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The Umpires are the persons designated to enforce the rules of baseball during a game. In Major League Baseball, there are four umpires per game, one positioned behind the plate (the home plate umpire) who is responsible for calling balls and strikes as well as plays at the plate, and one behind each of the bases (the base umpires) who are positioned to make calls on plays at their base, or in the outfield. The home plate umpire also has responsibility for keeping the official line-up cards; he is the only person who can determine if a substitution is legal or whether a batter is out of turn; he must be advised beforehand if a manager intends to make a double-switch.

During the All-Star Game and postseason games, two additional umpires take the field, positioned along the left and right foul lines in the outfield. Their main responsibility is to make calls on whether balls hit to the outfield are fair or foul, and whether balls have been caught on the fly or trapped. At lower levels, games can be umpired by three, two or even one official; in fact, in the early days of professional baseball, the one-umpire system was most common.

Basketball referees must know the rules of basketball inside and out. Basketball rules vary at each level of play, though basic rules are the same for every league. A basketball referee should study the game rules of every league he plans on officiating. The last thing any basketball referee wants is to encounter confusion as an official during a basketball game. Rule books should be available for every league you officiate. Documentation of every obstacle or disagreement should be found in rule books.

The official soccer rules are called the “Laws of the Game” and are revised annually (usually in July) by FIFA, the world soccer governing body, but youth organizations usually adjust the rules to fit children. Typical adjustments are field sizes, game lengths, number of players per team, the number and frequency of substitutions, “offside” is sometimes not called, and slide tackling is sometimes not allowed. Field sizes, ball sizes, length of games & rules vary by age group. The FIFA rules do not require separate teams for girls and boys, but many soccer clubs and associations have separate leagues for boys and girls. Discuss the rule variations with an official of your league. You can find the “Laws of the Game” at FIFA.com (on the FIFA Home Page enter “Laws” in the search feature).

Title IX, how amazing that none of the above really matter anymore. Who cares about rules? It has been my displeasure to watch the NBA finals, where if you knew how to act as well as Paul Pierce, you could get a foul called on almost any play. Plus, I never knew that guarding in the NBA was “palm on the back was a foul”, but a “KG love hug” on almost every play was not. Do not get me wrong the Lakers were just as guilty at their end of the court.

But as bad as basketball is, it cannot compare to “the flop” that we see in the world of soccer. Can you imagine how littered the floor would be with bodies if a soccer team ever came to visit the crew on FNM? After fifteen minutes of a verbal attack from the Franchise and then a follow up attack from Title IX or Pedal to the Metal there would be bodies all over the floor rolling and writhing in pain. OH THE HUMANITY!

And let us not forget baseball, where the umpires get more dramatic in each one of their calls. It has been our pleasure to broadcast many baseball and softball games on multiple levels this year. In many of those games, we are situated right behind the plate and can observe the same strike zone as the pitcher, catcher, batter and umpire. I know I am older than my partners, but I can still see, and I know that the strike zone is not six inches outside the plate or three inches off the ground. And please do not say “Well, he is calling it the same way for both teams”. You’re right, he or she is calling it the same way for both teams, be it BASKETBALL, BASEBALL or SOCCER. But they are calling it wrong!

If a writer takes a classic story and rewrites it destroying all the common threads in the story line, we as a viewing audience have a fit and we refuse to see the film. If a news commentator takes a politician’s quote out of context and twist it upside down and inside out, we grumble and complain that the commentator violated a principle of ethics. If we play a game with our family, friends, and acquaintances and we peak over someone’s shoulder in cards, or miscount our strokes on a golf course, no one would want to play with us again.  So why do the officials of many sports feel like they must bend the rules to make the game more exciting, suspenseful, close? Or is it the “policeman” mentality “I AM THE LAW”(Judge Dread-Stallone) and I must be a seen part of the game?

