sports

U Conn Do it! Why UCONN needs to build a new hockey arena

/ Rich Sports Talk / 1 Comment
If UCONN hockey wants to make it to the big time, they need a new arena

If UCONN hockey wants to make it to the big time, they need a new arena

In 2014-2015 the Connecticut Huskies will enter new territory. Starting next year, the UCONN hockey team will be joining one of the better leagues in college hockey, Hockey East. At this point many people may even be asking “wait, UCONN has a hockey team”? It’s easy to be forgotten at a school known for its powerhouse basketball programs, and its recent dominance in soccer and baseball. Not to mention a school whose effort to build a national football program has gone off the rails in the past few years. By joining Hockey East, the hockey team will now be entering the big time. It’s been a program that’s been heading in the right direction. With more scholarships and an impressive 19-14-4 2012-2013 season, the program is ready to make some noise on the Storrs campus. There’s just one problem.

Let me see scholarships? Check. New uniforms? Check. A new coach with National Championship credentials? Check. A suitable arena to house the team? Oh there’s the problem. The Huskies do not have a suitable home which could be the final piece to the hockey puzzle. The solution? Give them the home they deserve. After years of pouring millions of dollars into the other athletic programs, it’s time for UCONN to invest in their hockey program’s future. Despite being built-in 1998, the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum is not a suitable home. This arena was built for a second-rate college hockey program,  which UCONN was at the time, but now it’s a joke that a Hockey East team calls this home. While the hockey program has announced that the Hockey East games will be played at the XL Center in Hartford, this is just another problem. The massive 15,000 seat arena can barely be filled for a UCONN basketball game and will look empty even if 5,000 fans show up to a hockey game. On top of that the arena is outdated, 30 minutes from campus, and will cost the school about 25,000$ to play a game there. What’s the solution to all of this? Build this team a new arena.

The Huskies need to build a facility that will not only house this team for the future, but to use as a tool to recruit top prospects. Let’s face it, despite the direction of the program, the arena situation is a major turnoff. If I’m a recruit do I want to play in two arenas that are terrible, or go to a beautiful arena of a Hockey East rival? Sounds like an easy decision easy to me. If UCONN wants to be successful in hockey just look 40 minutes south at Quinnipiac University.

After building their 52 million dollar TD Bank North Sports Center basketball and hockey complex in 2007, the Quinnipiac Bobcats program blossomed. Coach Rand Pecknold has even said that the arena is one of the biggest recruiting tools and why they have been able to become on of college hockey’s premiere programs. Six years after opening their new arena, the Quinnipiac Bobcats were playing for a National Championship, in large part because they used their arena as a major recruitment tool. UCONN has the resources and space to build a new arena. A 3000-4500 seat arena would be an adequate sized arena for this team. Bigger then their current arena but not as colossal as the XL Center. Plus, they can add all the bells and whistles to make it a state of the art home that will make Hockey East rivals envious. With Connecticut now becoming one of the better locations in the country for college hockey, thanks to Quinnipiac and the National Champion Yale Bulldogs, the state of Connecticut is becoming a major player in college hockey. We’ve seen how quickly the Yale and Quinnipiac programs have emerged onto the national stage, with nowhere near the resources that UCONN possesses. If UCONN builds a new arena and uses that as a great recruiting tool, I predict within 5 years after the arena’s completion UCONN will be a nationally ranked program. Hockey has always been a staple in New England culture, shouldn’t one of New England’s best schools share in the tradition of great hockey?  I’m not saying that UCONN can’t be great in hockey without a new arena, but it would defiantly speed up the process. Remember what they always said in Field of Dreams? If you build it they will come! If UCONN builds it, great hockey will come. Who knows. Maybe one UCONN hockey and basketball teams will be fighting over who can win the most National Championships and who is truly Connecticut’s team.

