Crazy. Insane. Gravity, defying tricks make the X-GAMES exciting to watch. But for X-Games 13 the limits were pushed and the anti was upped, ultimately driving the athletes to be the best. When Simon Dumont and Jon Olsson went at it in the SKI Big Air Final, the biggest and best of their trick arsenal was pulled out in quest for gold.
Possibly the wildest part of the entire X-Games 13, came during the SNOWMOBILE Next Trick, when Levi Lavallee attempted a *Double-backflip*. A trick that most thought to be impossible and life-threatening. Lavallee seemed not to care as he pushed the limit, and went for it all as he attempted possibly the biggest trick ever.
For the final event of the X-Games, Men's Snowboard SUPERPIPE, it again came down to Shaun "The Flying Tomato" White. Kevin Pearce who was holding down the Gold medal spot with a killer run, when Shaun White took the pipe on for his final run of the night. White struggled through his first two runs, but turned it around to take a controversial gold. Pearce's run to many was bigger and better - and not to take anything away from White - but the difference may have been in the name. Regardless, Shaun White closed out X-Games 13 with a little history, becoming the first snowboarder to ever win back-to-back GOLD medals. Congrats goes out to the only tomato i have ever seen fly.
The college basketball season has again been wild, with teams in the TOP 25 rankings changing almost as much as the Duke scoreboard did in their blowout win over Maryland. So far the first few months of the Men's college hoops season, there has only been three number one teams - North Carolina, Pitt, and Wake Forest. The Tar Heels had dominated the first seven weeks of the season, until losing two-straight. For both Pitt and Wake Forest, there time atop the rankings didn't last long as both stumbled at the number one spot. All of this has opened the door for possibly the most dominant team in the land over the last several games - the Duke Blue Devils.
Who is number one in the college basketball land? Well as much as it may pain me to say this and I know what some of you will be thinking... "DUKE?!? Really?!? I can't believe you said that!" Well to be honest, I can't believe I am going to say it either. At the beginning of the season my original thoughts of Duke were wrong. I was NOT at all a believer in the talent and players they had on the team. I actually thought this may be just a mediocre season for Coach K's Blue Devils. However, I am a man and as a man I can admit when I am wrong. In this case, I was extremely wrong. Duke is deservedly the BEST team in the land (right now) and proved that in the game yesterday against the undermanned Terps, winning by 41 points.
Are you tired of the best conference debate? I feel like the only debate that ever talked about now is the debate about... "Which conference is the toughest conference in basketball?" Who cares? Let it go. I am so sick and tired of this. Every time it is brought up, all I want to do is change the channel. Find something more relevant to the games, the players and the teams to debate over. The answer to the questions changes with the weeks of the basketball season, while the debate never changes.
BS of the week.I decided the blog need something with a little more excitement. Something that would bring a little more edge.A new part of Blog Like a Champion will be known as the BS of the week. Highlighting those who are notably stupid or who are lacking in good judgement. And I have found the best example to kick off this new segment.
Saturday evening in Tucson, the Houston Cougars took on the Arizona Wildcats from the McKale Center - the game itself was a high scoring, overtime thriller. But in the second half of the game, Houston's Aubrey Coleman purposefully stepped on the face of Arizona star Chase Budinger. Coleman was charged with a flagrant foul and was then ejected. The Cougars until that point had been in complete control of the game. But for some reason Coleman decided to stomp on Budinger's face. Coleman's brain fart motivated the Wildcats as they were able to come back to win 96-90 in OT. Watch, the BS of the week, for yourself.
Streaking stopped.The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame went in to their home game last night against the third ranked team in the country, the UCONN Huskies, with a 45-game home win streak on the line. The first half was a back and forth shoot out as both teams came out red hot from the outside. However, the second half was mostly UCONN has they took care of business, ending the Irish's home win streak. A streak which lasted almost three seasons.
I know many of you out there are NOT fans of hockey. And because of that, many of you may not know that this is the NHL's ALL-STAR WEEKEND. Now I admit that I am not a huge hockey fan, but it is the sports All-Star event. If you were to pick one time to watch the sport (other than the outdoor game on New Year's day), today would be the day. This collection of players is the very best the NHL has to offer. So what could be better than the best of the best of the best battling on the ice in Montreal? **I know the answer - which is any football game - but I am trying to help the NHL right now.
For the NHL, they picked the best weekend to hold their All-Star events, because there is NO football and the NBA All-Star weekend is not for a few more weeks. One problem for the NHL is the fact that the weekends events and games are all taking place on the Versus network. For a league that desperately needs exposure and publicity, they didn't choose a station available to everyone. There is nothing wrong with the Versus network, but not everyone gets the channel (that is the problem).
So here is my sales pitch to help the NHL get some attention and viewers... If you are looking for something else to watch besides the typical weekend movie, or if you are in between X-Games competitions. Flip over to Versus (if you have it) and check out the NHL All-Star game. The game is full of young stars, just ready to take the main stage. Good luck NHL, I did my best.
This day has finally come. This day, which comes just one day after the remembrance of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dreams, will mark the country's first ever African-American President. On this day of inauguration, a new day and a new chapter has now been written in the storied history of America. This day has been circled on the calendars of so many Americans for months, ever since President Obama spoke on that cold election night in Grant Park, in Chicago. This is a new era in America. An era filled with a renewed sense of hope for what is to come. Change will occur. I just hope people can remember that patience will help everyone persevere through these tough times. Congratulations to the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama, I believe together WE can ALL progress forward for a better today, and tomorrow.
1. "Most Likely To Succeed" - Charles Hamilton - One of the hottest rising artists/writers/producers coming up. This song just shows off why people are starting to notice him.
2. "Crack A Bottle" - Eminem ft. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent - I mean FINALLY, Mr. Matthers has returned to the music scene that so desperately needs him.
