips side-by-side with the actual footage of the game; there is not a single difference between the two. “Do you believe in Miracles?” sums up the movie nicely.
5) Best Movie: The Field of DreamsHonestly, there is not a better movie out there, let alone sports movie. End of story!
Quite the list right? And that doesn't even include Rudy, Rocky, Caddyshack and other classics!! Enjoy the Oscars...and let's go Sandra!!! Knock them dead!
Monday, March 1, 2010
24 Special Memories
In honor of my 24th birthday, I figured it would be appropriate to list the 24 biggest sports highlights of my life, in no particular order, to date! These include personal games I played in, the best games I’ve ever watched and professional games I’ve been lucky enough to attend. So without further ado:
1) State Champions: Second year club team won in overtime to become state champions! Still have the medal proudly displayed at the top of my trophy case.
2) Yankees 2009 World Series Champs: Watching with my sister and boyfriend got to see one of my teams actually win it all!
3) Super Bowl Pats vs. Giants: We had bought my dad the 19-0 t-shirt…only to then watch the Patriots somehow lose the game they never in a million years should have. Great game, miserable end.
4) Bush Push: Five years later, still to painful to think about
5) USC vs. Texas BCS Championship: Best revenge ever. Just as it looks like Reggie and the Trojans are going to run all over the Longhorns, Bush attempts a stupid lateral resulting in a fumble that was a complete game changer. Lauren’s ankle might have been hurt in the celebration after the Longhorns victory, but it was a small price to pay for such a great moment.
6) Harvard-Yale Sophomore Year: Double OT and a Harvard victory. I only barely remember it…but hey that’s part of the fun! ☺
7) First ever Redskins game: After being lured to rooting for the Redskins by Greg, I finally got to see what the hype was all about. Definitely worth the wait. Thanks again for the tickets!
8) Red Sox End the Drought: After 86 years, the Sox finally win a world series during my first year at college in Boston. I guess I was their good luck charm, lol.
9) Harvard-Princeton Sophomore Year: My first ever start as a Varsity player at Harvard
10) USA vs China: As a young female soccer player, watching the USA win in a shootout against China was the coolest thing ever. Though it was dreadfully hot and I was literally stuck to the stone seat I was sitting on from my sweat, I didn’t dare leave my seat during the second half for fear I would miss the winning goal.
11) 8th Grade City Champions: My dad coached my basketball team every year and this was the last year he was ever my coach. Of course, we went out in style with a city championship!
12) Senior Olympics: Okay, so beer Olympics shouldn’t count. But Currier House winning the Tug-of-war challenge summed up why my college house was the best one ever!
13) 2008 Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps…need I say more?
14) USA vs. Germany World Cup: We might have lost the game, but we announced for the first time that American Men weren’t the pushover they used to be. Waking up at 4 am in the morning has never been more worth it.
15) Red Sox Climb back from a 3-0 Series deficit: Even though I wasn’t rooting for the Red Sox, it was cool to be both at Game 4 and Game 5. Never seen a crazier atmosphere then when the Dave Roberts stole 2nd.
16) Celtics vs. Lakers 2008 Game 1: Ended my graduation going to the much-anticipated Lakers vs Celtics series. Had my family with me, my childhood friend Lauren (one of the grads), and Katie Fifer (another one of the grads) and her family with me. And to top it all off, the Lakers lost!
17) Senior Softball Season: One of the tightest teams I’ve ever been on and one of the best. We conquered Vegas and the Delphic league. Undefeated regular season, o yeah!
18) Michigan vs. Harvard: Tommy Amaker comes to Harvard, and what does he deliver but a home court victory over the Wolverines! Finally got to rush the court like other normal schools!
19) Davidson Storms the tournament: March madness is all about the upsets, but my particular favorite was when we were introduced to Curry. Has a single player ever dominated that event to the same extent? I don’t think so.
20) Sanchez’s No Hitter: Sitting in a bar in San Francisco, it was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. Greg and I had started watching in the 3rd and agreed that we wouldn’t leave until he lost the perfect game/no-hitter. The night started off as any other, but ended in shots!
21) Bean Pot: One of the truly unique Boston sports events out there. I went every year and got to experience it with some of my best friends, my dad and my boyfriend.
22) Red Sox Ring Ceremony: Again, I don’t like the Red Sox. But it was crazy to see that many grown men crying.
23) Tiger US Open: Who else could win a golf tournament on one leg!
24) Last High school soccer game: First round of playoffs we played a much bigger public school. We ended up winning 3-2. I scored once and assisted twice. The last assist of my high school career couldn’t have been better. After beating the right defender, I charged to the goal. Though I had an open shot, I saw my sister streaking towards the goal out of the corner of my eye. Drawing the goalie and the last defender to me, I crossed the ball to Katie. One sliding shot later, and Campbell Hall had one in overtime with a Kerr-to-Kerr goal.
