The Goat Curse Continues

Every sports fan should know about curse of the Chicago Cubs.  If you don't, I will give you a history lesson.  I will then tell you why the curse continues today.  This is a wild story and whether you believe it or not, you can't deny some strange happenings with the Cubs.  The last portion of this will lead into my weekly post that many of you may be familiar with.

1945

It all started with a man named William Sianis.  The man carried the nickname "Billy Goat", possibly brought on by the fact that he owned the "Billy Goat Tavern" and had a billy goat named Murphy as a pet.

Mr. Sianis was an avid cubs fan.  Game four of 1945's World Series saw the Cubs up two games to one on the Detroit Tigers.  What better way to spend time with a pet than to buy two tickets to that game four?  That is exactly what William Sianis did.

The man and his pet goat watched most of the game until he was asked to leave Wrigley Field because "the goat smelled".  William listened but was not happy.  On his way out, it is said that he was muttering "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field."

Chicago ended up losing games four, five, and seven, lending the World Series to Detroit.  William Sianis is said to have sent a telegram to Wrigley after the loss asking:  "Who stinks now?"

This story is unbelievable and intriguing.  Who believes in this stuff?  I do.  Take a look at a few events that carried on "the curse".

1969

   
In 1969, the Cubs had a nine and a half game lead over the Mets late in the season.  During a series against the same Mets, a black cat ran onto the field and circled Ron Santo in the "on-deck" circle.  The Cubs lost 17 of the last 25 games and finished eight games behind the Mets.

1984

In 1984, Chicago came very close to making the World Series again.  As luck would have it, a missed and easy ground ball at first base cost the Cubs a win against the Padres.  This doesn't seem too hard to write off as just a bad baseball play.  But take into consideration it was the NLCS and the Cubs were up two to zero going into game three.  After losing game three and four, they found themselves with a one run lead in game five.  That missed grounder cost them the lead and ultimately a trip to the World Series.

1986

I know the picture above is of Bill Buckner playing for Boston but the picture was taken during game six of the 1986 World Series.  Most people likely know about Buckner's mistake; a grounder that went between his legs.  This was a major cause for Boston losing game six.  Unfortunately for Buckner, they also lost game seven.  But in the picture above, Buckner was captured walking off the field after the error and wearing what is a Cubs batting glove from his days with Chicago.  It was claimed that the glove would bring him good luck.

2003

Many fans will know this one just from the picture.  In 2003, the Cubs were playing in the NLCS against the Florida Marlins.  Chicago was ahead three to nothing (and three games to two in the series) when a foul ball was hit.  Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou made a play for the ball.  It was all disrupted when Steve Bartman disrupted the play by trying to "deflect" the ball.  The Cubs gave up eight runs in the inning and ultimately another trip to the World Series.  I feel bad for Steve Bartman on this one.

April 10, 2013

So as you can see, there is a terrible streak of luck following the Cubs.  I buy into "the curse".  It has apparently continued to today.  On Wednesday, a severed goats head was delivered to Wrigley Field in a box.  The package was addressed to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts.

If this was meant to be a prank, it is pretty sick and classless.  But fans have a deep passion for baseball and their teams.  Someone out there believes in the curse.  Why else would they be sending severed goat heads to Wrigley?  That isn't going to stop the curse.  You know what will?  Playing better baseball.  What the HOFF?

Sources:

http://www.hgjones.org/billy-goat-tavern/

http://www.cubbiesbaseball.com/chicago-cubs-curses

http://htopia.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/i-dont-believe-in-curses-i-just-believe-in-bad-baseball/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/11/justice/chicago-goat-curse/index.html

This Game Had it All

It was a huge night last night for Louisville and they earned their 76-82 win over Michigan to win the NCAA Men's tournament.  Although, if you watched the frenetic game, you know there were kids on both teams that were determined to make a name for themselves on college basketball's biggest stage.

Let me start by saying how incredible this game was.  It was everything I hoped to be watching when I turned it on at tip.  The pace started fast and never got a chance to settle throughout the game.  Both teams wanted to win equally as bad.  There were some huge dunks, deep three-pointers, turnovers, you name it.  I will also mention there were a few calls that were tacky but that isn't the point of this post.

I'll start with the Wolverine's side of things.  As I was watching, I noticed they had no regard for the three-point line.  If they were five to ten feet beyond and had a shot, they took it.  The crazy thing is they made plenty of those shots.  44% of their shots were made and a large part of that has to do with Spike Albrecht.  This kid averaged just under two points off the bench all season.  Last night he went off, at least in the first half.  I thought the Cardinals were in trouble when I saw Albrecht putting up three after three and the occasional tough layup.  He ended up with 17 points.