Too many times we have seen a game changed, rearranged or totally destroyed on a call by an official who KNEW that particular call would have a significant effect on the outcome of a game. NO, I am not talking about a missed call, or a call that if there are four of us in a room two of us see it one way and two of us see it the other way. I am talking the non winning goal in WORLD CUP USA vs. SLOVENAIA, the missed call at 1st BASE FOR A PERFECT GAME AND THERE IS NO DISCUSSION BETWEEN ALL THE UMPIRES, or the ball is knocked out of bounds by one team, no I saw it, BUT YOU DID SEE THE ARM BEING RIPPED OFF AT THE SOCKET -you didn’t see it but it is a foul, you didn’t see it but he was tagged, you didn’t see it but it’s a red card. When will today’s refs, umpires, officials, and linesman realize that they are there to enforce the rules, not rewrite them? When they do, please let me know and I will go back and watch the games.

“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.  In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

The above should have been the conversation the other night in the lovely state of Texas with the owner of the Dallas cowboys. If it had been, there would be no controversy at the present time about his statements.  But then again, should there be any controversy at all? Let us be realistic, when are our conversations ‘our conversations’?

Welcome to the world of SportsNetUSA.net, or should I more specific and welcome to the world of sports inner-sanctum, “Friday Night Mics”.  You must realize that FNM was built around the fact that we had a few of us who spoke our minds and did not mind letting our mouths jump off our faces and into the other peoples’ conversations before they were finished. I am the biggest culprit of this group, followed by the Franchise, Title IX, Big EEEE, Pedal to the Metal and then Stick Boy. There were a few others, the Encyclopedia of Baseball (especially if you talked about Pete Rose) and the Mouth from the South.

Yes, this group could go round and round until three or four in the morning, but through it all, we all knew that our statements were going out over the airwaves. After FNM, there would be other conversations, in the studio, locking the door as we left for the night and standing out in the parking lot. These conversations would go on and on, until finally someone would say, “I have to go home.”

You see, there was never that dilemma about what to release on the air at SportsNetUSA.net, because we understood that our rants and conversation on FNM were for human consumption. We also knew that the other conversations we had after the show, with inside thoughts, statements, and feelings, belonged to us as a group of sports people having a conversation and discovering certain stories amongst ourselves that gave us a better look at the overall picture.

Are there times I speak out of turn? You bet I do. But at the same time, I do watch what I say at certain times to certain people, and I respect the private conversations I have had with a variety of people in all sorts of walks of life. Yes, I have been told things in the world of business, sports and everyday life that I should not have known. People sometimes just “need” to say something and when those times happen, we should really look at ourselves and turn off the repeat button in our minds and just save it for ourselves.

I have talked and I have been talked about, and I know how it feels when I have heard the words from someone else’s mouth. So maybe it is the press’s turn to realize that not every statement made by a known person is a reportable statement. Maybe the press should shut off a recorder, or turn off a cell phone camera, or look at the seller of a supposed juicy item and say, “no thank you.”

Because we all have our moments of sticking our feet in our mouths, be it at a bar, a dinner table, or riding in a car with a group of friends on a long ride home from Santa Monica. I would like to think that after the laughter subsides and everyone catches their breath, that the statement that was made didn’t belong to everyone, just the group that it was intended for.  The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.-that was Jerry’s mistake, leave the man and the statement alone.

SportsNetUSA.net may have a new “King of the Prognosticators.”  It seems this person had predicted the NAIA Player of the Year (after only six games into the season), also with a little help from his son, which GSAC team would be in the NAIA final game on the women’s side, and was one game away from getting his sleeper pick into the last four teams remaining in the NCAA field.  You all know and love him but we won’t say his name because we don’t want to stroke his ego too much. Speaking of those final four teams that survived and advanced, the unknown “mid-major” finally has a legitimate chance to cut down the nets when it is all said and done. Kudos to the Butler Bulldogs for being what Gonzaga was supposed to be for the last ten years.

