DWI's and Striking Out Guys

Remember your first beer? I bet it was gross. Do you know what else is gross?....if you drove a motor vehicle after you guzzled down that bubbly beverage. We all know that driving drunk is illegal, but who does that stop anyway? I mean, it seems like your hear about it all of the time. Just look at sports, these professional athletes are speeding and swerving all over the place. Why does this happen you ask? Maybe its the sense of entitlement one gets being a professional athlete, or maybe its in our human nature to believe that we are immortal and are "really good drunk drivers". In any case, another episode of this foul behavior has made its way into the Oriole's clubhouse as one of its rising young prospects, Troy Patton, was arrested a little over a week ago on drunk driving charges. Patton is a 25 year old left handed pitcher in the minor league system with a strong upside but is overshadowed within the organization by other pitchers such as Zach Britton and Brandon Erbe. Some may say that Patton effectively lowered himself even further down the depth chart due to his run in with the law, but I say hold your horses....let's look at history.

Patton joins some fine company upon being charged with a DWI as other notable pitchers such as Dwight Gooden, Esteban Loaiza, Joba Chamberlein and Dontrelle Willin have been charged with the very same illegal conduct. Now, if history serves us right, Patton can do one of two things. Patton can follow the decorated path of Dwight Gooden and Esteban Loaiza, who together tally 6 all star appearances and 2 Cy Young awards, or he can go down the not so decorated path of Dontrelle Willis and Joba Chamberlein, who together have a history of being solid but only for a short period of time. I should mention though that technically the jury is still out on these two. In any case, I like my percentage here that Patton has a 50% chance of being a great success using my theory. He will have his work cut out for him though as Patton has about 6 other pitchers under the ages of 26 to compete with in the Orioles young contingent of arms. Here are the young pitchers to look out for this year and hopefully for years to come. Brian Matuscz, Jake Arietta, Brad Bergeson, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Brandon Erbe and of course Troy Patton.

Side Note: In his 6 seasons in A, AA and AAA professional minor league baseball, Patton has a career 3.42 ERA.

FEAR THE BEARD

This week I'll be paying homage to man's oldest method of keeping warm: the beard. On January 15, I decided to cut shaving out of my daily routine and start the growth of my "tax season" beard. Honoring the sacrifices of America's hardworking accountants during this terrible four month stretch gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling on my face, but I will admit that I have another more selfish motive: The 2011 HGTV Dream Home. I want to win this house, and I think I've got a shot with the beard's winning track record.  Let's examine some strictly athletic examples.

Johnny Damon: love him or hate him as a sell out, either way you have to respect the beard he rocked up until signing with the Yanks in December of 2005. Damon was a pivotal player in the Red Sox World Series victory campaign of 2004. Breaking an 86 year curse was not a trivial matter, and I daresay the Bambino would still be laughing if not for the Caveman's facial hair masterpiece. In 2004, Damon was also married to his current wife - have you seen her? I bet it was the beard that lured her in.

Triple H is a 13 time World Champion in professional wrestling. In his 17 year career Triple H has been a fan favorite, heel, and everywhere in between. His beard allowed him to become the first undisputed Heavyweight Champion after the WWE-WCW merger. Known for wielding a sledge hammer, burying opponents alive in coffins, and jostling his oppenents' vertebrae with his signature "pedigree" move, Triple H truly has a beard to be feared.

Rape allegations aside, Ben Roethlisberger knows how to do two things well: win Super Bowls and grow beards. Big Ben has rings for Super Bowls XL, XLIII and is shooting for his third next weekend. During the Super Bowl XL run, Ben had more than just the Steeler Nation behind him - he had over fourteen thousand people growing beards in his honor (see "Ben's Beard"). With that kind of beard power behind me, I would be sure to win the HGTV Dream Home! Roethlisberger's beard in the 2005-2006 season was a streamlined work of testosterone, compared to this year's more rugged look. Perhaps that ruggedness represents Roethlisberger's shaky offseason, or demanding AFC North schedule, but he'll need that ruggedness against The Pack and Norseman Clay Matthews.

