Nearly Two Years of Winning and Still Overlooked?

By Hobson Lopes

In recent months, all Connecticut Huskies fans have had a lot to talk about. They had the football team being competitive in every game and even included defeating the great Notre Dame. All of this fighting through the adversity of losing one of their own after this seasons homecoming game. The men’s basketball team gave Coach Jim Calhoun a five year extension, which has yet to be signed. Calhoun has had health issues in the past and this season is no exception. He missed a couple weeks due to his latest health scare and the team has struggled for most of the season. Recently, the team has worked together to pull off multiple upsets setting them up for a trip to the NCAA tournament later this month. Through all of this, one thing that seems to be forgotten is the women’s basketball team coached by Geno Auriemma. What makes that more amazing is the fact that the team has won 69 straight games. With all those wins, do they lead off Sportscenter? WIth all those wins, do they recieve front page coverage? Maybe if they were playing LeBron James or the New York Yankees.
You have to go back to the 2008 Final Four in Tampa Bay, Florida, to find the last loss by this team. Since that 82-73 loss to Stanford, the Huskies have dominated all opponents. They have won each game by at least ten points. They have easily gone through the competition in the Big East Conference winning 32 straight games. They avenged their loss to Stanford by defeating them in the 2009 Final Four in St. Louis, Missouri, 83-64.
These numbers all look great, but it pales in comparison to how well the Huskies play against the top ranked teams in the country. Seventeen of the victories have come against team ranked in the top 25 polls with a margin of victory of over 28 points. In their seven playoff games since their last loss, the Huskies margin of victory has been almost 27 points.
Many people feel that Auriemma’s team will not get beaten this season and would finish with their second consecutive undefeated season and third overall in their great history. If the Huskies win all the remaining regular season games, they can tie their own Division I women’s basketball winning streak with a win in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament on March 7. Thus, a second consecutive perfect season will give them 78 straight wins, only ten shy of tying the all time collegiate streak record held by UCLA.
Coach Auriemma just knows how to coach, and more importantly, knows how to recruit. He will lead the women’s Olympic basketball team in 2010, and has already booked his ticket to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
This year, led by Maya Moore and Tina Charles and their over 35 points per game, this duo is near the top of the list in UConn’s great legacy, which include the duos of Jen Rizzoti & Rebecca Lobo and Diana Taurasi & Sue Bird. With Charles ready to graduate this spring, she’s completing her WNBA resume as she recently broke the All-time UConn records for points and rebounds. Moore & Charles feed off each other and make sure to incorporate Kalana Greene and Tiffany Hayes into the action.
While the diehard fans know all of this information already, what I am concerned about is this team is expected to win, so a streak of this caliber is overlooked. Although attendance is high at each game, whether home or away, it still seems that in this area, they are looked past. This reminds me of the situation that the Atlanta Braves faced in the 90’s. Starting in 1991, the Braves were the best team in the National League, and got to the World Series multiple times, but only won once. With each winning season, the attendance figures dropped at Turner Field as the fans just expected the team to win. I know once March Madness sweeps the area, fans will be all over the men’s and women’s teams, but I would still hope to see more enthusiasm from the locals all season long, especially as records come and go.