The beauty of social media kicked in when people saw what was happening and started following him on Twitter.  Spike Albrecht went from having 4,000 followers at the start of the game, to having 17,000 by halftime.  That is insane.  This was deserving though, as he played lights out in the first half to make a name for himself.

Things were looking to good for Michigan up until something sparked the Cardinals right before halftime.  You could see it unfold.  Louisville climbed back from a 12 point deficit to come within one point by half.

The Cardinals had their own three-point shooter in Luke Hancock.  This kid was five of five from three range and ended up with 22 points.

Although Peyton Siva was zero of two from three, he was also playing lights out.  He ended with 18 points on the night as well as a ridiculous dunk.

The Cards had a similar second half.  They let Michigan hang around for a while.  If you were watching, you could see it happen again.  Something sparked them to take control of the game and finish.

This game was incredible.  I personally do not need to see a game come down to a final shot for it to be considered great.  This is one people will remember.  The intensity, the drive, the atmosphere; it was all there.  I just hope you didn't miss it.

Image Acquired From:  http://www.theesportsblog.com/2012/11/louisville-to-the-acc/

Look Good Feel Good, Feel Good Play Good

A good friend of mine sent me some pictures of the upcoming outfits for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy at this year's Master's. Don't forget, the Master's starts this Thursday, April 11.

You may think, "Who cares about fashion? This is golf, and more generally a sport". I was always a decent believer in "look good feel good, feel good play good". That is just me. I am not claiming that all athletes are the same but you can take a look at teams like the Oregon Ducks, their spectacular uniforms, and their performance over the last few years. I highly doubt if there is a number we can look at to correlate wins to how good teams think they look.  Besides, there are plenty of other factors that go in to performance.  In reality though, there may be some significance there, and golf is no exception

Clearly, the Master's outfits were designed by Nike specifically for Tiger and Rory. Tiger's have a little more maturity and timeliness to them. You will also see him on Sunday in his signature red shirt, which seems to instill fear in other golfers. Rory's line has a younger feel to it. You can see the colors are lighter and certainly designed just for him when you catch a glimpse of those plaid pants.

Whether both players get to showcase all four outfits remains to be seen. At this point there is a greater chance we will see Tiger in his "get 'em red" on Sunday. You can't count Rory out though. I believe we will be seeing him in the final round as well.

Whether you believe in "look good feel good, feel good play good" or not, Nike has done a nice job putting together some "look good-feel good" outfits for two of their top athletes. Now all we have to do is watch to see the two "feel good-play good".

Hey Coach Rice, What The Hoff?

Where to start with this one...We could start with the physical abuse, or the verbal abuse, or how childish this guy is.  Mike Rice needs help and that is clearly evident in the videos of the Rutgers basketball practice videos.

If you are not quite sure what happened, you can watch the video here on my Youtube page.  What kind of person does this?  He was throwing balls at the kid's heads and their ankles, swearing at them, and physically grabbing them.  This man has issues and he needs help.

Apparently, Athletic Director Tim Pernetti viewed the video in late November.  Pernetti decided the best route to go would be to suspend Coach Rice for just three games, slap him with a $50,000 fine, as well as require him to take anger management classes.  Are you kidding?  A three game suspension will teach him!  Not only that but he can easily pay that fine with the $100,000 he is owed from his contract for completing the season.

So did that really help?  Why wasn't more done?  This guy should have been fired right away if you ask me.  Coaches, or anyone for that matter, cannot just walk around abusing kids and acting like rabid animals.

Then I thought that coaches certainly can get fired up and intensely excited.  Mike Rice, is on a whole different level of that.  What really was this guy thinking when he was up in the faces of his players and whipping balls at their heads?

Rice was finally fired on April 3rd.  I am just wondering what took so long.  These are the guys that are supposed to be preaching to kids about anti-bullying.  That is something "grown ups" should be doing. Instead, Rice took it completely in the opposite direction.

You can watch Mike Rice's apology here.  I noticed in Mike's apology that he seemed to choose his words carefully.  Part of me wants to believe the guy is remorseful.  He certainly doesn't make any "BS" excuses for his actions, which helps.  But damn, I have one question for you Coach Rice:  "What the HOFF?"


