Rick Reilly, Have a Clue about Boise

Rick Reilly is a columnist for ESPN.com, and he makes periodic appearances on ESPN.  He thrives upon composing humorous and entertainment based sports stories that don’t always hit the main issues themselves.  I have been a strong critic of Reilly’s style for a very long time.  He is a national pundit in every sense of the word; he focuses far too much on general stereotypes and often says things without processing them and the consequences of his statements.

For example, in one ESPN feature, Reilly inadvertently disrespected every US soccer player by speculating about how good the national team would be if players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Ryan Miller, and other star athletes played soccer instead of their own sports.  He sent the message that our current players weren’t the best the country could produce, and I took major offense to that belief and subsequent statement on national television.

In another feature, Reilly degraded the entire Philadelphia fanbase by arguing that Donovan McNabb was mistreated in Philly.  He stated that the fans should be apologizing to McNabb, and that nothing makes them happy. Of course, as with most pundits, one of his major points was that the fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus.  Hey Rick, that happened in the 1960s, get over it.  The fact that he simply stated that Philadelphia fans are not classy was unfounded and unprofessional.

So what must he have done this time to perturb me enough to write a blog entry?  This entry is a response to Rick Reilly’s article on ESPN.com, “Broncos Can’t Buck this Trend” (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5725597).  I recommend reading it, but if you would rather not, here is a general summary.  Reilly believes that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon, and should claim the top spot in the BCS rankings.  He feels that the Broncos are consistently disrespected, and argues that the resume of the Broncos trumps that of any other college football team.  If he wants to make that argument, that is fine, but my problem is with the lack of logic and intelligence with which he did so.

First, Reilly argues that Boise should be ranked above Auburn, and gives the stat that Auburn has 13 less wins in the last 5 seasons than Boise.  I have 3 problems with this statement.  First, and most obvious, the rankings are not based upon past years, the rankings are solely based upon what has happened this year.  Second, Auburn plays in the SEC, and doesn’t play Louisiana Tech and Idaho on a yearly basis.  Instead, the Tigers play LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas on a yearly basis.  Just a hunch, but I feel that playing Idaho and Louisiana Tech each year might lend itself to a few more wins per season than a team playing in the SEC.  So explain the thought process behind that stat, Rick.  Finally, the personnel is completely different at Auburn from even 2 years ago.  Head coach Gene Chizik was hired in 2009 after Tommy Tuberville was fired, and Heisman contender Cam Newton is a first year starter at Auburn.  But clearly, Rick Reilly thought all that through when he decided that the basis for his Boise State over Auburn argument was a difference of 13 wins in the last 5 years.

Second, Reilly defends the Broncos by arguing that they beat Oregon 19-8 last season at home, and that the Ducks undeservingly sit ahead of Boise.  Hey Rick, who was the starting quarterback for Oregon last year?  That’s right, it was Jeremiah Masoli, now the quarterback of Ole Miss.  Rick, meet Darren Thomas, the 2010 starter for the Ducks, who is tearing up the Pac 10 and everyone else right now.  When you make an argument about a head to head matchup, and the starting quarterback isn’t the same for the losing team in a previous season, that is stupid and inane, and has no bearing on anything whatsoever.

Third, Rick Reilly argues that Boise State plays and beats whoever is throw at them.  He states that Boise State beat San Jose State 48-0, and Wisconsin, who beat Ohio State and Iowa, only beat San Jose State by 13.  Compelling argument Rick, but I have a question, where are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa ranked in the BCS?  10, 11, and 18, respectively.  How about Boise? Number 3.  What exactly are you arguing, Rick?  That Boise should be ranked higher than Wisconsin? Done.  Higher than Ohio State? They already are.  Higher than Iowa?  They have been all year.  How your stat makes an argument that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon is beyond me.

Fourth, Reilly argues that since Boise crushed Wyoming 51-6, who almost beat Air Force, who almost beat Oklahoma, Boise could absolutely beat Oklahoma.  Again, my question to Rick is, where is Oklahoma ranked?  That’s right, 9th, 6 spots behind Boise.  Is it me, Rick, or are your arguments becoming less and less relevant as your article continues?

