Change is in the Air

Banshee Sports was born on November 4, 2011 with this introductory post.  Since that day, this blog has gone through a few changes.  There has been a learning curve with photos.  I've experimented with formats, and I spent some coin on a graphic designer and some advertising.  Still, after fifteen months, this blog is still very much a work in progress.  Any decent blogger knows that bells and whistles are nice.  But it's content that creates success.  With that in mind, I'm excited to announce a few changes to Banshee Sports.

Banshee's Best:  Back in May, I decided that Banshee Sports needed a weekly feature.  So, This Week in Sports was born.  Turns out, this column was time consuming and tedious to write.  So this month, I took a poll on the Banshee Sports Facebook page about whether this weekly post should continue.  Based on the poll results and the comments, it seems some change is in order.  So, from this point forward, there will be a new weekly feature on Banshee Sports.  It will be called "Banshee's Best."  The word "best" is just in the title for alliteration.  The topic of the post will be Wild Banshee's favorite or most intriguing sports story.  Basically, just whatever captured my fancy during the week.  The post will be a Sunday evening feature.

Recurring Features:  What I'm learning is that every successful blog needs consistency and its own niche.  With that in mind, Banshee Sports will renew its commitment to some past features that have been fan favorites.  Temper, Temper, a quarterly feature highlighting the most outrageous sports meltdowns during the calendar year will continue.  Since, I am a girl and all, Banshee Sports will return to spending significant time on sports fashion.  The last Sports Fashionista column was published way back in June.  Moving forward, Sports Fashionista will be a monthly feature.  Although the primary focus of Banshee Sports is, of course, sports, we all know that food and drink are an important part of a game day gathering.  So, it should come as no surprise that Cooking with Banshee posts have always been amongst the most popular posts on this blog.  The new goal is to make sure that at least one food recipe and at least one drink recipe get posted each month.

Banshee Rant:  Over the summer, Banshee Sports decided to dip its toes into the world of podcasting.  The Banshee Rant was fun and popular, but short lived.  A couple of things have changed in Wild Banshee's life, so the plan is to bring the monthly podcast back.  Y'all can look forward to a renewal of the Rant to be released before the Super Bowl.

Collaborative Effort:  The beauty of the Internet is that it allows for a free flow of ideas and information.  For the first fifteen months, Banshee Sports has been pretty much a solo effort.  But, I always envisioned this site as more of a sports community than a sports soap box.  So, if any of you have written something that you think would fit well on this site, please send it along.  And, by all means, if you have ideas or requests for future posts, drop me a line.  Also, check out Banshee Sports on Facebook.  "Like" it if you like it and join in the fun.  And be sure to follow Wild Banshee on Twitter.

Cooking with Banshee: Party Punch Sangria

I recently conducted a poll about this blog's content on the Banshee Sports Facebook page.  While the final results require a little deeper analysis, one thing was clear.  The readers like Cooking with Banshee posts.  I strive to give the public what they want, so here is a little something I whipped up over the holidays.

My mom does not really fancy the taste of alcohol, so for New Years Eve, I decided to go with this sweet and festive beverage.  This drink isn't just tasty.  It's also pretty.  And, yes, I realize that adding the word "punch" to a sangria recipe is redundant, but it just seemed more fun that way.

Party Punch Sangria.

Ingredients:
1 bottle Shiraz
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 orange, cut into wedges
2 Tbs sugar
Splash of orange juice
4 shots triple sec
1 small can of diced pineapples with juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
4 cups ginger ale

Directions:
You need a very large pitcher for this.  Pour the wine into the pitcher.  Squeeze the juice from all the fruit wedges into the pitcher.  Drop the wedges in.  Try to keep out the seeds.  Add the sugar, orange juice, triple sec and can of pineapples.  Stir.  Chill overnight.  Just before serving, add the ginger ale and frozen strawberries.  Serve over ice.

Enjoy!


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NFL Conference Championship Predictions

In the Divisional Round, Wild Banshee went 3-1 on her predictions.  I felt very strongly about those picks.  Of course, I should have felt a little less strongly about the Broncos.  This week seems a lot less clear cut.  Despite the relatively large point spreads established by Vegas, I think both of these games are toss-ups.  As I was preparing for this column, I came up with arguments for all four teams to come out victorious.  So, after much internal debate, here are Wild Banshee's Conference Championship predictions.

