Spotlight: Handball

In light of the upcoming exciting festivities to be held in China, the wondrous Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it should be natural to get excited, right? Not simply the event itself, but also the event's location and setting offer an entire new world of sporting experience. And in breaking with the sports media tradition of close-mindedness dominated today by ESPN, NBC and it's affiliated networks are working to broadcast over 3,000 hours of sport over the span of slightly more than two weeks. This feat, incredibly awe-inspiring in itself, provides truly unique opportunities for average American sports fanatics to indulge in a level of athletic viewership which is, in its vast expanse, completely new and foreign to them. Among these opportunities is one that no self-respecting die hard should miss: the chance to witness the live webcast of international handball competition. Breathtakingly invigorating to the athletic mind, I know. So, to ensure maximum enjoyment in the revel that is international handball, here is a brief yet spirited introduction to a fascinating world sport which has somehow managed to largely elude the general American consciousness to this day.

As baffling as it may be that America partially disapproves of soccer, why Americans refuse to enjoy and support handball is simply confounding. Think of soccer, okay people, I know many of you don't want to, right? Excuses abound...it's boring, no scoring, little physical contact, yada, yada, yada. I'll tell you right now: Handball is your cure. Think soccer played with hands, a smaller field, contact sometimes akin to that of rugby, and athletes who all list BALCO's lab as number one on their speeddial chucking balls voraciously around the court with the aim of, you guessed it, scoring a goal.

The sport is fast-paced with a lot of action and scoring, and it achieves a happy medium between basketball, where possessions are deemed failures if points aren't scored, and soccer, where a single goal might be the clincher of a victory. It is normal for teams to score around 25 points in the game, which is composed of two 30-minute halves. The ball moves around constantly via passing and bouncing, and, in an interesting spirit directly opposite of soccer, the players may hit the ball with any part of the body at or above the knees.

Thinking about the reasons why many Americans claim to dislike soccer, handball should be the perfect antithesis. So, given this chance by NBC's insansely deep and expansive coverage, maybe America will witness and embrace this sport. If only its primetime hour wasn't 3:30 AM.

National Favre Day!

Greetings to all! You are cordially invited to join me in celebration of National Favre Day!!! No, the date has no significance. Well, it actually offers something better than that. Sanity. That's right, honor the true sports moralist in yourself and commemorate a special day. No RSVP needed...please, this has gotten enough press already.

WHAT: National F.A.V.R.E. Day!
WHO: Everyone who isn't ESPN
WHEN: Wednesday, August 6, 2008
WHERE: Who cares where, anywhere ESPN doesn't have two helicopters, four Bristolian spies, 27 cameras, and three field correspondents stalking Favre and commenting on his every movement
WHY: Because everyone needs to F.A.V.R.E. for a while, "Forget A Veteran Reinstated Egotist"
HOW: For one, boycott watching anything corruptly influenced by ESPN, as attempting to watch any of their live programs for a few seconds will most surely relay information about Favre in some form or another. If you are lucky, it might only be visible on the bottom ticker; yes, the one that has news updates from FAVRE, NL, FAVRE, AL, FAVRE, NBA, FAVRE, FAVRE, NFL, FAVRE and so on.

Please, ensure that your day is not dampened by this ridiculous situation. Participate in National Favre Day.

Introducing 'WSPN'

After many months of absence, I'm sure our loyal and passionate readers and followers, all two of them - yes COsportsfan1290, I refer to both you and I - have wondered what I have preoccupied myself with. Well, my friends, or should I say friend, these past days have found me contemplating and organizing a grassroots uprising aimed at bringing some much-needed justice to the world of sports.

Interestingly, I may note, though you wouldn't have recognized, the significance of the phrase, "WORLD of sports". Yes, ladies and gentlemen, blasphemous and revolutionary as I may seem upon mentioning this, there are actually sporting events that happen beyond the boundaries of the eastern coast of the United States! Now take a second, step away from your computer, take some deep breaths, and count backward from ten. Process what you just read. That's right, us western folk partake in sport as well, and many a time our sports deserve some recognition and attention. That's certainly reasonable, right?

Well, apparently not if you're sports media conglomerate ESPN (by the way, if you were always one of those people who wondered what the acronym stood for, "E" is for "Eastern"). In case you're one of the people craving for more daily sports info than the latest word Brett Favre has spoken or the last pitch or injury Joba Chamberlain has experienced, I prescribe WSPN, proven by leading sports psychologists (no, not Scott Boras or Drew Rosenhaus) to bring sporting enlightenment to fans and supporters. So, if you're curious to discover baseball teams other than the Yankees and the Red Sox (or maybe if you'd rather hear more about the team Ramirez is on...wait, ESPN, which team is that? No, they're not from Brooklyn...than Manny's personal stats), or eager to learn about college conferences other than the SEC, WSPN is your place.

