Michael Phelps, Best Athlete of our Generation

Michael Phelps set the world record today for most medals in Olympic history, and I think that he is the best athlete of our generation.

Some may think of Kobe Bryant, some may think of Tom Brady, some of Venus and Serena Williams, other of Tiger Woods, and others of Derek Jeter, but I truly believe it is Michael Phelps.  I have never seen someone dominate their sport at such a young age, and I can honestly say that even thought I have mentioned the athletes above. 

Phelps only gets the chance to compete in the Olympics every four years, unlike these other players and athletes who can compete in their respective sports championships every year.  Phelps made a name for himself in the Athens games back in 2004 where he won six gold Medals and two bronze medals at the age of nineteen. 

In 2008 he won eight gold medals, and I was blown away by his performance, I remember not sleeping to well during those Olympic games because I would stay up to watch all of his performances.  I remember watching his eighth gold medal win and I was excited to see history, I realized at that moment that I was witnessing the birth of a legend. 

Today was what solidified his status and lore in Olympic history forever, he won a record breaking nineteenth medal, and out of the nineteen that he has won fifteen of them are gold medals, two are bronze, and two are silver which is extremely impressive.

Phelps is only twenty seven and is the most decorated Olympian of all time, which is hard to believe, compare this to Laris Latynina who was thirty one when she won her eighteenth medal, and she has nine gold medals compared to Phelps fifteen. 

Never before have I seen a single person be this dominant at their sport and set records at such a young age.  Phelps, in my mind, has another year of Olympics left in him, and if he does he could be over twenty medals, if not twenty-five by the time he retires if he so chooses to go another round in the Olympics in 2016.

As much as I respect Kobe, Brady, Jeter, the Willams twins, and Tiger Woods, I still think Phelps is better.  He has done so much at such a young age, and to think he was only twenty-three when he won eight gold medals, just crazy.  He has made the sport of swimming popular, and also interesting to watch, I have never seen a swimmer get so much attention, and it seems since he has become so big that swimming has as well. 

If Phelps keeps this up who knows what his track record will be like, and I really do not think we will see another like Phelps for a long time to come.  I think at this moment in time we can all enjoy what Michael has given us, not only a love for the sport of swimming, but also a life time of memories and medals.

The 2012 NFL Offense I am Looking Forward to Seeing the Most

Aside from the obvious top offenses in the NFL like the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, The Philadelphia Eagles, and New Orleans Saints, the offense I am looking forward to watching the most this NFL season is the San Francisco 49ers.  To those who watched this offense last year this could be a shock, last year the team ran the ball very well, ranking 8^th in the nation and also had one of the top defenses to back the offense up.  The part about the offense that was sub par was the passing game, Alex Smith had an average of 196.5 passing yards per game last year, and averaged only one touchdown a game passing.  The 49ers ranked 29^th in the NFL last year in the passing game, even the Colts were ranked higher. 

So why am I looking forward to this offense this year? 

The new weapons the team has acquired really excites me, the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham to the receiver corps makes it interesting, because now Smith will have Michal Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Manningham, and Moss to throw too, which will make the passing game more respectable.  I think that this team has the chance to ride a strong passing game into the post season.

The passing game is not the only reason why this offense has the chance to be explosive; the running game is going to be dangerous.  With Frank Gore on the team as the number one running back and his backup Brandon Jacobs, and the draft selection of LaMichael James this team has the chance to have a three headed monster to run the ball with.  If the 49ers use this to their advantage it could be scary because when Smith uses the play action the ball could go over the top to any of his targets, most notably Randy Moss.

I think the offense could run like this when it comes to the rushing attack:

Frank Gore will obviously be the number one running back and take most of the carries, I see him having a 1,600 yard season at least.  Brandon Jacobs should be used for short yardage and goal line situations to pound the ball for first downs and touchdowns.  LaMichael James should be used as a third down back and out of the shotgun to catch short passes and use his speed and agility to run all over the defense.  This team relies on Frank Gore, and they must keep him healthy to keep a strong running attack.

The passing game really rests on the arm of Alex Smith, because he really has not been a guy who plays up to where he was drafted, which was number one overall back in 2005.  If Alex Smith can build his confidence some more and let the ball go and accurately let it go this offense has the chance to be a top three offense and a scary one at that.  

If Alex Smith cannot play well this offense will have issues, and frankly with all these new weapons Alex really has no excuse not to succeed.  

