#NerdsUnite: Play on playa! (Breaking down the world of sports so you don't have to!)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Derek - I met him when I was professor for a day at CSUF. Really rad dude, and he wants to come on board to help explain to us nerdy folk the wild world of sports. Smart dude, and knows his shizzy shiznat. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT DEREK!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @DerekJ_AllDay
Welcome back to my weekly session of sports talk everyone! Remember to tweet any opinions or comments to @DerekJ_AllDay. Hope you are all having a good Tuesday and enjoyed the BCS Championship game last night between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. Other than that game there hasn't been a gripping story over the week, but there has been a multitude of stories in multiple sports that are very interesting. Barry Larkin was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame over the weekend, and Tim Tebow proved absolutely nothing once again by beating a completely hobbled Pittsburgh Steelers team. On that same “NFL” note the Saints continue to prove that they are one of the elite teams up there with Green Bay, and to be honest the Lions didn't look too bad. For a franchise that has greatly struggled in the recent past, getting into the playoffs and putting up a decent showing is good enough and their fans should be satisfied. Thierry Henry has returned to Arsenal on a 2 month loan from his American club, and in his first game back he dramatically scored the game’s only and winning goal for the Gunners. There are a lot of stories to break down this week so let’s get into it!
Last night was the college football championship game between #1 ranked LSU and #2 Alabama. The rankings are determined by a system called the BCS or Bowl Championship Series. The standings are primarily determined by a team's record of wins and losses, but many other variables are taken into consideration while determining who plays for the championship game. The BCS is not only responsible for setting up the title game, but many many other bowls of varying importance are also directly determined by BCS rankings. Some of you have probably heard of the Rose Bowl or the Sugar Bowl. Obviously, this system is very different than the NFL. The score of the game last night was 21-0, and Alabama took home the championship. The game was actually much closer than the score appears, but 'Bama was clearly the superior team on both defense and offense. Similar to last year, when these teams also matched up for the big game, the entertainment factor wasn't exactly there. Most people prefer high scoring action, but this truly was quality football that the avid football fan would enjoy.
Big baseball news came in over the weekend that Barry Larkin, long time short stop for the Cincinnati Reds, is going to officially be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame (MLB HOF). A HOF for any sport is the most prestigious and elite club of players for the entire history of a particular league. In my opinion, and I believe more detailed statistics support this, the baseball HOF is the most legendary and honored HOF of any major league sport in America. MLB has been around a lot longer than the NFL, NBA or NHL and much more relevant in the sports and political worlds. In order for a player to be elected into the MLB HOF they must receive at least 75% (Larkin received 86.4%) of “yes” votes from a group of writers and members of the media. While I personally disagree with this method, that is how the system works. I don't believe that media members are always very reliable sources of knowledge, regardless of what their job title states. I know more than most members of the media and this is because their jobs are to get ratings and my hobby is to analyze the sports world. For those who would like a quick fact of knowledge to drop on their friends, Barry Larkin was the first shortstop to ever hit for 30 home runs and also steal 30 bases in one season.
If anyone was following my Twitter @DerekJ_AllDay on Saturday my NFL Playoff predictions to win for the weekend were Texans, Saints, Falcons and Steelers. The Texans beat the Bengals with a very nice 31-10 victory, but with all of their injuries they will really struggle to win more than 1 playoff game this year. Watch out for Houston in the Super Bowl next year! The Saints won their game against the Lions by a comfortable 45-28 margin. This is not much of a surprise, the Saints are elite and the Lions are knocking on the door of “Elite-ness.” What I believed was going to be the game of the weekend was the Giants and Falcons, but I was dead wrong. The Falcons were CRUSHED 24-2, and a superior Giants team will advance to the next round. The most dramatic game of the weekend turned out to be the Broncos Steelers game. The Steelers were supposedly clear favorites for this game, and nobody was giving the Broncos much of a chance. Counting the Broncos out was simply unrealistic and clearly biased. Here are the facts...the Steelers went into that game with three major issues. Their starting center Maurkice Pouncey was injured and out for the game. Sitting on the bench with Pouncey was the Steeler's starting Free Safety Ryan Clark who could not play in Denver's high altitude do to a medical condition. Finally, Pittsburgh's biggest team piece Big Ben Roethlisberger, was playing on a bum ankle that was sprained and re-injured in previous games. Taking all of these factors into consideration is it really that much of a surprise that the Denver Tebows pulled off the win? Even with all of these cons for PITT, Denver still had to scrape by with a win in overtime. That is why I am going to take the NE Patriots for this weekend’s predictions against the Denver Broncos. For the Saints and 49ers game I am going to pick the NO Saints to win! Although, I think that this game will be much more low scoring and SF's defense is fierce! For Sunday's games I am going to choose my AFC Super Bowl pick the Baltimore Ravens to beat the resilient Houston Texans. Finally, I am taking my NFC Super Bowl pick the Green Bay Packers to beat the NY Giants. So far I am 2/4 on my playoff picks, gonna be 6/8 after this weekend!
On a closing note, I would like to throw a shout out to my soccer fans out there! A very interesting development occurred in the soccer world recently, Thierry Henry is a Gunner once again. Thierry Henry was a legendary Arsenal player for the large majority of his career and has scored a record setting amount of goals. A few years ago he was let go by the Gunners and transferred to play in the USA. Now, he has returned to his former to and in an epic comeback he scored the game winning goal yesterday in his first game back as an Arsenal legend. This is just another reason why sports create the best, and most genuinely interesting entertainment, lore and drama.
Thanks for reading once again and have a safe week! I'll catch you cool cats next week! Tweet me @DerekJ_AllDay! Fight on Lakers!