JZSports Midseason Awards

Interview With a Harlem Globetrotter w/ podcast

Today I had the pleasure of hosting a special guest, former Siena guard and current Harlem Gloebtrotter Tay "Firefly" Fisher for a profile I am going to write on him in the coming weeks. He is most known for his crunch-time play to lead #13 Siena to victory over #4 ranked Vanderbilt to advance to the second round of the 2008 March Madness. He is a role model to all that know him and has a Basketball Camp for kids, adding that he wants to be a teacher after he is done with basketball. Once scoring 61 points in a high school game in his hometown Kingston, NY, Fisher describes his appreciation for the game and his drive to be the best he can, never letting up.   
Download Podcast: Tay Fisher Interview w/ Z.P.

Wade Phillips Fired

"He gets to do whatever he wants to. Whatever he does, we have no choice but to live with it."                        - cornerback Terence Newman on owner Jerry Jones

According to sources on ESPN.com, Dallas Cowboys' head coach Wade Phillips has been fired by Jerry Jones and co. Less than a year ago he was given a 2-year extension after leading the Cowboys to their first playoff win in ten years. Jerry Jones claimed to be deterred from firing Phillips mid-season because of the low success rate of interim coaches, but after the 45-7 beating they took from the Green Bay Packers last night, the straw broke.

This seems like a move that should have been made a long time ago. Sure, their overrated quarterback is hurt and they are ridden with injuries, however they have too much talent to have gone 1-6 before Romo was knocked out of last week's game against the steaming Giants. Keep in mind that I am the Jets fan, as opposed to Jake (the Giant fan), so in no way am I biased. This is the right move for the 1-7 Cowboys. It's the only move at this point to make for a team that is falling apart and needs a spark. Phillips had lost control of this team and in my opinion hasn't had control in any of their loses during his reign as head coach for "America's team." Check the story about Wade Phillips out for yourself. 

The Weekly Roast: Childress and Shanahan

JZSports' very first video! Matched with our Podcast for the roast of Week 8 coaching, watch, comment, and enjoy!

Podcast: Week 9 NFL Predictions

Here are the predictions for week 9 in the NFL. Listen to the podcast and enjoy.
Download: Week 9 NFL Predictions

Podcast #2: The Weekly NFL Roast

Enjoy our second podcast, when we unload on the two worst coaches of week 8. We have been fed up with the decision making of coaches this year. Enjoy listening and enlighten us with your responses.

Download: Weekly Roast

Podcast #1: Week 8 NFL Predictions

Download: NFL Week 8 Predictions

This is JZ Sports' first podcast, our NFL week 8 predictions. The first of many, we will have weekly predictions and will have video predictions coming next week. Thanks and enjoy!

Andy Reid's Love Triangle Hurting the Eagles

~ Here is our first article by Jake Silver, who will be writing for this site as well. Read and enjoy his piece on Andy Reid's interesting season so far...

It is understandable for a head coach to become indecisive when he has two good quarterbacks on his roster. After all, that situation creates a lot of pressure to sit/start the right player, especially if the coach recently traded away one of the greatest quaterbacks of our time.

The only thing is, Andy Reid doesn't actually have this problem; there is only one good quarterback on the Eagles roster, and that player is Michael Vick. Kevin Kolb on the other hand, is at best a second-rate passer with potential to be a starting caliber quarterback in a few years with some serious work, and at worst a washout who should never get off the bench. I dont say this out of hatred for Kolb, the evidence is there.

Everyone loves to talk about how Kolb threw for 300+ yards in his first two starts in 2009, being the only player to ever do so. What people seem to forget is those games were against the Chiefs and the Saints; one team not exactly known for great defense, and the other with such an explosive offense the Eagles had no choice but to pass on every down. There was also the little game against the Ravens in 2008 where Kolb managed to throw 4 picks in 1 half, including a 108 yard pick 6. Oh yeah, I want him on my team....

With that in mind, this season has seen some of the strangest waffling by a head coach in recent memory. The season started off as expected, with Kolb as the starter and Vick getting some token snaps in the Wildcat formation to keep him quiet. Clay Matthews changed all of that in the blink of an eye. Kolb went down in game 1 with a concussion, and suddenly there was Vick, going 16/25 for 175 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for an additional 103 yards. This is all after Kolb got sacked several times and threw a pick.

Even after Vick's stellar performance, Andy Reid went to the press and confirmed that if Kolb was cleared to play, Vick would be riding the bench once again. Though Kolb wasn't cleared for week 2, Reid made it clear that he would play when the doctors gave the green light. Vick put up another fantastic game against the Lions, and still Andy Reid went with his golden boy. In the middle of the week between games 2 and 3, Reid shocked the world by announcing Vick was to start over Kolb, despite Kolb being cleared to play. This created locker room buzz, despite what the players said to the camera, don't be fooled into thinking there was no drama behind closed doors. Vick went on to another good performance against Jacksonville before getting hurt against the skins.

Obviously, Vick's rib injury had to keep him out for a few games, but the circumstances surrounding Kolb's start against the Titans in week 7 was fishy, especially since Vick basically said he felt ready to play. It is also a little too convenient that Vick now has his job back after Kolb performed poorly against Tennessee. It almost seems like Reid was pushing the envelope to give Kolb another chance, and if that's true, it cost the Eagles a win.

The problem here is that the flip flopping of quarterbacks is going to affect team chemistry and psyche. Quarterbacks and their wideouts need to practice together, and it screws up the recievers if they are practicing with a different guy every week.

The main issue is Reid's ego battling his common sense. Reid fought so hard, and made such controversial moves (read: McNabb) to get Kolb his job, its almost like Kolb is Reid's little pet project. His ego cant take it that his project was surpassed by a washout on his comeback. On the other hand, Reid knows deep down that Vick is the superior quarterback. His talk of possibly using both quarterbacks in equal capacity reveals the depth of his madness, as no sane man would use Kolb over Vick at this point.

