Welcome to my blog, mainly about sports. I will occasionally write about various other things that interest me.
Yeah! Let's have some fun shall we? Whoooo!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Troy Polamalu- By Ryan J. Murphy


My buddy and I had a conversation about how amazing Troy Polamalu is the other day. As we conversed about it we were also watching videos of his highlights throughout his career. As a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I might be a little bias toward how good he really is, but in reality he will probably go down as the best safety to ever play the game of football and also the greatest Steeler ever. Yes, over Lambert, Bradshaw, Greene, Bettis, among others. I wanted to do a top 5 list of Troy Polamalu’s highlights that I thought were the best. So, here it is:

Polamalu punches a Tom Brady fumble forward into the endzone for a safety. Yes this is illegal, but since it was not called as a penalty it is on my list as number 5.

These are two highlights in one because they are both one-handed interceptions, one versus the Titans and one versus the Chargers. Both are amazing catches for even a receiver to make, but a safety to make these kinds of catches is unbelievable.

Polamalu jumps over the linemen to tackle the QB Kerry Collins. What makes this amazing is not only his athletic ability, but his timing, to make sure not to get an offsides or encroachment penalty.

Polamalu rushes to Ravens QB Joe Flacco and hits his arm for a fumble to turn the game around.

This is easily my number one. Polamalu intercepts rival Ravens QB Joe Flacco in the 2008-2009 AFC Championship game for a touchdown to send the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Two weeks later the Steelers would win the Super Bowl against the Cardinals.

These videos are proof as to why Troy Polamalu is easily the best safety to ever play the game of football.




Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mt. Rushmore of Athletes- by Ryan J. Murphy





Recently on Sports Center the rapper Ice Cube did a segment where he named his ‘Mount Rushmore’ of athletes. This means the four best/most influential athletes of any sport, ever. He said his four ‘Mt. Rushmore’ athletes would be Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Jim Brown, and Magic Johnson. I wanted to do this as well, but do it for every sport, meaning the four best/most influential for each sport individually.

Baseball: Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, and Lou Gehrig.
Honorable mentions: Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter, Cy Young, and Hank Aaron.

Basketball: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Honorable mentions: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neil, and Bill Russell.

Football: Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, and Lawrence Taylor.
Honorable mentions: Johnny Unitas, Reggie White, Tom Brady, and Walter Payton.

Hockey: Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, and Mario Lemieux.
Honorable mentions: Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Ray Bourque, Steve Yzerman, and Mark Messier.

Golf: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Bobby Jones.
Honorable mentions: Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Walter Hagen, and Sam Snead.

Boxing: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis.
Honorable mentions: Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jack Dempsey, and Julio Caesar Chavez.

I don’t follow Soccer or Tennis enough to do a list on those.

So what do you think of the lists?

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Penn State Disaster- By Ryan J. Murphy




This is a really hard topic for me to discuss, but I will anyway. There has been talk all over ESPN and the news about whether or not Penn State should receive the “death penalty.” I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on it, but here is mine.

What Jerry Sandusky did to those children is horribly, horribly, wrong. He is a monster. He should NOT have been given the death penalty, or life in prison. I do not wish this upon anyone, but that man should’ve been tortured to death with some medieval like device to suffer the pain he caused those children over the years.

Joe Paterno is a selfish man; I wouldn’t go as far as to say a monster, but what he did was absolutely horrible too. He allowed Sandusky to continue what he was doing to those children, all for himself. He was not concerned about the victims, football, or Penn State; he was concerned about Joe Paterno. He didn’t want bad publicity to his name. The statue of Joe Paterno should be immediately removed from the front of the football field and destroyed. The other day I tweeted that Joe Paterno “did nothing wrong.” Boy, did I screw up. A day later all this new information came out in the Freeh Report and I drastically changed my mind.

Now that that part is over with, here is my opinion on what should happen with Penn State. Yes, I know this was an incident surrounding the football program at Penn State, but everyone involved has already been punished in one way or another. It’s technically a new era in Penn State, and they should move forward, putting this horrible incident behind them. The NCAA should NOT give Penn State the “death penalty,” and here are the reasons why.


      1. They would be punishing the wrong people. If you cut the football program for two, three, even five years, you’re ruining the lives of the kids who came to Penn State to play football. Notice how I said ‘ruining the lives of the kids.’ That is what Sandusky did to those children for 14 years and possibly more, and these current college players should not have their lives, hopes, and dreams ruined because of this.
      2. The local businesses that thrive during home Penn State games would lose a ton of money. Think about it, the local hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and various other businesses near the stadium that get a majority of their business during college football season would be punished. Those businesses had nothing to do with this.
      3. As I said earlier, the high ups at Penn State are no longer there, and have already been punished. Do not punish people who do not need to be punished.
      

