Everyday it seems that I am reminded of another reason why the selection process for the US Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team is a comedy of errors. (See “How To Best Make Your Sport Irrelevant” for a full blown rant on the subject.) For the past few days, the Olympic Team alternates – Jana Bieger, Ivana Hong, and North Shore’s born and bred Corrie Lothrop – have been mired in a web of confusion about where exactly they are going to train while the Olympics are ongoing. (The alternates can be subbed in for designated team members up until a certain day prior to the actual start of competition for women’s gymnastics – and for the life of me, I can not find the exact date.) Because they were selected so close to the actual start of the games, these alternates, who would need a travel visa to get into China, have missed the deadline to secure such a visa. However, USA Gymnastics thought that maybe they could get the three alternates into Japan instead, have them train and wait there, and then if one of them was needed, get them into China on an Olympic credential (which acts as a visa.)
Author: Kat (Page 73 of 89)
Dear Mr. Favre:
I understand you currently have a tad bit of drama in your life. A few months back, you thought it best to retire from the sport you loved, because everyone was chomping at the bit for you to. All of us football fans had been anticipating your retirement for the last eight years, as all of your contemporaries hung up the cleats. But over those years, you still had the skills and desire to play, and fortunately, weren’t racked by debilitating concussions or other injuries that have forced some quarterbacks out too soon (gratuitous Steve Young reference of the post.) So you stayed in the NFL, losing some of your effectiveness as a quarterback and as a leader in the locker room (your teammates grew up watching you play – you’re from a completely different generation as yours) but still leading the Green Bay Packers to respectable seasons.
A brief non-sports note this evening – indulge me for a moment.
Barenaked Ladies, my all time favorite band
My favorite band, Barenaked Ladies, sings songs about the following things:
- Kobe beef
- being a vegetarian
- The X-Files
- Quebec separatism
- a bank heist by men dressed up as nuns
- raps about the Binghamton cabbies (who are very rap worthy, let me tell you)
Pretty geeky things, huh? Not like your typical rock/pop bands. All the band members are in their late thirties, early forties. They all have a number of children (one band member was quoted as of late saying that the number of children outnumbers the number of band members 3 to 1) and just released a children’s album. They seem pretty low key, definitely intelligent, probably responsible, and the last people you would see arrested for anything. Continue reading
It’s not exactly easy for me to acknowledge that my favorite athletes aren’t the world’s best athletes, but in completely objective moments, I’ll do it. As much as I kid about it, I do have to admit that there are quarterbacks better than Steve Young (although it took me a long time to do so.) However, I readily admit there are outfielders better than Gabe Kapler (although there are those times he goes on hitting streaks, like he did earlier this season where it looked like finally his performance would equal his incredible six pack.) Continue reading
First, my disclaimer – I am not a compliance official of any sort. I have a weird fascination with NCAA compliance. The material below is just my interpretation of the rules in a easily digestible form for fans. It should not be used by student-athletes or athletics officials for any formal use.
All of Boston University is still abuzz with the future of rising sophomore Colin Wilson’s potential jump to the NHL after the Nashville Predators drafted him 7th in this year’s NHL Draft. Everyday, there seems to be a different opinion about what he will do – stay another year in college or make the jump to the pros. Yes, he was Hockey East Rookie of the Year last year, and that’s indicative of his immense potential, but his offensive production left a bit to be desired and he took a while to find his footing in the college game. Because of that, everyone’s opinion about what he’ll do seems valid – it’s totally up to him at this point. He’ll be a fun and powerful hockey player wherever he plays next season.
But how can Colin Wilson even entertain a professional hockey team holding his rights and attend Predators development camp while he is still deemed an eligible student-athlete by the NCAA? Because in certain sports, the NCAA makes provisions for professional teams to draft currently eligible players. However, there are quite a number of provisions placed on the drafting of student-athletes to maintain their amateur status. Continue reading