In that spirit, welcome. No, the "W" in WSPN doesn't stand for "welcome". I'll let you figure that one out.

Bill Self Remains at KU

Hardly a year goes by when the Kansas Jayhawks win less than 25 games and fail to reach a top 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. Given their reputation as one of the elite and storied programs in college basketball, the Jayhawks will continue their winning ways in the future regardless of their head coach. The head coach, however, will ultimately play a significant role in just how far the team goes, and because of this Kansas made a good move in keeping Bill Self. He brought out something in the Jayhawks that allowed them to write a different ending to a season that came down to a stretch eerily similar to that of 2003, when Kansas fell to Syracuse in the national title game. The Jayhawks fell behind their opponent in both games at the start of the second half, and as the final buzzer approached, it appeared Kansas was destined to come out on the losing end. They trailed by 7 against the Orangemen with 2:04 to go and trailed by 9 against the Tigers with 2:12 to go, and after impressive runs both games came down to a last second shot for the tie. Both Michael Lee and Kirk Hinrich had a chance to push the 2003 game into overtime, yet failed to convert on their 3s, whereas Mario Chalmers made his to force overtime in 2008, at which point the Jayhawks never looked back, winning their first national title since 1988. Whether or not that difference of one shot can be attributed to Self, the bottom line is that his team accomplished a goal in 5 seasons that future hall-of-famer Roy Williams failed to accomplish in 15 seasons. He coached one of the most balanced and talented teams in NCAA history all the way to a national title 20 years in the making, and by choosing to stay Self has settled in at Lawrence. Up unitl last Monday, Kansas fans had been puzzling over why the Jayhawks kept falling short of an NCAA title despite playing some of the best basketball in the nation. This was a riddle that Bill Self had the answer to, and the Rock Chalk faithful can now sit content knowing that the future of Kansas basketball is in good hands. Should Self continue to coach the team as he did this season, there will be more championships where that came from.

Broncos Sign Marlon McCree

I am going to think about the McCree signing this way, John Lynch is coming back and I believe that he will more than likely have to miss time because of injury. That likely yields Hamza Abdullah and Nick Ferguson as the starting safeties. Abdullah is young, and he did very well last season when he got playing time. Ferguson is a solid vet and Denver should be able to count on quality play from him. But after that, its down to a group of young and inexpereinced guys like Steve Cargile, and given a choice between one of that bunch and McCree, I'd take McCree any day given that he has been around for a while, has played for several teams so he has experienced playing against a number of different players, is used to winning, and now has playoff experience. Think of him as a faster John Lynch with better cover skills, and I bet the refs are less trigger happy with big hits for McCree. With that signing the Broncos have depth in the safety spot (4 players capable of starting), which might free Lynch to become a nickel back on passing downs and blitz like a madman, which he loves to do, and he definitely has a knack for causing fumbles that way.

But not every situation is perfect. I have premonitions about McCree and the effect playing on the chargers had on him. Once he arrives in Denver, he better get the memo quickly that egocentric players who celebrate too much have no place on this team. With Mike Shanahan at the helm and the respectability and professionalism of the franchise, I think it will soon become clear to McCree how things are done in Denver. Three particulars come to mind: 1. Consistent solid tackling is preferred over big hits, and I hope he will be able to decipher between the two, because not every play calls for a big hit, again, this is an issue that arises from signing a former charger. 2. Blatant helmet to helmet contact and head hunting in general is unacceptable. There better not be anything remotely close to the hit he put on Donald Driver this past season. 3. Make the intelligent decision, which brings me back to the Divisional Playoff game against the Patriots 2 years ago, when his fumble of an interception turned the game around and cost the chargers a spot in the AFC Title Game.

Overall, I'm confident that once McCree becomes acclimated with the Bronco culture he will prove a valuable asset to the team.