We have heard recent grumblings about reseeding the NCAA Tournament field as each round is completed to make it fair for the top seeds. This suggestion comes off the heels of possible filed expansion to 96 teams. There is no need to reseed the brackets. The tournament is fair as is. Upsets are part of the reason this event is so exciting, anticipated and the best three weeks in sports. As far as expansion, if teams don’t qualify as one of 65 teams, do we really want to see them? If teams win the games they are supposed to win, then a chance at being one of the 65 should not be a problem.  Every year teams and coaches and fans whose teams are left out complain that if their team got a chance to dance then their team would win it all; maybe, maybe not; but every tournament is filled with drama and the best team may not always win but like Kurtis Blow said, “these are the breaks.”

Finally, in honor of the bracket, here are my matchups in the best afros in sports tournament:

1.  Oscar Gamble (baseball)  vs.    8.   Robin Lopez (basketball)

2.  Julius Erving (basketball)     vs.    7.  Bake McBride (baseball)

3.  Darnell Hillman (basketball)  vs.  6.  Carlos Valderama (soccer)

4.  Ben Wallace (basketball)        vs.    5.  Flo Hyman (volleyball)

I know there are many more players that I may have missed but these are the eight that I am going with. For pure iconic glory, Julius Erving would get the vote. Oscar Gamble would get the “pick” for sheer mass and the afro puffs. Darnell Hillman would be my choice for the cleanest. It is a difficult decision because there could be an upset along the way like a 5 or 6 seed. That is why I will leave it up to you and pick your favorite afro.

It has been our pleasure at SportsNetUSA.net to broadcast a variety of different sports on different levels throughout the years. With each year, new announcers have passed through our studios and our sporting events, each with their own style and flair. Some announcers have been appreciated and some have just been totally ignored by our listening audience. As the years have passed, we too have taken a listen to our announcers and have found those that we follow with each spoken word. And we have discovered others that neither understand what a spoken word is, nor can they properly pronounce any of them.  Which brings us to that long debated dilemma:  WHAT DOES A GOOD ANNOUNCER, BE IT PLAY BY PLAY OR COLOR, SOUND LIKE AND WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

Paint a picture with words? Understand the nuances of the game? Be able to fit fifty cent and nonsensical words into a descriptive pattern? Be a fan or be a player? Should we look for more announcers who are like a Howard Cosell partnered up with a Don Meredith? “Monday Night Football” in 1970 allowed Howard Cosell to trade barbs with his down-home sidekick, Don Meredith, a breezy ex-Cowboys quarterback, even though, at the time, Curt Gowdy was the top announcer on a national level. Yet, most young people cannot relate to the old fashion barbs and tossing of political rhetoric that flew from Cosell’s mouth and landed at the feet of Meredith.

Most young people think announcing was born on a national level with John Madden. Madden exploded onto the scene with CBS. Where Cosell was caustic, Madden was funny and charismatic.  Where Cosell’s tone was one of business, Madden’s was carefree and every day.  He grabbed viewers’ attention with a football nomenclature not heard before by blending an infusion of coaches on the practice field, and bellowing fans. “Whap!” “Bang!” “Doink!”.

Broadcasters that are living and dead, from eras past and present and have varying styles, have one thing in common: They are as much a part of the way we experience sports as the events themselves. All you have had to do is listen to Vanguard University Basketball, Anaheim Jr. Ducks Ice Hockey or Sacramento City College Football on Sportsnetusa.net and you would realize that we at SportsNetUSA.net are just like you. We are the fan that just happened into your living room, kitchen, car or office at work. We are the cut out cardboard figure of the parent sitting behind the microphone. We are also the heart, soul, dreamer, wisher and cheerleader for those who are out on the court, field, diamond and track.

So I ask again, to all my fellow broadcasters, voices, keepers of the flame, those who spread the word, what makes those announcers you like, listen too, and hang on every word, what makes them the ones that we listen too? I wish I knew, but I can tell you that some of the following people are those I have followed on the national level Howard Cosell, John Madden, Brent Musburger, Al Michaels, Dick Enberg Curt Gowdy, Keith Jackson, Bob Costas, Jim McKay, Dick Vitale, Joe Buck Marv Albert and of course, Vin Scully. And to those few that I have named here, let us thank them for those indelible sporting moments that defined our sports, with their magical statements behind the microphone.

