Category: Sports

Divisional Weekend Roundup

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Is anybody else tired besides me? This weekend of football wore me out. Sheesh. I need a nap. One of those good kindergarten naps. On a cot.

So where shall I start? I knooooow!!! Lets start with my team, the San Francisco 49ers!! Whoop whoooop!! We left shredded cheese all over The Stick. Green Bay started out hot but any chance they thought they had of winning quickly diminished when the legend of Colin Kaepernick was born. So did the hopes of Alex Smith getting his job back. In his first playoff game, Kaepernick completed 17 of 31 passes for 263 yards while throwing two touchdowns and one interception. That is not even the highlight of the game. He was the game’s leading rusher with 181 yards including a 56 yard touchdown run. Yeah, I know Green Bay’s defense is not the greatest but it held arguably the game’s best running back, Adrian Peterson, to 99 yards last week. Plus they have Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson. Serious ballers. None of that would matter as the 9ers pounded the Packers to advance to their second straight NFC Championship. Cheese for everyone!!!!

The game of the weekend had to be the Denver Broncos vs the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos, led by future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning duked it out with the Ravens, led by future Hall Of Famer, Ray Lewis. The game had everything you wanted. Lead changes. Ties. Hard hitting. -2 weather. Snow. A prayer in the form of a football thrown by Ravens QB Joe Flacco caught by Ravens WR Jacoby Jones in the closing seconds of regulation. Overtime. Double overtime. A bad throw by Manning that was intercepted. A game winning kick by a rookie kicker to send the Ravens to their second straight AFC Championship. After all that, I am tired again.

The first game on Sunday looked to most like it would be a snoozer but like I tell anyone, if you have Russell Wilson as your QB, you always have a chance. The Falcons soon found out as the Seahawks came back from a 20 point deficit to take the lead with less than a minute left in the game. Everyone including me assumed that the game was over and that San Fran would host the NFC Championship game for the second year on a row. Wrong. The Seahawks defense that had been so intimidating and in your face all year, allowed Matt Ryan to throw two passes that would give the Falcons enough yards to kick a game winning field goal. To make matters worse, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, calls a timeout that he claims he did not call but they have it on tape, just as Atlanta’s kicker misses the field goal, wide right. I guess you know what happens next. Matt Bryant drills the field goal. The Falcons win. And my 9ers have to travel across the country to pluck feathers next week.

The last game of the weekend…..boooooring! New England easily defeated Roland Martin’s Houston Texans. I do not think anyone was surprised.

As far as predictions, I have my 49ers finally getting back to the Super Bowl. Their opponent will be the Baltimore Ravens. Bring on the “Harbaugh Bowl.”

For the Strength of the WOLF is the PACK…..

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, College Basketball, North Carolina State University, Sports, Wolfpack2 Comments

image

The unthinkable happened on Saturday. I have been so busy the past few weeks that I forgot to put in my ticket request for the Duke game. Insert pout, foot  stomping and watery eyes. In the 13 years since I have arrived in the Capital City, I have never missed a home game against Duke. Regardless, if we were having a winning season or not, I was there. I even ventured over to Cameron Indoor one year to take in the festivities from press row. I was smushed the whole game but the students were nice enough to help me over the table when I needed to get up. Yes, over the table. We lost that game but I got to meet the great Kareem Abdul-Jabar. I tried to contain my excitement but my mouth had other plans. It let out a squeal as soon as he entered the room.

Anywho, back to the topic. Ah, my beloved alma mater. This game had been hyped up since the beginning of the season. The Pack was picked to finish first in the ACC. Duke was picked second. The Pack was ranked number six in the preseason polls. I do not recall what Duke was ranked nor do I care. After two early season losses, there were really rumblings about whether or not the Pack could really take the ACC. All those questions were answered when the Pack shut up their critics hard on a warm Saturday in January. The questions about the Pack’s toughness, chemistry, ability to hang with top teams in the nation and killer instinct were trampled at mid-court as students(shoutsout to Will Privette….the student who rushed the court in his wheelchair and is kind of a big deal….that is how we roll!!!) rushed to celebrate with the young men who had essentially let the nation know that THE PACK IS BACK!!!