San Francisco at Atlanta.  Sunday at 3:00 p.m. EST on FOX.  The Falcons are the #1 seed.  This game is being played in Atlanta because they went 13-3 in the regular season.  And yet, the Falcons are a 4.5 point underdog at home.  I am not part of the Falcon bashing crowd.  The Falcons are a very good team.  However, the San Francisco 49ers are a bad matchup for them.  Tony Gonzalez normally presents huge matchup problems for Falcons' opponents.  No so with the 49ers.  The Niners' scheme in the nickel package and the athleticism of their linebackers will allow them to contain Gonzalez.  On the other side of the ball, I do expect the young Kaepernick to struggle at times in the loud Georgia Dome.  But, in the end, I believe that the Niners' physical offensive line will eventually wear down the Falcons in the second half.  I expect this game to be competitive throughout, but the 49ers will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Baltimore at New England.  Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.  The AFC Championship game features two veteran teams whose players and coaches have been in this big spot before.  Vegas has the Patriots favored by more than a touchdown.  That's a lot in a conference championship game.  Any team with Tom Brady at quarterback is capable of an offensive explosion that leads to a blowout.  However, I do not believe that will happen in New England today.  In fact, I do not believe the Patriots will win at all.  The Patriots are playing this game without TE Rob Gronkowski due to a broken arm.  The Patriots played five games in the regular season without Gronkowski.  Statistically, it looks like the Pats didn't miss Gronk very much.  But, four of those five games were against the Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars and the declining Texans.  The Ravens are a cut above that group.  Both teams had defenses that were in the middle of the pack in the regular season.  But, the Patriots primary weakness lines up with the Ravens primary strength.  Although the Patriots have improved lately, their primary weakness has been against the deep pass.  And the Ravens excel at the deep pass.  I expect Flacco to hit Jones and Smith for a couple of game-changing plays.  And I expect those plays will be enough for the Ravens to win a nail biter, thus setting up the Harbowl in New Orleans.

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NFL Playoff Predictions: Divisional Round

I was a slacker last weekend and did not write a column.  But, for those of you who are interested, I was 3-1 in my official contest picks for the first round of the playoffs.  My only hiccup was misplaced faith in the Cincinnati Bengals.  This week, I'm back to posting.  Here are my predictions in the order that the games will be played.

Baltimore at Denver:  Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST on CBS.  The Baltimore Ravens won an emotional game over the Colts last week to open the playoffs.  Ray Lewis announced his retirement earlier in the week and danced and screamed his way to victory.  Meanwhile, Peyton Manning and company were resting up.  All week, we've been hearing that Manning has struggled in cold weather playoff games.  According to the Weather Channel, the high today in the Mile High city is going to be 15 degrees.  Yikes!  It's going to be hard for anyone to throw the ball in that weather.  And, although the national focus this year has rightfully been on the resurgance of Peyton Manning, the Broncos have actually run the ball for almost as many yards as the Ravens.  So, both teams will have to respect the run.  In the end, I believe it will be the defenses that decide this game.  And, as weird as it feels to type this, I believe that edge goes to the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos were fourth in the NFL in scoring defense, and that is better than the Ravens mark.  Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are great players, but time waits for no man ... especially when trying to tackle NFL running backs.  I think this game will be competitive throughout but that the Broncos will eventually win by a comfortable margin.

Green Bay at San Francisco:  Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST on FOX.  This is a rematch from Week 1.  San Francisco won that game 30-22 in Green Bay.  And, in that game, the 49ers were clearly the more physical team.  Things have changed some since the start of the season.  Most notably, the 49ers no longer have the steady hand of Alex Smith at the helm.  Instead, they have the potentially more explosive but clearly more unpredictable Colin Kaepernick.  But the thing that has remained the same is the 49ers defense and running game, especially with the return this week of Pro Bowl DE Justin Smith.  Last week's respectable performance against Adrian Peterson notwithstanding, the Packers have been a bit porous against the run.  That will eventually cost the Packers this week.  The 49ers will be able to chew up enough clock and keep Aaron Rogers off the field just long enough to pull out a close victory.

Seattle at Atlanta:  Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on FOX.  Right now the Seattle Seahawks are darlings of the national media.  And it's easy to see why.  They have a quarterback in Russell Wilson who is easy to root for. We all got to see the 'Hawks throttle the 49ers on NBC on a Sunday night in late December.  And, Seattle's strong defense and running game should travel well.  But, let me remind you that the Atlanta Falcons are the #1 seed in the NFC.  The Falcons finished the season with a record of 13-3.  That kind of record is not a fluke.  And while the Seahawks have showed defensive dominance in the last month over the likes of the 49ers and the Redskins, they have not faced a receiving corps anywhere near the caliber of the Falcons'.  I am not saying that the Falcons will fly up and down the field.  But, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzales will get the Falcons some points.  The other factor is that Seattle is coming from the West Coast for a 1:00 p.m. EST kickoff.  Gamblers will tell you that West Coast teams with early kickoffs on the East Coast consistently struggle.  Add to that the fact that the Seahawks are making their second trip to the East Coast in as many weeks.  That is a lot for a young team to overcome.  Mattie Ice and the Falcons will come out of the gates fast.  The Seahawks will eventually regroup and perform respectably, but they will not be able to overcome the Falcons' explosion to start the game.

