All Ball

I was in Rupp Arena for the 2017 clash between #2 Kansas & #4 Kentucky.  The atmosphere was everything you could want for a top-5 matchup between two winningest programs in NCAA Men's Basketball history.  Then, Kentucky at #1 all-time with Kansas being a close second and gaining.  What ended in a 79-73 loss for Kentucky, was still a great game.  Kentucky shot out to an early lead with a second-half back and forth, ultimately leading to Kansas pulling away late.  I left disappointed, but Fox, Monk, and Bam put on a show.  Both teams left feeling like they were National Championship contenders.  Today, the Jayhawks flock back to the Bluegrass.  Entering Rupp as the all-time wins leader with 2,357 compared to Kentucky's 2,353 victories. A few weeks ago, this was a game that Kentucky fans, like myself, were dreading.  Was this going to be another national embarrassment of the recent Coach Cal era?  After getting run off the court in Tusc...

No Consequences Manchester City vs Arsenal.  The Cityzens host the Gunners at the Etihad.  A 3:00 kickoff on ESPN+ .  Josep Guardiola takes on his protégé Mikel Arteta.  Arsenal sit atop the Premier League table with 50 points.  Manchester City are just a mere 5 points behind with 19 matches remaining.  A miniscule deficit compared to the comebacks in recent years which robbed Liverpool of glory.  A match that could foretell the future and fortune of both clubs.  There’s just one problem, this isn’t a Premier League match.  The outcome of today's battle will have no consequences on the the campaign for England’s most sought after trophy.  Today's match is to determine which club has the right to reach the fifth round of the prestigious FA Cup. A Manchester City Win The possible impacts of this match cannot be understated.  First, let’s ponder a potential City victory.  Arsenal and City have to play each other twice more th...

When I started my blog, one of topics I wanted to focus on was Taylor Alison Swift.  And with The Ears Tour coming up, and somehow getting tickets, I thought it would be fun to try and create my ideal setlist.  Ultimately with the content goal of updating the list when my Taylor era would change.  After much back and forth, I came to the conclusion that it might not be possible for this tour.  In my debut  Taylor blog, Taylor's Errors Tour , I expressed my beliefs as to what a potential setlist may look like.  After further ponderance on the subject, I suspect most of the performance will consist of "mashups" in an attempt to showcase as any songs as possible.  Taking a potential ~20 song act and doubling it to close to 40 songs or more.  Although I have my reservations about contorting the different Eras, it could lead to some very unique creations.  An example of what Taylor may bless us with is this "Bad Blood/Should've Said No" combo from...

Yesterday, I went for a bike ride around Lake Lungern in Switzerland, pictured above. Over 4,000 miles away, with the Atlantic Ocean in between, I was able to ride through one of the most beautiful towns in the world.  How?  Thanks to the incredible innovation from companies like Peloton, NordicTrack, and iFit. What was once an ordinary stationary bike or treadmill, trapped in a corner of a gym or stuck in a poorly ventilated basement, has been transformed into a limitless portal.  A ride of 9.36 miles for 41-minutes.  What should have been a debilitating iteration of iFit's "Around the World Challenge", the ride with trainer Ashley Paulson was a breeze.  In fact, it didn't feel like a workout at all. Instead, it felt like I was transferred in to a daydream, a fairytale.  Passing through the lush green grass and classical Swiss chalet farmhouses, entering the historical town of Lungren, circumnavigating the pristine turquoise-cyan lake, all nestled within t...

  Cincinnati Bengals: 27 Buffalo Bills: 10 There is nothing that matches the atmosphere a NFL playoff game in the snow.  It would be a dream to see a Super Bowl in the snow, but I know it will never happen.  Joe Cool was iced out.  Carving up the Bill's defence and proving not that he might be better than just Josh Allen, but he might be the best quarterback in the league.  But that's not what caught my eye.  What I could not believe was the ineptitude displayed by Sean McDermott and his coaching staff. Although I thought the Bengals could  defeat the Bills, I did not think they were going to be able to win on the road, especially in the snow.  However, I never thought we were going to witness a manhandling and dismantling of this Bill's team.  They aren't perfect as we saw last week against the Dolphins and earlier in the year versus the Jets.  But this is a good team.  Arguably the best team in the AFC leading up to the Divisional...