3. "I Get In It" - 50 Cent- I heard the original version, it was average. However, this is a new version and reminds me of the original Get Rich Or Die Tryin' 50 Cent. Plus you add a Dr. Dre mixing the music. Much better the second time around. Who knows maybe 50 will be back to the good, old version.
4. "Juicy" - Notorious B.I.G. - In honor of the Notorious movie release this past Friday, I decided that the jams of the week list had to include Biggie Smalls. A little throwback and a Notorious B.I.G. tribute.
5. "Quiet Dog" - Mos Def - He just rarely fails (if ever). Fresh, new different sound, but it does not disappoint.
6. "Bulletproof" - Raheem DeVaughn ft. Ludacris - Real laid back, soulful R&B song by the D.C. native. Add in a little Ludacris, and you get a little BANG - BANG - BANG - BANG...
7. "Herb Tree" - Collie Buddz - Same vibe. Same smooth sound. Same result. Just a real cool jam to listen to.
Others Receiving Votes: "Fire" - B-Real ft. Damian Marley - "You Burn" - Obie Trice - "I Come Prepared" - K'naan ft. Damian Marley - "Pass the ROC" - Jay-Z - "Gives You Hell" - All-American Rejects - "Lovers in Japan" - Coldplay
#2 Florida Gators vs. #1 Oklahoma Sooners. Last season's Heisman trophy winner - Tim Tebow vs. this season's Heisman Trophy winner - Sam Bradford. Urban Meyer vs. Bob Stoops. The match-up has been set for weeks, and finally the two teams will take the field tonight in South Florida for the BCS National Championship game. With the other 31 bowl games over and done with, all eyes are completely focused on South Florida.
One thing leading up to the FedEx BCS National Championship game that you don't want to do if you are Oklahoma is give Tim Tebow extra bulletin board material. The guy is motivated enough to be the best of the best. Remember the press conference after the Gators lost? Tebow vowed to never let it happen again. So far so good for him and the Gators. So when you add to the board you are only digging yourself a deeper hole. I guess for Dominique Franks, an OU defensive back, that doesn't matter. Franks has further fueled that fire, this week, by ranking Tebow below three other Big 12 QB's. Feeding Tebow with extra motivation is a horrible idea, which is like trying to wrestle a sandwich away from Shaquille O'Neal at lunch time. Good luck Franks, I have just one piece of advice for you when you are on the field. When you see Mr. Tim Tebow heading in your direction, dodge him at all costs like Vince Vaughn in Dodgeball, because if you don't he will run over and threw you - NOT around.
A big part of the game to watch tonight will be whether or not the Sooners can get that 600-pound gorilla off their back? This giant gorilla has prevented Oklahoma from from winning the big game the past couple of years. Oklahoma last won the National Championship in 2000, and since then the Sooners have struggled to win marquee game. They lost back-to-back championship games in 2003-04 and 2004-05, losing to LSU in 2004 and USC in 2005. And then there was the game nobody thought they would lose, but everyone saw. The 2007 Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, which became an instant classic, witnesses saw the Broncos trick play their way to a program building win over the Sooners.
Prediction: For Oklahoma this game is much more than just a National Championship game. This is a game that they must win to prove to themselves that they are still the best. More importantly they must win, to erase the ugly memory of losing to Boise State just a few seasons ago. With that said, I am not sure the Sooners have enough on defense to stop the Tim Tebow-led Florida Gator offense. Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford will lead Oklahoma's offense and put up a ton of points, but the question is: can they stop the Gators? Even without Percy Harvin, the Gators have Superman-Tim Tebow to do it all for them on offense. For me, the difference in this game with be special teams - I know cliche, but the truth. Oklahoma has allowed four kick-off returns for touchdowns this season and Urban Meyer is a special team specialist. Florida special teams has shined this season, and when it counts the most, it will shine the brightest. Given all the extra practice time, they will get a big return or a big blocked kick, and that will be the difference in the game. Florida Gators 38 - Oklahoma Sooners 31.
Yesterday 1st and 10 invited possibly the most famous rapper on the planet right now, Lil Wayne, on to the show. So he could test his luck at battling everyone's favorite personality to hate, SKIP BAYLESS. I must to admit, I didn't enjoy Weezy against Mr. Bayless as much as I enjoy reading Lil Wayne's blog on espnthemag.com, but that is besides the point. If you missed 1st and 10 then you missed out on the Skip Bayless music video. It was a perfect video for who he is. So here it is enjoy, because I certainly did.
It is 2009 - a brand new year - all over again. 2008 is gone. So is everything that happened last year. A fresh start. A clean slate. I decided with so many New Year'sresolutions being made that I would try to inspire. Great video, no matter how many times you watch it.
You may think NASCAR is a sport for wild and crazy, redneckin' hillbillies. If you don't know or don't watch NASCAR, then you may not even know about the Formula One circuit. F1 is an international racing circuit. And is famous for its world renown Grand Prix's. Races that stretch across the globe, from Brasil to China. So now that you have an tiny understanding of what F1 is, I want to tell you about quite possibly the best driver in the world. LEWIS HAMILTON. Learn the name. Read my story. Know this racer.
In only his second full season Hamilton made history. The 23-year-old Brit became the first black driver to win a Formula One Championship. Last season as a rookie, Hamilton finished just one point out of first. Now in two seasons Hamilton has finished either in first or second place. Hamilton had to overcome his competition, and also had to conquer rain soaked courses. This is when the world saw his raw racing ability. No matter the pressure, Lewis Hamilton toed the line - and won. Lewis Hamilton will be around for a long, long while. And one thing is for sure - his championship reign has just began. I hope, one day, to see Mr. Hamilton test his skills against the best of the NASCAR world.