Broken: How sports knocked me down and got me back up

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Ice Hockey was my passion. When it was taken from me I didn't know what to do

Ice Hockey was my passion. When it was taken from me I didn’t know what to do

One one thousand….. What happened? Two one thousand……. Where am I? What’s going on? Three one thousand…. Who am I? I’ve often been asked what’s it like to have a concussion. What goes through your head as your laying on the ice with your brain spinning inside your skull? I tell them  you don’t feel anything, not at first. It’s as if you’re in a dream, you see what’s happening and you try to tell your body to do one thing but it does the opposite. You’re a foreigner inside your own body.  Your numb and it feels like your senses are going haywire. Then when I finally get back to the bench and off the ice, my head is in a daze while my world is spinning like a top. I know what’s happened, I know the damage that’s been done, but I sit there, hands in my hands saying over and over again “this can’t be happening, not again”. For those of you who don’t know I am an addict. I’ve been addicted to sports as far back as I can remember. From football, baseball, to hockey I’m hooked. Hey you ever want to talk to me? Bring up sports I can talk your ear off for hours. For me hockey was more than a game, it was my soul mate. On that sheet of ice life made sense. Growing up I was a chubby kid who always finished last in the races on land was now a green and black streak flying down the ice. The boy whose massive frame awkwardly bumped into everything was now a wrecking ball on legs whose bone crushing hits would bring a roar from the home crowd.  Out on that ice I could vent the frustration of being picked on in school and prove to everyone that I could do something special.

There was really only one person who truly understood my love for the game and that was my father. I can still remember him taking me to practice at 4 o’clock in the morning so that I could work on my skating and slap shot. Most of my friends thought I was crazy, but when you love something that much you will do anything for it. When I wasn’t playing I was watching hockey, and when I wasn’t watching I was without question talking about it. When ever we got the chance, my father would take me to the Beast of New Haven games which still are some of my fondest memories. Heck every year for Halloween I was a hockey player, didn’t think outside of the box much did I? Then the game I had loved for my entire life, began to turn on me. It started with the first concussion, then the second, then the third. I kept going back, I couldn’t stop. It’s like being in a relationship with a difficult partner. You try to make it work and you really do love them. Yet no matter how many times they knock you down, you still go back. The illusion that it will be better if I give it one more chance that never turns in fruition. People ask why do you keep going back? You know there’s something better out there for you right? That was my relationship with hockey. I could feel us growing apart. My body was holding me back and despite my mind telling me to stop, my heart kept telling me to go. Was it stupid to go back and play? Of course, but when we look back on our past we give ourselves the illusion that we would have made the right choice. I can’t blame myself. I loved the game and being an adolescent at the time gave me this false sense of invincibility. I thought nothing could hurt me, nothing could stop me, they were wrong, I was right. When I look back on my life there are certain things that the concussions have cost me.  I can’t remember certain memories or my eighth grade year of school. Remembering people’s name has become a challenge that embarrasses me every time I get a name wrong. Concussions cost me the opportunity to play high school football, the dream of running out onto the field in front of the entire school on a saturday. The eruption of the crowd once I made a sack or a huge hit is a sound that never reached my ear drums. It was the same story different sport. Another attempt to push myself harder resulted in another shot to the head, another blow to get up from.

A few years ago I had to get up from the hardest knockdown of my life at the time. Halfway through my sophomore year I was cut from baseball. I was angry, not only because I felt I hadn’t gotten the rightful opportunity, but because it was another blow in my sports life. I still remember thinking what now? What now? Sports had defined my first twenty years of existence, and now they were gone. Through all the turmoil and bad breaks I had endured throughout my young life I knew that there had to be a greater purpose for me. I still remember a quote from Rocky Balboa. In the movie Rocky said “nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward”. I knew that I had been knocked down before, I had to get up once again.

After my baseball career ended here in college, the question that I had to answer was what now? After a few weeks of drifting through classes and college life, I happened to learn about the college radio station. After inquiring about a sports talk show, I was given the an assistant position with the stations sports talk show High and Tight Sports Talk. After learning the how to operate the equipment and set up a show, my mentor Jeremy Menard handed me the reigns at the beginning of my junior year. Now I have my own show, Rich Sports Talk, along with this blog and couldn’t be happier. Now instead of playing sports, I realize that I can talk about them with great insight and varying opinions. Reporting sports and entertaining people has become my mission in life. I realize that I have the gift to make people laugh and feel joy. If I can make someone feel just a little bit better about their life when they read my articles or listen to my on the air, that is the greatest reward. After years of being angry because I felt cheated and betrayed by my own body, I now feel blessed for the gifts I do have. Instead of feeling like a broken shell that was never whole, I finally feel at peace. If anything the concussions and being out of sports has given me one of life’s greatest gifts. That is with perseverance, and to just keep moving forward, you will accomplish your dreams, even if you don’t know what they are yet. For anybody out there who feels slighted or cheated, this maybe life’s way of testing your resolve. Trust me the road is hard, but for those who can take the lumps and get to the end of that road, I promise you that you will reach your goals.