Bud Selig: His Past, Present, and Future

By Dennis Brown

Baseball is “America’s Pastime.” Baseball is a sport that has brought joy to people in this country since first appearing during the civil war era. Any sport or business however, would be lost without a leader. Allen H. Selig, better known as Bud, has been the face of Professional baseball for eighteen years. Since coming into office as commissioner of the MLB, Bud Selig has had his share of controversies and tough decisions. At the age of seventy-five, it is no surprise that there has been talk of retirement for Bud, but what would this do for the sport of baseball?
Just two years after being named acting commissioner of Major League Baseball in 1992, Bud Selig was faced with the strike between the players and owners regarding their salaries. He set a deadline and when it came, the 1994 season was cancelled because no agreement had been reached. One year later, after meeting with President Clinton at the White House, Selig stated “we are committed to playing the 1995 season and will do so with the best players willing to play.” This was huge for the sport, implying that replacement players may be used in the striker’s place. Throughout the years Bud Selig has also made other big decisions like adjusting Hack Wilson’s RBI total and Babe Ruth’s walk total.
Controversy struck the MLB big in 1999 as the Los Angeles Dodgers attempted to illegally sign Adrian Beltre at the age of fifteen. Selig took control and fined the Dodgers ball club $50,000 and forbid them from scouting players from the Dominican Republic for an entire year. Bud said “He participated in the scheme,” and denied Adrian his free agency. Other notable actions taken by the man in charge include suspending both, Braves pitcher, John Rocker for racial remarks in an issue of sports illustrated and Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry for testing positive for cocaine in 2000.
Bud Selig was criticized most for the 2002 All-Star game in which it went into extra innings. In the 11th inning, both the National and American leagues had used up all their pitching. Selig was questioned about what to do and decided to end the game in a 7-7 tie. Because of this game, now the All-Star game means something. The winning team each year now, gets the right to home-field advantage in the World Series.
The last few years it seems that steroids have been bigger than the game itself. The news was talking about the users of steroids more than the season and players on field performances. Every sport around has had random testing for illegal drugs and steroids for many years. Bud Selig placed this random screening into Major League Baseball in 2001. Since then, more and more tests have been taken and many baseball players have been caught and/or have come out with the truth.
In 2002, David Propson wrote in Flak Magazine, “Bud Selig is the dark lord of baseball. He tried to kill two teams last fall, and this summer he has sworn not to give into the player union, even if it turns out to mean provoking a season-ending player’s strike. Fans, reporters, players, and even other owners hate him. Clearly, the man must be a genius.” Genius or not, the MLB seems to be a strong organization and Selig has played a major role.
Many fans have their own opinion on Bud such as Brian Jennings, a junior at Central Connecticut State University who says, “I had no idea Bud Selig was retiring. It’s surprising because he’s been there so long. He has built the MLB to where it is now (successful). He could’ve made the league even better though, by being stronger on the steroid issue and maybe installing a salary cap. Also, baseball would be better in the future with fewer regular season games, so that they don’t end the season playing in cold weather.”
Another opinion was formed by Eric Stadalnik, a freshman at Uconn of Waterbury, he states, “I was aware that Bud Selig was thinking about retirement. I think that he has done all he has been able to do, both good and bad, at this point so I think a change would be good. Much like how better the NFL has been since Roger Goodell took over for Paul Tagliabue a few years ago. I believe with the right person getting the job, the MLB as a whole would benefit greatly. I can’t say I hated him, but I think some things could’ve been better during his time as commissioner, he is replaceable.”
So the fact of the matter is, whether you like Selig’s talk of retirement or not, you must respect him as not only a business man but also as a leader in American athletics. He has had a great love and respect for the sport throughout his life. The actions he has taken show he is strict and not afraid to change the sport for the better. Bud Selig may be replaceable, but it won’t be easy.

Super Bowl Preview

By Hobson Lopes

This coming Sunday, live from Miami, Florida, we will all witness two great quarterbacks, who led their teams to the number one seeds in their conferences, face off. It will be this Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints face off in Super Bowl 44 at Sun Life Stadium. This Super Bowl marks the first time in history that the Saints make the trip. Even the great Archie Manning-father of Colts QB Peyton- couldn’t lead the Saints to the big dance. This marks the second time in four seasons that the Colts make the trip. At Super Bowl 41, Manning led the Colts to the victory over the Chicago Bears in Miami at Dolphin Stadium.

While many people hoped to see the Colts battle the Brett Favre lead Minnesota Vikings team, the Saints ruined those plans with a thrilling victory in overtime in what was one of the sloppiest playoff football games this reporter has ever seen. The way the Saints were able to take the ball away from the Vikings at will is a sign of how good their defense may be. The way the Vikings moved the ball at ease aside from those turnovers is a sign that the Saints may be in for a long flight home after the game. Manning is the smartest player in the NFL. He doesn’t make the same mistakes that the great Favre does. If the Saints want to win this game, they need to look at film from last season to find out how to beat the Colts.

The Colts were 14-0 going into week 16 against the New York Jets. In the second half of that game, Colts coach Jim Caldwell benched his starters to rest them for the playoffs. In week 17, Caldwell left his starters in the game only enough to get some milestones, and then benched them again. While Caldwell received criticism from everyone in the media, and from everyone in attendance at those games, his decision has paid off. The Colts lost both games, and by doing so, didn’t even help the Saints. The Saints can’t go back and look at the film of what the Jets or Bills did that week. It won’t be the same guys on the field that day.

The Saints do have a shot in this game. The Saints have one of the highest powered offensive attacks in the NFL. QB Drew Brees is one of the top three QB’s in the game and his ability to spread the ball around make it difficult for any defense to lock on to just one receiver. Running Back Reggie Bush has come out of nowhere in recent weeks and finally looks like he did in college at USC. Back-up RB Pierre Thomas, who led the team in rushing this year, gives Saints one of the top 1-2 RB duos in the league. It remains to be seen if they can do anything against the Colts great defense. If the Saints truly want to have a chance to win this game, they need tight end Jeremy Shockey to get back to playing like he did in the first half of the season. Shockey, one of the few Saints with Super Bowl experience, needs to play a big part in the receiving game, as well as blocking up front against the Colts highly talented linebackers.

My prediction for this game is the Colts winning 34-28. Peyton Manning will win his second Super Bowl MVP award, and look for former UCONN Huskies star Donald Brown to have a big game. Manning will throw for over 300 yards, with 3 TD, and 1 int. Brees will match Manning’s numbers, but it will be the Colts running attack that makes the difference.