Sophomore Trio Spearheads Sports Podcast

Note: This is another feature I did for school.

ITHACA - If you find yourself in the lobby of the Roy H. Park School of Communications on a Wednesday afternoon, there is a good chance that just a few feet away, in Room 218, you will hear what sounds like an afternoon drive sports talk radio show.

But if you go into the room and ask for the volume to be lowered, there will be no radio on. Instead you will find three sophomores recording a weekly sport talk podcast, called “The Asman and Budick Show.”

After a few microphone checks, the show opens the same way it does every week: a pre-recorded voice telling the listener “The Asman and Budick podcast starts right now”, followed by the familiar guitar riff from The Heavy’s 2009 hit song “How You Like Me Now?”

The roots of the podcast can be traced back before college. Sophomore co-hosts Jake Asman and Daniel Budick went to high school together in Syosset, New York and were able to host a sports-talk radio show at their school every week, normally on Mondays. Each said they had been listening to sports-talk radio for much of their lives, so they knew it was something they would like to get involved in.

“We did a lot of local and national and New York sports stuff,” Asman said. “It was pretty much just basic sports talk, similar to what the podcast is. When we both came to Ithaca College it was something we wanted to do.”

Asman said one factor in creating the podcast was being able to do a show that focused on what the duo wanted to talk about and allowed them to do it every week in order to enhance their skills in front of the microphone. Budick also mentioned that doing a weekly podcast allowed them to have the flexibility to tape the show whenever they were able to.

Getting the show the green light from Ithaca College Televisions’ special productions department was the first hurdle they cleared, so they went looking for a producer. That is where sophomore Jake Chernok came into the picture. He did not know Asman or Budick before coming to Ithaca College, but he ended up being a good fit for the podcast.

“These guys were looking for a producer and I volunteered, and its worked out great so far,” said Chernok, who, much like Asman and Budick, is an avid fan of sports-talk radio.

Chernok is the shows’ utility man. He not only plays the role of producer, editing the show after taping is complete, but is also a part of weekly segments, and books special guests for Asman and Budick to interview. They have had numerous high profile guests on the show, from Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, and TNT basketball broadcaster Kevin Harlan to name a few. Part of their ability to book some the bigger names in the sports industry was being approved for as media credential for the NBA, NFL and MLB, allowing them access to the same contacts list ESPN reporters have.

When asked what each of their favorite interviews were, all three agreed that their interview with Craig Sager Jr. in April 2014 was special and emotional, talking about his father’s diagnosis with leukemia and the powerful interview he conducted with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“There’s so much negativity surrounding sports all the time,” Chernok said of the interview. “Every single story that comes out is so negative and to have something good come out of that was really, really awesome.”

Budick also mentioned the first interview they ever did on the podcast as being a special moment for them.

“I remember the first guest we had was John Yastrzemski of WFAN,” Budick said. “Just us interviewing him I felt like it was really cool because I’ve been listening to these guys for so long and it’s almost like, ‘Wow, they’re calling into my show now’, and I think that was a big eye opening experience.”

Aside from Yastrzemski, the co-hosts draw inspiration from current sports-talk personalities that they listen to on a daily basis. Budick said he tries to model his interview style on WFAN’s Marc Malusis and Mike Francesa, while Asman will routinely wake up an hour before his 8 a.m. class to watch Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton’s television simulcast and take parts from their show, as well as others, to create his own style.

Asman said that trio plan on continuing the podcast through college, and he hopes it gives all three of them valuable experience in the sports-radio business.

“We hope it continues to make us better so when we do graduate college, it gives us an opportunity to have a leg up on the competition when we’re searching for jobs,” he said.

King of the Hill

This is a feature I did at school for the school newspaper, The Ithacan:

King of the Hill

Kelsey King has the Bombers poised for a deep playoff run on the South Hill

Every successful team has a player who can take over a game at the snap of a finger when the team needs him or her most. Real Madrid has Cristiano Ronaldo, Alex Morgan is the X-factor for the U.S. Women’s National Team and the Bombers’ women’s soccer team looks to junior forward Kelsey King.

King has been on a tear in her third year on the South Hill, finishing the regular season with 12 goals and five assists through 16 games. This follows her 14-goal outburst last year in 22 games. With the playoffs on the horizon for the Bombers, King is looking at exceeding her goal total from last year and has already reached her personal record for assists in a season.

Her high motor and steadfast work ethic make her effective on the field, head coach Mindy Quigg said.

