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October 5, 2012

What up?

I obviously haven't posted in a long time. Sorry, guys. Been busy.

But I must say, not a good start to the season.

UM 2-2.
Lions 1-3.
NHL Lockout Resumes.

The middle school football team I coach is currently undefeated though! 5-0. Already wrapped up that division title. The season's almost over, and with that, I may start to write some previews/recaps of Michigan and Lions games. No promises. Hope all is well.

-Kevbo

July 27, 2012

Preseason All Big Ten Football Team 2012

Ok, I just can't wait anymore. Between Big Ten Media Day and rewatching UM-OSU and UM-ND, I am ready to start talking Michigan football. We got a little more than a month left until the start of the 2012 College Footbaw season, and I got some things to write about, including the list of the top 5 most important games for Michigan this year. But I figured I'd get started by putting together my Preseason All Big Ten list. 

This list means absolutely nothing, and is subject to change after I get yelled at by my friends. That means you. Feel free to comment with objections and comments. Here we go.

First Team Offense

Montee Ball...dances?

QB- Denard Robinson - Michigan

RB- Montee Ball - Wisconsin (Offensive Player of the Year)

RB- Fitzgerald Toussaint - Michigan

WR- Keenan Davis - Iowa

WR- Antavian Edison - Purdue

TE- Jake Stoneburner - OSU

OT- Ricky Wagner - Wisconsin

OT- Taylor Lewan - Michigan

OG- Chris McDonald - MSU

OG- Spencer Long - Nebraska

OC- Travis Frederick - Wisconsin

PK- Brett Maher - Nebraska

P- Brett Maher - Nebraska

Click below to see First Team Defense and the Second Teams


July 4, 2012

Top 5 Songs about America


Today we celebrate our independence day...



And I just wanted to thank every single person in our history that has ensured that July 4th, 2012 is another day of freedom in America. So here's a list of great songs about 'Murica


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Honorable Mention: God Bless the USA. Lee Greenwood. This reminds me of the Cedar Point laser show, which is awesome, but those memories are also filled with Ohioans who flooded Cedar Point, which lacks awes... too many negatives to put on a positive list.


5. Party in the USA
OMG JUST KIDDING YOU GUYZ lulz... sheesh...


5. American Gladiators Theme Song


This time, not kidding.

This is the classic show where genetically perfect half human, half-titans took on the average american, if average americans had less than 5% body fat. This was Vin Diesel vs. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, 1990's style. Outside of the name of the show, there is really no relationship between this show and America, but they did have sweet names like Nitro, Zap, and Viper. 


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4. Anything by Kid Rock, but specifically Born Free


I will bow to the shining sea and celebrate God's grace on thee

With Americans more polarized than ever, it's great that someone is out there trying to remind people that we are still the best damn country ever, regardless of political opinions. The original American Badass, Kid Rock has spent the last few years trying to reignite faith and patriotism of Americans and specifically Detroiters. His whole arsenal of songs revolve around enjoying what you have, that and something 30 pack of Stroh's and a 30 pack of hoes... 


Top 3 after the jump...

June 25, 2012

5 Worst Announcers in Sports

Here it is. The moment you've waited for. The 5 worst announcers in sports. Because they suck so much, I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of attempting (and ultimately failing) to write a witty introduction.


Thumbs up, let's do this.


5. Don Criqui.


Never heard of him? Well that means CBS is succeeding. He's one of their football announcers. He is at the bottom of the totem pole, but it's not the power bottom. He's awful, and he only calls games when 12 guys call in sick.


Remember my previous post about best announcers? Specifically the part about favorite calls by Musberger. Well, Criqui gave one of the worst calls of all time at the same time Musberger was giving my favorite call.



"He's a poor thrower..."


"This is incredible... Michigan's gonna score..."


"Incomplete...Wait..."


The sorrow in his voice is too much. I don't like to laugh at other people's misfortunes, but that one makes me giggle.


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4. Joe Buck


"Hello everybody. I'm Joe Buck. I am excited to be here." 


Yea, I know about his throat ailment. It restricts his ability to raise his voice. He got this virus in 2011. So I ask you, what was his excuse for being monotone before? 


Look, he's okay for baseball. Baseball is a slower game. Come playoff time though, he needs to pump up the intensity. I mean...



