The Sports Archives – 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup – India Rules!

Posted on April 4, 2011 by thesportsarchives

The India national cricket team won the 2011 Cricket World Cup and its second title defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets on April 2 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India.  The 10th Cricket World Cup featured 14 teams and became the first where a hosting nation won the final in its own country.  Originally Pakistan was to host the 2011 Cricket World Cup, but due to the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team, the ICC penalized Pakistan and revoked the decision.  India was awarded eight of the Pakistan matches; four went to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.

The home field advantage certainly helped India in the final match.  Wankhede Stadium was filled to capacity and the 33,000 plus screaming fans drowned out Sri Lanka’s call of the opening coin toss.  The coin was flipped again and won by Sri Lanka who elected to bat first.

The tournament does not share in the same hooliganism that occurs during Soccer World Cup matches, but is totally not without incident.  After the West Indies’ team had defeated Bangladesh on March 4th, the team bus was pelted by Bangladeshi fans on return to the team hotel.  It was reported later that the fans really wanted to stone the Bangladeshi team bus!  38 people were arrested for the incident.

India will take home prize money of 3 million US dollars while Sri Lanka becomes 1.5 million US dollars richer.  Some of the tournament stars include India’s Yuvraj Singh who was voted ‘Man of the Series’, Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan who had the most runs at 500; Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and India’s Zaheer Khan who tied for most wickets at 21.

2011 Cricket World Cup Logo

2011 Cricket World Cup Logo

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The Sports Archives – 1971 USC, 24-2, Misses NCAA Basketball Tournament!

Posted on April 2, 2011 by thesportsarchives

The USC Trojans sported a 24 and 2 record during the 1971 NCAA Basketball season and were still left out of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament thanks to John Wooden and their UCLA Bruin neighbors.

For those of you who were born after a certain date; there was an old NCAA rule in place that only allowed one school per conference to enter the NCAA tournament.  USC was ranked #2 behind #1 UCLA in their conference and, because of the rule, had to sit out the tournament.  Their only 2 losses came at the hands of the Bruins who went on to win their 7th title.  UCLA would also win the next two years for a record 7 consecutive championships.

For USC, they were to hit the beaches early.  It wasn’t until 1975 when the tournament expanded to 32 teams that the ‘one school per conference’ restriction was removed.  I’m sure the 1971 USC Trojans had something to do with that change.

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The Sports Archives – Kentucky’s 130 Home Game Winning Streak

Posted on March 31, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the longest home game winning streaks in sports archives history belongs to the Kentucky Wildcat men’s basketball team.  After they lost on January 2, 1943 at home; they were not to lose another home game until January 8, 1955; an amazing string of 130 consecutive home victories.  Take a minute to think about that.  Three generations University of Kentucky students could go to a home game and rest assured that their team will come out on top!  Of course, new Wildcat recruits must have felt the pressure to keep that streak alive.

The streak fell within the coaching years of mighty Adolph Rupp.  Rupp compiled a record of 876 wins and 190 losses with a winning percentage of 82.2.  He probably would have upped those numbers if he wasn’t forced into retirement at age 70!  His coaching career with Kentucky spanned 42 years and included 4 NCAA championships and 1 NIT title.

Kentucky ranks number 1 and 2 in many NCAA men’s basketball statistics (view statistics here).  At present, they have won more NCAA basketball games (2023) than any other college and have the greatest winning percentage.   No matter what number they are seeded; they are always a favorite.

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The Sports Archives – NFL Considers Rule Changes for Kickoffs

Posted on March 26, 2011 by thesportsarchives

Similar to the NHL, the NFL is also taking a closer look at the probable causes of sports injuries. How many times have we seen players limping off the field during a kickoff? The answer is too many and the NFL wants to do something about it. In fact, they already have by limiting the number of players in a blocking wedge to two players during the 2009 season. Now the discussion is to eliminate the blocking wedge altogether.

The kickoff is an exciting part of football.  The assigned special teams practice hard so that they can gain an edge on both the kicking and receiving ends. The kickoff can set or change the momentum for either team. Talks center around possibly moving the kickoff up to the 35 yard line and bringing touchbacks out to the 25 yard line. Well, if they do that, you would have to believe that there will be a lot more touchbacks than there are now and a lot less of those exciting runs up the field. There is also discussion about limiting coverage of how far players can run up before the kickoff. I think I speak for everyone that we are all concerned about the safety of players, but maybe these guys should take a look at rugby!