“She’s tenacious,” she said. “She just brings it every single day. Every play, every day,  Kelsey’s going hard.”

She described King as savvy and technically sound with the ball at her feet, getting forward quickly and making instinctual decisions that would cause hesitation in other players.

Junior goalkeeper Beth Coppolecchia echoed Quigg’s words when talking about King’s attitude and commitment to playing hard.

“I think a lot of her success has come from her hard work during practice and each game,” she said. “When we’re down a goal, she’s always the one to bring the positive attitude and give everything she can to try and score a goal. She has been amazing thus far, and I know she’s only going to continue to do well throughout postseason.”

In some games this year, Quigg said, the opposing team would dedicate one or more players solely to shadowing King on the field to try to restrict her impact on the game, because when they give her the slightest amount of room, she has proven that she can do whatever she pleases with the ball at her foot.

“It can be really frustrating, because it limits what I can do,” King said. “I have less time, less space, to do all the things that I usually like to do. It’s an adjustment that I’ve had to make over this season especially. I’m just kind of getting used to it, but it just makes me play different.”

With opponents trying to shut the door on King’s scoring, it opens another one for her teammates. King’s assists are up by four and counting this year, and she credits that in part to the extra attention she has been receiving on the field.

“I think maybe it comes from having that extra pressure and extra defense on me,” she said. “It opens up other people, and I can play them that quick ball so that they can get the opportunity.”

Quigg also attributes this increase to King’s development as a more well-rounded player.

“She plays so much more with her head up now, which makes her more of a threat,” she said. “She creates so much for other people, not just because people are swarming to her to defend her, but because she creates. She distributes the ball extremely well.”

King’s importance to the squad does not stop at her offensive production and team-leading statistics, however. Coppolecchia said King’s communication and leadership have aided the team’s success.

“She is one of the biggest leaders on our team, and especially for the offense,” Coppolecchia said. “Throughout the game she’s consistently communicating to everyone and keeping the energy high.”

Quigg said King’s maturity has a big impact on the team’s mentality, and her experience will be a factor in their playoff run.

“What she does on the field is amazing, but her maturity is equally important,” Quigg said. “She’s a leader on the field, she’s a leader off the field, she’s vocal, she’s a leader by her actions, a leader by her words.”

With the postseason drawing near and another year on the horizon for King, Quigg said she is glad to be on the same sideline as the goal-scoring midfielder.

“We’re fortunate that she’s a Bomber for sure,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to play against her.”

The Case for MVLee

The MLS MVP race is going to come down to this final weekend, and the race is tight. The clear frontrunner is Robbie Keane, the Irish striker for LA Galaxy that seems to have taken a dip in the fountain of youth before the season began. He has 19 goals and 14 assists on the season, good for third and tied-second respectively, but he has not scored a goal since October 4th, which puts into perspective just how big of a season he was having before the slump. Obafemi Martins has 17 goals and has been one of Seattle Sounders best players all year. And, of course, Landon Donovan will be in contention, well because he is Mr. MLS and it is his last season ever so everyone can feel happy he got a Derek Jeter moment and won the MVP in his final season. But I think there is one clear choice.

No one has been more valuable to their team than Lee Nguyen of the New England Revolution. And I know what your thinking right now, "This is bias, he's from New England, of course he wants his guy to win..." and you're right. I am bias. But this is the truth. Lee Nguyen has been seemingly unstoppable this year. He has 17 goals, same as Obafemi Martins, and 5 assists, which isn't much but it is more than USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley, who has 4. Maybe the best stat Nguyen has is Game Winning Goals. He has 8. That's the most in the league. It's 3 more than Keane. Lee Nguyen has technically won more games than 3 teams in MLS and would be tied with 2 others. He's also done all of this goal-scoring out of the midfield, while Keane is a striker. That, my friends, is what we call a difference maker. He has been without a doubt the Revolution's best, most impactful player. They would not be 2nd in the Eastern Conference without him, in fact they would not be in the playoffs if it was not for his 8 game winners. He is the most valuable player to his team on the list of candidates.

He should also be getting a call up to the U.S. Men's National Team soon. It would be an utter disappointment if Jurgen Klinssman didn't call up the player riding maybe the biggest hot streak of a season in recent memory to the national squad. Lee Nguyen is one of the best MLS players out there right now, and he deserves recognition.