Brett Favre comeback? Don’t be surprised

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We've all been down this road before, don't be surprised if we see Favre again

We’ve all been down this road before, don’t be surprised if we see Favre again

I know what most of you must be thinking. Stop! No more! Lalalala I’m not listening! We are so sick of hearing about Brett Favre. Really? Much like Tim Tebow, Brett Favre will not go away for one simple reason. You guys. Whether you love him, or most likely hate him, football fans have an infatuation with Favre. Despite being out of the league since 2010 and being 42 years old, the Brett Favre rumor mill is rampant once again. It all started with Favre’s agent saying this week that Favre is better right now than 5 current starting NFL quarterbacks. I’m no Jerry Mcquire, but it sounds like someone is trying to pitch their client. With numerous teams with terrible quarterback situations this year don’t be surprised if one of them takes a shot on old man river. How about the Vikings? Favre’s last team whose subpar quarterback play has resulted in a 1-3 start and who are slowly realizing that Christian Ponder is not the answer. Sounds like an easy gig, hand the ball to Adrian Peterson, throw it maybe 25 times a game, oh and it’s the offense that Brett Favre knows. How about the Texans? With an elite running game and defense they’re a quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Favre would be a better quarterback then Matt Schaub who has had three games in a row with a pick six. Tampa Bay? Another team that was supposed to be stacked finds itself in a quarterback mess with Josh Freeman already being benched a quarter of the way into the season. Want a real dark horse? How about the Bengals? With  a weak AFC North and a loaded roster this is the year for the Bengals to make a run. With Big play makers at the wide receiver, running back, and tight end positions Cincinnati could make Favre feel like a kid in a toy store with the weapons they have, especially A.J. Green. Maybe the Bengals feel Andy Dalton isn’t ready yet or he might not be the quarterback to lead them to the promise land. Another dark horse? Very well what about the Tennessee Titans?

Favre may not be the same player he used to be, but he might be a missing piece for a team in the hunt

Favre may not be the same player he used to be, but he might be a missing piece for a team in the hunt

They’re going to miss Jake Locker for a major portion of the season, maybe Favre could keep them in the hunt? They’re already off to a 3-1 start why throw in the towel with Ryan Fitzpatrick. With Favre, you never know what he’s thinking. While he denies that he would comeback, how many times has he “retired” only to come back a few months later. We know he’s a competitor and that he’s got the itch to play. Come on he still has plenty of years to mow the grass or coach high school in Mississippi. Plus, look at Peyton Manning. He’s having his best season ever at the age of 37. You don’t think Favre must be thinking in the back of his mind that he could still be great even at 42. But Nolan, he’s 42, there’s no way he’s in football shape! Tell that to Favre’s agent who has been saying that Favre works out everyday, still has a rifle arm and has a body fat of content 7%. Favre is country strong. He’ll always be in great shape because he was raised to be “country strong”. All those years of bailing hay, chopping wood, and pulling tractors has given him strength that will never go away. Let’s put it this way, Favre will always have the ability to throw the ball 60 yards without a problem. Sure Favre may come off as the diva prom queen who doesn’t want to leave dance even though the janitor’s sweeping the floor, but shouldn’t we admire Favre a little bit? Sure we know that he’s past his prime and should be retired, but shouldn’t we respect him for trying? He’s the Peter Pan of football. No he doesn’t have twinkle toes, but he doesn’t want to grow up and just play football forever. Any of us who have played still wish we could play. We all grow up or out of sports eventually. Some are told at a young age some are told latter in life, but eventually we are all told. Can’t we just look past the diva whose back and forth decision-making  drives us crazy and just pay Favre some respect that he doesn’t want to stop playing? He’s not doing it for us, or for more glory, if he comes back he’s doing it because he loves playing the game of football. Sure it’s a long shot that he comes back, but just a few years ago we thought he would always retire a Packer or fathom him in another jersey. Well those have both happened and as this season continues to unfold don’t be surprised if Favre trades in his Wranglers for shoulder pads once again. There is just too many good opportunities for him to play quarterback and a franchise that may decide he is there best chance to win in 2013. Now we all just have to wait to see what number 4 will do next.

The Best Ever! a look back at Mariano Rivera’s career

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The scene has been played over and over again. Yankee stadium, one run game, top of the ninth. Blinding lights from the grand stand puncture the black New York sky. The outfield gates swing open to the sounds of Metallica’s Enter Sandman blasting over the

When 42 walked out of the bullpen, it was pretty much over

When 42 walked out of the bullpen, it was pretty much over 

PA system. 50,000 plus fans erupt into jubilant cheers that bombards the opposing team like an avalanche. Then he emerges. The pinstriped assassin. Carrying a black glove in his right hand as navy  42 on his back bounces up and down  with each long stride he takes towards the pitching mound. As he once again climbs the Yankee Stadium mound and grabs the baseball everybody is thinking the same thing. Game Over! In the final days of the 2013, Yankee fans enter an unfamiliar world. A life without Mariano Rivera. As Mo departs the Yankees, many of the Yankee faithful and baseball fans are left to wonder, is this the beginning of the end for the Yankee Empire? Through all the tough times and questions that have surrounded this franchise for years now from declining production, bad free agent signings, and off the field issues, the one constant has been Rivera. When the game was on the line everyone knew who was going to take the ball. Mariano Rivera blowing a game happens about as often as a blue moon. If it happened, it was a rare anomaly.  What only adds to the Rivera mystique is not only how good he is, but how long he’s been dominant. During his reign as the game’s elite closer, we’ve seen many great closers come and go, but Rivera was the standard. Eric Gagne? Sure he set the consecutive saves record but after that streak he slowly faded into obscurity. Trevor Hoffman? One of the greatest ever, but by the end of his career his talent had faded while Rivera remianed the cream of the crop. Jonathan Papelbon? Sure he’s won a World Series, and while he has had some dominant season, he’s had his fair share of mediocre ones.  When we talk about great closers, Rivera is the one we all think of. Don’t believe me? Name five other elite closers, better yet name three that are in the same ballpark as Rivera! Can’t do it can you? What sets Rivera apart from every other closer is all of the great attributes the man possesses. He has a composure that cannot be broken, even in the toughest situations. Rivera has incredible stamina. In an age where closers are bred for three outs, Rivera constantly would come into pressure situations in the eighth and could get more than three outs. However, what impresses me the most is his stuff. He had one pitch. Think about that for a moment. If Major league hitters know what pitch is coming most times that ball will find a home in the upper deck. Mariano Rivera’s cutter is one of baseball’s greatest pitches. Over 90 MPH, unbelievable movement,  devastating late action, and pinpoint accuracy. Even these adjectives don’t give Rivera’s cutter the justice it deserves. It’s living art that you have to witness for yourself.  It’s unbelievable that a hitter knew exactly what was coming, but batters could never truly figure out Rivera’s cutter. With that one pitch Rivera ruled the 
With his cutter, Mariano became not only one of the greatest Yankees, but the greatest closer ever

With his cutter, Mariano became not only one of the greatest Yankees, but the greatest closer ever

ninth inning like no other pitcher before him. For 19 glorious years Rivera’s cutter not only broke a small forest worth of bats, but made the game’s greatest hitters look foolish. Armed with that one pitch Rivera would notch 652 career saves and counting while posting a brilliant 2.21 ERA. However, like most closers, it’s when the lights shined the brightest that he was at his best. In the post season, where Rivera won five World Series championships, Rivera was the best. An 8-1 record, 42 saves, and a 0.71 ERA. Mariano is the definition of clutch. While his regularly season numbers are incredible, his post season numbers alone make him a legend. In an era dominated with steroids and inflated offensive numbers, we may look back with a smile and say we witnessed the greatest closer of all-time. I missed the great Yankees of the past and have always heard about the honor of watching those men play. The greats like Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Berra, Jackson, Dimmagio, and Maris should now include Rivera. Sure, Jeter has 3000 and is the greatest captain, but he’s not the greatest shortstop of all time. Rivera is the greatest closer to climb the mound. With the Yankees already fittingly retiring Rivera’s number in monument park this past it’s weekend, just proves that one day we’ll look back and tell our kids I saw Mariano Rivera pitch. While he will not go out with another World Series ring, Rivera will leave the game with not only his hall of fame resume, but with the respect of every major league player. Baseball is filled with dishonest and diva superstars,  but Rivera was simple and humble. As Rivera once said: “I get the ball, I throw the ball, and then I take a shower.” It’s only fitting that a man who has given so much both on and off the field be rewarded for his service to the game. We’ve seen all teams Mariano has played this year give him a trinket in gratitude. The only tribute was the All-Star game. At Citi Field the they played his classic intro and when he went to the mound he got a standing ovation from the players and fans. When he does finally step off the field this week, it will be a sad day for the Yankees and baseball. Rivera is a tremendous individual that played the game it was meant to be played. He was more than a great person, he was an unbelievable human being. Baseball may be losing one of its greats, but Cooperstown will soon welcome another legend. From all of us who love this game, Thank You Mo, for the memories!

Crossroads: What will Happen to Tim Tebow?

/ Rich Sports Talk / 2 Comments
After 3 years & 3 teams Tebow is still trying to make it in the NFL

After 3 years & 3 teams Tebow is still trying to make it in the NFL

We know a few things to be certain. The sun will rise in the east, 2/3 of the planet is covered by water, and that just mentioning the name of Tim Tebow will likely begin a heated debate. I know most of you are sick about the constant Tebow news being shoved down our throats. Don’t look at me, thank ESPN and Skip Bayless for that, but now we might actually have a football season without Tim Tebow being the constant story. After being cut by the New England Patriots at the end of training camp, the former Heisman winner and current lightning rod finds his football career in jeopardy. We’ve all heard it before; He can’t throw, he should play another position, he can’t be an NFL quarterback. One thing you can’t question is Tebow’s heart. Sure he might not be the smartest guy, not changing positions to keep his NFL career alive, but he is one of the hardest workers in the football. Either way Tim Tebow must make a choice. He no longer has the ESPN hype mobile behind him  and must fight an uphill battle just to make an NFL roster. The question Tebow must ask himself is that if he cannot make it as a quarterback, is it time to try a new position? Unfortunately for Tebow the market for him is colder than January in Alaska. There is one, and only one place that makes sense for Tebow to go. Drum roll please………………. Jacksonville. I can hear the cheers of Jaguars fans and the groans of Jaguars’ ownership right about now. If there is any home for Tebow, especially if he want to play quarterback it’s Jacksonville. Ignoring all the statements that ownership has constantly put out declaring that Tebow will not be a Jaguar, it’s clear that the two need each other. The misfit quarterback on the island of misfit toys, it just clicks. Jacksonville is a disaster. The fans there don’t want anything to do with this team anymore. Forget a rudderless ship, that ship crashed and sank a few years ago. Other than Maurice Jones-Drew, whose hurt by the way, who else can you name on Jacksonville? Exactly. Plus you want to build a franchise around your best player. Maurice J0nes-Drew would benefit from Tim Tebow and the read option dramatically.They need to get MJD going and Tebow is the kickstart Jone-Drew desperately needs. Would Tebow be a publicity stunt? Yes. Do the Jaguars need a publicity stunt? That’s an empathic yes. The Jaguars are not going anywhere this year, there not drawing fans, and those rumors about relocation are still floating in the air.   Don’t believe me? What’s a more attractive destination Jacksonville or Los Angeles? I rest my case. So if this ownership wants to keep the franchise

Could this be Tim Tebow's future?

Could this be Tim Tebow’s future? 

in the Sunshine state and not have it go to the Golden Coast it needs a figure to rally around. Sorry Blaine Gabbert, when  your compared to Mark Sanchez, it’s not exactly a flattering comparison. Tebow needs to go to Jacksonville. Not some rinky dink arena team or the CFL, which might be an option he should consider. Jacksonville needs butts in the seats, Tim Tebow puts Floridian butts in the seats. I’m not a mathematical wizard but that equation seems pretty simple to me. What do you guys think? Should the Jaguars bring back Tebow or should he remain in football limit? Comment and take the poll below.