14 Year Old Pros?

What were you doing at age 14? Well, for Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang, he is playing in The Master’s. Not just playing, but he made the cut to become the youngest ever to do so. (For those of you like my mom, the cut means he golfed well enough to keep playing.) This Master’s encompasses a very large age group, covering from the 14 year old, Guan Tianlang to the 53 year old, Fred Couples. Golf is a sport where you can play very young (or old) but most kids don’t do anything special except make their high school golf team.

This got me thinking about other sports. In contact sports (or most pro sports) there is an age limit. In the NHL you must be at least 18 years of age, and in football you must be three years removed from high school. One exception to this was Gordie Howe who was on the Red Wings’ roster at age 17, but didn’t play until he was 18. In baseball, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are already superstars and they are only 19 and 20, respectively. Movies sometimes don’t follow these rules. For example, in the movie Rookie of the Year, there is a young teenager pitching for the Chicago Cubs. In the MLB, you must be 16 to even try out for a farm team so this could not actually happen. However, in other sports like gymnastics you must be extremely young. Most Olympic gymnasts are between 14 and 18. It’s crazy that once you get over 20 in gymnastics, you’re considered old.

So, I must say, I’m one year away from being 14, but I have no plans of doing anything more than some school sports next year. Some of my friends dream of playing in the pros, but know that it is a long time away. Congratulations to Guan Tianlang for his performance, and good luck in your career.

Congrats Louisville and UConn

Sorry this is a little late, but I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament winners.

First, congrats to the Louisville men’s basketball team. Louisville beat Michigan (who I wanted to win) in the finals, 82-76, for their third title in school history. They were the no. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and proved why. As you may recall in their elite eight matchup vs. Duke, Kevin Ware suffered a brutal leg injury. His team rallied for him and that gave Louisville the extra boost to beat Duke, and win the tournament for Ware. Kevin Ware was able to attend the finals game, and is expected to make a full recovery. By winning this game, Rick Pitino became the first men’s D1 coach to win titles at two different schools. He also won with Kentucky in 1996.

The women’s winner, the UConn Huskies, defeated the women’s Louisville squad 93-60 in the finals. That is the largest margin of victory for a NCAA tournament championship game. Even though Louisville beat Brittney Griner and the no.1 Lady Bears from Baylor, it still wasn’t enough momentum to win the tourney. If Louisville would have won, it would have been the second time the men’s and women’s  teams from the same school won the national championship in the same year. The only other school to accomplish this was UConn in 2011.

Tampa Bay Lightning Game

Just recently, I had the privilege of going to a Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers game (Thanks, Uncle Dan) I was on vacation in Florida. The Lightning lost 3-2 to the Panthers in a shootout. This was my third time ever being to an NHL game (the other two were Red Wings games), and it is truly so much different than just watching it on television. It was also way different going to a hockey game in Florida than in Detroit.

Lightning Bolts

First of all, when we drove by, we realized there was a lot of activity outside the stadium. There were vendors, games and even a stage with a live band. You can’t do this in a lot of other places because it is cold and/or snowing. It’s different from T.V. because there is so much energy in the arena. The Lightning even created their own lightning. At the beginning of every period they would have a rod hanging down from the ceiling that would shoot bolts of lightning (see picture). Every time Tampa scored the building would erupt in cheers and the sound of the goal horn. There were many other things that created energy like the live organ, cheerleaders, a t-shirt cannon, and the fans themselves.

Another thing I noticed was how much money goes into each and every game. First and foremost, the buildings are massive. I don’t even know how much some of them cost, or how many square feet they are. Second, the cooling (especially in Florida), they have to keep the ice frozen, without freezing out the guests (something small town rinks struggle with). They also have the biggest Jumbotron I have ever seen, and largest in the NHL. The main way to pay for all of this is of course sponsors. They are everywhere! Looking around, it’s hard to find a square foot that isn’t sponsored by someone, or something. And then, as if that’s not enough publicity there are contests every T.V. timeout…if you can make this shot from center ice you get $500, or if you text in the right answer you get a free hockey stick.