At least he's a great singer...


That is a disgusting act by Joe Buck...


Click below to see the top(?) 3...



June 15, 2012

Top 5 Current Play-by-play Announcers

Well, it's time to tee off my first new blogpost on blogger. This calls for some sort of ceremony.


Awful.


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There's a slight chance I put too much stock into play-by-play announcers. I feel as if they can have a direct effect on the game's enjoyability. Every tuesday during football season, I check Awful Announcing to find out who will be calling the Michigan and Lions games. Most of the time, my response is "ok." But sometimes I get excited (or saddened. More on that later).


There are certain moments during various sporting events that are engraved in your brain forever. You could never see that moment again and remember it as vividly as the new Macbook Pro retina super ultra colorful cornea clear crayola crayon pupil monitor. I am so hip and with it.


You remember those moments as if you were a part of them. You remember them clearly enough that you can recite the play-by-play word-for-word, shake-and-bake. The best announcers can capture the organic emotion of those moments naturally. Their skill is so ingrained in them that they get lost in the moment as a fan without skipping a beat as an announcer.


These are the top 5 best play-by-play announcers in all of sports today.


(Note: I wanted to throw Jim Nantz on here because he is very good at the Masters. However, he is so atrocious when calling college basketball that it ruins the Masters for me.)


HM1: Keith Jackson. Best ever. He doesn't make the list because he is retired, and therefore ineligible. He is, in my opinion, the best of all time.


HM2: Dave Strader. Number two man for hockey on NBC. Former play-by-play for the Red Wings. Just an overall joy to listen to, but I don't get to hear him that often anymore.


5. Brent Musberger


This will be an unpopular choice. A lot of people dislike him, and I am not quite sure why...






Yes, he has gotten a little up there in age, and it does seem to affect him a little bit. However, when you hear his voice, you know it's time for a big time college football game. ESPN has given Musberger the reigns as Chief announcer for college football, and for good reason. He has called over 3 trillion sporting events, including Rose Bowls, BCS Title Games, many versions of The Game, and most importantly, the Bourbon Bowl.


I get goosebumps whenever I hear, "You are looking live..." He says it before every big game, and it still gives me goosebumps. You know he must love saying that too. I bet sunday mornings after calling a big game, Brent sits at the kitchen table yelling, "You are looking live at a Western Omelette with wheat toast."


How bout a 'best of' montage?:



My favorite Musberger moment came from a game I wasn't even watching on tv because I was there. I wrote about it on my previous blog. Here's the video:


This whole video is Musberger and his best due to the lack of excitement in the first 3 quarters. It must've been bottled up.


At about the 7:00 minute mark, Denard finds a wide open Gallon, and Musberger exclaims in genuine shock, "They left him alone!" I think the gravity of that moment and true disbelief by Musberger will keep that moment in Kevbo's vault For. Ev. Er.


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4. Sean McDonough




McDonough does many sports. Basketball, baseball, lacrosse, golf. But I think he excels at football (shocker). This call in the 1998 NCAA tournament was spectacular though.




What makes McDonough great is his ability to change emotions at the right time without seeming disingenuous. He is very good at understanding the natural flow of the game. That is why he can announce different sports at a high level. I don't know too many announcers who are good at football, basketball, baseball, and golf. (Jim Nantz. I'm looking at you. Stick to golf.)


I have two favorite McDonough moments, both involving Michigan football (the sooner you stop being surprised about things like this, the sooner we can go back to being best friends).


The first is the 2003 Michigan-Minnesota game. I always think of his voice when I think of that game.


The second is 2009 Michigan-Notre Dame. This is another game that I attended, so I didn't see the original telecast. But here it is:


Hey guyz, remember Tate Forcier? That kid's got moxy.


At the 4:00 mark, things start to get good. The final drive was very well done by Sean McD. At only 50 years old, he has some good years in front of him.


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Top 3 after the jump...




