BEDLAM and some playoffs.

Bear with me for a minute. I'm on breathing treatments and they make me shaky.

BUT SO DOES BEATING OU IN NORMAN IN THE BEDLAM GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I STARTED BLEEDING ORANGE.

Holy mackerel. What did I watch?! 

I'm on day 8 of being sick. Like, REALLY SICK. In a desperate attempt to get out of the house, I ventured out to watch the game. In a super noisy restaurant that only cared about the SEC championship game.

With about 5 minutes left in the game, I was getting REAL over it. And desperate for the comfort of my couch. And my meds. I kept hanging around though because...I bleed Orange. Duh.

Then Rudolph throws a pick. Of course. Typical Bedlam outcome for my boys. We're done, I'm going insane. (More insane than I have been all day, which is saying something.)

AND we force a 3 and out...wait what? I'm getting excited, we have some time, and Rudolph can throw the deep ball. AND THEN WE ROUGH THE PUNTER. And I'm mad. Really mad. WASTING TIME. Don't take stupid penalties...which we were doing all game. 

And then the re-punt...to TYREEK HILL. 

I think I stood up somewhere around when he was crossing the 40 yd line the first time, and actually saying out loud, "no. no. what?! YES YES YES!"

See, you have to understand... I love my boys. Every one of them. But I LOVE Tyreek Hill. 

See, Gundy does this thing when he lands a commit on twitter where he'll say, "Pistols Firing from (insert city, state) #BeACowboy"

I don't know if one of those tweets has actually made me dance around my living room the way the one from Garden City, KS did. (Hill's junior college was located there)

He's fast. And he's gotten so shifty. And if he works to an outside edge or open space...HE GONE. 

(I've also rewatched that video 100 times while typing this alone.)

Anyways, an OT win and Bedlam victory is finally ours in Norman.

Defense showed up. Special teams showed up. Offense made the necessary plays (Minus some BIG drops from our receivers...). I'm a happy girl.

I still don't want Mike Yurcich calling plays for my team next year. And being bowl eligible is a HUGE deal this year. WE NEED THOSE EXTRA PRACTICES.

Btw, I stopped in the middle of typing this to relive the moment by giving a play by play to one of my favorite people...and I'm still so amped. Talking about it is so fun. What a buildup. Seriously. Could not have been scripted more perfectly/anxiety filled.

Isn't Bedlam such a fitting name for our rivalry? 

Now a quick blurb on my other football thoughts (since I'm getting annihilated in my picks in hockey tonight):

• HOLY OHIO STATE. Man they showed up. 
• I was cheering against Alabama (sorry teeny...i don't like losing my bets!) But they played well against a probably underestimated Mizzou team. They're in.
• Florida State also played decently against a surprisingly good Georgia Tech Team
• Oregon destroyed Arizona...so we know they're in.
• So what happens with #3 and #4? How do you take a TCU team that trashed their opponent today out and leave Florida State in iffff, their win was, and it was, better today? How do you take undefeated FSU out? What do you do with Ohio State? What do you tell Baylor? (You tell them that late season losses and tight games don't help...especially against Texas Tech this year). 

YES, Ohio State is literally KILLING IT, but TCU's loss was to a (at the time especially) VERY GOOD Baylor team AT Baylor. Ohio State's loss was to a very bad Virginia Tech team at home. I know when you lose shouldn't matter, but it does. If I'm on the selection committee, nothing changes. Especially because everyone wants that Alabama-FSU match up and they can guarantee it happens.

But I also wouldn't want to be on that committee, cause SOMEONE is going to be mad, well a lot of someones, and that's a lot of pressure.

Anyone miss the computers yet? But seriously, for giggles, I'd love to see what the computer rankings are in comparison to the human picks. Interesting I bet. (And this is coming from someone who the computers screwed in 2011...WE WANT LSU.) Maybe next year we see an 8 team playoff... Or 6 with a  bye week for top 2? WHO KNOWS! DRAMMAAAAA.

I'll be sure to blog my playoff reaction late tomorrow, a girl's gotta work after 8 days with the plague. 

XO

Why I don't care that Marcus Mariota got a speeding ticket.

I'm actually exhausted. And sore. My muscles hurt. The good hurt...but nonetheless.

Also, it's 10:30 and I have to be up at 5. But I'm sitting here writing this because I'm angry.

Why am I angry? I'm scrolling through twitter, simultaneously having heart attacks over both the Rangers and Canucks games when a tweet comes across.

"Marcus Mariota received a speeding ticket this weekend." 

It has several thousand retweets. The story is the top story on the CFB ESPN page.

Now excuse my language, but...

WHO. GIVES. A. SHIT?

Seriously? Who cares? Yeah 80 in a 55 is dangerous but, and this may just be because I'm a Texan, it is NOT uncommon to see someone going 25 over. 

Heck, I've been pulled over twice in one day for almost 20 over. (I was ready to be done with my road trip.) And it wasn't freaking national news.

He got a ticket, as he should have. I'm sure that cop lectured him, followed by some variation of "go ducks," and I'm sure his parents had a word of two with him. Heck, I'm sure he even got an earful from his coach. BUT THE NATIONAL MEDIA?

Like, when did this become a market? Why are sports programs becoming more like E! News and TMZ rather than telling me about SPORTS.

WHY DO WE CARE?

Tonight, I'm watching the Rockets, (I still don't like you Les or Daryl), and I hear the announcers talking about Dwight Howard being accused of child abuse... while a play is folding out on the court. 

So I look up the story. His baby mama is accusing him of child abuse for spanking his son with a belt. 

