This is an article I originally wrote for Florida A&M University's campus paper. It appears in the 11/24/03 edition of The FAMUAN
Questions From Today's Sports World
-by Hakimu Davidson
Since I started writing for The Famuan, I've received a lot of positive feedback and occasionally some questions. Here are some of the more interesting ones:
Young Hakimu, what do you think about Jay-Z trying to buy the New Jersey Nets and P. Diddy trying to buy the New York Knicks? Holla! - S. Carter, Brooklyn, NY
It's great as long as Jay-Z doesn't move the Nets to Marcy Projects in Brooklyn. Perhaps they will do an MTV special called "Making the Team" so we can watch Diddy make his players run 26.2 miles to get him cheesecake when they lose a game. The most important question is: will the Roc-A-Wear or Sean John jerseys look better?
Will Eli Manning win the Heisman? I hope he doesn't get screwed like his brother did back at Tennessee. - P. Manning, Indianapolis, IN
Eli Manning is the MVP of college football, with or without Ole Miss winning the SEC Title. He has good competition in Phillip Rivers at N.C. State and Larry Fitzgerald at Pittsburgh, but Eli's got my (fantasy) vote. Given the nasty habits of Heisman voters, Oklahoma quarterback Jason White might steal it, at which point we should invade Oklahoma.
What's up with this zone defense thing? It's ruining the NBA! - T. McGrady, Orlando, FL
Bad shooters and children who turn professional too early are ruining the NBA, not zone defense. Who came up with "illegal defense" anyway? That sounds like something a weapons dealer should be charged with, not a basketball term. Go practice your shooting!
How could they give the National League MVP to Barry Bonds? I think Albert Pujols should have won! - S. Sosa, Chicago, IL
It doesn't matter what you think! Barry Bonds is the man. Everyone knows it. Pujols will win many MVP awards - as soon as Bonds retires.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't win another game without their best receiver. They should've just thrown him the ball and they wouldn't have a losing record. - K. Johnson, Los Angeles, CA.
That's not true. No one player is bigger than the team. Keyshawn Johnson may be a good receiver, but he's better at being a selfish idiot and disappearing in big games.
What is this I hear about FAMU being in a contest for ugliest uniform at ESPN.com's Page 2? This is unacceptable. - F. Gainous, Tallahassee, FL
What's unacceptable is that our uniforms look like we raided Miami and Florida's equipment rooms for jerseys and helmets. I like the Orange Blossom Classic throwbacks the old school players wore for the 25th Anniversary of the 1-AA Championship myself. In defense of Page 2, they are the same people who wrote an article about FAMU having "The Best Band in the Land. The good news is that we are supposed to be getting a new logo and uniforms next year.
How 'bout them Sooners? No one can stop them! - B. Stoops, Norman, Okla.
I can see them winning the Sugar Bowl, which is cool because when FAMU beats them next year we'd be ranked #1. Just remember, no team is unbeatable. For proof, I refer you to Miami's loss in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Go Rattlers!
Monday, November 24, 2003
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Death by Fantasy Football
This is an article I originally wrote for Florida A&M University's campus paper. It appears in the 11/19/03 edition of The FAMUAN
Reality Meets Fantasy Football
-By Hakimu Davidson
I used to like NFL football. There was nothing better than sitting down in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon and watching the gridiron battles.
As long as the games were entertaining, it didn't really matter who won or lost - except when the Washington Redskins were playing.
Well, those days are over.
Now, thanks to fantasy football, Sunday is a work day and I have a job - a frustrating and emotionally draining job with no vacation, holidays, or weekends off.
I signed up for fantasy football for the first time last year. It seemed like fun, but I probably should've known something was wrong when I found myself screaming things like "throw it to Peerless Price!" at my television screen.
Regardless, beginner's luck propelled me to the playoffs in all 3 of my leagues and championships in 2 of them.
This year is different.
I am playing against my friends in a Yahoo! League, making the stakes extra high. My team, "Simply the Best," is 8-2 and in first place. It's still good, clean fun, but scoreboard watching is starting to wear me out - it's too much of an emotional rollercoaster.
Fantasy football is the stock market of the sports world, and I feel like a day trader. One minute we're up, the next we are getting blown out, and then we make a dramatic comeback for the win.
Stop the madness.
My priorities as a fan are all out of whack. I wasn't nearly as upset about the Redskins losing this week than I was about Daunte Culpepper committing five turnovers.
No longer do I cheer solely based on likes and dislikes. This is a business and I need wins.
It wasn't that long ago that fantasy owners were just a small number of sports stat geeks, now it's gone so far that ESPN, CBS and FOX have changed the way they present game info, focusing more on individual player stats and producing segments shelling out fantasy advice, which is usually wrong. It's come a long way since the first fantasy draft in an Oakland bar in 1963.
The natural appeal of running your own team means fantasy football is here to stay, but I am giving you fair warning - its not for the weak of heart or noncommittal.
You can do all the research in the world, start all the best players the NFL has to offer, and still lose because you didn't start the right players.
Like baseball guru Yogi Berra said, "It's hard making predictions, especially about the future."
I'd write more except I have to conduct research for my lineup this week. This job never ends.
Reality Meets Fantasy Football
-By Hakimu Davidson
I used to like NFL football. There was nothing better than sitting down in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon and watching the gridiron battles.
As long as the games were entertaining, it didn't really matter who won or lost - except when the Washington Redskins were playing.
Well, those days are over.
Now, thanks to fantasy football, Sunday is a work day and I have a job - a frustrating and emotionally draining job with no vacation, holidays, or weekends off.
I signed up for fantasy football for the first time last year. It seemed like fun, but I probably should've known something was wrong when I found myself screaming things like "throw it to Peerless Price!" at my television screen.
