robertbalzano1010-blog

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

What I am passionate about

Image (Courtesy of WWE’s Twitter Page)

Now here is a something that I honestly have been wanting to talk about. Well for starters I am a wrestling fan, I have been a fan since I was 10 years old. There were times where I was like why do I even watch this and should I stop watching this. That hasn’t happened to me yet, yes I know how it works and I know what the in and outs are, I have enjoyed and you better give me a reason one day on to stop watching it.

Image (Courtesy of smoothiekingcenter.com)

So for me it all started on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw on April 28, 2008 my dad said to me “you wanna go to this wrestling show in New Jersey with my friend and his son” and I was like “yeah why not.” At first I had no idea what was even going on, I was just a 10 year old kid clueless trying to figure it out what was even happening. Then after the that night it hit me and I enjoyed it, that was the most fun I had at that young of an age, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world at that time. It had stuck with me ever since, me and my dad still say this on how “imagine if we never went to that Monday Night Raw that day with my friend.”

Image (Courtesy of watchwrestling.uno)

Then it all clicked after that, I got my friends involved in it and they started liking it too. Of course we were all young kids at that time and I can’t believe that was a big part of our friendships. It was apart of my life and now it also was with my friends. I do not regret anything revolving around that. I went to a bunch of WWE live event shows in the summer of 2008 at Madison Square Garden, that night was literally so enjoyable I saw my first steel cage match and I liked it as well. Another show I went to was a WWE Friday Night Smackdown on January 2, 2009. You could not believe how excited I was, I was dressed up as one of my favorite wrestlers his name was Jeff Hardy and I thought I was the coolest kid ever. Being apart of something like that was crazy I still have the camera from that night in my room somewhere on how happy I was.

Image (Courtesy of IMDb)

I will take you back to arguably the best days of my life April 7, 2013. So WWE biggest promotional show is known as WrestleMania, starting back in 1985 at Madison Square Garden. Every year it gets bigger and better. According to Forbes, WWE’s WrestleMania is in the top 10 of most valuable sporting events. So back to 2013, WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium was something I have never witnessed before. A sea of 80,676 people united as one as we watched amazing performers take it to “The Grandest Stage Of Them All.” Names like The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, The Rock and more. I have never been apart of something like that then never before. So many spectacular matches and so many big memorable moments that’ll never forget.

Image (My personal pictures)

As I witnessed three huge main events all in a row, starting The Undertaker vs. CM Punk. Going into that match was The Undertaker’s 20-0 WrestleMania Undefeated Streak was on the line. With a long feud revolving around how The Undertaker’s former manager Paul Bearer died and all through that build up was that CM Punk was mocking The Undertaker by hitting him with his urn that Paul Bearer had his “powers” in and also mocking Paul Bearer’s death. CM Punk said that “he was the 1 in 20-1.” Which is him saying that he will end The Streak. That was match of the night in my opinion without any doubt which was won by The Undertaker to extend his WrestleMania Undefeated Streak to 21-0. Next was a match that was between Triple H and Brock Lesnar. This was the second encountering between the two, this feud would start to build up when Brock Lesnar attacked Triple H’s father-in-law, the CEO of WWE Vince McMahon and then eventually Triple H’s friends. Eventually the match would be announced as a No Holds Barred match with a stipulation added after Triple H signed the contract. Which would be known that Triple H’s wrestling career was on the line. A big waste of match in my opinion there was no point to have a second match between the two, but Triple H would win the match with hitting his finisher “The Pedigree” onto steel steps.

Image (My personal pictures)