Houston at New England:  Sunday at 4:30 on CBS.  We saw this game a month ago.  On December 10, the Patriots annihilated the Texans 42-14.  I understand that both teams enter the game with identical records of 12-4.  But, they are clearly trending in different directions.  The Texans lost 3 of their final 4 games heading into the playoffs.  The Patriots only loss since Week 6 came against San Francisco.  Not too shabby.  I do not expect this game to be competitive.  I don't know if the Patriots can repeat their 42-point performance, but I do expect Brady and the boys to win by at least three touchdowns.

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NFL Prediction Report Card: Final Grades

The regular season is done and the playoffs are underway.  So, it is time for me to look back at my preseason predictions and hand out some grades.

AFC East:  In the preseason predictions, I certainly did not go out on the limb.  I predicted that the Patriots would win the division, and they came through.  In order to give a meaningful final grade, I need to look a little deeper into the predictions.  I was correct that the Jets would take a serious step backwards.  I was also correct that the Dolphins would be respectable but fail to get to .500.  The Patriots finished with a record of 12-4 and secured a first round bye.  The Dolphins finished in second with a losing record of 7-9.  First Quarter Grade: B+     Midterm Grade: A-     Third Quarter Grade: A     Final Grade: A+

AFC North:  The preseason prediction that the Ravens would win the division proved to be accurate, although the Super Bowl aspirations might have been a bit of an over-sell.  But, once again, I have to look beyond the top of the division to give myself an accurate grade.  As predicted, an aging Steelers team took a step backward and missed the playoffs.  Meanwhile, the Bengals are making a return trip o the playoffs.  Not too shabby.  First Quarter Grade: A     Midterm Grade: B     Third Quarter Grade: B+     Final Grade: A+

(Matt Kryger/Indianapolis Star)

AFC South:  It was easy to predict that the Houston Texans would win the division, and that did come true.  But, if I am going to be taking credit for digging deeper in the other divisions, then I have to mark myself down in this division for the same reasons.  After twelve games, the Texans did indeed look like one of the best teams in the NFL.  At that point they were 11-1.  But, the Texans stumbled down the stretch and finished up at 12-4.  In contrast, the Colts far exceeded anyone's expectations.  At 11-5, the Colts finished just one game behind the Texans and made the playoffs as a wild card.  Therefore, my season long slide in grades continues to the final mark.  First Quarter Grade: A+     Midterm Grade: A     Third Quarter Grade: A-     Final Grade: B+

AFC West:  I need to start my evaluation of this division with a heartfelt apology to Peyton Manning.  I underestimated his greatness.  I also underestimated the greatness of the rest of his teammates.  I predicted that the Broncos would have a losing record.  I predicted that the Chiefs would win the division and that the Raiders would be a wild card team.  As it turns out, the Broncos ended the year at 13-3 and tied for the best record in all of football.  The Chiefs and the Raiders combined for just six wins total.  Yikes!  First Quarter Grade: D-     Midterm Grade: F     Third Quarter Grade: F     Final Grade: F

NFC East:  Like the rest of the world, I predicted that the Eagles would win this division.  And, like the rest of the world, I was sorely mistaken.  The Eagles finished 4-12 and tied with the Lions for the worst record in the NFC.  I did predict that the Redskins would take big strides forward this year, but I certainly did not think they would win the division.  The only thing that keeps me from getting another F in this division is that I correctly predicted that the Super Bowl champion New York Giants would not make the playoffs this year.  First Quarter Grade: A     Midterm Grade: C     Third Quarter Grade: D+     Final Grade: D

NFC North:  In the NFC North, I predicted that two teams would make the playoffs.  I was right about that, but I was wrong about who the wild card team would be.  I overestimated the win totals for any of the teams in this division.  The Packers did win the division, but at 11-5, they fell short of the thirteen wins I projected.  Due a tie-break, the Minnesota Vikings edged out the Bears for the wild card spot.  First Quarter Grade: B     Midterm Grade: A-     Third Quarter Grade: A-     Final Grade: B+