Finally, let's take a look at a failed victory beard attempt: Joe Flacco. We all know Joe sports some pretty good hair styles (travel back in time to his Jersey Shore "Fade" for Halloween here), but I've got to pin the early postseason exit on Joe's sub-par growth. Maybe next year Flacco could take a page out of Roethlisberger's book and grow a beard worthy of a Super Bowl.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE BEARD SHRINES NEXT WEEK!!!

Some other noteworthy beards of inspiration:

Chunk Norris

Jeremiah Johnson

David Gilmour

Maryland vs. Duke Round II: Beat Duke or Die

by BalTimore Bisk (01/29/2011)

I’d like to start off by saying that you learn something new every day. Today I learned that Noxzema was originally invented by Dr. Francis J. Townsend, a doctor who lived in Ocean City, Maryland. It was originally a remedy that Dr. Townsend used to help alleviate victims of sunburn. An early slogan for Noxzema was “The Miracle Cream of Baltimore”. That’s interesting. Well I already know what little interesting fact that I am going to learn on Wednesday. I am going learn whether this year’s Maryland Men’s Basketball team is going to have a big enough win on their resume to support a bid into the field of 64.

Maryland has another opportunity to revamp their mediocre season with a big win against third ranked Duke on Wednesday. Disappointingly, the biggest win so far this season has been judged to be Penn State. Hence, the Terps are in a serious need of delivering the Blue Devils an old fashioned College Park Pummeling. A few weeks back all was looking well when the Terps had a 39-32 lead on the Blue Devils down at Cameron, but that lead was lost. Things then started to look up again when the Terps had a commanding lead on a sixth ranked Villanova team, but then came an 18-0 run. Then the Terps lost a Thursday night home game by 17 points to Virginia Tech and this possibly was the worst loss of the season. That was one Thursday night I probably would have rather watched the Jersey Shore. Fortunately, I didn’t witness either of the filths.

A big loss can really strike the soul of a team. No doubt our Terps were struck to the core by the three previous mentioned losses. However, trials can have a way of refining character. Just as fire refines silver in the smelting process, the bad losses that the Terps have faced this year might have turned the team into a dynamic fighting force. Just as Noxzema cleans away irritated skin, the Terps might have cleared these nasty pestering losses off their face. We’ve seen positive notes coming with back to back wins against Clemson and Virginia. If the Terps get by Georgia Tech on Sunday then this team will have been reborn and ready for a battle royale against the “ACC Goliath”, Duke, on Wednesday night.

Even if the Terps do not make the big dance this year then we certainly have seen some promise. The freshmen have wowed us, Jordan Williams’s abilities have skyrocketed, and we’ve glimpsed the ability of this Terps team to battle and possibly beat the best of the best. This team has me intrigued like few Terps teams before in that if they didn’t make the tournament then it wouldn’t be a huge disappointment or they could make the tournament and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they made it to the final four. It is hard to gage a clear picture on what the final outcome of this season is going to be for the Terps, but this Wednesday could really push the Terps toward a tournament bid and a run to the final four. The Terps now need focused strength and desire. And no not the kind the comes from Yoga, binaural beats, or some other happy horse manure, but the kind that comes from the leadership of Coach Gary Williams. Gary will have to fire this team up.

We’re about a month away from March. The time of year college basketball fans eat, sleep, and breathe for. But before we get to March, we have one of the classic most lovable matchups for a Terps Basketball fan – Maryland vs. Duke - Wednesday February 2, 2011 9PM Comcast Center – College Park, Maryland. As a Terp alum just typing that gives me the chills. This is one of the biggest games of the year regardless of the circumstance. However, the Terps have an opportunity to make a case that they are Tournament ready.

