Defining "Hero" (From TheCalfMuscle.com)

The writings featured on this site are usually sports-based, or under the genre of politics or pop culture. Basically, The CalfMuscle covers everything that is actually interesting or important. In this post, I asked if I could guest-write about something similar but dissimilar. It’s a subject that has always baffled me. It’s about sports, but it is more so about life.

he·ro /ˈhi(ə)rō/ – (noun) – a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

According to the Dictionary app on my iPad, these are the qualifications for being a hero: courage, achievement, noble qualities. But is that it? Is that as deep as it needs to be in order to be labeled a hero? To me, that criterion seems sort of shallow.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of @the_calfmuscle's great read on Heroes.

Hall of Fame - What It SHOULD Mean

Yesterday, I attended the Lawrence County Historical Society's Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in New Castle, PA. I sat there and watched players and coaches from this small county, just an hour north of Pittsburgh, receive a lifelong honor. It was phenomenal to listen to these seven men and three women give their induction speeches, whether five seconds or five minutes in length, as they gave their story of perseverance or words of wisdom to their friends, family, players, and coaches.

It was a day I will not forget.

I attended this event for Hall of Fame inductee Mike Kirkwood, who was my high school baseball coach and a great mentor to me and my teammates during my tenure at Neshannock High School. I left this event having a deep admiration for all ten inductees, not for their individual performances on the field, but for what they stand for as an athlete or a coach.

Mock Draft Ver. 2 (From @247SportsZone)

1st Round:
1.) Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck QB, Stanford
-This pick is a 100% certainty. The Colts desperately need a franchise QB and Andrew Luck is one of the best prospects to come out in the past 15 years. Luck can start right away and help be a leader on this young team. He has a good arm, with pinpoint accuracy and is very underrated as a runner. Luck should have no trouble adjusting to the NFL as he is already one of the hardest workers, with an impressive NFL IQ. It will only help to have veteran WR Reggie Wayne as his No.1 target. There is no doubt in my mind Andrew Luck will have an immediate impact as a rookie.

Click Here to read @247SportsZone full picks and analysis for the first three rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft!


A special thank you to 24/7 Sports Zone (@247SportsZone) for becoming the first "outside" article to be posted as a part of the 360 Sports Network! What better way to join than with an unbelievably in depth article on the NFL Draft from a high school student determined to become an NFL writer. That's what the 360 Concept is all about: everybody can become a writer. Hope this gives you your chance!

It's a Pirates life for Buccos fans.

I am thrilled the Buccos won the series in Arizona. They are now sitting at 5-7 coming out of a brutal road trip. I have been getting tons of questions about why I even root for the Pirates. So many people (who are often Pens or Steelers fans) tell me that there is no point of rooting for them because they are going to be bad forever. Well I do not think they will be bad forever because eventually they are going to have a winning season. It may take another 20 years but I think it will be sooner. Anway, I am one of few Pittsburgh Pirates fans. I watch all the games I can and while I am stuck and school or at work I constantly check the game center on sportsline or mlb.com. People look at me like I'm an ass (I don't blame them) because how into the Pirates I am. But here is why I root for the Pirates. 1) I always have rooted for them and won't jump ship now 2) I love them 3) I have hope that this is in fact the year  4) they are the home team 5) because I'm proud to be a Pirates fan. SAY WHAT?! Yes I am proud. I will tell you why I am proud. To me, being a Pirates fan means that you have balls.  Wearing that black hat with the yellow "P" on it is like a badge, signifying the suffering and heartache you endure.The Pirates "true" fans are tough as nails. Think of all the suffering we endure. DECADES of losing baseball and yet we still root for them. You know the saying "It's a Pirates life for me"? It is so fitting for not only for the owners and players, but for the fans as well.  I wan't to know what it is like to experience playoff baseball as a fan. I wan't to know what winning is like, and I wan't to know what my grandfathers, dad, and uncles felt when they talk about the good ole days of Buccos baseball. Until then, I can only imagine...