#MVLEE #NGUYENING

Also he scores goals like this, a little incentive: 

If Catalonia Secedes, Barça Will Be Out Of La Liga

Fox News MADRID –  The president of La Liga says Catalan clubs like Barcelona and Espanyol would be excluded from the country's top soccer league if the region succeeds in its bid for independence from Spain. Separatist sentiment has surged in Catalonia in recent years following Spain's refusal to give the region more autonomy and fiscal powers.La Liga President Javier Tebas says the country's sports law entitles only one non-Spanish territory — Andorra — to legally participate in the league or other official competitions.Tebas adds that for clubs from an independent Catalonia to be included in La Liga would require a "modification" of the law that would have to be approved by parliament.

Big news from Spain with pretty major ramifications for the soccer world. Taking Barcelona out of La Liga is a huge deal. Save for Atletico Madrid's title win last season, it's been a two horse race the past nine years between Barcelona and their rivals Real Madrid. Granted, La Liga allows a non-Spanish team to currently play, that being FC Andorra form the small nation of Andorra (sandwiched between France and Spain), although the highest that squad has ever been in the Spanish soccer hierarchy is the third tier. Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world across all sports, never mind just La Liga. New laws would have to be put in place to allow for more non-Spanish teams to play in the league. Barcelona players such as Xavi Hernandez and Gerard Pique, both Catalan-born, have expressed they want the region to continue to seek independence. This could expand past La Liga as well. Catalonia has had its own national team for some time, but they are not recognized by FIFA. With a new, independent nation, they could become recognized and be able to compete in world tournaments. This would also deplete the Spanish national team of key players. This is certainly a double-edged sword for those in the Catalan region: stay and continue to play as they always have, or secede and have their footballing future in doubt.

PS-Has a club motto ever backfired/been more relevant than Barcelona's? It's "Mes que un club", which means "More than a club". As in they represent not just a club but a region. A region that wants to secede. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

PSS- Poor Espanyol just getting sandbagged. No respect for being a second class team in a region that wants to secede.

Have the Patriots Found Their O-Line Solution?

The New England Patriots offensive line has been the target of much scrutiny this season following the trade of veteran guard and team leader Logan Mankins. Well last night on Sunday Night Football we may have seen the solution. It never occurred to me that coach Belichick could just play three centers at once. Yeah, its that simple. No more Jordan Devey, no more Marcus Cannon. Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell at the guards and rookie Bryan Stork at center. Tom Brady was only sacked once and hit another time. Thats it. So genius. So Belichick. Just play three center and you'll be all set.

Brady looked as fired up as I have seen him the past few weeks, Gronk was getting back to his old ways of being the bruising pass catcher we were all accustomed to, and Tim Wright was impressive as well. Those first two drives had me ready to run through a brick wall. I was so pumped up watching Brady play pissed off. If we have to bring Jimmy Garoppolo in at the end of every game to get Tommy ready to go the next week then that's what we have to do.

I hope they put Garoppolo in at the end of tonight's game, just to piss of Tom Brady again for next week.
— Toucher and Rich (@Toucherandrich) October 6, 2014

Wait, what's that?

Garoppolo finishes the game. Next week is a lock.
— Toucher and Rich (@Toucherandrich) October 6, 2014

Arsenal Bounce Back

Goals scored  by Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and an own goal from Aly Cissokho courtesy of a Kieran Gibbs cross

Arsenal came into the weekend with just six points in four games, and were staring at an Aston Villa squad in second place in the EPL. Everyone was focused on two players under scrutiny: new striker Danny Welbeck, and last summers bug signing Mesut Ozil. Some fans wanted Ozil out of the lineup, or at least moved to his preferred center midfield spot, but manager Arsene Wenger opted to keep him in the same role, out on the left hand side with freedom to roam to the middle. Santi Cazorla was slotted in that middle role, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlein out on the right, meaning Alexis Sanchez would not be starting. Villa gave the Gunners a few scares at the beginning of the match, but keeper Wojciech Szczesny turned the chances away to keep the match level. In the 32nd minute, Welbeck played a brilliant through ball towards the box, and Ozil raced it down and put a left footed chance past Villa keeper Brad Guzan. It was a huge relief for fans, management and Ozil alike. In the 34th minute, Ozil and Welbeck switched roles, with the German international playing a cross past Guzan and onto the waiting foot of Welbeck. It was Welbeck's first goal in an Arsenal uniform. But then in the 36th Kieran Gibbs gained possession in Villa's half and played a long cross towards Chambo. Aly Cissokho tried clearing it out of the back of Villa's end, but his touch put the ball in the back of the net instead. In all, it was just three minutes and 12 seconds separating all of the Gunners goals. They now currently sit in third place with nine points, but expect that to possibly change by weekends end. Hopefully this served as a wake up for Ozil, who had been invisible all season, and even nation back to last year. Same goes for Welbeck, much maligned at Manchester United. If they both turn it on, Arsenal has the depth and talent to compete with Chelsea, ManCity and the rest of the best in the Premier League.