NFC South:  The Atlanta Falcons dominated this division ... and most of the rest of the league.  I did accurately predict that the Falcons would win the NFC South, but I certainly did not predict a 13-3 season for the Dirty Birds.  I won't mark myself down for this.  But, I sorely missed the mark with the Saints.  I believed that they would do just fine without Sean Peyton and would still make the playoffs.  After getting off to an 0-4 start, the Saints never really challenged for the division and finished with a losing record.  First Quarter Grade: B     Midterm Grade: A     Third Quarter Grade: A     Final Grade: B

NFC West:  Just as everyone predicted, the San Francisco 49ers repeated as division champions.  I was also correct that the Cardinals would finish last.  The Rams finished at 7-9, right around the .500 mark that I predicted.  However, I greatly underestimated the Seattle Seahawks.  They were not only respectable.  At 11-5, they were downright good and almost won the division.  First Quarter Grade: B     Midterm Grade: A     Third Quarter Grade: A     Final Grade: A-


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Temper Temper: Best Sports Tantrums of 2012

Throughout the year, I have been gathering the best sports temper tantrums of each season on the calendar and compiling them in quarterly posts.  Well, today is the last day of 2012, so I put together a list of my favorite five temper tantrums from the 2012 sports year.  This list is so good that Meta World Peace's crushing elbow on Earth Day didn't even make the list.  And neither did the opening face off playoff fight between the Rangers and the Devils.  So, without further ado ...


#5.  Who do you think you are?  I am!  I'll be honest.  I'm not really sure if this is a temper tantrum or just a mental breakdown.  But, it involved a professional bowler, so it definitely makes the 2012 highlights.  The Iceman Pete Weber won the PBA's U.S. Open on February 26, 2012.  This was his 5th title.  And this is how he "celebrated."  

#4.  Kicking and Screaming.  Thanks to John McEnroe, tennis has long had a reputation for spoiled brat outbursts.  But, David Nalbandian took things to a whole new level back in June when he bloodied a line judge at the Aegon Championships at Queens.

#3.  Kurt Busch being Kurt Busch.  Back in the Spring, NASCAR had put Kurt Busch on probation.  After a Nationwide race at Dover in June, Kurt comments on how the sanctions have impacted him.

#2.  Minor League Game ... Major League Meltdown.  Clearly, the best baseball in America is played in the Major Leagues.  But, the minor leagues have given us some of the best baseball tantrums of all time.  Joe Mikulik, manager of the single A Asheville Tourists made name for himself back in 2006 with an epic tantrum.  Mikulik was back at it again this July when he lost control in a game against the Charleston River Dogs.  The best part about this video is the play-by-play commentary from the local news anchors.

#1.  Pit Road Brawl.  For the worst display of sportsmanship and self-control of 2012, we return to NASCAR.  In the next-to-last race of the season, Jeff Gordon took out a season's worth of frustration with Clint Bowyer by intentionally wrecking him with just two laps to go in the race.  That outrageous decision caused Clint Bowyer's team to seek some street justice on pit road.  The result was a brawl in the garage area.  Due to the access that NASCAR fans and media have to the pit area, there were a plethora of live tweets and pictures of the incident as it developed.  Apparently, Jeff Gordon was saved from harm when his own pit crew pinned him up against a tool box and surrounded him there.  And, according to reports, a nearby police officer kept this incident from getting really out of hand when he stopped two of the combatants from throwing a tire they had picked up.  All of this happened before Clint Bowyer got out of his car and sprinted to Gordon's hauler in hopes of settling things mano y mano.  Unfortunately, my favorite part of the whole chain of events is not on this video.  On the live TV broadcast, ESPN cut to commercial immediately after these events.  The commercial that aired was an ad for 5-Hour Energy.  In that commercial, Clint Bowyer is seen stalking through the woods in camouflage with a compound bow.  Classic timing.

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This Week in Sports: December 27, 2012

Christmas has come and gone.  2012 is drawing to a close, and 2013 is just around the corner.  And, as usual, the holiday season is a sports extravaganza.

The Week That Was:  It's still early in the college basketball season and the best bowl games are yet to come.  So, pro sports led the way this past week.

