The college football season begins this Thursday. Over the past seven months, we have heard one of three topics: Alabama going for a three-peat, Ohio State improving on perfection, and Johnny Manziel's off-the-field issues.
On Monday, Manziel reportedly met for over six hours with the NCAA at College Station. Reports say that this meeting is to determine whether or not Manziel accepted money for his autograph and if he will be suspended for any games in the 2013 season.
I can promise you that he will not be suspended, and not because he is innocent.
All sports groups are becoming more and more hypocritical. When will
the hypocrisy stop? The NFL fines for "illegal" hits make no sense when
career-ending hits don't get penalized. The NCAA profits on the names of
players on their online store, yet will suspend players like Terrelle
Pryor and now maybe Johnny Manziel for profiting. They even sell Joe
Paterno "409 Wins" memorabilia when the NCAA themselves vacated over 100
wins. MLB wants to protect its players, yet suspends a pitcher for
throwing at Alex Rodriguez, and that suspension isn't long enough for
Ryan Demptster to miss a start.
What's Wrong With Sports? #BilasForPres
What do these three star athletes have in common, besides
being considered some of the best athletes in the world?
All three have been accused in the past week of using
Performance Enhancing Drugs in the past week, even though no evidence exists
that any of these three stars have doped.
This has to be it. I can’t stress that enough. I am in desperate need of this. My entire life and I have never seen it happen.
The Pirates need to finish .500 or better.
I’m
a realist, not too be mistaken for a pessimist. I see things and have a
mild optimistic outlook on the way they could turn out. That’s what I’m
doing with the Pirates this year. They have me hooked again for the
third year in a row hoping that this is it. I said it two years ago when
they were surging, and they collapsed around the midway point because of a horrible call at home plate (THE
turning point of the season). I said it
last year when 'Cutch had the best month of baseball, and then the Pirates fell apart in July yet again. And now at the start of July of 2013,
here I am again.
When I was reviewing the MLB Central Division Podcast I did with Dotson earlier today, I was struck by the accuracy of our predictions. Hold on now... I can hear you crying, IT IS ONLY THE END OF MAY!!! You cannot be serious posting this article!!!
Yes, I am serious. I am a serious Pirates fan who, right now cannot wait to get home to watch my beloved team battle. Over the past three nights, we have seen dramatic pitching duels with the likes of Jeff Locke, Genmar Gomez and AJ Burnette at the mound. Stellar saves by Melancon and Grilli are becoming the norm. Yes, the Pirates are on a roll again! Yes, Baseball is again fun in Pittsburgh, and Yes, I believe that we will actually make it through August and make a run for the post season!
However, actions speak louder than words... This team still has a lot to prove. But... it is so much fun seeing the Pirates take two of three from the Brewers. Who would have thunk that the Pirates would be playing the Detroit Tigers this close. Over the past four games, unsung heros are the norm for the Pirates as they put on a pitching exposition. Jordy Mercer's suicide squeeze was a thing of beauty the other night as the Pirates have learned how to hit, and how to bunt properly. Kudos to Clint Hurdle and pitching coach Searage and batting coach Jay Bell.
The next big test for the Pirates will be the Reds who share a similar record. Let's hope the Bucco's have enough moxy to raise the jolly roger!
Baseball season has begun! That means 162 games over the
next six months. And that doesn’t even include the extra month for playoffs in
October (and into November).
When you think of baseball, what do you think of? Eating
a hotdog in left field while soaking in the summer sun? Or bundled up avoiding
snowflakes in 30 degree weather?
I think it’s quite obvious which scenario is more
synonymous with the great American pastime. Then why is it that the season
begins with snow still on the ground? Why is it that the most important games
of the year, those playoff and World Series games, are played in 30-40 degree
weather more often than not? The legitimacy of a World Series champion is
compromised in my mind due to weather.
Why not fix this? There are a couple of very simple
options that could make a baseball season that doesn’t last until the near
winter months.
Spring Training has begun for the 2013 MLB season! That means it is time to do our own training: previewing the upcoming season for the fans! Who will reach the World Series in 2013? See how we think your team will perform this season. In this episode of the 2013 MLB Preview Show, we analyze the National League West. Will the San Francisco Giants end up top of the division again? Can they hoist the World Series trophy for a second straight year? Or will the Dodgers or Diamondbacks spoik the fun? See what our experts think!
Spring Training has begun for the 2013 MLB season! That means it is time to do our own training: previewing the upcoming season for the fans! Who will reach the World Series in 2013? See how we think your team will perform this season. In this episode of the 2013 MLB Preview Show, we analyze the National League East. Will the Nationals end up top of the division again? See what our experts think!
