Tag: sports

Respect is earned or the beatings continue

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I told myself that I wouldn’t write anything about Superb Owl Lee until it was over, because I am the controller of the entire universe and the words I choose to put onto a brog post will guarantee control the entire outcome of the game.  But I’m in a little bit of a rut lately, and there are few things that help get me out of a rut than writing about sports.  Not to mention that every now and then, I’ll come across something that I guess the correct response would be that it triggers something of an emotional synapse where I feel that words typed out is the appropriate reaction.

But every now and then whenever the Atlanta Falcons, or any Atlanta-based sports team, but mostly the Falcons, find a modicum of success, they inevitably become motivation for some bigwig sports writer to take a cheap shot at not just the team, but inevitably the city itself, along with all of its denizens.  That Atlanta teams are all pretenders, have yet to win anything (except them ’95 Braves!), and then that the fans are all fair-weathered bandwagon riders that only cheer for winners when they’re not going bonkers over college football.  That Atlanta is the worse sports town in America.  That Atlanta is pretty much the new Cleveland when it comes to sports championship droughts.

None of these allegations are incorrect, but they’re revisited and flung around so many times that they’re completely unoriginal and stated so many times that the only appropriate response is usually “you’re right, what’s your point” with an annoyed eye roll.

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When being right feels gross

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

For the last week, I feel like I’ve been the only person who had this niggling feeling that Alabama was going to lose to Clemson.  Perhaps I just need to know more people who actually like sports.  Prior to the game, I was the only guy in my department that picked Clemson to win the National Championship.  I predicted a final score of 38-30.  I wasn’t that far off.  So I was right in my sports predicting, which is a little validating, but the end result of it is still Clemson as National Champions, so it does leave me with some slight nausea.

But seriously, whether it was ESPN or other national outlets, workplace proximity associates who like to pretend like they know things about sports, or even the mythical girlfriend, just about everyone I’d heard from since the field was set seemed to favor Alabama over Clemson.  And justifiably so, Alabama was undefeated going into the National Championship, and they’d already proven they could beat Clemson by having done so in the previous year’s National Championship.

Regardless, I just had this feeling in my gut, that feeling that comes from having watched an exorbitant amount of sports throughout my entire life, that Clemson was going to win the game.  Their QB was pretty much the ultimate bridesmaid, having come so close the year prior, and having been snubbed for two straight Heisman Trophies; and at literally his last collegiate game, he had absolutely one shot to immortalize his entire college career, before he’ll inevitably be making gobs of money in the NFL.  Needless to say, a graduating Deshaun Watson with a chip the size of South Carolina on his shoulders against an 18-year old true freshman in Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, regardless of his immense talent, just didn’t seem like a favorable matchup for Crimson Tide supporters.

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Grayson Allen and the double-standards of athletics

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Impetus: Duke basketball player Grayson Allen suspended indefinitely by the team for intentionally tripping Elon player (and then proceeding to throw the biggest temper tantrum this side of Christian Bale)

What is the risk when a college basketball player deliberately trips another player on a hardwood court?  Broken bones, contusions, concussions, among other types of injury.

What is the risk when an ordinary citizen deliberately trips another ordinary citizen on the street, in a hallway, at the store, at school, or any other location?  Broken bones, contusions, concussions, among other types of injury.

The difference is that when a college basketball player does it, although it is seen on television and by thousands of spectators, they get a whole lot of scrutiny, criticism, disdain and blown up on social media, but when an ordinary person does it at any other ordinary location, they are classified as committing assault, and are subject to arrest, among other criminal punishment.

It goes without saying that this sort of double-standard is troubling as far as society is concerned.  Just because Grayson Allen is a talented basketball player for one of the most recognized sporting teams in its entire sport doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be punished like an ordinary citizen for his dangerous actions. 

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It wasn’t unexpected, but I’m still disappointed

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Clemson beating Virginia Tech (again) for the ACC Championship was a game that would be construed as a “good game.”  The #23 Hokies did not shrivel up and get blown out like so many going up against a National Championship contender, instead keeping it close and undecided until literally 1:51 left in regulation. 

