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After watching the UCF v USF football game how can anyone say that the schools shouldn’t pursue this rivalry?  Discuss in the comments.

The Major League Baseball season has reached the all-star break, and the stretch run is shaping up to be one of the finest in recent memory. While some individual story lines require constant attention, it is the team stories which will prove to be the most engaging in the last few months. Will the upstart Tampa Bay Rays be able to secure the first playoff appearance in team history behind a core of young stars? Will the New York Yankees be able to survive Madonna-gate and climb out of third place? Will the Cubs win the World Series for the first time in 100 years?

I mention the intriguing team story lines because this year’s individual award winners may not even make the playoffs. Seriously. There is a chance that both MVP’s and CY Young award winners all may miss the playoffs. I wish I had the Schwab here to tell me if this has ever happened, but I’m going to assume it hasn’t in the modern era.

So here it is, your 2008 half way home award winners

NL MVP
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals. Early on in the season, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight posed a question to their analysts regarding who they would choose to start a team. Each analyst got to pick one pitcher and one skill player. No one chose Albert Pujols. No one. Fighting injuries all season, Pujols has kept the Cardinals afloat hitting over .350 and playing another stellar year of defense at first base. His versatility in the field makes him more valuable than say a Chase Utlet, as Pujols can play four positions, first base, third base, and the corner outfield spots.

NL Cy Young
Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds. The youngster reminds those who watch him of Pedro Martinez and he could be the cornerstone of a promising young Reds rotation that should include Homer Baily and Johnny Cueto. Volquez is currently 12-3 with a 2.29 ERA. He struggles with his control, already walking over 50 batters, but continues to win.

NL Rookie of the Year
Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs. A no-brainer choice at the moment. Soto has not only been a solid catcher behind the plate, but a big bat in the middle of the Cub’s lineup. Dealing with one of the more explosive pitching staffs in the majors, Soto has handled them all well and will start in this years all-star game.

NL Manager of the Year
Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs. He has lead the Cubs to one of the best records in baseball despite a less than impressive starting rotation. Anyone that has the Cubs in position to win their first World Series in a century, deserves this award.

AL MVP
Josh Hamilton, Rangers. Not only the pick for MVP, but the obvious choice for comeback player of the year. Anyone that hasn’t heard about Hamilton’s journey back from near death needs to read about it soon. It’s a story that deserves a narration from Morgan Freeman.

AL Cy Young
Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays. Halladay is the model of consistency for a starting pitcher. He is a workhorse who can throw 9 innings every start if you asked him too. While the Blue Jays have attemped to get him help in the rotation lately, see A.J. Burnett, Halladay has continued to keep the team afloat.

AL Rookie of the Year
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays. Didn’t get called up to the major leagues until a month into the season, but has proven to be one of the best young players in the bigs. It’s not only his bat, but his sparkling defense at the hot corner which will make him a perennial all-star.

AL Manager of the Year
Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. Another easy choice. Maddon has a franchise which has never made the playoffs and only once finished out of last place with one of the best records in baseball. He has done all this in the very tough American League East, a division which features two of baseball’s year-in and year-out powers in the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. If Maddon is able to lead this group of youngsters to the playoffs, it will be one of the greatest managerial achievements in baseball history.

Straight from ucfathletics.com

2008 UCF Football Schedule
Aug. 30 South Carolina State 6 p.m.
Sept. 6 USF (ESPN2) 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 at Boston College TBA
Sept. 27 at UTEP (CBS C) 8 p.m.
Oct. 4 SMU (CBS C) 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 at Miami (Fla.) TBA
Oct. 26 at Tulsa (ESPN) 8 p.m.
Nov. 2 East Carolina (ESPN) 8 p.m.
Nov. 8 Southern Miss 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 15 at Marshall 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 at Memphis TBA
Nov. 29 UAB 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 6 Conference USA Championship Game

There are a lot of late games in there. More time for tailgating!

This weekend the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will feature all four number one seeds in the final four for the first time ever. The major league baseball season is underway, the NBA and NHL are in the midst of one of the tightest playoff races ever, and the Masters is quickly approaching. It’s a great time to be a sports fan; and by sports, I mean real sports.

As the 36th anniversary of Title IX approaches, the liberal side of me embraces the opportunities it has provided for women in amateur athletics (although not the original intent). However, the realist side of me turns on ESPN and bares witness to the women’s NCAA tournament. These nappy headed hoes make me think they owe Don Imus an apology. Three point shots look like men’s shot put in the Olympics, a scramble for a loose ball resembles a group of retards chasing a colorful balloon, and Pat Summit looks like she coaches the women purely for the dating opportunities.

Now sure, women’s sports have provided us with such terrific things as Jennie Finch, Amanda Beard, and any member of a beach volleyball team, but how much hotness must we trade for awful competition?

Title IX was justified in one of my favorite television shows, “The West Wing,” when uber hot assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff (and later, chief of staff to the first lady, go figure) Donna Moss says “Why can’t the guy who is third on the depth chart at left outside linebacker also be third on the depth chart at right outside linebacker?”

Well, Donna, why can’t women, with mostly no future in professional sports idolize and emulate women like Martha Stewart, Paula Deen and Rachel Ray, because, well, I’m hungry.

In what seemed like the inevitable, Michael Vick has finally been indicted by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Weeks ago a story was brought up on ESPN about the fights that had taken place at a home that was owned by Michael Vick, but he claimed that relatives and friends of his lived there and he had no knowledge of the wrongdoings that were taking place. Those statements seem even more unlikely now that he directly has been indicted.

Some of the evidence and gory details that have been brought forward in the indictment are troubling to hear and read. It is hard to imagine that the 4 gentlemen who are being indicted, including Vick, are capable or harming the dogs in the way that has been published. As a professional athlete, does he really believe that he is able to commit such crimes and get away with it?

I have thought that Michael Vick has been one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL since he was made the number 1 pick in 2001. He has been an exciting player to watch, that can not be argued, but as a quarterback he is highly ineffective. He has had almost no success in the playoffs and has shown little potential in taking the Falcons to the next level. The Falcons now have put themselves into a difficult position because Vick was the given full backing of the organization this off season after trading their much heralded back-up, Matt Schaub, to the Texans. They did sign Joey Harrington to be their back-up QB this offseason, but being a Lions fan I can confidently state that’s really all he will ever be, a back-up. I believe that Vick will not be playing a full season this year, if any of it, because this is an extremely serious crime and the league itself has become much harder on NFL players since Roger Goodell became the Commissioner last year.

For the full story:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7033242

Cheers to Vick being an idiot.

After leading the Gators to the last two national championships, the 42-year-old Donovan has received a contract offer from the Magic worth $6 million annually, a source told ESPN.com’s Pat Forde.

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Check out this awesome picture of the new football stadium:

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