View from my eyes

This week in sports

2008-04-30T12:23:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

It’s the calm before the summer. The last two weekends have been slow with sports. Don’t get me wrong; the NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing. I just have not gotten into them. This weekend starts the great month of May with the first leg in horse racing are Triple Crown: The Kentucky Derby. The hype starts at 4 P.M. on the first Saturday in May. Listen for the playing of “My Old Kentucky Home” around 5:30 P.M. and the “Run For The Roses” gets under way at 6 P.M. The Derby is one of the toughest things to pick in all of sports because, all the horses are three years old and this is the first time in their life their running a mile and ¼.

Congratulation to Danica Patrick and Ashley Force for being the first women to win in their respective motor racing series. Danica won two weeks ago in an Indy Car Race in Japan. It was here first win in 52 career starts in the Indy Car Series. Way to good Danica, now go out and win at Indy next. Ashley Force is the first woman to win a NHRA Funny Car National Event. In the final of the Southern National in Georgia over the weekend she beat her father John Force a 14-time series champion. John was going for his 1,000th round win. Ashley is also the first woman to lead the Funny Car points at any time in the NHRA’s 33-year history. Way to go ladies.

This past weekend was the NFL Draft. I have written before about how I don’t like the draft and the fact that it’s a crapshoot. One of the other reasons I don’t like it is all the so-called “Draft Experts” that make mock-drafts and try to predict the first round. I did find evidence on just how bad their so-called experts are. The guys over at Cold Hard Football Facts.com have tracked the records of four experts for first round picks over the past three years. Lets just say the “experts” nail, on average, about 4 percent of the 220-plus players selected in the NFL draft. I don’t see how these people like Mel Kiper Jr. keep their job. Mel is the worst of the lot.

Finally, some sad news to report on the passing of Don Gillis, a longtime Boston sportscaster. I will remember Don as the host of Boston’s Channel 5 Candlepin Bowling program on Saturday mornings. I miss Candlepin Bowling, it was part of my childhood and I remember watching Candlepin Bowling, Candlepin Doubles, The Pro Bowlers Tour, and ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Candlepin Bowling ended on January 27, 1996. I miss those good old days.

I hope to be back with another post this week with my picks for the

Kentucky Derby.

That’s my take: I would like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

This week in sports

2008-04-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

Another Masters’ week has come and gone. Trevor Inmelman is your new champion. Tiger Woods could not sink any puts all week. Some times I think Tiger over analyze things. It’s just remarkable to think that Tiger played his B game this week and was still the runner-up. ESPN in its first year of coverage of the first two rounds did a great job. This was because it was out of their hands. CBS produced the telecast and their announcers did the broadcast. ESPN only had to supply the host for the show. As the host Mike Tirico did a good job of setting the stage and providing the context and history of the Masters’. CBS also did a great job as usually. They have broadcast the Masters’ since 1956; it is the second longest relationship in sports TV; ABC has coved the Indy 500 one year longer. Jim Nantz, of CBS has been the host of both March Madness and The Masters’, for at least the past dozen years, is better suited for Golf than Basketball in my opinion. His does a better job of setting the scene in golf and his down home style fits golf better. But, saying that, you know it’s a big event when he says “Hello again friends.”

The big event this coming weekend is the 112th Boston Marathon on Monday. The Marathon is a great community event in that most of the 20,000 runners are running to raise money for a variety of charities. The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest marathon. One of the facts about the marathon that you might not know is; the runners have first qualify by running in an IAAF sanctioned marathon within a regulated time frame for their age group. Besides the Olympic trials and the Olympic marathons, Boston is the only major American marathon that requires a qualifying time. Thus for many marathoners to qualify for Boston is a goal and achievement in itself, making it a "people's Olympic event." One of the great traditions of Boston is the wheelchair division. Boston was the frist Marathon to have a wheelchair division and it started in 1975. Now, most of the world’s major Marathons have a wheelchair division.

Talk to you next week as the NBA Playoffs begin.

That’s my take: I would like to hear your’s.

Jamie Lazaroff

Weekly update

2008-04-08T10:36:00.003-04:00

Last night was the start of the best week in sports. After two weeks of ho hum NCAA tournament games, the two best teams in the country played in the best championship final in history. The game went into overtime on a Mario Chalmers three pointer with 2-seconds left in the game. The game had a back and fourth flow to it and the biggest lead by any team was nine points by Memphis. Below is the CBS’s annual montage of highlights of the NCAA tourment being played to the song "One Shining Moment" sung by Luther Vandross; by the way this song was the last song Luther recorded before he died. Enjoy, it makes grown men cry.

I said this is the start of the best week in sports and it is. Today is the Red Sox home opener at Fenway. Before the game is their celebration of last year’s world championship with the raising of the World Series banner and the handing out of their championship rings. It’s good to have the Red Sox home, now it feels like baseball season has begun.

This weekend is the first major championship in golf, The Masters. You know it’s a sign of spring when you see the Azaleas in bloom at Augusta National Golf Club. It is truly a tradition unlike any other with its Green Jacket to the winner and the caddies all dressed in white. For the first time ever ESPN will be televising the Par 3 contest on Wednesday. The Par 3 event is a warm up to the main event that starts on Thursday. From what I hear the Par 3 tournament is a fun family event with the kids of the players serving as their father's caddies. Check it out Thursday and Friday on ESPN and on the weekend on CBS. The old saying is, the Masters doesn't begin until the back 9 on Sunday, but it’s not true, any one can win at any time.

See you after the Masters!!

This week in sports

2008-04-03T19:07:00.002-04:00

I love March madness. This is the best month of the year. It is the month of the NCAA Tournament and all the conference tournaments. The NCAA Tournament is the greatest sports event known to man. The conference tournaments are important because the winner of all 30 tournaments get an automatic bid to the field of 65. Only the Ivy League awards its regular season champion the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The rest of the field is the 34 best at-large teams sectioned by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. Just to let you know that there are 341 Division I schools for the committee to chose from. The very best thing about the NCAA tournament is the upsets and close games that can and do happen. Anything can happen, anyone can win on any given day, and it’s one game not a best-of-three or best-of-seven series. As Dick Vitale says it’s “survive and advance”. There is nothing like it in the world.

I know I’ve said I don’t like the Yankees and I don’t, but in the last few weeks they have done two things that have given me a new respect for them. On March 13th Actor/Director Billy Crystal played in a spring training game for his 60th birthday on March 14th. Some people have criticized this move, but Billy Crystal is a life long fan that was born in Manhattan and made a movie about the Yankees. He was the lead off batter for one at-bat and that was it. The next time his spot in the batting order came up Johnny Damon replaced him in the line-up. He managed to make contact, fouling a fastball up the first base line. He did struck-out but he struck-out swinging. Get off his back, at least he tried.