The truth of the matter is that owners want to protect their investments. But who represents the fans on these decisions? We need to have a system in place like the government where we elect ‘sports’ politicians to represent us. Yes, the fan can help decide whether to trade a player or not! Wait, that won’t work, it would just lead to more corruption!

All kidding aside, what are your thoughts on the proposed NFL changes?

Injured Football Player

Dam! I knew I should have went for the touchback!

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 2006 March Madness – UCLA steals win from Gonzaga

Posted on March 25, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history occurred in the 2006 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) semi-final round between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins.

The 2006 March Madness tournament was an inspiring competition for many reasons.  First, the #11 seed George Mason University Patriots had a stupendous run plowing over four consecutive higher seeds which included a thrilling overtime victory against the #1 seed Connecticut Huskies.  It was only the second time in tournament history that an 11 seed team made it to the Final Four.  Second, a powerhouse Florida Gators team finally stopped George Mason and went on to win it’s first National title ever, beating UCLA 73-57 in the final.  Third, UCLA is lucky to have reached the finals as they should have been ousted by Gonzaga in the semi-finals.

UCLA was down by 17 points and Gonzaga was hitting everything.  UCLA’s offense was sputtering and it looked like it would be a blow-out.  Then suddenly UCLA woke up.  The Bruins were sinking everything and playing masterful defense.  They chipped away the lead and found themselves down by 1 with 19.7 seconds left in the game.  Gonzaga had the inbound, so you know the drill, UCLA would need to foul them, hope they miss and get the ball back.  But this was not the case; the ball was inbounded to Adam Morrison who was quickly double-teamed.   He’s looking all over for an outlet and your nerves get on edge when he throws a dangerous cross-court pass to J.P. Batista.   Now it’s Batista’s turn to look for somebody as he’s not the guy you want dribbling down court for fear of a steal.  UCLA senses the indecisiveness and is quick to double-team Batista who has the ball knocked out of his hand from behind his head by UCLA Jordan Farmer.  Farmer comes up with ball and finds Luc Richard Mbah a Moute under the hoop for an easy lay-up.  The crowd goes wild as suddenly UCLA is up by one and Gonzaga quickly gets the ball past mid-court only to have it stolen from behind again with about 3 seconds left.  The rest is history so they say as UCLA goes on to win 73-71.

You have to see the steal here.

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The Sports Archives – NHL and Violence; Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Cooke gets Cooked!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by thesportsarchives

It seems that the NHL is finally starting to take a closer look at all the hits that are giving the game a bad name. Sure, we are bloodthirsty and we like the hard hitting, the occasional fight and the intimidation strategy that goes along with the game. However, we also like the fast skating, the crisp passing and the laser shots that can only come from the game of hockey. The second part of the equation is taken away when our fastest skaters, our high scorers and even our best goaltenders are injured or given a concussion due to some stupid, purposeful, cheapshot that usually involves an errant elbow or knee; or charge or hard check from behind into the boards.

As fans, we spend our money on season tickets so that we can see our team’s best players come out and play hockey. What good is it if you have guys like Evengi Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Marion Gaborik and Jeff Carter out for a good portion of the season? Yes, injuries are part of the game, but if your best skaters are always targeted by an intimidator looking to injure, then something needs to change. If it doesn’t, then players will dress like the pee-wees in full gladiator suit and cage which is certain to slow the game down and make it less glamorous.

Let’s take the recent case of Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins who blatantly hit New York Rangers Ryan McDonagh with an elbow to the head. Yes, McDonagh should be expecting a hard challenge from Cooke as he was shooting the puck into the Penguins zone. Should he have to also expect an elbow to the face? It is lucky for Cooke and more so for McDonagh that he did not get seriously injured from such a blow.

The NHL is starting to see the light and severely punished Cooke handing him a suspension through the remaining season and the first-round playoffs. Cooke, who will lose about 219K in wages, publicly apologized for the incident.   Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, General Manager Ray Shero and Owner Mario Lemieux, (also subject to many injuries) agreed with the NHL’s harsh enforcement of penalties especially to repeat offenders.

Watch flying elbow that cost Cooke over 219K, here.

What is your view on NHL violence?

