October 29, 2009
On October 28, 2009 Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote an editorial in the Dallas Morning News about the Cowboys enjoying “Victory Monday.” In celebration of back-to-back wins, coach Wade Phillips gave his team the day off. It’s a nice gesture, but Taylor argues that it sends the wrong message to a young and inconsistent team that, in recent years, has not lived up to its potential. Since joining the Cowboys, Phillips has preferred to be liked by his team and sets low standards instead of pushing the players beyond their limits. This is evident by the team’s record of 14 – 12 in their last 26 games. In conclusion, Taylor questions if the team is mature enough to appreciate “Victory Monday” and writes “This is the time to grind a little – not relax.”
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September 18, 2009
On Thursday, September 10, 2009, Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Troy Polamalu suffered a sprained MCL (medial collateral ligament) and may miss up to 6 weeks of play. Now, an NFL player getting injured is not terribly newsworthy. However, when that player is the 10th consecutive person to appear on the cover of the video game Madden NFL and have a season limiting injury, it starts to seem more than coincidence. Known as “The Madden Curse,” it all began in 1999 when the popular video game replaced John Madden’s photo with all-star players.
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September 15, 2009
On Saturday, September 12, 2009, Serena Williams caused quite a scene at the U.S. Open Tennis Women’s Semi-Final match. While competing against Kim Clijsters, the line umpire called Williams for a foot foul on her second serve. This brought her to just one point away from the losing the match. Ash she argued the call, Williams threatened the linesperson by saying “I swear to God, I’m [bleep] taking this ball and shoving it down your [bleep] throat.” After a quick conference of umpires, it was determined that Williams, displayed unsportsmanlike conduct and was assessed a one-point penalty – exactly enough to lose the match. Clijsters went on to win the finals by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.
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September 2, 2009
NFL quarterback, Brett Favre who has made headlines lately with his on-again, off-again retirement, is currently playing for the Minnesota Vikings. In a pre-season game on Monday night, the Vikings were lined up in a Wildcat Package which placed Favre wide left – effectively making him a blocker. As Eugene Wilson, a safety for the opposing Houston Texans, moved in to tackle the runner, Favre made an illegal crack back block that injured Wilson. It is illegal because this type of maneuver has been known to cause career ending injuries. After the game, Favre, who is said to be nursing a broken rib stated that he believed that it would have been worse for him to not have made a block and possibly allow his teammate to be injured from a tackle.
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August 14, 2009
It was announced on August 13, 2009 that disgraced football star, Michael Vick, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick, who served nearly two years in prison, was convicted of running a dog fighting ring. Worse yet, when dogs did not perform well, Vick and others would hang the dogs from trees, drown or shoot them, and electrocute them with jumper cables. Vick was a first-round overall draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons and played for them until 2006. On July 27, 2009, Vick was conditionally reinstated to the NFL and can be fully reinstated on week six of the regular season.
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August 11, 2009
Patrick Kane of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks has been accused of beating a Buffalo, NY cab driver because the driver lacked twenty cents in change. Cabbie, Jan Radecki, claims to have been grabbed by the throat, punched, and his glasses broken. Kane and his cousin, 21 year-old, James Kane, hailed the cab around 4 a.m. in the downtown nightclub district and both were charged. Andrew LoTempio, attorney for the driver does not believe this will be a felony and believes that both sides can come to an agreement. Kane, 20, is a key piece of the Blackhawks offense. He was the number one overall pick in the 2007 draft and rookie of the year in 2008.
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July 27, 2009
The 96th annual Tour de France concluded on Sunday with Alberto Contador emerging the victor. This was Contador’s second time winning the coveted yellow jersey following three weeks of bicycle racing throughout France and its neighboring countries. The Tour de France attracts large groups of spectators, some of whom arrive a week prior to secure their viewing spot. As this slideshow demonstrates, several fans bring their own unique style to the sport modeling outfits inspired by the Texas Longhorns to Santa Claus.
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July 25, 2009
Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle, pitched a perfect game on Thursday, July 23, 2009. A perfect game is defined as a game in which the opposing team gets no men on base – no hits, no walks, and no hit batters. It is such a rare feat, that this is only the 18th time in the history of Major League Baseball that this has been done. Buehrle came close to accomplishing this once before in 2007 but he walked Sammy Sosa. He is having difficulty determining which was more surreal – pitching a perfect game or receiving a call of congratulations from President Barack Obama, a known White Sox fan.
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July 14, 2009
Prior to Tuesday evening’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, President Obama is scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch. This is a notable occasion as the last sitting president to throw out the first pitch was Gerald Ford in 1976. The pre-game ceremony also pays tribute to “All-Stars Among Us,” 30 people being honored for their public service. Tim Brosnan, MLB Executive Vice President for Business, commented these vignettes were inspired by Obama’s calls to action. There could also be the opportunity for Obama to visit Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth during the game.
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June 25, 2009
Don Briggs takes high school baseball seriously. While umpiring a game between Winfield-Mount Union and West Burlington in Iowa, he ejected a crowd of 100 fans during the game. According to Briggs, the crowd became unruly after a disputed call and police were requested to help remove all the spectators. Play continued after a 40-minute delay and West Burlington walked away with a 12-11 victory. Officials with the Iowa High School Athletic Association commented that Briggs may have overreacted to the situation and do not anticipate sanctions will be imposed against the umpire.
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