1. It's called discipline. Ask me how many times my parents had to come at me with a belt. Once. Because I learned my lesson. Yeah I screamed bloody murder. Did it hurt me? For a minute. Did I behave like I was supposed to 98% of the time. YES. 
2. REFER TO #1 AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT.
*steps off soapbox*

But this is a conversation going on literally in the middle of a game. 

I.DO.NOT.CARE.ABOUT.HIS.PERSONAL.LIFE.I.AM.WATCHING.BASKETBALL.

Unless you are telling me about how he is helping out in the community, during a break, I don't care.

I DONT CARE.

(Have I said that enough?)

At the end of the day, my boss cares about my performance at work. She may ask me how my personal life is going, because on some level we are friends and not just coworkers, but she does not then turn around and broadcast that to everyone around us. She does not send it out in a company email, or post about it on her Facebook. Why? BECAUSE IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY JOB.

Do you know what I want to hear when I turn on ESPN? CBS Sports? Any other major sports network?

Analysis. I want to know what it is in Kershaw's pitch sequencing, his delivery, that makes him so damn good. I wanna know how the changes to goalie pads are affecting scores. How the new rules are changing the game. How football players are making improvements. Why certain offensive lines can give their quarterback so much time.

Why does that team that looks so mediocre on paper play so well together? 

Heck, just tell me whats going on. Make predictions. Tell me so and so has a case of the yips. I can't watch every sports game I want to. Theres not enough space on my wall for that many TV's and my brain probably couldn't handle the overload. But for the love of everything stop turning my sports into gossip hours.

Stop making these people's job a 24/7 thing. You think there's not enough pressure to be perfect on the field? Now they have to be flawless human beings off the field? 

If I really want to know what's going on with Mariota, or any athlete's personal life, I'll follow them on twitter and let them tell me.

XOXO

p.s. if we STOP clicking on stories like these above, and stop giving them an audience to talk to...we could have our normal sports channel back. (I'm hopelessly optimistic)

RIP Oscar Tavares

I've spent the better part of the past two hours randomly tearing up, staring at my computer, searching my head for the right words to say to comfort some of my friends, and the right words to say on here.

But seriously, what feels correct when someone younger than you loses their life? How do you tell someone who shared a field with them a short while ago that everything will be okay? 

And how emotional has this week been? Between the shootings in Ottawa and being in the middle of watching a field full of guys living their dream when finding out a young talent has been taken too early...man.

I didn't know Oscar Taveras. I know guys that play with him. I know guys that used to play with him. I know guys that simply know him because the baseball world really is like a huge family in most aspects. I've never heard a negative thing about him. 

I know that he had fun playing a game he loved. It was evident in watching him play. I know that he was very talented, and that his bat had a huge upside. And as is evidenced by his teammates tweets today, I know that he was someone that people enjoyed to be around.

And I know that his life was cut far too short. 

I had another blog post intended for today. It's mostly written, but publishing it doesn't seem right, so I'll hold it for tomorrow. 

I know this is short, but the only other thing I have to say is that, Taveras' legacy will live on through his teammates that never take for granted stepping on that field because life is fragile, and nothing is guaranteed. It is my hope that no matter how many years your career lasts, that feeling of gratitude never fades, and that people getting to live their dreams take a moment to soak that in every once in a while.

My heart and my prayers are with Oscars family, friends, and teammates, and those of his girlfriend as well. My hope is that they are both resting easy in the presence of our ever faithful God and His glory. 

XOXO

When A "Goon" Goes Too Far...

I don't write about hockey a ton on here because I'm from Texas and the vast majority of the people that I KNOW read this are from Texas, and therefore, know little to none about hockey.


But I love the sport. October is one of my favorite months just for the sole fact of postseason baseball, NFL/College football, and the start of hockey season.


I fully intended on writing about what a joke I think Thursday Night Football is, but then tonight, in an AHL hockey game I saw something that made me FURIOUS.


To catch those of you who do not watch hockey up, the AHL is essentially the AAA level for hockey. It's a league of teams that are affiliated with NHL teams, and used as a development tool for players. 


It was neat two years ago because we still had a team in Houston, and during the lockout, all of the young guys who could safely be optioned to their AHL affiliates (a complicated stipulation that would take far too long to explain), were sent down. 


Meaning that two years ago when OKC (AHL Affiliate of Edmonton) came to Houston, I got to see 3 first overall picks, and 2 additional outstanding players, sitting 4 rows off the ice. There were some guys there from Edmonton who told us that it was cheaper for them to fly to Houston, buy tickets to the game, and pay for a hotel, that it would be for them to score those same seats in Edmonton, if by some slim chance in hell tickets that good came up on the resale market.


In short, the AHL is a really neat way to see the NHL's talent of tomorrow. I miss having a team near me. 


Anywho, in tonights Adirondack/Rochester game a fight broke out between Trevor Gillies (ADK) and William Carrier (ROC). And by fight I mean, Gillies started wailing on Carrier's face (it was rather one sided), takes him to the ice, and then actually pick Carriers head up, and slams it back onto the ice.


Thank God hockey players wear helmets.


Think I'm exaggerating? Here's the video.






In the world today, where we fully understand the repercussions of head injuries, this is inexcusable. As a remotely decent human being...it's inexcusable.


Don't get me wrong. I think there's a place for fighting in hockey. I believe in it as a tactic, and I love that it's the kind of sport where you can put someone in their place for playing a little dirty. 


I don't like cheap or dirty shots, and Trevor Gillies is a master at them. (Still don't believe me? Do a quick youtube search of "Trevor Gillies Fights." The Tangradi elbow to the face is just one of many.)