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 2003 March Madness – Syracuse and Carmelo Anthony

Posted on March 23, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest moments in sports archives history, especially for the Syracuse Orange and Coach Jim Boeheim, occurred at the 2003 Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) final between Syracuse and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Syracuse had to beat four Big 12 teams to get to the finals and probably faced some of the toughest competition in NCAA history.  It was especially sweet for Coach Jim Boeheim to win his first national title in his 27 years at Syracuse having lost two previous bids.  Perseverance pays off and his team would not let him down.  Syracuse was up by 11 at the half, backed by six 3-point shots by Gerry McNamara; however Kansas closed the gap to 80-78 in the final minute of the game with a chance to even the score.  There was 0.7 seconds left on the clock when Jayhawks’ Michael Lee attempted a 3-pointer which would’ve sent the Orange home wondering what if!  That’s when Syracuse’s “Helicopter” Hakim Warrick hovered high and over Lee to thwart any thoughts Lee was having of being hero.  The shot was blocked and Boeheim would have his title!

It seemed fitting for Warrick to block the attempt because he allowed Kansas the opportunity when he had missed two free throws just prior to the play.  I guess he figured blocking the 3-point attempt had a better chance of making the highlight reel!  Incidentally, Carmelo Anthony had an outstanding day for Syracuse with 21 points and was named Most Outstanding Player.

You have to see the blocked shot here!

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1996 March Madness – Princeton upsets UCLA

Posted on March 21, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred at the 1996 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) between the Princeton Tigers and the UCLA Bruins.  Gus Johnson of CBS was working his first NCAA tournament and UCLA, the defending national champions, were favored to be top contenders in 1996.

Princeton came out on fire and was hitting everything including 3-pointers from all sides.  Every Princeton player brought their game and in a timeout situation near the end, Princeton had a chance to win it.  The players were starting to taste it and it tasted too good not to take it home.  Gabe Lewullis felt it as he hit for 2 to push Princeton ahead 43-41 with 3.9 seconds left.

UCLA ran out of time and the rest as they say is history.  Princeton could not carry the momentum to next game as they lost disappointingly to a tough Mississippi State team 63-41 who also lost in the Final Four to the Syracuse Orange.  The Kentucky Wildcats went on to beat Syracuse 76-67 to win the 1996  tournament.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1991 March Madness – Duke upsets UNLV

Posted on March 18, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred at the 1991 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (March Madness) between the Duke Blue Devils and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels.  UNLV was undefeated going into the semifinals and the stage was set for a rematch of the previous year’s final in which UNLV blew Duke off the court with a 103-73 win.

The year 1991 was to be different, however, although no one would have believed it to be.  UNLV was cruising through the tournament and looked assured to win it all again.  Duke would have none of that and came to Indiana with game in-hand.  Right from the opening, Duke was sharp and traded baskets with UNLV all the way.  Then it happened, what many believed to be the turning point, UNLV point guard Greg Anthony fouled out with only a few minutes remaining.   Without Anthony’s on-court presence and leadership, UNLV seemed somewhat indecisive going down the stretch.  Duke smelled the blood and went for the kill; they banished UNLV from the tournament by 2 points, 79-77!

The victory propelled Duke to win the 1991 final over the Kansas Jayhawks 72-65 and gave Coach Mike Krzyzewski his first ever title.  Duke’s Christian Laettner was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

1991 Duke Highlights.

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The Sports Archives Greatest Moments – 1985 March Madness for #8 Villanova

Posted on March 15, 2011 by thesportsarchives

One of the greatest upsets in sports archives history occurred during March Madness at the 1985 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament between the Villanova Wildcats and the Georgetown Hoyas.  Number 1 Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, came into the Rupp Arena in Kentucky with the title practically in the bag after outscoring the West region leader St. John Red Storm in the Final Four by 18 points.  However, Number 8 Villanova had gained respect and momentum by handily beating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight and Memphis State Tigers in the Final Four.  Before those games, Villanova played just well enough to move on.

Carried on the back of that momentum in the final, each Villanova player shot the ball with such self-assurance that as a fan, you felt like every shot they put up was going in!  In fact, they shot 9 of 10 in the second half and 22 of 28 in all for an amazing 78.6% from the floor.  Now Georgetown had played a great game also, but how do you keep up with that shooting percentage?  The hunter, suddenly turned hunted, Georgetown, was feeling the pressure of converting every time they had the ball due to the Wildcat’s sharp marksmanship displayed on that day.

In the end Villanova hung on to win 66-64 and Ed Pinckney was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player having gone 5 of 7 and 16 points in the final.  To this day, Villanova is the lowest seed to ever the win the NCAA championship and the 78.6% team shooting percentage remains an NCAA tournament record for a single game.

You must see the highlights here.

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