Serious or Delirious: Running up the Score

In most sports when a team has an insurmountable lead they either put their starters on the bench, or slow things down and try to run out the clock, or in some cases both. When the New England Patriots have a huge lead they'll continue to shove their dominance down their opponents throats, while their starters pad their stats. In recent weeks running up the score has been a hot debate. Today I will determine if running up the score is Serious or Delirious.

Serious

• Professional athlete's are paid ridiculous amounts of money to give a 100% effort, and to put on a show for the fans. Just because a team has a big lead does it mean they should slow things down and not try as hard? Not at all. If I dish out a few hundred dollars to go to a sporting event, I want to see these guys giving it their all, no matter what the score is. Fans don't pay money to see no-named back ups play.
  
• When Patriots owner Robert Craft gives out millions of dollars a season to a guy like Tom Brady it's not so he can play two and a half quarters then spend the rest of the game on the bench. An owner wants to get his money's worth. If Tom Brady was benched whenever the Patriots had a big lead, he probably wouldn't be well on his way setting the most touchdown passes in a season record.
  
• Remember the old saying from when you were a kid – 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game'. Well, that's not true in pro sports. Winning is everything. A team should try to beat the living crap out of another team. What are they supposed to do? Get a comfortable lead then take it easy on the other team out of respect? I don't think so. Athletes are there to compete their hardest for their teams.
  
• There are many historic comebacks in the history of sports. During those comebacks, teams have come back to win when the other had a big lead. This is a great example of why teams should run up the score. Why risk putting your back ups in to make mistakes and cause an embarrassing loss? As we all know momentum can play a major role in any sporting event, and teams should try their hardest not to give it to the other team.

Delirious

• So what happens if the Patriots decide to leave Brady in when their up by 24 and he breaks his arm and is done for the season. Running up the score would look pretty stupid then wouldn't it? Major injuries to the sports best players happen everyday, and teams should take every precaution to see that they don't happened. Leaving your best players in the game when it's nearly impossible for the other team to come back is extremely risky.
  
• Athletes with huge ego's don't like to be disrespected. In baseball if a team is running up the score, the pitcher throws at the hitter. In basketball, a flagrant foul. In hockey, a dirty check. Running up the score gives the losing team extra incentive to try to hurt the one's who are laying down the beating. A bench clearing brawl or slapping match in basketball can be fun to watch, but usually it makes the sport and the players involved looks bad.
  
• Ever get excited to watch a big game, then the next thing ya know... Bamm! it's 46 to 10! What's the fun in that? Whether you beat a team by 1 point or 30 points it still looks the exact same in the standings. What's the point of humiliating another team beyond believe? Coaches, players, and fans remember things, and most likely it could come back to bite ya. There's a thing that used to exist in sport, but I forget it's name??? Oh yeah! Sportsmanship.

Final Verdict-Both sides present very valid arguments. The bottom line is, if your team is getting beat worse than a gay man starring at Tim Hardaway in a shower, the players and the coaches aren't doing their jobs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with running up the score in professional sports. If a team is willing to risk injury, then it's their right to do whatever they want as long as they don't break the rules. Teams who complain, or result to dirty tactics to teams who are blowing them out simply need to suck it up, and get better. Mercy rules exist in tee-ball, not the big leagues. Running up the score is SERIOUS!
-Joe Osborne

Video of the Day: The Real 'Ocho Cinco'

Tuesday's Top Ten: Best Wrestlers of All-Time

Growing up it wasn't the NFL, NBA, MLB or even the NHL that was the top sport in my house. The 'sport' I'm talking about isn't even considered a sport by most. That's right I'm talking about sports entertainment, or in other words, professional wrestling. Nothing else on TV had more excitement, drama, or cliff hangers than the good old WWF. Things have changed in recent years though. Maybe because the product is different, or maybe because I'm older. Either way, let's take a look at the top ten wrestlers of all-time.

10-Sting: Sting is the best wrestler ever to have never competed for the WWF. He was one of the only guys to stick out in the early days of WCW. His 'Crow' gimmick where he would descend for the arena rafters is one of the best in the history of wrestling. Sting still competes today for TNA, and is one of the only 'old guys' still wrestling that doesn't resemble an old washed up wrestler than can barely move.

