So, after UNC’s big win this weekend over arch rival Duke in college basketball’s (and arguably all of sports’) biggest rivalry, a trivial topic has once again risen to the forefront.  Brace yourselves, because this is a huge and important issue that truly defines how a program should be viewed.  Wait…no it isn’t.  And anyone who feels that way either is envious of the program in question of just a flat out loser.

It is difficult for people outside of Chapel Hill to understand what the last 23 months have been like, and just how bitter the taste of the 2010 season was. In April of 2009, the Tarheel Nation was celebrating its second national title in 5 years and a dynasty seemed to be in the making. That fall, Roy Williams and UNC signed Harrison Barnes and the sky seemed to be the limit for Carolina basketball. Then that sky fell and 2010 happened.

So, in a matter of no time, one of the elite powers of college hoops goes from the king of the hill, to a bunch of no-talent scrubs finishing at the bottom of the very same conference that it dominates annually.  Meanwhile, your most hated rival wins a National Title while you were lucky to fill a spot in the NIT.  Fast forward to a 4-3 start in 2011 and it would seem that we were looking at another painful season with no identity.

The remainder of the 2011 regular season has been jubilation and a joy to watch these youngins grow and flourish.  So much so, that it broke our Carolina Blue hearts to see these kids dominate the Dookies on their own court for 30 minutes only to fall short.  The bar was set at that very moment and to watch those boys come out and beat the Dookie out of the Dookies in our house sent a bunch of 18-21 year old college kids into a frenzy that ended up in celebration on the floor with the players that they love.

So yes, storming the court may have been overkill. But it was also symbolic of the exorcism of all the pain of the 2010 season, and of the lowered expectations earlier this season.  Call names, judge, do whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is, nothing anyone can say or do will change one fact…..North Carolina Tarheel Basketball IS BACK AGAIN!  So deal with it.

This article/rant was writted by Buckeye2B. Please leave your comments or email him @ Buckeye2B@thesportsrevolt.com

Comments by Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra Sunday night offered a less than macho glimpse at how his players are dealing with their recent struggles.

“A couple guys are crying in the locker room right now,” Spoelstra said after Sunday’s loss to the Bulls.  Spoelstra did not specify which players he was referring to but speculation is pointing to Lebron James or Mike Miller.

One could almost hear the collective sigh of disappointment from sports fans all over the country as this quote was discussed on Sportscenter this morning.

Should professional athletes be crying after a loss, especially one as inconsequential as a single regular season game?  The tone of today’s commentary would suggest “No.”

Of course, there are instances where crying is allowed in sports, moments where the overflow of raw emotion is undeniably inspiring and iconic.

Hall of famer Lou Gehrig fighting back tears as he said his final farewell to the crowd at Yankees Stadium or Tiger Woods breaking down in his father’s arms as he exited the 18^th green of the 1997 Masters are only two examples of the kind of emotional moments which remain timeless in our hearts.

Spoelstra’s comments, however, seemed to paint a regrettable picture more like that of Tim Tebow crying on the sideline of the 2009 SEC Championship.  Far from inspiring, that image was pitiful and disappointing.

So what’s the difference you ask?  Why is crying permitable in some scenarios but not others?

The answer in this fan’s humble and insignificant opinion is most definitely “Winning”

As everyday Joes, we’re unable to relate to those who cry when they lose.  I see a pro crying and I ask, “What does he have to cry about?  This guy is still rich, still doesn’t have to get a real job, still plays ball for a living.”  So many of us suffer daily setbacks having no choice but to overcome and move forward.  It is this kind of resilience and triumphant spirit that make us sports fans in the first place.

We look to sports as an analog for our lives.  We get knocked down, but we get back up.  We lose, but we live to play another day.  And when we win big, when the intersection of preparedness and opportunity results in the ultimate goal of winning a championship, the true fan can’t help but feel as if he’s won too.

We want excitement and jubilation from our athletes and our teams.  When they give us defeat, we don’t want tears of hopelessness and despair, but rather the promise that our guys (or gals) won’t quit and that there’s always next year.

This article has been written by RBibelhauser. Please leave your comments or email Rob @ RBibelhauser@thesportsrevolt.com

Check out my buddy Nick Hall’s website @ www.yummybro.com

He covers everything from everyday humor, new videos, funny writes, and one mans outlook on life!

He also had a professional baseball with both the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Philies

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Derrick Rose – Is he the MVP?

