To rush or not to rush? (the court)

O.M.G. Maryland beat Duke. Let’s loot the stores and throw our bodies in the air. Seriously, Maryland fans. Calm down. Yes, it was senior day, and yes it puts you in a first place tie in the ACC. And yes, it was Duke. But still. I have to agree with ESPN on the whole rushing the court thing. You don’t rush the court for a win like this. Not when you are ranked just like Duke. Rushing the court should be a rarified experience. Let’s not water it down. Shouldn’t you expect to win? Fortunately, I have not experienced this this year because Syracuse expects to win every game and actually is better than every team. You rush the court when you eek out a win that gets you to the tournament for the first time ever (AU, ‘o8). You rush the court if you are unranked and you beat the number one team, for say, the first time ever. Got it, UMD? Good.

Their one shining moment

Here’s the post about American University basketball. I want to get this in before they lose their next game and are eliminated from postseason contention. So, we all know how amazing AU bball has been the last two seasons (before this one). They made it to the tournament for the first time ever in ’08 and then again last year behind a core group of players. After last season, all those players graduated and the team was left with virtually two guys who saw a decent amount of minutes in the past. As expected, AU did not fare too well. In fact, they currently sit at 11-19. But they are 7-7 in their conference, which is not too bad. Plus, they just beat Navy in the Patriot League opening round game. Just a few more wins, and they can make it to the tourney! No, that will not happen, but wishful thinking is allowed here. So basically, a team could go winless during the season and win their conference tournament and make it in the field of 65. Oh, college basketball.

And I can still like AU. They pose no competition to Syracuse whatsoever. It’s like the Mets and the Nationals. I can like both because I know the Nats will never be a threat to the Mets (let’s hope that stays true this year).

In other news, spring training in baseball is upon us. The Mets once again have injuries. Oh wait, that’s not news.

2008: Don’t Stop Believin’

Last year I was on Abc. No, it wasn’t LOST. It was the local news. Not for my accomplishments, but for the accomplishments of others. I was interviewed back in March of ’08 when the American University basketball team made the NCAA tournament for the first time. Ever. AU had made it close before, in the early part of the decade. But they had never actually made it. This year, however, was different. The team was great all around and they were unbeatable. I think at the time I was happier when AU made the tourney than when the G-Men won the Super Bowl. AU has been in D1 basketball for 50-some years. And they finally, deservingly made it in ’08. They won classic games in the Patriot League playoffs before beating Colgate in the final. And they played Tennessee pretty well too in the tourney.

Finally…

The Mets finally won their last regular season game. The last two years they needed to win the 162nd game to make the playoffs, but lost. Now they’ve won it when it doesn’t matter. Figures.

Added Edit:

On a positive note, my top ten sports moments-

10. Every Jason Kidd to Kenyon Martin alley-oop

9. The Nets making the playoffs from 2001-2002 season to 2006-2007 season, the Mets and their great 2006 season

8. Every NBA All-Star Game

7. Mets’ make it to the NLCS and almost win Game 7, Endy Chavez’s catch

6. Nets’ triple OT win against the Pistons in the 2004 Eastern Conference finals

5. American makes the NCAA tourney for the 2nd straight year and nearly upsets Villanova (March 2009)

4. American makes the NCAA’s for the first time ever (March 2008)

3. Nets make it to the NBA Finals (June 2002)

2. Nets make it to the NBA Finals (June 2003)

1. Giants win the Super Bowl (Feb. 2008)

The three M’s: Money, Motocrossed, and Memphis

Yesterday I read an article in Sports Illustrated regarding money and sports. Money obviously remains a huge issue in the world, especially now due to the economy. But these athletes were struggling before this year. Too many athletes do not manage their money effectively. A million here, a million there, it’s all just pennies to them. They need to start learning how money works- it’s time to grow up. And then maybe they wouldn’t have to sell their million dollar homes. Then again, why should some of them grow up? Aren’t 22 year olds still kids? Thats my two cents on athletes and money. Maybe some athletes will give you their “2 million” on how they plan to manage their salaries.

On another note, I was recently watching some Disney Channel Original Movies. No, not High School Musical and all of those dumb ones currently being played. I’m talking about ones from the late 90s and early 2000s. The ones I watched in elementary school, like Motocrossed, Phantom of the Megaplex, and Brink. There are soo many more good ones but I won’t get into them because I would probably lose half of my audience at that point. Basically, sometimes oldies are better than newbies.