Black History month is here and, for many of you that have listened to us on SportsNetUSA.net and to Friday Nite Mics, you have heard us discuss the plight of black athletes and coaches on a variety of topics. We have discussed Negro baseball and have wondered out loud how good some of the old Hall of Famers would have been in baseball if they would have had to face every athlete of their time. If we go back in time we have wondered how many NCAA Championships would have been won by certain teams if segregation had not been the law of the land. We still wonder about golf (country club) policies across this country that, in 2010, some clubs are still closed to people of color.

As for coaches of color, no one has hollered louder than TitleIX and the Buddha of Babble about equality in the coaching ranks for college and professional teams. So to all of the great athletes of our time, the ones from the past and to those of you in the future, we throw in our thoughts and the thoughts of others on Black History Month:

Here’s a link to “Top 75 Althletes and Pioneers of Sports Inclusion” an article written by Leland Stien III originally published by the Los Angeles Sentinel.  http://www.afrogolf.com/top75blackathletes.html

It has been a while my friends, but I have returned just in time for the NFL’s Second Season. I have to right? As always, four Wild Card Weekend games on the docket and three of them were actually played last week…well…kind of. Let us now take a look into the not-so-distant future and see what we have in store for Saturday and Sunday. And don’t worry, my full playoff prediction will come at the end, but let’s get to round one…..

AFC Wild Card Game #1

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, OH (Saturday January 9)

So we saw this game take place last week. At least we saw one team show up. You can say all you want about the Bengals actually trying to win the game at the Meadowlands on Sunday night, but c’mon…really guys? Carson Palmer went 1-11 with an interception. Plus, I scored as many points as the Bengals did and I watched the whole game from the comfort of my own workplace. Simply put, the Jets HAD to win to get in, the Bengals phoned it in to not get hurt. So for both teams, mission: accomplished. This Saturday, the whole environment will change. The game is in Cincinnati and the Bengals offense (especially Carson Palmer) will be ready to go. Palmer hasn’t played a playoff game since the Steelers took him out on the first play from scrimmage in the postseason a few years back, his only playoff appearance. He’ll be sharp and the Jets defense will run around trying to catch Bengal ball-carriers all day.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Jets 17
Key Factor: Cedric Benson (RB-CIN): With a lot to prove in the national spotlight, Ced helps out the Bengal passing attack by forcing the Jets to respect the run.

AFC Wild Card Game #2
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MA (Sunday January 10)

This game will be closer than most will expect. The Ravens half-backed in to the playoffs (like the Jets) and it took an 8-point victory over the Raiders to get them there. Foxboro is a tough place to go in Winter and the Patriots finished the season 8-0 at Gillette. the Ravens’ defense is still good and their offense has gotten much better in the passing game and with Offensive Rookie of the Year Ray Rice. The difference here is that no matter how bad the odds are stacked against New England, the Patriots always seem to win early-round games. Look for this week to be no different in a semi-low scoring affair.

Prediction: New England 20, Baltimore 16
Key Factor: Julian Edelman (WR-NE): With Wes Welker out for the Pats, Edelman will have to fill the role of “Go-to Receiver” when the Patriots are faced with 3rd and medium distances to go. Keeping drives alive are key to New England’s success.

NFC Wild Card Game #1
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Stadium Irving, TX (Saturday January 9)

Talk about a let down. One game to clinch a home date with the ‘Boys and the NFC East title and “BAM”- it all goes away in the blink of an eye. If the Eagles were content on letting Dallas beat them up like that with a lot on the line (and trust me, a home playoff game and a division title is a lot) then what might happen come Saturday night in “Big D?” I picked the Cowboys to be my sleeper team of the playoffs and with the way the defense has been clicking, I have no reason to believe otherwise in this game. Jay Ratliff was named to the Pro Bowl for a reason. He will get to Donovan McNabb in this game…maybe more than once. As for Philly, they better bring their “A” game and they need big plays from their wide receivers on offense. Donovan can’t carry a team the way he used to. This one could be a shootout if both teams are at their best.