The Terps had lost three big games in a row, but they’ve seemingly worked hard through their stumbles and falls. They’ve overcame those obstacles and won back to back games. Perhaps they now have an unquenchable fighting spirit to carry them into the post season. Perhaps they have developed the awareness of strength that resides in true Terrapin teamwork. Like life, basketball is a succession of battles. The battle against Duke approaches. “Warriors gaze into the eyes of the future without fear or arrogance, but with the confidence of those who are ready for battle.” On Wednesday, will the Terps win the game and the accolades of the fans that love them? We shall see. Let’s go Terps, it’s time to heat this season up men. Strength and Honor. M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D Maryland Maryland!!!!!

The Best of the Best...Who Cares?

All-Star weekend is upon us. The very best of the NFL and NHL will showcase their skills in the annual Pro-Bowl and NHL All-Star game this Sunday. In theory, matching the elite of the elite in any form of competition, whether it be a cooking challenge (Top Chef is my favorite TV show by the way) or a game of Risk, should get any observer excited. However, I could essentially care less about the upcoming football game in Hawaii or the hockey game in Raleigh, and I believe most other American sports fans feel the same way.

The only All-Star game that I am remotely interested in each year is the Mid-Summer Classic, MLB's All-Star game. I can't quite pinpoint the reason why, but I think it might be a combination of a few things:
1) the game actually means something (more on that in a moment);
2) the sport itself is basically a collection of 1 on 1 matchups (pitcher vs. batter), and watching all these mini duels between the game's best is compelling;
3) it appears as though the players are actually trying to win;
4) baseball in general has a special place in my heart for nostalgic reasons, as it was the first sport I really followed at the professional level.

At the moment, the only All-Star game out of the big 4 American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL) where the outcome has any importance is the MLB. Beginning in 2003, home-field advantage for the World Series was given to either the American League or National League's representative depending on which side won that year's All-Star game. Previously, home-field was alternated between the two leagues each year. Many argue that home-field advantage shouldn't be awarded in such a willy-nilly fashion, however I disagree. The current home-field advantage format of 2-3-2 began to be used regularly in the 1924 World Series. Since then, this format was followed in every year but three. The 1943 and 1945 World Series followed a 3-4 format due to World War II travel restrictions and there was no World Series in a strike-shortened 1994 season. In those 83 World Series, the team with home-field advantage has won 48 of them, which is slightly better than 57%. Home-field advantage in baseball is not as important as in other sports, so I think giving the MLB All-Star game some meaning in this fashion is warranted. Similar treatment of home-field advantage in the other three sports would be a mistake.

The Pro-Bowl stinks of players' apathy. As reported on the NFL's website this morning, the following players will not participate in the 2011 Pro Bowl due to "injury": Nnamdi Asomugha, Tom Brady, Lance Briggs, Dwight Freeney, Antonio Gates, DeSean Jackson, Andre Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Nick Mangold, Shaun O'Hara, Jason Peters, Ed Reed, Asante Samuel, Richard Seymour, Ndamukong Suh, Brian Urlacher, Patrick Willis and Kevin Williams will not play because of personal reasons. You can't really blame the players for not wanting to risk injury for a meaningless game. I think the Pro Bowl really has no chance to ever be popular. The nature of the game just won't allow it. I do think the Pro Bowl experience could be improved by adding some sort of skills competition to the Pro Bowl. The NBA has the Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest, the MLB has the Home Run Derby and the NHL has the All-Star skills competition. These contests are my favorite part of each of the sports' All-Star festivities. I think adding a QB Challenge (using kegs as targets of course) or a competition for punters where you have to punt the ball into some sort of target is a good idea, though it wouldn't help the actual Pro Bowl game itself.