Spring Training has begun for the 2013 MLB season! That means it is time to do our own training: previewing the upcoming season for the fans! Who will reach the World Series in 2013? See how we think your team will perform this season.
The Mad Scientist and the Value Man break down the National League Central Division from top to bottom. There is a definite team at the top of the division, and a definite at the bottom. How it shakes down in the middle of the pack is yet to be determined.
So for only the eighth time in history, no player will be
elected into the baseball Hall of Fame this year. Thanks to the “Steroids Era”
in Major League Baseball, no players who would be good enough to enter the Hall
are deemed “clean” enough to be enshrined forever. The voters have spoken: if
there’s a possibility that you did steroids, then you will not be in
Cooperstown.
See who James says are the best players to pick up this week in fantasy football! Plus, a little debate on why MLB ratings are so low. Aired at 5:30 on 10-24-12 on The Ryan & Christian Show, ESPN Radio 1240 WBBW.
Dellav and Dot discuss it all tonight LIVE at the Crane Room at 7:00 pm! Stop by for some great food, great atmosphere for Game 1 of the World Series, and to talk sports with us! Also, sign up for a chance at Steelers tickets! Be a part of the show by commenting, messaging or tweeting us @3SNetwork! Also, we have a special announcement to make tonight that you won't want to miss!
Tune in tonight at 11:00 tonight as James joins the "Three For The Win" weekly radio show. Matt Johnson, the epitome of the collaborative network of 3SN, hosts tonight's debate. Topics include the NFL: who is the MVP, what do you think of the Patriots, and what should the Jets do with Tim Tebow. Also, we'll discuss and debate the World Series. The Detroit Tigers take on the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 TOMORROW! Who will win? You'll hear our predictions tonight.
360 Sports Network had the privilege to talk with minor leaguer Greg Rohan, currently with the AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, about life in the minors and his career so far in the Cubs orginazation. We greatly appreciate your time Greg, and can't wait to see you in the big leagues at Wrigley Field!
3SN viewer becomes 3SN analyst for a day. That's the way we like it! Hometown fan Tony Borrelli breaks down what Pirates fans have to look forward to for the rest of the season. Enjoy!
Alright Pirates fans, here's what we can look forward to in the next couple months now that the home run derby is over and the all star game will prove to be lackluster once again. Since Cutch didn't win the home run derby, pack it in Bucco fans think things will be rough. No, not really. There are a couple factors that I think about when watching this year's Buccos that makes me think there is a light at the end of the 19 year long tunnel.
The Perfect Game. It has always been the epitome of baseball glory. 27 up, 27 down. Nothing beats perfection. ....or does it? R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets just pulled off another feat that might challenge the perfect game. The Knuckleballer threw two straight one-hitters. Can it compete with perfection though?
We asked the 3SN crew to debate. And the fans need to choose between the long-winded Dot and the short-and-sweet Dellav. They answer the question: Which is more impressive? The Perfect Game? or Back-to-Back One-Hitters?
After the past couple of weeks full of ejections, technical fouls, and the subsequent analysis of the questionable plays and the player/coach/referee reactions, it's time to make a statement:
LETITGO
Just think about what's wrong with sports here:
When the analysis on technical fouls takes up more air time on SportsCenter than the highlights of the game itself, then something is wrong with sports.
When Jim Leyland's "saw what you saw" bit is heard more than the strikeout in question, then something is wrong with sports.
When equal punishment is given on court to a coach saying "c'mon Eddie" as a player throwing a two-armed slam to an opponent's head, then something is wrong with sports.
When players feel the need to argue every single ruling an official makes during a game, and thus seven-year-old kids now are seen kicking dirt on umpires while saying a call is wrong, then something is wrong with sports.
So, let me say why sports and the sports publishing powers that be are again making me rather frustrated. EVERYBODY is to blame.
It's been a long time since the Pirates have had a winning season. 1992 was the last time. Most 90's kids that grew up in and around Pittsburgh don't really know what it's like to follow a baseball winner unless they root for a team outside of the Burgh. Last season the Pirates were competitive basically up till the beginning of August. Even though the team finished with a losing record I still had so much fun following the season. You all know how much I love my Pitt Panthers and Steelers but up until August I can honestly say I never had as much fun following a Pittsburgh team. That is mostly due to the fact that I never seen the Pirates win the way the did. I have always followed the Pirates but up until August I truly felt like a was watching something special. Something special for the first time and then It was taken away from me. I want to be able to follow the Pirates without being in heartache for most of the season. More than anything though, I wan't Pittsburgh to be known as the "City of Champions" not the "City of Champions, and the Pittsburgh Pirates."