Prediction: Dallas 31, Philadelphia 21
Key Factor: David Beuhler (K-DAL): Strange pick you say? Not quite my friends. The Eagles kick returners were amongst the best in the league in getting their team short fields. This pick could have easily been the entire special teams unit for Dallas, but Jerry Jones drafted the former USC kicker to drive the ball deep. The longer the field for the Eagles, the more chances the Cowboys defense will have to stop them.

NFC Wild Card Game #2

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
University of Phoenix Stadium

This is the most difficult game to predict this weekend. Green Bay destroyed Arizona in the final game of the regular season, but the Cardinals seemed to back off because this game was going to happen on Sunday no matter what happened. They knew it’d be two weeks in a row against one another and the Cardinals didn’t want to showcase all of their weapons. Bad news for Arizona: looks like Anquan Boldin won’t play. Good news for Arizona: He missed their entire playoff run to the Super Bowl and only played in the Super Bowl. More bad news for Arizona: That was the only game they lost last postseason. Maybe they should keep him out…I’m just sayin’. Aaron Rodgers passed for over 4,000 yards. The Packers’ offense is good. The Cardinals’ defense is slipping a bit down the stretch. It should be a good one in the desert. Stay tuned.

Prediction: Green Bay 30, Arizona 24
Key Factor: Charles Woodson (CB-GB): Surprised by this pick? I didn’t think so. If Chuck can catch one or two of Kurt Warner’s pass attempts, he’ll probably run at least one back. If that happens, game over.

So there you go…a little analysis to get you ready for the first round of the playoffs. It’s gonna be fun, you can count on that. And real quick…here’s a lottery style ‘Quick Pick” for the rest of the playoffs before I have to analyze match-ups that I did NOT predict would happen.

Divisional Round Predictions:

AFC
San Diego over New England
Indianapolis over Cincinnati

NFC
Green Bay over New Orleans
Minnesota over Dallas

AFC Championship
San Diego over Indianapolis

NFC Championship
Green Bay over Minnesota

Super Bowl XLIV
San Diego over Green Bay

Yup…I actually said it.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Complaints? You know what to do.

Until next time…..

Hero, model, conqueror, victorious general, prize athlete, master, warrior, man of courage, great man, a man among men, man of the hour, popular figure, martyr, saint, man of courage, man of character, champion…

It seems that nowadays, we as fans put too much faith and stock in our athletic heroes of today and the past. We the fan, no matter how old we are, look at athletes as if they should walk on water, heal the sick and win every weekend. We wear their jerseys, the brand of clothes and shoes they endorse, their sports drinks and in some cases, we name our children after them. We cheer for them in ever contest they are involved in and we curse them under our breaths when they lose, as if they lost just to get even with us. There are even fans that refer to a sports hero’s victories as ours, or respond to the teams their heroes may be on as we. For some reason we forget that they owe us nothing more than a great show and we owe them even less, absolutely nothing.

We have argued the responsibility of the athlete, actor, pitch person, minister for numerous hours on FRIDAY NIGHT MICS on SportsNetUSA.net, but we never seemed able to get everyone at the table to agree about responsibility and its connection to money. Or responsibility and its connection to fame.  Or reponsibility and it connection to a career that is publicly oriented. We have argued every sport imaginable and talked about every level of athlete that exists. We have talked about the racist days of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, the drug days of baseball in the past, present, and maybe future, we have talked major college scandals that involve coaches and athletes, point shaving in basketball and infidelity in all sports. But at the end of the day, it seems that Title IX, The Franchise, Big E, Pedal to the Metal, Stick boy, Radio Ex and the Buddha of Babble cannot agree on the obligation of the athlete as it relates to responsibility vs fame.

So maybe we the fan should wipe the sleep out of our eyes, clean up the empty bottles and put away the half eaten boxes of pizza and reexamine our thoughts when we look at our so-called sports heroes. Maybe we should count on both our hands and feet how many times WE the FANS have let our families, friends, and co-workers down when we did not live up to our responsibilities.  We all have done things wrong in our lives, for some of us they are enormous, for others of us they are not even worth being mentioned, but they were all WRONGS.

