THE SPORTS DIVA MAGAZINE

Diva's Guide To Sports: Moving On From Your Olympic Crush

2008-08-17T19:34:56-04:00

I didn't know exactly how I was going to get over Michael Phelps. He came back into my life on Saturday August 9th and I couldn't wait to sit in front of the television screen every night after work to see him again. To see his smile, to see the beautiful way that he swims, and just to see anything and everything about him. Then when he won his 8th gold medal I was so proud. Just so proud. A tear almost came to my eye. Almost that is.

Then sadness came. No more swimming for Phelps. He was done. His Olympics was over. But mine wasn't. I still had a whole week left to watch and he wouldn't be apart of it. What was a girl to do?

Enter Usain Bolt.

I watched him in the prelims and all, noticed him but I just couldn't. My love affair with Michael Phelps was still going on and I am not a cheater. But then I watched his performance in the 100M final. 9.69. 9.69! That was his time. I still can't fathom he was that fast. And the way he ended the race. The way he celebrated. At that moment I knew that me and Michael Phelps were over. It was a clean break and the 9.69 man was going to be a very nice replacement :)

Updates from the last two weeks...

2008-08-17T10:53:24-04:00

By: Bethany

Bethany's Hockey Rants

Sorry I have been so out of the loop these past couple of weeks. I could give you excuse after excuse, but really, I just didn’t have time to blog due to prior commitments. So, lets get caught back up on everything, and then I can get back into the swing of things, and blog every day like I am supposed to.

I will start with the most important news of this off season, Nikita Filatov. Filatov is expected to get his visa by the end of this week. He will come to Columbus and train, and get prepared for the season. There IS a chance that Filatov is ready for the NHL, so I am anxious to see him in training camp. I would link to the Puck-Rakers blog post that says all this, but it comes up a blank space…I think they need someone to help them. Nikita Filatov means Inconquerable God Guard…a great find by Aaron Portzline.

Richard Matvichuk will likely come to training camp as a non-roster tryout. The Columbus Blue Jackets also are inviting Jon Mirasty, Dan Smith, Trevor Frischmon, and Brian McGuirk. For more information on all of these fellows, be sure to check out this post, by Puck-Rakers.

Now, for the fun part. Aaron Portzline also posted all the numbers that our new Jackets will be sporting this season, so here it goes:

Kristian Huselius ~ #20

RJ Umberger ~ #18

Jakub Voracek ~ #93

Fedor Tyutin ~ #51

Andrew Murray ~ #15

Raffi Torres ~ #14

Mike Commodore ~ #22

Christian Backman ~ #5

Nikita Filatov ~ #28

Interesting group of numbers there. I am getting so anxious about hockey season, it is getting a bit ridiculous. Also, I am proud to say that I will be writing for my University’s paper, doing sports. Not a clue what sports I will be writing about yet, but it is going to be a ton of fun to get the experience.

Scott Howson answered some questions from Dispatch readers, and it is a really great read, so be sure to check it out. He addresses issues like Russell would have been better off in the AHL last season, right? And, when will playoff tickets go on sale?

Adam Pineault, one of the Blue Jackets prospects, is volunteering at a fire station. The Dispatch boys have an entire article up on it, and it is really an interesting read.

So there are my updates for the last two weeks. I will continue working on my looks at the teams, and I will hopefully have the Jackets defense post up at some point this evening.

TSD College Football Preview: Akron Zips

2008-08-12T07:32:52-04:00

The Akron Zips ended the 2007 season at 4-8 and going 3-5 in the MAC. Not great for a team who won the MAC championship game in 2005. They have 13 returning starters, 8 on offense and 5 on defense, and J.D. Brookhart is in his 5th year as head coach. Will this be a a different year?

Their quarterback should be Chris Jacquemain who shared playing time last year with Carlton Jackson who is no longer with the team. Maybe this could help them be more consistent. But it doesn't really help when you lose one of your best players in WR Jabari Arthur. He was a star on the team and the stats showed as much. 1171 yards. That's more than half of what the Zips threw for the year. So who does Chris have to throw to this season? Converted safety to wide receiver Andre Jones, West Virginia transfer Jeremy Bruce and a few more that aren't last years 2nd leading receiver. He, Bryan Williams (204 yards), has moved to the defensive side of the ball.

After rushing for an average of 127.8 yards per game (ranked 11th in the MAC), the contenders looking to be the starting running back only look to help improve the team. From senior Dennis Kennedy to junior Alex Allen to redshirt freshman Gary Pride to University of Miami transfer Andrew Johnson, the competition can only help the backs get better. The offense just needs to, pretty much, help the offense. If the passing game is consistent it could help open up the running game. And vice versa. Seems simple, right?