After the Jim Joyce fiasco last year, fans could only hope that instant replay would follow. It didn't.
With every occurrence of a manager spending five minutes arguing a call that was blatantly missed, fans could only hope that instant replay would follow. It hasn't.
Will Jerry Meals calling Julio Lugo safe to end a 19 inning marathon (the longest game by time in Pirates' history) finally bring instant replay to the MLB? We can only hope.
Check out our analysis in our latest podcast below! Our vote:with technology available, use it. And the Little League World Series has set the table for bringing replay to the Majors!
FOR THE RECORD: Too many mistakes are being made in the game right now. That being said, umpires are human, and the human element is something that makes the game beautiful. It's easy to critique a call using slow motion, dvr, and 1080p HD. Joyce and Meals both admitted their faults. They want to get the calls right. I, too, had great hostility toward Joyce immediately after Galarraga's "28 up, 28 down" last summer. I know that I was wrong. I realized it as soon as I took two seconds to relax and see that it's just a game and that human error will ALWAYS be a part of ALL sports in one way or another. So to those who have sent death threats, harassment, or have posted Meals' address and phone number on message boards, please grow up. It's only a game. That's something we all seem to forget more often than not.
(Oh, and to those who publicly try to claim from their "Armchair Umpire" status that they can call a game better...wake up. And to those other Armchair Umpires who think that Lugo was safe from the replays they've seen....first, Meals said he should've been called out, and I think the HD cameras straight from MLB, ROOT, and TBS are better than your home TV. Take a moment to think before you say you're better and smarter than the professionals.)
I’d like to address an issue I believe has long been overlooked in the world of sports: Fighting. And no, I don’t mean boxing, MMA, Taekwondo, or even the fake WWF wrestling or whatever abbreviation they choose to use any more. I’m talking about fighting in the major sports where fighting has no place whatsoever.
Let’s start with America’s pastime: Baseball. Luckily we haven’t seen many issues this year, but a batter charging the mound and leading to a bench clearing brawl just leaves me shaking my head. What are you accomplishing? You threw at me, so I’m going to come throw haymakers your way? And think about it, the batter might get one swing in before being engulfed by four other players, so all the batter accomplishes is a lengthy suspension for him, the pitcher, and half the bench players who run onto the field. Yet the fans love seeing it. (If you type "baseball" into a youtube search, the site completes it to "baseball fights")
Actually, while on the subject of baseball, let me interject another type of baseball “fighting” that’s gone on long enough: coaches and players arguing calls. It’s one thing if you argue a call that can be appealed and changed, but something as pointless as arguing balls and strikes just makes me laugh. You’re going to get thrown out, period. How does that help the team? Coaches are getting thrown out on a weekly basis it seems…hardly an effective way to manage your team if you ask me.
Let’s move on to hockey. Olympic hockey is the best there is because there are no pointless scrums and fights. The NHL is full of fights, as players and fans say that a good fight will help motivate their team and wake up their fans.
Let’s start with the assertion that a fight will motivate their team. Let’s look at a specific fight that affected the outcome of a game (supposedly). In game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Flyers appear to be in control after going up 3-0 over the Penguins with 15:54 left in the 2nd period. At 15:39, Daniel Carcillo and Maxime Talbot engage in a fight, which Carcillo clearly wins. The fight results in an even more excited Philly home crowd and Talbot telling them “shhhh!” At 15:25, the Pens score their first of five unanswered goals to win the game and the series. If a fight will motivate my team, why would I ever “agree” to a fight when I’m up 3-0? And if the Pens are motivated by a fight that their teammate wasn’t even close to winning, why aren’t there ten fights during every hockey game?
The answer is that the fight isn’t the motivating factor. In my mind it’s all about the fan reaction. Fans for some reason like seeing grown men on skates grab each other and try to throw punches. Carcillo wanted to pump the crowd up, Talbot to shut them up. They could have done the same with their play, and thus why a fight is pointless.
Pens vs. Isles this year featured one of the most penalty minutes in recent memory. It started from an earlier game when there was a collision in front of the Islanders’ net, which of course resulted in something resembling a rugby scrum combined with a boxing match. Then all of a sudden the two goalies begin skating toward each other and fight (Isles’ goalie Rick DiPietro smiling, making this fan think that a hockey player thinks it’s just “fun” to get into a fight…what’s that teaching us?). One punch and DiPietro is down, and he’d be out for the next six weeks. Was it worth it for him? How about Brent Johnson and the Pens?
