Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles just signed a contract extension with the team. Vick, 31, just signed on to play another six years for the city of Philadelphia while they pay $100 million with $40 million of that guaranteed. This contracts comes two years after Vick was released from prison for dog fighting charges. This goes to show that winning cures all.
Everyone always deserves to have a second chance given to them. Granted, Vick has been given the big contract before and he has gone through all the money he received in the past. Then came the dog fighting charges that landed him in prison for nearly two years. Now, I love dogs, I have grown up with dogs all my life and do not agree to the way that Vick treated those dogs he used for fighting. But with that being said, it was dogs that he was fighting. There are other players in the NFL who have killed another human being and served a month in jail. In no way should everyone just move on and forget what he did to those animals, but he served his time and had to work hard to get back to where he is today, a starter on a winning team in the National Football League.
Michael Vick has always been a superior athlete playing the quarterback position. So Vick being in prison made some wonder if he would still be able to play at an elite level or would he have lost a step. Well Vick has come out and shown he's still got. He is still a threat to run all over defenses but he is now a threat to be a more accurate thrower than he was before his stint in jail. The hard work has literally paid off for Vick.
Given his reckless abandon for his body when he plays makes this a risky contract for the Eagle. Vick is one of the most electrifying players when he is on the field and therefore is important for him to remain on the field. His style of play always makes him an injury risk and he is only getting older.
Hopefully Michael Vick has learned from his past mistakes. Hopefully this time around he will be smarter with his money. Hopefully he has seen what his life would be like without football so he will continue to keep working hard. If Vick has learned from his past mistakes then he deserves our forgiveness and his new contract.
-Jake Ipson
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
What Trade Deadline?
Every professional sports league has a designated trade deadline. As the trade deadline approaches for a sport trade speculation will leave fans attached to the television screen wondering what moves a favorite team might make or where a favorite player will end up. The trade deadlines bring drama to a league in the middle of the season. Some teams will find a missing piece that will send them on a championship run while others will obtain assets for the future of the team.
The trade deadline for the Major League Baseball has long since come and gone. There were a flurry of trades this year, nothing ground breaking, but none the less moves were made. Yet just yesterday, Minnesota Twins designated hitter Jim Thome just waived his no trade clause and is heading back to where it all started, the Cleveland Indians.
Baseball has that quirky rule where even pass the trade deadline, players can still be traded later in the season. The trade deadline in baseball allows teams to trade players without very many restrictions. Some restrictions might be such things as a no-trade-clause in player contracts. Before the trade deadline, the team seeking to trade a player can talk to all 29 other teams to gauge interest and deciding on what offer may be better in return.
Once the trade deadline in baseball passes, teams may still look to get rid of a player. Therefore they can place the player on waiver wire. The other 29 teams then have a two day period to decide whether or not to place a claim in a player. The team with the worst record at the time that put a claim in for the player will then be awarded the claim. The two teams then have another 48 hour time frame to work out a deal for a trade. Sometimes the trade will go through and sometimes the trade will fall through such as what just happened between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants with closer Heath Bell.
Many of the deals made throughout the waiver wire trading time period, will go unnoticed. Some teams just can't afford to pay the contracts to players while others just come to a point where they need to move on. But every once in awhile, these trades can fit just right and work out for everyone. One example would be Cody Ross, who the Florida Marlins were looking to just get rid of last season. The Giants put in a waiver claim for Ross just to block the San Diego Padres from getting him. At the time, the Padres were leading the division therefore the Giants were awarded the claim. Cody Ross ended up be a key component in the Giants run through the playoffs that eventually ended with the Giants hoisting the World Series Trophy.
Teams have to get players on their roster before a certain date to be eligible for the playoff roster. Baseball has two trade deadlines in a season, the trade deadline and the waiver wire trade deadline. These deadlines are important for teams in the Major League. But for fans, this can be a confusing chain of events.
No other professional league has two separate trade deadlines and that's the way it should be. The MLB should do away with the waiver wire trades after the trade deadline has already passed. This takes away from such a fun time that other leagues can hang their hat on. A hard trade deadline line leaves fans intrigued to see what transaction will pursue. But in baseball that thrill of a trade deadline is lost cause a team may know that they can still get a player they coveted. Baseball is a great game that has been around for awhile, so it's hard to change something that has been going on for years and will continue for years. If baseball could implement a hard trade deadline, it would add some excitement to the dog days of summer.