Reid obviously has staked a lot in Kevin Kolb, but the way the Eagle's season is going right now, he'd better throw his chips in with Vick if he wants to avoid the hot seat.

Heat Not So Hot

 "Rome wasn't built in one day." 

         ~ Lebron James, after loss to Celtics

          It was a strange game, seeming like a vivid dream that one waits to wake up from. While every sports blogger is discussing the Miami Heat's loss to the elderly Boston Celtics, I will continue to do the same. It was an awkward showing, the Heat looking tense and the Celtics displaying youth that I personally doubted they still had, even with 38-year-old Shaquille O'Neal manning the center position. Rondo, with 17 assists, albeit only four points, led the Celtic offense and got everyone involved. The Celtics, however, are a team that has meshed, having played together for four years now. The Heat haven't yet reached that level of comfort.
          During the 88-80 loss, the Heat committed 17 turnovers, eight from Lebron James and six from Dwayne Wade, and only had 15 assists, two less than Rondo had by himself. The Heat looked uncomfortable and most of their shots looked forced. Lebron didn't seem his explosive self, settling for contested jump shots and sloppy passes.
          After the Lebron signing (fiasco) in the off-season, most fans lost respect for him and his tainted legacy. Looking like a man who could transform the game of basketball with his ability and the legacy he was on the way to making, he decided he wanted to play with his buddies Wade and Chris Bosh and didn't care about having "his own team."
          If last night's game is any indication of how close the Heat are to jelling, they have some progress to make. I don't believe we should make too big a deal out of the first game of the season in an 82-game season, yet it is an interesting topic to discuss as basketball is a team sport and I am interested to see if three individual superstars can share the ball and win as a team or if they will continue to exist on their own islands, forcing shots, turning over the ball and continuously begging for more time.

Tailgating Bible

Thanks BroBible.com's joePA for a quick guide to successful tailgating. It's always helpful to know the keys to tailgating and having a top-notch, festive experience before the game. Read and enjoy!
 
Via: Medical Insurance

Faces in the Crowd: Superfan Cameron Hughes

"Cameron Hughes earns a six-figure salary for being the crazy, sometimes annoying, superfan in the stands."                                                        ~ David Critchell, Portfolio.com

One man is living the dream for all the young fans out there. Cameron Hughes has found the pot of gold, a euphoric situation. It is truly inspiring to know that a fan out there gets paid a six-figure salary to stimulate the crowd and produce team spirit. Teams ranging from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Los Angeles Lakers, teams pay him a nice check to be a fanatical and fervent fan. Once an aspiring actor, Hughes gets to act as himself and be a kid at a ball game passionately rooting for ‘his team.’ Home-team fans don’t know where his loyalties truly are as they change every gig, but he gets to bring the team spirit out of everyone every time. He’s a role model and an inspirational figure for fans in the team spirit spectrum of sports.

A Heartfelt Story of Sportsmanship

 "It was the right thing to do."                                   

~Darius McNeal, DeKalb Barbs

Sportsmanship is always a major issue in sports. From pee-wee league to professional athletics, athletes are ubiquitously scrutinized for there lack of sportsmanship, but not too often for the sportsmanship they display. This story surrounds two teams that witnessed true acts of sportsmanship, propelling a story that should be read by everyone. In the town of DeKalb, Ill., an 18 year old, Johntel Franklin (pictured), who had seen his mother in remission after a five-year fight with cervical, had to see a detrimental decision made hours before DeKalb's non-conference game against Milwaukee Madison. It was decided that his Mother's life-support system would be turned off, crushing the young man, who was very close with his Mother, according to his coach Aaron Womack Jr. Womack wanted to cancel the game but Franklin said he wanted his team to play. Expecting Franklin to grieve and not come to the game, Womack and his team were ecstatic when he showed up in the second quarter, and was surrounded by hugs from teammates and fans. He decided he wanted to play, yet the only way to get him in the game was to take a technical foul, giving two free throws to the other team, which Womack easily agreed to, backing up his player altruistically. The sportsmanship came when the player taking the free throws for the opposing team, Darius McNeal, purposely missed the two free throws with the support of his coach, Dave Rohlman, after the referees forced the team to take the shots as part of the rules. "Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget." A touching story of true sportsmanship. I only hope others can learn from this story. 

Dock Ellis and his No-Hit Trip

"I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the (catcher's) glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. I started having a crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon was the home plate umpire, and once I thought I was pitching a baseball to Jimi Hendrix, who to me was holding a guitar and swinging it over the plate. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me."                                                    

                                                                         ~ Dock Ellis, former Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher



          It's difficult to decide how to feel about Dock Ellis and his epic pitching performance against the San Diego Padres on June 12th, 1970. Do I feel ecstatic or dumbfounded. Ellis, who won 19 games in 1971 for the World Champion Pirates, played for six teams in his career, including the Mets and Yankees, but is best known for the no-hitter he threw while under the influence of LSD, a powerful hallucinogenic drug.
          The first question that came to mind was what he thinking taking acid before a game? However, it turns out he was visiting friends in Los Angeles thinking he was off. He was still high when his friend's girlfriend told him he was pitching that night. He boarded a shuttle flight to the game and pitched a masterpiece, not being able to remember parts of the game.
          It's a remarkable performance in a game that requires concentration and focus. Pitching in the major leagues is difficult enough in its own right, let alone while hallucinating. It is an experience that the sport of baseball will probably never see again, albeit not knowing about it until 13 years later. However, it is arguably the most phenomenal and unique pitching performance in the history of baseball.