In the wake of all this, everyone got what they deserved and the NCAA should not step in. Maybe a fine, but that’s about it. It’s about individuals, as well as the past, and not the current football program.

Thoughts?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Early NFL 2012 Season Predictions- By Ryan J. Murphy

NFL Season 2012


I wanted to pick who I think will win each division with their record, and who will advance to the AFC/NFC Championships, and The Super Bowl.


AFC:
1. New England Patriots (13-3)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
3. Houston Texans (12-4)
4. San Diego Chargers (11-5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
6. Denver Broncos (10-6)


NFC:
1. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-4)
3. Green Bay Packers (12-4)
4. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
5. Chicago Bears (11-5)
6. Detroit Lions (10-6)


Playoffs: Round 1
AFC: Broncos at Texans (W)
          Ravens at Chargers (W)
NFC: Lions at Packers (W)
          Bears (W) at Falcons


Playoffs: Round 2
AFC: Texans at Steelers (W)
          Chargers at Patriots (W)
NFC: Bears at 49ers (W)
          Packers (W) at Eagles


Playoffs: Conference Championships
AFC: Steelers (W) at Patriots
NFC: Packers at 49ers (W)


Playoffs: Super Bowl
Steelers at 49ers (W)


I'm predicting a Steelers 49ers Super Bowl. Both teams are much improved. Both have great defenses, as well as their QB's both are now in their prime. Looks to be a great NFL season, and I cannot wait.


       

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Rush: The Greatest Band to Walk this Earth- By Ryan J. Murphy


As some of my followers know, I am a HUGE Rush fan. I am going to see them live in concert on October 20th at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. I have already seen them twice, once at SPAC in Saratoga, and once at MSG in New York City. They put on such a great show and have a collection of great music. Since the setlist is not yet released for this upcoming tour, I'd like to make my own "dream setlist" of the songs I wish they'd play at this concert.


Now, as much as I'd like to see them play EVERY song from EVERY album they ever did, that will not happen. So as hard as this is for me to pick out a certain few, I will see if i can actually make a "dream setlist." The last two shows I saw they played about 25 songs, in two sets and an encore consisting of two songs, so I will try to mimic that.


Set 1:
1. Subdivisions (my favorite song, so we'll start with this).
2. New World Man
3. Cinderella Man
4. Time Stand Still
5. Kid Gloves
6. (Song from the new album)
7. Totem
8. (Song from the new album)
9. Grand Designs
10. Red Barchetta
11. Limelight
12. Tom Sawyer
13. Manhattan Project


Set 2:
14. Roll The Bones
15. The Enemy Within
16. Between The Wheels
17. Superconductor
18. The Pass
19. Entre Nous
20. Earthshine
21. Secret Touch
22. (Song from the new album)
23. (Song from the new album)
24. 2112/ The Temples of Syrinx
25. Freewill
26. The Spirit of Radio


Encore:
Xanadu
Closer To The Heart
La Villa Strangiato


I could have put 100 songs on this setlist, but again, that would never happen.
What do you think?



NFL Draft- By Ryan J. Murphy


So the NFL Draft is over, and it was an interesting draft to say the least. The were so many trades in the first and second round, and I believe there was a record set for the amount of trades. I'd like to analyze the draft and give my opinion as to who had the best drafts as well as the worst.

Teams who drafted GOOD:
1. Bengals- all around great draft
2. Eagles- great upgrades at lineman
3. Steelers-great upgrades along the offensive and defensive lines
4. Cardinals- great compliment to Larry Fitzgerald, drafting Michael Floyd
5. Cowboys- great trade up to snag Morris Claiborne
6. Buccaneers- great safety and running back pick
7. Bills- good upgrades along the offensive line

Notables:
Patriots- upgrading at linebacker
Ravens- upgrading at linebacker
Jets- young wide receiver drafted
Broncos- got a young QB who develop behind Peyton Manning

Teams who drafted BAD:
1. 49ers- didn't do much for me in the draft
2. Seahawks- drafted a linebacker way to high up
3. Jaguars- I don't like the Justin Blackmon pick, I believe Floyd will be the better of the two
4. Vikings- drafted a great offensive lineman, but not much else
5. Browns- yes, they got Trent Richardson, but Weeden was a waste of a pick

Notables:
Giants- did not draft bad, but wasn't great
Texans- didn't improve much but will still be a threat in the AFC
Chiefs- don't like their first round pick

Thoughts?

