Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Quick history lesson: I have a sports information internship at Washington & Lee University and as I was walking around to the office I noticed this awesome basketball court. I asked the director of the department about it and it used to be the primary court for the university. He was saying some of the greats in the game played on this very court including Jerry West while he was at West Virginia University. Washington & Lee left the conference after the 1958 season. Pay attention because history could be anywhere. 

Things I Took Away From The Weekend That Was In College Football

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

College footballs National Champion was crowned meaning the real fun begins for programs across the country (recruiting!). Here is a look back and a few thoughts from the weekend (week) that was in college football.

  1. Alabama is the no-doubt-about-it best team in the country: What I witnessed last night was a demolition. Nick Saban put together a game plan that not only beat LSU, but broke down every facet of their game and made it look as though the number one team in the country didn’t belong. I joked with a friend of mine that people on Twitter were talking about LSU like you would an Ole Miss. Think about the numbers: one penalty, two third down conversions allowed, and almost four times the yardage (384-92). 92 yards of total offense for the Tigers. unreal performance. Was it the shootout that most in the ESPN era want? No. but if you appreciate great defense (and trust me it wins championships) then this was something to behold from Alabama last night.
  2. No one was beating either of these teams last night: I’ve seen Mike Gundy changing his tune a bit about playing for the national title. he went from saying they were the most deserving teams to play for it to saying I think we could have scored on them. Okay that is fair, maybe Oklahoma State could have scored on them. But notice he didn’t say “I think we could have beat Alabama” only “we could have put up “some” points against them. That’s how good these teams are. The challenge is no longer “could we beat them” but “can we score on them.” Folks, fans talk like that. I used to always wonder “could I score a point on Roger Federer?” Maybe, but as an athlete at the highest level is it more important to get there and have your kicks with a score or win the whole thing? Would fans have been happier seeing LSU or Alabama play someone else and made the game look easy? I promise you this: Stanford, Oklahoma State, Oregon, West Virginia, Georgia Southern, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams it doesn’t matter. Last night the two best teams in the country played for the title and the winner put on a show. Plus one’s and playoffs are fun for argument sake, but realistically if you look back at the last seven years the SEC has won who has a legitimate gripe that the deserving team from that conference didn’t earn it? If you do, let me know. I am ready with stats in hand. Which brings me to my next point…
  3. Does anyone have a legitimate shot at stopping the SEC in 2012-2013: I know a guy right now that if he is reading this his grin is more of an ear-to-ear smile. One of my dark horse picks for the national title next year is USC. They have everything you need to keep up with the big boys down South. They have a defense that is just as strong and just as fast. They have an offense that can compliment that defense and keep the opposing team off the field for a while. Matt Barkley had a stretch at the end of last season against Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Colorado and UCLA where he threw for 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He’s good and only going to be better. Outside of USC I can see an improved Oregon team as well as West Virginia if they continue their ascent. Outside of those teams you will be hard pressed to find a program that can take on anyone from dixie.

It really was a fun season. As always it was full of debates, great plays and cool moments. Of course college football (like any sport) never really ends but I will say I can’t wait until kickoff next August. 

Things I Took Away From The Weekend That Was In The NFL

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Last weekend was interesting to say the least in football. There was excitement (Tebow?), there was heartache (Falcons) and there were even lingering questions (Houston). All of that, as Kevin Garnett would put it, makes for a packed weekend that was in football.

  1. The Atlanta Falcons need to figure it out…fast: The Falcons should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. I’m a Georgia native, remember the days when Joey Harrington was the quarterback and usually take nothing for granted when my home state team makes the playoffs. To go to New York and not just lay an egg, but go out like a group of suckers (really the only word for it) was the most embarrassing development of Wild Card weekend. I said it on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media outlet that would have me that for the Falcons to consistently make the playoffs and look like the only team that doesn’t belong despite the talent, ranking (#1 seed in ‘10) and record (10-6 in ‘11) is embarrassing. They mortgaged the farm on Julio Jones to keep up with the Patriots, Saints and Packers of the world and ended up with an offensive showing on Sunday that didn’t even keep up with the defense (defense 2, offense 0). I expect changes on the offense specifically to a coordinator who runs a more complicated offense than my High School team and for Dimitroff and Smith to go out in search for play makers on defense. Again, happy you made it, but thanks for not coming.
  2. Timmy Tebow “does it” again: Congrats to Tim Tebow for beating a Clark-less, Moore-less and most importantly a Mendenhall-less Steelers team. In all honesty I do find it impressive that this bunch in Denver keeps finding ways to defeat the giants of their league. In my humble opinion I give a lot of credit to John Fox and all of the skill players for the Broncos for buying into the “get it done” attitude he has brought to Denver. While I (begrudgingly) admit Tebow is progressing as a passer, kudos to the entire team for their effort. And yes I do realize that Tim Tebow (one) has more playoff wins than Matt Ryan (zero).
  3. Texans get their first playoff win, and an outside shot at the conference championship: I’m always mindful of a team with stellar running back play. I can appreciate a running back putting a team on his shoulders and taking them to the promised land. Terrell Davis did it. Emmit Smith did it. Jamal Lewis, to a certain extent did it. The list is endless when talking about riding a stud runner to a super bowl title. Enter Arian Foster. 153 yards and two scores in his playoff debut and I sense more to come. Yes, Baltimore is tough on the run. Yes, the Texans will be on the road. But this is my pick to upset this weekend (sorry Broncos fans) and I think it will start with Arian Foster.
  4. Saints look absolutely unstoppable right now: 45 points on the Lions isn’t usually a cause for celebration. Then I remembered the Saints are doing this against everyone right now. They are serious contenders to the Green Bay title run; and while it will be an intriguing match-up out by the Bay, I don’t think San Francisco needs to worry so much about New Orleans running. They’ve scored 40+ against their last four opponents (including three 45-point performances) and have won a mind numbing nine straight dating back to Halloween. That is next level stuff. While Drew Brees is throwing for more miles than your odometer, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas have done their fair share of tough running to make the overall offense balanced. 