Here's hoping that the offense doesn't go 3 and out on most cases. Not sure if this defense can handle that. They allowed 183.8 yards on the ground per game. But another transfer, Ryan Baine from Iowa, has come to help out. He's a nose tackle with a lot of talent. He should be able to help fill those holes and not let the opposing team gain so many yards.

Last year one of the defensive backs led the MAC with 7 interceptions. Unfortunately he was a senior. They have to rebuild on corner, rover and strong safety. But strong safety is where Bryan Williams comes in. He was a very talented running back (lead rusher at 728 yards) last year and Coach Brookhart hopes that his talents can transform him into a great safety. He is a senior which would mean that next year they will have to look for a new strong safety or just pluck someone else out of their backfield.

Coach Brookhart is taking a gamble from moving offensive players to defense and vice versa. And with some of the inexperienced talent he has on this team it doesn't look as if he will get the Zips back to the top of the MAC just yet. Of course, with last years starters being senior laden and them only winning 4 games, this could help Coach Brookhart prove that 2005 wasn't just luck. But with their non-conference schedule and away games in conference, the Akron Zips could just repeat the same record as last year and only make their coaches seat hotter.

SCHEDULE

8/30: @ Wisconsin
9/6: @ Syracuse
9/13: vs. Ball State
9/20: @ Army
9/27: vs. Cincinnati
10/4: @ Kent State
10/11: vs. Bowling Green
10/18: @ Eastern Michigan
11/5: vs. Toledo
11/13: vs. Buffalo
11/22: @ Ohio
11/28: @ Temple

Some Ohio College Football News

2008-08-08T20:45:43-04:00

It seems that everyday we wake up to another college athlete getting suspended from their team. Well today is no exception. In my beloved home of Columbus, Ohio 2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes stated at Media Day yesterday that they were in fact suspended. Donald Washington and Jamario O'Neal are suspended for the first two games. Tressel isn't really explaining why but is rather vague. Saying that more details will be forthcoming. Hmm.
An Ohio University football player, Mike Eynon, won $250,000 in the state lottery. He should get $172,500 after taxes.
Cincinnati Bearcats get to try out a new QB this fall. Ben Mauk's final appeal was denied by the NCAA. No 6th year of eligibility for him. Have fun in the real world, Ben :)

Thursday Morning Chat

2008-08-07T21:28:58-04:00

I learn something new everyday. I should not carry on conversations (even through text messaging) before I have my caffeine. Here's the result of this mornings conversations with one of my friends who is a New York sports fan.

Me: I'm done with the Jets
Friend: If Lebron is considering goin 2 Greece 2 play bball then when the Knicks call don't you think he'll listen? All this says goodbye Cleveland. The countdown begins. I'm so happy!
Me: I don't care about Lebron. Give me Dwayne Wade any day.
Friend: Dwayne Wade sucks!
Me: U suck! Who has a ring?
Friend: 1 ring? He did what Pierce did. It's ridiculous
Me: Whatever. Lebron won't bring you a ring.
Friend: The Yanks down 7 games to TB. 3.5 in wild card. Do u doubt we'll be in October? We will.
Me: Yankees miss playoffs
Friend: They won't. Ever since you went through puberty they've been in.
Me: If they make it they will lose
Friend: I know
Me: Just dropped my phone. Anyway they won't make it so they won't have a chance to lose
Friend: They will to the Angels
Me: What's the point of your team making the playoffs if you think they're gonna lose? That's why they'll be sitting at home.
Friend: Favre to the Jets? Lol. If you can't beat em join the 2nd best team in NY! Lol.
Me: Are you slow? That's the whole point of me being done with the Jets.
Friend: Cuz the Angels are better.
Friend: Oh, I didn't hear til today!
Me: That was the first text message to you this morning!
Friend: Lol
Me: By the way, Pierce did not put his team on his back to win the championship. They were always up on the Kobes. The Heat were down 13 with 6 minutes left in the game and bout to go down 0-3. Then Dwayne did his thing thank you very much.
Friend: He sucks. Eli, Favre, Jeter Lebron, Wright? We the best.
Me: You know you'd love him if he were a Knick.
Friend: Nah. He's always injured.
Me: Tell me you do not think Favre is going to take the Jets to the Super Bowl?
Friend: He makes the Jets relevant for first time since we lived in the dorms at Park. Have way more love 4 Jets than the Mets.
Me: I'm officially done with them. When he FINALLY retires then I may root for them again
Friend: What if he wins NY a Super Bowl?
Me: Are you nuts? Be happy IF the Jets make the playoffs.
Friend: I can't believe Favre is a Jet. Mike Greenberg is so happy.
Me: I wish they would stop talking about him. He's only won ONE ring too.
Friend: Why do you fear what you don't understand? Did you hear that Madden is reprinting his cover for the game?
Me: NO. What is Brett scared he'll get hurt.
Friend: Actually Madden himself believes in the curse. Doesn't want Brett injured Do you know how much the NY media loves this?
Me: OMG. So what he didn't care about McNabb or the others?
Friend: He loves Favre.
Me: Why? Yes he's a great QB but I don't understand this love affair.
Friend: I'm falling for him. He's in NY!
Me: We're no longer friends.
Friend: LOL
Friend: Why?
Me: So who's going on Madden cover? I wish Brett Favre would go away.
Friend: Dunno
Me: I hope it's blank. He has 3 years left on his contract. How many times will he retire?
Friend: Super Bowl 43. Giants vs. Jets!
Me: Please take your meds