On a last note, I am kind of glad that Memphis lost last night. They were not really proven, and they bothered me for no reason. I also can’t believe Duke lost. I mean, Duke is kind of whimpy so I was expecting it. I originally had them in my final four but I had them there on the basis that they would be playing UCLA. AU was supposed to beat Villanova (which they almost did. that is amazing now). UCLA was supposed to win and lose to Duke. Oh well. I’ve got UCONN, Louisville, and UNC left.

My kind of doubleheader

Tonight there are two very important games. First, American plays host to Holy Cross in the Patriot League Final. I am devasted that I cannot go, but I am not going for a good reason. There are very few times in sports that I have become teary eyed. One was last year when AU made it to the tournament for the first time ever. I really hope they do it again this year. I used to think that repeats of any kind did not feel that special, or they were not possible. But I do think that they can be just as awesome. Good luck to AU tonight. I will try to catch the second half.

The second game is not near the magnitude of the first, but still important in its own way. The Nets are playing the Blazers. I obviously want the Nets to win. But I also want them to win so I can win my bet. I am doing a similar bet to one I posted a couple of months ago (see- You bet on That!). This time though, the winner will win the candy of their choice. Wish me luck. I really want those sour patch watermelon.

Okay, that’s all for now. Good luck to AU and the Nets!

 

****Update: 1 for 2. The more important one won.

Don’t stop believin’

You know those Division One college basketball games that you go to, the ones with 5,000 students surrounding you in an arena filled with over 20,000 people? Well I’m not here to talk about those types of games. I’m here to talk about a Division One college basketball game with 500 students surrounding you in an arena with 2,000 people. But I like these games just as much as the big ones. 

Today, I watched American University beat Army, 61-60. The game started out very slow, and it looked like it would be a low-scoring affair. The Eagles were down by eight at the half and by 11 early in the second half, but then the game really started to pick up. AU went on a 10-0 run to keep the game close, and the leads went back and forth for much of the second half. Then with about one minute left, AU was down 60-57. I was thinking, “Oh man, we may not pull this one out.” Now keep in mind, this game was the Patriot League semifinal, win or go home. Last year, the Eagles made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. It looked like making it to the tourney may not happen with a minute left in the game. But then, AU forward Brian Gilmore made a three pointer with a minute left, AU’s trillionth three of the game. Tied, 60-60. Army got the ball back, but got off some weird shot and AU got the rebound. With 3.6 seconds left, Gilmore was fouled. He missed the first. Then he made the second. I knew that three seconds was plenty of time for Army to get the game-winner off. But the shot was way off, and AU escaped with a one point win. They will now play this Friday with the hopes of making it to the tourney for the second year in a row.

Now let me get back to the fans. AU may not be in a power conference, they may not have a football team, and they may not have the biggest sports fans. But today, Bender Arena felt alive. I never cheer as hard as I do in Bender at other sporting events. There is something about the coziness of a lot of people cheering together, even if that amount is minimal compared to big state schools. Alumni, students, kids, everyone gets into it. Of course this happens because AU is good, but I know AU would still be cheered for even if they were just okay (cough, next year, cough). Okay, that’s all for now.

This one’s for the regular people! And for sports people too I guess.

I find college basketball games to be pretty entertaining. But sometimes, they can get a little boring. Watching two random teams like Texas vs Texas Tech is not always exciting unless you are a fan of those teams. In reality, I think most people can agree on this: the end of college basketball games, if close (and by close I mean 20 points haha) are excting. So yesterday when I turned on the television to watch  Maryland-Duke, I was pleasantly surprised at how exciting the whole game was. Although the end was exciting as well, there was a period in the second half where each team matched each other basket by basket. I wanted to go to sleep. It was 11 o’clock. But I could not keep my eyes off of the game. It was just too good and exciting. Maryland lost, but I am still glad I stayed up, even if I lost 45 minutes of valuable sleep time.

American University basketball won again last night. They were down with three minutes left, but I knew they would win. They are on an absolute roll.

The Giants re-signed RB Brandon Jacobs for 25 million. Jacobs is a straight-up punisher. I can’t think of another running back that can plow through the fields like him. If he had wheels on him, the grass at Giants Stadium would look perfectly mowed.

I don’t really like golf. I find it boring, and I couldn’t hit a golf ball if my life depended on it (okay, I’m not that bad, but still). But I am happy that Tiger is back. Golf deseves him, and he is getting golf back in the spotlight. That, I don’t like. I would rather see basketball and baseball in the spotlight, but they have to share I guess.