Predictions (Divisional Round):

Saints 34, San Francisco 21

Houston 27, Baltimore 24

New York 21, Green Bay 35

Denver 14, New England 31


Posted on by Adam Cubbage

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Congrats to Cincinnati Reds great Barry Larkin for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. All-Star, Gold Glover, MVP, World Champion and even better example of how the game is supposed to be played. 

(Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/)

The Thing About Culture Is, For It To Be New You Have To Lose The Old

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

It’s a funny thing culture. We talk about it all the time in sports regarding teams and franchises. We talk about what their philosophies are regarding the way they want to do things and the type of culture they’re trying to breed. Yet as often as it is stated it is also an afterthought in the list of things needed for a successful organization.

Looking back at this past weekend in football (college and the NFL) and the week in sports in general I saw a lot of teams and franchises going in a different directions. I noticed some things regarding culture and the way its being handled by storied teams and franchises. You, obviously, can’t talk culture without starting in Dallas. The Cowboys need something completely different. This past week, leading up to the game against the New York Giants owner/general manager Jerry Jones sounded almost desperate for a new way of running business. Jones, who spent the entire week pumping up Tony Romo and making him sound like he was going to have an historic run through the playoffs that would begin in New York, couldn’t have foreseen his teams would end like it had in Carolina (twice), Arizona, Minnesota, New York and Seattle in the years since their last Super Bowl appearance back in 1996. Only this time before making the playoffs. 

Their division mates and rival Washington Redskins have looked forward (Spurrier) looked back (Gibbs) and looked lateral (Mike Shanahan) to find a winning culture in Washington DC. Yet for all the millions spent on players somehow Dan Snyder never spends much on a legitimate quarterback. No disrespect to Donovan McNabb, Mark Brunell, Todd Collins, John Beck and whichever warm bodied lamb they run out there, but you have to have someone capable of playing the position to have a shot at championships. Those names aren’t going to cut it and it has been proven. Mark Brunell and McNabb lost a combined five conference championships before arriving. 

In college there were a few teams that made some changes to breed a new culture for their programs as well. While that was nice it seemed the same ugly vices reared their ugly head. 

Lets start in Georgia.

Mark Richt has won two SEC championships, over 100 games and two BCS bowls in his time as head coach of the University of Georgia. He’s run into some hard times of late. First it took him a little too long to realize Willie Martinez was not his guy as defensive coordinator and that led to Georgia going from a perennial top-10 team defensively to being sandwiched between the likes of San Jose State and Ohio. This year they were third nationally behind a 3-4 scheme led by Todd Grantham and looked great. The culture was finally changing at Georgia. Until we realized coach Richt’s old penchant for not placing enough emphasis on special teams would bite him a few times. There were missed tackles on punt returns and an All-American kicker who lost his ability to kick. Their were adjustments, but the lack of a special teams coach was apparent in a big way. Especially when it mattered the most. This year they went 10-4. Their last loss in a bowl game to Michigan State. On a missed field goal.

There are rumblings in New York that the Jets are getting tired of the culture brought by brash head coach Rex Ryan. Yet, no one was complaining when he took his team to two straight AFC championship games. for those of you who say that means nothing I pose this question: When was the last time your favorite NFL team went to a conference championship game? I can tell you the last time mine did. 2004-2005 season. Seven years goes by very quickly. Bigger picture? Before Rex Ryan arrived the last time the Jets participated in a conference championship Curtis Martin played running back, Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback and John Elway was preparing his super bowl swan song.

That was 1998-1999. How quickly we forget.  

Culture is  something that gets overlooked so often in sports It confuses me. We look past it like the minimal signing of a guy we don’t know, yet it is the most important thing when determining the success and failure of your favorite team. Don’t believe me? Ask the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and even the Washington Nationals how important positive new change can be. While some are moving forward with a new direction others  such as the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins need to start looking for something new.