WrestleMania has had some of the biggest moments and names perform on that stage many times. Big time main events like at WrestleMania I with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. Or like at WrestleMania III whereas they called it “the irresistible force meets the immovable object.” As Hulk Hogan took on Andre the Giant for the WWF Championship in front of 93, 173 people. Hogan picked Andre upped and body slammed him and the place went insane. WrestleMania VI in Toronto, Canada two of the biggest names in the company at that time Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior went one on one for in a Winner Take All Match. How bout WrestleMania XI in Anaheim, California where it was the first Iron Man Match between Bret “Hitman” Hart and Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship. Shawn Michaels would be the winner as the announcer would say ‘the boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels.” Or even maybe two years later in Boston, Massachusetts for WrestleMania XIV between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. Or even at WrestleMania X8 where we saw the passing of the torch was in full force between The Rock and Hulk Hogan. Where that brought us to a Once in a Lifetime match between John Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII and putting that in the rematch of the century at WrestleMania 29. Or how we saw the ending of The Undertaker’s Undefeated Streak at WrestleMania XXX against Brock Lesnar. Even in that same show where we saw Daniel Bryan completed “The Underdog Story” where he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. What about WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium we saw big moment in a dream match 15 years in the making since WWE bought WCW in 2001. As Triple H took on WCW’s franchise “The Icon” Sting. The Undertaker made his return to WWE after losing his undefeated streak a year ago with a young Bray Wyatt where he proclaimed himself as “The New Face of Fear.” Later in the night for WrestleMania 31, the Money in the Bank winner Seth Rollins interrupted the main event making it a triple threat match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship calling it “The Heist of the Century” as Seth Rollins stole the title. Whereas the latest name to perform on that stage was the returning “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey she made her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 and it did not disappoint.

Now time to go into something that is annoying, how they say those wrestlers aren’t real athletes well I hate to break it to you but they are. I’ll give you a history lesson if that involves them playing a sport at the collegiate level or the professional level, olympic games, or powerlifting. I will even list them for you on how many of those wrestlers did that before going to the WWE.

The Rock (played College Football at the University of Miami, 10x WWE Champion, Currently the best actor in the movie business today)

Brock Lesnar (did College Wrestling at the University of Minnesota, 3x NCAA Wrestling All-American, 2000 NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, 106-5 record in college, played professional football for the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, 5-3-1 in the UFC (Highest pay-per-view buys in the company’s history) in his third fight beat Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 91, 4x WWE Champion and current WWE Universal Champion)

John Cena (played College Football at Springfield College, NCAA Division III All-American, pursuited bodybuilding, WWE’s biggest name in history, been in TV shows, been in movies, 16x WWE Champion)

Bobby Lashley (did College Wrestling at Missouri Valley College, 3x NAIA National Wrestling Champion, 4x NAIA Wrestling All-American in  fought in the United States Air Force he won a gold and a silver medal at the International Military Sports Council senior freestyle wrestling event, 15-2 in MMA, 6x World Heavyweight Champion)

Chad Gable (on the 2012 USA Olympic Wrestling team, 2x Tag Team Champion) 

Jason Jordan (did College Wrestling at Indiana University, ranked in top 15 three times and was also ranked as high as 2 in NCAA, 2x Tag Team Champion)

Dolph Ziggler (did College Wrestling at Kent State University, stands second all-time in career victories, 3x All-Mid-American Conference champion, 2x World Heavyweight Champion)

Mojo Rawley (played College Football at the University at Maryland, played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers)

Rezar (did MMA with a record of 6-2, Tag Team Champion)

Akam (played College Wrestling at Simon Fraser University, 3x Canadian national freestyle wrestler, 2009 Canada Summer Games won a gold medal in wrestling and on 2011 Canada’s Pan American games team for freestyle wrestling won a silver medal, Tag Team Champion)

Baron Corbin (played College Football at Northwest Missouri State, first team All-MIAA in 2008, 2x Amatuer Kansas-Missouri Gold Glove winner, played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals)

Braun Strowman (7x Strongman champion, Tag Team Champion)

Roman Reigns (played College Football at Georgia Tech, played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, 3x WWE Champion)

Kurt Angle (on USA World Wrestling Championship Wrestling team in 1995, and was on USA Men’s Wrestling team in 1996 for freestyle wrestling, 2x Gold Medalist, in 1996 he won a gold medal with a broken neck, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2016), 12x World Heavyweight Champion)

Shelton Benjamin (did College Wrestling at University of Minnesota, NJCAA Wrestling Champion, 36-6 record at University of Minnesota, 4x Tag Team Champion)

Tino Sabbatelli (played College Football at University of Oregon, All-Pac 10 First Team, played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs)

Ken Shamrock (did MMA with a record of 28-17 inducted in UFC Hall of Fame, did professional wrestling for 14 years, World Heavyweight Champion)

Alexa Bliss (competed in bodybuilding at the Arnold Classic, 3 sport athlete in high school with gymnastics, 4x WWE Women’s Champion)

Dana Brooke (competed in bodybuilding, awarded Mr. Olympia (Female Award))