(Jason Cohn/Reuters)

NFL:  Week 16 is in the books.  In the AFC, the playoff picture is pretty well set.  New England clinched their fourth straight AFC East title way back on December 2.  The Denver Broncos also clinched the AFC West that same day.  The Houston Texans clinched the AFC South on December 16 with a win at home over the surprising Indianapolis Colts.  The Ravens were the last team in the AFC to clinch their division.  Baltimore clinched the AFC North by hammering the Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Sunday by a score of 33-14.  That loss eliminated the Giants from any chance of winning the NFC East.  Both AFC wild card berths were also locked up this Sunday.  Despite losing to the Texans the week before, the Colts locked up a wild card spot this weekend by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs.  That left one wild card spot for either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Cincinnati BengaRls.  Those two teams played each other this weekend in Pittsburgh.  With less than a minute to go in the game, the score was tied 10-10.  The Steelers had the ball in their own half of the field.  And, for the second week in a row, Ben Roethlisberger threw a critical, late-game interception.  The Bengals then threw one pass to move the ball into field goal range and kicked a last-second field goal to win the game 13-10.

In the NFC, things are a little more unsettled.  After beating the Lions 31-18 on Saturday night, the Falcons clinched the NFC South and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a record of 13-2.  The Green Bay Packers clinched the NFC North on December 16 with a 21-13 victory over the Bears.  The remaining two divisions are yet to be decided.  In the NFC East, both the Giants and the Cowboys lost this weekend while the Redskins won.  That left the 9-6 Redskins in sole possession of first place in the division.  The Giants loss put their playoff hopes in dire straits.  However, the Cowboys still control their own destiny since they play the Redskins in the final game of the year.  The top two teams in the NFC West faced off against each other on Sunday night when the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Seattle to play the Seahawks.  The Seahawks proved that they can roll up the points even against one of the league's best defenses as they romped over the Niners by a score of 42-13.  Both the Niners and the Seahawks have already clinched playoff berths, but that win brought the Seahawks within a half game of the Niners for the top spot in the division.

(Paul Beaty/AP)

NBA:  Last year, due to a lockout, the NBA season began on Christmas day.  This year, the season got started back in the fall, but many people look at Christmas as the real start of the season.  The NBA took advantage of having the sports stage to themselves and gave us an impressive slate of games.  The most anticipated matchup of the day was a rematch of last year's NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Once again, it was the Heat who came out on top with a 103-97 victory on their home floor.  Out on the west coast, the Lakers welcomed Steve Nash back to the lineup and beat the red-hot New York Knicks by a score of 100-94.  Perhaps the most surprising score of the day was in Chicago.  Jeremy Lin took his Houston Rockets to the Windy City and trounced the Bulls 120-97.


The Week Ahead:  The marquis college bowl games are finally coming in the week ahead.  But first, the NFL wraps up its regular season.

NFL:  We shall start this week's preview in the AFC where things are pretty simple.  All the playoff berths are clinched.  It's just seeding and home field that are left to be decided in the last week of the season.  If the Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts, then the Texans will be the #1 seed and the road to the Super Bowl will run through Houston.  That game also has extra importance because it will also mark the return of Colts' head coach Chuck Pagano after his season-long battle with cancer.  That game will air on CBS at 1:00 p.m. EST.  If the Denver Broncos win their game against Kansas City then they will clinch a first round bye.  That game will air on CBS at 4:25 EST.  The New England Patriots also still have a chance to grab home field throughout the playoffs if they beat the Dolphins.  But that can only happen if the Broncos and the Texans both lose.  That game will be shown on CBS at 4:25 EST.

(Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

In the NFC, there are many important games.  Unlike the AFC, it's not just the seeds that will be settled this weekend.  Several of the playoff berths themselves are still up for grabs.  As it stands right now, Atlanta and Green Bay have both clinched their divisions.  Either the Niners or the Seahawks will win the NFC West, and the other will clinch a wild card berth.  The Minnesota Vikings cannot win their division, but they have the inside track to the second wild card slot.  The Vikings will host the Packers on Sunday.  If the Vikings win then they are in the playoffs.  If the Vikings lose, they are not automatically eliminated, but they would need a complicated combination of other things to fall into place.  The Vikings and the Packers will be shown on FOX at 4:25 p.m. EST.  Since that game is late in the day, both the Giants and the Bears can keep their playoff hopes alive by winning in their 1:00 p.m. games.  The Giants will host the Eagles.  The Bears will visit the Lions.  Both games will air on FOX.  But the biggest game of the weekend will be the last game of the regular season when the Dallas Cowboys travel to the nation's capital to play the Washington Redskins.  The winner of the game wins the NFC East and will host a first round playoff game.  If the Cowboys lose, they are eliminated.  The same is likely true for the Redskins.  NBC used their flex scheduling privileges to move this game into primetime on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. EST.