I do have to say I am somewhat intrigued by the NHL's All-Star Game this year, as it is the first year for the All-Star Fantasy Draft. Captains for each side will select from a pool of players chosen by a combination of fan balloting and the NHL Hockey Operations Department. Eric Staal of the host Carolina Hurricanes will serve as captain of the aptly named "Team Staal," and along with his alternate captains, Washington's Mike Green and Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, will stage a draft against Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and his assistants Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay and Chicago's Patrick Kane on "Team Lidstrom." However, I think I am more interested in the draft itself, rather than the actual game. The draft is Friday night at 8 EST on Versus in case you were wondering.

If my power and cable are restored by the weekend (a recent snow storm has left me in the dark since Wednesday), I'll be catching up on the Office, not watching the Pro Bowl or NHL All-Star Game.

Invincible United?

When it comes to sports, my absolute favorite is soccer. And when it comes to soccer, my loyalty lies with Manchester United of the English Premier League. They are a big name, big market team who play attractive soccer, which makes it easy to follow them as a fan in the US. I must admit though, my affections for United are not strictly athletic. I have been a huge admirer of David Beckham for as long as I remember, and his involvement with the squad in the mid to late 90s through the 2002-3 campaign is a big reason why I follow the team.

While United is my favorite team, and while there is no doubt in my mind that they will reclaim the Premiership title this year (another topic for another blog post), I do not believe they will be able to share in the claiming the name “The Invincibles.”

The Invincibles is a moniker reserved for a team who manages to complete an undefeated season in England’s top division. The first Invincibles were Preston North End in 1888-89 who won the league with a record of 18 wins, 4 draws, and 0 losses. The second team to be “Invincible” was the 2003-04 Arsenal squad, who went 26-12-0.

With about 60% of the season behind them, United seem to be on pace to emulate those two remarkable teams. Currently at the top of the table, United’s record stands at 14 wins, 9 draws, and 0 losses. Historically United’s game gets markedly better after the New Year as the season progresses and they always finish strong. So why does this avid fan believe that United does not have what it takes to be the third team to be dubbed Invincible?

The answer is the competitive nature of the Premiere League this season. In years past it was apparent who would finish at the top of the table. The “Big Four” of United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool were all but a lock for one of the top four spots in recent years, but this year sees a much more wide-open competition. This season teams like Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Sunderland are all fighting for a top four finish along with the aforementioned teams. As I have previously stated, I am all but certain that United will be crowned League champions for the fourth time in five years. But their remaining schedule includes all the other top five teams in the standings. Here is why each of those teams has a shot at knocking off United.

Arsenal. Currently second in the standings and 5 points off first. United will face Arsenal on their home turf, the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are impressive at home this term, with a record of 7-1-3. The youthful Gunners are beginning to live up to their vast potential, and with the likes of Cesc Fabrigas, Robin Van Persey, and Samir Nasri, they prove to be a formidable opponent.

City is new to challenge for a top spot, and thanks to the backing of the billionaires at the Abu Dhabi United group they have been able to assemble an all-star line up that includes the Toure brothers, former United striker Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, James Milner, David Silva, and the recently acquired Edin Dzeko. A team with firepower like that will always have a chance to win, and United will have their hands full when the meet at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Then there are the defending champs, Chelsea. While they are a little off their game this season, sitting in 4^th with a record of 12-5-6, their veteran roster lead by captain John Terry and forward Didier Drogba can never be counted out of a match.

Tottenham has been an exciting team to watch this year. Harry Redknapp’s team currently find themselves in 5th, one off their number 4 finish last season. Spurs handling of the defending champions of Europe, Inter Milan, in the Champions League earlier this season, led by the heroics of the sensational Gareth Bale, proves that they have the capability to beat anyone anywhere.

United are not without weapons of their own. Dimitar Berbatov leads the league with 19 goals thus far, and keeper Edwin Van der Sar has posted 10 shut outs. The team is set in all positions, but it is not their weaknesses that will cost them the title of Invincible, it is the strength of the English Premiership as a whole that will lead to their downfall.

For an article that is of the opposite opinion, click on over to Fox Soccer Channel to read what Nick Webster has to say on the matter.

