Author: Kevin Kinsella (Page 2 of 9)

The Ohio State Buckeyes, a deaf fan, and a lawsuit…

July 19, 2009 /

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SPORTSbyBROOKS has an article today concerning an Ohio State fan’s lawsuit against the school for not adequately accommodating his disability (he’s deaf). Before everyone gets up in arms though perhaps we should think about his complaint. He wants all the screens in the stadium to be closed-captioned. Brooks has this to say:

You can’t follow a game without closed captioning? Your handicap isn’t broken ears, Vincent. It’s a cot-dayum broken brain. You follow a game with your eyes, son. Incredulous dismissal of Sabino’s claim by an angry blogger aside, the Americans With Disabilities Act requires that venues make “reasonable” accommodations for fans. The aforementioned game and scoreboard is surely plenty reasonable for anyone with a brain.

Hell, have you ever attended a college football game? Most of the time, the announcers and referees are drowned out by tens of thousands of raucous, drunken fans anyway. Even people whose ears work fine have a hard time hearing things at games. Hey wait…having a hard time hearing things? Maybe hearing fans have a case, too. How much money could we make, anyways? Vincent, call write us and let us know!

And that ladies and gentlemen, is a sassy response. OK, I pretty much agree with what he had to say about this lawsuit, but where I think the fan has a point is this: Would captions be so bad on the screens? Geez, I might enjoy having some too and I hear fine. Brooks himself admits that you can’t hear anything at a game, captions could conceivably then benefit everyone. I don’t think this situation should require monetary compensation for the plaintiff, but a little compromise wouldn’t hurt.

Here’s an idea, how about we twitter the captions do those who need them? Just check your phone after every play…OK, maybe not such a great idea. Anyway, I think some middle ground could be reached without too many pounds of flesh paid. And then we can all go back to hoping the Buckeyes lose. Oh, did I mention I’m from Michigan?

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, College Football, News, Rumors & Gossip

The NBA owes a lot to Yao Ming

July 19, 2009 /

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I’ve always loved that photo. It’s a safe bet that whatever happens over the course of the next year concerning Yao Ming and his health, he’s not going to going to be the same Yao Ming we’ve seen. Of course it’s sad when a big man falls after years of pounding a body unable to cope with the prolonged strain of basketball. But Yao Ming’s early retirement would result in more than just the loss of a star player. Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports has this to say:

As the global game goes, he’s basketball’s most important player since Michael Jordan. He’s the reason the world’s most populated country grew smitten with the NBA. He’s the reason that the NBA makes hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Far East, why its American players were treated like rock stars in the Beijing Olympics.

A lot of NBA players and commentators treated Yao with disdain upon his arrival, an overhyped stiff they promised to embarrass. Truth be told, there was a racial element to the criticism. Perhaps they didn’t want to believe an Asian could become an NBA star. Perhaps they feared an impending wave of Chinese 7-footers to gobble up jobs. Whatever the genesis, the criticisms of Yao pushed beyond legitimate basketball doubts and were nasty and needlessly personal.

Perhaps, there’s never been a modern athlete with the burden that belonged to Yao…
He won the respect of his peers in the NBA. He worked relentlessly, and became an unstoppable force when his body was well.

This is absolutely true. I remember not believing he would amount to anything in the NBA, but I can safely say now that he has proven himself to me and countless others. If you still don’t think Yao is important to the NBA, you’d better remember that there’s a country of a billion and a half people across the ocean, and a large number of them (if you’ll pardon the generalization) don’t think the word “basketball” too often, but rather “that game Yao Ming plays.”

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

MLS, Beckham, Interest?

