Thursday, May 17, 2012

My Most Dramatic Games- Misses

So, I definitely left some great games out of my Top Ten. It is always difficult to draw that line between in and out. So here is a shortlist of games that I left out:

Brazil vs. United States, 2011 Woman's World Cup
N.C. State @ Ohio State, NCAA Football, September, 2003.
Michigan @ Ohio State, NCAA Football, November 2006
Ohio State @ Michigan, NCAA Football, November 2005
Superbowl XXXIV
Superbowl XLII
St. John's vs. Ohio State, NCAA Basketball Tournament, March 1999
Ohio State @ Purdue, NCAA Football, November 2002
Wisconsin @ Ohio State, NCAA Basketball, March 2007
France vs. Italy, 2006 World Cup Final
Ohio State @ Wisconsin, NCAA Football, October 2008

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Top Ten Most Dramatic Games- Part Two (1-5)

5.) Liverpool vs AC Milan, 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, May 25th, 2012: My favorite European side is Liverpool. Being an American with no cheering interest via lineage led me to make this decision mostly because that's where the Beatles are from. It looked pretty hopeless being down 3-0 at the half, but soccer is a funny game sometimes. Liverpool came out of locker room on fire and 2 brilliant goals and a rebound from a penalty had Liverpool equal to AC Milan before the game reached 60 minutes. Liverpools keeper Dudek and the defenders played heroically through the remainder of the game and extra time. The game was to be decided on Penalties, which is the cruelest way to decide a game. It is stressful to watch even without having a strong rooting interest, but when a club you support is involved it's nearly unbearable. Dudek made some great saves in the shootout and Liverpool won the Champions League on penalties 3-2.




4.) Tennessee vs. Ohio State, Sweet Sixteen 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament, March 22nd, 2007: Ohio State trailed by as many as 20 points in this game and the deficit at halftime was 17. It really looked like what seemed like a team that was going to do great things was going to get knocked out far too early. However, the gap slowly closed and Ohio State took the lead with just over 8 minutes to play in the game. It was a back and forth, stress-inducing battle for the rest of the game. The game winning play was quite unusual for basketball. Mike Conley made his first free throw to put The Buckeyes up 85-84, but missed his second with 6 seconds remaining. Tennessee brought the ball up the court quickly and were poised to attempt a lay up to win at the buzzer. Greg Oden had other things in mind though as the center had hustled back down the court and blocked the potential game winning shot as time expired.




3.) Illinois @ Ohio State, NCAA Basketball, March 6th, 2005: This was one of those games that everyone had looked at months ahead of time as being a phenomenal match-up. Illinois was looking to become he first Men's College Basketball team to go undefeated since 1976. Ohio State, on the other hand, had self-imposed a post-season ban on its talented team. That made this game, on Senior Day against the number one and undefeated Illinois Fighting Illini the biggest of the season for the Buckeyes. Illinois kept Ohio State at an arm's length throughout much of the game, leading by 11 at the half. Ohio State had closed the gap to two points in the final minute. Ohio State decided to go for the win on its final possession and Matt Sylvester (I told you he'd come up again) shot up a three and drained it with 6 seconds remaining putting Ohio State up 65-64. The final six seconds were a bit choppy, but Illinois didn't manage a good look and Ohio State had a marque victory. After several down seasons, this put Ohio State basketball back on the map and began the Thad Matta era.




2.) Arizona State vs. Ohio State, 1997 Rose Bowl, January 1st, 1997: This game along with Ohio State's loss to Michigan before it are the first two football games of which I have any clear memories. However, one must remember I was only seven at the time, so my understanding certainly wasn't what it is today. Jake "The Snake" Plummer scrambled late in the forth quarter to put the Sun Devils up 17-14. I was devastated. I started crying (I have long since stopped crying over sport's results*.) However, Joe Germaine and the Buckeye's taught me a lesson that day: to not lose faith in your team. The Buckeyes drove down the field with a lot of help from Pass Interference penalties. That drive was capped off with Germain completing a pass to David Boston for a 5-yard touchdown. Arizona State block the PAT, which left the game at 20-17 Ohio State with 19 seconds remaining. Arizona State wasn't able to make anything of their final desperate possession and the Buckeyes hoisted the Rose Bowl trophy, which was so much cooler looking back then.