Am I saying we shouldn’t follow our heroes and their lives? No. Am I saying that we can’t see their missteps like ours in life and go, wow? No. But do not forget they are us. Yes, I know someone is starting to get hot and is getting ready to write back and tell me that they do not make their kind of money. Or they do not have the notoriety that they have as named people. But remember, that person worked to get where they are, they used the tools in life they were given, they took advantage of the opportunities that were offered them and they understood how to play the game in life and on the field. Do not be mad at them because of that, they were just better at it than us, and remember that somewhere, somehow, they were like us.  They wake up, they do their thing, they go to sleep and the next day they do it again, just like us. OH yes, and they make mistakes JUST LIKE US.

My father and his friends were young men when World War II came along and they like many others never hesitated to serve their country through a horrible time in history. Some of my father’s friends came home, some did not.  But to see the pride in their eyes every time they reunite, it makes you feel as if you are standing with a group of nineteen year old Marines who are ready to serve their country once again.

To those friends of mine who served in a time of history when being in the military was the most unpopular thing a young man or woman could have done I hope to honor you and say thank you from the many who never uttered a word on your behalf when you can home from Southeast Asia.

And to those who serve today, who volunteer to serve, protect and defend our nation, I do not know you but I cry when I see you, because you are my son, my niece, my friend’s children when I view your faces.

To all who have served this country no matter where your spirit travels in the history of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, I shout: “thank you”

Ah it is that spooky time of year with the holiday’s right in front of us. So it is time to spew out the ridiculous, outrageous and just plain stupid thoughts. Remember to always forgive those of us who loose our mind this time of year.

First, is it not time for the federal government to regulate sport salaries the way they want to regulate CEO’s salaries of major corporations. Should not government intercede for us poor fans that are paying these outrageous ticket prices for subpar sporting events? They should step in on our behalf and state that an athlete should not make over $5,000,000.00 a year and that the owners of the teams should pass on the savings to us unaffordable ticket prices.

Second, when is everyone on a professional TACKLE football team going to be fair game on the field? You can’t hit a quarterback in the head, you can’t hit a quarterback in the knees, you can’t push a quarterback after he has just thrown the football and you can’t try to tackle a quarterback low even if you whiff on the tackle. But if you are a running back lining up in the quarterback’s position and run with the football you are fair game to have your head ripped off. And if you are a quarterback and a running back reverses his run and heads back towards the quarterback, you the quarterback can drop and roll into a defensive lineman’s knees, ankles or the back of his legs.

FOOTBALL IS A VIOLENT GAME FOR EVERYONE BUT…?

Ah why should we stop now? Good question because the greatest sleight of hand game is back on the air. That’s right, the No Boundaries Allowed game is back. Talk about a game that defies the world of magic? Chris Angel would like to cross from one end of a basketball court to the other without moving his feet or dribbling a basketball as well as some of the current all time greats playing the game today. Plus, I have now discovered

that people should realize how to tell time, because I am never late when I tell them I will be there in a few minutes. Realize that if three seconds is this long, one………..two……….three, then a few minutes could almost be an eternity. Yikes!!!

And then there is the ANGELS. enough said.

Please explain to me what is wrong with NASCAR, the good old boys sport that is supposed to be that sport all us drivers can relate too. NASCAR take a look at our freeways. There are more women out there than men and they drive faster, smoother, colder and more calculating than any of my friends (except Mr. Neyland). Guys open up the gate, the CHASE would be much more exciting if it were a road race across the country and you had to stop at a Walmart and Target in each city. The object would be to purchase the BLUE Light Special in each store and make the best time from L.A. to Nashville.

