We're officially less than a month away from Big Blue Madness and about 2 weeks away from the month of October. In this state, nearly everyone would agree that March is usually the best month in sports around here. March Madness in the bluegrass and the excitement of baseball season to come, nicer weather, and horses running at Keeneland is a great time of year. Some fans may argue that Christmas, New Years, college basketball, and the Bowl season of late December and early January is the "most wonderful time of the year". But I'm here to argue today in favor of the month of October, as the best month in sports.
As I sit here today watching the Reds play an afternoon game with the Diamondbacks, up 8 games on the Cardinals and gearing up towards an October playoff run, I've never been more excited about this month. Not only do you have the Reds in the postseason making a World Series run, but you have four great Kentucky football matchups against Ole Miss, Auburn, South Carolina, and Georgia. Those four games will make or break Kentucky's hopes for an SEC Eastern Division championship, and three of those games happen to be home games at Commonwealth. The month of October is the one month of the year where virtually every sport is playing. College football and the NFL is in full swing, MLB is winding down through the playoffs and heading into the World Series, the NBA and Hockey is just starting, Keeneland is running, and Big Blue Madness kicks off the always anticipated and unofficial start of the college basketball season in the Bluegrass.
USA Today has ranked Big Blue Madness (a glorified PRACTICE session) as one of the top 10 "must see live" sporting events in the World. But the week long campout, which brings out thousands of UK fans to campus for a chance at Madness tickets, is probably an even greater experience. In addition to Keeneland, you also have the World Equestrian Games in Lexington this year, of which I have no interest in. The event will, however, bring in tourists throughout the World to see the Bluegrass in a beautful time of the year as the leaves turn colors, the fall semester is at its peek at UK, and basketball season is near. This year October will particularly be special with not only the World Equestrian Games, but also playoff baseball in Cincinnati, which Reds fans have waited to happen for 15 years.
Just to get you a little excited, here's some videos from last year's campout! You gotta love October, go ahead and vote in our poll as well. What's the best part of October?
Showing posts with label World Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Series. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Friday, November 6, 2009
Yankees' dynasty reborn, are Cats next?
There was a lot of talk floating around Big Blue Nation during this World Series that included some interesting facts, but not exactly true. I heard so
meone say in my section at the football game Saturday night that the Yankees have won a World Series every year that UK has won a National Championship in basketball. Close, but not quite. I've also heard someone say that the Yankees have won World Championships each October of the previous year before the seven times that the Cats have won it in April, which also isn't exactly true. In fact, that hasn't even been true the last two times the Cats have won. The Braves be
at the Indians in the 1995 World Series, just before the Cats kicked off their 95-96 campaign that ended with a victory over Syracuse in the Meadowlands. Then, the Marlins went on to win it in 1997 as Tubby Smith was getting prepared to lead the Cats to the 1998 National Championship. Ok, so there goes that theory that since the Yankees won, it's now destined that the Cats will do the same...
The Yankees did, however, win in the same year as the last six times th
e Cats have won titles (1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, and 1998 were championship years for both the Cats and Yanks). The only year when the Yankees did not win a title in the same year as the Cats was when Rupp won his first title in 1948. But the Yankees did win it in 47, so I suppose that each year the Yankees have either won it in the same year as the Cats, or the year before, or both. My point is, whenever the Yankees win, the Cats win. Whenever the Yankees struggle, the Cats struggle too. It's almost amazing how similar the two teams' successes have been mirror images of each other. Yeah, you can bring up all those Yankees championships in the 20's and 30's that the Cats didn't have, but the NCAA didn't even cro
wn championships until 1939.
Especially since 1996, the two teams' successes have been even more similar to each another. The last World Series appearance for the Yankees before this year was 2003. That may have also been the closest the Cats have come to a title in this decade as they rolled on a 26 game winning streak and #1 ranking as they looked unbeatable until the high ankle sprain of Keith Bogans (and some guy named Dwayne Wade stood in the way as
well). You could also say that the departures of Joe Torre and Tubby Smith are also very strikingly similar. Both men led their teams to championships early in their tenures for each team, but were both facing title droughts that are rare and frusterating for the very demanding fans of both teams. Torre and Smith both have new teams now and they're both doing very well with them. However, the Yankees have finally revived their dynasty under Joe Girardi and John Calipari hopes to do the s
ame in Lexington in 2010. Heck, I just realized another similarity....Girardi, Calipari...both are Italian, AND thier names even ryhme. Heck, maybe it is destiny.