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Recap- By Ryan J. Murphy



Since I have not blogged in a while, there a few things I’d like to say right off the bat:


-Everyone involved in the Saints bounty scandal got the right amount of punishment.

-Tim Tebow will be the starting QB for the Jets in the long term, if not by week 6 ofthis year. Jets fans will boo Sanchez, and Tebow will be the starter.

-I was wrong about Peyton Manning. My guess was he’d land in Arizona, but he signed with Denver. Good news is my Steelers can give him his first loss week 1.

-Metta World Peace AKA Ron Artest should’ve been suspended longer for his elbow on James Harden. Suspending him one game in the regular season was not necessary. He should been suspended for however long Harden is hurt. There is no place for that in the NBA, or any sport for that matter.

-I went to a Rangers-Avalanche NHL game at MSG on March 17. It was a great time. Anyone reading this, I suggest you see a professional hockey game in your life because it is a great time.

Be advised that I now post polls on the right hand side of the blog. If you don't feel like commenting, please voice your opinion by voting!



Blogging Again



It has been almost 2 straight months now (about the length of the Charlotte Bobcats losing streak) that I have not posted anything on here. I’ve been really busy with school, as I’ve been starting, and now finishing, final projects and papers. School ends in about 2 weeks so that’s when I’ll really start blogging again. Just wanted to let all my followers know this, and I hope you still continue to read and comment as you used to.

-Ryan

Monday, March 5, 2012

Bounty System- By Ryan J. Murphy


Gregg Williams

Recently the NFL has found out that current Rams defensive coordinator has had an ongoing bounty system with his defensive players. A bounty system in football means that money is rewarded to defenders who take out the offensive players, either hitting them very hard, injuring them, or hurting them so badly they have to be carted off on a stretcher. There is no place for that in the NFL, or even in life. No one should purposely injure someone.

Williams had this system going while he was Head Coach in Buffalo, DC in Washington, and DC in New Orleans, which was most recent, last year. He just attended a meeting today and the NFL is going to discipline him and those involved, including Saints head coach Sean Payton. This might get worse than the Patriots “spygate scandal.”

Ironically, Peyton Manning, who recently underwent neck surgery, was originally hurt in a game in 2006 while playing the Washington Redskins. Who was the defensive coordinator for the Redskins? Of course, Gregg Williams. Kurt Warner, the former QB of the Arizona Cardinals, had his career ended by a concussion due to a hit from a N.O. Saints player. The defensive coordinator was Gregg Williams.

James Harrison, Steelers linebacker who has been fined for big hits, said the other day on his twitter account that if it was him that was involved in these hits, he’d be thrown out of the NFL, and he makes a valid point. I’m not just saying that because I’m a die-hard Steelers fan either, he is right. Personally I think Williams should be thrown out of football. One could argue that this goes on much more in football, which I think so as well, but not to this extent in which someone’s career is in jeopardy.

I put a poll on the right hand side of the blog, asking you what you think the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should do about this situation.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Leaders- By Ryan J. Murphy


"The leader always sets the trail for others to follow."

Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks said recently that the Knicks are “his team.” Let me put this in perspective for you, the Knicks are Jeremy Lin’s team. Of course, Carmelo is the best player, but Jeremy Lin runs the show as the point guard, therefore it is his team.

This is the case for other teams, as well. Rajon Rondo of the Celtics, not the best player, but it’s his team. Russell Westbrook of the Thunder, not the best player, but it’s his team. Jason Kidd of the Mavericks, not the best player, but it’s his team. You get the point.

This also is true for other sports too.

NFL:
Joe Flacco of the Ravens, not the best player, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are, but it's Flacco's team.
Tony Romo of the Cowboys, not the best player, that’s DeMarcus Ware, but it’s Romo’s team.
Tim Tebow of the Broncos, certainly not the best player, but it is his team.
In the NFL, the quarterback, no matter how good he is, is the leader of the team.

MLB:
In baseball, the leader of the team is the pitcher.
In certain cases you can make an argument that other players are the leaders, such as the Yankees. That is Derek Jeter’s team. Although in most cases it is your starting pitcher on that given day.

NHL:
In hockey, normally your leader is your goalie.
The Red Wings leader is Jimmy Howard, although it is Pavel Datsyuk's team.
The Bruins leader is Tim Thomas, but it is Zdeno Chara’s team.
The Penguins leader is Mark-Andre Fleury, but it is Sydney Crosby’s team.
The Canucks leader is Roberto Luongo, but it is the Sedin twins’ team, and so on.
In hockey, your leader is the goalie, along with normally your best player.

