Obscure Sports ftw!

Today, in my life, was a self-created Obscure Sports Day. I woke up early to watch the US Soccer team play, which I thought was going to be a mistake when I first did it. But I was actually able to get up pretty easily, so I watched the game.

To be honest, the US should have won that game like 5-0. There were a lot of missed opportunities, and they were a lot better than Algeria. However, they were working on one of the biggest choke jobs up until stoppage time at the end of the second half. Then, the spicy Landon Donovan saved soccer in the United States single-handedly. Not really, but kind of.

I'm not going to do an in-depth look back on what happened, because chances are that if you are reading this blog, you were watching that game. If you didn't watch it, then move to Cuba because you're a Commie. (jk lol)

So after I was actually excited during a soccer game for once, I got an ESPN alert (by the way, I only know anything about sports from getting ESPN alerts...not really) that a pretty cool thing was happening in tennis. These two guys that I had never heard of, mostly because it wasn't Andy Roddick or James Blake, were playing an ultramarathon tennis match, and they were tied at 24 games a piece in the fifth set.

For those of you that don't know, it's generally the first to win 6 games wins a set, win by two, with a tiebreaker if it's tied six to six. However, in the fifth set, it's the first to win by two games, no matter how many games that is.

So these two guys were slugging it out, and it was awesome, but I have a new XBOX 360, which I had to play. So I went into my room and played it for about two and a half hours. I decide to stop, go into my living room, and see that the match is STILL GOING ON. It's now 46 to 46, and it's becoming ridiculous.

I'd tell you how the match ended, but it's not over yet. After 7 hours, they suspended play until tomorrow with the score of 59-59. This match was already suspended once due to darkness. It's the longest match in the history of tennis, and hilariously enough, the fifth set alone is longer than any other match in the history of tennis.

So today is Obscure Sports Day, and the MVPs are Landon Donovan, John Isner (USA!), and Nicolas Mahut. These guys are studs.

Oh, and Steve Smith on the Carolina Panthers is better than Steve Smith on the New York Giants. If you think otherwise, then we disagree.

GOOD NIGHT NOW

World Cup/Bieber Fever!

For those of you who don't have a TV, a brain, or live in a cave, the World Cup started yesterday. (P.S. if you live in a cave and you're still reading this blog, marry me. I'm hoping that this applies to you, Hayley Williams!)

Anyway, the World Cup started yesterday. I know this will shock some of you, but I found most of the games to be boring. I know, somebody thinking a soccer game is boring? WHOA!

But this is kind of a big deal. I usually really enjoy the World Cup, especially when the United States is involved. Now, I don't consider myself to be Uncle Sam's protégé or anything, but I love my country, most of the time. But during the U.S.-Canada hockey game that recently occurred, I was very excited. I'm also not really a hockey fan, but my love for the good ol' U.S.A. pushed me through that game.

With that being said, I found the U.S.-England soccer game to be quite dull.

This may be because I'm not a soccer aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, but I just felt like both teams were sloppy, missed many opportunities, and the result was a less-than-par game, which does not help soccer's popularity in the United States.

What this game needed was a fist-fight, a buzzer-beating goal, another fist-fight, some more things that involve hyphens, and a riot! (Paramore reference ftw)

The defense, for the U.S. at least, was pretty bad, except for the goalkeeper, Tim Howard (new Ryan Miller?) Both teams had the ball in front of the goal, with a great scoring opportunity, multiple times. There wasn't really a whole lot of action, even for a soccer game.

My boredom may have been multiplied by by lack of sleep the night before, since I was watching Hancock for the first time in my life until about 3:30 in the morning. However, I feel like I wouldn't have been helped even if I wasn't tired.

So earlier today, I was trying to figure out why I don't really like soccer all that much. I thought that I should; it's pretty similar to baseball, if you really think about it. Teams can score at any opportunity, there's a lot of suspense throughout the game as a result. Then, it hit me.

There are very few aggressive defenses in soccer.

During the U.S.-England game, whenever the ball got in front of the goal, the team on defense would just kick the ball out of bounds. I don't like that. I like defenses that are always trying to get the ball back to the other end of the field, giving their team an opportunity to score.

I know that's not how soccer is played, but I think it would be more interesting to me if defense in soccer was played like, say, defense in hockey. Hockey defenders seem like they're much more aggressive than defenders in many other sports.

Then again, hockey players are also insane. So there's that.

I think of today as a success. I finally decided why I don't like soccer, so I'm not one of those lame-os who just screams about how 'nobody ever scores in soccer, so it's boring!' I hate people like that. Because the NBA games where the final score is 245-189 (that never happened) are the most exciting games ever! Shut up.

With all that being said, I still look forward to the United States' next game. Boiler up!