Sure, lots of folks, namely fans of the blew schools, think Pack fans are overreacting. Eh, who cares?! We just beat one blew school and we are not even sure if the other blew school has a basketball team this year. When Mark Gottfried came to State two years ago, he was a relative unknown. However, Athletic Director Debbie Yow saw something in him that convinced her that he was the man for the job. He immediately told WOLFPACK fans that he wanted to return the program to its prominence. He no longer wanted us to live off of our old history but create some new history. As much as I wanted to believe it, I had my doubts. I knew nothing about Gottfried but I am always willing to give a coach a chance because it only takes the right one to get things going. However, I never thought he would turn things around so quickly.

As I celebrated on Hillsborough Street on Saturday (hey, it is what we do), I reflected on our rich history. We are still one of only 14 schools to win multiple NCAA Championships. We are forever linked with the late great Jim Valvano. We can also claim that arguably the game’s best player EVER called Reynolds Coliseum home, David Thompson.

While most may not understand the jubilation Pack fans experienced Saturday, you do have to take a closer look and wonder what is going on in Raleigh. You nervous yet? You should be. The Pack played great Saturday but not nearly as great as they can. You still looking. You can stop now. You do not have a clue :-}. I will help you out and keep it simple for you, it’s a WOLFPACK THING, YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND!!! Now howl on that.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

image

I am sorry…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, Sports2 Comments

I owe someone an apology. I have never met her. However, over the years, I have found myself making statements about her that have not been very nice.

Behind the humor, big smile and bubbly personality is a sensitive and compassionate woman who turns her head every time she passes an 18-wheeler carrying pigs or chickens on the highway. That compassionate side of me gave me a nice reality check earlier this week. On Sunday, while I was out and about, I checked in on Twitter to see what was trending. I immediately saw that Pam Oliver’s name was trending and thought to myself, “Anytime she is trending, it is never a good thing” I was correct. The usual slander was about the usual topic: her hair. When I arrived at a friend’s house later we discussed the topic and if I recall correctly, I remember saying, “I wish she had some girlfriends who would be honest with her about her hair.” Oh Kass. Smh.

It was not until the very next day that what I said started to bother me. I have commented on her hair for years. Then it hit me. I was essentially doing the same thing I felt Rob Parker did to RG3 a few weeks ago, tearing a person down instead of lifting them up. It was not a good feeling. Had I not learned anything from the Gabby Douglas hair controversy? It was not a good feeling. Then it dawned on me and I had that “ha ah” moment. Had I ever stopped to think that maybe the reason she had not changed her hair is because she likes it? I remember when I made the decision to stop getting relaxers and let my hair revert back to its natural state, there were people who expressed their dissatisfaction in my decision. Yes, my decision. Some of the comments were hurtful but for the most part I was not concerned about what others thought I should do to my hair. IT IS MY HAIR!!!

The slander directed at Oliver has been happening for years and with the emergence of social media, it has only gotten worse. While I would think the comments, to some extent, have been hurtful, she seems to be very confident in who she is and how she chooses to wear her hair. Ultimately, that is all that matters. Instead of focusing on trivial things, we should be focused on cheering her on. She was an all-American in track in college. She is a graduate of FAMU. She is also one of three(I think) black women reporting from the sidelines in major sports. Her employer and former employers seem to not be phased by her hairstyle and neither should we. That is irrelevant. She should not be torn down because she does not conform to a stereotype. She is a pretty woman. She is great at what she does. She has worked her way up the ranks and should be celebrated for that.

From this point forward, I vow to be more conscientious of my words.

I hope that someway, somehow this letter reaches her so she knows that for all those that are tearing her down, there are thousands more lifting her up.

Ms. Pam, I am sorry. Keep doing what you do so well. You are a trailblazer and I thank you for carving out a path for women like myself to follow. YOU ROCK!

Until next time…TOODELLS!

image

Wildcard Weekend Roundup

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Controversy, Football, Hockey, NFL, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

What an interesting weekend of football!!! It was great, right? Lets rekap.