The next game between these two teams not only had fights at every whistle, but also had an Islander Micheal Haley, whose only job is to “enforce” (aka fight), get into a scrap with a Pens player, then after being separated from him by the referees he decides to go and fight the Pens goalie. That’s beyond wrong. That guy should never be allowed to play in a game, ever. Suspensions? Trevor Gillies (who threw an elbow high on Eric Tangradi and then started punching him while he was down) was given a nine game suspension. He also should never see the ice again (he’s not a hockey player…two goals in 39 games last year? He’s an “enforcer” only too! NOT A HOCKEY PLAYER!). Haley (two goals and an assist in 27 games…another non-hockey player) was not suspended! A player got into a fight, was summoned to the penalty box, but instead of going he decides to go attack somebody else? That’s worse than a blatant blind-side hit to the head in my mind.
I love reading the box score for these two players. Gillies had 1:40 of ice time, but 34 minutes of penalties. Haley had 5:31 ice time and 39 penalty minutes. Wow.
The biggest suspension? Ten games, given to the Penguins’ Eric Godard for coming off the bench to intervene in the fight between Haley and Johnson. The NHL disciplinarian said "There can be no circumstance that allows for a player to leave his bench for the purpose of coming to the aid of a teammate." Yet you allow players to get into full melees to defend their goalie when he gets knocked over by an opponent PUSHED INTO THE GOALIE BY THE OTHER TEAM! Contradictory. I commend Godard for protecting his goalie, like he and all other hockey players are taught.
What does it say that this game was considered the most exciting game of the year? More people wanted to watch this game (due to the almost certain fighting that would result after the goalie fight nine days prior) than the Stanley Cup Finals (until now, where I’ll guarantee ratings skyrocket after the blindside hit and 3rd period brawls in game 3). The score of these games? 9-3 and 8-1, respectively. Send a message by your play and your play alone. You won the game, and won big. There’s no need to cause brawl after brawl when your play has done that enough.
NBA. At least the full out punches being thrown from the “Bad Boy” days of 20 years ago is gone. But the tussles that result for pointless reasons are head-scratchers. I got fouled, so I’m going to go push some people around. I’m seven feet tall nobody’s going to stop me! And what’s the penalty for these on-court altercations? A technical foul. Big whoop. If I’m a player and that’s the penalty for giving somebody a bump after the play because they fouled me during play, my response would be, “Oh well I need six more before I miss a game!”
People like seeing these grown men cry and act like babies? Apparently, as the above youtube video showing the 2010-11 season’s “fights” has over 400 likes vs. 6 (now 7 that I’ve seen it) dislikes. And the NBA says they don’t condone this stuff? Letting them bump chests and trash talk and get into these altercations with the penalty being pretty much 1/7 of a suspension will do nothing to stop it from happening. Wake up.
Finally, NASCAR. I hear every week of a new fight with drivers (and now apparently owners, too). Racers spin each other out because they don't get penalized for it and won't crash themselves in the process. Then the following week when they are the ones getting spun into the wall they think they have the right to go attack somebody. Reporters discuss the fights and rivalries more than the racing itself. Again, if the fans and analysts want to worry about who's hitting who, then go watch boxing. (Seriously, how is boxing at an all-time low for ratings? every other sport has fights, fans want to see the athletes throwing punches without being restrained, so why not watch the sport that allows it?) There's much better racing out there, but apparently fans like seeing racers throwing punches into the cockpit of another vehicle. Why? Beats the hell out of me.
Fans, if you want to watch fights, go watch boxing or MMA or something where fighting isn’t PART of the sport but the sport itself. If you want to watch hockey, baseball, racing, or basketball, then watch their respective professional (or preferably collegiate) leagues and DO NOT SUPPORT that which is not part of the game. There’s nothing in the rule book for these sports regarding fighting being legal, so why do we support it? I can’t wait until these playoffs are over so I don’t have to hear about who bit who and who fouled somebody too hard.
What do these three star athletes have in common, besides
being considered some of the best athletes in the world?
-- by Tony Borrelli 
Alright Pirates fans, here's what we can look forward to in the next couple months now that the home run derby is over and the all star game will prove to be lackluster once again. Since Cutch didn't win the home run derby, pack it in Bucco fans think things will be rough. No, not really. There are a couple factors that I think about when watching this year's Buccos that makes me think there is a light at the end of the 19 year long tunnel.
After the past couple of weeks full of ejections, technical fouls, and the subsequent analysis of the questionable plays and the player/coach/referee reactions, it's time to make a statement: 
