Monthly Archives: March 2013

Review: “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey” by Edward Achorn

If you enjoy reading about baseball history, you often know all the names and stories of past baseball greats. Even if an author claims to have a new story of an early team, the book is often filled with commonly-known players who have been written about numerous times.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey claims to be a new story and author Edward Achorn follows it up with a fresh, interesting story about St. Louis baseball in the 1880s.

Do you ever wonder why drinking beer is such an entrenched part of watching a baseball game? If beer didn’t exist, life would be boring, and the game of baseball may not have caught on.

If you’re a baseball fan, even if you don’t usually read books about pre-Babe Ruth baseball, you’ll find this story interesting. Continue reading →

Top MLB Prospects Who Will Appear in 2013

Major League Baseball teams have put more focus on the draft over the last decade and it’s paying off. The minors are filled with the most talent its seen in the last two decades.

With the early success of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, fans are expecting their teams to push their top prospects to the Majors as soon as possible.

You have already noticed a few teams caving in to the pressure and have their top prospects starting the season on the roster. Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller and Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks will start the season, but you could argue that they are filling a glaring need.

Here is a list of MLB prospects you will see called-up in the 2013 season. Continue reading →

Review: “Point Your Face At This” by Demetri Martin

If you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, you’re very familiar with Demetri Martin’s work.

Martin uses his drawings (and many venn diagrams) to enhance his comedy on stage. Most of his art is very simple and often portrays many common phrases using the most literal definition.

Martin just released a new book called Point Your Face At This. It’s a collection of drawings in the same style of the art he uses in his comedy routine.

You could assume that a book of his drawings would only be around 100 pages. Well, Martin is giving his readers their money’s worth…this book is 288 pages! Continue reading →

Sweetbob’s Hipster Music Playlist: March 2013

I keep an ear out for new music. I’m used to discovering new bands from my days as a music journalist. Even though this is mostly a sports blog, I still add quite a bit of music and pop culture content.

I received a lot of great feedback from my past hipster music playlist posts. A lot of emails came in from readers who recommended new tracks to me, which I love. I will keep posting these as long as I keep receiving all the feedback.

I have been called a hipster on more than one occasion. I like indie music more than any other genre of music. Don’t get me wrong, I can rock out to Eddie Money or Madonna (depending on the amount of alcohol in my system).

I’ve decided to write a monthly post dedicated to introducing twelve great, new indie songs I’m currently listening to. Most of the songs are fresh and have been released in the second half of 2012 or early in 2013.

Your ears will thank you for listening! Continue reading →

Sports Crush: Amanda Marcum

We’ve profiled various women in our “Sports Crush” series. Our favorites were UFC’s Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate & U.S. soccer’s Alex Morgan. This is the first time we’re dedicating a post about a lady who isn’t actually an athlete.

Amanda Marcum is the wife of Florida Gulf Coast’s basketball coach Andy Enfield. You may have seen a few pictures of Amanda Marcum before the NCAA Tournament, but did not know her name. She was a model who appeared in Maxim, Stuff and various other magazines.

Due to the current Mrs. Enfield being highlighted in the NCAA Tournament coverage, we’re pulling the trigger and featuring her in a Sports Crush post. We’ve attached a photo gallery to show you why she deserves to be included. Continue reading →

March Madness: All-White Boy Team

We love the NCAA Tournament. We actually launched our site five years ago, right after Kentucky lost in the first round.

The name “America’s White Boy” comes from a term I coined for the white basketball players CBS focuses on during the tournament.

I don’t believe this yearly ritual is intentionally racist. Think of the movies “Hoosiers” or “Rudy”. These players aren’t the most athletic guys and CBS uses them to tell the story of the underdog.

The “Cinderella” aspect of the NCAA Tournament is what brings in the casual sports fan.

Here is our list of the best white basketball players in this year’s tournament. I’m sure CBS will use this as a cheat sheet for their coverage. Continue reading →

NHL: Martin Brodeur Scores a Goal!?

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur is one of the best goalies to ever play in the NHL. He has recorded 120 shutouts in the regular season. He did something tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes that is more rare than a no-hitter in baseball.

Martin Brodeur was credited with a goal. He is now the all-time leader in goals by a goalie. Tonight’s goal was his third in his career.

Only ten goalies have been credited with a goal since 1979. Broduer passed legendary goalie Ron Hextall who is the only other goalie with at least two career goals.

Here is the video of Brodeur’s goal against Carolina tonight. Continue reading →

Top 10 Schools with the Hottest Cheerleaders in NCAA Tournament

It’s been a long few days here at the site. We have posted over 35 articles breaking down games in hopes of helping you with your 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket.

Well, the analysis is officially over and it’s time to put on our sweatpants, open up a few beers and enjoy the games.

Before we get to that, we want to give our readers a little thank you for sharing our March Madness content and interacting with us.

We scoured the internet to scout all 68 teams in the tournament field…wait, not the team, but the cheerleaders. We’ve picked the ten schools that have the ~~hottest~~ best cheerleaders in the tournament.

Here are 60 pictures of cheerleaders from the ten schools with the best cheerleader squads in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Continue reading →

NFL: Jeff Fisher Supports Helmet Rule Change

It’s official. The NFL changed two rules this afternoon. The Infamous “tuck rule” was nixed and the controversial rule concerning players who lead with their helmet, was passed.

St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher was interviewed about the helmet rule change.

He explains the mood in the room and if he believes the rule will make the referees’ job even more difficult.

Are you happy the NFL is taking strides to protect the players or are you a football purist who believes this rule affects the game negatively? Continue reading →

March Madness: West Region Picks

The West region is top heavy.

#1 Gonzaga and #2 Ohio State are coming into the tournament as two of the hottest teams in the country. The rest of the bracket is filled with question marks. Do we really know if Steve Alford’s New Mexico team is good? They excelled in a tough Mountain West conference, but they are the biggest mystery in the West region.

We pick the winners from probable matchups after the (~~second~~) first-round of the tournament.

Who do you have representing the West in the Final Four? We help you fill out your bracket. Continue reading →

March Madness: Midwest Region Picks

The Midwest Region is loaded with inconsistent teams and a few that are very underrated.

Michigan State did not get any favors from the selection committee. They are a #3 seed in a bracket with Louisville and Duke (a team that would be a #1 seed if Ryan Kelly was healthy all season).

We go through the bracket and pick potential matchups from the second round until the Final Four.

Who do you have making the Final Four from the Midwest Bracket? We pick our winners and help you fill out your bracket. Continue reading →

2013 March Madness: #7 Illinois vs #10 Colorado

#7 Illinois (22-12) vs. #10 Colorado (21-11) will have the lowest combined assist total of all the first round games. Neither team moves the ball well and you will see many sloppy possessions.

This game should be re-named ‘The Inconsistency Showdown.” You never know which version of the teams will show up.

Will an Illinois win truly validate the strength of the Big Ten Conference?

Who do you think will win? We help you fill out your bracket. Continue reading →