Mandy Rose (did fitness modeling in 2013 took first place in the World Bodybuilding Fitness & Fashion Boston Show. Was crowned World Beauty Fitness & Fashion Bikini Champion in 2014)

Sonya Deville (did MMA with a record of 2-1, first openly gay female wrestler in WWE)

Shayna Baszler (did MMA with a record of 15-11, she was a former FCF Women’s Bantamweight Champion, TCI Women’s 140lbs Champion, 5x Women’s Champion (Current NXT Women’s Champion, NXT is WWE’s developmental promotion)

Ronda Rousey (Was on USA Olympic Games team for Female Judo Wrestling in 2008, won a Bronze Medal, did MMA with a record of 12-2, put Women’s fighting on the map, first UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion)

Dan Severn (did College Wrestling at Arizona State University, was a 2x All-American, did MMA with a record of 101-19, NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2010), 5x World Heavyweight Champion)

Goldberg (played College Football at Georgia, played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, 3x World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)

Mark Henry (was an Olympic Wrestler for Team USA, 2002 Arnold Classic Winner, 2x World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)

Ron Simmons (played College Football at Florida State University, 2x All-American, played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2008), 2x World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)

Verne Gagne (played College Football at the University of Minnesota, was named All-Big Ten Team, did College Wrestling at the University of Minnesota, 2x NCAA Wrestling Champion, was alternate for USA Men’s freestyle wrestling team in 1948 Olympic Games, played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, 22x World Heavyweight Champion, WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1993), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2006)  

Tito Santana (played College Football at West Texas State University, played for the Kansas City Chiefs, 13x World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2011), Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)

Jim Duggan (played College Football at SMU, played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, 6x World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2011), Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)

Brian Pillman (played College Football at Miami University, 2x All-American, played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, Canadiana Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2016)

Steve McMichael (played College Football at University of Texas and an All-American, played in the NFL for New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, 2x Pro Bowler, Super Bowl XX champion, World Heavyweight Champion)

Monty Brown (played College Football at Ferris State University, an Academic All-American and also an All-American, NCAA Division II Player of the Year, played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, 2x Heavyweight Champion)

Lex Luger (played College Football at University of Miami, played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Wrestler of the Year 1997, 4x World Heavyweight Champion)

Billy Graham (pursited bodybuilding, participated in the 1959 Gold Gloves, played in the CFL, 6x World Heavyweight Champion, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum (Class of 2009), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)

Tully Blanchard (played College Football at West Texas State University, 9x World Heavyweight Champion, NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)

Ted DiBiase Sr. (played College Football at West Texas State University, 12x World Heavyweight Champion, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2007), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2010), St. Louis Wrestling Club (Class of 2014)

As you see from this their have been many wrestlers who are given athletes. The have every right to be named athletes given the fact that they wrestle every single day of the year with no breaks is actually incredible I really do not know how there bodies do it. They are such inspiring people and are like superheroes to young kids. This is truly something that I love with passion every single day. 

Image (Courtesy of wwe.com)

WWE also does a lot of events in a year to year basis. WWE now has a streaming platform which will give you all WWE content on any platform on phones, tables, smart tv’s, gaming consoles and more. This is called WWE Network for paid subscribers it’s $9.99 USD, but they also give a 30-day free trial as well for new subscribers. An idea that was originally produced in 2012 but never was fully released until 2014. In 2014, WWE had their first live broadcast on the show, which was WrestleMania XXX, since then they have produced 88 live events with 17 more events confirmed. They have had multiple events all around the United States, and even in different countries like Canada, England, and just recently in Saudi Arabia. Currently in 2018, we have gone through 7 events. January’s show had (WWE NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia) and (Royal Rumble), February’s show had (Elimination Chamber), March’s show had (Fastlane), in April they had three events (WWE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans), (WrestleMania 34) and (The Greatest Royal Rumble). All great action between the 4 months, all big matches and big events. 