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

Queue the Paula Cole. As Andy Roddick bows out from the fourth-round of the Australian Open over the weekend, he takes the hopes and dreams of all Americans with him. Considering America’s best players are in the woman bracket, Serena and Venus Williams, who are currently both injured, America put all its weight on Roddick’s shoulders. Just like his last match against 19th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, the weight was too much and he was broken. Besides Roddick’s U.S. Open victory in 2003, no American man has won a major tournament, or even come close. Sure we can blame this on the fact that arguably the best player in the history of the sport is currently playing, (Roger Federer) and Rafael Nadal is also going for his “Rafa Slam” (all four major titles in a row) this tournament.

But let’s be honest, tennis is not America’s past time, nor is it even a focal sport in America. Since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired with their combined 22 Grand Slam singles titles (14 and 8 respectively) and their consistence top 10 rankings, American’s are not even close to these standards. Roddick has one Grand Slam singles title and is currently ranked in the top 10 at number 8. After him the list of potential American threats becomes very thin. Aging Marty Fish is currently 17, Sam Querrey is 18, and big John Isner is 20. The only record any these players hold is for the longest match in tennis history (11 hours 5 minutes) in which John Isner amassed 113 aces and beat Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 at Wimbledon last year.

Tennis is a sport where the favorite usually wins. The rankings are fairly accurate. Major “upsets” really only occur when an elite player is returning from an injury and their ranking is currently not high. Meaning, the American men besides Roddick do not really stand a chance. The days of Conners, McEnroe, Sampras, and Agassi are done. At this point is looks as if the Americans will have to wait for a new generation of young players to resurrect the American tennis standard. These current players are just not getting the job done. Roddick is not getting any younger, and the chances of grabbing another title keep slipping away.

A youthful resurgence of the sport could be exactly what this country needs if it wants to be a legitimate international contender again on the Grand Slam level. Unfortunately the USA only has one ranked junior players in the world right now, Bjorn Fratangelo. But with all individual sports, it only takes one. For now, we will have to settle for the under publicized doubles team of Bryan/Bryan who are currently the number 1 ranked doubles players in the world and are currently in the Semi Finals at the Australian Open.

Taking Attendance.....Orioles Fans....Here

So here we are again, or at least here I am again, lamenting a Ravens loss in the postseason and hoping for a brighter future while being worried about what type of sporting entertainment will satiate my hunger. It doesn't take long though for visions of black and orange to resurface. Let me make this clear. I was 7 years old the last time the Orioles had a winning season. I was barely old enough to be cognizant of that feat. Actually, I literally only have one memory in my mind of that season and it was that dreadful catch by one Jeffrey Mayer over Tony Tarasco. To put it bluntly, I should have little to cheer for, yet I continue to stay optimistic as many of my peers try to shoot me down. Anyway, this goes out to all of you who wouldn't mind some Orioles Magic to return. 

In 1997, the average attendance at Camden Yards was about  46,000. In 2010, the average was around....well....around 24,000. So what if this past year's attendance was 22,000 less than it was in 1997? In 1997 the O's did finish with a 98-64 record while the 2010 season finished with close to the opposite. But does that  mean the attendance has to be that much lower? Uhh well yeah I guess so. But that's not really my point. My point is this. The phoenix rises from the ashes and the formation of this country's identity dates back to the days of our forefathers where no one expected the colonies to ever amount to what the States are today. Words like redemption, underdog and unlikely are words that we Americans live for. See what I am getting at? I think you do. So jump on that black and orange band wagon and start passionately pulling for our beloved O's as they take on another MLB season. Who knows, maybe instead of constantly checking on updates from Ravens training camp come August, we will instead be finding ourselves in Attendance at Camden Yards. 