The final score was 42-35.  It was a good game.

But I’m still bummed out about it.  I realize that of all the sports I enjoy and all the sports I watch, nothing brings me down harder than Virginia Tech football.  They’re like the one team I’m ingrained to remain loyal to, so it’s their inability to reach the pinnacles of success and their failures to succeed that actually manage to make me feel mopey and disappointment when they occur.

I turned the game off before Dabo Sweeney could talk about how great of a game it was, how Virginia Tech is a program on the upswing, and other graceful remarks in said in victory.  I don’t want to hear that shit.  I don’t want to hear people saying nice things about Virginia Tech’s respectable performance in defeat.  I know all this shit.  Every Tech fan knows this shit.  None of it changes the fact that Tech still lost, and losing sucks.

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I feel bad for those people who aren’t into sports

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Bad news: #14 Virginia Tech loses to unranked Inferior Georgia Tech, 30-20

Good news:

  • #9 Auburn loses to unranked Georgia
  • #8 Texas A&M loses to unranked Ole Miss
  • #4 Washington loses to #20 USC
  • #3 Michigan loses to unranked Iowa
  • #2 Clemson loses to unranked Pittsburgh

Suddenly, Virginia Tech losing is no big deal.  By virtue of UNC themselves also getting upset by Duke (lol), it’s an even slate of the Hokies still being ahead of the Tarheels, and it’s going to come down to their final games against UVA and NC State respectively, to decide who gets to play against (presumably) Clemson for the ACC title.

I was looking forward to Virginia Tech not playing Clemson this year since they own the Hokies as if slavery were legal, but it’s funny how things sometimes can work out.  I’d imagine Clemson would have no problem dispatching of either Tech or UNC, but at the same time, wouldn’t it be a real gasser if Virginia Tech is the school to magically nuclear cockblock Clemson from a New Years Six bowl game?

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Hashtag NFLOL

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Only in the NFL: Darren Sharper nominated for the NFL Hall of Fame; the same Darren Sharper who is currently in prison on an 18-year sentence for having drugged and raped upwards of 16 women

This wasn’t the screengrab I really wanted for this post, but apparently in the 21st century, replay footage of Sportscenter is seemingly impossible despite being a digital medium.  But this screen grab is close enough to what I saw on television, laughable at its absurdity that it’s actually true: a convicted rapist has been nominated to the “hallowed” football Hall of Fame.

No doubt, he won’t make it, regardless of his statistics and his participation in the Saints’ Super Bowl win in 2010.  But the fact of the matter is that someone, who will in all likelihood remain anonymous because they don’t want to be outed as an imbecile for nominating a convicted felon, actually looked at the ballot in front of them, saw Darren Sharper’s name and thought “yeah, that’s a Hall of Famer.”

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This breaks my baseball heart

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

A god damn shame: All-Star pitcher Jonny Venters blows out his pitching elbow for a fourth time, requiring a fourth Tommy John surgery or face retirement.

I haven’t followed baseball too fervently all season, but one thing that I have been keeping tabs on all season was the progress of Jonny Venters.  Between 2010 and 2012, he was pretty much one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball pitching for the Braves, and I was a super fan of this guy with a ridiculous power sinker from the left side, making All-Star sluggers look pedestrian and notching strikeouts and delivering in the clutch as easily as a mathematician reciting the times tables.

But in 2012, the dominance ride came to a crashing halt as Venters tore his UCL which is to say blowing out the elbow, which means the three letters that no professional athlete wants to ever hear: TJS, Tommy John Surgery.  This would be the second time in Venters’ career that he would undergo the surgery, as he had his first one while climbing up the Braves’ minor league system. 

TJS’s are no joke, since the rough summary is that the rehabilitation process usually requires months of painstakingly droll and monotonous rehab before actual strength and muscle training can even begin.  The average timeline of TJS rehab ranges anywhere from 12-18 months, so it’s not only is it an invasive surgery, it removes players from the game for a lengthy time, chewing away at their already limited playing careers’ clocks and hampering earning potential.

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