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Dear Philadelphia Phillies

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Dear Philadelphia Phillies,
Thank you for winning the World Series. I am supposed to be writing a “good-bye” sports column, but 1) I hate goodbyes and 2) I love you guys. Let it be known, however, that this is no ordinary fan mail, but a published “newsworthy” article that numerous people ((i.e. some of my friends, probably not even my family) will read. Don’t worry, though, this isn’t one of those crazy letters where I try to guilt you into sending me free, signed, memorabilia by regaling you with stories of my fanaticism. Or, maybe it is…

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On Behalf of Red Sox Nation

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Yes, the Sox got off to a slow start (3-6 earlier this season). But if this were the NFL, they would be halfway through the fourth quarter of their first game. There are plenty of games still to be played, so there’s no reason to worry yet. Not to mention the fact that four of the games they lost were decided by just one run. They’ve played some tough teams too — the Rays and Angels both made the playoffs last year and with the addition of Matt Holiday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera (forever a hero in Red Sox Nation), and of course Nomar “I definitely took steroids” Garciaparra, the A’s are primed to make a run for a playoff spot this year.

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No Time Like The Present

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A revolution is taking place, and the beneficiaries are sports fans all over the world. Compared with previous generations, the modern fan has greater access, enhanced coverage and more instantaneous analysis. Thanks in large part to the Internet, sports fans have never been afforded anything close to the luxuries we take for granted today.

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A Fan’s Guide to Ballpark Etiquette

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“Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd.”
Most people do not have a problem following Jack Norworth’s famous first two lines, but it’s when they’re finally with the crowd, that the trouble ensues. They lack proper ballgame etiquette. It is precisely this lack of etiquette that has prompted this column.

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I Love Collegiate Sports

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So we have reached the end of March Madness also known as the end of my sports happiness. The sports nation has already listened to my “One Shining Moment.” The Cinderella stories of Cleveland State and Siena have come to an end. Michigan State’s emotional stimulus package to the Detroit area has all but expired. UNC has been crowned National Champions yet again and Cornell Big Red basketball fans will have to wait another year for a possible first-round upset.

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Uncle Ezra Goes for a Jog

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I’m sure my loyal fans have started to notice the gradual shortening of my lovely bi-weekly columns. And for my next trick, I will make this column disappear!
But today I have a message of hope to my loyal fans — I flatly refuse to allow my column be choked out. No, I will continue to write meandering, sometimes funny, always ridiculous streams of consciousness until Editor in Chief Emily Cohn ’10 (who is required to read my column, ha! Did someone say No. 1 fan?) pries the keyboard from my spastic, over-caffeinated fingers … lagging ad sales be damned!
On that note, I did have something I wanted to write about today with my remaining 300 words. Thanks to everyone who is still reading at this point, by the way. Ten points.

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Inebriated Midget Tossing

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Earlier in the semester I toyed with the idea of doing an expose of sorts on Ithaca’s most underappreciated athletic activities. I started off on the right-foot by writing about Greek Peak, but my lofty intentions of engaging in all kinds of other unusual athletic endeavors were quickly neglected when the frantic chaos known as “senior spring” picked up momentum.

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Now That’s What I Call a ‘Smackdown’

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This is a most exciting time in the world of sports as another baseball season is underway, we witnessed the coronation of the 2009 NCAA men’s basketball champion last night and Tiger faces the possibility of his fifth green jacket this weekend. However, for some, these events fly under the radar and are overshadowed by “The Grandaddy of ‘Em All,” WrestleMania!
No, I am serious. According to Nielsen Media Research, 15 million viewers tune into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) weekly television broadcasts. It is routinely cable television’s highest rated programming of the week.
This past Sunday night was equivalent to the Super Bowl or World Series for professional wrestling: WrestleMania XXV.

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Pardoning a Legend?

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I’ve been looking forward to the Final Four and National Championship games all week (read: for the past year), but one of the most interesting pieces of information to appear on SI.com’s newsfeed this week has nothing to do with basketball: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) presented a resolution on Wednesday calling for a presidential pardon for legendary heavyweight Jack Johnson.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this man’s place in history — 100 years before Barack Obama was sworn into office as America’s first African-American president, Johnson became the first-ever black heavyweight champion. On Dec. 26, 1908, he beat Canadian champion Tommy Burns in Australia in a fight that went 14 rounds before being stopped by police. Johnson had as many haters as he had fans.

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Who Said Size Doesn't Matter?

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Height is not something one can learn. While drinking milk and eating vegetables may contribute, there is little anyone can do to affect his or her height, especially after a certain age.
In basketball, size is a skill. In the same way shooting and dribbling are skills, size is hugely important. Shaquille O’Neal was no more coordinated or athletic than most of his fellow NBA players, but he dominated the sport for several years because he was more coordinated and athletic than the few players who could match his size.