That starts by changing the old.

Washington Nationals Quietly Putting Together A Contender

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

We’ve all joked about them before. Either because you live in the DC/Metro area or because you remember them as that team who spelled their names wrong on their jerseys. You poked fun at them for finishing dead last and playing the kind of baseball that makes you wonder how on earth this team is still in the league. How bad was it? Baltimore, a team that hasn’t been competitive in their own league for 15 years was considered the big brother of the beltway. That is how bad it was, folks.

The Washington Nationals were the very definition of a joke. I remember the punctuation on that sentiment, for me, was a game I attended back in 2007 at RFK when the Nationals still considered it home. They were playing the Detroit Tigers who had gone to the World Series the year before but were showing signs of scuffling heading into the All-Star break. They lost 15-1 and I’ll never forget the two thoughts I had as I left the stadium.

RFK should never be considered a baseball facility, and the Nationals will never contend for anything besides best between inning entertainment.

Then came 2008.

Nationals Park opened and was a very exciting achievement. They played the Braves on opening day and won it on a walk-off home run by their franchise player Ryan Zimmerman. From there things began looking up for this franchise. A lot can happen when you get a new stadium. A lot can also happen when you string together a few bad seasons. You can supplement that new stadium with a few number one picks such as Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Then when revenues come in from the new park you can start adding pieces like Jayson Werth (although he is overpaid). You have to have people who know what they’re doing as well right? Enter Stan Kasten, Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson. Now you have the makings of something special.

Rumor has it the Nationals are the front-runners to acquire Prince Fielder. If this happens two things will be true. Miami’s move will be nullified by this one signing (and trade of Gio Gonzalez with the impending arrival of Bryce Harper and return of Stephen Strasburg) and Washington will have the best top to bottom lineup in the National League. Can they win their division? I don’t see it just yet with the Phillies, although old, still bringing their rotation to town and the Braves, despite their collapse, putting together an impressive young nucleus of their own. Washington stands at the time to be the beneficiary of an expanded playoff courtesy of the new CBA ratified at the end of last year. if rumors are true of the set up I would not want to see one of their top three starters in a one game playoff to decide if I move on. 

That 2008 season a buddy of mine took me to a game and we sat field level next to the dugout of the Braves (Braves won that game). I remember thinking to myself how different the atmosphere was from the game I attended the summer before. The stadium was beautiful and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It is a testament to how quickly things can change for a franchise. If the rumors are true, and Prince Fielder does sign on to join the Nationals the landscape of the National League East will change just as quickly. 

NBA Musings

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

This past week I found myself pretty closely watching the NBA. Blame it on the amount of bad bowl games up to this point or my reluctance to give into “Tebowmania” but the exciting games that have taken place so far have left me with a few thoughts:

1. Derrick Rose is the most exciting player for me to watch. I grew up during the era of Michael Jordan so it is exciting and a little bit nostalgic to see the United Center packed night after night. I recently told someone that I ranked rose the second best point guard in the NBA behind the Clippers Chris Paul. With Rose led teams a perfect (5-0) against Paul and his most recent performance of 29 points and 16 assists I may have to apologize for that opinion soon.

2. Dallas owner Mark Cuban should be concerned because his squad looks bad. I’m talking Clippers before Chris Paul bad. It’s easy to overlook and chalk it up to lockout rust or new personnel learning the system, but I think what we are seeing is an aging team missing Tyson Chandler more than they lead on. Dirk and company better get it together quick because a much improved Western Conference is likely to pull away quick.

3. Don’t kill the messenger for not being sold on the Heat. Most people see a team that is undefeated. I see one that needed Norris Cole to bail them out against a Celtics team without Paul Pierce and bailout performances to beat Minnesota and Charlotte. Looks can be very deceiving, and Lebron still hasn’t shown he’s ready to take over when it counts. Norris Cole received the first “MVP” chant of the season from the home crowd as he deferred to the rookie.

Andrew Bailey To The Red Sox For Minor Leaguers

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Andrew Bailey, All-Star closer for the Oakland Athletics, was traded today to the Boston Red Sox for Minor Leaguers Josh Reddick, Miles Head, and Raul Alcantara. Ryan Sweeney is also coming over to Boston.

The deal, of course, is centered around Andrew Bailey. He will immediately fill the void left by Jonathan Papelbon after he left for the Philadelphia Phillies. Since arriving in the majors with Oakland back in 2009 Bailey, 27, is a 2-time All-Star, has compiled 75 saves and a 2.07 ERA. he was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2009.

Reddick, who batted.280 with seven home runs in 87 games last year at triple-A, is the big addition for Oakland in the deal. He will get the opportunity immediately to fill an outfield spot for the A’s in 2012.

Boston is getting a great young closer in this deal to go along with some of the quality arms they already have in their bullpen in Melancon, Jenks and Bard. His addition could also indicate a move to the rotation for Daniel Bard to replace Jon Lackey who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.