Latest Sports News

Why Justin Fargas Is The Man In Oakland

Who doesn't like seeing a running back hit the hole and move the pile for those tough yards when you need them?  This style of play has been a hallmark of professional football since the earliest days of the sport.   The battering ram concept has never been lost on Al Davis and throughout his tenure as Emperor of the Raiders, he has made sure at least one guy on the roster is capable of moving the pile.   Usually you can depend on your fullback for such chores but this isn’t always the case.  You want a guy who can accelerate in traffic.   It takes a certain kind of back to be able to do this on a regular basis.  You need a body that can hold up over the long haul and you need a thick skull to be able to absorb that kind of punishment for a living.   The Oakland Raiders have enjoyed their fair share of thick skulled backs.  Pete Banaszak, drafted in 1966, spent his entire career filling short yardage needs.  His successor, Mark Van Eeghen was almost a mirror image of Banaszak though more athletic.   If you think the Raiders are all about the deep ball, think again.  Mark Van Eeghen carried the ball so much he amassed over 5,000 career yards as a Raider.  He also led all backs in yardage with a whopping 75 in the super bowl victory over the Vikings.  Two and three yard pickups is the name of the game when it comes to big backs who can wear down a defense.   There was also fullback Marv Hubbard.  Ironically, Hubbard Van Eeghen both were drafted out of Colgate University.

Continue reading...

Joe Torre’s Book Wasn’t as Bad as Everyone Made It out to Be

When the news broke that Joe Torre was releasing a book he wrote about his time as the Yankees' manager, a lot of people around baseball thought this was a bad thing. In sports there is the unspoken code that what goes on in house stays in house. To some degree I think that's fair, but if a person is simply relaying their personal experiences, I don't find anything wrong with that. When the book came out, there were a lot of Yankee fans that said they wouldn't consider reading Torre's book because they felt he might somehow portray the Yankees in a bad light. Not even close. Personally, I couldn't wait to read it. Never for one minute did I think that Joe Torre, one of the classiest guys around, would write a book bad mouthing the Yankees. The book, co-written with Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci, detailed Torre's road in baseball until he was hired by George Steinbrenner in the offseason in 1995 and all the various things he went through in his 12 years in the Bronx. In fact, Torre did detail his relationship with the Boss, the comings and goings of various players, the great Yankee championship teams, the change in how the Yankee teams were constructed, the break down of his relationship with Brian Cashman, and yes, he mentioned Alex Rodriguez, too. From my perspective, his chapter on A-Rod was enlightening.

Continue reading...

The ‘09-’10 Kansas Jayhawks: The Push for a National Championship Starts Now

This offseason has been a great one for the Kansas basketball squad.  First, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich both elected to return next season.  Second, the Jayhawks will be five new players coming in next season in Xavier Henry, C.J. Henry, Thomas Robinson, Elijah Johnson, and Jeff Withey.  Third, our "Babyhawks" are growing up! We no longer will find ourselves as one of the top 10 youngest teams. This next season, we will become the top 10 most talented teams, if not No. 1. Think about this: next season we will be favored to win the National Championship game. There will also be a lot of competition. With three guards coming in, along with two big men, there will be a lot of positions up in the air. Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, and Xavier Henry are all locks to be starters. But those other two spots are definitely up for grabs. At the guard spot along with Henry and Collins, it will be between Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson, C.J.

Continue reading...

NY Rangers-Washington Capitals: Game Five Images

A rocking, red, roaring crowd filled the Verizon Center for Friday's game five. Little did they know that they would be back on Tuesday for game seven. Here are some of the photos from the phone booth. Above, you see the Caps new #1 goalie, Simeon Varlamov, sharpening his focus. On Friday, he pitched a shutout and was only the 3rd star of the game. Ovie was the #2 star, he had a magical goal. Dragging the puck between the skates of a defender and then flying through the air as he placed biscuit in the basket. The #1 star went to Matt Bradley, who scored two quick goals. The first was a short-handed break away and the second a sharp angle from outside og the right hash mark.

Continue reading...