Regardless, beginner's luck propelled me to the playoffs in all 3 of my leagues and championships in 2 of them.
This year is different.
I am playing against my friends in a Yahoo! League, making the stakes extra high. My team, "Simply the Best," is 8-2 and in first place. It's still good, clean fun, but scoreboard watching is starting to wear me out - it's too much of an emotional rollercoaster.
Fantasy football is the stock market of the sports world, and I feel like a day trader. One minute we're up, the next we are getting blown out, and then we make a dramatic comeback for the win.
Stop the madness.
My priorities as a fan are all out of whack. I wasn't nearly as upset about the Redskins losing this week than I was about Daunte Culpepper committing five turnovers.
No longer do I cheer solely based on likes and dislikes. This is a business and I need wins.
It wasn't that long ago that fantasy owners were just a small number of sports stat geeks, now it's gone so far that ESPN, CBS and FOX have changed the way they present game info, focusing more on individual player stats and producing segments shelling out fantasy advice, which is usually wrong. It's come a long way since the first fantasy draft in an Oakland bar in 1963.
The natural appeal of running your own team means fantasy football is here to stay, but I am giving you fair warning - its not for the weak of heart or noncommittal.
You can do all the research in the world, start all the best players the NFL has to offer, and still lose because you didn't start the right players.
Like baseball guru Yogi Berra said, "It's hard making predictions, especially about the future."
I'd write more except I have to conduct research for my lineup this week. This job never ends.
Monday, November 3, 2003
NFL Replay Needs Review
This is an article I originally wrote for the Florida A&M University campus paper. It appears in the 11/3/03 edition of The FAMUAN.
Three years ago when the NFL adopted the instant replay system, fans cheered. It was to be the end of all bad calls and no blind referee would ever cost his or her team a victory again.Well, at least in theory.
In practice, the system is fatally flawed and it takes professional training to understand the rules on what can and cannot be reviewed.
A fumble can't be looked at if the whistle had already blown. Subjective calls such as pass interference and holding can't be reviewed at all.
Even NFL coaches have a hard time remembering the nuisances of the system. It is now a common occurrence to see an enraged head coach toss his red challenge flag onto the field, only to have the referee return it to him.
In all fairness, the league office determined that only plays involving field position and possession could be reviewed in order to avoid chaos and challenges on every play. In general that would be fine but they can't even get that right.
The NFL had to issue an official apology to the New Orleans Saints for three critical calls that may have likely given them a victory over the Carolina Panthers this season. The league admitted missing a safety call, an incorrect pass interference call and then a blown defensive holding call in overtime. The Saints lost 23-20 in overtime.
The league office is also overly paranoid and incapable of handling criticism. NFL rules allow fining for direct criticism of officials, but not the replay system. So when Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick went on a rant and called for "dumping" replay in its current form, they went back and found an incident to fine him for.
That wouldn't be necessary if the NFL were more open to fixing replay instead of defending it. The NFL has a track record of weird rules affecting the outcome of games. Remember the "Tuck Rule" call that kept the New England Patriots from losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their way to the Super Bowl two years ago? That rule is still on the books.
What about "running into the kicker" or better yet, that "leaping" call on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that gave the Indianapolis Colts a second chance at a game winning field goal earlier this year?
Protecting vulnerable players - such as a punt returner who is focused on the ball or a kicker whose leg is extended - is good. Asinine rules that take it too far and hurt the game is unacceptable. While these issues don't seem to be causing the NFL to lose any fans, it doesn't mean they shouldn't take action. The league office must find a way to fix it and implement a more "true" replay system.
Replay is up for a renewal vote during the offseason and as more and more teams fall victim to the system, they announce intentions to vote against continuing it. That would be the ultimate bad call.
Three years ago when the NFL adopted the instant replay system, fans cheered. It was to be the end of all bad calls and no blind referee would ever cost his or her team a victory again.Well, at least in theory.
In practice, the system is fatally flawed and it takes professional training to understand the rules on what can and cannot be reviewed.
A fumble can't be looked at if the whistle had already blown. Subjective calls such as pass interference and holding can't be reviewed at all.
Even NFL coaches have a hard time remembering the nuisances of the system. It is now a common occurrence to see an enraged head coach toss his red challenge flag onto the field, only to have the referee return it to him.
In all fairness, the league office determined that only plays involving field position and possession could be reviewed in order to avoid chaos and challenges on every play. In general that would be fine but they can't even get that right.
The NFL had to issue an official apology to the New Orleans Saints for three critical calls that may have likely given them a victory over the Carolina Panthers this season. The league admitted missing a safety call, an incorrect pass interference call and then a blown defensive holding call in overtime. The Saints lost 23-20 in overtime.
The league office is also overly paranoid and incapable of handling criticism. NFL rules allow fining for direct criticism of officials, but not the replay system. So when Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick went on a rant and called for "dumping" replay in its current form, they went back and found an incident to fine him for.
That wouldn't be necessary if the NFL were more open to fixing replay instead of defending it. The NFL has a track record of weird rules affecting the outcome of games. Remember the "Tuck Rule" call that kept the New England Patriots from losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their way to the Super Bowl two years ago? That rule is still on the books.
What about "running into the kicker" or better yet, that "leaping" call on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that gave the Indianapolis Colts a second chance at a game winning field goal earlier this year?
Protecting vulnerable players - such as a punt returner who is focused on the ball or a kicker whose leg is extended - is good. Asinine rules that take it too far and hurt the game is unacceptable. While these issues don't seem to be causing the NFL to lose any fans, it doesn't mean they shouldn't take action. The league office must find a way to fix it and implement a more "true" replay system.
Replay is up for a renewal vote during the offseason and as more and more teams fall victim to the system, they announce intentions to vote against continuing it. That would be the ultimate bad call.
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