On March 18th the Yankees played a spring trainning game at Virginia Tech. Last year on April 16th, Virginia Tech was the scene of the worst campus shooting in US history. The Yankees not only played a game there but also donated $1 million dollars to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. The Yankees players visited the April 16th memorial and not only singed autographs for the fans but also the Virginia Tech players. One of the greatest stories I saw was the Yankees spent a inning in the Virginia Tech dougout with the players. Must have been a great day.

The Boston Red Sox started the 2008 baseball season last week in Japan. I don’t mind playing regular season games overseas, what I have a problem with is us playing games in a market that has professional baseball. You see, baseball has been played in Japan since 1872. They have had a professional league in Japan since 1920. You need to be playing games in Europe and in places like China that are new martkets to baseball.

Thanks my take: I would like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

Recapping the Madness

2008-03-26T17:38:00.000-04:00

Wooooooooooooooo! I hope you saw some of the MADNESS this past weekend. It was sure MADNESS! If you did not see or follow the games this past weekend, I’m here with an exciting recap.

Day one (Thursday) there were no major upsets, Duke had a scare with a one point win over Belmont. This was a sign of things to come.

My upset pick, Georgia, went out to Xavier in round one; this is why I did not make any more picks.

On day two (Friday) the MADNESS was in full force. Tampa was ground zero for the upsets; this was the first time since 1973 (first time the tournament was seeded) all four double-digit seeds won at the same site. To top it all off two of the four games went into overtime. This included UCONN being eliminated by San Diego. At this point my bracket was intact.

Day three (Saturday) started with number two seed Duke losing to West Virginia in the second round. My bracket was in the trash can. That was the upset of the day but there were a lot of close games and that is what makes the tournament great. As Bob Wenzel, one of the CBS’ announcers said, “No one what’s to go home from the NCAA tournament”. This day included one overtime-game with Stanford beating Marquette by one point.

Day four (Sunday) included number two seed Georgetown going down to another double-digit seed, Davidson. At the same time this upset was going on, Tennessee a two seed was in overtime with Butler. Tennessee did survive and advance. Forty-eight games in four days, now you know why they call it MARCH MADNESS.

This coming weekend is the regional semi-finals and regional finals, with a berth in the Final Four if you win these two games.

Enjoy the regional games; I will talk to you next week with a report and my own personal critique on the announcers.

I love the madness of March

2008-03-18T19:37:00.001-04:00

I love March madness. This is the best month of the year. It is the month of the NCAA Tournament and all the conference tournaments. The NCAA Tournament is the greatest sports event known to man. The conference tournaments are important because the winner of all 30 tournaments get an automatic bid to the field of 65. Only the Ivy League awards its regular season champion the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The rest of the field is the 34 best at-large teams sectioned by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. Just to let you know that there are 341 Division I schools for the committee to chose from. The very best thing about the NCAA tournament is the upsets that can happen. Any thing can happen. Just think about George Mason getting to the Final Four in 2006. Any one can win on any given day. It’s one game not a best-of-three or best-of-seven series. As Dick Vitale says it’s “survive and advance”. There is nothing like it in the world. Also I like that the hype lasts only three days and Tuesday you get a taste of things to come with the Opening Round game between the two worst teams with. The winner of this game moving on to face number one seed overall North Carolina in the First Round. The main course starts at noon on Thursday and goes all night and we do it all over again on Friday. The second round on the weekend is the same thing.

This maybe the most balanced field in a long time. Any of about ten teams can win this tournament. I will not pick a winner because of all the variables I mentioned above and the fact that I’m not very good at that. One of my brackets is always a mess after this weekend. A few thoughts on this year’s tournament are: Why is Kentucky in the field of 65? They were 18-12 overall, 12-4 in the SEC, lost in the Quarterfinal to Georgia in the Conference tournament. One of their loses was to Gardner-Webb. I know this loss was early in the season but come on; I thought the committee looks at non-conference games a little more then this. This has to be one of the most interesting decisions in a while. I don’t see them getting past Marquette in the first round. The game in the Midwest regional between USC and Kansas State will feature two of the most talked about freshman in the country: O.J Mayo from USC and Michael Beasley from Kansas State. My sleeper pick for the whole tournament is Georiga. After winning the SEC tournament and playing four games in three days because of a tornado hitting Atlanta and postponing their Quarterfinal until Saturday, they had to play two games in one day; won them both and then won the final on Sunday to get in to the NCAA tournament. Just remarkable!

I will write on Monday a post first and second round review.

This week in sports

2008-03-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have not written in a while. Last week I was in not so sunny San Diego for a Special Olympics meeting. This past week the flu bug hit me. But now I’M back and better than ever.

Saturday February 16, 2008 was the re-air of the 2007 Ironman Triathlon World Championship from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. For those of you who do not know the Ironman consist of a 2.4-mile swim then a 112-mile bike ride and finally they finish off with a full 26.2-mile marathon run. The Ironman is the greatest test of an athlete, but the real story is the average Joe that comes from all walks for life to cross the finish line. You see, you have to get to the finish line before the course is closed at midnight to be an Ironman. This year the show focused on four remarkable stories, one person with Cystic fibrosis, a person who is blind, and a person that was born with no feet. The last person was a young man that was in a car accident and was on the brink of death to come back to become an Ironman. The Ironman is the best-written event all year and has won 14 sports Emmy awards over the years. As I said in this column before, I cry each year and it gives me more motivation than any other event watch each and every year.
The NBA slam-dunk contest is back! Dwight Howard and Gerald Green put on a show. Green’s birthday dunk were he put a cup cake with a lit candle on the back on the rim and then blew the candle out before doing a dunk was so creative. I though it was a 10! Howard is a man beast, the superman dunk was just so awesome that he did not even dunk the ball; he threw it in, he jumped so high. This was the best dunk contest in many years, you have to go back to the late ‘80’s with Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb for the glory years of the slam dunk contest at NBA all-star weekend. I hope these kids come back next year to put on an even better show.
Breaking News: Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers is retiring after 13 seasons and 3 MVP awards. Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Will have more on this later.
The question on ESPN last week was: If you were a NFL GM would you build your team through the draft or free agency? I would build through free agency because the draft is such a crapshoot. The NFL draft is the biggest unknown in sports. You can evaluate players all you want but no one knows how good a player will be as a pro. There are so many stories of first round draft busts that I would trade all my first day picks to get more on the second day. Remember, Tom Brady was a fifth round pick. On a side note here, good to see Randy Moss resign with the Pats. He and Brady have unfinished business. Like winning a championship.