My Thoughts on the NCAA Sanctions on Penn State

I am very happy with what the NCAA did for the punishments, and for those who may not know what they are here they are:

1.)    $60 million dollar fine that will for: "external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university." (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8191027/penn-state-hit-60-million-fine-4-year-bowl-ban-wins-dating-1998)

2.)    Four year bowl and post season ban on the football team

3.)    The amount of scholarships will be reduced over the next four years

4.)    The wins, including six bowl games and two conference championships will be erased from the years 1998 to 2011, Paterno goes from 1^st all-time of NCAA football wins to twelfth (he loses 112 wins) (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8191027/penn-state-hit-60-million-fine-4-year-bowl-ban-wins-dating-1998)

I agree with all of these punishments, however I wish the NCAA had made the death penalty as part of the punishment (it had been talked about, and four years was the highest number thrown around).  Before I dive into that again, I want to point out that the fine that will be used to help the victims of child sex abuse and also to prevent it from happening is my favorite sanction.  I am glad that no tax dollars will be used for the fine, because it should not be put upon tax payers.  Another great part of the sanctions is that any Penn State player can transfer to another school and play without having a year off (which is a NCAA rule).  The students should not be punished for wanting to leave because now they cannot play in bowl games.

Back to the death penalty issue, I still think a death penalty should have been imposed.  If SMU had a year off for paying players then Penn State should have had at least four for allowing boys to be raped and then letting Sandusky to still use the facilities after he retired to continue to harm young boys.  I do not care if the sanctions already imposed are great in of itself, because they are, but the team and school had knowledge this was going on fourteen years ago, and yet it took thirteen for this to be discovered.  The Penn State police department just told him to stop when he admitted that he had in fact sexually abused a little boy (it was a Penn State PD detective). 

While I am angered that the death penalty was not part of the punishment, however I think that the NCAA needs to know that a death penalty should be used, I plan on writing a letter to the NCAA and tell them the death penalty needs to be used.  I urge the same of my fellow readers.

Not only is the school tarnished, but so is Joe Paterno, just because the media has shamed Sandusky, Paterno, and Penn State does not mean that the school does not mean that the school has suffered enough.  I feel for the students and teachers that had no involvement, but for those who worked at the school and knew this was going on, shame on you for allowing this to happen.  I hope that anyone who was involved that has not been fired, arrested, or punished in any sort of way is in some form. 

I truly do not believe any sanctions will ever take away what happened at Penn State for all of those years that Jerry hurt innocent young boys.  I think the schools football plan will suffer, because I know for a fact that when I see Penn State on TV playing football I will not forget what has come to light. 

Some say that the death penalty will set the team back for years to come, personally I think this incident will do that for itself, not to mention the four year bowl game and post season ban.  That does not change how I feel, because the death penalty should be used.   As I have said before many times, if SMU got the death penalty for one year (they took another year off on their own) for paying players then Penn State deserves much more then they got as sanctions from the NCAA. 

Here is a link with all the information to contact the NCAA:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Home/Contact+the+NCAA

Predictions on the Upcoming NCAA Sanctions on Penn State

The news I have heard today after Penn State’s Presidents ordered to take the statue of Joe Paterno down was news I have been wanting to hear for a while, that is that the NCAA will be punishing Penn State with sanctions.  I am glad that the NCAA waited until the FBI was done investigating this manner, because that was the right thing to do, otherwise the whole truth may have not been known and certain people may have been left unpunished.

The sanctions are still unknown, but my guess is that the football team will in fact receive the death penalty.  Some say that this is undeserving, I think the opposite, it is very deserving, and if this is to come true, I will stand behind the NCAA on the decision.  The death penalty is always a year at the minimum, and I think Penn State deserves more than just one year, it should be thirteen years, which is the length of the time frame that the rapes and cover up took place.  I do not think this is a long punishment at all, because this unlike other cases of the NCAA imposing the Death penalty on college teams this is a far worse crime than other teams that have received this punishment.

In 1985 Southern Methodist University (better known as SMU) was placed on three years’ probation for recruiting violations, but then in 1986 it was discovered that SMU was paying players, which is a violation of the NCAA rules.  The team received the death penalty for the 1987 season, they also sat out the 1988 season by choice, and they lost multiple scholarships as well.

If SMU had a year suspension by the NCAA for paying players then Penn State should be punished harshly for covering up sexual abuse for thirteen years, this scandal at Penn State is a football manner.  Joe Paterno knew of the situation involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and yet after Sandusky retired he still let him use the Penn State football facilities, where Sandusky continued to sexually abuse boys.  

The reason I say thirteen years is because in 1998 a Penn State detective questioned Sandusky about an alleged sexual attack, to which Jerry admitted he had committed, all he was told was to stop. 

That is not only sickening but an utter disgrace, and Sandusky was still a coach on the team at this point, so therefore this is a football matter, and because of this mass cover up for thirteen years the team deserves to be banned that long.  While that may seem harsh because Joe Paterno and Sandusky are no longer part of this team, it still is a punishment that fits the crime.  The schools police knew of what Jerry did, and yet did nothing to stop him, and again as I have said Sandusky was a team employee.

I also believe that anyone else involved in this cover up will be fired and fined, which is very fitting and deserving. 

As for the removal of the statue of Joe Paterno, I am very pleased with the schools decision.

If Penn State does not receive the death penalty I will be writing to the NCAA to protest, and I urge that of all you fellow sports fans and readers.  