1.) Ohio State vs. Miami, 2002 BCS National Championship Game/2003 Fiesta Bowl, January 3rd, 2003: This was it. Ohio State finally had a chance to play for the National Title. 1999-2001 had been disappointing seasons by Ohio State standards. Not much was expected of the 2002 Ohio State team. However, they pretty much muddled their way to a perfect season to face the vaunted Miami Hurricanes. I felt pretty confident about Ohio State going into this game even though they were the decided underdogs. It was tight throughout with Ohio State's defense playing very well and the Ohio State offense largely being led by, surprisingly, Craig Krenzel's running ability. The game ended in regulation tied 17-17 and headed to Overtime. Miami got the ball first and scored a Touchdown. Ohio State was down to a 4th and 14 before Krenzel hit Jenkins to get the first down, which led to the big controversy. On another 4th down, Miami was called for defensive pass interference. I will maintain that an infraction was committed for as long as I am able to. The joy I felt when I saw that yellow flag flicker across the edges of the screen was as great as any I've ever felt. The Buckeyes punched in a TD and another to start the 2nd Overtime before Ohio State's defense held Miami on a 4th and Goal to win the National Title.




Thanks for reading and tomorrow I'll briefly talk about some games that were left off the list.

-Michael
*For the most part

Monday, May 14, 2012

My Ten Most Dramatic Games- Part One (6-10)

I should start out by saying this list is 100% personal. I'm not trying to tell you what the 10 most dramatic games of all time are. This is about the 10 games I have witnessed as a fan that I found most dramatic. This means that there is a clear bias towards the teams I cheer for. This also is only going to be "Happy" Dramatic moments. That is to say the team I wanted to win won. This is likely to become a series of posts and the sad times may be documented later.

10.) Queens Park Rangers @ Manchester City, English Premier League, May 13th, 2012: In terms of soccer drama, it is hard to get better than this; at least when you aren't really a supporter of either team. This game had implications on the top of the table as well as the relegation zone on the last Sunday of the season. With nine other games going on simultaneous to this one and the results of two of the other game having a direct impact on how the table will end up in regards to these two teams, it was very dramatic. The results from the other games changed the attitudes of the supporters of both clubs, which added to the fantastic nature of this game. It really looked like Manchester City were going to suffer another heart break, but two stoppage time goals gave them the title in the must unbelievable of fashions.


9.) Wisconsin @ Ohio State, NCAA Football, October 29th, 2011: This is the only regular season Ohio State football game that will make the list. There have been many great ones, but I think this one was the most emotionally turbulent one for me. I felt like Ohio State had the game pretty well in hand when the Buckeyes took the lead 26-14 with just 4:39 left in the game. However, the Ohio State defense that had played so well had a meltdown in the final 5:00 and two quick Wisconsin scores later it was 29-26 to the Badgers with 1:18. I had basically conceded defeat at that point. The ineffective nature of the Buckeyes' passing game made me think even field goal range was unlikely. However, Ohio State managed to score on a late deep pass as Wisconsin broke down in coverage as Braxton Miller scrambled. Ohio State won 33-29. This was the highlight in what was otherwise a very disappointing season last year and given the way that team struggled it made this victory all the better.



8.) LSU @ Ohio State, NCAA Basketball, December 31st, 2005: This is the only one on the list that I actually attended. A New Year's Eve match-up between two surprising team early in the 2005/2006 college basketball season. It was looking pretty hopeless for the Buckeyes'. LSU was absolutely dominating the paint and Tyrus Thomas was seeming blocking every shot Ohio State put up. Things began to turn when LSU's Point Guard commuted an intentional foul with about 5 minutes left and the Tigers up 15. The Buckeye's were down 10 with about two and a half minutes to play. However, LSU had scored what would end up being their last basket with around 3:30 to go and the Buckeye's made a frantic run ending with a Matt Sylvester (more on him later in the countdaow) to put the Buckeyes up 78-76 with 12 seconds left to play and that would be the final score.