Playing in a town where you will never be the best to ever put on that uniform must be hard for Derrick Rose. Being in the shadows of Michael Jordan no matter what type of night you have might not be good enough for some fans in the City of Chicago. The Chicago Bulls are playing as well as anyone in the league right now. Derrick Rose has been a thorn in the sides of every team in the league. To argue the fact that one player means more to his team than Rose can get tricky. So the debate begins – If Derrick Rose isn’t the MVP, why not and who is?

LeBron James and Dywane Wade play with each other.

On top of that, they haven’t beaten good teams. Besides the Christmas day game against the Lakers, the Heat have a big sack full of memorable losses and not a whole lot of memorable wins.   On top of that, both have specifically failed repeatedly in the clutch in those close games against good teams.

Ultimately, they don’t have a better record than the Bulls, have an elite third option next to them as well, and their stats are down from previous levels. LeBron won the past two MVPs, and winning three in a row is a near political impossibility especially after you stack up the rest of the stuff going against him in this paragraph.  Wade is generally considered the lesser of the two players (and rightly so), so his odds of winning are basically none while LeBron is on his team.

Dwight Howard is in the midst of his best season but team success is not following

I think Dwight might be the most deserving candidate this year.  He’s a legit defensive player of the year candidate, but he’s also putting up nearly as many points as Rose (23.1) while scoring at a radically higher efficiency rating.  As such, he’s probably more deadly on both ends of the floor.

Unfortunately for Dwight, his individual prowess hasn’t translated into an elite year for the Magic.  The Magic are on pace for 52 wins after winning 59 the past two seasons.  Go back through history and the worst team record of an MVP I could find was 54 wins (not counting the shortened season) which was Steve Nash (2nd time), but it was the 4th best record in the league.  The Magic currently have the 7th best record in the league.

It’s certainly not Dwight’s fault, but the lack of wins hurts his candidacy, and the fact that you can’t go to him at the end of games due to FT problems hurts him as well. Of all the candidates, Howard is the one I could live with winning the award though.

Kevin Durant’s Thunder are disappointing and Westbrook’s hype has lowered his star some

Durant suddenly looks like part of a big two with Russell Westbrook arguably being just as valuable or perhaps even more valuable than Durant.  On top of that, the Thunder, after expected to take a leap forward, are only on pace to win 52 games this season.  Presently 8th in the league.

Durant’s still a viable candidate, but his team failing to meet expectations despite tremendous growth of one of his teammates will count against him.  Dwight Howard has won more with less around him so far, so he has no case on Howard at the moment IMO.

Kobe Bryant fights against poor team expectations and arguments of selfishness

The old story about Kobe not sharing the ball causing losses has come back as the Lakers have disappointed particularly against the quality teams in the league, much like the Heat.  The Lakers are operating best when Pau Gasol gets a lot of touches, but Kobe actually prevents that from happening at times.

Given that Kobe’s year isn’t particularly special by his standards and his team has disappointed, I think he’s out.   He’s still having an elite season, but it’s hard to see him getting much groundswell of support IMO.

Granted, the Lakers have started a big run post all-star break, and if they can continue to ride that momentum, then Kobe’s star might rise again.

Derrick Rose has no secondary star next to him

People always want to book some type of accomplishment that a player has that puts them in an elite category, and Rose has one.   In the history of the NBA, there have only been 20 seasons of 24 points + 8 Assists averaged for the year.

If you add Rose’s 4 rebounds, then there’s only been 17.

Of all of those seasons (whether you use the 20 or the 17), only two have happened in the past 20 years.   I note that because the average scoring was much higher as well as the average minutes per game for each player.   The players who did it in the past era likely would not have done it in this era.

In the past 20 years, Michael Jordan and LeBron James each did it once.  That shows how immensely difficult it is to do what Derrick Rose is doing as those are, in my opinion, quite possibly the two best perimeter players in the history of the league and they each only did it once.

It helps clear up just how good of a season Derrick Rose is having. The stat has also been becoming quite public and put forth over and over again on the national TV broadcasts.

Why not Derrick Rose for MVP?   I don’t think he’s the runaway winner of the award, but I can’t look at any other player in the league and say “this guy definitely deserves it over Derrick”.

Wouldn’t it almost be fitting that an Asian wins the Honda Classic? So what if Y.E. Yang is Korean and not Japanese, it’s the first time you’ve heard of him anyway. Korean, Norwegian, Yugoslavian – I would of rather seen any one not named Rory Sabbatini win the Honda Classic, well any event ever on the PGA Tour……well anything ever in life.