The biggest story of the weekend had to be Ray Lewis playing his last home game as a Baltimore Raven.

As I stated on Friday, his story of resilience and redemption is one that all can learn from. Lewis had a team high 13 tackles, wore a menacing face mask that made him look like he was going to war with the Deceptions and was on the field for the final kneeldown. Doesn’t get much better than that. He sealed his farewell with his patented “squirrel dance” (yeah, I just found out yesterday that it had a name) and exited to a deafening ovation for the crowd. Very fitting for a man who put a franchise and city on his back and gave it everything he had. On Saturday, my faves will go head to head. Peyton vs. Ray Ray. I think I shall remain neutral. Go Broncens!! Go Ravecos!!!

Oh, I guess you know the Ravens beat down the Colts.

Now onto Sunday’s other showdown…Rookie vs. Rookie. Elusive QB vs. Elusive QB. Russell vs. RG3. I know there was not any question as to who I was pulling for. Was it just me or did Russell look like he had been playing in the league for years? His composure in the pocket especially during a blitz is a thing of beauty. He does not get razzled easily. I tweeted last night that I was so happy that the nation was getting a chance to see what us Wolfpackers got to see for years. Russell is a baller!!! That Seahawks team makes me nervous. The combination of Russell, RB Marshswn Lynch and that defense is scary. I fully expect to see them in the NFC Championship playing against my 9ers. My boys better be ready!! By the way, Russell, the 75th overall draft pick, is the last rookie QB standing. Whoop whoooop!!

Yes, I talked about Russell before I addressed the RG3 controversy. Hey!!! I had to give Russell his flowers. I know you are waiting on my opinion about the RG3 debacle. I missed the first half but I heard he got hit early, was limping and was not very effective from that point on. I get the warrior attitude especially in the playoffs but when does a player’s health become bigger than the game? It is obvious that RG3 should have been pulled early in the game. Give the team a chance to win. It is not like the Redskins do not have a decent backup. Knees are nothing to play Russian Roulette with. Keeping RG3 in did not produce the result the team was hoping for. Putting Cousins in earlier could have changed the story.

As much as I talked about Sunday’s games, I almost forgot about Saturday’s. I was pulling for the Bengals because I wanted Coach Marvin Lewis to get that elusive first playoff win. As usual, the Texans found a way to win. They do not impress me, at all. I fully expect the Patriots to send them back to Texas for an early start to their summer vacay.

The Packers vs. Vikes game….snoozefest. I just woke up! Woke up to see Vikings back up QB, Joe Webb, on the ground, again. Po fella. Vikings did not stand a chance. Better luck next year.

:: My picks ::
Broncos vs. Ravens….Broncos
9ers vs. Packers….9ers
Texans vs. Patriots….Patriots
Seahawks vs. Falcons….Seahawks

:: Championship Weekend ::
9ers vs. Seahawks….9ers
Broncos vs. Patriots….Broncos

:: Super Bowl 47 ::
My 9ers vs. My boo #18 and the Broncos…..I will reveal my pick later this week :-}

P.S. The “melt” is on!!! Hockey is back!! Yes! Yes! Yes!!

Until next time….TOODELLS.

See you in Canton, Ray…

On By kassienetteIn Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOOOO!! Please tell me this is not happening. Ray Anthony Lewis is retiring. NOOOOOOOOOO!!

The hard hitting, shoulder fracturing, knuckle popping, leader of the Baltimore Ravens is calling it quits. After 17 years, Lewis has decided to go out like a superhero: on top. Sure, he has lost a step or two or three over the last few years. However, despite his slowing down, every opponent always knew he was still capable of changing the course of the game at any time.