Is Chelsea Approaching Manchester United Status?

Diego Costa was one of the biggest signings of the summer

They are the number one team in the Premier League. They have arguably the best squad in the world. They have a manager who has won every place he has been, and is nicknamed "The Special One".  They are the boys in blue from West London: Chelsea FC. Chelsea have always been one of the top teams in the Premier League, but this year there is something different about them. Owner Roman Abramovich shelled out a lot of money to ensure this. Reminiscent of the dominant Manchester United teams of this past decade and beyond, Chelsea are dominating, they are confident, and they are full of expensive depth. During the transfer window , manager Jose Mourinho brought in Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis, Didier Drogba, Loic Remy and Thibaut Courtois, among others. Add that firepower onto who they brought in last year: Andre Schurrle, Willian and Nemanja Matic. Oh but they leveled out the expenses by selling a lot of good players: David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku, Victor Moses, Juan Mata, Martin van Ginkel, Michael Essien, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard, Demba Ba and Ashley Cole just to name a few (yes a few). Chelsea has done a remarkable job building and buying their team, which makes some fans dislike them. I am one of those fans, mainly because I support Arsenal and Chelsea ate up all the good strikers on the market, leaving the Gunners with Danny Welbeck filling in for Olivier Giroud. Fan disdain for the Blues is beginning to rival the disdain for United, although nothing will bring a smile to the face of a fan then seeing United lose. Chelsea could probably beat the World Cup champions Germany right now. The duo of Fabregas to Costa has been unstoppable: in four games Cesc has six assists, and Costa has seven goals. Courtois pushed Petr Cech, the long time starter, out of the number one goalie slot. Eden Hazard continues to be one of the best young players in the world. Chelsea is clicking on all cylinders, evident by picking up every point thus far this season, with a goal differential of +9 to boot. They are the new Man. United. You hate to love them, and love to hate them.

Deadspin Paints Bob Kraft As A Hypocrite

I'm heated and I don't know why. This is something produced by Deadspin. Basically calling Patriots owner Bob Kraft a hypocrite because he says he is against domestic abuse, but oh wait, he once met Floyd Mayweather, a known abuser, during a Monday Night Football game last year and they were captured meeting on TV. Naturally the SHEEP that blindly follow Deadspin and take everything they say as the Bible were calling him a hypocrite and telling Kraft to screw himself and all that. I love it and hate it even though I shouldn't hate it because those people are morons. Kraft and Mayweather met ONE time, and it was on TV because it was a primetime football game and two very wealthy people in the sports business were meeting for the FIRST time. But now that Kraft says domestic abuse is bad he's a hypocrite? Why? Because he was seen with Mayweather briefly last year and hasn't been seen with him since? Implying that they're FRIENDS is asinine. They do not do business together, they don't invite each other to events, they met once. Oh but all the freaking internet trolls and Twitter Know-It-Alls are quick to call him a hypocrite. So I guess meeting somebody who abuses women makes you a supporter of domestic violence. THAT MAKES PLENTY OF SENSE. Seriously, FUCK all the people calling him a hypocrite. It is stupid. STUPID. Read a book for me one time you idiots.

The 2014 Premier League Transfer Window: The Most Expensive In History

Every professional sports league has its own free agency period, and when a notable player is not under contract it can be a frenzy to sign them for big money. The problem is that a big name player is needed to create hype around North American free agency. That is what makes the European soccer “Transfer Window” so special. First off, there are two opportunities, one in the summer offseason and one midway through the season in January. Two chances to get a big name and create a splash. But the other beautiful thing about the Transfer Window is that any player, no matter their contract situation, can move teams, either permanently or “on loan”; basically a rental. 

Big names that moved clubs. From top left and clockwise: Angel di Maria, Mario Balotelli, Luis Suarez, Shinji Kagawa, James Rodriguez, and Alexis Sanchez. All shown with their new teams.