I don't think there's a place for them in any sport. Very few things make me more mad than an illegal chop block in football. It's a play DESIGNED to hurt people.


And picking up someone's head and slamming it into a surface, helmeted or not, is a move that I expect from a thug on the Houston streets. Not a guy who has more than likely worked his ass off to play the game he loves for a living.


What scares me the most about situations like this is the league wide fallout. How often do we see one person ruin it for the bunch? At what point does the NHL/AHL feel like they have to draw a line about the "enforcers" and "goons" of the game. 


Seriously, at what point do you trust that fighting isn't crossing a line. That referee had his hands on the guy, trying to separate them, and then that move. How do you trust that a goon on the ice is just going to use fighting as a tactic, and not potentially damage a guy for the rest of his life.


Hockey is dangerous enough, heck all sports are dangerous enough, without intent to harm in there. We've all seen freak accidents that have set players back for months. I don't want to know a sports world where people are intentionally dirty all the time. You'll find that most of the teams or players that I hate across all of sports tend to play dirty. 


Trevor Gillies has a history of this type of behavior. IF he has a job after tomorrow, I will be thoroughly disappointed.


XOXO

Farewell Captain.

It's Sunday. I have no intentions of publishing this until Thursday, but the thought of trying to corral all of my thoughts in one single day is exhausting.

How do you sum up 20 seasons of a career that largely shaped the person you are today?

I was 5 when Jeter came into the league. He may have been the first crush I ever remember having.

He was so exciting to watch. I practiced the jump throw in my back yard SO many times. I demanded to play short stop, contrary to my height being ideal for first base. I spent every morning memorizing the Yankees new batting averages. I HAD to check box scores. Our birthdays are two days apart, and he's #2, and in my little OCD brain THAT MEANT SOMETHING.

In short, Derek Jeter made me fall in love with baseball.

That's correct. Derek Jeter is the reason this girl spends her nights scouring box scores, studying pitching motions, looking at graphs on pitch f/x, and would rather have the TV on a sports network than E!. (I may not be a Yankees fan anymore, but Jeter will always be my favorite player)

It's funny, in my 9/11 post I mentioned the 2001 game 4 walk off home run Jeter hit. I was talking about that night with my best friend the other night. How vividly I remember EVERYTHING about that night. What I was doing, the comforter I had, the poster I was drawing on.

I'm pretty sure it's the night I irreversibly fell in love with the sport of baseball.

It was magic, it was exciting, and it was mine.

I mean, before that, I was hooked. But that's the first moment I really remember just being mesmerized by what I was seeing. Enough that 13 years later it's clear as day in my memory.

So when Jeter walks off the field for the last time as a player, my childhood will officially be over.

The New York Yankees will have a new shortstop. There will never be another pinstriped jersey bearing a #2. The guy who I have looked up to for most of my life will not be on my TV 162 times a year.

And I will bawl my eyes out.

As most of you recall, or know me personally, 98% of my emotions are evoked by sports.

I have cried at every Jeter commercial, every article, and every time I have opened my planner and looked at the date, realizing we're one day closer to the end of an era.

Fast forward to tonight, Jeter's final game at Yankee Stadium, and I did cry.

It was strange. Tonight was the first time in 20 years that I remember seeing Jeter visibly nervous, visibly showing any emotion at all. You could tell from every time he bent down when he was on deck. The extra times he stepped out of the batters box to settle down. The times he did that pinch your nose so you don't get choked up thing...

I was pretty teary eyed in the top of the 9th. You just looked and saw Jeter really taking it in. He looked to have the attention span of a 5 year old. Just looking around at everything, trying to soak it all in. I mean how many times in the past 20 years, aside from maybe the "firsts" (first year, first playoffs, first world series, first time in the new stadium) do you really think he stopped and soaked in everything about Yankee stadium?

I bet, like the rest of us, some of it's majesty was lost on monotony.

And tonight, we all got to see him take it in.

Then, the Orioles tied the game and we went to the bottom of the 9th. I texted my best friend, "I really just want a jetes walk-off here."

And we got it. Much like my favorite Jeter walk off memory, it was opposite field, a single instead of a home run this time.

What a storybook ending to a career.

A career that is best summed up by Derek Jeter himself, "There were better players than me, but no one worked harder than me."

RE2PECT,
Farewell Captain.

Reflections from 9/11, how Sports help "heal."

It is currently September 11 as I type this. My mind is full of a lot of thoughts at the moment. For starters, I'm watching a baseball game, desperately hoping that who I want to start pitching will come in, then just realized no one will be needed to pitch the bottom of the 9th. Bummer. I'm thinking about the Boston bombings and how the Red Sox really helped an entire city rally. And I'm of course thinking about the day 13 years ago when 4 planes were hijacked to carry out the worst terror attack on American soil.

And my heart is once again broken.

I was fortunate enough to have visited Ground Zero in the summer of 2012. I had exactly two things on my NYC bucket list.
1. Ground Zero
2. Yankee Stadium

Everything else could wait.

I can't describe it. It's absolutely beautiful to be the site of such a horrific tragedy. It's zen like and peaceful. People don't speak. All you hear is the water crashing down the memorials. I remember running my hands along the names of the south tower memorial. Just wanting somehow to be closer, thinking how loud the water was, and how it paled in comparison to the noise of the towers coming down.

Then my fingers hit a really long name.

"Jennifer Howley & unborn child"

I lost it. I still lose it now rereading that sentence. The name will forever stick with me.

I was fortunate enough to meet some of the first responders from Firehouse 10. Capt. Burke, if you EVER see this, know that the 20 minutes you spent with my sister and I, will stick with us the rest of our lives.