College Football:  Bowl games have already been underway for about two weeks.  New Years Day will mark the start of the BCS bowls.  But before that, there are two games that stand out from the rest of the pre-New Years schedule.  On Saturday, December 29, #23 Texas will play #13 Oregon State in San Antonio at the Valero Alamo Bowl.  This game features a match-up between the Big 12 and the PAC-12.  That game will air on ESPN at 6:45 p.m. EST.  On New Years Eve, #8 LSU will play #13 Clemson in Atlanta in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.  The ACC did not have a lot to brag about as a conference this season.  This matchup will go a long way toward measuring the true difference in depth between the ACC and the SEC.  That game will be shown on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. EST.

(Andrew Weber/US Presswire)

On New Years Day, six bowl games will be played.  The Rose Bowl will be the first of the BCS games on that day.  In that game, the Wisconsin Badgers will represent the Big 10, and #6 Stanford will represent the PAC-12.  Wisconsin reached the game by virtue of winning the Big 10 Championship game against Nebraska.  However, Wisconsin was only in that championship game because Ohio State and Penn State were not eligible for post season play.  As a result, Stanford is a significant favorite in the game.  The Rose Bowl will be shown on ESPN at 5:00 p.m. EST.  The final game of the day is the game that intrigues me the most of all the bowls besides the National Championship Game.  #12 Florida State will play #15 Northern Illinois in the Fed-Ex Orange Bowl.  Florida State comes into the game with a record of 11-2.  The Seminoles earned a BCS berth as the champion of the beleaguered ACC.  The Northern Illinois Huskies have a record of 12-1 and are the MAC champions.  The MAC is not an automatic qualifier.  In order to maintain any pride through the offseason, the ACC really needs Florida State to flex its muscles on the national stage in the Orange Bowl.  This game will be played at 8:30 p.m. EST and will be shown on ESPN.

After New Years Day, there will be six more bowl games left to be played, including the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS National Championship game.  Hopefully, Banshee Sports will be publishing a midweek, college football update to get you ready for those games.

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Temper Temper: Sports Tantrums of Fall

It's December 20, 2012.  That means it's the last day of fall.  And, if the Mayans are right, it could also be the last day of your life.  If that's true, then it's important to get in one last installment of the recurring feature, "Temper Temper."


Fight Night in Boston.  Thanks to his very public marriage to and divorce from Kim Kardashian, Kris Humprhies of the Brooklyn Nets is known more as a lover than a fighter.  But on November 28, Humphries ends up in a brawl in Boston that spilled into the crowd.  It all starts off with Humphries giving Kevin Garnett a little extra on a hard foul.  Then little man, Rajon Rondo comes rushing into the fray and pushes Humphries out of bounds and into the fans.  My favorite part of this video is how the refs keep blowing the whistle throughout.  Like the players were going to suddenly realize the play had been blown dead and stop fighting in the crowd.

Respect My Authoritah!  Typically, fights in the sports world are between opposing teams.  At the very least, they are between players.  But, there was a breakdown in discipline on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' sidelines on December 16, 2012.  In this video, linebacker Adam Hayward gets into a pushing match with an assistant coach.  At least this particular assistant is Bryan Cox who is still quite capable of holding his own.

Save It For the Other Guys.  On December 15, the Arizona Wildcats played the Nevada Wolfpack in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.  Although Arizona won the game, 49-48 their defense didn't really participate in the game.  Maybe that is because their players used up all their hits on each other.  Unlike the sideline battle above, this goes beyond just a little pushing and shoving.  Tevin Hood and Cody Ippolito guys are throwing haymakers.

Pit Road Brawl.  When you have the same guys trading paint with each other every weekend over the course of a 36-race schedule, there are bound to be some raw nerves.  But things really boiled over in NASCAR's penultimate race at Phoenix.  Jeff Gordon took out a season's worth of frustration with Clint Bowyer by intentionally wrecking him with just two laps to go in the race.  That outrageous decision caused Clint Bowyer's team to seek some street justice on pit road.  The result was a brawl in the garage area.  Due to the access that NASCAR fans and media have to the pit area, there were a plethora of live tweets and pictures of the incident as it developed.  Apparently, Jeff Gordon was saved from harm when his own pit crew pinned him up against a tool box and surrounded him there.  And, according to reports, a nearby police officer kept this incident from getting really out of hand when he stopped two of the combatants from throwing a tire they had picked up.  All of this happened before Clint Bowyer got out of his car and sprinted to Gordon's hauler in hopes of settling things mano y mano.  Unfortunately, my favorite part of the whole chain of events is not on this video.  On the live TV broadcast, ESPN cut to commercial immediately after these events.  The commercial that aired was an ad for 5-Hour Energy.  In that commercial, Clint Bowyer is seen stalking through the woods in cammo with a compound bow.  Classic timing.