With the launch of WWE Network they will hopefully do a global expansion to find talent in different countries outside of North America. Personally I am very excited about because they aren't in this country and I would like to see what they got as a wrestler or as WWE calls them “Sports Entertainers.” Last week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia WWE hosted tryouts to find talent from that country, they ended up with four guys and they were announced on at the event (The Greatest Royal Rumble) that event was a success for the country that WWE and Saudi Arabia will be making another appearance in November. Last year WWE did a tournament in the United Kingdom to crown the first ever WWE United Kingdom Champion. They had some money issues with the project before but is now doing a two-day event in June. As members of WWE’s NXT roster with WWE UK roster and other United Kingdom wrestlers will be in England for the event. By boosting this expansion they can literally make this a global company.  

This has been apart of my life for so long and I honestly don’t ever see this passion for wrestling end ever. A lot of countries take pro wrestling as an actual sport. Japan has a lot of wrestling in their country and they take it serious and very different. I have no regrets and I love it. A lot of people say to me “you know its fake right” and I'm like yeah “but you think tv shows and movies are real” I don't like the negativity from it at all. So I'm very passionate about it and if someone had a problem with it, then thats their fault because they are missing out on some great to watch. 

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

MLB Beat

Image (Courtesy of MLB.com)

As a proud diehard New York Yankees fan, I have never been more excited about an MLB season than this one. As last year, the Yankees went 91-71 and went all the way to the ALCS with leading the than World Series Champion Houston Astros 3-2 in the series and was one game away from reaching the World Series and possibly winning it for the 28th time in the franchise’s history. Like that season was probably the most exciting time to watch them it felt just like the old days and it couldn’t have come at any time than last year as many people called it a “rebuilding season.” Then came the offseason as the Yankees made huge move by trading Starlin Castro and two minor league prospects to the Miami Marlins for NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton on December 9, 2017. After the deal for Giancarlo Stanton, GM Brian Cashman received a 5yr/$25M extension. On December 12, 2017 the Yankees traded away Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to the San Diego Padres for Jabari Blash.

Image (Courtesy of USA Today)

As the Yankees were going into Spring Training a lot of questions needed to be answered about their depleted infield, as looking towards the future was the possibly of the Yankees infield. Going to Miguel Andújar at third base and the #5 best prospect in the MLB’s top 100 prospect list is Gleyber Torres who could be taking over second base for years to come. For Torres he is coming off of a Tommy John surgery in his non-throwing arm and looks ready to take that starting job soon. As manager Aaron Boone said on February 23, 2018 to ESPN about Torres and Andújar “I think they’re both going to be tremendous players,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. “I love who they are. You can tell they enjoy being on the baseball field. You can tell they’re confident in their ability, the way they move around, yet there’s a humility about them.” Then a trade was made on February 20, 2018 as the Yankees acquire infielder Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks, so he can possibly become the starting third baseman for the Yankees for 2018 if the rookies don’t work out.

Image (Courtesy of Pinstripe Alley)

Image (Courtesy of nydailynews.com)

Also another big question was asked about the Yankees outfield situation with the addition of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Manager Aaron Boone said about moving anyone outside the left side of the outfield “I struggle with the fact that we’re taking any or both of them out of their comfort zone if we flirt with left field,” he said. But Aaron Judge said “You know, I’m primarily a center fielder,” since he played center field throughout his college career at Fresno State. Boone hinted that Brett Gardner to have a lesser role against lefties since he hit a batting average of .209 last season. With the Yankees not starting Gardner or when Gary Sanchez DH’s, Judge and Stanton could be playing left. Also, since Stanton has a history of injuries he will be at DH more than Judge would be. If Stanton also plays the field he can go to right field and Judge can go into left field. The only man who is out of this is Jacoby Ellsbury. Manager Aaron Boone said “With Jacoby he has a lot of baseball left, and we need to take advantage of that.” With Aaron Hicks starting at center field this year, manager Aaron Boone said that “Aaron Hicks became a dude last year” which that pretty much saying that center field is the only lock going into the 2018 MLB season.   

Image (Courtesy of FiveThirtyEight)

On February 22, 2018, Yankees GM Brian Cashman was a guest on ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show.” Cashman stated that the Yankees are “The Little Engine That Could” by saying that as to compared to the AL East rival Boston Red Sox. Cashman said “look at them as the defending American League East champions. We have to find a way to close the gap on them," Cashman said of the Red Sox. "They just added another piece to improve on what they already had. So we already know who they are and what they are. And our job is to find a way to figure out to somehow get past them, and at the same time keep Toronto and Baltimore and Tampa behind us." The Yankees this year is focused on winning the AL East and beating the Boston Red Sox are the only the threat from making that happen. Brian Cashman said to the reporters at ESPN “until someone takes that away from them," Cashman said to reporters of the Red Sox's division title, "you've got to pay that homage." This Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will be a lot bigger this year with now the two big additions of J.D. Martinez to the Red Sox and Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees. The AL East is exactly where it should be with the Yankees and the Red Sox battling it out to be known as AL East Champion.