The most recent Transfer Window closed on September 1, 2014 at 11 PM (British time), and the final numbers at the end of the day were nothing short of staggering. According to Forbes.com, the total gross spending of Premier League clubs alone was 835 million British Pounds. To put that into perspective that is nearly 1.4 BILLION U.S. dollars. This is due in part to improved broadcast deals for the league, mainly with the United States, meaning there is more money to spend. Manchester United is often compared to the New York Yankees due to their deep pockets and frivolous spending, and the Red Devils flexed their muscle this summer, leading the league with a £150 million gross spending spree; roughly 16% of the Premier League’s gross total. That trumps Liverpool, the next highest spender, by £23 million. But then we look at net spending, because every team also sold players which cuts into the gross expenditure, and United still topped the rest of the pack with a net spend of £122 million; 30% of the total net spending by the entire league. Yes, a single team was almost a third of the leagues net outlay.  Across all leagues in Europe big names and stars of the World Cup swapped clubs, including James Rodriguez, Mario Balotelli, Luis Suarez, Alexis Sanchez, and Radamel Falcao.  Some of the biggest stars in the game move to new clubs within a summer, something rarely seen in America, and there is so much hype and media generated by this event. Fans stay up all hours of the day to see the latest signings, and there are television shows across the UK dedicated to the final hours. It’s treated like a national holiday. So, I will be the one to say it: soccer has the best free agency period, and it’s not even close. 

Radamel Falcao after his move to Old Trafford

Sunday EPL Roundoup

After a Saturday full of good matches, six teams stepped onto the pitch on Sunday. There was no shortage of goals or exciting moments, and points were aplenty to end the week. So without further ado...

Aston Villa vs. Hull City

The only game of the three not on a main broadcast, I admit I only saw the last 15 minutes or so of this one. Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring for Villa in the 14th minute, and Andreas Weiman doubled it in the 36th. Hull got one back courtesy of Nikica Jelavic in the 74th, but that was all they could muster. Villa had a few good chances towards the end of the match, notably a quick flick from Fabian Delph from close range to the left of the net that was batted out of play. Brad Guzan, the US international keeper (who may now take over the starting job after Tim Howard announced his leave of absence from the national team) played well, making two saves. Something to note is that Delph recently got a call up to play for the English national team in an upcoming duo of friendlies with Norway and Switzerland.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool FC

Liverpool came into White Hart Lane needing a win over top place Spurs in new striker Mario Balotelli's debut for the Reds, and they took care of business. Raheem Sterling started the day off right with a left footed finish after a nice pass from Jordan Henderson across the goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris. Right after the half, Tottenham's Eric Dier made contact with Joe Allen in the box, and Allen went down (rather easily, but still enough there to call a penalty). Captain Steven Gerrard converted from the spot, ensuring he would continue to take the penalties instead of Balotelli. 22 seconds after a double substitution by Spurs, new defender Alberto Moreno finished off a brilliant solo effort to finish off the deed to the tune of 3-nil. Lloris made an excellent save on Daniel Sturridge after a no look flick from Balotelli, and Tottenham should have gotten a chance at a penalty after an obvious foul on Emmanuel Adebayor in the box, but the ref let them play on. Balotelli was impressive in his re-debut in the Premier League, playing with strength. He was brought down form behind at one point, and did not react in typical Mario fashion, a refreshing and relieving sight. By the end of the match all you could here form the stands was Liverpool's famous anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Leicester City vs. Arsenal FC

Arsenal came into this match fresh off a Champions League qualifying win over Besiktas, and they came out roaring. Santi Cazorla played a nice ball to Yaya Sanogo (starting in place of the injured Olivier Giroud) who had his shot blocked, but the ball fell to Alexis Sanchez, and the Chilean international put it home to give the Gunners the 1-0 lead. Leicester answered right back, as Leonardo Ulloa headed home a cross from Jeffrey Schlupp. Laurent Koscielny, arguable Arsenal's best defender, collided with Schlupp earlier in the match and needed a bit of medical treatment, going down the tunnel for repairs. He returned with a heavily bandaged head, but ended up needing to come off, with Calum Chambers, another young, recent England call up, coming on for him. After that, the play was rather even, but Leicester had a few of the better chances. Wojciech Szczesny took care of that. Leicester had a chance in the second half to pull a shocker, but Ulloa could not finish his second of the day, pulling it to the side of the open net. Horrible, horrible miss, lucky break. They traded chances during a fast paced second half, and Szczesny made sure the game stayed level with a superb save late in the match. Alas, neither team could pull ahead, and they ended with a 1-1 draw.
Yaya Sanogo did not look good out there starting up top. He had trouble with runs and gave a few balls away, and overall just did not look as good as he did in a few games he played this preseason. Joel Campbell may get the nod in the Gunners next game, September 13th against Manchester City. Manager Arsene Wenger said Campbell will get his chance to prove himself, and he even denied all loan attempts for the Costa Rican striker. Luckily, if Arsenal has anything it would be depth. In the match with Leicester, Jack Wilshere, Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlein, Campbell and Tomas Rosicky all on the bench. That bench could beat some of the teams in the Premier League this year. Theo Walcott is also returning to fitness and should play this season. While Arsenal let Loic Remy slip through their fingers (and into the hands of those bastards Chelsea no less) any concerns at striker can be addressed internally and during the January transfer window.