-Jake Ipson
The trade deadline for the Major League Baseball has long since come and gone. There were a flurry of trades this year, nothing ground breaking, but none the less moves were made. Yet just yesterday, Minnesota Twins designated hitter Jim Thome just waived his no trade clause and is heading back to where it all started, the Cleveland Indians.
Baseball has that quirky rule where even pass the trade deadline, players can still be traded later in the season. The trade deadline in baseball allows teams to trade players without very many restrictions. Some restrictions might be such things as a no-trade-clause in player contracts. Before the trade deadline, the team seeking to trade a player can talk to all 29 other teams to gauge interest and deciding on what offer may be better in return.
Once the trade deadline in baseball passes, teams may still look to get rid of a player. Therefore they can place the player on waiver wire. The other 29 teams then have a two day period to decide whether or not to place a claim in a player. The team with the worst record at the time that put a claim in for the player will then be awarded the claim. The two teams then have another 48 hour time frame to work out a deal for a trade. Sometimes the trade will go through and sometimes the trade will fall through such as what just happened between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants with closer Heath Bell.
Many of the deals made throughout the waiver wire trading time period, will go unnoticed. Some teams just can't afford to pay the contracts to players while others just come to a point where they need to move on. But every once in awhile, these trades can fit just right and work out for everyone. One example would be Cody Ross, who the Florida Marlins were looking to just get rid of last season. The Giants put in a waiver claim for Ross just to block the San Diego Padres from getting him. At the time, the Padres were leading the division therefore the Giants were awarded the claim. Cody Ross ended up be a key component in the Giants run through the playoffs that eventually ended with the Giants hoisting the World Series Trophy.
Teams have to get players on their roster before a certain date to be eligible for the playoff roster. Baseball has two trade deadlines in a season, the trade deadline and the waiver wire trade deadline. These deadlines are important for teams in the Major League. But for fans, this can be a confusing chain of events.
No other professional league has two separate trade deadlines and that's the way it should be. The MLB should do away with the waiver wire trades after the trade deadline has already passed. This takes away from such a fun time that other leagues can hang their hat on. A hard trade deadline line leaves fans intrigued to see what transaction will pursue. But in baseball that thrill of a trade deadline is lost cause a team may know that they can still get a player they coveted. Baseball is a great game that has been around for awhile, so it's hard to change something that has been going on for years and will continue for years. If baseball could implement a hard trade deadline, it would add some excitement to the dog days of summer.
-Jake Ipson
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A Third String Controversy
One of the hottest topics heading into the 2011 NFL season surround a man fighting for the third string quarterback position on his team. Tim Tebow entered this season thinking he was going to be the starter for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos went as far as to look into trading last year's starter, Kyle Orton. But a trade with the Dolphins fell through during training camp and according to reports Orton came to training camp and out performed Tebow in practice.
Then the dominoes began to fall for Tebow. He was then fighting to keep the second string quarterback position on the team with former first round pick Brady Quinn. Reports said that Quinn was outplaying Tebow in training camp as well. Last week, Tebow was demoted to third string quarterback for the Denver Broncos in their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
In one month's time, Tebow went from competing for the starting job to third stringer. Then Michael Silver of Yahoo!Sports reported that some officials in the front offices of the Denver Broncos believe that Tebow may be the fourth best quarterback in camp this year.
Tebow seems to be a genuinely good guy, not just faking for the fans or the media. Tebow probably can handle the negative attention coming from the media. All the experts telling him he will never succeed in this league. But it is probably hard for him to be stuck in an organization that doesn't have faith in him either.
For the media, it is like the popular thing to do these days to bash on Tebow and say he will not be successful in the NFL. He wasn't suppose to be a winner at the college either, but he proved everyone wrong and was a winner at the college level. So when does everyone begin to say that enough is enough with this guy? When does everyone quit piling on the negativity towards Tebow and just hopes he becomes a success story? He has been a winner every level he has played so far and what is to stop him, if given the opportunity, to win at the highest level.
Who knows, Tebow may go on to be a bust in the NFL. But at some point, all the negativity and personal feelings for Tebow should be put aside. Let him do his thing and live his life the way he sees fit. Denver should do him a favor though and decide whether or not he is in their future plans and if not they should let Tebow go somewhere he is wanted. Who knows where Tebow's career might take him. Who knows if his future is with the Broncos or some other team. But one thing is for certain, his work ethic won't be the reason for an unsuccessful career. It would be a safe bet that eventually Tim Tebow will be on a winning team in the NFL. Afterall he is a winner.