Image (Courtesy of CBS-New York)

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

Athlete Interview

I interviewed a Dean College student athlete. He is on the lacrosse team, his name is Brandon Richardson. I asked him questions on what is it like being a student athlete and how do you like it or how has your college lifestyle been. 

Image (Courtesy of the Dean College Athletics Page)

1. What is it like being a student athlete? It can be difficult at times with time management and has been a struggle between friends, academics and athletics. 

2. What sport do you play? Lacrosse 

3. Why are you playing Lacrosse? Passion, it’s been his dream to play NCAA Lacrosse, coming from a small town nobody believed that would happen. He has proved all of them wrong. 

4. What is your morning routine? He get’s up at 7AM, he goes to class. Monday Wednesday and Friday he runs to his dorm to get changed for practice is from 3:30-4:45. 

5. What do you do before the game? He listens to music, talk to teammates, talks to family for support. He is very nervous considering this weekend he is playing his first NCAA Lacrosse game. He is playing a doubleheader against Nichols College and Southern Maine University. 

6. What is your life like outside of sports? Hangs out with friends and try’s to have a good time while adjusting to the college life.

7. What is your major here at Dean? What do you want to do when your out of college? His major is Criminal Justice, Homeland Security and Security Management. He isn't sure there are so many occupations in the Criminal Justice field with his academics at Dean. 

8. Do you like Dean? Yes he likes Dean College. 

9. What made you picked Dean? He wanted to play NCAA Lacrosse and wanted to take that opportunity here since he got a scholarship here from Dean that would help pay. 

10. What position do you play? Defensive short stick mid-defensemen, there are two types of mid-defensemen. Offensive and defensive middies a defensive middies does is when a team has the ball he is helping to protect the crease. 

11. What is like coming from a small town? Coming from a small town you in Monson, Massachusetts they are very sheltered, coming from a school with 300 kids where everyone knew everything about you, it was very difficult for him. He loves the college experience and it was a fresh start for him. 

12. What made you want to play Lacrosse? All of his friends played it and it looked fun. He played baseball and soccer so he had the running ability. He thought he could do lacrosse. When he first started with lacrosse he ran 4.8 since he was little. He liked the idea of a contact sport. 

Image (Courtesy of Brandon Richardson) 

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

Super Bowl 52

That was arguably the greatest Super Bowl I have ever watched. With the crew from NBC Sports never fails as Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth were on the call for Super Bowl 52. I have always enjoyed them commentating the game they enhanced my enjoyment for the game and they kept me at the edge of my seat till the final play of the game. But the thing that I was noticing the most was they were very high on Philadelphia and were one sided possibly half of this game. They talked about how great head coach Doug Pederson is and how he destroyed the Patriots defense. Also, they made a backup quarterback look like he was a million bucks in Nick Foles. They also stated some plays that were controversial with the Eagles scoring plays, and how Corey Clement and Zach Ertz's touchdowns were both reviewed and both commentators said that it is going to be overturned twice. Corey Clement's touchdown was he didn’t have full control of the ball and Zach Ertz's touchdown where the ball clearly hit the ball and they called it a catch. But during the season Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jesse James did the exact same thing and they didn’t call it a catch.  

Image (Courtesy of Sports Illustrated)

All I have to say is thank god, someone new has won a Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles has done the impossible but upsetting the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. I loved the game more than anything a very high offensive game with 1,151 total combined yards between both teams. Nick Foles honestly looked amazing and made spectacular throws and made bullets into the end zone with going 28/43 with 373 yards, 3 touchdowns and even a surprising receiving touchdown. Taking home, the Super Bowl MVP, he was legit insane and he was great, when three years ago, he considered retirement. Then on the other side we had the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady throwing the ball 28/48 with 505 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has been the greatest performer in post season history as he's throw for 10,000 passing yards throughout his whole career in the playoffs. NBC how they reported the game was great but it eventually went one sided as everyone was going for the Eagles to pull off the upset. I literally loved how they made it looked like a movie for the Eagles, like no way nobody predicted it. I have seen a number of Super Bowls since 2007 and I have never been disappointed once. But the thing that the NFL needs to consider in the future on doing is fixing the catch rule for the future games because it was honestly bullshit on how what a catch is and what isn't a catch. But other than that, it was literally amazing to see such a great moment for all of us. I can't wait for Super Bowl 53 next year, hopefully it can be just as last year with how the game was played the way how it should. The Super Bowl is one of the greatest events in sports history and it never disappoints year after year.