Thats my take, I like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

February 14 update

2008-02-14T09:21:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday February 13, 2008 Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee testified in front of The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It was great political theater and made for great TV on a snowed in day. After watching this hearing, I have more questions than answers. Who was telling the truth? I have to say that Mr.. McNamee was more credible, not by much though. If Andy Pettitte was such a friend to Clemens why did he not tell him of his HGH use? Why did Roger Clemens trust Brian McNamee so much? McNamee is not a medical doctor and is not licensed to give drugs. He is a PhD and not a MD. Why did Clemens not look into this? This will continue as the Justice Department has stated an investigation.

The most over-rated event of the year is the NFL Pro Bowl. Who cares about the Pro Bowl, it is at the end of the year after the Super Bowl. The NFL should get rid of the game, still have teams but have them compete in skills events like the quarterback challenge and the linebacker challenge. The conferences would still compete against each other with the NFC VS. the AFC. Like I said before, the skills competitions are the best part of All-Star weekend. Speaking of All-Star games, this weekend is the NBA All-Star game. Saturday is the Slam Dunk contest and the 3-point shootout. It also includes the skills challenge that has become a fan favorite. One star to watch Saturday is Rudy Gay from UCONN in the Slam Dunk contest. Should be fun.

Also this weekend is the 50th Daytona 500. This year should be quite interesting in NASCAR. The most poplar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the team his dad built to Hendrick Motorsports. . Tony Stewart’s (my guy) team moved from using Chevrolet’s to using Toyota’s. All the teams are using new safely improved bodies on all tracks this year. The end of the race is always fun.

Talk to you in a few weeks, I’M off to San Diego, California on business.

The Super Bowl aftermath

2008-02-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don’t believe what just happen! I’M still in shock that the Pats lost. I’M not going to blame the coach or the Pats players. Full credit to the Giants and Eli Manning for having a great game plan and while their defense put pressure on Brady all through the game. The Pats usually score on the other teams mistakes and they did not this time. I’M talking about the one interception that Manning threw. Also, a key mistake that they did not take advantage of was, the too many players on the field penalty late in the game. This penalty gave the Pats a first down deep in Giants territory.

What a game! This was the most watched Super Bowl of all times and the second biggest event in TV history. 97.5 Million people watched this classic. It had all the ingredients of a great game: a tight contest with a thrilling finish and of course the Pats going for the undefeated season. This was the best Super Bowl probably in my lifetime. To bad the Pats could not win but it was not their day.

In other sports news, on Monday the winningest men’s coach in college basketball, Bob Knight has resigned from Texas Tech. Knight was known as much for being a brilliant coach as he was for having a fiery temper. Knight will be best remembered as the coach at Indiana from 1972 to 2000 when he got fired for choking a player. He also had a love hate relationship with the media and the referee’s. He is also infamous for throwing a chair during a game. Love him or hate him you have to respect him for never breaking a NCAA rule. He also always had a high graduation rate. He did win 3 national championships, an Olympic Gold Medal and 902 career victories. His 1976 NCAA championship team went undefeated, a feat no team has accomplished since. He is the all time best coach and his fans and the media are going to miss him. I’M a little surprised by timing of this announcement. Texas Tech has 10 games left in the season, so why leave midway through the season? His mantra is “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, so I guess he did it his way.

Jamie

Mid week rant

2008-01-31T09:45:00.000-05:00

The Super Bowl is the most over-hyped event of the year. There is no major news that comes out of Super Bowl week and the game does not live up to the hype, most of the time. I think the Pats will win on Sunday in a blow out. My prediction (sure to be wrong) is for a close game till the end and the Pats win 34-31.

Some sad news to report, the son of long-time Boston sports reporter Bob Ryan, Keith has died in Pakistan. Keith was a immigration and customs enforcement attaché from the Department of Homeland Security. After a year in Pakistan he was due to return to the U.S., but was found dead in the bathroom in his home. The Interior Minister said, “We expect it is suicide, but we are investigating.” Keith was 37 years old. My heart goes out to the Ryan family.

The UCONN Huskies men won two big games against ranked opponents this week at Indiana and home against Louisville. They won dispute two key players, Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins, who were suspended for breaking team rules. These two wins may get them into the NCAA tournament. Lets keep it going boys.

The big event this week is the Super Bowl. Like I said let the hype begin. The other big event of the weekend as I mentioned in my last blog is UFC-81 that features the UFC debut of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Brock Lesnar. Brock will face former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has faced many big time opponents.

Talk to you all next week after the Pats win it all.

This week in sports

2008-01-28T10:37:00.000-05:00

I have to agree with my fellow sports columnist Bob Lazzari that the NBA is unwatchable. The last four or five Celtics games have been awful. They have broken all the basic rules on defense, like jumping and not keeping their feet on ground. Their rebounding has been awful as well. The UCONN men are playing better than the Celtics right now, and that’s saying something. If you want to see good basketball, than the women’s game is for you, both college and Pro. The women play the game below the rim, which shows their skill level, and more technically sound.

If you listened to the January 15th Congressional hearing featuring Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Union Leader Donald Fehr you heard them say a number of things like there is no reliable test for HGH and storing blood is not practical. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): A scientifically valid and effective test for HGH does exists. Also according to WADA storing blood is practical. I have heard in the past that the players do not what a blood test for reasons I’M not sure of. Big bad athletes don’t like needles, I feel so bad. Come on guys and suck it up.
To Selig and Fehr the job is done for you, all you have to do is sign the world Anti-Doping code. It is all spelled out for you. But no US professional sports league has signed it. Why, because we want to be independent from the rest of the world. A quote from WADA, “To not test for HGH, when you have the resources and opportunity, is to give players a free pass to HGH abuse.”

I would like to clarify my comment that winter is the doldrums for sports fans. There is NBA basketball, NHL Hockey and men and women’s college basketball at night. There is the NFL playoffs and pro bull riding and bowling on the weekends. I’M talking about the weekdays from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. The only thing on is sports talk shows on ESPN and most of them I do not like. I would like to see more Darts and Snooker. I know ESPN and Fox Sports have done Darts before but its time to give it another try. I have never seen Snooker but what I have read it is a great sport that is a lot better then the pool that ESPN has on some times.