9-Mick Foley: Foley AKA Cactus Jack, AKA Mankind, AKA Dude Love put himself through more pain than any wrestler ever. He wasn't the most technical guy, but he had that underdog mentality that fans loved to cheer for. Being thrown off the top of the cage in the Hell in a Cell match by the Undertaker is one of the most memorable moments in the history of wrestling. Even though he was great, that 'Socko' things that he had going was one of the dumbest things ever.

8-The Ultimate Warrior: The man from parts unknown had the best entrance ever. There isn't too much you can say about the Warrior because he rarely spoke, but he appeared to gain strength towards the end of the match when his opponent would hit him in the face. Oh yeah, large amounts of steroids may have also helped.

7-Bret 'The Hitman' Hart: The Excellence of Execution will probably best be remembered from his WWF fallout at Survivor Series in Montreal, but he should be remembered as one of the best champions ever. Hart was a successful tag team champ as a member of the Hart Foundation, then moved on to singles competition to have runs as both the Intercontinental and World Champion. Hart also had great feuds with Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and even his late brother, Owen Hart.

6-The Undertaker: The Undertaker has possibly the best gimmick ever. The dead man was actually kinda scary to see for small kids. Not only does he have the best gimmick, but he also paved the way for a number of 'gimmick' matches including the casket match, body bag match, first blood match, and of course the hell in the cell. The Undertaker was also involved in some of the best story lines ever, including a feud with his brother Kane. It was sad to see Paul Bearer turn them against each other like that.

5-Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Kid is one of the best performers ever, and all it cost him was a friendship with Marty Jannetty. His career took off shortly after kicking Jannetty's head through a mirror in the barbershop, and he hasn't looked back since. Michaels excelled as both a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy', and will forever be despised by Bret Hart fans everywhere. HBK was the top guy when the WWF was playing second fiddle to the WCW, and his popularity was probably at it's highest when he was the leader of DX. Michaels also competed in the first ladder match with Razor Ramon which will go down as one of the best matches ever.

4-Rick Flair: WOOOO! That Nature Boy! Flair made WCW and is the best showman in the history of the sport. Like HBK, Flair succeeded as both a bad guy and a good guy. Flair is also one of only a few wrestlers to be both WCW and WWF World Champion. Flair has feuded with the best, and was the leader of the original 'stable', the Four Horsemen.

3-Stone Cold Steve Austin: Austin 3:16 was born when he defeated Jake the Snake and won the King of the Ring. Stone Cold was something the wrestling world had never seen before. A bad ass that fans could cheer for. He was a man with no friends or allies, and would come out of no where and drop a stone cold stunner on someone. Stone Cold helped lead the way back to prominence for the WWF when WCW was on top. He was one of the most marketable stars in the history of wrestling, and also one of the the best on the mic. I wonder if he would have had the same success had he remained 'The Ringmaster'.

2-Hulk Hogan: The Hulkster was the first true wrestling superstar. Hogan was the first wrestler to cross over as a star in mainstream entertainment and he helped pave the way for everyone that came after him. Hogan was a hero to millions, and made many believe in saying their prayers, and taking their 'vitamins'. Hogan was also responsible for making the WCW a major success. No one could have seen it coming when Hogan turned on his millions of fans to become Hollywood Hogan and join the NWO. That was the best face turn ever in wrestling. Hogan's in ring skills were less than spectacular. His finishing move was an atomic leg drop, but I guess he made it believable.

1-The Rock: Easily the most electrifying man in the history of the sport. The Rock had a perfect combination of wrestling skills, acting skills, star appeal, and no one..... and I mean no one could get it done on the mic like The Rock. No one was as close to being as funny, and no one could whip a crowd into a frenzy like he could. The Rock turned a simple move like an elbow drop into one of the most famous wrestling moves ever, 'The People's Elbow'. Watching The Rock put someone in their place was hilarious, and he's the first wrestler to be taken serious in Hollywood. Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?