7.) Texas vs. USC, 2005 BCS Championship Game/2006 Rose Bowl, January 4th, 2006: This was a heavy-weight match-up, between the two giants of that College Football season. It was a game that saw Texas have a strong first half, but USC came roaring back in the second half. The Trojans were up 38-26 deep in the forth quarter, but a scoring drive led by Texas QB Vince Young narrowed the gap to five points. USC took a gamble on 4th and 1 with around two minutes left to go expecting to get a first down against a Texas defense that had struggled against the run. Texas made the stop and that led to the dramatic Touchdown scramble by Young into the corner of the Endzone to give the Longhorns their victory 41-38.




6.) Algeria vs. The United States, 2010 World Cup, June 23rd, 2010: This was a crucial game for the United States Men's National Team. A win guaranteed advancement in to the knock-out stages of the World Cup and first place in their group (which is an exceedingly rare thing for the USMNT.) An early goal by Clint Dempsey was disallowed an a phantom offside call, which brought to mind the terrible blown call that disallowed an American goal by Maurice Edu in the previous game against Slovenia. Algeria was playing a terribly negative. They packed it in, fouled to make the game choopy and despite there being a possibility for them advance seemed quite content to just spoil the U.S. World Cup hopes. It was a bit overwhelming as a U.S. fan as the game approached the 90th; one felt that his or her team had been fucked by the referees and the universe and how unfair it would be to knocked out like this. However, in stoppage time after an Algeria cross and header, GK Tim Howard threw a quick, but deep outlet pass to Landon Donovan and the break was on. A few passes and a Goalie deflection later, Donovan drove the ball into the back of the net to get the United States a place in the Round of 16 with the 1-nil victory.



Thanks for reading and part two with the top 5 will be out tomorrow

-Michael

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Perilous Game

Today, tragic news broke about the death of retired All-Pro Linebacker Junior Seau. He likely committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest. That particular method of suicide has become a bit of trend for former NFL players as it seems to be a way to preserve the brain for research. Most notably, former Bears Safety, Dave Duerson, shot himself in the chest telling his family beforehand to donate his brain for research.

It has become quite evident that the brain injuries suffered by professional football players are creating major mental health issues for former players and very early onset for neurological problems. There's also the problems that come along with the game even without head injuries. The physical toll of football is immense. Chronic, crippling pain, and disability are the reality for a lot of retired NFL players and that must take a terrible toll on one's mind.

Along with brain damage, often there is another stress that goes along with the end of a career in professional sports. Retirement age for a NFL player is probably going to happen when a man is in his 30's. To make it in the NFL, you have to be an elite talent, an elite athlete. It is what that person does for the majority of their life up to the point where they can no longer do it. They work to become a professional football player for years and then have to work to stay at that top level for years.

An NFL player, who is good enough to make the field (and therefore suffer injuries) is  put on a pedestal throughout his career. They are revered by fans. They are on T.V. and their play or contract or haircut is the subject of debates on sports talk radio. In the fall, tens of thousands of people come to cheer him on or root against him every Sunday

Then a player retires. He instantly stops being that guy. People now talk about him in the past tense and he is no older than 40. A player works since his teenage years, if not before, to become a professional and before the age of 40 he has reached his pinnacle with so much life left. One is forced to live with the feeling that he has already served his primary purpose in life. Even if he doesn't have to worry about finances, that is still a terrible strain on the mind; to feel like you've done your job and are just waiting to die.

We continue to learn about how unsafe the game of football actually is. It is such a fantastic that it is hard to advocate that it should be banned. However, the risks are too great for one to advocate it continuing in its current form.

The NFL and NFLPA need to work together to ensure a future of football. Former players need easy, affordable and anonymous access to mental and physical healthcare as well as a guarantee of their financial security given the tremendous sacrifice an NFL player must make. The NFL can change the rules all they like, but that isn't going to stop the danger in the game. Safety gear needs to innovated to protect the after-football life of current and future players.

A story like the death of Seau, makes me wonder whether or not football is worth it. Not every former player lives in misery after their career, but it seems as though a disproportional amount suffer from pain, mental illness, and neurological problems, which is fatal combonation in too many cases. There just has to be a better way to do this though. There is no way to justify continuing this spectator sport, if it is causing such problems for its participants. There needs to be a change in the mentality of football and an improvement in the technology of football, because we can't continue to have a game that is killing its players.

Thanks for reading

-Michael