Now for the older generation, the only reason you should own an over grown tennis racket is to help strain a large pot of pasta at the Vidal Cup. I just discovered today why Agassi needed one and I am not sure it had anything to do with tennis and speaking of oversized …My goodness how BIG does the head on a golf club need to be? Square grooves, vee cuts, deep curve, open face, closed face, 15%, 40%,90%, stainless steel, graphite, steel, chromoly . Guys /Gals if you cannot work a shot, if you can’t putt, if you

Don’t understand that there is a fairway and rough and you are suppose to be in the fairway, then don’t play. Plus if you can’t play with a little distraction, quit. If the conditions are not ideal, go home. If the money purse seems a little short, come work with the rest of us. By the way, none of us get appearance fees.  OK, so we would pay a few people to stay away.

Let us also remember boxing is boxing not a beer brawl with a paraplegic.

Poker is not a sport.

A professional athlete is not someone knocking down beers at the sponsor’s tent during the event.

Old, old, old coaches should not fade away, they should mysteriously disappear.

B.C.S-Blatant Corruption of System …

And there are other teams besides ….Yankees, Lakers, Cowboys, Canadians, Fighting Irish, Petty racing, Packers.

So sit back, relax, pass out candy, start stuffing your turkey and spend it like you have it, because it’s time for the holiday rush and that time of year is where we all start to lose our ….

As many of you who come to this site know, we do a show after games on Fridays called Friday Night Mics. It is a show about multiple topics with a variety of varying opinions; yes it is very reminiscent of a holiday gathering with brothers, cousins, uncles and friends. We are loud, we step on each other’s statements and we have the tendency to disagree. But we love sports and we are all absorbed by language, so much so that we agree to disagree on the meanings of words.

Wow, sports broadcasters who choose to use words for their own benefit, using words to get their point across, spouting verbiage so others feel that maybe they’re wrong while in actuality they’re right. Yes, broadcasters love to throw out words like greatness, talented, amazing, and outstanding. Yet those words just might be used, overused or misused.

WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD THESAURUS STATES:

Talent implies a natural ability to do a certain thing and suggest that the ability has been or can be developed through training, practice, practice, practice (a talent for drawing); gift suggest a special ability that is thought of as having been given, as by nature rather than gotten through effort (a gift for making friends); aptitude implies a special ability which makes it likely that one can do a certain kind of work easily and well (no aptitude for a desk job); faculty implies a special ability or skill that is either natural or acquired (he has developed the faculty of getting along with others); knack implies an ability; gained through practice or experience, to do something easily and cleverly (the knack TITLE IX has writing poetry); genius may imply any great natural ability (he has genius for always saying the right thing), but more often suggest an extraordinary natural power to do creative original works.

So gentlemen, now that we have straightened out some of the missed used words that we or other broadcasters may use, it is time for us join each other and bring back the entertaining world of FRIDAY NIGHT MICS.

Bring your opinions (is used of a conclusion or judgment which seems true or probable to one’s own mind even though it may still be argued) to the table. There is nothing better for our listening audience to hear your view (is an opinion affected by the personal way one looks at things) and realize that whatever we say on the air we stand by our conviction (is a strong belief about whose truth one has no doubts) no matter how much persuasion (refers to a strong belief that cannot be shaken because one wishes to believe in the truth) is used to try an change our belief (refers to the acceptance by the mind of an idea, especially a doctrine or dogma that others accept). Do we oppose (implies attacking something that threatens or interferes with one) each other as often as we can and do we resist (implies defending against something that is already actively opposed to one) each other’s arguments (refers t a discussion in which there is disagreement and suggest the use of reason and bringing forth of facts to support or disprove a point)? Yes, but it is amiable and affable (both suggest friendliness) and we appreciate (implies enough understanding and judgment to see value) each other.

So make sure you join us every Friday night after a high school football game and listen to the HIGH SCHOOL ROUND Up and FRIDAY NIGHT MICS and if you are lucky you’ll hear us using the rights words with the proper definition on FRIDAY NIGHT MICS on SportsNetUSA.net for Title IX, The Big E, THE Franchise, Pedal to the Metal, I am the Buddha of BABBLE and this blog was about FRIDAY NIGHT MICS on SportsNetUSA.net.

(Let me thank WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD THESAURUS for the definitions and statements dealing with words)