UNC quarterback pranked by whole team

Spring football can only mean one thing: pranks. This is one of the better ones I have seen from UNC. The whole team falls to the ground after the ball is snapped. Classic. This actually happened in the fall according to yahoo.com but it is clear that the poor QB Bryn Renner was not at all happy about this refusing to high five teammates after running off the field. Props to new coach Larry Fedora for this one though.

Unicorn spotted at Anaheim Angels game last night

No I am not lying, there was actually a unicorn in the front row of the Angels game last night. As to why the unicorn was there I have no idea, but what I do know is that the commentators do a great job with this making the most out of this unusual sighting.

What ever happened to JaMarcus Russell?

                   

Do you guys remember that stud quarterback from LSU that was hailed as the savior of the Oakland Raiders? Do you remember the guy who was so strong he could throw a football 70 yards from his knees? I do, and his name is JaMarcus Russell, probably THE biggest bust in NFL history along with Ryan Leaf. It was this week in 2007 that he was drafted #1 overall by Al Davis and company. After a tumultuous three seasons in the league filled with interceptions, sacks, fumbles, sacks, fumbles, interceptions more interceptions and poor decisions, he was cut and has yet to play a down in any league. In honor of the draft tonight, (and seeing some memes about him, and watching Stephen A. Smith rants) I went searching for an update on this fascinating character. Well I found a very compelling piece done ESPN this week about the downfall and his attempt to make a comeback to football which is posted above. Check it out and do not forget to tune into the draft tonight live on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. from New York City. Also do not forget to do this week's poll!

Has the era of German dominance begun?

     

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2013/matches/round=2000350/match=2009608/postmatch/report/index.html?autoplay=true

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2013/matches/round=2000350/match=2009609/postmatch/report/index.html#bayern+overrun+barcelona

^Highlights and reaction from the two Champions League Games

Let's be honest, did anyone even think these Champions League semi-final scores were even possible? I mean we had the giants of Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) against two very good but underrated German teams (Munich and Dortmund).
Honestly, let's think about it for a second. Barcelona, lead by the three time player of the year Lionel Messi and a cast of superstars could not even score one goal against Bayern Munich?? That is crazy 4-0 which is the worst Champions League defeat in Barcelona history. The Bayern roster is also stacked from top to bottom including the likes of Robben, Muller, and Gomez. I think they have been overshadowed/flying under the radar due to Barcelona thus it was good to see them make a statement and say that they CAN defeat "Goliath". Bayern Munich don't forget has been the runner up twice in the last three years, in 2010 and 2012 losing to Inter and Chelsea.Do not forget it was Bayern last year that eliminated Real from Champions League last year.  Just another fun fact of why this team should be taken seriously is that they are currently 20 points ahead of Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Now I didn't forget about you Real Madrid. After seeing what happened to your La Liga counterpart yesterday you get absolutely blasted by Robert Lewandowski and company 4-1. Real is even lucky they scored a goal as it was due to an error by the usually flawless Mats Hummels. Lewandowski had four goals against a very sloppy and inefficient Real defense I mean it was unbelievable. Though Madrid was in possession of the ball 56% of the time they failed to capitalize on anything whatsoever. They were clearly overwhelmed and under prepared from the first minute of the match.

So what does this all mean? Spanish football has delivered consistently in club and international competitions therefore it was no surprise that Barcelona and Mardid were the heavy favorites to meet in the final (combined 13 UCL titles). I think the Spanish clubs underestimated how good Bayern and Dortmund really are. If any of you watched the game it was clear who was in control of the game. Yes, there is one more game to play for each but I think it is clear that the Germans have caught up to the Spanish. Dortmund is a young team with a lot of potential and can continue to grow and learn making them even more dangerous in years to come depending on if they can keep all of their talent. Bayern on the hand is a skillful team that can beat you in many different ways. When was the last time we saw Barcelona get dominated like that? Age possibly has something to do with this but I also believe that the talent level of the German clubs of predominantly German players has caught up.This is potentially the first step in German dominance over European football on both the club and international level. Here is one more scary thought. Pep Guardiola will become the Bayern coach next year after guiding Barcelona to dozens of trophies and the average age of the Dortmund team is 24. If Dortmund can somehow keep their stars being lured by other major clubs then they will be competing for the next several years. That being said mark your calendars folks here are the times for the away matches.