Binaural Beat-Down

Greetings children of the blogosphere, this week I will be discussing the topic of binaural beats and their application to enhancing athletic performance.  Last Thursday, I saw a commercial for a local news cover story about iDoping: teenagers getting high off sound.  I thought to myself: "really?  Is iTunes about to become the biggest drug dealer in the world?"  I didn't actually watch the story (a new episode of Jersey Shore was on), but I did some googling later that night.  Turns out, iDoping is just re-labeled binaural beats and has been used as meditation aids for years.  The Washington Post actually looked into this back in August 2010 (see their article here) with the general conclusion that iDoping really won't get you high, but could alter your behavioral state.  Anyway, let's start with the basics and see how binaural beats could possibly impact your next workout or match.

Our journey begins in the realm of neuroscience.  The brain is a tangled mess of cells called neurons.  Electricity is used to trigger chemical reactions and communication amongst neurons.  This communication on a massive scale results in Human "thought."  See the Wikipedia page for a more detailed description.  Voltage measurements of the brain (EEG) form what we call brain waves.  There are several categories of brain waves, which are categorized by their frequency.  For example, theta waves have frequencies in the range of 4-7 Hz and are usually associated with drowsiness (Hz is the abbreviation for Hertz which is the number of times per second a complete wave is measured).  Delta waves have a frequency up to 4 Hz and are associated with slow-wave (deep) sleep.  Eventually, we'll discuss gamma waves and their uses.  Each range of brain wave frequencies is described in more detail here.  As you know, sound is transmitted in waves as well.  Let's put on our headphones and imagine a tone entering your left ear at a particular frequency and a similar tone entering your right ear at a slightly different frequency.  The difference of these frequencies is mapped to the appropriate brain wave, with prolonged exposure helping the brain behave in the states associated with the "synthetic" brain wave.  For example, waves of frequency 350 Hz are sent into the right ear and waves of frequency 347 Hz are sent into the left ear, resulting in synthetic brain waves of 3 Hz, or delta waves.  Delta waves are associated with deep sleep and it is believed that prolonged exposure to "delta wave" binaural beats will enable deep sleep to be entered sooner and longer.  This is something that I have a great interest in -- imagine getting 8 hours of sleep in 4 hours!  Check out the Wikipedia entry for more details.

Theta Brain Wave

I know you're saying this sounds quite academic; now that we have the necessary prerequisites, let's delve into some strictly athletic discussions.  In most sports the player is required to perform extremely complicated tasks in amazingly small intervals of time: with a club speed of 115 MPH, a golfer hits a 275 yard drive with a perfect fade for a dogleg right hole; a soccer player avoids the covering defender, dribbles the ball down field and completes the perfect cross; a baseball batter identifies ball movement and speed via a pitcher's motion and ball spin, and goes on to perfectly strike a spherical surface with a cylindrical one so that the ball travels 430 feet into a section of cheering fans.  All of the preceding actions require intense concentration, something that does not always come naturally.  This is where binaural beats come into play, and more specifically: gamma brain waves.  Gamma brain waves are believed to be associated with movement and intense concentration.  I used to play soccer after work on Fridays, but after a full day of work my head just wasn't in the game.  Could my brain waves have been in the low beta range?  Perhaps a 30 minute binaural gamma wave session would have helped me become more alert and more able to concentrate on the field.  I plan on conducting a pre-game gamma wave experiment on myself at the next opportunity.  It is now typical for athletes to warm up to their favorite tunes, perhaps there is some competitive advantage to be gained by playing tracks of gamma waves.  Unfortunately, I cannot find any evidence of professional athletes currently utilizing binaural beats.

A Tiger Woods drive

We've talked a great deal about binaural beats, but not about where to find them -- don't worry the iDoping hoax hasn't made them illegal yet.  As a matter of fact a great deal of tracks can be found online for free.  Performing a quick YouTube search for "gamma waves binaural beats" lead me to the video below, which I actually listened to while writing the second half of this entry.  Additionally, there are several iPhone and Android apps (BinauralBeat is a free iPhone app with many positive reviews).

If you do experiment with these let me know, as I'd like to incorporate user experiences into a follow-up blog entry.