I cannot wait for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Pay-Per View on Super Saturday (Feb. 2). UFC-81 features the UFC debut of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Brock Lesnar. Brock will face former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has faced many big time opponents.

I know some of you will think I’M crazy for liking the UFC, but since the first UFC in 1993 no one has died in the octagon. Many people have died in the boxing ring in that same time. Two people have died in mixed martial arts (MMA), but these were in unsanctioned fights. The UFC is sanctioned in Nevada, California and by other state’s boxing commissions. I like it because it is as real as it gets, its not like pro wrestling, which is scripted. Also unlike boxing you know who the champion is in each weight class. There are a lot of MMA promotions out there, but the UFC is the biggest and best.
Two columns’ back I commented on UCONN Men’s coach Jim Calhoun being under rated. This time I would like to comment on women’s coach Geno Auriemma. I think Geno is over-rated; yes, he has won 5 national championships, but they have not won anything in the past three seasons. Most of the championships they have won had some of the best players of all time on the team like, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Rebecca Lobo just to name a few. He may be a great recruiter and motivator but sometimes he comes off as arrogant, such as forgetting the name of a big time opponent at a press conference before the North Carolina game. Then there was the time this season he told one of his freshman reserve players, not to screw up because they were #1 in the country and have a chance to win the National Title. Sometimes, I think all his success goes to his head.

Weekend TV update

2008-01-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

Weekend TV Update

This weekend’s big event is the Winter X Games that started last night. The events to looks for in this 4-day festival of fun are snowmobile cross on Saturday. Snocross is supercross on snow. Snowmobile freestyle on Sunday, think motocross freestyle with a bigger motor, nuts. Last night there had a new event called speed and style, which combed the two events. I did not like it so much.
Snowboarder X on Saturday my pick of the weekend. It is like roller derby on snow, it’s crazy and nuts.

Also this weekend is the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, but the best part is the skills challenge on Saturday. The events are the fastest skater and hardest shot and other key skills. The thing I like about hockey’s All-Star Saturday night is that it is a team event and not just individual player as the NBA All-Star Saturday is.

The big basketball game this weekend is UCONN is at Indiana in a big time match up. UCONN needs to show that they can step up on the Road.

No football this weekend, so try something new.

That’s my take.

Jamie

This week in sports

2008-01-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

It is doldrums of winter for sports fans. With little else going on The NFL playoffs are the best part of the season. The fact that in the playoffs you have one game to prove you deserve to be go on or if you loose you are out is what keeps the excitement and interest in the game. As John Madden said, “ It’s the finality of it all”. For example who knew that Indianapolis would loose to San Diego, not me, that’s for sure. With March Madness it’s the same, survive and advance, or won and done. I can’t wait for the month of March, I love March Madness.

I watched Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and at his press conference and I have one piece of advice for him: BE QUIET. Every time he opens his mouth he sticks his foot in it. At his press conference on Jan. 7th, Clemens played a 12-minute phone call with his former trainer Brian McNamee. Clemens had secretly taped this call with out McNamee knowing. In the tape Clemens was not clear about what he wanted and McNamee repeatedly asked Clemens “What do you want me to do?” This phone call, which Clemens taped, was on Friday, Jan. 4th, on Sunday, Jan. 6th before the press conference Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee in Harris County District Court in Texas. The lawsuit listed 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the Mitchell Report. Clemens claimed the statements were "Untrue and Defamatory."
On February 13th, Clemens and McNamee will testify in front of The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The hearing was postponed from January 16th, giving lawmakers more time to gather evidence and to coordinate their investigation with the Justice Department. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested. The January 15th hearing before the same committee about the Mitchell Report featuring Commissioner Bud Selig, Union Leader Donald Fehr, and George Mitchell, the reports author, will go on as planned January 16th. Stay tuned for an update after the February 13th testimony.

I’m glad to see University Presidents are coming out saying, “Schools need to regain control of the college football post-season”. For years the Presidents have been opposed to a playoff system. Their opposition is largely for academic reasons and because the season is already too long. I have heard two different proposals; a Final Four system and an Eight-Team playoff. I have talked about this before and I have suggested a playoff but I think you need all 11 conference champs to make it work. I also think all conferences need to have champion games so you do not have
co-champions. I truly hope this is the start of people talking seriously about this subject.

Congratulations to LSU for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Title. At the end of the day you won it on the field of play and that’s what counts.

I know this is a sports column, but my other interest is in politics. This year is a presidential election, and the race for the white house is the tightest in a long, long time. I cannot belive I picked the winners of both parties in the Iowa Caucuses and the Republican winner of the New Hampshire Primary. I think both races will come down to the end at both parties’ conventions next summer.

On a sad note, former U.S. figure skating champion Christopher Bowman died Thursday of a possible drug overdose. Bowman was one of the great showmen that elevated figure skating in the late 80’s and early 90’s to the level of popularity it enjoys today. His rivalry with Todd Eldredge drew me to the sport and Men’s figure skating has not had a rivalry like it since. God Speed “Bowman the Showman”

sport column #5 (Soccer)

2008-01-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

I have been watching a lot of soccer recently (specifically the Women’s World Cup and the English Premier league) and also just read the book “How Soccer Explains the World” by Franklin Foer. There is a chapter on how soccer relates to and tries to explain the American culture wars. Well, this got me thinking about this subject.

First, Franklin makes a good point that because soccer was not invented in the US like Baseball, Basketball and American Football, the American people have not accepted it as it’s own. If you’re a part of the first generation of immigrants, the love of soccer has come over with you but if you were born in the USA, I think it’s harder to love the sport. As I said before in this column, Americans like to play soccer not watch it. I think the media has a lot to do with it. Don’t get me wrong there is more soccer on TV now then there was five years ago, but it’s not on regular TV, you need to buy more packages from your cable provider to get the good stuff (no offense MLS). I’M talking about the European leagues. I know that ESPN shows the European Champions Leagues every two weeks in the fall, but its in the afternoon when we are all at work! If you can’t see these club teams in their domestic leagues on the weekend you will have no idea how they are doing coming into the Champions League games.

I think another reason Americans like to play soccer and not watch it is because it is divided into two 45-minute halves with no timeouts. There are no brakes or timeouts, and if there is one for an injury or the like, time is added onto the end of the half to make up the time lost. You have no idea when the game or half will end because the Ref keeps the time on the field. I feel that the American people have a low level of concentration. Every American sport I know of has timeouts. Yes, soccer has halftime but we like to talk about what we just saw and soccer does not let us do that.