Then the dominoes began to fall for Tebow. He was then fighting to keep the second string quarterback position on the team with former first round pick Brady Quinn. Reports said that Quinn was outplaying Tebow in training camp as well. Last week, Tebow was demoted to third string quarterback for the Denver Broncos in their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
In one month's time, Tebow went from competing for the starting job to third stringer. Then Michael Silver of Yahoo!Sports reported that some officials in the front offices of the Denver Broncos believe that Tebow may be the fourth best quarterback in camp this year.
Granted, there has been a lot of change in Denver this offseason, both in the front office and on the sidelines. This is not the regime that drafted Tebow and therefore have no obligation to play Tebow in Denver. The team could seek a trade for the former first round pick, but the team would not get equal value from him at this point. The Broncos could just cut Tebow, but he is a fan favorite in Denver. Not to mention, Tim Tebow had the top selling jersey in the NFL last season, so he is bringing in money to the team.
Many knew that Tebow would be a work in progress coming out of the University of Florida. Even when Tebow was in college, he did things to the beat of his own drum, not worrying what others had to say or thought about him. He was a man of his faith and just an all around good guy. But this man of faith had a hitch in his throwing motion and that was what he needed to fix entering the NFL. This hitch in his throwing motion made the delivery of his pass elongated and too slow for the NFL. Tebow seems to be a genuinely good guy, not just faking for the fans or the media. Tebow probably can handle the negative attention coming from the media. All the experts telling him he will never succeed in this league. But it is probably hard for him to be stuck in an organization that doesn't have faith in him either.
For the media, it is like the popular thing to do these days to bash on Tebow and say he will not be successful in the NFL. He wasn't suppose to be a winner at the college either, but he proved everyone wrong and was a winner at the college level. So when does everyone begin to say that enough is enough with this guy? When does everyone quit piling on the negativity towards Tebow and just hopes he becomes a success story? He has been a winner every level he has played so far and what is to stop him, if given the opportunity, to win at the highest level.
Who knows, Tebow may go on to be a bust in the NFL. But at some point, all the negativity and personal feelings for Tebow should be put aside. Let him do his thing and live his life the way he sees fit. Denver should do him a favor though and decide whether or not he is in their future plans and if not they should let Tebow go somewhere he is wanted. Who knows where Tebow's career might take him. Who knows if his future is with the Broncos or some other team. But one thing is for certain, his work ethic won't be the reason for an unsuccessful career. It would be a safe bet that eventually Tim Tebow will be on a winning team in the NFL. Afterall he is a winner.
-Jake Ipson
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Fan Hazing
Typically, fans of sports teams are very loyal people. Fans love their teams and can't be convinced otherwise. This is great, having something to cheer for. Typically fans are a fan of their home team being that that team represents the city or state that fan lives in or comes from.
-Jake Ipson
Now a days, thing seem to be changing a bit. Fans are able to get television packages that allow viewing of teams from the other side of the country every week. Without these television packages, it was only guaranteed that the home team would be on for viewing barring a blackout. There is a little less loyalty in fans rooting these days than in the past.
But if a fan decides to wear the gear of the opposing team when attending sporting events, a little hazing should be expected. Hazing can be a fun part of sports and sporting events just as long as it doesn't go too far. That seems to be a problem these days. Fans who may think they are being fanatical fans are taking this hazing upon other team supporters too far. This type of behavior ruins the fun for everyone else trying to have a good time at the park. There have been two instances this year involving fans getting violent at sporting events.
The first such occurrence happened on opening day of the baseball season. Dodger fans took it upon themselves to attack a Giants fan that attended the game in Los Angeles. In no way were these fans showing their love for their teams any more by beating another fan senseless, this only showed their stupidity.
The other event just happened this past weekend when alleged gang member got into a scuffle at the Raiders-49ers game which led to guns being fired. Reportedly, this had nothing to do with fans of certain teams; this was just a dispute between gangs that happened to show up at the same game. For most fans, this is a time to set everything else aside for a couple of hours and enjoy a sporting event with friends and or family. Firing a weapon at an event like that can harm more than just the intended target. Once again, these people let their stupidity show but this time it put other people lives’ at stake.
