Heads Up!

HEADS UP!

The top sports you should watch from the couch not the stands

By: Caleb Odom

The whole point of watching sports dating back to the days of gladiators and other death sports was for entertainment. But when the entertainment flies up to your seat and smacks you in the face, maybe it is a good time to find a new form of entertainment. Here are some sports you might prefer to watch from the couch.

Baseball is a beautiful game full of timeless memories like a father and son watching their favorite player hit a home run while eating  hot dogs at the ballpark. But in the technology driven age of almost everyone having a smart phone and almost everyone having to check it every five minutes it comes as no surprise when a foul ball flies into section AA row 12 seat 3 and clocks 14-year-old Becky right in the nose Marsha Brady-style that baseball might be better on the couch.

I'm not even going to get into when a sweaty Brian McCann steps into the left handed batters box. Let's just say the Braves power hitter has been know to literally "let loose" on his swing so much that the Atlanta catcher frequently launches his bat into the crowd. A flying bat into the crowd is reason enough for a more cautious fan to enjoy the game at home.

A similar sport where danger can be avoided by planting yourself on your couch is hockey. Yes the addition of netting has tempered the volume of stray pucks reaching the seats but the threat is still there of being beamed by an errant puck to the melon. At the beginning of the season or lack there of, the NHL kept the threat of hockey fan related injuries down to just the occasional fans who were in depression from the lockout but now that hockey is back in swing fans needs to stay awake if they venture to a game.

The biggest sport that fans who are concerned about their safety should maybe watch from the couch is NASCAR. At the super speedways like Daytona and Talladega, cars reach speeds of 190 mph but are still clustered together because of restrictor plates that limit the cars' horsepower. With the cars bunched together in packs it leads to more wrecks.

With the cars going at such high speeds when the big wrecks occur, they are more likely to get airborne becoming a threat to fans in the grandstands. A prime example of this happened on this past Saturday, Feb. 23 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. On the final lap, a cluster of cars became a 12-car wreck that sent driver Kyle Larson's car flying into the front stretch fence. When Larson's car hit the fence, it sent debris raining into the stands.

Larson's number 32 Clorox car on impact sent its front tires and engine flying into the stands and when the smoke had cleared, at least 30 fans were injured by the horrific scene at Daytona. The injured fans were taken to nearby hospitals and two fans were listed in critical condition but stable with one sustaining life threatening injuries. All of the drivers involved were fine but when interviewed after the race they voiced their concern for the safety of the fans and even the race winner Tony Stewart hardly celebrated the win because of what had just taken place on the final lap.

So where is the line of being entertained by something in-person or being entertained by something in the comfort and safety of your own home? For some sports being part of the action is putting yourself in the danger zone and at the end of the day is it really worth it? As for myself, I'm going to continue to bring a glove to the big league games I go to and sitting in the nose bleed seat at a hockey game is a safe and cheap way to go. When it comes to watching NASCAR, I feel like I can enjoy it just as well or even better at home on my couch away from the flying Good Year tire looking for my head.

    

Danica Patrick can change NASCAR

Danica can make the difference

A win at Daytona for Patrick could change stock car racing for the better

By: Caleb Odom

Love her or hate her, drool at her sight or want to puke when you see her, Danica Patrick is here to stay in NASCAR. Patrick proved herself in the male dominated sport by qualifying on the pole for the upcoming Daytona 500 on Feb. 24, 2013. The speed week sex symbol who had been making waves with her new relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.set the tone for the field with her 196.434 lap time at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend.

For the most of her career, Danica Patrick was known as the cute Indy Car driver who won that one race back in 2008 and is half-naked in all the provocative Go Daddy Commercials. But then Patrick made the jump to stock car racing just to be a part of all the big wrecks each week. No one can deny that the female brings attention to NASCAR but the argument was always "yeah but she won't ever win a race". But what if she did?

What if Danica Patrick had a perfect race? Or everybody else had some bad luck and she did the unthinkable? Patrick has the potential to change NASCAR in a way that Brad Keselowski can't. Danica winning races would bring unconventional fans to the sport just to see her in action. The casual sports fan doesn't get excited about Jeff Gordan winning after leading the last twenty laps at Martinsville but if it was Patrick it would cause a frenzy.

If Danica can somehow win the Daytona 500 this Sunday she would shock the sports world and more importantly take the pedestrian sport of NASCAR off of life support. Sponsors would gravitate back to Sprint Cup racing and more people would tune in to watch in the weeks that follow just to see Danica. Her personality with wins to validate her would boost fan intrigue and other driver rivalries.

The first race of the season is the one that means the most to every NASCAR driver . Just ask veteran owner/driver Tony Stewart who has never won the prestigious Daytona 500 in February. The Great American Race, as it is known, is the equivalent of winning the Super Bowl to a NASCAR driver.

Stock car racing is not what it once was during the '80s and '90s from a popularity standpoint. Sponsors have pulled out and to be frank the sport doesn't exactly mesmerize the casual sports fan. The days of  "watching the race" appear to be gone for the time being just because of lack of interest. Maybe it was because the dominance of Jimmie Johnson who won five straight championships from 2006-2010.

In decades past, names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, and Darrel Waltrip were huge in the sport that so many loved. But in 2001 at the Daytona 500 on the final lap the sport was changed forever when Dale Earnhardt died in a crash. The late Earnhardt's son Dale Jr saw the spotlight placed on him in the years that followed but the shadow the black number 3 car left was too big for the son of the legend.

It's time NASCAR got a face lift in the form of the bright green number 10 car in victory lane. The stage is set for Danica Patrick at Daytona, the sport's biggest stage to change everything. Patrick is on the pole at Daytona, and the only thing she is going to strip this time is the checkers from the boys on the track.