Check back later this month when Banshee Sports posts its five favorite tantrum of 2012.

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Everything In It's Place

This fall, the United States held its 54th presidential election.  But, it was the first election held during the Twitter era.  As such, during every debate and on election night, sports fans were subjected to 140 characters worth of political opinions from athletes and sports writers.  This resulted in mass complaining and mass unfollowing.  That reaction led to sports figures shouting back that they are entitled to their opinions.  They further shouted that those who don't want their opinions on their Twitter feeds are just too shallow and intolerant to appreciate what they have to say.

On Saturday, December 1, 2012, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs shot and killed the mother of his child before shooting and killing himself in front of Chiefs officials.  Because this story involved a murder and suicide committed by a football player, during the season and on team property, this was understandably reported by sports media outlets.  But, the next day, Bob Costas took advantage of the situation and his bully pulpit to turn his halftime segment during NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast into a monologue on the need for more gun control laws.  To be expected, this did not sit well with many gun-owning football fans across the country.  And predictably, the sports media establishment rallied behind Costas and his freedom of speech.

On December 17, 2012, Syracuse defeated Detroit on the basketball court.  As a result, Jim Boeheim became the third coach in Division I men's basketball history to win 900 games.  As a result, Boeheim was a popular guest on the sports talk shows the following day.  Boeheim started the morning on ESPN's popular TV/radio show Mike and Mike in the Morning.  Later in the day, Boeheim was on the Dan Patrick Show on NBC Sports.  On both occasions, the basketball coach used the platform to discuss gun legislation in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  Although Boeheim's opinions are clearly heartfelt and possibly well-informed, the timing and venue of his comments left many in the audience feeling uneasy.  And once again, those uneasy folks were labeled as close-minded and unsophisticated by others with widespread access to the public.

But judgements as to the mental acuity or the complexity of thought of those who prefer not to mix their sports and politics is simply unfair.  It's not that these uneasy fans do not think sports personalities are prohibited from having opinions about social issues.  Rather, these fans understand two things.  First, sports are a diversion from real life.  Second, and more importantly, these fans know that everything has a place.  In our increasingly compartmentalized society, we look to different people for different information.

This principle doesn't just apply to hot button political issues and elections.  Let me run you through a few scenarios.  If you show up to a meeting with your financial advisor, do you want him to hand you a brochure about your mutual fund's performance or give you a copy of his March Madness bracket?  When you sit in a church pew, do you want the minister to preach from the Word or do you want them to compare and contrast the 3-4 and 4-3 defensive schemes?  When you turn on CNN, do you want Soledad O'Brien to talk about the turmoil in Egypt or to talk about the pros and cons of the BCS?  The answers to those questions are obvious.  Likewise, sports fans do not turn on sports shows in order to hear political and social debates.

And lest you are thinking that I, the Wild Banshee, am a one dimensional, vapid and sheltered individual, I will give you a rare glimpse behind the curtain.  I have a degree in political science.  And, I have stood in a yard as flies swarmed around a dead body that was face down with bullet holes in its head.  When we turned the body over, some of those bullets were mushroomed into the ground.  So, I actually do know a thing or two about gun violence.  I am interested in the gun legislation debate.  But, I am not interested in having that debate at halftime of a Cowboys game or in the midst of an early morning college basketball discussion.

I realize that even venturing into this topic on a sports blog is somewhat hypocritical, but I've struggled for months to put my finger on what has been making me uneasy about the sports and political dialogue over the past few months.  And, since I pay for this domain name, I didn't want to let these thoughts just slip away.  Come back later in the week and we'll be back to light-hearted sports commentary.


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This Week in Sports: December 14, 2012

The Week That Was:  In December, it is hard to find something more important in the sports world than NFL football, but this week gave us a stunning result in the world of boxing.

(Getty Images)

Boxing:  On Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez faced off against each other for the fourth time in their careers.  Officially, Pacquiao had one two of the three previous bouts.  The other was officially ruled a draw.  But controversy and dispute surrounded all three previous fights.  Pacquiao-Marquez IV was televised on HBO pay-per-view, and the folks who shelled out the $65 to watch the fight certainly got their money's worth.  This time around, Marquez took the decision out of the judge's hands when he delivered a thundering right hand that knocked the Pacman out cold in the sixth round.  Both men had been knocked down earlier in the fight.  Most observers had Pacquiao ahead on the scorecards heading into the sixth round.  And it was Pacman who was turning up the pressure in an attempt to finish off Marquez before the bell sounded to end the sixth round.  And then ... BANG!  Marquez landed one of the most punishing single punches I have ever seen.  Pacquiao fell face down like a sack of rotten potatoes and was motionless for several minutes before he was able to get onto a stool in his corner.  And with that, the future of the world's most popular fighter is in serious doubt.