Close but no Cigar: Triple H, Kurt Angle, The Macho Man, and John Cena.
-Joe Osborne

Video of the Day: Crazy Shot

Straight Up Made Up

Lebron records triple double despite being quintuple teamed for majority of game

The Cleveland Cavaliers earned a hard fought 111-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers yesterday, despite the fact that Lebron James was quintuple teamed by the Pacers for the majority of the game. “The strategy going in was to put all of our players on Lebron whether he had the ball or not” said Pacers coach Jim O'Brien. “While it seemed to be working at times, covering him with five players just wasn't enough, and unfortunately due to NBA rules we're not allowed having a sixth man on the court. That could have been the difference maker”. The decision to quintuple team Lebron could become a popular trend this season, as the Cavaliers roster is now mostly made up of members of a local Knights of Columbus group. Cleveland GM Danny Ferry says the new look Cavs roster makes plenty of sense. “What's the point of paying NBA caliber players to be on your team when you have a guy like Lebron? The guys from the Knights of Columbus make almost all of their wide open layups, and all we have to do is give them a small donation at Christmas. We're saving a ton of money, and we're still winning ball games.” James doesn't seem to mind the extra attention he's getting on the court, saying this is something he'll have to go through if he wants to be the best of all time. It wasn't all good news for the Cavs however, as Herb Palmer, a 64 year old power forward, and a member of the Knights of Columbus for 17 years, was on the receiving end of a violent charging foul by Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal. He was brought to the hospital and pronounced dead at the scene. The Cavs will hope to continue their winning ways when they take on the Boston Celtics tomorrow night.

Fan plans to laminate ticket stubs

August 7th at Camden Yards in Baltimore was just an ordinary day at the ball park for most fans, but not for 37 year old Patrick Spence, who is a produce manager at a local grocery store. While most were enjoying the opening game of a three game set with the Seattle Mariners, Patrick was attending his first ever ball game, and describes the events that led up to it to be 'freakish'. “Me and my common law partner we're just walking down the street close to Camden Yards, and a guy offered us two tickets for twenty dollars. It came out of no where! A complete stranger offered us these tickets for a great price. I was blown away, and just said 'what the hell, let's do it'". It wasn't much of a game as the Orioles lost 10-3, but Patrick is now a lifetime fan. “The highlight of the game for me was when Melvin Mora came close to hitting a home run. As soon as it came off his bat, we all thought it was gone. I was memorized and had feelings of excitement I've never had before. The ball ended up being about 10 feet short and was caught by the right fielder, but still, it was pretty crazy”. Following the game Patrick couldn't contain his excitement, and apparently is still on cloud nine. His common law partner suggested he have the ticket stubs that have been on display on their fridge laminated, and Patrick agreed. “I haven't decided if I want to get them laminated at a big box store like Staples or a locally owned place. I guess it depends on price and quality of service. I'll have to ask around I guess.” Patrick plans to attend more baseball games in the future and says if things go well with the laminating, he'll consider having the ticket stubs framed.

Strahan mistakes fan for Alfonso Ribeiro

During the fourth quarter of a lopsided game against the Minnesota Vikings, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan found himself in a foul mood sitting on the bench, when something in the crowd suddenly drew his attention. “Hey, isn't that that guy... You know, Carleton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? He's right there in the first row wearing a red jacket.” he said to teammate R.W. McQuarters. “Oh, you mean Alfonso Ribeiro.” responded McQuarters. “There's no way that's him, that guy is like 50 years old”. After hearing the argument Assistant Special Teams Coach Thomas McGaughey made his way over and agreed with McQuarters than the fan was not Alfonso Ribeiro. “Nope, Carleton was much shorter, and I'm sure he'd wear something better than a pullover Starter jacket”. Strahan then began to doubt his original thoughts that the man was actually Alfonso Ribeiro, but was still not completely convinced. Strahan began to analyze the man's facial features, when suddenly the man noticed he was being starred at. The excited man waved to Strahan, and it was at that point he realized that the man was not Alfonso Ribeiro. Strahan gave the man an awkward half wave, and an up-nod as he thought of what could have been. “Wow, that really blew my mind. That guy looked so much like Carleton. He should go on one of those reality TV shows.” Strahan then attempted to find a camera to take a picture of the man but was unsuccesful.

-Joe Osborne
*The above stories are completly fictional and intended solely for humor.

