After Further Review

Big news from baseball this past week as Major League Baseball has decided that, starting in 2014, they will expand the use of instant replay. This will be done to limit the amount of incorrect calls made by umpires. Currently, replay is only used to determine if a home run has been hit or not. Starting next year, anything can be reviewed. Each manager will have 1 challenge over the first 6 innings of a game and will have 2 challenges from the seventh inning until the completion of the game. All calls that are challenged will be reviewed by a crew in MLB Headquarters in New York City, which will make the final ruling.

In this article, I will give you reasons why I think this is a great decision and reasons why I think this is a dumb decision.

Pros:

1. Get the Calls Right- This is the most obvious one. We will never have to worry about a bad call made by an umpire. Remember when Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game because of a bad call by Jim Joyce? We will never have to worry about that again with instant replay.

2. Everybody else is doing it!- The NFL has a replay system that has been in place for many years. The NBA uses replays during close calls in the last few minutes of the game. The NHL reviews close calls to determine if there has been a goal or not. It is about time for MLB to follow their lead and do the same. 

Cons:

1. Eliminates some of the human nature of the sport- One of the best aspects of baseball is the human element of the sport. It is what has made baseball so compelling. We have never seen technology become a factor in baseball and it will be weird to see it happen.

2. Less Arguments- Some may see this as a good thing but with instant replay means that there will be less arguments between players/coaches and umpires which the fans love to see. There will still be arguments about balls and strikes but it will not be the same.

Overall, I think this can be a good move for Major League Baseball. We should give it a chance and see what happens before we make judgments. Some may hate change but sometimes we have to adapt to the world that we live in.

Until next time,

Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

Rapid Reaction: Titans v. Bengals

The Good

1. The running game: Chris Johnson, Shonn Green, and Jackie Battle got most of the work load tonight against the Bengals and picked up where they left off.  After a tough first drive for Johnson, he bounced back and looked great.  Definitely an encouraging sign for the Titans as that makes two weeks in a row with a solid running attack.

2. Jake Locker:  Although Jake's numbers were average, his play showed a confidence that Titans fans have been longing to see since last season. No interceptions throughout the preseason is a very encouraging sign.  He could have easily thrown two touchdowns tonight but drops from Kenny Britt and Nate Washington hindered his performance.  Jake Locker was one of the few bright spots in the Titans loss this evening.

Unfortunately that's about the only good that came from the game.  A few nice plays here and there, but overall a very sloppy performance by the Titans.

The Bad 

1. The kicking game: Bironas and Bonani looked absolutely terrible tonight.  I can't help but think that their weird "B" names have something to do with it.  I'm not too concerned, though.  Bironas should be solid once again this year.

2. Bernard Pollard:  For a guy with a big mouth, I've seen nothing to make me think he can back up his words so far.  He's a mediocre safety at best, and look for George Wilson to give him a run for his money in the coming weeks.

3. Defense:  Although Pollard stood out the most, the defense in general was absolutely awful.  If the Titans want to win more than a handful of games this season, they have to "Titan Up".  It could be a long season if we continue to see what we've seen in run defense early.  Akeem Ayers went down but should be fine. If Verner doesn't beat Campbell for the corner spot, we as Titans fans should boycott.  Verner is clearly better.

Conclusion

Much more negative that positive in the Titans second preseason game.  They looked tentative, sloppy, and just bad overall.  Game 3 against the Falcons should give us a better understanding of where they are, though, as we will see the starters play into the third quarter.  Oh and..... GO RUSTY!

Photo Credit:  http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20130817_TEN@CIN/dalton-sharp-in-2719-win-over-offtarget-titans

Written by: Trey Frisbey
RWO Sports
8/17/2013

Bye Bye A-Rod!

This Monday, Alex Rodriguez and 12 other players were officially suspended for their role in the Biogenesis scandal. All of the players have been accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs. The 12 other players were given 50 game suspensions while Rodriguez was given a 211 game suspension, which would have cost him the rest of this season and all of next. As expected, Rodriguez has appealed the suspension. The appeal process will not be completed until after the season which means that he will be able to play the rest of this season before being suspended.

Personally, I am glad that this is happening to him. He cheated, got caught and is being punished for his actions. He deserves to be punished and to possibly never play again.

A-Rod has hit 647 career home runs. Who knows how many he would have hit had it not been with some help. Before his injuries he had a realistic chance of catching Barry Bonds, the undeserving home run king, of hitting more home runs than anybody else in baseball history. What needs to happen is for all of his home runs to be stripped away. The same goes for Barry Bonds and others who have taken performance-enhancing drugs. There is no place for that in the game and it tarnishes the legacy of those players who played the game the right way and for those who created the game.

At 38 and coming off a long injury, this season might be the last we see of Alex Rodriguez. A year and a half out of baseball might be too much for him. He would not be the same player he was before he was suspended. I believe the Yankees should cut ties with him and get their money back.

Anyways, I cannot wait for the season to end and hopefully see the end of Alex Rodriguez. He had the talent to do well on his own but decided to be selfish and cheat his way into having a successful career. He has always been one of the more arrogant players in baseball and I am glad to see that his arrogance will get him in trouble. Thanks Bud Selig for doing the right thing!

Until next time,
Nathan Krispin
Red, White and Orange Sports

Riley Racist

Riley Racist

Since the news of Johnny Football broke yesterday afternoon, the national media has shifted it's attention to the Heisman Trophy winner, but the big news before Johnny's autograph scandal broke was the story of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, Riley Cooper using racial slurs at a Kenny Chesney Concert a while back.  The video went viral, and Riley may be kissing his NFL career goodbye.  I want to point out four good reasons on why he should keep his job, and how the media and the average sports fan more than overreacted to this story. 

 Here's a link to the video.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dEQxO8Yuas

After watching that video, it is impossible to even attempt to defend Riley and the hate that was coming out of his mouth.  There are no excuses, and no words that can be said to fix the damage he has done, but does he deserve to lose his career over a drunken mistake? There are four good reasons he shouldn't.

1. "First Offense"- Even some Eagles players said they were disappointed because they felt like "they didn't know him".  It was the first time any of them had heard anything like that from him.  Although we may assume that he has used this language before, it hadn't been heard from any of his teammates.

2. Alcohol- No, alcohol is not a good excuse for any actions taken place while under the influence.  With that being said, we all wish we could take back some things we have said while under the influence, don't we?

3. Context- Although what Cooper said was undoubtedly wrong (we all agree on that), there are athletes commit more moral and legal crimes, and don't get nearly the criticism this man has received from his teammates and the NFL community.  Domestic violence, drug abuse, and DUI charges come up fairly regularly in the NFL, and they become water under the bridge in 24 hours.

4. It goes both ways!- Why does Roddy White get ten minutes of SportsCenter time for telling the Jurors of the Trayvon Martin case to "kill themselves", but Riley Cooper gets days of criticism? Enough said.

Remember that dialogue and comments are always welcome here at RWO sports.  We need feedback!

Written by: Trey Frisbey
Red White and Orange Sports
8/5/2013