Heisman:  Johnny Manziel made history on Saturday night when he became the first freshman to win the Heisman trophy.  Typically, the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City, the organization that awards the Heisman, invites five finalists to attend the awards ceremony,  This year, only three finalists were in attendance.  The third place finisher was Colin Klein, quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats.  The runner-up this year was Manti Te'o, a linebacker and pure defensive player from Notre Dame.  Both Te'o and Klein are seniors.  But, it was the freshman quarterback from Texas A&M that won college football's most prestigious award.

(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

NFL:  With only a few games left on the NFL schedule, every game takes on do-or-die importance for the teams fighting for a playoff berth.  In the NFC, the Chicago Bears relinquished their spot atop the NFC North by losing to the Vikings.  Meanwhile, almost everyone else in contention in the NFC won this week.  At the end of Week 14, the division leaders in the NFC are the New York Giants, the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers.  The Seahawks and the Bears hold the wild card positions with records of 8-5.  The Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys are hot on their heels with records of 7-6.  It should be noted that the Redskins and the Cowboys are also only one game behind the Giants for the division crown in the NFC East.

In the AFC, things are a little more clear cut.  The marquis matchup of the week was on Monday night when the 11-1 Houston Texans visited the 9-3 New England Patriots.  The Patriots thrashed the Texans 42-14.  Nonetheless, the Texans still have the AFC's best record at 11-2.  The Patriots and the Broncos have also both clinched playoff berths.  Although it's not a mathematical certainty, the Baltimore Ravens and the surprising Indianapolis Colts are both in solid playoff positions with records of 9-4.  That leaves the Steelers and the Bengals locked in a battle for the final playoff berth.  The Bengals already won their Week 15 matchup on Thursday night to move to 8-6.  The Steelers head into the week with a record of 7-6.


The Week Ahead:  Heading into mid-December, the NFL clearly takes center stage.

NFL:  In terms of the NFC playoff picture, two games jump off the schedule for Week 15.  First is the New York Giants versus the Atlanta Falcons.  The Falcons are sitting pretty at 11-2 and have already clinched their division.  The Giants are coming off a convincing route of the Saints but are barely clinging to a one-game lead over the Cowboys and the Redskins for the top spot in the NFC East.  That game will be shown on FOX at 1:00 p.m. EST.  The other pivotal NFC game this week features the the Packers at the Bears.  The Packers currently have a one-game lead over the Bears in the NFC North division.  The Bears currently have a one-game lead over the Cowboys, Vikings and Redskins for a wild card berth.  That game will also be shown by FOX at 1:00 p.m. EST.  In a cross-conference match-up, the Steelers are visiting the Cowboys.  Both teams are 7-6.  The winner is still very much in the playoff hunt while the loser is in serious trouble.  That game will be shown on CBS at 4:25 p.m. EST.  Perhaps the most anticipated game of the weekend is NBC's Sunday night matchup between the 49ers and the Patriots.  Although it will have little impact on the playoffs picture, according to many pundits, this game may very well be a Super Bowl preview.  The game will be played at New England at 8:20 p.m. EST.  NBC will broadcast the game.

College Basketball:  March Madness is still three months away.  But, for all you bracketologists out there, it's never too early to start scouting the college basketball landscape.  On Saturday afternoon, the #5 Florida Gators head out west to face the #8 Arizona Wildcats.  CBS will broadcast that game at 2:00 p.m. EST.

(Al Messerschmidt)

College Football:  The Bowl Season kicks off this weekend.  All tolled, there will be 35 bowl games played.  The first one on the schedule is the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.  That game between Arizona and Nevada will kick off on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.  The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl between Toledo and #18 Utah State will be shown on Saturday on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. EST.  On Thursday night, BYU will play San Diego State in the San Diego County Credit Union Pointsettia Bowl.  Yes, you read that correctly.  That game will be shown on ESPN at 8:00 p.m.  This week's schedule finishes off with the always thrilling Beef O'Brady's Bowl.  This year's matchup between Ball State and Central Florida will be shown on Friday night on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. EST.  Click here for a a complete, printable bowl schedule.

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