meone say in my section at the football game Saturday night that the Yankees have won a World Series every year that UK has won a National Championship in basketball. Close, but not quite. I've also heard someone say that the Yankees have won World Championships each October of the previous year before the seven times that the Cats have won it in April, which also isn't exactly true. In fact, that hasn't even been true the last two times the Cats have won. The Braves be
at the Indians in the 1995 World Series, just before the Cats kicked off their 95-96 campaign that ended with a victory over Syracuse in the Meadowlands. Then, the Marlins went on to win it in 1997 as Tubby Smith was getting prepared to lead the Cats to the 1998 National Championship. Ok, so there goes that theory that since the Yankees won, it's now destined that the Cats will do the same...The Yankees did, however, win in the same year as the last six times th
e Cats have won titles (1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, and 1998 were championship years for both the Cats and Yanks). The only year when the Yankees did not win a title in the same year as the Cats was when Rupp won his first title in 1948. But the Yankees did win it in 47, so I suppose that each year the Yankees have either won it in the same year as the Cats, or the year before, or both. My point is, whenever the Yankees win, the Cats win. Whenever the Yankees struggle, the Cats struggle too. It's almost amazing how similar the two teams' successes have been mirror images of each other. Yeah, you can bring up all those Yankees championships in the 20's and 30's that the Cats didn't have, but the NCAA didn't even cro
wn championships until 1939.Especially since 1996, the two teams' successes have been even more similar to each another. The last World Series appearance for the Yankees before this year was 2003. That may have also been the closest the Cats have come to a title in this decade as they rolled on a 26 game winning streak and #1 ranking as they looked unbeatable until the high ankle sprain of Keith Bogans (and some guy named Dwayne Wade stood in the way as
well). You could also say that the departures of Joe Torre and Tubby Smith are also very strikingly similar. Both men led their teams to championships early in their tenures for each team, but were both facing title droughts that are rare and frusterating for the very demanding fans of both teams. Torre and Smith both have new teams now and they're both doing very well with them. However, the Yankees have finally revived their dynasty under Joe Girardi and John Calipari hopes to do the s
ame in Lexington in 2010. Heck, I just realized another similarity....Girardi, Calipari...both are Italian, AND thier names even ryhme. Heck, maybe it is destiny.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Yankees win #27; beat Phillies 4-2
I don't have much time to get very in-depth with this game, but congratulations to the New York Yankees who won their 27th World Championship in Franchise history. The Yankees looked like the best team in baseball all year and ended the season with a 7-3 win in Game 6 of the World Series.
Hideki Matsui was named the World Series MVP behind a 3-4 performance, 1 HR, and 6 RBIs which ties the record for most RBIs in a World Series game.
Sorry I don't have more time to break this game down. Be sure to look for my wrap-up of the 2009 baseball season and a look forward to the 2010 season. I will also have this week's edition of Brown's Picks up tonight and a preview of the 2009-2010 NCAA Basketball season coming this weekend.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
World Series Moves to Game 4; Yankees lead 2-1
The Fall Classic may have shifted to Philadelphia before game 3, but the momentum following the game is clearly in the Yankee’s corner. After a stellar performance by AJ Burnett in Game 2, Andy Pettitte showed why he is the all-time leader in post-season wins in the Yankees’ Game 3, 8-5 victory over the Phillies.
Andy Pettitte’s 17th playoff victory didn’t come easy, though. The Yankees fell behind early when the Phillies jumped to a 3-0 lead in the Bottom of the 2nd. A Jayson Werth solo homer and a couple of untimely walks made it look like Pettitte was destined for a short outing. However, the veteran lefty bounced back to keep him team in the game. Over the next 5 innings, the Yankees outscored Philly 7-1 before Joba Chamberlain relieved Pettitte in the Bottom of the 7th. After Mo Rivera shut the door on the Phillies, the Yankees are now 2 wins away from their 27th World Championship.
Game 4 of the World Series is tonight in Philadelphia as CC Sabathia faces off against Joe Blanton, who will be given the ball over Phillie’s ace Cliff Lee. It has been widely publicized that the Yankees are operating with a 3-man rotation, but Charlie Manuel will not be using the same philosophy. Manuel has faced a lot of criticizing for putting Blanton on the mound for tonight’s game instead of Lee, who would be pitching on 3 days rest. Throughout his career, Lee has not done well when not pitching on full rest, but since his trade to Philadelphia, Lee has been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. This post season, Lee has posted a 3-0 record in 4 starts, 2 complete games, and an E.R.A. of 0.54. To me, it would make sense to run Lee out there in Game 4 in order to have him ready on 3 days rest for Game 7. Now Manuel is going to face the heat if Blanton does not show up tonight. The Phillies’ best chance of winning this series rests in the arm of Cliff Lee and he can’t do much on the bench.
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