If you missed the memo on Rory, or forgot, this is the guy who is “dubbed” the biggest a$$hole on tour. Everyone knows about the Ben Crane incident in 2005 in which Rory took it upon himself to finish 17 and 18 without Crane, who is known as a slow player, but one of the nicest guys on Tour.  He’s the guy who persuaded his wife to wear a t-shirt that read “KEEP UP” during the 2006 Players Championship in an arrogant way of asking Nick Faldo to play faster. He clowned on Tiger Woods in 2007 publically that he was more “beatable” and due to the public backlash of his comments, purposely withdraw from Tiger’s charity event in Hawaii in December of 2007. He wears obnoxious belt buckles and talks with a terrible accent. With his history, it was hard for me to watch him win on Sunday. I was hoping he would collapse and the ruthless media would have gotten a chance to pound him at the podium.

He did what he has to do and played steady enough to secure the victory with an even par (70) performance on Sunday and earned $1,026,000 for his efforts.

Honda Classic Leaderboard:

1. Rory Sabbatini (-9)

2. Y.E. Yang (-8)

3. Jerry Kelly (-7)

4. Ricky Barnes (-4)

5. Tommy Gainey (-3)

With his history and man-hatred/ man-crush on Tiger Woods, one has to wonder if the “Sunday Red” shirt he wore with that hideous hat and gaudy belt buckle was a direct slap at Tiger………………………..

UPDATE: To keep with my Dark Horse watch from last week, David Duval finished at an abysmal (+11). Couples, Pavin and John Cook did not participate.

This blog has been writted by contributor ILikeSports-ish. Please leave comments or email him @ ILikeSports-ish@thesportsrevolt.com

The Phillies off-season addition of Cliff Lee has many people picking them as favorites to dominate the NL for years to come. 

However, a closer look suggests that the reign of Philadelphia’s “Kings of K’s” may be short lived.

The staff in Philly was already championship caliber when the 2008 Cy Young Award winner spurned both the Yankees and Rangers to sign the 5-year 120 million dollar deal.

On paper the rotation looks like that of an All-Star team.  Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt have spent the bulk of their careers as perennial 20 game winners while Cole Hamels, still only 27 years old, has racked up a dozen postseason starts and successfully graduated from promising young pitcher to aspiring Ace.

Lee, who has been exemplary in each of the last three seasons, has done so while piling up some serious mileage.  Since the beginning of the ’08 season Lee has tossed 723 innings.  That breaks down to 241 IP’s per year over that span.  He’s not the only one to have shouldered such a workload. 

In that same span of time Halladay has thrown a whopping 757 innings, and Oswalt, a slightly more modest 620 IP’s. 

Such mammoth production might not be worth examining if not for the pitchers ages.  The Rays or Giants for instance wouldn’t see any cause for concern with their youthful staffs.  Lee (32), Oswalt (33) and Halladay (turns 34 in May) however have all turned the proverbial corner in their careers. 

This is not to suggest that they’ve ever performed better than they currently are, not at all. This team could legitimately have three 20 game winners towing the slab every fifth day this season.  What it does suggest, however, is that the careers of their big three are more than half over, and that comparisons to the Atlanta Braves staff which featured Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are misled at best.

That staff was youthful and under scouted for the first half of the decade they played together.  Oh, and by the way, they only combined to win a single World Championship over the span.

My speculation, no matter how soundly based in statistical and historical analysis, remains just that, speculation.  I think the 2011 Phillies will field one of the best teams in the bigs.  My trepidation is rooted in granting this pitching staff any more than a year or two of success.  Pitching is a craft more fickle than most.  Even great players can see a seemingly minor injury or mechanical inconsistency limit their effectiveness or shorten their careers.  Just as quickly as Cliff Lee emerged during the Cleveland Indian’s 2007 playoff run he could dissipate.  Fans, and ownership for that matter, in Philly will keep their fingers crossed that they haven’t invested in an outdated product.  Either way, 2011 should be very good to Charlie Manuel’s ball club.

This article has been written by RBibelhauser. Please leave your comments or email Rob @ RBibelhauser@thesportsrevolt.com

When baseball’s Spring Training gets rolling, everyone starts proclaiming that spring is here. I concur that America’s pastime and the corresponding greening grass and flowers and trees coming back to life signifies the beginning of the warm season………..golf season.