1st Set What a start to the match.  #1 Iga Świątek goes up 40-0 in the opening game of the match.  Elena Rybakina battles back to win the next five points to break the world #1 right away.  Feeling the heat,  Świątek responds by going up 15-40.  With two breakpoint opportunities, Iga drops the next four straight points to go down 0-2 to start the match.  A golden opportunity to be up 2-0, but instead, due to an inability to close out the first two games is down 0-2.  Świątek serves.  She needs to hold serve, if she gets broken again to go down 0-3, the first set is lost in all likelihood.   Świątek holds.  Regaining her composure, Iga goes on the attack.  Having lost her first service, she knows that she has to break Rybakina in order to have any chance to win the first set. Świątek gets the break out of the way early and wins to tie up the set 2-2.  The next two games are both holds, making the first set 3-3 with Świątek ...

A race to mediocrity.  A battle to decide the most disappointing team of the Premiership's season.  Although, Everton fans may have a gripe about that.  Somehow, both teams managed to equally disappoint.  If it was a 1-1 draw, fans would at least have a moment of exaltation.  However, yet again, Blues and Reds fans are left feeling empty. Both clubs felt as though they had an opportunity for success leading up to this match.  Liverpool are coming off a 3-0 drubbing from Brighton.  And with Chelsea coming off a 1-0 nailbiter over Crystal Palace, are hoping to continue their success.  Especially with the addition of Mykhailo Mudryk.  The Ukrainian winger from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk for a ~€70 million transfer fee.  Chelsea's reloaded attack have a great opportunity to build momentum against a shaky Liverpool backline. Liverpool, meanwhile, see a Chelsea side with three losses in their last four games.  Being outscored by...

A stacked slate of sports for Saturday.  A day consisting of Liverpool v Chelsea, two NFL playoff games, and even a Kentucky basketball game.  With all of this action, I have my eyes set on one match. Iga Świątek vs. Elena Rybakina #1 vs. #25** in the world.   Fourth  Round of The Australian Open 8:30 PM tonight (probably won't start until 9/9:30pm) @ Rod Laver Arena 2022 US Open Champion vs. 2022 Wimbledon Champion *The WTA, ATP, and ITF didn't award points for the Wimbledon Championships last year after the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing.  Instead of having Russian and Belarusian players protesting the invasion of Ukraine on a global stage, which they have done countless times since the start of the war, Wimbledon cowered to the pressure brought by literally no one*  **Seeded #22 for this tournament but is ranked #25 in the WTA rankings** But I digress. The Rise Iga Świątek (pronounced...

Wow what a match.  Five hours and forty-five minutes.  The second longest match ever in tennis and Andy Murray’s longest.  Ending at 4:05 AM local time in Melbourne Park.  This battle had everything you wanted to see in a tennis match.  Crucial aces, clinical returns, thrilling rally's, and massive momentum shifts.  An instant classic. After defeating #13 in the world Matteo Berrettini in a thrilling 5-set match, Andy Murray reminds the world that although he may be old, he has not retired yet.  The 3-time major champion, having suffered years of repeated and debilitating ankle, hip, and knee injuries, should not be able to compete at Grand Slams where matches are 5 sets instead of 3 sets.  And yet somehow, the 35-year old Scot managed to outlast the 26- year old Italian, and subject of the new Netflix docuseries, Break Point, in a thrilling 4 hour & 49 minute match.  A momentous win in the opening round of the Australian Open. A usual fa...

January 18th, 2023 Exactly one month after Argentina earned their 3rd star.  For the special occasion, I wanted to break down the most dominant half of sports I have ever witnessed.  I wanted to highlight the masterclass performance that Lionel put on display.  In awe of what I was blessed with experiencing.  I wanted to take the time to express my gratitude to the great Lionel.  But not Lionel Messi, the other Leo.  The coach of the Argentina men's national team, Lionel Scaloni. Before breaking down how the first half played out, let's analyze the French starting XI.  And what a starting XI it is: To be able to trot out this squad, after suffering injuries to multiple starters like Karim Benzema, Lucas Hernandez, and N'Golo Kanté.  A team that Pep Guardiola could only imagine buying.  Unheard of depth and talent.   There were three things I was looking forward to from the French.  The first being the fitness of CB Upamecano an...