When the news broke Wednesday, I already knew I had to make my way to The Korner to talk about it. I even got a request to blog about it :-}.  Along with that request, my requestee asked that I offer up my opinion of Lewis being charged with murder. To me, the murder charge is irrelevant when it comes to Lewis’s career. Just like Pete Rose’s gambling. Let the man in the Hall already! Sorry, got sidetracked. Charged with murder in January of 2000, Lewis could have easily let the bad boy image that some wanted to portray define him. Found guilty of obstruction of justice and ordered to pay the NFL’s heaftiest fine at the time, Lewis could have easily decided to quietly ease back into the NFL life. Surrounded by teammates whom he would win a SuperBowl with the following year, Lewis could have easily let someone else become the face of the franchise.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said,  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Instead of running from the experience, Lewis took the experience and ran with it. He allowed the incident to fuel his fire and drive him to become a better father, teammate, friend, mentor and man. That murder charge has not and will not define who Lewis is. If anything, that charge served as motivation for Lewis to inadvertently become a human definition of what overcoming adversity looks like no matter how steep the mountain may be.

The amount of respect I have for Lewis is enormous and I hope to meet him one day so I can tell him. For the past 10 years, the player I have enjoyed watching the most, besides Peyton, is #52. Any time he was on my screen, I was guaranteed to see him giving 125% every time he stepped on the field. I was guaranteed to see him motivating his team. I was guranteed to see him truly loving to play the game of football. However, it is the type of man off the field that fuels the respect I have for him. Lewis is a natural born leader. If you have ever heard him speak, whether in person or in a press conference or in the huddle, you know that he has the gift of leadership. I do not think I can find a person that has not felt inspired after hearing him talk. Shoot, his retirement press conference left me feeling like I could run a marathon, that same day.

Ray Anthony Lewis is one of a kind. He revolutionized a franchise, city and league with his desire to be more than just a football player. It has been a privilege to watch him play. When he officially retires, Lewis will be revered as one of if not the best linebacker in the history of the National Football League. Some sports fanatics will argue that he is not better than LT. Some will argue that Dick Butkus was better than both of them. I was not around for the days of Butkus and I was young during the days of LT. I do know you can not go wrong with either of them. For as much as Lewis will be remembered for the way he played the game, I think he will be remembered more for the way he played the game of life while. Veni. Vedi. Vici. He came. He saw. He conquered. And he is just getting started….

Thank you Ray Lewis for your passion and dedication to the game!! I am glad you are getting your flowers while you are still here to receive them. See you in Canton in 2018!

 

P.S. I am going to truly miss seeing Ray Ray do his intro jig. I think I will now use that to announce my arrival in various places.

The old switcheroo…

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, College football, Controversy, Football, SportsLeave a comment

Here we go again…

Before I went to sleep last night, I was skimming my Twitter timeline when my eyes landed on a tweet from SportsCenter “REPORT: ACC officials to vote on expansion candidates Wed. Louisville is most likely school to receive invite (via ACCSports.com).” My heart leaped for joy!! Not really. I rolled my eyes and said here we go again…

I am not sure if there is a word to express how annoying this realignment, musical chairs stuff is. For real. Almost every day there is talk of one school leaving this conference to go to another conference or this school does not want to pay this amount of money to leave their current conference. Talk about a mess!! Want to know what annoys me the most? The fact that this is all about MONEY. Surprising? Not at all. The decision makers could care less about tradition, alumni, the fans, etc. They are all playing switcheroo so they can see how much money they can make. Yes, athletic departments need money. Yes, institutions need money. Yes, the more money you have the more you can do for your school. However, society has become so money hungry that it is willing to sacrifice, at times, its integrity all because of a dollar or two.

Still not convinced this thing is money driven? In the college sports world, there are six major conferences: The Atlantic Coast Conference(ACC), the Big East Conference, the the Big 10 Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Southeastern Conference(SEC) and the Pacific-12 Conference(Pac-12). Within the last two years, five out of the six conferences have either added or lost members due to the conference shuffle.