O'Neal to Suns, Marion to Heat

Shaq heads back to the West, and Marion gets his wish to leave Phoenix. How does this trade look for both teams?
Phoenix should still have no trouble making the playoffs and getting a top four seed. Given the multitude of scorers and the passing ability of Steve Nash, losing Marion will unlikely affect point totals or offensive effectiveness very much during the year. The Suns have performed exceptionally in the past few regular seasons, yet have fallen short of making the NBA Finals in all three years. They typically lose in the playoffs because of their lack of ability to control the frontcourt against a team like Dallas or San Antonio. Paired with Amare Stoudamire, Shaq brings that dominant low post presence to Phoenix that they did not previously have with Marion. If healthy, Shaq will provide an offensive presence that allows the Suns to run set offense as well as they run the fast break, and a defensive presence that will allow the Suns to effectively cover two opposing post players. This looks like a move that will prove most beneficial in May and June, when Phoenix will have to play solid defense and slow down their offense. The obvious potential problems with the trade are that Shaq moves slowly in transition and is prone to injury. This move will most likely be highly scrutinized for a long time because it will appear Shaq is lagging behind the rest of the team, but the real effect of the trade will be evident during the playoffs. How good a move it is will depend on if Shaq can stay healthy and contribute in the aforementioned areas.
Miami does not look anything like the NBA Champion of two years past, and it is about time they made a change. Their success that season was the result of a dominant guard in Dwayne Wade, a dominant post player in Shaq, and steady play from others such as Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and Alonzo Mourning. Since that season, injuries have limited playing time for the stars, and the rest of the team has been much less productive. The Heat suffered a first round sweep at the hands of Chicago last season, and have started an atrocious 9-38 this season, the worst record in the league. It was time for a change, and because of Shaq's lack of contribution this season, Miami utilized his iconic status to shop around for a talented player like Marion. With Marion and Wade, the Heat now have a dynamic offensive duo as they did two years ago, and with an upcoming draft pick likely in the top five, Miami may soon return to contention as one of the best teams in the league.
This trade looks as if it may be monumentally beneficial for both Phoenix and Miami in the long run.

Super Bowl XLII

You have to be happy for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin.

After Manning snubbed san diego (great career move), he got no love for anything he did, few individuals showed this guy any respect, and he is only in his 4th year in the league. He could have folded, and let the media and the fans get to him, but he kept a cool head and brought this team from out of nowhere to being atop the greatest arena in pro football. What an impressive feat; I for one never thought he would get there, but he not only got there, he did it in impressive time and against a stacked group of opponents. I remember Keith Oberman (NBC-Football Night In America) saying earlier in the year that there were 5 really good teams, 5 really bad teams, and the rest of the league was just watching. Manning and the Giants upset Tampa Bay in round one gunned down three of those teams on the road (granted the Super Bowl was a neutral sight, bottom line is that they were away from the Meadowlands, and they were playing the best team in the history of football). That road warrior mentality is another aspect makes him and the Giants such a special team, it's one thing to have a dominant home-field advantage, but it's much more special to go on road winning streaks like they did this year.

After Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville "Jagwads" (Thanks Woody Paige, you are the man, but you didn't need to do that, never underestimate your opponent) took down the Broncos in that monumental 1996 Divisional Playoff game, they suffered an unfortunate letdown the following week against none other than the New England Patriots. It must have been a great feeling to finally win a Super Bowl over the team that ended an impressive playoff run for such a head coach in only his second year and a franchise in only its second year. Following that was even more heartbreak, getting paid back next year 42-17 when they came into Denver, and then for the next 2 years having one of football's elite teams and never getting to the Super Bowl, and then 3 straight sub-.500 seasons. Then he came to New York and missed the playoffs in his first season, and was ousted in the Wild Card round for two consecutive seasons. Then came the epiphany that all legends have at some point that allows them to turn the corner. He shrugged his strict disciplinary attitude, proved to the critics that a man believed to be set in his ways could change, and formed a bond with his players that led the Giants to one of the most impressive season-ending tears in sports history, which concluded with tonight's epic upset over the Patriots.

These two great stories of struggle, overcoming the odds, and triumph are what make professional sports great. I do not mean to subtract from the rest of team whatsoever, it was undoubtedly a team effort that carried New York through, these simply stand as shining examples of how perseverance and quality performance culminate into what is the beauty of the game.

Last year at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLI, I said, "Let's hope Super Bowl XLII is at least a good game or the NFL officially sucks." This game gave me some hope again as an NFL fan, because I truly believe what my brother Anthony said, "If New England goes undefeated, winning the Super Bowl from here on out will never be good enough if the team does not go undefeated." This is very true because if the Patriots won tonight the pursuit of perfection in the modern era would have been reached. So for at least one more year, the 1972 Dolphins can celebrate with their champagne party being the only team in NFL history having achieved perfection, and I sure hope that holds true forever.