Then place number 2 on my bucket list. Yankee Stadium. Not the house the Ruth built but, damn. It's a special place. And the two places are forever connected in my heart.

You see, if you read my first blog post ever on Mariano Rivera, and when you read my future one on the Captain (When I admit to myself that he is actually retiring and my childhood is officially dead), you would know I grew up a Yankees fan. Those two men, are the REASON I fell in love with the game. And Yankee stadium was majestic to me.

As you may remember, the yankees did not, well none of major league baseball did, played a game for a week.

The Yankees also made the world series that year. It's truly astounding how much I remember from that year.

There was game 3, the first one in New York, a largely democratic state, where Mr. President stepped on the field to throw the first pitch, and Yankee stadium was as loud as I've ever heard it. I remember being so proud to be an American. This was a city that needed this, and was healing through this. (Google it, it's good for some goosebumps)

Then there was game 4. Halloween. All hyped up on sugar with my mother begging me to fall asleep because it was a school night, there I was at 11 PM my time, after midnight in New York, watching an extra inning game just loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to hint to my parents that I wasn't asleep. (This should've been their tip-off this would become a reoccurring theme in my life)

So, it's officially November, and the Captain, Derek Jeter is up to bat. BOOM. Homerun, right field, walk off. (Mr. November in the house)

And for that moment, a city that had been brought to its knees just 6 weeks before, wasn't hurting.

(Yes, I know. Series goes 7 games, NY loses, trust me, I remember being a heart broken child.)

See, sports are an outlet for so many of us. A lovely distraction, a passion, an interest. In the moments of a game, we can completely escape from our outside world. Try to talk to me about life issues during a game. I dare you. You won't get any response that's worth anything.

And in that way, sports are healing.

Think back to the Boston bombings. Look at how that city rallied around the Red Sox, and around the Bruins. (Both of those teams made championship series that year. HUSH WITH YOUR CONSPIRACY THEORIES)

But think about how the city showed up at Fenway Park. Emotional pre game (THIS IS OUR FOCKING CITY-- Big Papi's accent is accounted for in quote) and for a few hours, a city got to come together, and forget about what was happening outside the park, and start to heal together.

Maybe that's why I love sports so much.

XOXO

P.S. Sincerely praying for the 2,977 VICTIMS of the terrorist attacks, and the 411 emergency responders who gave their lives to save others. Many of these heroes entered buildings MULTIPLE times, knowing that they weren't going back home to see their families. My heart breaks for the people who loved those lost, and who have to cope with this tragedy 365 days a year, versus the 1 in which the rest of us are filled with emotion.

Hey Morey...Keep Chandler Parsons In Houston.

This is not a drill. I'm in full on panic mode.

Chandler Parsons signed an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks today.
A team I literally hate. (To be fair I hate Dallas in general though. Not Sorry.)

(Cry Me A River just came on My JT pandora station. So fitting.)

So to catch everyone up on what I'm talking about, Houston Rockets Small Forward Chandler Parsons had an option on his contract this year.

Basically meaning that the team could choose to take the last year on his contract, or let him go to Restricted Free Agency. It's an option teams put on contracts, usually on players they're not completely sure on, to protect themselves should that player not turn out to be worth the salary hit.

(Restricted Free Agency essentially means that the player is free to talk to other teams, but ultimately the Rockets have the final say on whether they want him or not.)

BUT WHY ON EARTH WOULD THE ROCKETS DO THAT TO A PLAYER WHO THEY VALUE?

Fair question dear reader. The Rockets did it in order to lock him up for a longer period of time. See, Chandlers option didn't even have him making 1 million dollars this year, and allowed him to be an UNRESTRICTED Free Agent at the end of the next season.

Congrats to Rockets GM Daryl Morey for thinking that wasn't enough and wanting to curb that early. Negotiating contract extensions in season is less than idea, and unrestricted free agency means there's no guarantee that Chandler doesn't take less money to play somewhere closer to home or with old teammates, etc.

(Also, Chandler is my favorite player. I loved him at Florida. I told every one how good he was when he got here and no one believed me.)

So lets get to today. Chandler signs an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks for 3 yrs/$45 mil. (Well technically it's signed at 12:01 on 7/10.)  This gives the Rockets 3 days to match the deal.

3. days.

Well played Cuban. See this creates several problems for the Rockets.
1. They're chasing after Chris Bosh. They have reportedly offered him a max contract at 4 years/$88 mil.
2. They need to get rid of Jeremy Lin...again, AND Asik, to make Salary Cap room.
3. They now have a 72 hour window to do this in...except...
4. Nobody knows what Bosh is going to do because nobody knows what Lebron is going to do.
How is Lebron relevant? Well... If Lebron goes back to Miami, there's a fair chance that Bosh does too. If Lebron goes back to Cleveland...well you're probably looking at Bosh in a Rockets jersey.
5. But if they both go back to Miami the Rockets aren't QUITE in the bind we're currently looking at.

And do we now understand why this is an issue?

So why is Chandler worth all of this stress? (And yes, I know that I admitted already he's my favorite, but I'll put as much of my bias as possible to the side while talking about his play. I'm pretty good at admitting areas of weakness in sports, fortunately.)