At the end of this third weekend of EPL action, here are the standings.

Nothing next week due to an international break, but I will find something to write about.

Saturday EPL Roundup

Three marquee match ups to run through, and by marquee I mean at least one team playing that is considered a contender. This week's match ups will conclude tomorrow with a good batch of games, so there should be plenty of material for tomorrow's roundup. Without further ado...

Burnley v. Manchester United

Manchester United needed a bounce back after a horrible start to the season, and they wound up in a scoreless draw with Burnley. United never took control for a long stretch, and Burnley gave them quite a scare towards the end of the match, being spurned by a good effort from United keeper David de Gea. Not even the debut of Angel di Maria could help the Red Devils pick up all three points. Manchester United have picked up just two points in three games. To put that into perspective, that is just two out of the NINE possible points. It's not even like they've played the cream of the crop in the EPL either; United lost to Swansea at home to open the campaign, then drew with Sunderland and Burnley. Meanwhile, the roster that new manager Louis van Gaal has put together has a goal differential of -1 despite having superb firepower. The starting lineup for the Burnley match included  Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, di Maria, Juan Mata, and Ashley Young, along with Adnan Januzaj, Danny Welbeck and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez on the bench. van Gaal's men have to play better to avoid a repeat of last season's embarrassment. Signing Daley Blind from Ajax should help.

Manchester City v. Stoke City

Defending champions Manchester City came out with guns blazing against Stoke, who weathered the early attack. ManCity's depth allowed them to put Sergio Aguero up top with Stevan Jovetic just behind him, with David Silva and Samir Nasri providing support on the sides. When you can have players like Edin Dzeko, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta as your substitutes, your doing something very right. Stoke probably should have gotten a penalty midway through the first half, but there was no call and play continued. After turning away a few Manchester chances, Stokes Mame Biram Diouf converted on a brilliant solo effort, complete with a nutmeg on Fernandinho and a shot through Joe Hart's five-hole. Hart honestly should have saved it. It was not a hard hit and it just rolled right between his legs. Diouf almost added to it on a nice cross in front of the net, but could not convert. Stoke went a dominating run a for a few minutes until Stokes Odemwingie was injured, and Dzeko and Navas came on for City. Stoke continued to sit in a defensive shell, and then Yaya Toure went down in the box. City cried for a penalty, but it was Toure getting the yellow card for diving. In the end, Stoke prevailed with a 1-nil score over the Citizens. 

Everton v. Chelsea

The best matchup going into the weekend pitted the Toffees of Everton FC and the Chelsea FC Blues.  Everton's Romelu Lukaku faced off with his old side and his fellow Belgian international Eden Hazard. Meanwhile, Chelsea got striker Diego Costa back after  brief injury scare, and Costa wasted little time, scoring the opening goal before most people switched from NBCSN to NBC for the match, just 34 second into it. Branislav Ivanovic added another to the Blued lead in the third minute to keep the nightmare going for Everton. Right before the half, Kevin Mirallas brought Everton to within a goal. Tim Howard kept Everton in the game with a few key saves in the second half, but could not stop a Seamus Coleman own goal. Eden Hazard raced around the outside and into the box, and his shot barely nicked Coleman, but it was enough to get past Howard. Right after this, however, Stephen Naismith got the goal back for Everton on a great pass from McGeady. Fater that it was game on at Goodison Park, with an intense 20 minutes of action following. Nemanja Matic continued the goal craze with a rolling strike to make it 4-2 to the Blues. As you could probably guess the trend continued. Everton was down by two, so they scored again, this time courtesy of a former Chelsea striker signed Tuesday, Samuel Eto'o. And then Ramires scored again for Chelsea to gain another two goal advantage, 5-3. Then, with a minute to go, Diego Costa tallies his second of the match to put Chelsea up 6-3 and seal the game. This game did not disappoint in the slightest, and Chelsea came out looking like the eventual champions. Only time will tell if they can keep this pace up. 