If you didn’t think it could get worse, it did.  He then stated, with regards to Boise State beating Oklahoma, “Oh wait, it already did [happen].”  Rick, that was January 1st, 2007.  Jared Zabransky and Ian Johnson are not playing for the Broncos anymore, and Paul Thompson and Adrian Peterson are not playing for the Sooners anymore.  A comparison to a game 4 years ago is completely ridiculous, and is embarrassing to you as a journalist, Rick.

Finally, Reilly argues that Boise would “carve up” the ACC because the Broncos “whipped” Virginia Tech on the road (I have a hard time calling a 33-30 game a “whipping,” and it technically was not a home game for Tech, either).  But Rick, tell me, what team in the ACC is ranked higher than Boise State, thus in your mind disrespecting the Broncos?  None.  Get your facts and logic straight, and then come back to me.

Pardon the point-by-point analysis, but I found nearly everything included in this article to be completely ridiculous and unprofessional in nature.  There was no logic involved, it was simply a biased opinion based upon readily available and popular facts that were thrown together in a way that made no sense whatsoever and negated every one of the points he tried to make.

The fact is that Boise is lucky to be ranked #3.  Missouri is undefeated with more quality wins than Boise State, and Alabama I have ranked ahead of Boise because of 3 quality wins that trump Boise’s top win over Virginia Tech.  So please, Rick Reilly, and all other national pundits who want to make an argument about Boise State, you can make the argument, but before doing so, please, have a clue.

Big Sports Day Roundup

Today was a big day in a lot of sports.  From soccer, to tennis, to hockey, to baseball, these sports had many notable and rare occurrences on this day.

Early this morning, the United States World Cup soccer team played against Algeria with a chance to advance to the round of 16.  In order to advance, the US either needed to win (which guaranteed qualification) or tie (with either an English loss to Slovenia or a tie by England in which the team scored less than 2 goals above that which the US scored today).  However, with an England win, the US team would need to win to assure its spot in the next round.

The English won, 1-0, and the US was tied after 90 minutes with Algeria.  The game remained tied shortly into stoppage time.  At that point, Algeria had a good opportunity to put the game away with a scoring chance of their own, but US goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped the threat and quickly started a counter attack by feeding the ball to Landon Donovan.  Donovan carried the ball down the field, passed to Jozy Altidore, who crossed to Clint Dempsey in front with the Algerian goaltender charging.  The ball went off Dempsey’s foot and off the goaltender, rebounding to about 8 yards from the goal line.  Donovan charged from the 18 to lace the ball on the ground into the back left corner of the net, and proceeded to slide headfirst into the left corner flag, at which point his teammates piled upon him.  After a few more stops in extra time, the final whistle sounded, and the United States had assured itself a spot in the round of 16.

For a nation that had such high hopes for its team, and a nation that hasn’t had much success in the World Cup in recent years, the 2nd half of the game could not have caused more anxiety from its fans.  The team had many chances that could not be converted, and the team saw its World Cup lives flash before its eyes.  However, in a moment, Landon Donovan became a legend, the United States moved on, and soccer became the primary focus in American sports for the month of June.  All because of a goal in stoppage time; that is the beauty of soccer.  USA will play Ghana in the next round of the World Cup.

In tennis, the match of the day at Wimbledon was John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut.  The match went 10 hours, and here is the kicker: It isn’t over.  The match went 5 sets and is still tied at 59-59.  The match was called as a result of darkness, and will be resumed tomorrow morning on ESPN.

Finally, New York Mets knuckleball starter R.A. Dickey pitched 8 scoreless innings en route to his 6th consecutive win.  He is now 6-0 this season, and is the first pitcher in Mets history (which included names such as Gooden and Seaver, among others) to record a win in each of his first 6 decisions.   In another NL East story, Jimmy Rollins hit a walk-off 2 run home run for the Phillies in only his second game back from the Disabled List.