Oh, and with regards to the title, I know I don't reference Justin Bieber at all (except for this sentence) but Sum 41 once tweeted about how they had "Bieber-fever and the Cyrus-virus" and I just laughed and laughed. I thought it would work, since many people are ill from WORLD CUP FEVER!

Peace out. Holla! Oh, and I'll most likely have a post about religion pretty soon. Stay tuned!

Now playing -- What's My Age Again?, Blink-182 (one of my two or three favorite music videos of all time)

An homage to Ken Griffey, Jr.

For those of you that were caught up in the whole "Armando Galarraga non-perfect game" thing, like everybody, you missed a very important piece of baseball news: the retirement of Ken Griffey, Jr.

Griffey is probably my favorite player to ever play the game. Not only was he good (he had the sweetest swing...ever) but he played with class, and he did it all during a time where everybody was using steroids, except for him.

There was a period of time where everybody that knew baseball thought that he was going to shatter the career home run record. He was young, he was good, and people loved to watch him play.

On top of that, he was one of the best all-around people to play the game. He was a fan favorite wherever he went, mostly because he was so good to the fans and the media. Anyone who watched him could see why people liked him--he always had a smile on his face, even if his team was losing by 15 runs.

Then he decided that he wanted to play for his hometown team, the Reds. His dad had played for the Reds, and he grew up in Cincinnati. However, when he went to Cincinnati, he began being plagued by injuries. He missed 260 out of 486 possible games from 2002-2004, including season ending injuries in all those years.

Griffey just wasn't the same after his time in Cincinnati. He went from a graceful, powerful hitter to a slightly above average hitter.

Basically, my point in all of that is that with all those lost seasons due to injury, and the fact that his swing was majorly affected by all of his lower body injuries, and that he STILL hit 630 home runs, good enough for 5th all time.

Just imagine: a healthy Ken Griffey, Jr. for 22 seasons. I smell 800 home runs. And he would have done it without steroids.

The game lost a great one today. Not only was he a great (and clean) hitter, and probably the second or third greatest center fielder to ever play the game, but he was also one of the greatest people to ever play the game.

Ken Griffey, Jr. deserves a lot more than he is getting. He deserves more than this blog post, he deserves more attention, and he will be a first-ballot hall of famer. If he's not, I'm never watching another baseball game as long as I live.

Goodbye, farewell, and good luck to you, Ken. I really will miss you. You were a big part of my childhood--you got me interested in baseball and sports in general. Without you, my life would be a lot different. Thank you for being as good as you were, and thank you for doing it the right way.

A tribute that I didn't make, but watch it anyway. I recommend muting it though because the song that's playing is sort of lame.

Also: I tried to put pictures on here, but I couldn't figure out how to move them around/re-size them. Help? Thanks!

I'll miss you, Ken Griffey, Jr. Hopefully there cam be more players out there like you.

Perfect game! Oh...

So for those of you that haven't picked up on this, I've been posting like crazy these past couple of days. There isn't really a special reason for this, mostly just because I hadn't posted in like a month until about a week ago. If you're annoyed by this, well, screw you. This is the life of a blogger.

I got onto ESPN.com a while ago, and there was a headline that yet another pitcher was in the process of throwing a perfect game. Armando Galarraga, who pitches for the Detroit Tigers, had gone 8 innings without giving up a hit, and nobody had reached base yet.

Side note: there have been only 20 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball--two of them have come this year.

Anyway, Galarraga is pitching the game of his life, with some help from the most ridiculous catch I have ever seen.

By the way, anybody that doesn't think being an outfielder is hard (I'm talking to you, Adam Prokai) just watch this catch.

Okay, so Galarraga is one measly out away from perfection; from the best individual accomplishment that a pitcher can receive; and from going straight into the record books. A grounder is hit to the first baseman, Miguel Cabrera. He fields it cleanly, and throws it to the pitcher covering first base. The pitcher steps on the bag, when the runner is about a foot and a half away from the base (which is way farther than it sounds in baseball).

The umpire begins to pump his fist with an "out" call, but he ultimately gives the "safe" signal, breaking the hearts of thousands of people around the country.

My first reaction was to yell "HOW COULD YOU MAKE THAT CALL?!" but my dad, who's always the sensible one (not really) said "Well, he was in position, so he was probably right." (That's not a direct quote). When they show the replay, it is blatantly obvious that the runner was out.

So his perfect game is ruined, and he gets the next batter out with a grounder to the third baseman.

After the game, Galarraga gets interviewed. I figured he'd have hatred in his eyes, and he'd be lusting for blood or something, but he was incredibly gracious, saying that nobody's perfect and everybody makes mistakes. He doesn't blame the umpire for the blown call, and he's just happy to have pitched as well as he did.