• He plays Defense. Unlike a certain bearded man on the court. ( Sorry Bodmer.)  But seriously, at the rate at which Harden can be a HUGE defensive liability, Chandler picks up a ton of slack. It was probably the biggest surprise to me. If you watched him at Florida, he was all offense, all the time. He gets to the NBA, shoots free throws at a percentage that only Shaq has regularly seen, can't find a 3 rhythm, but SMOTHERS Kobe. Seriously, it's probably the best I've ever seen Kobe guarded. (If one of you mention the buzzer beater to eliminate from playoffs this year, I will kick you.)
• Boy can shoot a basketball. While his offense struggled in his first season, he seems to have finally found what made him so good at Florida. Like, do you know who owns the record for most 3 pt shots made in a half? Chandler Parsons, with 10. (side note: I've made maybe 10 3 pt shots in my WHOLE life from the NBA arc.) He gets hot from the arc, but he's big enough to drive the ball in the lane and push defenders around. (The muscle gain he's put on since getting to the NBA certainly doesn't hurt.) He once KOBE'D KOBE (it was beautiful). And who could forget those beauty put back dunks. Chandler BANG, indeed.
• He's important to the team. Game's when Chandler isn't playing well, typically don't go well. There was a stretch last season when he was hurt and not playing at all, and the Rockets played some of the worst basketball I've seen. Not an exaggeration. I literally remember watching a game, (nationally televised because, screw you CSN), and listening to the announcers lament his absence non-stop. He comes back, and everything seems to work itself out. Coincidence? Also, Harden, Howard, and Parsons all legit get along. They have fun OFF the court together. You can't BUY team chemistry, we've seen it time and time again.

• He's versatile. Seriously. So Kevin Durant is also a small forward. He's 6'7 which is pretty average among SF's BUT the guy's got a 6'10 wingspan, making his shot SO much harder to guard by any other 6'7 SF with a regular wingspan. (I can vouch to this from experience.) You know who is ACTUALLY 6'10? Chandler Parsons. He is a very big small forward. It's also beneficial in the sense that I've seen him drop to play Power Forward (more when we had Bud),  because he has the size and the defense, but you don't see very many PF's that are extremely comfortable shooting/guarding the 3. (Except Kevin Love, but he's the exception not the rule.) I've seen him come up and play the shooting guard role when we go big on the floor. (6'7 is considered large for a shooting guard...so Chandler there is pretty ideal in certain situations.) Heck, I've even seen the boy run point before...but maybe like once. The point being that there's not really anywhere McHale can't stick him on the floor (in certain situations). How is that not ideal.
• I can't really believe this is a point I'm bringing up...but it is. Do you know what the average female attendance at an NBA game is? Between 13%-33%. Yes the stadiums tend to be smaller making tickets more scarce and the likelihood that someone buys family season tickets, including a female, much less than the MLB and NFL, but the point is Chandler puts females in the stands. Don't believe me? The Rockets tend to put on successful "Ladies' Night Out" promotions. While most teams tend to do something pretty dumb, and a little insulting to actual lady sports fans, the Rockets keep it stupid simple. Buy this ladies night out ticket and we'll give you an autographed CP picture and a meet and greet. AND IT WORKS. 80% of the Rockets jerseys I see on women are #25. Ask a woman to name players on the Rockets and I guarantee must women name off Chandler. (Only nerds like me complain about how we don't utilize Motiejunas. And yes, I spelled that without Google. ) I used to have Rockets season tickets, and I can personally confirm that as Chandler's popularity rose, I saw more women in the stands. And you want women in the stands. (I just recently read an article that said that stadiums with higher female attendance regularly boasted higher attendance rates overall. Less women saying no to nights out at the game and more couples buying tickets I suppose?)

So while I don't think that Rockets will let him go, I mean they did plan on him doing exactly this, I am a bit worried about the time frame. The number might be a little bit of a "sticker shock" but I just don't understand how the Rockets let him walk, especially to a rival. Let's hope that Morey is planning on staying rather busy the next 72 hours. (Hey DM, I will LITERALLY be on call 24/7 for coffee if you just get this done...) And let's hope Lebron will make a decision like...NOW.

***Update: I just saw a picture of Chandler celebrating with Cuban, AND his last tweet does not make me feel very good. WHY IS LES ALEXANDER NOT COOL OR FUN?

XOXO

p.s. while I can not be sure this is true, it IS funny...there's a rumor the Rockets have offered a Max Contract to Dirk Nowitzki? While obviously just a troll move if it is true, it would gain Morey some points he desperately needs in my book. I laughed.

p.p.s. apparently Morey also tried to trade for Dirk at some point when he wasn't sure they were going to land Howard and was in a panic. When he called Cuban he said "Since you're not going to get Howard, how about Dirk?" Which obviously pissed our Mavs owner off. Nothing like salt in the wound, eh? Anywho, in November when asked about Cuban was quoted as saying, "Payback is a b*tch." Well, i don't know what he had in mind but this feels like payback, and it is indeed a b*tch at this moment. 

I am ACTUALLY watching the World Cup.

I know. WHAT??

I obviously have been terrible about posting. I wanted to really write in depth about the Stanley Cup Finals, but it turns out that when they coincide with your cruise, and you don't really get to actually watch them because, hey!, we don't get NBC in the middle of the ocean, and you're team gets absolutely obliterated by the insane offense of the LA Kings giving your precious King Henrik literally zero chance... you don't really have the urge to write about the Cup Finals anymore.

Sad, because they're literally my favorite thing in sports behind the 4x100 freestyle relay from the 2008 Olympics. "ALAIN BERNARD IS TIGHTENING UP! HE'S TIGHTENING UP!" Glory. I should watch that now to get in the zone for writing this article since Germany is literally crushing every heart in Brazil.

Absolutely the better choice than watching the last 7 minutes of the soccer game. Sorry I didn't see Brazil finally score in the 89th minute.