Video of the Day: The Best of Mike Tyson Talking

This video contains abrasive language, so if you're offended by swearing you should probably loosen up a bit and learn how to laugh.

Top Story lines of the NBA season

-By Weekend Columnist Gilles Gallant
The decline of Shaq and the uphill battle for the Heat

The Miami Heat have looked like they’re running around in slow motion. For the first two weeks of the season, the 2006 champs remind me of the year after the Lakers won their 3rd championship. Shaq was injured at the beginning of the year and the Lakers struggled to make the playoffs. The only difference is Shaq is 36 years old now and is not a game changing dominant force he used to be. Dwyane Wade is no question a top 5 player in the league when healthy. However, his reckless style of play is to his disadvantage. It gives him an edge which separates him from other talent but makes him more probable for injury because of the pounding. If Wade’s return can rejuvenate Shaq to becoming a third of what he was, they should sneak into the playoffs

The Celtics Trio and will they sustain it

As one of the “Haters” that predicted the Celtics couldn’t make it work, I’m still not jumping ship. But I will admit this, they are F*#%n’ good. However like any basketball preacher will tell you, legends are born/made in the playoffs and the NBA finals. As seen in their first loss of the season against Orlando, a team can make the Celtics run out of gas. This means they are beatable which then leads to weakness. Two facts people are neglecting is Boston right now has played most of their games at home so far and the talent imbalance between conferences make the trio look more daunting in the East. So instead of facing a weekly task of Grizzlies, Jazz, Warriors that KG is used to, he instead see teams in the East like Atlanta, Charlotte, New Jersey with an occasional dose of the Raptors and Pistons to provide competition. Their road success and bench play (or lack thereof) will tell the tale of whether they flame out in the first round or make the Finals. No Wonder KG is a leading candidate for MVP.

Marbury and the Knicks – Blow it up and start over

When will this team be euthanized and start over? I’ve been wondering for a long time and it’s sad to say it will get worse before it gets better. Although the Knicks have dumped some considerable assets from their payroll (Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, Allan Houston, Anfernee Hardaway), for every move that seems to right the ship, another bone-head one follows. Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry are not the answer to the Knicks woes and when your point guard has a bigger head than the garden he plays in, you’ve got a problem. Some would say it isn’t a good idea to cut ties with Marbury, but as a general manager you have to ask yourself if this player is making your team better. The Knicks are currently 2-9 and not one bright spot has emerged. Pity, with all the talent you could almost have two NBA starting lineups

Kevin Durant – Buzzer beaters and many more where it came from

The Sonics only hope at revenue and points on the scoreboard, Kevin Durant has looked as good as advertised. It’s amazing to think a 19 years old, frail 6’10’’ ball of basketball talent is making an impact in the game. When Lebron came in, it was a different story as he was already in NBA physical shape but Durant looks like the wind could catch him the wrong way and float off. Is it just me or does he look like a more talented and coordinated version of Manute Bol? Either way, the kid has got game and he has proven in the first 12 games of the season that he will only improve. Barring injury he should easily run away with the Rookie of the Year award.

Who will start in the all star game?

Tim Duncan won’t be starting in NBA All Star game? Man, the organizers of the balloting almost screwed that up. Thankfully they have changed their minds and have shifted Duncan back to power forward in Western Conference balloting. Originally he was listed as a center which would’ve made him bumped for…..the country of China. That’s right; the whole country of China will be on Yao Ming’s side and would have snubbed the best player of the A.J. (After Jordan) generation his rightful spot. The real question now is could Iverson challenge Nash or Bryant for their spot? All three players are performing at a high level so it could lead to someone getting bumped on the other end of the PG/SG spectrum looking for their first all star berth, for example Deron Williams or Chris Paul.

The NBA is now in an every other day grind with teams looking to get some wins early to establish themselves as contenders. Which teams emerge will be interesting. The Hornets and Magic are hot and the Heat and the Bulls have looked out of sync. The usual forces are going strong like Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio (coincidentally?). Questions for the weekend are who do you want in Dunk Contest this year and who will win? Since it’s usually reserved for younger players, my bet is on Sean Williams from the Nets if he enters. Enjoy your weekend.