Lets take a look at the Big East, which I think will be extinct in a few years. As of today, the Big East consists of the University of Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Rutgers, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple, the University of Cincinnati, DePaul, the University of Lousville, Marquette, the University of  South Florida and Notre Dame(in every sport except football). Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame have all jumped ship and are headed to the ACC. Rutgers is sailing to the Big 10. To compensate for the impending losses, the brilliant minds in the Big East have decided to add Boise State(yes, the school in Idaho), San Diego State, Southern Methodist(straight out of Texas)Houston, the University of Central Florida, the University of Memphis, Tulane, East Carolina(in football only) and Navy. Whew! Makes your head hurt right? I am just waiting to see a tweet announcing that the Big East is now the Big USA conference or the Coast to Coast with a stop in the midwest conference. That conference makes no sense whatsoever.

Want another example? The Big 12 which consists of Baylor, Iowa State, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, the University of Texas, Texas Christian University, Texas tech University and West Virginia University. That is 10 schools for those of you keeping count. In 2011, the  University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska, bolted for the Pac-12 and Big 10, respectively. In 2012, the University of Missouri and Texas A&M left for the SEC. I fully expect the Big 12 to go after two more schools since they can not call themselves the Big 10, now can they?

This round robin, in my opinion, is putting a damper on college sports. Schools such as Texas A&M and the University of  Texas will no longer get to compete against each other year after year due to Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC. The ACC which had not lost a charter member since 1971, recently lost another when the University of Maryland decided to leave for the Big 10. High school athletes sometimes make decisions about where to go to school based on the conference they would play in. Etc. Etc. Etc. I could go on and on about why I wish a moratorium would be put in place when it comes to the switcheroo but I do not have the energy to do it. Plus I know my argument would just fall on death ears. So I will just sit back in The Korner, watching the money talk and secretly thanking them for giving me something to blog about, repeatedly. Insert sarcasm.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Too soon???

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

As a forever Faithful San Francisco 49ers fan, I did NOT see this coming. In case you missed it, last night’s Monday Night Football game was deemed the Battle of the Backups. San Francisco’s QB Alex Smith and Chicago’s Jay Cutler, both starting QB’s for their respective teams, were out as a result of concussions they sustained last week. So starting in their place you had Colin Kaepernick for the 49ers and Jason Campbell for the Bears. BOY OH BOY!!! Ok, that is not how I really felt when the game started. I honestly did not know what to think. Kaepernick, lets call him Kaep, had been used sparingly during the season so I do not think anyone outside of the team really knew what to expect from him.

My, my what a pleasant surprise. Not only was Kaep playing like he had been a starting NFL QB five years, he controlled the offense from start to finish. Lets check the numbers. 16/23 for 243 yards. 12 yards rushing. Yes, those were an important 12 yards. 133.1 passer rating and the single highest QBR rating for a first timer, 97 out of 100. Simply put, he was balling.

Now conventional wisdom says, a QB should not lose his job because of an injury. Well, we all know San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh is anything but conventional. When asked last night about who would be the starter on Sunday, he simply replied that he “usually goes with the guy with the hot hand.” Welp, sounds like Smith may be on the bench for another week.

Lets face it. Today may be too soon to start the QB controversy talk or is it? Yes, in his last 25 starts, Smith has gone 19-5-1. However, outside of the divisional playoff game against the Saints last where Smith truly seemed to be in control, Smith has not managed to convince me that he is the guy for us. I appreciate his dedication to the team because he went through the worse of the worse out in the bay. I appreciate him wanting to be in San Fran. I appreciate his love for the game. I appreciate the way he has believed in himself since Harbaugh arrived. With that said, for all the games I have watched over the past two years, I have never seen Smith look as comfortable quarterbacking the offense as Kaep did last night. Kaep was in command. I knew he was a good QB coming out of Nevada but sheesh, that was crazy. While I am still on the offense, did you all see the block Frank Gore laid on Lance Briggs? My goodness!! The 9ers played the way I had been expecting them to play all year, dominating on both sides of the ball.

So what happens next? Good question. I am not ready to say Kaep deserves to be the QB but I do think he earned a second start with his performance last night. If the 9ers are going to be all about starting to add rings to their other hand then you have to go with the QB that gives you the best chance to make that happen. This is going to be interesting. Get your popcorn ready. Looks like we have a QB controversy in the bay. Too soon? Not. At. All.

Until next time….TOODELLS.