New England Revolution Sign Jermaine Jones

SI.com-The New England Revolution has won the strange and lengthy race for U.S. national team midfielder Jermaine Jones, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told SI.com on Sunday, later confirmed on ESPN by Alexi Lalas. According to Lalas, Jones landed with New England after the club was selected in an unprecedented "blind draw" over the Chicago Fire.
In case you didn't already have soccer fever after the World Cup, Jermaine Jones is coming to New England. Huuuuge move by the Krafts here. He was possibly the best player not named Tim Howard on the USMNT in Brazil this past summer. He's not the biggest name that will be brought to MLS, but it's enough to peak the intrigue of casual fans everywhere, in my opinion. If you needed a refresher on Jones' summer/career: 

Logan Mankins Traded to Tampa Bay

(Quick Note: Yeah its been awhile. This blog is not dead.  A lot more free time on my hands for the foreseeable future so hopefully I post more.)

Breaking: the Patriots have agreed to parameters of a trade to send Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to the Bucs for a pick and TE Tim Wright
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) August 26, 2014

FOX Sports-FOX Sports has learned that the two teams have agreed to the terms of a trade that would send Patriots captain and six-time pro bowler Logan Mankins to the Bucs in exchange for a player and an undisclosed pick. A Patriots source said the deal is agreed upon, but they are still waiting to finalize the deal. Mankins, entering his 10th season in the league, was a first-round pick by the Patriots in 2005 out of Fresno State. He made $5.7 million last season. 

Color me SHOCKED. I really could not believe this when I saw it originally. Offensive line is one of the glaring holes in this otherwise amazing team, and the Patriots trade a Pro Bowler/captain/one of the best linemen year in and year out for an undrafted rookie tight end and a draft pick. And I get that this helps the Patriots with the cap and will allow them to explore different extension options with Darrelle Revis, which is all well and good, but if you want to capitalize on Brady's last few years, I'm not sure trading the teams best lineman is the correct route to traverse. They've done it with Richard Seymour and  Randy Moss so this isn't totally out of left field I guess. I still remember the exact moment Moss was traded. I was in my freshman year of high school in history class and our teacher literally stopped class to watch the press conference announcing the trade. We never really got much done in that class. Hopefully the coaching staff can figure this all out.

Patriots Sign Darrelle Revis

Via everyones favorite midget NFL insider Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots signed recently released free agent cornerback and 5-time Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis to a 1-year, $12 million contract. Hey Denver, you just got faced. Have Talib, we have Revis Island! As much as I love this move, Jets fans HATE it. You think they ever thought when they traded Revis to Tampa Bay they would see him wearing Patriots gear a year later? For sure not. Hopefully this is just the first domino to fall in what should be a productive offseaosn for the Patriots.

Other Moves They Should Make:
-Make a few more free agent signings
Former Panthers WR Brandon LaFell has visited Foxboro. Not my cup of tea; I'd rather have Edelman back or maybe go after  a guy like Hakeem Nicks, but whatever. Get a receiver is the bottom line. Grab some O-Line help as well, either through the draft or Free Agency. The big kahunas I'm hoping for are former Broncos LB Wesley Woodyard and any of the remaining veteran pass rushers, namely Jared Allen or Julius Peppers. Give me a solid wideout, a solid O-Lineman or two, Woodyard and Allen and I will be ECSTATIC.
-The Draft
Take a solid tight end in round 1. Jace Amaro and Eric Ebron are probably the two best tight ends in the draft and should go round 1, maybe one to the Pats? Also, don't sleep on C.J. Fiedorowicz, who is built like Gronk, plays like Gronk, was interviewed by the Pats at the combine and should go in the middle rounds. I'd also love to see a solid wide receiver or defensive playmaker in the mix, either a pass rusher or another defensive back, possible Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Alabama and the Nick Saban pipeline. I hope the Pats can add Jared Allen and a young pass rusher to learn from him. All around this is a VERY stacked draft class and talent can be found all over the board.
-Big Draft Day Move??
I will say up front this was not completely my idea, and it belongs in part to Andy Gresh of 98.5 The Sports Hub. I'd love to see the Patriots possibly trade Ryan Mallet to the Houston Texans, as well as swap 2nd round picks. We free up a little cap room and move up to the top of round 2, and the Texans get a QB that new Head Coach Bill O'Brien knows well; we all know QB is a major need in Houston. Then, in the middle rounds, the Pats would take either AJ McCarron or Aaron Murray. McCarron is about the same size as Tom Brady (6'4" 214 lbs. vs. Brady's 6'4" 225 lbs.), and is an excellent game manager, who shows great control and does not turn the ball over. He is more of your prototypical "Brady-esque" quarterback, using precision and smarts to pick apart defenses from the pocket. He has also expressed a lot of enthusiasm is wanting to become Bradys backup for as long as Brady wants. He also comes with a sweet chest tattoo and Katherine Webb. Murray on the other hand was one of the greatest quarterbacks in SEC HISTORY statistically over his 4 years in Athens, GA. He posted astounding numbers and made big plays when he needed to. He is on the smaller side at 6'1". Murray can make plays with his feet as well, which can help pick up a good gain or scramble to buy time on a play and find an open target. He is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered at the end of this past season, but should be on track for a full recovery soon. Each has played in a  pro-style offense, something the Patriots love. This would be a great move to see during the draft.