Tuesday April 30th: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund 1:45 p.m.
Wednesday May 1st: Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich 1:45 p.m.

KD on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Man, when I first saw this cover, it gave me goose bumps. Kevin Durant shooting a jump shot with a quote of him in the background about how he is tired of being second. How perfect. This cover is a very accurate representation of how Durant feels and his aspirations of becoming an NBA champion. Not only is the front of this issue (which should be an instant classic) and going to be one of the memorable ones especially for Thunder fans great, but it is what we find out about KD on the inside that shows you his devotion to winning. Did you know he hired an analytic expert to help him improve his shot selection and increase his shooting percentage? Go ahead read for yourself because if there is one thing to take away, is that no one is hungrier to become #1 then number 35.

http://nba.si.com/2013/04/23/kevin-durant-oklahoma-city-thunder-sports-illustrated-cover/

Jacksonville unveils new jerseys

Today the Jaguars and Nike unveiled new jerseys for the upcoming 2013-14 football season. After a logo change was announced earlier this year, the team has now also changed the uniform. There are some very interested features to this new design, including the helmet being two colors half and half. Do not fear it is not as bad as the dreaded Maryland helmets. Paul Lukas, the ESPN residential sports fashion expert breaks down the jerseys into further detail. The Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings are also expected to reveal new jerseys this week. As for the Jags, lets just hope the their record this year will be better then their new unis.

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21215/uni-watch-analysis-new-jaguars-uniforms

Tour de France 2012

On a beautiful July day in the French Alps, a familiar scene began to unfold in the usually quite town of Saint-Etienne de Cuines. Thousands of people from all over the world began to line up along the narrow mountain roads with chairs, coolers, and flags in anticipation of seeing the riders of the 99^th Tour de France. ''This is my third time coming and I am really excited,'' said a fan from Norway next to several flags Norwegian flags she had planted in the ground earlier in the day.

I arrived approximately four hours in advance to get a good spot to see the riders arrive, but the streets were already full of fans. I was not too surprised as I was in a very popular location; at the beginning of an ''hors categorie'' mountain climb. The ''Col de la Croix de fer'', or the Iron Cross has inclinations of over nine percent at certain points, one of the steepest climbs in this years tour with a summit of over 6,500 feet. Being on the mountain gives fans the best opportunity to catch a glimpse of their favorite rider or the ''Maillot Jaune'' as the cyclists are not going very fast. The waiting portion of the day seemed to fly by due to the great atmosphere. Many fans were discussing the tour with each other, while others were wearing ridiculous outfits, and others were blaring out the tour live on their portable radios. This is a great way to interact with people from all parts of the globe and maybe even meet someone from your country.

A little over an hour before the cyclists would arrive the famed publicity caravan rolled into the village playing music and throwing out thousands of goodies to cheering fans next to the road. Dozens of intricately decorated cars paraded by giving away everything from candy, jerseys, hats, and even sausages. The publicity caravan began in 1930 as a way to help promote and fund the tour, it lasts about 45 minutes and gives away millions of items on a daily basis. This is a great way to bring fans together and provides for a great show to not only kids but adults as well.

Now that everybody’s hands were full with all types of items, the anticipation only grew as everybody could sense that the riders were getting closer and closer. Even when a tour vehicle passed by, fans jumped out of their seats looking around to see if a bike was in sight. Shortly thereafter several television and tour helicopters were in sight which meant that at any moment the riders would be racing by. In addition to this, cars belonging to the tour, teams, and the police began to pass by more and more frequently. It was only a few minutes later that we were witnessing the greatest bikers in the world participating in the most prestigious bike race. Fans were yelling, using their air horns, as well as waving their flags hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite rider in action. In a mountain stage the cyclists are spread out quite a bit so it takes about 20 minutes to see all of the participants. As soon as everyone had passed it was time to go home or for some move on to see the action again the next day.