So lets do a basic rundown of June:

• The LA Kings once again are eating ice cream and drinking molson out of Lord Stanley. Color me jealous. 
• One of my favorite people made it to the big leagues! I watched him pitch in the bigs for the first time last night, although it was not his first appearance, and it was really special. So proud of that kid.
• The World Cup vomited all over ESPN
• Then Lebron James decided he might take his talents to...well somewhere and ESPN decided that a 50% World Cup Coverage, 48% Lebron coverage, and 2% baseball mix was acceptable.
• Then the US lost to Germany, by 1 point which is looking miraculous at this point, and ESPN went back to remembering soccer exists approximately 1% of the time. (Welcome to how hockey fans in America feel. Where ya at TSN?) Coincidentally my interest mirrors ESPN's when it comes to soccer. America is out, Sweden didn't even make the tournament... 
• Vanderbilt won the college world series against a REALLY good Virginia team. Good for them. They have arguably the most advanced pitching "lab" in the country and don't blindly subscribe to the norm in mechanics. Love it. Congratulations!
• Baseball has been interesting. For instance, the defending world series champs apparently forgot how to play baseball this season. I mean, the Cubs swept them at Fenway for the first time in 99 years.
• The Astros bullpen still makes me cringe, although they seem to be making improvements. Luhnow's willingness to send them back to OKC at any given moment seems to be excellent motivation for some. 
• The Red Sox come to Houston this weekend. Should be interesting. 
• NHL free agency also began, (I know. You mean there are free agents other than Lebron?! SHOCKING), but the teams that needed to make moves are. It was an active market, although lacking the star power of guys like Parise and Suter like the 2011 free agency, some big names DID move. Including Ryan Miller to my Canucks...which I'm still trying to decide if I like.

So I am sitting here trying to let it sink in that I just watched 90 minutes of soccer to see a 7-1 game, which literally had me laughing at my screen somewhere around goal number 5. Any one who has read this blog for even one second knows that that is quite the sacrifice for me.

However, tonight a different dear friend is pitching against Derek Jeter, you know, just the reason I'm a baseball fan, and I need to prepare myself for this. I'm still currently pinching myself.

I also have already written half of my blog for tomorrow so be sure to check back and read it.

XOXO

BWA: Blogging While Angry.

BWA is probably, and by probably I mean definitely, not the best idea I've ever had...but people like passion, and hey. I'm here for the people.

I have two things I want to cover today.
1. Donald Sterling
2. The importance of a bullpen that doesn't blow EVERY EFFING LEAD EVER. (Dramatized for effect)

So yesterday I did a basic rundown of what was going on in the sports world and things that irked me. I purposely left Donald Sterling out and let's just say a good friend called me on it last night.

I don't like commenting on things like this for multiple reasons. The first being that I'm white and no matter how tactfully I word my thoughts, some one is going to throw that fact in my face. So, disclaimer: I know. I'm still allowed to have an opinion and I try to express mine respectfully so if you DO have a problem with what I'm going to say please also try to remain respectful.

The second being that my very wise father once told me that race, religion, and politics were three conversations best left undiscussed with 99% of the people you come into contact with. Sorry Papa Bear, but we're nailing 2 of 3 on the head today.

To catch you up to speed: The clippers owner, Mr. Donald Sterling, was caught making racist remarks on a recording that was released to the public earlier this week.

Yes, It's insane. He owns a team in a league in which the majority of the players are non-whites, its 2014 and racism SHOULD no longer exist, and it seems that his comments were truly what he believes. Probably the craziest part is the fact that he makes these comment to his mixed girlfriend. (Which is mind boggling to me. How does one seem to be a true bigot in a recording but also dates a half black woman?)

The Clippers players have been put in an unfair position but have chosen to silently protest by wearing their Clippers issued clothing inside out, except their uniforms. Sterling requested a meeting with Coach Doc Rivers, who declined.

Today Sterling was fined 2.5 million dollars for the comments and handed down a life long ban from the NBA.

Good. Right?

Something just rubs me the wrong way about the fact that a vengeful ex-girlfriend could release an illegal recording and face zero consequences. In fact, she's being rewarded with an (alleged) book deal and goodness knows what kind of money for handing over the recording. (She claims that she didn't hand over that recording, but she recorded it and it got out somehow. She is absolutely to blame.)

I agree something drastic needed to be done. The NBA simply can't have an owner that is racist. There's not room for that in today's society and with the amount of people that the NBA reaches it must convey that message. But a lifetime ban? What do y'all think? I really can't wrap my mind around it being the right decision or not because I don't think anybody is fully qualified to make that call. It's just mind blowing to me that we hand down a ban that harsh and yet people who lie and cheat to get ahead, which in my mind is just as bad, serve year long bans and step back into the adoring eye. What if it had been a player?

Too many "what if's." My brain hurts.

Which brings me to something that makes my insides physically hurt.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A BULLPEN?

Y'all it's basically a miracle that I didn't actually break my keyboard pounding out that last line because it was typed with quite a bit of anger and force. (Sorry baby MacBook. You do nothing to deserve such abuse.)

I know I briefly mentioned yesterday about the Angels fans starting a #blowpen campaign.

It's sort of clever. It's sort of funny. It's unfortunately all to accurate for more than one team in the AL west.

Take tonight. I'm sitting at a sports bar watching the Astros, the Cards, and the Rangers-Flyers playoff game. (One of those was NOT worth watching and I may or may not have listed it last.) My head is on a constant swivel.

Cut to the Astros game. I notice the camera cut to a shot of pitching coach Brent Strom picking up the bullpen phone. Quick glance to how many pitches Cosart is at, (85ish), andddd cue verbal "NO. NO NO NO. PUT IT DOWN."

It's a one run game. He's 23! LEAVE HIM IN THERE. But seriously, leave him in there. I do not trust the bull pen one bit.