Sports are special because they bring people together. I’ve been lucky to share some greats sports memories with those who are closest to me. Here’s to the past 24 years of great sports memories, with many more to come!
1) State Champions: Second year club team won in overtime to become state champions! Still have the medal proudly displayed at the top of my trophy case.
2) Yankees 2009 World Series Champs: Watching with my sister and boyfriend got to see one of my teams actually win it all!
3) Super Bowl Pats vs. Giants: We had bought my dad the 19-0 t-shirt…only to then watch the Patriots somehow lose the game they never in a million years should have. Great game, miserable end.
4) Bush Push: Five years later, still to painful to think about
5) USC vs. Texas BCS Championship: Best revenge ever. Just as it looks like Reggie and the Trojans are going to run all over the Longhorns, Bush attempts a stupid lateral resulting in a fumble that was a complete game changer. Lauren’s ankle might have been hurt in the celebration after the Longhorns victory, but it was a small price to pay for such a great moment.
6) Harvard-Yale Sophomore Year: Double OT and a Harvard victory. I only barely remember it…but hey that’s part of the fun! ☺
7) First ever Redskins game: After being lured to rooting for the Redskins by Greg, I finally got to see what the hype was all about. Definitely worth the wait. Thanks again for the tickets!
8) Red Sox End the Drought: After 86 years, the Sox finally win a world series during my first year at college in Boston. I guess I was their good luck charm, lol.
9) Harvard-Princeton Sophomore Year: My first ever start as a Varsity player at Harvard
10) USA vs China: As a young female soccer player, watching the USA win in a shootout against China was the coolest thing ever. Though it was dreadfully hot and I was literally stuck to the stone seat I was sitting on from my sweat, I didn’t dare leave my seat during the second half for fear I would miss the winning goal.
11) 8th Grade City Champions: My dad coached my basketball team every year and this was the last year he was ever my coach. Of course, we went out in style with a city championship!
12) Senior Olympics: Okay, so beer Olympics shouldn’t count. But Currier House winning the Tug-of-war challenge summed up why my college house was the best one ever!
13) 2008 Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps…need I say more?
14) USA vs. Germany World Cup: We might have lost the game, but we announced for the first time that American Men weren’t the pushover they used to be. Waking up at 4 am in the morning has never been more worth it.
15) Red Sox Climb back from a 3-0 Series deficit: Even though I wasn’t rooting for the Red Sox, it was cool to be both at Game 4 and Game 5. Never seen a crazier atmosphere then when the Dave Roberts stole 2nd.
16) Celtics vs. Lakers 2008 Game 1: Ended my graduation going to the much-anticipated Lakers vs Celtics series. Had my family with me, my childhood friend Lauren (one of the grads), and Katie Fifer (another one of the grads) and her family with me. And to top it all off, the Lakers lost!
17) Senior Softball Season: One of the tightest teams I’ve ever been on and one of the best. We conquered Vegas and the Delphic league. Undefeated regular season, o yeah!
18) Michigan vs. Harvard: Tommy Amaker comes to Harvard, and what does he deliver but a home court victory over the Wolverines! Finally got to rush the court like other normal schools!
19) Davidson Storms the tournament: March madness is all about the upsets, but my particular favorite was when we were introduced to Curry. Has a single player ever dominated that event to the same extent? I don’t think so.
20) Sanchez’s No Hitter: Sitting in a bar in San Francisco, it was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. Greg and I had started watching in the 3rd and agreed that we wouldn’t leave until he lost the perfect game/no-hitter. The night started off as any other, but ended in shots!
21) Bean Pot: One of the truly unique Boston sports events out there. I went every year and got to experience it with some of my best friends, my dad and my boyfriend.
22) Red Sox Ring Ceremony: Again, I don’t like the Red Sox. But it was crazy to see that many grown men crying.
23) Tiger US Open: Who else could win a golf tournament on one leg!
24) Last High school soccer game: First round of playoffs we played a much bigger public school. We ended up winning 3-2. I scored once and assisted twice. The last assist of my high school career couldn’t have been better. After beating the right defender, I charged to the goal. Though I had an open shot, I saw my sister streaking towards the goal out of the corner of my eye. Drawing the goalie and the last defender to me, I crossed the ball to Katie. One sliding shot later, and Campbell Hall had one in overtime with a Kerr-to-Kerr goal.
Sports are special because they bring people together. I’ve been lucky to share some greats sports memories with those who are closest to me. Here’s to the past 24 years of great sports memories, with many more to come!
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