Let's hope that this is a trend that doesn't catch on. When fans get violent, it ruins the game for everyone else there. Hazing with other fans can be fun, but not when it goes too far. Friday, August 19, 2011
NBA Lockout
If something could be learned from the National Football League lockout that entrenched the summer story lines, is that the only losers in the whole standoff between the owners and the players was the fans. The NFL has a strong fan base of loyal followers. Thus, the NFL seemed to be given time by the fans to work out the kinks in the labor disagreements between the two sides. The NFL also was smart enough to deal with the lockout situation during their offseason and got to an agreement with little serious damage done to games being played. In fact, the NFL only missed one preseason game, the Hall of Fame Game.
The NFL is a striving successful establishment. The NFL has created a system of competitive competition in it's league among the small market teams and the big market teams. The NFL is the golden standard right now when it comes to running a professional league.
As the NFL lockout has come to a close and the season is now off and running, the NBA is now the professional sports league entrenched in it's own lockout. But the NBA's lockout seems to be a long way from over. Some think the NBA lockout will last half the season ending sometime in January, others are warning that the lockout could last all season long. The big difference between the NFL and the NBA lockout is the success of the leagues.
There was a report that came out saying that 22 out of the 30 teams were losing money. The NBA has guaranteed contracts that were getting to be bloated contracts. Then there is also the fact that commissioner David Stern was letting the players begin to run the league. So small market teams were having trouble competing with the big market teams. It became a trend for star players on small market teams to hold the team hostage by seeking large contracts or demanding to be traded to a team in a bigger market. The trend then seems to be forming what has been dubbed as "super teams," or teaming with other star players on the big market teams. Theses "super teams" have then deluded the competitiveness throughout the rest of the league. The owners want to implement a hard salary cap while the players don't want to give up the big contracts which leads to the NBA lockout.
Now some of the star players of the NBA are threatening to go play overseas until the lockout has been resolved. But the NBA and the players need to be very careful. The NBA was still recuperating from it's last lockout back in 1998. The NBA also has the competition of college basketball. Most of the athletes in college know that the college level is the farthest they will go in their athletic careers therefore they play with all their hearts and not just for the money. College basketball also has one of the greatest sporting tournaments in all of sports with March Madness.
Fans are very passionate about their sports, but when a league has a lockout, the fans are the biggest losers. Once the lockout finally ends for the NBA, the league will be back to earning hundreds of millions of dollars. The players will receive their contracts and be living like kings again. But the ones that lost out was the fans, they lost that season of cheering on their favorite team. They lost the season of seeing their favorite players play the game. But the NBA needs to be careful taking advantage of the fans because the fans may not always come back. Hopefully the NBA was watching the NFL lockout and learned that the shorter this lockout is; the better.
-Jake Ipson
The NFL is a striving successful establishment. The NFL has created a system of competitive competition in it's league among the small market teams and the big market teams. The NFL is the golden standard right now when it comes to running a professional league.
As the NFL lockout has come to a close and the season is now off and running, the NBA is now the professional sports league entrenched in it's own lockout. But the NBA's lockout seems to be a long way from over. Some think the NBA lockout will last half the season ending sometime in January, others are warning that the lockout could last all season long. The big difference between the NFL and the NBA lockout is the success of the leagues.
There was a report that came out saying that 22 out of the 30 teams were losing money. The NBA has guaranteed contracts that were getting to be bloated contracts. Then there is also the fact that commissioner David Stern was letting the players begin to run the league. So small market teams were having trouble competing with the big market teams. It became a trend for star players on small market teams to hold the team hostage by seeking large contracts or demanding to be traded to a team in a bigger market. The trend then seems to be forming what has been dubbed as "super teams," or teaming with other star players on the big market teams. Theses "super teams" have then deluded the competitiveness throughout the rest of the league. The owners want to implement a hard salary cap while the players don't want to give up the big contracts which leads to the NBA lockout.
Now some of the star players of the NBA are threatening to go play overseas until the lockout has been resolved. But the NBA and the players need to be very careful. The NBA was still recuperating from it's last lockout back in 1998. The NBA also has the competition of college basketball. Most of the athletes in college know that the college level is the farthest they will go in their athletic careers therefore they play with all their hearts and not just for the money. College basketball also has one of the greatest sporting tournaments in all of sports with March Madness.