June 6, 2012

Top 5 Detroit Athletes of last 25 years


ED: I wrote this back in April on my previous blog, but this was the post that inspired my un-retirement because of the fun I had writing it, and I wanted MORE FUN!
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I was watching the Red Wings game last night, and Lidstrom wound up and fired a 'weak' 90 mph slapshot (I'm guesstimating, of course). For whatever reason, I started thinking about how I'm gonna miss Ken Daniels casually saying Lidstrom's name. Daniels began pleading for Lidstrom to come back next year, and the inevitable "What happens when he's gone" thoughts creep through your mind. We've already seen what happens when he's out with an injury:
Homer_Simpson_Facepalm1
The suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked
Obviously, when Lidstrom decides to retire, hopefully in 25 years, the Wings will do something severe to replace him. It won't just be "Recall (Insert unprepared, way too young guy) from the Griffins." They will take Lidstrom's 6 million salary and get themselves a bossy defenseman.
Speaking of which, I was doing some thinking, and even if Lidstrom plays another year at around 6 million, the Wings could afford Ryan Suter AND Zach Parise. They already have cap space to play with, and with Stuart likely heading back to the west coast, that frees up more space. After Suter becomes a Wing, Holland will look at his roster and say, "Would I rather have Jiri Hudler and unused cap space, or Zach Parise with little cap room?" The choice is obvious
Am I digressing? You betcha. The reason I bring all of this up, is I started to wonder where Nick Lidstrom ranks on the list of all-time Detroit greats. There are many throughout time. Ty Cobb, Alan Trammell, Joe Schmidt, Bobby Layne, Gordie Howe, etc. However, I have never seen them play, and sports have changed throughout the years. So I give you...
Kevbo's top 5 Detroit athletes of the last 25 years:
First...
The Honorable Mentions:
This part of the list was the most difficult. The top 4 are pretty obvious. However, that 5th spot was tough. Henrik Zetterberg has an argument, being one of the best two-way players in hockey, also earning a Conn Smythe for MVP of the playoffs. Miguel Cabrera also has a claim, being the best hitter in baseball right now. It came down to three guys though. 
HM1: Justin Verlander. Pitcher. Boss. Rookie of the year in 2006. MVP, Cy Young, 1st place in the Pinewood Derby, probably. Every time I watch him pitch, I get the feeling I got when I first saw Goodfellas. If he keeps this up, he will be the best pitcher in Tigers history. Plenty of time to do that. (ED: I have mentally updated Verlander to 5a. after Datsyuk)
HM2: Chauncey B-B-B-Billups. This was a tough one. Mr. Big Shot. The point guard and court general of the 2004 NBA Champions. He lead the team to what, 6 straight conference finals? He was the leader of the "Going to Work" Pistons, and I don't think he was truly appreciated until he was traded for Allen Iverson, a move in which everyone, myself included, thought was necessary and excellent. When he left, the team fell apart, and now they are rebuilding. 
Now to the list.
5. Pavel Datsyuk
  
  
I can already hear a couple of you attempting to call out my Red Wing bias. Those are probably voices in my head, but regardless, of course Datsyuk gets the nod here. When you have the most successful franchise in the city, and one of the best in the country, the list is gonna be dominated by players from that franchise. Also, DID YOU SEE THOSE HIGHLIGHTS OH MY WORD. He's the best player in the league. Am I biased? Sure. Take away my bias, is he still the best player in the world? Yes yes
Also, he likes James Brown. 
  
4. Isiah Thomas. 
  
Bush! 
Watch this video if you love early 90's VHS recordings. 
I was just a wee lad when Isiah was taking over the NBA with his massive inferiority complex. Like Billups, he was the court general for this back-to-back NBA championship team. If it wasn't for a wrist injury to Thomas, that darn Jordan guy, or old age, these guys probably would have won a couple more. He's one of those players I wish I could've seen more of. 


Top 3 after the jump

I welcome myself to Blogger

Greetings ladies and gentlemenlady and gentleman, Mom and Dad. I have made the move over from Typepad to Blogger. I did not like how difficult it was for people to make comments on that website. I need to be able to go back and forth with the loyal reader of this blog. 


I am going to write on this sporadically over the summer. I will be covering a wide array of topics, from sports to movies, music, life. As we approach football season, my focus will narrow down to the Wolverines and Lions. 


I will probably just start making lists. Lists are fun and bring up the most debates. This stems from a list I made on my previous blog about top 5 athletes in Detroit the last 25 years. I will repost that here in a little bit to start things off. 


Here is a link to all my previous stuff:


Old Kevbo's Lasting Lessons


Without further ado...