College Football Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats

2008-08-05T01:49:53-04:00

The University of Cincinnati is not just a basketball school anymore. They are doing what they can to show the nation that they also have a football program. Last year they went 10-3 with wins against Oregon State, Rutgers, South Florida, Connecticut, and Southern Miss in the PapaJohns.com Bowl with a final ranking of #17 in the AP. A new era has begun indeed.

At Quarterback, if Ben Mauk wins his appeal for a 6th year of eligibility, the starting QB job will likely be his. Last year he threw for 3121 yards (completing 61% of his passes) with 31 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He would be welcomed back with open arms to the program. If he does not win his appeal, we have some options here. Dustin Grutza is a senior and was the starter under Mark Dantonio and also started 2 games last season when Mauk was injured. When he was a starter he passed for 3431 yards with 20 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Another option would be sophomore transfer (remember him at Notre Dame?) Demetrius Jones or redshirt freshman Chazz Anderson.

There coach is Brian Kelley who fit right in when Mark Dantonio left for Michigan State. Before coming to the University of Cincinnati he was head coach at Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. At Grand Valley State, he led them to two straight Division II national championships in 2002 and 2003 and winning coach of the year both years. In his first year at UC he won the Big East award for Coach of the Year.

They have 13 returning starters, 7 on offense and 6 on defense. There will be competition at the running back with sophomore John Goebel and junior Jacob Ramsey. All 3 of the wide receivers are back from last years squad to help out whoever will be quarterback. Their defense forced 42 turnovers last season with 26 of those interceptions. There is a lot talent around this team. They have a tough game @ Oklahoma at the beginning of the season and then they have a 3 game stretch of South Florida, @ West Virginia and @ Louisville. Many believe that West Virginia will be the team to beat in the Big East with South Florida on its heels. Since UC gets South Florida at home, home-field advantage could help their cause. And if WVU stumbles, the Big East could be up for grabs.

Schedule
8/28   Eastern Kentucky
9/06   @ Oklahoma
9/20   Miami (OH)
9/27   @ Akron
10/03 @ Marshall
10/11 Rutgers
10/25 @ Connecticut
10/30 South Florida
11/08 @ West Virginia
11/14 @Louisville
11/22 Pittsburgh
11/29 Syracuse
12/06 @ Hawaii

Another great place to read about the Cincinnati Bearcats: Bearcats News

A Closer Look at the Central Division: CBJ Goalies

2008-08-04T11:53:47-04:00

By: Bethany

Bethany's Hockey Rants

Let’s take a quick look at the Blue Jackets goaltending. I will be looking at The Cannon’s amazing depth chart as a reference. The Blue Jackets will have their number one goaltender in Pascal Leclaire. Leclaire was recently signed to a new three-year deal. Pazzy stole the show last season with his nine shutouts, and made Blue Jackets fans fall in love with him all over again. The question with Leclaire is can he stay healthy? It seems to always be the question. He did for the most part have a healthy season last year, except for a few times where he had the flu. Leclaire posted a 24-17-6 record with a .919 save %, and a 2.25 GAA. IF Pascal is back into his old form, then we have a solid number one goaltender.

Fredrik Norrena, will be the backup for Leclaire this coming season. He will however receive a push from Steve Mason, our ‘goaltender of the future’. Freddy had a bad season last year, with a 10-19-6 record, a .896 GAA, and a 2.76 GAA. Not all of that is his fault, for one reason or another the team did not play in front of him for most games. Though there were a few games that could be blamed on him. In the 2006-2007 Norrena became the first goaltender in Blue Jackets history to have a .500 record. Norrena is in the final year of his contract, and if Mason develops enough this coming season, Norrena very well could be out of a job with the Blue Jackets.

Our goaltender of the future, Steve Mason is expected to play in Syracuse this coming season. Mason was traded to the Kitchener Rangers after World Juniors, to play in the Memorial Cup, however Mason sustained a pretty serious knee injury, and was unable to play in the Memorial Cup game. And, according to this piece by the Dispatch, as of mid-July Mason could not go down into the butterfly without serious pain. Mason, if you recall was the winning goaltender for Team Canada at World Juniors. If Mason’s recovery goes as planned, he will be ready for rookie camp on September 12. Let’s hope so. I am anxious to see how he recovers from this, you know it had to hit hard not just physically, but mentally also. My guess is that Mason will be called up a few times throughout the year, and will get to play a few games with the Jackets just to see how he does.