One last thing unrelated to sports. So on the header of this website it says Rachel M. Underneath, it says, “Sports, and some other stuff too.” Well, I have maybe written three posts on that “other stuff” and I do have non-sports fans who read this. So here is a paragraph for you guys (and anyone else who wants to take a break from sports): I was listening to old music the other day, and by old music I mean from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s. I find that I like any type of music that can carry a tune. If a song has good rhythm, I like it. Which is why I love songs from those decades. They have a certain “something” about them that is so enjoyable. Where has that music gone? We don’t even have music anymore, just R&B hip hop shenanigans. Same with movies. Nobody is original anymore. Notice all the sequels? Exactly. Okay, that’s all. Hope you non-sports lovers (and I hope some sports-lovers too) enjoyed this one.

Does anyone have the time of day anymore? Nope. Just a second.

     

Here is Moore posing for pictures in 2007.

When I was in the seventh grade I wrote a letter to then Nets guard Jason Kidd inviting him to my Bat Mitzvah. I never sent it, but I remember thinking it sounded quite impressive. Not that he actually would have come, let alone read or receive the letter. It seems like athletes never have time for anything anymore other han stopping by for the quick autograpgh, picture, or wave. They’re just too famous. They do charity events, try to make a name for themselves in the community, and act like they care. But do they? All of these super famous athletes and entertainers have time for themselves, themselves, themselves, and the occasional PR outing. But famous people are not always hidden under dark shadows. You just have to go to another level to find them. Last March, I was at the American University men’s basketball game, the one that they won to qualify for the tourney. After they won and the fans stormed the court, things got quiet while most of the “fans” left. Puh-lease. There was no way I was going to leave. Not with that kind of game and history that was being made. So here’s what I did with maybe 100 other people. I stood on the court. But I didn’t just stand on the court. I squished my way through (the perks of being small), and stood under the hoop. I watched EVERY  player and coach cut the net. And I took a picture of each one. I’d like to see you do that at Duke or UNC! Anyways, as if that wasn’t enough, minutes later I got autographs. From at least five players, inlcuding the top two players, Mercer and Carr. But it did not stop there. I also got pictures with all of them. They seemed very happy to oblige, probably because they had never had that “famous feeling” before. And I don’t blame them. If that was me, I’d be like, “Snap away!” And I got on ABC news. So there’s a taste of something. Now let’s go to the pros. In April of 2007, I went to a Nets game in New Jersey. I was able to stand at the tunnel before the game. I took pictures of the players on the court. As they went through the tunnel before the game, this is what happened. Mikki Moore, who played for them at the time, was walking through. He stood still for maybe 30 seconds so we could all take pictures of him. It was like a photo shoot. A little bizarre. It was awesome, and that illustrates the difference in opportunities between the pros and everyone else. But there are still big name people that are so kind and offer their services. For one of my recent newspaper articles yet to be published I got the nicest, longest responses from the OAR drummer. So when you are writing a letter to some superstar, don’t expect much back. All you may get out of that email is the little hope that maybe, just maybe, they read it.      And then clicked “delete.”

 

I was able to pull up this Moore picture, but couldn’t get the AU ones up because they are on my old cellphone. And taking a picture of a picture doesn’t come out very pretty. But if you want to imagine the difference, Moore looks isolated here, while the AU players practically gave hugs to the people that took pictures with them.

 

YouTube – American University 1st time ever trip to NCAA Tournament     LOVE. And we’re doing it again. 8-1 in Patriot League play. Just thought I’d add this little tidbit in the post.

This one’s for everyone (c’mon, I can’t think of a catchy title every time)!

The Nets lost by one point yesterday, 107-106. American U basketball won by one yesterday, 68-67. One point wins are great. Until you lose by one the next night. One point losses are, in my opinion, the most difficult losses to endure. A 20 point loss, although quite horrific, feels better than a one point loss. With a one point loss, you are so close. Who missed that free throw? Or free throws in many cases.

Check out this week’s Sports Illustrated. Pretty cool cover with LeBron, although the article is on the shorter side. There’s also an excerpt from Joe Torre’s new book.

This year already can’t live up to last year. Unless the Super Bowl is insane, the Cardinals-Steelers are no match for the Giant Patriot killers.

Maryland basketball is well…..pretty futile right now. They are not just missing out on basketball recruits, but student recruits as well with all of those losses piling up.

I also would like to take this time of randomness to thank all of my loyal readers. If you are one, please post at the bottom of this post. If you do, then I will feature you in my next post.

And now on to one of my favorite pastimes…reading the paper. I better see responses when I return!