When I think of spring, I think of Bob Costas commercials on ESPN proclaiming the Master’s is drawing near, setting an internet bookmark on the “round the clock” coverage of Amen Corner and conversations of “Just what the hell is the FedEx Cup Points Standing again?”

This season has seen a wide variety of early winners and also an indication of what we can expect on Tour this year. Some early winner might have surprised some, but the newer names and faces that you might not recognize just might dominate the Tour this year. Let’s face it, Lefty is another year older, has arthritis and a few extra pounds (he did finish second at Torrey Pines in January), Tiger himself as well as his swagger is still M.I.A, and the most of the familiar faces we are accustom to seeing with early wins are still getting the clubs out of storage at the local country club and shining up the Foot Joys.

The 2010 winners and defending champs for the next six weekends include Ernie Els twice, Jim Furyk, and Lefty at the Masters. No offense to the youth movement but March and even April aren’t too kind to the guys like Vegas, Points, Watson, and Donald (All guys who have a win this year and less than ten total years on Tour). It’s the time that the Tour will shake itself out. We’ll finally find out what Tiger has left, if Phil, Ernie, Vijay, etc. will give it a good go this year and the dark horse favorites for the Major events will rise.

Every PGA Tour fan knows that never has a golfer in his 50’s won a PGA Tour Major event. But here are two Champions Tour regulars who have a good shot: Fred Couples and Corey Pavin. Freddy C. has played twice this year, finishing in the Top 25 at the Sony and 7^th at the Northern Trust. He only played in 7 PGA events last year, but seeing him out early could lead one to believe he is going to give the Master’s a hard look come April. Corey Pavin, last year’s Ryder Cup US Captain, is notorious for making cuts. If he can put together a full weekend on a Major event weekend, you’ve got to wonder if we might see our first 50 something to win a Major. Dark Horse pick would be John Cook who tears it up on the Champions Tour (77 of 79 cuts made and 6 wins in his CT career). He also has an early win on the Champions Tour and a 3^rd place finish on the PGA Tour last week in Mexico.

Here’s the ultimate Dark Horse pick for 2011: David Duval

Darth Vader is back full time on Tour after a long hiatus of the leaderboard. The guy who was dubbed Tiger’s next greatest rival in the early 2000’s and the winner of the British Open in 2001 is back and playing full time. Duval’s stats don’t lie in the early part of 2011. He has fired 15 of his last 17 rounds under par, made the last four cuts, has three Top 25 finishes and a top 10 finish at the Northern Trust. For an awesome article on the life of David Duval, check  out this article by Gary Smith, Sports Illustrated.

This blog has been writted by contributor ILikeSports-ish. Please leave comments or email him @ ILikeSports-ish@thesportsrevolt.com

From Selection Sunday to the Sunday that determines the Final Four…is there honestly a better 2 weeks in all of sports? Watching a George Mason make a run to the Final Four or a Butler coming within Inches of winning a National Championship a year ago. How hard is it to not take a half-day on the first Thursday & Friday of the Big Dance? It’s that much better when your team is in the Tournament but even when they are not…The Dance is special. Games from noon until mid-night with only an intermission for wings/burgers/ribs and beer. With so much hope of winning your Bracket Pool as we sit there and watch our brackets crumble. We are in shock that our 4 seed we had going to the Final Four was knocked off by a 13 seed. Then when our 12 seed knocks off that 5 seed that none of your buddies picked, is there anything better than looking over and saying “I told you to watch out for them” like we really knew what we were talking about. Bracket Pools everywhere, seeing your name at the top of the leader board really just solidifies what you already knew…. YOU’RE DA MAN! You’ve been telling your friends all year how over-rated Kansas & Syracuse are. Then when they don’t make it out of the first weekend – it’s hard to imagine why ESPN isn’t calling you to take Jay Bilas job. Then all of a sudden the second weekend has come to a close and none of your sleepers are still alive. Even though your one big upset came to fruition, you’re now slowly sliding down the rankings as your National Champion is heading home after a 4 seed just plucked them. You now realize your bracket has no hope and when you check the leader board you’re now looking up at the girlfriend/wife/mother. They have watched a grand total of 5 minutes of NCAA Hoops all season and picked teams because they like their names or colors. Again – Is there anything better than the first 2 weekends in March Madness? The Big Dance is completely unpredictable which is exactly what makes it so great. Watching a Cinderella team ruin your bracket with a buzzer beater is so worth the entry fee into your March Madness Bracket Challenge. Heads will shake, jaws will drop, brackets will be shredded, pull up a seat with your buddies and enjoy the ride. Nothing quite like the first 2 weeks of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Check out these Rants that won Fan Of The Week on our Forum announced on 3/4/2011 – They each win a FREE Dri-Fit. Are you next?