July 12, 2009 /

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I can’t deny that I have a soft spot for anything soccer related. I tend to write a rather large proportion of my articles about the sport, and I’ve been lucky lately because there has actually been relevant news. However, since the beginning of this whole Landon Donovan and David Beckham “controversy” I can’t help but roll my eyes at the whole thing. So hopefully I’ll be able to make this my last article about David Beckham, I think Norman Chad over at Sports Illustrated would agree:

The way I see it, you’ve just pulled off one of the greatest scams in U.S. history. You signed a massive five-year contract, you took a lot of money from a lot of people and, in the end, you were pretty much a marketing mirage.

Essentially, you’re Bernie Madoff with a bicycle kick.

In 2007, you had no goals and two assists and the Galaxy finished with the league’s third-worst record, 9-14-7. In 2008, you had five goals and 10 assists and the Galaxy tied for the league’s worst record, 8-13-9.

Not exactly impressive, plus given the English media’s coverage of this, it’s become some sort of international incident. Anyway, David Beckham, I can’t really blame you for your behavior around here. You were certainly charming, but I don’t see anybody caring about American soccer anymore than I used to. I’d say you failed in that, but I don’t think that’s what all this was about. In any case, happy trails. Enjoy your time in Milan, I know it’s quite posh around there.

Update: Oh, he’s still here for a little bit longer. My bad.

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, General Sports, Rumors & Gossip, Soccer

Rasheed Wallace on way to Boston

July 5, 2009 /

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He had a great run in Detroit, but it looks like Rasheed Wallace is leaving. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has the scoop:

Free agent forward Rasheed Wallace has agreed to sign with the Boston Celtics, Wallace’s agent, Bill Strickland, told SI.com on Sunday. Wallace, who chose the Celtics over San Antonio and Orlando, is believed to have agreed to a two-year deal for Boston’s mid-level exception.

A 14-year NBA veteran, Wallace averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds with the Detroit Pistons last season.

Well, I didn’t liked Rasheed until he was traded to Detroit during my years at Western Michigan University. Needless to say, I swiftly became a fan as I watched the Pistons rise to the top of the league for the first time since the days of Isaiah Thomas and company. He’s been a polarizing player in the NBA, strongly disliked by many and just as strongly adored by the remainder. Whether or not people like him, he’s quite a character and always entertaining in one way or another.

After the Pistons’ early exit from the playoffs this year, and of course foreshadowed by the Chauncey Billups trade, it’s easy to see the need for a restructuring in Detroit. They need a new core to their team. With Rasheed out, I wonder if Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince will be next…

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

Roger Federer wins 15th Grand Slam in record-breaking Wimbledon Final

July 5, 2009 /

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The match finally ended and now we have a new leader in the list of all time Grand Slam wins in men’s tennis. Howard Fenrich on Yahoo! Sports has the story:

On and on they dueled, Federer trying for a record-breaking 15th major championship, Roddick striving for his second, in a Wimbledon final that required more games than any Grand Slam title match in the considerable annals of a sport dating to the 1800s.

“Ten games all, final set,” intoned the chair umpire. Then, “Twelve games all, final set.” And, still later, “Fourteen games all, final set.”

They were each other’s equal for four full sets and nearly the entire 30-game fifth set. Until Federer, far more experienced in such matters, finally edged ahead, breaking Roddick’s serve for the only time in the 77th and last game to close out a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 victory Sunday.

The epic match—the fifth set alone lasted more than 1 1/2 hours—gave Federer his sixth Wimbledon title. Add that to five from the U.S. Open, three from the Australian Open and one from the French Open, and Federer’s Grand Slam total rises to 15, one more than Pete Sampras, who flew in from California on Sunday morning to be on hand.

“He’s a legend,” Sampras said. “Now he’s an icon.”

An amazing feat, congratulations to both the athletes involved, but especially to Roger Federer, who also regains his number one ranking with this victory. Now the great question in men’s tennis must be how to adjust the rankings of the all-time greats. We should take Sampras’ opinion into account, clearly he feels Federer is about the greatest ever. But is he? I still feel uncertain in that statement. Am I alone in that sentiment?

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, News, Rumors & Gossip, Tennis

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