My point is if you don’t have a specific leader, it is going to be very hard to succeed in any sport.

Look at the previous winners of championships… They all had a specific leader who led them to victory. Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning, the two previous years, led their teams to Super Bowl titles. Jason Kidd, with some major help of Dirk Nowitski, led the Mavericks to a title. The Cardinals pitchers, backed by Pujols and their dominant batting order, won a World Series title. Zdeno Chara and his great goalie Tim Thomas led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win.

Look at teams who don’t have a leader, and look how poorly they do. Baltimore Orioles. Seattle Mariners. Kansas City Royals. Jacksonville Jaguars. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arizona Cardinals. Charlotte Bobcats. Montreal Canadiens. The list goes on.

The leaders of teams are the point guard, the quarterback, the starting pitcher, and the goalie, with very few exceptions, and your leader isn’t necessarily the best player.

Do you agree?

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Yankees: Opening Day- By Ryan J. Murphy




I just wanted to write a column on what I think the Yankees batting order and pitching rotation will be on opening day, and what I think it should be.

Most likely will be:

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Curtis Granderson, CF
3. Robison Cano, 2B
4. Alex Rodriquez, 3B
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Russell Martin, C
8. Raul Ibanez, DH
9. Brett Gardner, LF

C.C. Sabathia
Michael Pineda
Hiroki Kuroda
Ivan Nova
Freddy Garcia

What I think it should be:

1. Derek Jeter
2. Curtis Granderson
3. Robinson Cano
4. Mark Teixeira
5. Alex Rodriquez
6. Nick Swisher
7. Raul Ibanez
8. Russell Martin
9. Brett Gardner

I think the pitching rotation looks strong and balanced just the way it is predicted to be. I think A-Rod should be hitting 5th, because that will only help take the pressure off him, hopefully producing more RBI’s and home runs from him. Cano is the best hitter in the lineup now, and is their man going forward. Granderson, although, will be a force for the Yanks for years to come as well. Teixeira is too inconsistent and has too low of an average to carry them. Ibanez should be hitting before Martin because Ibanez is not only left handed (good because Yankee Stadium’s short right field fence will help him), but because he’s more consistent then Martin, and has a better average.

What do you think?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

New York... Greatest Sports City? - By Ryan J. Murphy

New York City
New York teams have won a collective total of 52 championships, and there isn’t even a close second. Boston has 34, Chicago 27, Los Angeles and Detroit 22, Philadelphia 17, Pittsburgh 14, and so on. Of course, the Yankees have a lot to do with this, winning 27 World Series titles, which is almost as much as Boston has collective titles. The Mets have 2 World Series wins, and the old Giants and Dodgers have a combined total of 5. The Jets won 1, and the Giants 7 NFL titles total, 3 Super Bowls. The Rangers and the Islanders have combined for 8 total, 4 each.

Boston fans can complain all they want about how New York has more sports teams, therefore equaling more championships, but the facts are simple. The Yankees (27), New York Football Giants (7 total), Knicks (2), and Rangers (4), equal 40. So if you compare 4 New York teams to 4 Boston teams, New York still has more.

New York and Detroit are the only two cities to have had three teams win championships in their respective sports in the same year. The Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings did it in 1935-36. The New York Jets, Knicks, and “Miracle” Mets all won in 1969-70. The Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers, all went to their respective championship games in the same year, 1981, being the first city to ever do so, but the only team to win were the Phillies. Never has one city had 4 teams win their respective championships in the same year, and this could be the first year it happens.

The Giants have already won the Super Bowl, so were one step closer. The Rangers look very hot this season, and can make a good run at a Stanley Cup win. The Yankees are basically good every year, and I don’t see why they wont make another run this year at a World Series win. Then there is the Knicks. I believe the Knicks do have a shot at winning the NBA finals with their new star Jeremy Lin and company, but they need to surpass the Heat, Bulls, Thunder, Spurs, and others who could potentially beat them in the playoffs or the Finals. There is a chance that New York could win 3 championships this year, potentially 4, although I cant see the Knicks getting over the hump this year.

New York is just a “Linning” city. All they do is “Lin.” I think it is pretty “Lincredible” and “Linsane.”

Is New York the best sports city ever? Will New York teams all win championships in their respective sports, becoming the first city to ever do so? What are your thoughts?



Monday, February 20, 2012

Range Rover Evoque- By Ryan J. Murphy

Range Rover Evoque


I realize that I am mainly writing about sports, but beautiful luxury cars have always fascinated me. This morning, while watching Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN, I saw a commercial for the new Range Rover Evoque. The new design looked very cool and sleek. I wanted to blog a little bit about it.