"But Katelyn! The Astros have won their last two games!"

Yeah, because of actual bat participation, and because McHugh pitched a DEEEEEEP gem on Sunday. (Can we take a moment to appreciate how great Dallas Keuchel's twitter handle is?)

It's seriously to the point where when I see the phone to the bullpen being picked up, I just automatically hand the other team runs. Don't believe me? In the Saturday win Williams BLEW the save, and then picked up the win thanks to some big bats...and then almost blew it again. Yikes.

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm basically all about pitching. I've always believed that the best offense is a good defense. Love starting pitching. I think it's so crucial to success its unreal. Every team I've seen in the world series has had some serious depth at starting pitcher. I also love closers. How crazy is it that some of these guys really only have two pitches and still are so successful?

I think I've always undervalued the rest of the bullpen. Like, yes I obviously understand that having good relief guys is important, but since I don't really subscribe to a pitch count theory I guess I've just always kind of forgotten the need?

It's also kind of difficult when one of your favorite college pitchers was known for throwing complete games. It's funny how that can kind of skew your idea of the norm.

It makes you appreciate how good the Yankees had it with their basically Closer A and Closer B situation in Robertson and Rivera. D-rob is your set-up guy in the 8th, Rivera...well you know. The greatest closer of all time. When you routinely expect your starters to go 7 quality innings...well, theres not really much need for much of a bullpen, eh?

I know it's a new problem for Angels fans, but it's certainly not a new problem for Astros fans.

Now how do they fix it?


That my friends, is a multi-million dollar question. Literally.

Random Thoughts/Playing Catch-Up

I will not apologize for my absence due to my friend pointing out that I can't start every blog entry like that... so. Hi.

A few things have tripped me up lately. Let's explore those.

• A little while ago some New York sportscasters came out criticizing NY Mets 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy for taking time off to be there for the birth of his child. Uh, excuse me? Pretty much every other profession allows for the father to take time off to be there for the birth of his child, and often a "paternity leave" for the few days after. Let me put it this way, my husband put me in this position, and he's going to be there with me while I go through the most painful part. Not to mention the risk of birthing complications. Lord forbid a player miss the only chance he would have at seeing his child because fans believe that they shouldn't be allowed to miss a game. Not every child is born healthy and while most of the time people are aware of this coming into the birthing process, there's no guarantee. Yes, it's a job, but it's also a game. This is their family. I could obviously rant on this for days, but for the sake of space, I digress.

• After game 1 of the Rockets and Trailblazers series, the NBA issued an apology for a blown call by referees. They called a foul on Dwight Howard which sent the blazers to the line for free throws, when in fact, it should have been Dwight shooting free throws. (But Katelyn! Dwight is terrible at free throws! Why does that matter?) Good question. Those Trailblazers free throws tied the game and put it into overtime, in what should have been a Rockets regulation win. I was obviously mad, but I'M SO MUCH MORE MAD NOW THAT THE SERIES IS 3-1. I almost wish they hadn't apologized. SO BITTER. Also, do not get me started on the flagrant called on Parsons...

• Which brings me to my next point...how terrible has the officiating in the playoffs been? Not just the NBA, which from my twitter I can gather has been bad. Sorry guys, NHL playoffs are on so if it's not the Rockets, or I'm not at a sports bar with multiple TV's, playoff hockey wins out. And the NHL refs have been AWFUL. From the last game in the Avalanche-Wild series where the refs not only missed a blatant hold that would've blown the play dead, to the fact that the pass off that hold was offsides, which also would've blown the play dead, to the fact that particular play led to a game tying goal with a minute left, I am angry. The officiating in most of the Rangers series has just been horrific. Just obvious missed calls. Do there need to be extra officials in the playoffs? If the officials can't position themselves to call blatantly obvious penalties, (the hold on Charlie Coyle in the Wild game was baddddd y'all), then something has to change. I can't say that both sides aren't getting away with some stuff, but not things like that that are game changers. Playoff hockey is competitive enough without having to overcome the officials as well. 

• How great is having baseball season back? Happy note: my sweet friend Randal is making his MLB debut today. (Well, he's been called up. May come in off the bench.) Moments like these are always so surreal for me. It's a truly special feeling to see your friends hard work pay off and reach their goals. But seriously, just having baseball back is so fantastic. It's pretty funny to see the Angels fans tweeting about their #blowpen when it's clearly not even the worst one in the AL West... Just a quick tidbit about how angry I am that I live in Houston and rely on sports bars to watch the Astros play. The CSN deal absolutely infuriates me, and the limited exposure is not any good for the team, regardless of how they're playing. This deserves it's own article soon though.

Obviously sports are going to get under your skin from time to time if you're as emotionally invested in them as I am, but man this past week has been rough. Here's to hoping my Wild keep their season alive tonight, and that the Rockets can overcome all odd's to make it out of the first round.

Next we shall talk about the upcoming NFL draft, which is quite late this year. All the basics like, what I wish the Texans would do but probably won't, what I expect they will do, and my personal projections about a few of the top prospects. (Hint: I don't have very much to say about Manziel that's nice so I just wouldn't expect to see a whole bunch about him in that blog post.- I'm learning Mom!) I'll do my best to keep up with the NBA playoffs and there will be a bit about the NHL playoffs on here as that's where my head is right now. If you're not a hockey fan, NOW is a great time to watch and try it out. The playoffs never fail to produce exciting and physical games.