Bill Charles – Rant on Bengals Fans and Carson Palmer wanting to leave

Ok I think we as Bengals fans need to take a step back and realize what we are saying…….So Chad and TO didn’t get us to the playoffs and beyond….but if they had then everyone on here would be saying how Mike Brown finally made a good off season pickup. This has nothing to do with Chad or even TO for that matter. It has everything to do with ownership. Lets take a trip back in time over the Mike Brown years and just see how and what he has done to this team.
1. Took over the team after his fathers death in 1991
2. First move as owner was to fire Sam Wyche (even though Mike Brown said that Wyche resigned…he didn’t) so his first move was a lie……Oh yeah and Wyche took us to the playoffs with a 9-7 record in 1990 winning the first game of the playoffs against the then Houston Oilers.
3. The first coach he hires is Dave Shula….we all remember those horrible years. first season record….3-13
4. 1992 draft David Klingler out of Houston with the 6th overall pick
5. Then in 1993 we trade Boomer to the Jets for a third round pick which wasn’t a bad thought saying Klingler coming out of college was looking like the next franchise QB…..we lost our first 10 games…record 3-13
6. 1994. With both Klinger out we inject shake and Blake…Jeff Blake record 3-13

But least pause here for a moment…..Klinger had a GREAT college career. Had 11 TDs in one game, set the NCAA div 1 record for most yards gained in a single game 716. 4 seasons 726 of 1,262 passes completed for 9,430 yards. He still ranks in the top ten for career touchdown passes and yards…..First QB ruined……

7. Fast forward…..to 1999 (there were a few decent years between 94 and 99 but nothing to write home about). The 1999 draft. The same draft were then Saints coach Mike Dikta offers 9 draft picks for 1 1st rounder. The Bengals coach at the time Bruce Coslet told Mike Brown to take this deal from the Saints. He wanted to retool the defense and needed as many picks as he could get. Mike Brown refused the offer and drafted Akili Smit. Smith plays 22 games in the NFL…….yet another QB not ready for the NFL and we fed him to the lions.

8. Then lets just sum the rest of the years up to now…..a 6-10 season, **** Lebeau, Gus Frerotte, Ron Dugans, Corey Dillion…..this list could go on for some time……Then come the Marvin Lewis years.

What has really changed in the front office of the Bengals since then? NOTHING! We were promised more scouts, were told Marvin had control (not sure thats a great idea either), we were promised the world. We make the playoffs and suddenly for a few years we forget about Mike Brown and the fact he was still running the team. It of course all blew up in our faces….(who would’ve thunk it)

The Bengals have ruined just about every QB that has come through its doors. Other postions players who leave here always seem to have GREAT careers with other teams. The only X-factor in all of this crap football is Mike Brown. Lets stop pointing the fingers at the WR’s or the O-line or the fact you might think Carson is a *****….none of that matters when the driver of the car is blind, deaf, drunk and stupid.

I still say ship em all to LA. They want a team real bad…lets give them what they want! LOL

Stephanie Jo Castleman – Rant on Bengals Fans and Carson Palmer leaving Cincinnati

I sincerly believe that the Bengal’s just need to start all over! Clean out the upper management and discharge certain cocky players who believe that they are God’s gift of the NFL…. enough so that they are willing to change their last name to the numbers on the back of his jersery! Listen up Chad Johnson, you unworthy POS, I never have nor will I ever call you Ocho Cinco. Maybe if you would spend more time at practice instead of tweeting, dancing with stars and trying to make miraculous plays, the Bengals would have made more TD’s and the interception numbers would be lower!
And don’t even start me on TO! You lost it after Dallas…. Walk away, man! The only reason you played in the 2010 NFL season was because some cocky asshole thought it would be fun to have a sidekick!

I 100% agree with SportsNazi, the Bengals could have drafted Brady/Manning or any decent QB and still, they would have f*ed that up somehow!

I say leave Palmer alone! Let him retire and let it be!
Let’s face it, boys…. The Bengals are not going to have a winning season anytime soon until they start putting some effort into choosing players and those players have to put their heart in the game! (I still will not be a fan if they won the next 3 Superbowls, but hey, at least I could say I live in Cincinnati with pride!)