Bold Prediction

Manny Machado

A name that every baseball fan should know

By: Caleb Odom

Lost in the shuffle of offseason moves and Spring Training hype is the 20-year-old third baseman who made some noise last season for the Baltimore Orioles. Manny Machado, from Miami, Fla. is below the radar for the average baseball fan but the upcoming season just might be the Oriole infielder's coming out party.

Last season, Baltimore's defense from Opening Day through the end of July was the worst in baseball but when the minor league shortstop Manny Machado was called up to the majors on August 1 everything changed. The Orioles defense became the best in the bigs and Machado was shocking the world with his slick glove at the hot corner and with his bat.

Machado started in all 51 of the games he played in and made just five errors while playing third base. The young big leaguer racked up 50 hits during that time, seven of which were home runs. When Baltimore made the playoffs beating the Rangers in the one game Wild Card game Machado was suddenly thrust into the American League Division Series with all eyes on the games.

The ALDS between the Orioles and the New York Yankees went five games with Machado drawing some national attention with his home run and double in the series. Baltimore would be eliminated by New York but the Orioles were a scary team nonetheless. People who watched Baltimore and its kid third basemen were watching what just might be a future superstar for the Orioles.

Just like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout last season Machado is all upside for the game of baseball. The 20-year-old has all the potential to be the next great face of the franchise, like Derek Jeter is to the Yankees. Machado is still a relative unknown, evidenced by the coverage of the media. Not much has been said of the budding star in Baltimore.

So when June rolls around and everybody is talking about number 13 for the Orioles, Manny Machado you can tell me I told you so. And when Machado is in Flushing, NY for the Allstar Game you can remember that I called it back before the season even started. And when Machado is pushing the Orioles past the Blue Jays that are supposed to be so good in the month of September when the games count the most you can remember what I told you.

The lesson of the story? If you don't know who Manny Machado is yet you are behind the game because he is about to make the game try to catch up with him. Yes Mike Trout is a freak of nature but Machado is that guy you didn't see coming until he is here to stay and he explodes just like his team around him.





 

Becoming Elite

Becoming Elite

Joe Flacco has risen above the flock of failure

By Caleb Odom 

The common phrase used by the media and the sports world to define greatness in the NFL is that it is all about the rings. The Super Bowl is what every player is chasing so winning or not winning the big game for the most part defines a career. The spotlight is cast the brightest on the 32 NFL quarterbacks because as the saying goes if the team wins the quarterback is a hero and if the team loses, it is the quarterback's fault.

In the NFL, there are four main categories that quarterbacks fall into: rookie, young gun, established, and elite. All four of these types of quarterbacks are after one thing; greatness. The thing is that they are all in different spots on the road of their career. Each quarterback has a story. Some are long while others have just begun.

The rookie quarterback is in his NFL infancy. The expectations for success are important but time is on the rookie's side as he learns about the game he thought he knew. The days of being one of the best in college are gone because in the NFL everyone is good at what they do. Some rookies struggle, let the big stage get to them, enjoy life off the field too much, and are eventually gone before anyone had time to remember them.

But then there are rookie quarterbacks that like Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III who jump into the spotlight like they were born there. Those types of rookies can take a nosediving franchise and put them in the playoffs when a little help from the rest of the team. Wilson led the Seahawks to the second round of the playoffs after beating Griffin III's Redskins in the NFC Wildcard game. All Luck did was lead the Colts to a AFC Wildcard game after Indy lost Peyton Manning to Denver.

The next type of quarterback is the young gun who has a few years of experience but they are not quite established yet as a NFL quarterback. The young gun is still fighting for that signature moment that establishes them as the quarterback of a team. An example of some young guns are Cam Newton with the Panthers, Josh Freeman with the Buccaneers, and Collin Kaepernick with the 49ers. Only time will tell if these signal callers are around long enough to become established or even elite.

Being an established quarterback is a gift and a curse because yes these quarterbacks are good enough to have longevity and the recognition of fans as the face of the franchise but they have yet to win the Super Bowl. Players like Chargers' quarterback Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo with the Cowboys, and Matt Ryan with the Falcons are all examples of established quarterbacks. They know how to win but they have never won the most important game in February. Up until this past Super Bowl, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was clearly an established quarterback but the jury was out on if he had what it took to win a Super Bowl and become elite.

The elite quarterback has gone the distance in at least one season winning the Super Bowl or in some rare exceptions not won a Super Bowl but accumulated remarkable statistics or a career like Dan Marino. The legendary Miami Dolphins signal caller Marino is often dubbed the greatest quarterback to never win it all with his lucky number 13 jersey. The Hall of Famer, Marino, did however throw for 61,361 career passing yards with 420 touchdowns in route to being named to nine Pro Bowls.

But the elite active quarterbacks in the NFL are the Patriots' Tom Brady with three wins in five Super Bowl appearances, the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger with two wins in three appearances, the Giants Eli Manning who is two for two against Brady's Patriots, the Broncos' Peyton Manning with one in two appearances both with the Colts, the Saints' Drew Brees with one, the Packers' Aaron Rodgers with one, and now the Ravens' Joe Flacco with won win.

Flacco has transcended the Romo's and the River's of the game by leading the Ravens over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII with his 22 for 33 with 287 yards and 3 touchdown performance to earn him the Super Bowl MVP honor. So as the confetti fell from the rafters of the Super Dome in New Orleans there was no real doubt that number 5 for the Ravens was truly an elite NFL quarterback because after all the numbers don't lie and a Super Bowl ring says it all.