Photo Acquired From:  http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rutgers-Fires-Abusive-Coach-Mike-Rice-over-Practice-Video-342738.shtml

Fifteen and One in Sixteen Games, Impressive

The Penguins lost for the first time in 16 games last night. They were two wins away from tying their own NHL record win streak of 17. The Buffalo Sabres took it to them last night. They played with a quicker pace than the Pens and somehow got goalie Vokoun spinning in his own net. This is how the streak ended?

It certainly is. Tomas Vokoun seemed to be a little flustered in the net. He didn't know which way the Sabres were going to be coming from. Vokoun even got spun around by his own guy, which led to a wrap-around goal. Marc Andre Fleury ended up replacing Vokoun after he let in four goals.

I'm not blaming the loss all on the goalie though. The Penguins defense couldn't seem find a way to clear the puck from their own zone. The Sabres were just moving too quickly. Kevin Porter apparently hadn't scored in over a year even found the net twice last night.

Perhaps the Penguins couldn't match the Sabres intensity because they were missing NHL's points leader Sidney Crosby. Crosby is out due to taking a puck to the face against the Islanders. The Kid underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw and fix some teeth. He is out indefinitely but good news; no signs were found of a concussion.

A few things were positive in last night's loss. Jerome Iginla nabbed his first goal as a Penguin (the only goal of the night for Pittsburgh). Not only that but Fleury seems to be healthy as be blocked 16 of 16 after stepping in at goal.

This just goes to show how tough it is to run with a streak in professional sports. There are so many factors to consider, such as injuries, chemistry, emotions and so on. The Miami Heat showed us that just a week or two ago and now the Pittsburgh Penguins. That makes these streaks that much more impressive.

Photo Acquired From: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/penguins/penguins-winning-streak-gets-no-fond-farewell-681910/

Carlos Boozer Fist Pumps

The Bulls were playing the Mavericks the other night and Carlos Boozer put up an impressive layup and fist pumps in excitement.  Unfortunately for referee Danny Crawford, he took the brunt of the fist pump.  I don't know if I am more impressed with the basket or how Crawford handled it.  Look at him just walk that off and laugh as he stands up straight.  There is no wincing and no ground huddling.  Ridiculous.

Louisville Soars

It was a huge day for Louisville yesterday.  The day held events that many expected.  It also held things that no one could have predicted.


Before we get to the Lady's game, the Louisville boys had an eventful night playing Duke.  It really was a game of two different halves.

The game looked to be pretty evenly matched up until the event that shook people up on and off the court.  I can't just ignore this as a potential game changer.  I told myself I didn't really want to write about it at all because of how gruesome it was.  I certainly won't post it, in fear of being blamed for ruining viewer's keyboards.

After jumping to attempt a block, backup point guard Kevin Ware came down pretty normally but ended up breaking his leg.  What was odd to me was the fact that it wasn't his knee (which would be a weak point) but rather his shin that snapped.  What is amazing is that he was telling his teammates to go win the game.

Next thing you know, Louisville is straight fire.  They finished off Duke 85-63.  Louisville completely handled the game the way the wanted to after the injury to Ware.

Just as an update:  Kevin Ware had successful surgery and is walking on crutches.


Soon after, the ladies of Louisville found a way to stop Brittney Griner and the Baylor Bears.  Louisville was ranked fifth coming into the game while Baylor obviously held the number one spot.  Did anyone think that they could match up with Brittney Griner though?  After watching her play I really didn't think so.  In my previous post about current streaks, I mentioned that Britney's last stat line was 33 points and 22 rebounds.  That is a presence that demands attention.

Griner was held scoreless in the first half of the game.  She also committed a foul with just seconds left, in which helped the Cards catch the win.  It also helped though, that the Cardinals made 16 three pointers.

It's a tough way to see Griner end her incredible career.  She ended second in career points and first in career blocks.  We will catch up with her in the WNBA though, don't worry.

It was interesting to see Baylor's coach Kim Mulkey in a post game interview though.  She was highly critical of the refs and thought it would be sad for the game if they go on to officiate in the next rounds.  She wanted all the questions up front and claimed she was ready to take on any fines that were to come of her comments.

An important thing to note though, is that the Louisville ladies played well throughout the game, especially from three point range.

All in all, it was a huge day for Louisville.  It's safe to say the Cardinals are soaring right now.



Images acquired from:  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-college-basketball-mens-tournament/news/20130331/louisville-women-upset-baylor-brittney-griner.ap/

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/louisville_perseveres_through_horrific_SvJLFui69fVUmoZ79je2mO