As I said before I watched the Women’s World Cup. This was the first time it was televised all the way through and not just the USA’s matches. I love women’s soccer; it is a lot less physical then the man’s game and a lot more technical. Back in 2001 to 2003 the women had the own league in the US (Women’s United Soccer Association) it folded after the 2003 season because of financial trouble. In 2008 the league is coming back for a another try, I hope it works this time and can find a better TV home then the last time.

It may look like I’M putting down MLS (Major League Soccer) but I’M not. The league has a lot of great players and great games but the problem I have with it is that the local team, The New England Revolution’s games are not Televised outside of Boston, so I can’t watch them unless their on ESPN, which is not all the time. The other problem I have with the league is that it doesn’t stop playing for international game dates. So the leagues best players are with their national teams and not with their club teams. For example the English league doesn’t play any games when the England National Team or any other National Team play on a FIFA (World Governing body) international game date.

This week in China is the Special Olympics World Summer Games. This week’s spotlight on one of these great athletes. This profile come from the Special Olympics website and written by Tim Wendel.
Sipho Mjoka Special Olympics South Africa
Sipho Mjoka’s passion is swimming and the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, have become his coming-out party. The 18-year-old from South Africa took gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle finals on Friday, 5 October, and will race again in the 100-meter free on Saturday.
Before a packed house at the Shanghai Pudong Natatorium, Mjoka brought the crowd to its feet by winning the Division 5 Finals in 29.40 seconds.
“He swam a fantastic race,” says Brenda Saville, head swim coach for Special Olympics South Africa. “He’s always been a coach’s dream for me. He listens and then goes out and does his best. What more can a coach ask for?”
Abandoned by his mother as a child, Mjoka grew up in an orphanage in Durban, South Africa, which he still calls home. Ann Janssens, who is on the Board of Directors at the home, flew 16 hours to see her favorite student race.
“Certainly it’s a long way to come,” she says, “but I had to be here to see him race. Our orphanage has about 200 children and he’s one of the ones you look out for and hope things work out for in the future.”
Beaten as a child, Mjoka took medication that eventually caused permanent brain damage. Years later, he is still bothered by headaches and often struggles in school. Sports became his outlet and he runs as well as swims.
“Coming here, being in these Games, is more than I ever could have dreamed of,” Mjoka says. “It got me out of my world.” Asked if he enjoyed the Opening Ceremony, competing in a distant land, Mjoka smiles and simply says, “Yeabo” – South African lingo for yes.

New Hampshire Primary

2008-01-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon

I told you I would pick the winners of the New Hampshire Primary, so here there are.
Democrat winner is Barack Obama and Republican winner is John McCain. Should be fun.

I was wrong about the UCONN Women having a test vs Purdue. There beat them by 50 points on Sunday. This is why there are number one.

I will have more on Roger Clemens in my next column by the end of the week.

Have a great day.

Weekend TV update

2008-01-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

Hi all

Just what to say I can’t believe I picked the winners of the Iowa caucus. I will pick next Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, on Monday.

Weekend TV viewing

NFL Playoffs all weekend long. No Pats until next weekend.

College Basketball Conference play begins. UCONN Men at Notre Dame will be a good match up on Saturday at 9 P.M. on ESPN

For the woman’s UCONN at Purdue, CBS, 1:30 p.m. will be a good test.

Also this week the Pro Bull Riders tour in at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Saturday 8 P.M. on Versus
Sunday 4:30 P.M on NBC and 8 P.M. on Versus

Just a note the race for the Fed-Ex Cup year two begins on the PGA Tour this weekend.
Have a great weekend!

Weekly update

2008-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year every one!!! I hope you all had a good holiday season and refreshed for the New Year.

The National Hockey League presented the first outdoor game in the United States on New Year’s Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. 71,217 fans attended the game and one sign in the crowd summed it up best “ LOOK MOM, NO ROOF”. The game did a 2.6 overnight Nielsen rating on NBC, which is the best regular season rating for an NHL game since 1996. This rating is comparable to the New Year’s Day bowl games that were down across the board from last year.

I think this was a great idea for the NHL, with the show coming down and the wind whipping around the stadium it made for great TV. I have read that a lot of people checked it out, which made new fans for a league that needs it. I hope the NHL does this again but I think they should do it every other year and do it in different cities. I think if you do it every year the novelty of it will wear off.

Breaking News:

The Miami Dolphins just fired Head Coach Cam Cameron. This is not news and definitely not breaking news. The Miami Dolphins were 1-15 this year. They just hired Bill Parcells as their Exec. Vice President of Football Operations who just fired GM Randy Mueller Monday so the Head Coach was next to go. The Dolphins yesterday named Jeff Ireland their new GM.

Today is the first presidential contest of the year, the Iowa Caucus. Both the Republican's and Democrat's races are too close to call. My predictions (sure to go wrong) are for Republican’s Mike Huckabee and for Democrat’s Barack Obama. It will be great political theater. Show starts at 7 P.M. Centeral Time, we should know who wins by 9 P.M. Eastern time.

That’s my take

This week in sports

2008-01-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Sorry this is a little out dated. With the holidays be hide us I will be updating more often.
December and January are not the best time to be a sports fan. The NBA and the NHL don’t get interesting until after the All-Star games in late January or early February.
The NFL has just finished up their regular season with most of the playoff teams set.
College Basketball doesn’t get interesting until the first of the year, when they start their conference play. College basketball teams also take ten days or more off for final exams. And then in December there is no college football.

There is some big news like the 20-month investigation into steroids and other performance enhancing drug abuse in Major League Baseball. This all came out in the middle of December with the Mitchell Report. First off, at least half the players named in the report are no longer in baseball. The question coming out of The Mitchell Report will be if baseball does any thing with this information. The commissioner said, “This report is a call to action, and I will act”. Lets hope so.

It will be interesting to see what the players who were named in the report say in the next few days and weeks. The players were asked during the investigation to defend themselves but did not for whatever reason. Roger Clemens came out after the investigation and declared that he did not take Steroids or HGH. Andy Pettitte also came out after and admitted that he took HGH.
In early January the powers that be for Major League Baseball will go in front of a congressional committee. This should prove to be great political theater for those of us who are interested.

I would like to answer some of my fan mail. I will write the question then the answer below.