The umpire released this statement after the game: "I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay." Also: "It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the s--t out of it."

I can't fault the man for that. He realizes that he made a mistake, and I guarantee that nobody feels worse about it than he does.

You know what could really fix this situation? Two things: first, if Bud Selig retroactively gives Galarraga the perfect game. Everybody would rejoice, and Bud Selig would be hailed as a savior. Not really, but everyone would be happy.

Two: GET INSTANT REPLAY! The biggest problem that I've heard with instant replay, from fans, is that it slows the game down too much. Because apparently, they're willing to sit through a 3-hour baseball game, but they can't possibly sit through a 3 hour, 5 minute baseball game. Give me a break.

Another issue I've heard is that it removes the human element from the game. Stupid! I notice how everybody hates football because there's no "human element" to it. Sure, baseball's been around longer, and it's tradition to have the "human element," but it was also tradition to use the Pony Express to deliver mail and we got rid of that nonsense.

The game would be fixed with instant replay. Mistakes could be overturned, and people would lose very little in the process.

Do the right thing(s), Mr. Selig. Give the kid his perfect game, and give Major League Baseball instant replay. Actually, I'm not sure if it's completely Bud Selig's right to expand instant replay, but I'm sure he could do something.

Never let this happen again.

Remorse.

Peace.

Now playing -- No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Beastie Boys (for the record, you have to absolutely crank this song to get the full effect)

Maurice Creek!

Hi.

The Diamondbacks have lost two straight games, 1-0, in extra innings.

The Mets are still mediocre.

Football hasn't started, but my dad told me today that Dennis Dixon is working with the Steelers' number one offense in training camp, which probably means that he'll be starting in the first 4-8 weeks that Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for. I like that, because Dennis Dixon is a boss.

I'm pretty excited for the NBA Finals. Everybody knows who I want to win, if you read my last post, and if you didn't, GO CELTICS.

But all of this is irrelevant. Only one thing matters in my life anymore.

MAURICE CREEK is following me on twitter! So now, my goal is to post videos of me popping treys and dunking on 7 foot tall people on my twitter, so he sees it and I am given a scholarship to IU to play basketball.

(I'm not really going to do that)

But anyway, my favorite college basketball player is following me on twitter, and I think that's really cool. Now, I just need to get Green Day, Hayley Williams, and Barack Obama to follow me, and my life will be complete.

6 days!

Now playing -- Holiday, Green Day

D-Train to the D-backs! And an NBA Finals preview

I just saw on ESPN.com that Dontrelle Willis was traded to the Diamondbacks! I'm not sure whether to be happy about this, or very, very scared. I feel like they're not losing anything (the player they traded had an ERA of about 11.00) and if he returns to form, he's a Cy Young candidate.

Also, if he returns to form, and their other pitchers can too, they'll have one of the best 1-2-3 punches in baseball. I know it's a long shot, but crazier things have happened.

My real concern is that they really need one good bullpen pitcher. I saw on the bottom line today that their bullpen has blown 11 of 21 save opportunities, which is just ridiculous. It's still pretty early, but they've been embarrassing up to this point.

Enough about baseball right now. The NBA Finals are coming up pretty soon, and I just wanted to throw my two cents in.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CELTICS!!!!!!!!!

That is all. The Lakers could die for all I care. Pau Gasol is ugly and stupid, and Kobe Bryant sucks compared to Danny Granger!

Okay not really, but I really really want the Celtics to win. And if their defense plays like it has been during these playoffs, I can easily see it happening. Especially considering that the Lakers were thrown into a funk by a simple zone defense, which any Student Impact basketball team could beat.

I don't want to make any predictions, for fear that I'll jinx the Celtics, but I will say that these are two very evenly matched teams. It'll be like Hickory vs. South Bend or whoever they played. It'll come down to the last shot in every game! Hopefully the Celtics will sign Gordon Hayward though, and then they'll have no chance of losing.

That's it for now. D-Train for Cy Young!

Now playing -- Brick by Boring Brick, Paramore

Changes and Updates Galore!

What the hell is up, friendz? As you can see, I've made some changes to the blog--added a few things, changed some colors, and added a poll. Now, this poll is for comical purposes only, so don't think I'm trying to raise my self-esteem by putting it up there. It's not like I expect anybody to actually vote, or if you do vote, I'm going to care. I just thought it was funny.

That doesn't change the fact that YOU NEED TO VOTE ON IT. I'm going to try to make this an actually legit blog (don't worry, I won't say legit anymore) but you need to help to make this dream come true.

And posts will hopefully happen a lot now. David's getting a computer again pretty soon (I think) so it won't just be me posting anymore. Thank God.

So, vote away, my people, and tell people to read this blog! I want to be famous one day!

Now playing -- Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers