Posted by Lenny Olsen …

Feb 06 2013
By Lenny Olsen Commentary, Football, Professional Sports

Is the Risk Worth the Reward?

A Tragic Death Reopens Safety Questions in the World of Sports

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was as passionate about the game of football as they come. Lewis’ passion was rewarded this Sunday with a Super Bowl title to finish out his career.

Caleb Moore, an athlete just like Lewis, was just as enthusiastic about his sport of snowmobiling. Tragically, Moore’s career ended in his untimely death on Thursday after a January 24th crash at the freestyle snowmobiling event at the Winter X Games in Aspen.

With so much recent talk about player safety in football, I think that Moore’s death, only the second in the 17-year history of the X Games, can shed some light on the ongoing debate as well as provide an interesting comparison between the two sports in terms of safety.

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Jan 30 2013
By Lenny Olsen Baseball, Commentary, Professional Sports

For America’s National Pastime, a Shameful Past Is Still Present

Lance Armstrong’s story seems to be an all-time low in many regards — for cycling, for sports and even for morals. A man once seen as a legend and inspiration to so many (and who reminded everyone that they could persevere like he did through a series of popular wristbands), was exposed this past week as a repeated liar and cheater in admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs.

But my column this week is neither about Armstrong nor cycling, a sport whose sanctity took its knockout blow with Armstrong’s confession if not long before that. But rather, I’m focusing on recent developments in a sport whose sanctity has also been greatly affected by steroids and performance-enhancers – our national pastime.

Baseball hit the peak of its steroid era roughly a decade ago, but unfortunately the embarrassment brought to some of the game’s best sluggers (Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa to name a few) as well as the institution of suspensions for banned substances (which began in 2004) has only slowed but not eliminated steroid use.

This past week, in an exposé released by the little-known Miami New Times, a group of major leaguers were linked in connection to Biogenesis, a Miami-based anti-aging clinic.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal and, most notably, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (in addition to a handful of other athletes) were all revealed to have bought or acquired steroids, HGH and plenty of other substances banned by the MLB from the clinic.

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Jan 23 2013
By Lenny Olsen Commentary, Professional Sports, Tennis

Inspirational Sloane Stephens Becomes American Tennis Sensation Overnight

Without too much of an introduction, I’m Lenny Olsen and welcome to my blog this semester. I’ll be posting every Wednesday evening on whatever sports story or subject seems to catch my eye from the past week and put my own spin or analysis on it. While football is my truest love, my postings could range anywhere from trick-shot pool to the PBA, so be prepared for anything…

In a week in which the most-talked about people are two brothers (Jim and John Harbaugh) and a non-existent girlfriend (that of Heisman runner-up Manti Te’o), it is perhaps a 19 year-old girl from Florida who deserves the most attention.

That girl is tennis player Sloane Stephens, who just knocked off her childhood idol in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. That idol is of course ATP No. 3 Serena Williams, who had seemingly been playing in a league of her own since she stormed through Wimbledon last year.

Serena had lost one match since the 2012 French Open en route to winning Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Olympic Gold Medal in Women’s Singles. She was, to put it simply, expected to cruise to another title in Melbourne this month, but Stevens’ win ended those expectations and sent shockwaves around the tennis world.

One must of course speculate that had Serena not tweaked her back in the second set, she would have won. Serena lost a great deal of her signature power that had propelled her to such recent dominance and was clearly dealing with tremendous amounts of both pain and frustration on the court. But to Stephens’ credit, she took the opportunity in stride by going on the attack more often while continuing to display stellar defensive skills.

And as Stephens goes into her semi-final match against No. 1 Victoria Azarenka (her best Grand Slam result so far in her short career), she has gained the support of countless fans for reasons beyond being the only American left in the field.

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Feb 28 2012
By Lenny Olsen Big East, Power Rankings, Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Big East Power Rankings: The Conference Tourney Approaches

The Big East Women’s Basketball Power Rankings are a weekly feature that runs every Tuesday here on Hoya Paranoia.

With the regular season over and the Big East Tournament set to begin Friday in Hartford, a couple things have become clear. First, Notre Dame is the best team in conference. They knocked off Connecticut for the second time this year to claim the regular season crown. Second, St. John’s is legitimate…and dangerous. They have ripped off eight straight wins — three of which came on the road against ranked opponents.

As for the rest of the conference, UConn, Georgetown, West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers and DePaul all look to be in line for an NCAA Tournament bid regardless of what happens in the Big East Tournament.

On the other hand, the rest of the conference would probably need to string together an epic series of upsets to win the tournament and secure the Big East’s automatic tourney bid in order to go dancing.

1.)   No. 3 Notre Dame (28-2, 15-1 Big East) – The Irish emerged victorious in their all-important season finale at Connecticut, 72-59. The regular season champs will look to carry that momentum and hopefully win the tournament crown as well. Jan 10: Notre Dame 80, Georgetown 60.

2.)   No. 4 Connecticut (26-4, 13-3) – After a previous 99 straight home wins, the Huskies have now lost two in a row in the Gampel Pavilion. They figure to have lost their chance at an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed barring a Big East Tournament win. Feb 11: Connecticut 80, Georgetown 38.

3.)   No. 18 St. John’s (21-8, 13-3) – The beat goes on for the surging Red Storm. They beat Villanova on Saturday and then finished out their year in style with a scrappy road win over Georgetown. Senior forward Da’Shena Stevens is a strong candidate for Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Feb 27: St. John’s 54, Georgetown 45. Continue reading →

Feb 21 2012
By Lenny Olsen Big East, Rankings Analysis, Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Big East Power Rankings: UConn Tumbles to Second after Shock Loss

Connecticut gained the top spot in my rankings last week after Notre Dame’s loss to West Virginia, yet the Irish have regained it thanks to St. John’s shocking (to say the least) upset of UConn.

The Red Storm move up to third in the rankings with their monumental win, while Georgetown remained steady to retain the fourth spot. DePaul, West Virginia, and Louisville round out the elites in the league, although they will sit differently in my rankings then they currently sit in the Big East standings.

Rutgers finally broke their losing streak with a win against Villanova, but the fact that they still remain in the Top 25 is somewhat of a miracle. South Florida on the other hand has won three straight and moves further up this week’s rankings.

Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Villanova all sit pretty close together towards the bottom of the league, while Marquette has distanced itself from these three by dropping three straight. Oh, and the Pitt/Seton Hall search for a win is still fruitless.

1.) No. 3 Notre Dame (26-2, 13-1 Big East) – The Irish are back on track after beating a game Louisville team on the road. Grad student forward Devereaux Peters was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll after posting 19 points and 11 rebounds against Providence. Jan 10: Notre Dame 80, Georgetown 60.

2.) No. 4 Connecticut (24-3, 11-2) – Saturday’s loss to St. John’s was a record-ending day for the Huskies in several regards. It was their first home loss since 2007 and their first loss to an unranked opponent in almost 19 years. Feb 11: Connecticut 80, Georgetown 38.

3.) No. 20 St. John’s (18-8, 10-3) – Hard to think that an eight-loss team sits at third in such a deep conference, but the Red Storm have earned it. Junior guard Shenneika Smith’s three-pointer with eight seconds to go knocked off Uconn in dramatic fashion and gave St. John’s their second win in a row against a ranked opponent on the road. Feb 27: Georgetown vs. St. John’s. Continue reading →

Feb 14 2012
By Lenny Olsen Big East, Power Rankings, Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Big East Power Rankings: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Rutgers Stumble

There’s a shake-up at the top of the rankings this week, as previously top-ranked Notre Dame falls out of the top spot after being upset at home by West Virginia. Meanwhile, Connecticut grabs the top spot after outscoring Georgetown by over 40 points.

The Hoyas had a rough week, as they barely beat Seton Hall at home before getting humiliated at UConn. On the other hand, St. John’s and West Virginia continue to be on play well. Neither team has cracked the Top 25 yet (perhaps undeservedly so), but the Red Storm are third in the Big East standings while the Mountaineers sit in fourth.

1.)   No. 2 Connecticut (23-2, 11-1 Big East) – After their win over Louisville on Tuesday, their demolition of Georgetown on Saturday, and Notre Dame’s loss, the Huskies are now in the driver’s seat in the Big East. Freshman forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was named Big East Freshman of the Week. Feb 11: Connecticut 80, Georgetown 38.

2.)   No. 4 Notre Dame (24-2, 11-1) – Despite 32 points from junior guard Skylar Diggins, the Fighting Irish snapped a 21-game home winning streak in their loss to West Virginia on Sunday. They should be able to rebound against Providence this Tuesday. Jan 10: Notre Dame 80, Georgetown 60. Continue reading →

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