Q: How good is Jim Calhoun? Over-rated? Is he a bully instead of a motivator?
A: Jim Calhoun is a top ten coach. He has two National Championships where Gary Williams, Head coach of University of Maryland has one and Jimmy Boeheim, Head Coach of Syracuse has one and and John Thompson , Head Coach of Georgetown has one, just to name a few. So, in my opion he is not over-rated he is probably under-rated. The bully part I’M not sure, I would have to go to a practice to see how he is with his players with out TV cameras around. I do know this, in 21 years at UCONN, Calhoun has been ejected only five times. Also, there are 14 UCONN alumni playing in the NBA right now. This is more than any other NCAA program. So just by that he is a motivator and an all time great.

Q: Has Pat Summit made the wrong decision to not play UCONN?
A: No, Tennessee doesn’t need UCONN, they already play a tough schedule. Tennessee plays 14 Top 25 teams this year to 7 for UCONN. From a fan point of view, I’M disappointed that they’re no playing each other, next to Red Sox Vs. Yankees, UCONN Vs. Tennessee is the best rivalry in sports. We will see in March how this plays out.

Q: Should Johan Santana be a Red Sox?
A: No. They won the 2007 World Series Championship without him. They should not give up someone like Dustin Pedroia for someone like Santana who has never even won in the postseason.

Q: Has the rest of the NFL caught up to the Patriots with a “ blueprint”?

A: Yes and No. Yes I think the rest of the NFL is catching up with the Pats. But every time you think they are down and loosing they come back and win. Every game is different, one time they may pass the ball 50 times, the next game they may run the ball 50 times. I don’t think there is a blueprint to beat them or it would have been done already.

Great questions,!!
I would like to compare your answers to mine so I shoot the same questions back at you and others who are interested.
Check the blog regularly as I will be up dating it more often in the New Year.
That’s my take; I would like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

Weekly update

2007-12-19T19:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays all

Just a quick weekly update.

For the first time in 32 years the Hartford Civic Center will have a new name. The second home of the UCONN Huskies will be called the XL Center after the company XL, which is a Bermuda, based insurance company.

College Basketball will be a little more quite in the next few months. ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale had successful surgery yesterday to treat ulcers on his left vocal chord. Vitale plans to return to the air in early February. His has never missed a game in 29 years with ESPN.

Weekend TV viewing

Sunday at 2:30 P.M. on NBC is a special curling event called the Korbel Elite Challenge. The game will be played on the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink in New York City. It will feature 3-time world champions Team Sweden VS. Team USA that won a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic games.
Just a note for you that have never head of curling, it is a great sport. It is like bocce on ice, so check it out.

This coming Monday World Wrestling Entrainment (WWE) presents their 5th annual “Tribute to the Troops”: holiday special on the USA Network at 9 P.M. It features the stories of military personnel on the front lines, their interaction with WWE Superstars, and their participation in the special live wrestling event that culminated the WWE tour. The WWE “Tribute to the Troops” tour, in the grand tradition of Bob Hope, is the largest celebrity production to visit troops in Iraq, with WWE Superstars visiting 20 forward operating bases in three days.

Marry Christmas to all and to all a good night

I hope my column will be up by the end of the week.

That’s my take.

sports column #4

2007-12-10T18:17:00.000-05:00

It is the best time of year in sports, baseball is in the home stretch, football is right around the corner and basketball is not far off.

I hate the New York Yankees. Some people have accused me of hating the City of New York, as Frank Sinatra sings, “I love New York and It’s the city that never sleeps” If I had a day to just sit and relax at one of the outdoor cafés in New York, I would truly enjoy it. The reason I hate the Yankees is not just that they have 26 World Series championships, more than half than the next team, the St. Louis Cardinals with 10 championships. It is because they flaunt their championships excessively. Just because you are the best team money can buy year after year does not mean you have to shove it in every ones face.

What a story Rick Alickel is. Rick was a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. After arm trouble in 2001 he had Tommy John sugery in 2003, he decided to become an outfielder.
Ankiel made his return to the big leagues on Aug. 9 against the Padres. In this game he hit a home run, what a way to come back!! Hollywood could not write a better story.

I do not understand preseason football. Four games are to many, players get hurt and in the first two games the starters don’t even play. Training camp is over hyped as well. I know hope rings eternal, but come on and play the games that count already.

Now that Barry Bonds has broke the all time home run record, I have been ask to give my opinion to if we should embrace him. No, he doesn’t embrace us why should we embrace him? Also the only baseball player from the old school that he has ever embraced is his godfather Willie Mays.

This week’s spotlight shines on my good friend and fellow Special Olympics athlete Harold Rohloff. Harold competes in Floor Hockey, soccer and for the first time this year Golf. He has worked at Stop and Shop in Putnam CT for 10 years. He also works at the Cinnamon Tree Bakery and assists with gym classes at Woodstock Elementary School. He likes to travel and recently joined a group for a twelve-day cruise to the Panama Canal.

Harold says,” Special Olympics Connecticut gives me a chance to get some physical activity and to have some fun with my friends. I played hockey this winter for the first time and learned the rules and moves of hockey. We have many fund-raisers for Special Olympics Connecticut and I enjoy being part of those activities. I enjoy the State Games where I see people I have not seen for a long time and also meet new people. I have been participating in Special Olympics since 1976.”

That’s my take: I would like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

Pollitical Correctness

2007-12-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

This is from an blog that I would like to share with you.

Are.
You.
Freaking.
Kidding.
Me?
You know, I've had it.
We can't work in a store and wish customers Merry Christmas because they might get offended.
Stores can't run a sales flyer promoting Christmas Trees because someone might get offended.
We don't send out Christmas cards but Holiday cards because someone might get offended.
We don't get to have Christmas parties but Holiday parties because someone might get offended.
My child can't sing Christmas carols that even remotely mention Jesus or the baby child with his school chorus because someone might get offended.
The nativity I put on my front porch during the holidays is under attack because my neighbors might get offended.
Now Santa shouldn't say Ho! Ho! Ho! because a woman might get offended????
You know what, I AM OFFENDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm offended that MY RIGHTS as a Christian are trampled on DAILY but I have to step on eggshells because YOU might be offended
!I'm offended that I am subjected to listening to your offensive music, language, and rhetoric but can't say anything because you'll sue me for violating your free speech rights!
I'm offended that my children have EXTREMELY easy access on the Internet to smut and porn (hey, some even gets through filters) but I can't say or do anything because I'm violating you're free speech rights!
I'm offended that when I open my mouth to offer you Christmas greetings or say God bless you when you sneeze you attack me and say I'm forcing my religion down your throat and violating you're free religion rights!
You know what-Get.Over.It!
You have your rights and I have mine!
I have the right to display WHATEVER religious symbols I want to both inside and outside my home.
It's called freedom of religion.
You don't like what you see?
LOOK THE OTHER DIRECTION-THAT'S YOUR RIGHT!
I have the right to say whatever greeting I want to during the holidays.
I can say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Peace be with You, WHATEVER I freaking want to say.
It's called freedom of speech.
You don't like what you hear?
TURN YOUR IPOD UP LOUDER-THAT'S YOUR RIGHT! Or better yet, ignore me. Trust me, I do it to you when I need to.On that note...
I hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS this holiday season if you sneezed while reading this post...GOD BLESS YOU!
Just a thought!

This week in sports

2007-12-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I would like to update some stories that are back in the news.

Michael Vick has surrendered and gone to jail before his sentencing on December 10th. He is turned himself in to look sincere in accepting responsibility for his actions. I think this is a PR move to get his sentence reduced by the judge. Remember he also faces state dog fighting charges, with a trial by jury set for April 2 Even if Vick gets 12 to 18 month in prison he still faces more time if he is convicted in the state case, he could miss the next two or three football seasons. His football career is all but over. I hope he is sincere in accepting responsibility for his actions, but I don’t think so.

Barry Bonds has been indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. Thank God there is some justice in the world. I’m not sure how Major League Baseball should handle the home run record now. I don’t think you can just erase it from the record books, but I do think you need to do something, like a note in the record books that say Barry Bonds cheated to break the record. The message should also be to don’t lie to a federal grand jury. History might of treated Bonds better if he didn’t lie.

I would like to correct something I said in a previous column. Women’s pro soccer in the US will start back up in 2009. Sorry for any confusion, they have all their financial backers to start in 2008 but want to get everything right for a 2009 start.

College Football needs a playoff because right now they have a mythical championship created by history. When you have no idea who’s going to play for the national championship, it is time for a playoff. In comparison, college basketball has a playoff. The final 65th team to get in to the field is always debated, but the committee always seems to get it right. My idea in college football is to:
1. Have all 11 division 1-A conferences have a championship game,
2. Those winners plus Notre Dame, or any other independent team, who has more then 10 wins gets an automatic bid into the playoffs.
3. Then a committee chooses 4 or 5 at-large teams.
4. The conference title games would be played in December
5. The first round games could be played as bowl games (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl etc.) on January 1.
6. Then, play down from there until you have a national title game the day before the Super Bowl, and make it a Super Championship weekend.
I don’t think a play off in college football will happen in my lifetime because the bowl games already have so much rich history and are worth so much money for the schools.

My sincere condolences go out to the family of Sean Taylor. What a horrible act, his home was burglarized a few months ago but he was not home at the time. I guess the burglar was back for more and Taylor was unfortunately home this time. This shows that any one in the spotlight is open to being a target.

This week spotlight is on the winners of the 2007 Paralympic Awards. Held on November 24 at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea

The Paralympic Sport Awards 2007 were awarded in five categories, based on performance at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games:
Best Male Athlete: Brian McKeever (CAN, Cross Country Skiing)Best Female Athlete: Lauren Woolstencroft (CAN, Alpine Skiing)Best Team Performance: Canadian Ice Sledge Hockey TeamBest Games Debut: Thomas Pfyl (SUI, Alpine Skiing)Exemplary Games Official: Dr. Karl Quade (GER)The Paralympic Media Awards 2007 honour members of the media who presented the highest quality and most dynamic coverage of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, in three categories:Broadcast: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (AUS)Written (Online): BBC Sport Website (GBR) Photo: Mikael Helsing (ESP)The Paralympic Scientific Award 2007 recognized one outstanding contributor (academic or scientific) for research in the field of sport for persons with a disability. Paralympic Scientific Award 2007: Garry Wheeler (CAN)Furthermore, the Paralympic Order, the highest recognition presented by the IPC, was awarded to two persons, who have made an outstanding or long-lasting contribution to the Paralympic Movement and/or to the overall success of the Paralympic Games. The recipients were Mr. Silas Chang (Hong Kong) and Mr. Stavros Stavrianopoulos (Greece).
In the Seoul Declaration, signed by the IPC and Korean Paralympic Committee President on 25 November, the IPC and all its members committed to advance the rights of Paralympic athletes, achieve sporting excellence, promote values and empower youth.

That my take, I like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

Couch Potato

2007-11-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

Weekend Sports TV Preview

Today Friday

Tennis: Davis Cup Final USA Vs. Russia 4 P.M. on Versus

NBA: Celtics at Miami Heat 8 P.M on ESPN

Saturday

College Football: Army Vs. Navy Noon on CBS

Ironman Triathlon 4:30 P.M. on NBC ( my best show of the year)

Tennis: Davis Cup Final USA Vs. Russia 3:30 P.M. on Versus

Sunday

Davis Cup Final ( If Needed) 4 P.M. on Versus

Bowling 1 P.M. on ESPN

College Football : BCS selection Show 8 P.M. on FOX

Monday

NFL : New England at Baltimore 8:30 P.M. on ESPN

Enjoy and Sunday you may go Christmas Shopping

Monday or Tuesday I hope to have a weekend TV review.

Jamie Lazaroff

column #3

2007-11-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Although, this is a national blog, I was born and bread in New England and still reside here. It is great times to be a sports fan in New England. The Red Sox are in first place and just pulled off a great deal. In basketball, The Celtics are back on the map.

First up the red sox just signed Eric Gagne from the Texas Rangers. What a pick up, I know that Gagne has been injured the last few years, but with Jonathan Papelbon and Gagne, the bullpen is all set. If the bats can get hot and the starting pitcher can get going, the Red Sox will be fine and win the American League East.

I have some questions about the Celtics deals to get Kevin Gannett and Ray Allen. To get KG the C’s had to give up most of their young players. Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green (the slam dunk champion this year) and Sebastian Telfair are all under 22 years old. To get Ray Allen on draft day they had to give up Delonte West who is under 22 and lead the team in assists last year. I would choose between KG or Allen because they still have all star Paul Pierce. My opinion is that two star players are better then three, because:
A. They have to divide playing time
They don’t have to give up most of their roster of young players.
C. It just makes more mathematical sense.
The Celtics still have Kendrick Perkins and drafted Glen Davis (Big Baby) from LSU. The immediate future is bright but how are all the pieces going to fit together will be the question?

I’m not a fan of fantasy football because I like rooting for a team (New England Patriots) and not individual players. It may enhance the football watching on Sunday for most people but it’s just not for me. Speaking of the Patriots, I can see another Super Bowl championship this year. Randy Moss will fit in nicely with his new team.

This week spotlight come for the Parolympics website. Paralympian Lee Pearson from Great Britain has added three more titles to his impressive career at the 2007 International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Para Dressage Championships in Hartpury, Great Britain.Being born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenital, Lee Pearson made his competitive debut in 1998 and from there became one of the most successful riders in his class. At his first Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000, he already won three gold medals and did so as well in Athens in 2004.Even though his horse Blue Circle Boy has retired before the 2007 FEI World Para Dressage Championships, he once again won every competition he competed in.Lee has been nominated several times for the Laures World Sport Award and also for the Eurosport Sport Star Award, which he won in 2004. In May 2007, he became the first chairman of the FEI Athletes Committee.
Career Highlights:
· Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Three gold medals
· ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games – Three gold medals
· 2007 FEI World Para Dressage Championships – Three gold medals

That’s my take: I would like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

column #2

2007-11-28T12:23:00.000-05:00

Sports are strange in the summer some times it slow and some times there is a lot of news. This is one summer were there is a lot of news.

Finally some good news in sports. The baseball Hall of Fame inducted two of the greats of the last era. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr played with the same teams through out their whole careers. Tony Gwynn won eight batting tittles with the San Diego Padres. My best Tony Gwynn moment was at the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston when Ted Williams came out and in the middle of all the All-Stars on the field there is Ted and Tony sharing a special moment and then Ted asks for Tony’s help to throw out the first pitch. I cried that night; I remember it like it was yesterday. My best Cal Ripken Jr. moment was the night that he broke Lou Gering’s consecutive games streak at 2131. Again I cried and remember it well. To end up at 2632 consecutive games with one team, the Baltimore Orioles is just amazing.

I’M a big soccer fan, so when David Beckham signed with Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy, I was at first excited. The more MLS talked about him changing the fate of American Soccer the more I think it will not happen that way. David Beckham is still a great player, don’t get me wrong, but Americans like to play soccer and not watch it, one player will not change this. I don’t think Beckham should have played in his first game, an extabion. He has a knee injury and could have been injured more.

On a sad note, one of the great sportscasters of our generation passed a way this week, Bill Flemming. He reported on every thing from NASCAR to Barrel jumping for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. This reminded me how much I miss Wide World. I can remember one day watching Wide World and can remember what was on that day, the Grand National for England and the Baja 1000. Some kids idolieyes sports stars, my idol is Jim McKay and I wanted to be just like him. Those were the good old days.

I can understand what the PGA tour was thinking when they added the FedEx cup points completion. But I don’t think it is working, points system works if all the athletes play the same number of events. I do hope all the top 144 players play in the playoff and the tour can make this thing work better next year.

This week’s spotlight is on a father and son team from Massachusetts, Dick and Rick Hoyt. You see Rick was born in 1962 with the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to him brain. But in 1972 his first words, using a special computer, was “Go Bruins”. Rick was a sports fan, but he wanted to compete, and he did in 1977 in a five-mile benefit run for a paralyzed lacrosse player with his dad pushing him in his wheelchair. That night Rick told his dad that he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing. So the story go on and in 1981 they entered the Boston Marathon and finished in the top quarter of the field. After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon, not just any triathlon but the Ironman in Hawaii. I saw the story on the TV coverage of the Ironman, let me just say I cried. Each time they competed it touched me the same way. What a great story of a fathers love for a son and of the true meaning of inclusion. Please go towww.teamhoyt.com and lean more about this unbelievable story. As Rick said: “The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life”. That is a message for everyone to live by.

That’s my take; I’d like to hear yours

Jamie Lazaroff

Jman200086@netscape.com

Some information about the Hoyt family come from “Team Hoyt: Racing towards Inclusion” by David Tereshchuk-www.teamhoyt.com/history

2007-11-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

Hello my name is Jamie Lazaroff and welcome to my first post. I’m a huge sports fan whose happen to have a disability. I like all sports and have strong opinion a about just about all of them. My column will not be about just people with disability in sports but about my opinion on the issue of the week.

Were do I start this week. We have the NBA referee betting scandal, we have Michael Vick in the NFL being indicted on federal dog fighting changes, we have the on going Barry Bonds on the brick of breaking the home run record and should Hank Aaron and the commissioner be there we he breaks it. On top of that you have the Tour de France and that doping scandal.

I like to start with Barry Bonds. He have not been indicted by the grand jury yet, if he breaks the record before he is indicted at lest the commissioner needs to be there because ever if you like Barry Bonds or not (and I do not) you have to respect him for breaking one of sports most hollowed records. In this country you are incite till prin gurry and as they see the jury is still out if he used steroids and all we have to goby is two books, one by a former teammate.

The referee betting scandal in the NBA is a black eye to a once proud league, but this does not surprise me. I can see how basketball could be fixed. Where have had game fixing scandal in college basketball for years, Boston College had a game fixing scandal just in the last few years. I have gone to a lot college, pro women and high school games college and pro women as well as high school and I can see how easy it could be to fix game. What does surprise me is that it to this long to get to the NBA, but with younger and younger people in your league both player and offices it was bound to happen.

Michael Vick is a sad story. I’m not an animal person at all but I do have an sfore side for dogs. I think the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL did the right thing by not allow Michael Vick from training with the team. At the point I do not think he should play football this season because his trail will probably going on doing the season and it would prove to be a distant for himself and the rest of the league.

I’m not every torching the Tour de France. It just have too may problems. I do not think cycling can be fixed. It is a hard sport and I do not think you can cycle three to four days in the high, high mounthers with out some thing in your body. Bodies are not build to take the phenisment of two to three weeks on a bike.

As I said at the start I would like to spotlight one athlete with a disability each week. This week I would like to spotlight Oscar Pistorius. Oscar is a double amputee athletics (track and Field) world record holder from South Africa. He his been in the news rectictly because he has a dream. He would like to run in the 400 meters in the Olympics next year in Beijing. You see Oscar is a double amputee. His running prosthetics are j-shaped carbon fiber blades. The world governing body thinks because his prosthetics is curved and tapering that it gives Oscar an unfair advantage. In Oscar’s first race against the best able bodies athletes Oscar was well off the pace in wet conditions. Oscar is co-operating with the IAAF on future research. I think Oscar can get better over time running with the best in the world. I do not know if his prosthetics gives him a unfair advantage. I will let you know the finding of the research in the fall.

That is my take, I like to hear yours.

Jamie Lazaroff
Jman200086@netscape.net