In hockey, Henrik Sedin won the Hart Trophy (hockey’s MVP), Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy (best goaltender), Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy (best defensemen), Pavel Datsyuk won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), and Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (best behaved player).

World Cup Update

Some big stories from the first few days of the World Cup:

The Republic of South Africa (RSA), which is hosting this year’s World Cup, played in the opening game of the tournament and scored the first goal, a very fitting start to the tournament.

The United States played England for the first time in 60 years, for the first time since an undermanned and underrated US team shocked the heavily favored British in a World Cup game that would define the rivalry for years to come.  The US played to a draw against the again heavily favored English on Saturday, and the game was highlighted by a bad US goal which was allowed by the English goaltender Robert Green on a mishandled slow roller.

The use of the yard-long plastic instrument which has defined South African soccer and this year’s World Cup, the vuvuzela, has been debated by World Cup officials over the past few days.  The South African natives play this instrument for the entirety of matches, and the fans regard this instument as a big part of the culture.  However, the instrument emits a sound that is very bothersome for human ears, and extended exposure at high volumes can actually lead to hearing loss.  Many fans in the stadium have complained about the vuvuzelas, and television ratings have suffered as a result of the presence of these instruments.

My opinion?  I think they should be prohibited from the stadium.  Just as many venues do not allow noisemakers, the World Cup should follow suit.  It affects the quality of play on the field, as the players can not communicate effectively, but more importantly, it takes away from the fan experience at the stadium.  Imagine, for a minute, that you were lucky enough and wealthy enough to get tickets to the World Cup.  You are excited to go watch your favorite Americans play and represent the USA.  However, once you reach the stadium, your enthusiasm is suddenly quelled by some idiot in the seat behind you who is continuously playing the vuvuzela at its highest volume.  You can’t hear yourself think, you have a headache by the 20th minute, and you aren’t enjoying the game at all (and you spent thousands of dollars on this experience).  I am all for the culture, but there isn’t any respect for fellow fans at these World Cup games.  Maybe I will take a vuvuzela to Pebble Beach and play it on the first tee when Ernie Els steps to the tee.  See how he likes it.

Finally, there simply hasn’t been scoring in this year’s World Cup.  There have been 23 goals in 14 games (an average of 1.64 goals per game).  When one considers that there have only been 2 games where more than 2 goals were scored (Brazil over N. Korea 2-1 and Germany over Australia 4-0), the problem becomes even more visible.  Take out these two games and there have only been 16 goals in 12 games.  I love watching the World Cup, and in 2006 it captivated my summer, but in my opinion the lack of goal scoring is a big problem.  The lack of goal scoring has led to the inability of superior teams to differentiate themselves, which is clearly the point of soccer, and athletics on the whole.  What is the point of playing the games if the team that plays better rarely is rewarded for the performance? For example, although I am a USA fan, the United States was thoroughly outplayed by England.  However, since there has been a general inability to score goals, the English only had a 1 goal advantage when Robert Green slipped up in net and allowed Clint Demsey to score a bad goal.  It was a favorable outcome for the United States, but probably an outcome which was undeserved.  In another example, France had so many opportunities to score against Uruguay, and thoroughly outplayed them.  However, neither team could score, and France’s dominance was not rewarded, as the teams tied 0-0.  There have been many more examples of this trend in this year’s World Cup, and it is not a good trend.  The tournament to this point has not effectively rewarded the teams that have played better than the rest, and it would be a travesty if the team which was playing the best did not win the World Cup, or even didn’t advance from pool play.

So what would I do to rectify the situation?  Simple: Widen and heighten the nets.  How many balls go just wide of the net or just high?  A few a game, but not an unbelievable amount.  Bigger nets would showcase further the skill of the world’s best players and differentiate the talent on the field without causing unbelievably high scoring games.  Only a few more goals a game would be scored, but these few more goals would both encourage more people to watch and would reward more effectively the teams that play better and more cohesively.  That is my solution for the goal scoring problem that exists in soccer right now.  Widen and heighten the nets.