Range Rover’s manufacturer is Land Rover, whose parent company is Jaguar Land Rover. With just that being said, you know you’re talking about a luxury car. These types of cars are assembled in Halewood, England. The Range Rover Evoque is considered an SUV, and its concept is LRX. The LRX concept retains the nice features and off-road capabilities of a Range Rover, but is also fuel effiecient, which in this day in age is important. The interior is intended to stay true to Range Rover, and is very luxurious. It has a sun roof, and touch screen entertainment system. The Evoque has a lot of different interior choices, 12 to be exact, while wood and/or metal can be chosen. It has 12 different exterior colors as well, and has 3 contrasting roof choices. The Evoque is equipped with 4-wheel drive and a system that maximizes traction in a lot of different conditions. It can be built as a 3 or 5 door SUV. The MPG for this vehicle is 19 city, 29 highway, which is very good for an SUV, especially a luxury SUV. The starting value for the Evoque is $43,995.

I put a few interior images on the bottom of this page. To see all exterior colors, here is a link to the Evoque on cars.com:


Click the “Add Colors” tab, then select the color you’d like to view. Personally, my favorite colors on the Evoque are Firenze Red and Fiji White.

What are your thoughts on this new SUV by Land Rover?




Saturday, February 18, 2012

MLB Off-Season- A Lot of Change- By Ryan J. Murphy




With Major League Baseball’s Spring Training upon us, there have been many changes throughout the league that I’d like to point out. While many superstar caliber players have signed with new teams, which I will discuss, what intrigues me the most is the new logos/uniforms for 3 teams in the MLB.

World Series champion Albert Pujols was the best free agent this off-season. As much as I wish the Yankees signed him, to DH, he signed with the Los Angeles Angles. Although saddened he isn’t a Yankee, I still think that is a good fit for him. Prince Fielder, the Home Run Derby winner from 2009, formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, signed with the Detroit Tigers, which I believe is another good fit, and now makes their batting order very dangerous, since they also have a slugger in Miguel Cabrera. As a Yankee fan, this makes me wonder how well they will compete with these teams in the American League, considering they look very, very good. The Mets got rid of their star shortstop Jose Reyes too, as he joined the Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins. There were also some decent pitchers on the move as well, but none worth noting.

The Red Sox hired a new manager in Bobby Valentine. They re-signed “Big Papi” David Ortiz, for $14.575 million. Tim Wakefield also retired, and their pitching rotation looks weaker than the Yankees and the Rays. They should have a pretty good season this year, as long as they don’t collapse down the stretch.
Chances of the Boston Red Sox making the playoffs: 6 out of 10.

The Yankees acquired Michael Pineda, a pitcher from the Seattle Mariners, who is supposedly pretty good. They gave up their good young hitting catcher, Jesus Montero. They also recently signed much needed left handed hitter Raul Ibanez, formerly with the Phillies, to be the DH. The Yankees also have agreed to trade A.J. Burnett to the Pirates in exchange for prospects, but this deal is being finalized as I write this. Whatever the Yankees do, I hope they don’t get rid of Nick Swisher. Not only is he my favorite player, but also he is a leader in the clubhouse, and once Jeter has retired, they will sure need Swish for that role.
Chances of the New York Yankees making the playoffs: 8 out of 10.

As for the Mets… who cares? They really don’t have a realistic shot this year anyways, nor do they have the big money to bring in star players. Give it about 10 years, and they might make something happen. I don’t dislike the Mets, in fact I dislike the Red Sox much more, but the Mets have looked so bad recently they aren’t even worth discussing. I went to Citi Field last summer, to watch them play the Brewers, and Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder destroyed their pitching… honestly, they looked awful.
Chances of the New York Mets making the playoffs: 0 out of 10. Sorry Mets fans, I just don’t see it happening.

Final notes: the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays all changed their logos and uniforms. The Marlins uniforms have a new, unique look, while the Blue Jays and Orioles uniforms look a lot like throwback uniforms. Images are provided at the bottom. The Miami Marlins even built a swimming pool in their new stadium, which overlooks the bullpen, and you can also watch the game while in the pool. If Yankee Stadium had that, I would no doubt be a season ticket holder!!

What are your off-season thoughts about free agent signings, how teams are looking at this time, chances local favorite teams make the playoffs, and the new designs of teams logos/uniforms?


(Baltimore Orioles)
(Miami Marlins)
(Toronto Blue Jays)