XOXO

Jarred Cosart

Let me start this off by apologizing for my absence. For starters, If you saw my last two months on paper, you would understand. Second off, despite all of your encouraging words, I let the distasteful words of a few people get in the way of being confident in my writing. (People who, decided to bash me on twitter over the world series blog, and very quickly made it apparent that they did not ACTUALLY read what I had to say. Then upon proving that I had a very good grasp of rules and a more than basic understanding of sports resorted to insulting my personal appearance.) But I'm back and hey, screw those guys. (Further justifying my dislike of Cardinals fans...)

So this past week something very interesting happened. 

I'm an avid tweeter, and I of course follow hometown boy and Astros starting pitcher, Jarred Cosart.

He's had a phenomenal rookie "season" (partial season. He was promoted from AAA OKC in July). He's from Houston, and having someone come back to their hometown team is always fun. He's blunt and actually kind of funny. 

Plus he's pretty easy on the eyes. (Which in no way affects my opinion on him. I saw him pitch against Minnesota in september and while it wasn't a terrible outing, he did give up 4 earned and only lasted 4 innings. I wasn't the happiest girl in the world.)

So earlier this week I'm mindlessly scrolling through my twitter feed when I come across a very, scorned(?..not happy), Cosart talking about how he will prove this past season wasn't a fluke. 

I like when a player is training with a chip on their shoulder. Nothing gets you out of bed and into a gym faster than remembering someone doubts you.

But it was upon further investigation I realized something.

OUR OWN FANS WERE THE ONES WRITING THESE BLOGS.

Now don't get me wrong. There are players I don't like that play for the teams I pull for. I used to groan when a player, who shall remain nameless, took the ice. He was a defenceman who screened our own goalie.

It reflected very much in his +/- rating. 

So I decided to read some of these blogs. I mean, Cosart impressed in his first stretch in the Majors. He impressed as a prospect. And yet, Astros fans are publicly expecting him to regress. Publicly calling him a fluke.

I'm sorry. Does nobody else want to cling to a glimmer of hope after watching these past few seasons? Losing 100 games in a season IS NOT FUN. Hearing people call your hometown team the "Lastros" or "Disastros", and it be fairly accurate IS NOT FUN. Getting excited about a prospect coming up through your system, or a young guy that's showing a lot of promise in the bigs, and watching your GM trade him for more prospects or a "rental" IS NOT FREAKING FUN.

So I decided to investigate surface stats. All I see is that the kid has rocked a good SO:BB ratio at every level. Decent ERA. He improves. At each level, he has made himself better.

Do y'all realize that he struck out over 23% of the batters during his last stint in AAA OKC? And that's from the 401 he faced, a very decent sample size.

Sure, his ERA in the majors was absurdly low. Sure bats made more contact than I would like. ( any one who really knows me knows that I'm pretty much all about the strikeout and very much suscribe to effective velocity theories. That stuff is insanely interesting, if you're ever bored and looking for a thought provoking discussion.)

But I believe in Cosart. 
1. I think that the only way to really learn how to pitch to Major League batters is to actually pitch to batters in the Majors. YES, development is key, but the point of farm systems is to get you used to playing at a certain level, let you succeed there, and then promote you and let you learn all over again. You don't learn to strike out the Big Papi's of the world by pitching to guys in the minors. If he was this effective, while batters were making contact and putting balls into play, CAN YOU IMAGINE if he gets back to striking out almost 1/4 of the guys he faces? 
2. Let me reiterate that he shows improvement at every level. Some of his best numbers are from his AAA days this past season. Why would I believe that this trend would fall off? Answer: I don't.

I think we will probably see a higher ERA this season. (Mainly because keeping it under 2.00 is INSANE.) But I think we'll also see a Cosart that has learned what strike zone he has to work with, has been working on what he needs to do to miss bats, and will get those walks down. He now knows what he's facing, and he's certainly motivated.

Plus a sitting mid 90's fast ball that can creep to the high 90's and a curveball that sits high 70's creates a potential 20 MPH difference in what's considered his 2 plus pitches. Read my stuff on effective velocity and batters attention speeds and you'll know especially well why that makes my little heart so warm.

---> Actually, I should probably just explain effective velocity. Basically its a practice of making a hitter miss, or make poor contact, with the ball based off of changing pitches, pitch location, and the batters attention speed. What does that mean? Well it basically means you can trick a batter into swinging too early, or too late.

So let's take Cosart's fastball as an example and to make it easy, let's say he throws it at 95 MPH every time. If he were to throw a straight down the middle of the plate, belt high fast ball, it would look 95 MPH to the batter. However, if he throws that same pitch up and in on the batter, it looks 100 MPH. If he throws the same pitch down and away it looks only about 90 MPH. (up and away, and down and in would look 95.)

So if a batter has really only about the first 20 feet of ball flight to decide rather to swing or not, you can really trip them up. Why is this significant for Cosart? Think about it. With the 20 MPH ACTUAL SPEED difference between his fastball and curve, he could potentially end up with a perceived 30 MPH difference. He throws that fastball up and in on a guy, and that guys "attention speed" is AT 100 MPH. If he comes back on that next pitch with a curveball, and throws it down and away, it could potentially look 70-72 MPH to a batter. Because his attention speed is so high, there's a very slim chance he comes around and makes good contact on that ball, if he makes any contact at all. 

It's an interesting tactic. Not one I'm sure that Cosart uses, but just the potential is what makes me so happy when looking at the speed at which he pitches.

I'm very much looking forward to another good season from Cosart and hopefully silence from his critics.

XOXO


And for my delusional little brain that believes that Mr. Cosart himself will one day stumble upon this and be fond of my opinion and read the whole thing- I believe we have the same favorite restaurant in Houston, so the next time we're both there the Chipotle Mac & Cheese and Apt 5D's are on me. :)