Dan Lacosta had a tough season last year also. He was injured in the Elmira bus Accident, suffering an ankle injury. Lacosta played part of a game last season. If there are any injuries to Norrena or Leclaire, Lacosta might come up, but my guess is that job will go to Mason.

TSD College Football Preview Begins!

2008-08-04T06:30:00-04:00

It's that time of year when we begin to evaluate each college football program. TSD is doing our 1st annual evaluation of the Ohio Div-1A (FBS) programs.

Cincinnati Bearcats
Miami Redhawks
Ohio Bobcats
Akron Zips
Bowling Green Falcons
Kent State
Toledo
Ohio State Buckeyes

We will also do previews of the Big East, MAC and Big Ten before the season begins. Look out for the first preview this evening.

A Closer Look at the Central Division: Part 1

2008-08-01T13:25:27-04:00

By: Bethany

Bethany's Hockey Rants

I have decided to pick apart all of the teams in the NHL, before the season starts. Give you my take on what they did, who they lost, why they are better or worse. This will take some time, and you will have to bear with me, all of them will be completed before the season starts. And, I will try my best to not be bias towards one team or another. Also, I want to make it clear, this is the team that finished out the season…not before the trade deadline. First team up:

Columbus Blue Jackets

LOST:

Ron Hainsey *UFA*
Dick Tarnstrom *UFA*
David Vyborny *UFA*
Zenon Konopka *Trade*
Nikolai Zherdev *Trade*
Dan Fritsche *Trade*
Joakim Lindstrom *Trade*
Gilbert Brule *Trade*

GAINED:

Kristian Huselius *Signed UFA*
Mike Commodore *Signed UFA*
Fedor Tyutin *Trade*
Christian Backman *Trade*
Raffi Torres *Trade*
RJ Umberger *Trade @ Draft*
Mike York *UFA*

Did the Blue Jackets improve? Most definitely. Are we going to win the Stanley Cup this coming season? Probably not. The Jackets are still lacking their number one center, but so are a lot of other teams. The Blue Jackets top line, which will more likely look something like this:

Nash-Umberger-Huselius

That is a good line. That’s a scoring line. Nash has improved since Hitch has been in the organization, Umberger is probably the most capable center we have, and Huselius is a proven goal scorer.

What will it take for the Blue Jackets to be competitive this season? Goaltending. Pazzy has to be perfect, and I don’t think that will be a problem. He is a great goaltender, and if he can be the Pazzy from the beginning of the season, there shouldn’t be a problem. Norrena had a tough season last year, and in my mind I think it had a lot to do with Pazzy getting the number one job. Norrena came in, and played in his first NHL season, and came out with being the first goaltender in Blue Jackets history to have a better than .500 record, and I am sure it stung when Pazzy took over. He should be over that now, and be able to be a solid backup for Mr. Shutout himself. The goaltenders should also be improved with our new bulked up blue line.

The forwards have improved also. Losing Zherdev sucked, and I am going to miss him, but Huselius has scored more points than Z in the last two season. We have also added Raffi Torres, and RJ Umberger, both are proven scorers.

With a little chemistry, a little lack, and hopefully not quite so many injuries, the Blue Jackets have a chance to make their first playoff appearance. Let’s hope it doesn’t go as bad as Atlanta’s did.

Farewell Ken Griffey Jr.

2008-07-31T22:15:24-04:00

Oh Griffey. It's been fun. Well somewhat.

I have to be honest. I wasn't so pleased when I learned that the Reds were acquiring Griffey after the 1999 season. Nothing against him, I just didn't understand why they broke up a team that was one win away from the playoffs (Stupid Mets!). But I tried to be optimistic about this. The Reds were getting The Kid. A star in Seattle and the son of Ken Griffey Sr. who contributed to The Big Red Machine's success. How bad could it be?

How bad? Griffey's career in Cincinnati was filled with injury. Season after season. It was sad. It was an "I told you so" on my part but sad. Every season I just kept wondering if Griffey would make it. When he went for that catch, would he be out for the season? When running to a base, would he pull his hamstring? My nerves were wrecked watching him play. So maybe it is a good think that I don't have to deal with that anymore.

Then why am I sad? I've always wondered when Griffey would get traded, we all knew it was inevitable, but this year I sort of began to appreciate him more. With the whole Barry Bonds issue and the Mitchell Report, Griffey Jr,, even with all his injuries, seemed just so lovable. But we have to say goodbye.

It's for the best on both sides. Griffey gets to play for a contender and the Reds get to acquire players that could (better!) make them one. It's been fun, Griffey. Have a great time in Chi-Town.