Disco Dan

I have 60 pages of pure bullcrap that I have to write for a graduation research paper in order for me to graduate in less then two weeks. So instead of managing my time wisely while I'm at work, I decided to just rant a little bit about whatever goes through my mind while I finish typing this sentence. And now that I am finished with that sentence I realized how much I dissapointed I am in the Penguins. Ya, I know they won 10-3 yesterday but the odds of them winning the series, let alone the cup, are slim to none. There is a better chance that Tupac and JoePa are still alive chilling somewhere. That being said, the hologram Tupac I saw at coachella gave me chills. The point im trying to make is that the Pens had so much promise coming into the playoffs and look where they are at now. If the Pens truly take it one game at a time then they can win the series. They did win 10 in a row during the regular season but the playoffs is a whole different story. As far as Dan Byslma goes, I do not think he should be fired but do not be SURPRISED if he is on a short leash next year. NHL coaches come and go faster than any other professional sporting league covered by ESPN. When these coaches are let go, It does not necessarily mean that they are not good, it just means the ownership still feels there is a chance that if the right guy comes in and lights a "spark" underneath a team that the season can be saved. Some fans think this is a foolish approach to have, but look at the Pens in 09. Remember when Disco Dan came in after Michel Therrien was fired? The Pens where out of the playoff picture in 10th place. Then comes Byslma and he and the team win the cup with the fourth overall seed in the playoffs.  So we will just have to wait and see what happens next year.

Wheres the Defense?

~from 3sn hockey analyst Pete Leck.

Two games into their first round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins have   only trailed during regulation once, an instance that lasted just over 11 minutes. How is it then that they trail the series two games to none? The answer lies in the defense, which has done a terrific job of surrendering every lead that the Penguins offense has handed to them. No gap seems to be too great for the Flyers to overcome; a 3-0 Pittsburgh advantage appears no safer than a cupcake stuck inside a room full of fat people with low blood sugar. Both systematic breakdowns and individual shortcomings have turned a defense once thought to be elite, into a probable scapegoat for an early 2012 exit.

Fantasy Racing - Shanghai and Long Beach

Finally! After a couple of weeks off, F1 is back in action in Shanghai! Even better, IndyCar is running the same weekend at Long Beach. You know what that means: time to make our picks for your fantasy racing team this weekend!

NFL Draft Preview - Mock Draft

Find out who your team will take in the 2012 NFL Draft! A roundtable discussion means we give all possible picks your team could make!

Strengthen your Calf Muscle

3SN would like to take the time to introduce a new and quickly growing site that will not only give you top of the line controversial sports analysis, but also some great info in the world of pop culture, politics, and just about anything that is news-worthy. All you need to do is strengthen up your calf muscle a little bit!

Click here to check out TheCalfMuscle.com for sports info and then some!

The CalfMuscle (thecalfmuscle.com) is "a sports-centered blog, with a dash of politics and a splash of pop culture and a pinch of technology and a potential side of whatever else seems calfworthy."  The sports knowledge dropped on you from the CalfMuscle team is tough to beat! They're opinionated and not afraid to speak their mind, a great trait for a sports blog! We hope to get Dan from the CalfMuscle team to join us for our NFL Mock Draft podcast in the week ahead. Jim's baseball knowledge and dedication is something to behold, and the combo of Zach and JT will get you ready for the hockey playoffs for sure!

Want some knowledge beyond the world of sports? Consistently updated articles on politics and pop culture provide a fresh curve ball for sports fans looking for a wide variety of knowledge on the world around us. The CalfMuscle can be a one-stop-shop for your daily update on the world, both in and out of the sporting realm.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Tips

James joins WBBW Ryan and Christian Show to give some fantasy baseball draft tips and strategies. Have any questions of who to start, sit, pick up, and drop? LET US KNOW! Send us a tweet or comment!