Fans are very passionate about their sports, but when a league has a lockout, the fans are the biggest losers. Once the lockout finally ends for the NBA, the league will be back to earning hundreds of millions of dollars. The players will receive their contracts and be living like kings again. But the ones that lost out was the fans, they lost that season of cheering on their favorite team. They lost the season of seeing their favorite players play the game. But the NBA needs to be careful taking advantage of the fans because the fans may not always come back. Hopefully the NBA was watching the NFL lockout and learned that the shorter this lockout is; the better.
-Jake Ipson
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Being A Fan In Utah
Sure, Utah does not have the glitz of other states and Salt Lake doesn't really have the glamor of other big cities. But it sure is fun being a fan of sports in the state of Utah.
There is only one major sports franchise in the entire state, the Utah Jazz. The fans from Utah sure are passionate about their Jazz basketball. Fans love the Jazz and the players are treated like royalty around here. Every game night during the season, the streets of Salt Lake are flooded with passionate Jazz fans and living rooms glow with the lights of the game being played on television.
Not a professional basketball fan, well, there's the family atmosphere of Spring Mobile Park and Salt Lake Bees baseball. There isn't a bad seat in the park. Nothing is more relaxing than spending a lazy summer day eating a ball park hot dog and watching baseball. The Bees are a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Want some harder hitting action? There is always AA hockey action of the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. The Grizzlies are an affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the NHL. Or swing over and catch a Utah Blaze game of the Arena Football League.
As football season begins to roll around, there are no NFL teams in Utah but it still doesn't mean it isn't fun being a fan of the NFL in this state. The closest team for Utah is the Denver Broncos so all their games are telecasted on television, at least for northern Utah. But what makes the NFL season so much fun here is the fans follow teams from all across the country. Walking through an apartment complex parking lot and seeing the team stickers on vehicles can be interesting entertainment. The team stickers may vary from San Francisco 49ers to Buffalo Bills and from Detroit Lions to Dallas Cowboys. So even though it is Broncos country, fans as a whole may not be passionate about one team but they are passionate about football and their team, whoever that might be.
More of a college sports fan, Utah has that too. In the mood for an enthusiastic basketball game, there is no better place to go than the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at Utah State University. The Stadium may be smaller but the fans pack it every night and they let the opponents know they are there all game long. It gets loud in the Spectrum.
Want some good old college football. Check out the Holy War football game. The University of Utah and Brigham Young University rivalry dates back to 1896 and is one of the best rivalries in all of college football. These two teams hate each other and that makes for good football.
So Utah may not be a high profile destination when it comes to sports, but as a fan, it sure is fun place to be for sports.
-Jake Ipson
There is only one major sports franchise in the entire state, the Utah Jazz. The fans from Utah sure are passionate about their Jazz basketball. Fans love the Jazz and the players are treated like royalty around here. Every game night during the season, the streets of Salt Lake are flooded with passionate Jazz fans and living rooms glow with the lights of the game being played on television.
Not a professional basketball fan, well, there's the family atmosphere of Spring Mobile Park and Salt Lake Bees baseball. There isn't a bad seat in the park. Nothing is more relaxing than spending a lazy summer day eating a ball park hot dog and watching baseball. The Bees are a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Want some harder hitting action? There is always AA hockey action of the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. The Grizzlies are an affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the NHL. Or swing over and catch a Utah Blaze game of the Arena Football League.
As football season begins to roll around, there are no NFL teams in Utah but it still doesn't mean it isn't fun being a fan of the NFL in this state. The closest team for Utah is the Denver Broncos so all their games are telecasted on television, at least for northern Utah. But what makes the NFL season so much fun here is the fans follow teams from all across the country. Walking through an apartment complex parking lot and seeing the team stickers on vehicles can be interesting entertainment. The team stickers may vary from San Francisco 49ers to Buffalo Bills and from Detroit Lions to Dallas Cowboys. So even though it is Broncos country, fans as a whole may not be passionate about one team but they are passionate about football and their team, whoever that might be.
More of a college sports fan, Utah has that too. In the mood for an enthusiastic basketball game, there is no better place to go than the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at Utah State University. The Stadium may be smaller but the fans pack it every night and they let the opponents know they are there all game long. It gets loud in the Spectrum.
Want some good old college football. Check out the Holy War football game. The University of Utah and Brigham Young University rivalry dates back to 1896 and is one of the best rivalries in all of college football. These two teams hate each other and that makes for good football.
So Utah may not be a high profile destination when it comes to sports, but as a fan, it sure is fun place to be for sports.
-Jake Ipson
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