Going to a professional hockey game is a really cool experience.  If you ever have the chance to go to a game, I would highly recommend it.

Snowy Super Bowl?

Do you like watching football games played in the snow? Well next year the Super Bowl very well could be. The 48th Super Bowl is to be played at MetLife stadium in New York, which is an outdoor stadium. Some people are complaining that the snow will interfere with the game, and that the fans will be too cold in the stands. Here’s my opinion, if fans really want to watch the Super Bowl they will tough out the cold to be able to watch the biggest game in America. They can bundle up with their favorite jersey over their winter coat, and their team’s hat. The fans will have plenty of ways to stay warm. The whole argument about it being harder to play in snow, why is that bad? It’s not like they are going to freeze to death, they have those giant coats to go over their equipment, and there will be heaters everywhere on the sideline. Honestly, how cold can they be? The teams have to play in snow in the regular season, and the rest of the playoffs anyway, why should they get it easier in the Super Bowl?  The Super Bowl is meant to find the best team in the league, and I think the best team should be able to win no matter what the conditions. Having below freezing temperatures and snow blowing in your face might not be comfortable, but it’s hard, and tests how good a team really is.  If you ask me, the Super Bowl out in the elements is a good thing.

NHL's new conference alignment

Starting next season, the NHL will have four new conferences. They will have conference A, B, C, D, instead of the now East and West, however, it will be a lot different. Now there will be no divisions inside the conferences since they are already so small. I love this, partially because I am a Wings fan, because it lets teams like the Red Wings and Jets play against teams in their own time zone, and closer to them. The one thing I don't like about it is that it will destroy a few great rivalries, such as the Red Wings/Avalanche and the Bruins/Rangers, that fans have come to love. By far I think the biggest problem comes in the playoffs. Two conferences have eight teams, while the other two only have seven. This could create a big problem as far as chances of making the playoffs goes. So, as with everything there are ups and there are downs to this, but I think (just like the NHL does) the pros outweigh the cons. Having teams closer to their common opponents is a huge benefit to fans and players.

NFL Free Agency

The NFL free agency started yesterday, and there have already been a few big signings. First of all, one of the biggest signings is Wes Welker who went from the New England Patriots to the Denver Broncos. That's bad for the Patriots to lose their leading reciever for the past few seasons. Also, Wes is going from quarterback Tom Brady to Peyton Manning; that isn't too bad. Next, another wideout, Mike Wallace, went from the Pittsburg Steelers to the Miami Dolphins. He now becomes the fifth highest paid reciever in the league. We will see how the Dolphins use his speed to their advantage. Also going to the Dolphins is Dannell Ellbere. The former Raven was one of many of the Super Bowl champions to leave the team. This hurts the Ravens because he was supposed to be, now retired, Ray Lewis's replacement. Among those to leave the Ravens was also Paul Krugger, who left to the Cleveland Browns. Who will fill in for the Ravens sack leader from last season? Another player to cash in was Jared Cook who went to the St. Louis Rams after not re-signing with the Titans. He was one of the best pass catching tight ends last season. Finally, last but not least the Detroit Lions signed running back Reggie Bush, who played for the Dolphins last season. It will be interesting to see how they use his versitality. (Maybe even drop current returner Stephan Logan?) There were a lot of big signings (I'm especially happy about Reggie Bush) so the question is what do think was the best or worst?

Blackhawks vs. Heat

A lot of of people have been discussing whose winning streak is more impressive. As of yesterday, the Miami Heat have been on a 13 game win streak. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks have yet to lose in regulation since the season started with a 19-0-3 record. Personally, I think the Blackhawk's win streak is more impressive. Everyone has their own opinion, but I think coming off of a lockout with a shortened training camp and still not losing without going into an overtime or shootout is amazing. I understand, they have lost in this streak, but it has been in extra time and, the streak is longer. I agree that the Heat haven't lost at all in the past 13 games, but this in the middle of the season, so they have had time to get in form. This is my opinoin, what's yours?