GO PATS

Further Articles

So I've posted most of my school paper articles, but one has yet to be found on my computer. The link for the paper is here :http://issuu.com/mhsjournalism2013/docs/final_?e=9626380/6390411

The missing piece is about the Heisman trophy candidates, found on pages 24 and 25.

Hey Hockey, Get Rid of the Goons

Goon. Enforcer. Tough Guy. All synonymous with what is plaguing the National Hockey League today. Fighting has been part of hockey since its creation. Some fans cry out that it is fighting that needs to be phased out of the game. It’s true; people get hurt when they fight on sharp metal skates while gliding on ice, all while using bare knuckles to bash the opponent’s face in. It’s part of the game. There is a difference between necessary and unnecessary fighting, though. If your team’s star player takes a cheap shot to the head, you are going to want a big, bad bruiser to skate up to the perpetrator and make him pay. That’s just the nature of the game. But there is no need to pay an ugly behemoth solely to injure other players with elbows and shoulders to the back of the head.

In the past few years, there have been countless incidents of goons hurting other players with obvious intent to knock them out of the game. Chicago fans may remember when, in 2012, Blackhawks’ player Marian Hossa was leveled by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres on a brutal shot to the head. Bruins fans will never forget about the 2010 hit by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke that has all but ended Marc Savard’s career and has left him with brutal post-concussion syndrome. This past October, Buffalo forward John Scott delivered a vicious elbow to the head of Bruins player Loui Eriksson. While Eriksson recovered within a few weeks, it was the type of hit, and the type of player, the NHL needs to phase out. After that hit to Eriksson, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid stepped right up to fight Scott. That is the type of fighting needed in the NHL. It’s all about retribution, not fighting for the fun of it.

Scott is a prototypical goon: six feet, eight inches, and 259 pounds of unskilled hockey player. He has played in 187 NHL games in his career. He has just one goal and four assists to show for his eight professional seasons, with his last goal coming in 2009. Some will point out the Bruins have goons in McQuaid and Shawn Thornton. The difference between John Scott and players like McQuaid, Thornton, and Montreal’s resident fighter George Parros is that the latter players are not paid to hurt other players. Parros protects his guys and only fights in the event of a cheap shot. McQuaid plays shut down defense in front of Bruins goalies year round, not to mention he scored the goal that sent the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Shawn Thornton already has more goals this season than Scott does in his entire career. These players are productive in addition to their fighting skills. The NHL needs to cleanse its product of players like John Scott, but it all starts with the teams. They have to decide that they would rather spend their money on a solid goalie, or forward who can kill off a penalty, rather than throw thousands, or even millions of dollars at men who can barely stand up on the ice just to try and knock out the opponent’s best player. Bruins head coach Claude Julien personally dislikes the use of goons in hockey, telling The Boston Globe, “If a guy chooses to be that and a team chooses to have a guy like that, I don’t know, but I’ll never tell Shawn Thornton to go after Sidney Crosby or anybody else that’s a top player in this league. I’ll never do that. So if he does, it’s on his own. And if he does it on his own, I don’t think personally I’d accept it.” One thing is for certain, though: There is no place for a hitman in hockey. (The formatting did not want to work with me…)