Penn State and the Aftermath of the FBI Report

When I woke up today and turned on ESPN, I saw the breaking news on the FBI report into the Penn State investigation about Sandusky’s child molestation and also figuring out what exactly happened and how many people covered it up, also how far it went back.  What I heard… made me sick to my stomach, I felt a lot of anger watching what I was on TV this morning.

Joe Paterno is a disgrace to the Penn State program and to college football as a whole, this man KNEW about Sandusky’s acts dating back to 1998, and did nothing but cover it up and act like he never knew anything.  Now Joe is not the only one to blame, but I will touch on that later.  As for Joe, I do not care how good of a coach he was, or how many wins he had as a coach, what he did covering the abuse up, and not have any remorse sickens me.  If it was up to me, I would make sure that anything that Joe won should have his name stripped from it.  Are wins, national championships, and building an elite program worth covering up sexual abuse of children up? That would be a big NO! 

Now to move on, a campus police detective found out in 1998 that Sandusky had in fact molested a child, Sandusky admitted to doing it, and all the detective said was “just stop”.  Are you kidding me? That is a disgrace, that person as a police officer is supposed to uphold the law and protect the innocent, but he did not, and for that, well he should be ashamed of himself and should be arrested for a cover up.  It is pathetic to think a school would allow for this to happen, and honestly I hope that everyone involved no matter how big or small that still works there should have their jobs reviewed, and fired.  This isn’t just an angry response; this is what needs to be done. 

How could Joe Paterno, the Penn State police, and various other coaches knowingly allow for this to happen?  I just do not know.  Penn State should be ashamed for this to happen, and Joe as well, his office was next to Sandusky’s office, and they were best friends, and literally partners in crime, sickening. 

There is no defending Sandusky, Paterno, Penn State, and the Penn State police department at all; I do not care about how great Paterno was, or how great Penn State is.  That does not matter, all that matters is that this was covered up for 13 years until the scandal broke last year.  I hope the people that deserve to be punished by the law are in fact punished by the law.  I do not care if these people “suffer”, because nothing they suffer will amount to being raped, which is pretty awful not matter how old you are.  These were young boys and who knows when they will get over what happened to them, if they do.

The janitor that saw Sandusky raping a child in the showers was terrified to report what happened in fear of being fired, because it would be an accusation against a Penn State great.  That shows a culture of allowing evil in my eyes, these kids are young and have so much life ahead of them.  I would have been fired if it meant these kids would be saved sooner rather than later.  This school has a lot to answer for, and they probably won’t do a great job at it considering they could not even follow the law.

I hope the children affected are going to be okay, I will send many thoughts and prayers their way, and I ask for those reading this to do the same.

Concussions in the NFL

With all the bustle this offseason in the NFL, I think something that is extremely important to players and their safety is still being overlooked, concussions and brain damage are still issues that plague players, their teams, and their families.

Junior Seau’s tragic death at the age of 43 back on May 2^nd is just another warning of what can come to be if there is brain damage, and this is not just a thought that he had concussions, his ex-wife said he had suffered concussions during his career.  This death should have created a whirl wind in the NFL office, but there was nothing, and this is absurd.

There have been concussion issues in the NFL for years now, and now that a former player, and all-time great is dead something should have been done, or at least started, and it is not like teams are always aware of players situations.  Last year in the Cleveland-Pittsburgh game when McCoy was hit hard he still went out and played with a concussion, yet this was not reported until after the game was over.  I don’t understand why he was allowed back in to the game.  McCoy even stated he does not remember anything after the concussion, which is scary.  How is somebody that is such rough condition allowed back into a game?  I really have no clue, and frankly this is inexcusable.

I say this not only from a stand point for player safety, but also as someone who has suffered numerous concussions, sometimes even going back to work the day after, or participating in dangerous sports soon after suffering a concussion.  I was young and naïve then, but now that these concussions have taken their toll on me I am trying to figure out why anyone else would want to be suffer like I do, or even be put in a situation to do so.

To clarify as to my setbacks that I am working on here is a short list of what they were: Depression, anxiety, feeling of loneliness, anger, memory loss, hearing problems, and sight issues.

So I am speaking out against the lack of help for players with concussion and brain damage, because these players need help, otherwise we could see a spike in deaths, or even arrests from outburst of anger.  We don’t need another tragic loss like Seau, because that was one to many, nobody deserved to be alone in this battle.

I ask that those who read this write to the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and tell him that the NFL needs to do a better job with concussions NOW, and not later. 

Please do not stop there, if you know anyone that has suffered from a concussion, or ends up suffering one, be there for them, help them.  We all need to help them out, they need to know they cannot go out and do the same thing twice, or even three times, or even more like myself.  Brain damage is an awful thing, and it leads some down dark roads and paths to sometimes the point of no return.

This needs to be done, just imagine if Junior had help, he may not have killed himself.  Life is a gift and is to short to die so young, I think he had so much potential and so much left, but sadly died.  As stated brain damage is a terrible thing, speak out against the lack of concussion knowledge in the NFL, and help those in need.  It is all I ask, because being someone that still deals with side affects of concussions, it is scary, and it hurts sometimes.  There is help though....