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

Passion for Sports

I am very passionate on football and especially with the NFL, even being a New York Jets fan, we are passionate of our beloved Jets and one day we will win a Super Bowl again. But I am not going to talk about that, I am going to talk about how the NFL catch rule is literally fucking bullshit and I do not know what a catch is anymore in the NFL. During the Super Bowl there were clearly 2 horrible calls where the commentators even said "that wasn't even a catch." With Corey Clement catching the ball at the end of the end zone and they clearly showed the replay on how he didn’t have full control of the ball and where his left foot was also out of bounds. Another one was with the Zach Ertz later in the game where we he dove into the end zone and the ball hit the ground making the ball pop out and then he caught it while the ball went up into the air and caught it again. They reviewed it and when they showed the replay the ball was clearly out of Ertz's hands and didn’t have full control of the ball either. As they said it was a catch both commentators said "I don't get it and what is a catch anymore."  

Image (Courtesy of sportingnews.com)

Another thing I want to mention is during the 2017 NFL season, a game between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in week 15, where at the end of the game was very controversial as the Steelers tight end Jesse James caught a game winning touchdown and James has full control of the ball and the ball hits the ground scores. But in the NFL, all scoring plays are reviewed and they reviewed it, and it showed that he had full control of the ball and didn’t lose control but the NFL said it was not a catch. I was actually mad I hated that it they overturned it since it was a catch, but last night's touchdowns with Ertz was, that’s how messed up the NFL's catching rule is. Another controversial call was during the 2014 NFC Divisional game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. As at the end of the game Dez Bryant caught the ball and he hit the ground and the ball came up but never released the ball. They reviewed the play because it was scoring play and it clearly showed how Dez Bryant caught the ball and never lost control of the ball. It was literally horrible, it ruined that game and then it goes back to the two touchdowns that happened during the Super Bowl. How were both of those touchdowns but Dez Bryant and Jesse James' weren't, this is seriously a problem in NFL. I want them to fix this rule during the offseason it will totally help the NFL and the fans for the future even, I clearly would love if this rule changes. Please make this rule change it'll help the NFL. I don’t think having passion ruins your creditability because you're just telling your opinion and it helps with the future. You are making your voice be heard and it isn't a problem, you're just saying what is on your mind and that is all what matters.  

Image (Courtesy of cbssports.com)

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

Sports Journalism Articles

As reported by Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, last week there was 4 new names announced to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Those names were Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman. But the two faces of baseball of the steroid era remain out of it as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens again for the sixth time. With the voting having to be at least 75% to make the Hall of Fame, Bonds received 56.4% and Clemens received 57.3%. According to the New York Post, Chipper Jones said about Bonds and Clemens not making the Hall of Fame "It's unfortunate that some of the best players of this era have a cloud of suspicion, because you're talking about all-timers. Guys that would be considering the greatest player of all-time," Jones said in a conference call. "That being said, I'm not going to tell anyone how to vote. I think both Bonds and Clemens would have been Hall of Famers regardless." With four years left on the ballot Bonds and Clemens would have to change their induction and gain more voters, with gaining at least 3% of more voters every year so they can reach 70% by hopefully 2022, as that'll be their final year and only needing 75% is required.  

The reporter used a feature approach to the article he stated everything that needed to be talked about Bonds and Clemens and how they could even make the Hall of Fame. Will see how next year goes for Bonds, Clemens and others go for next year.  

During the 2017 MLB Offseason the Miami Marlins have made many changes into their ball club. The Marlins have been in full rebuild mode as they have traded Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon. But they have unloaded more than $300 million dollars in the offseason. But doing that would not be the smart idea for the Marlins as the new era with Derek Jeter being the owner should've had a better direction than what they are doing. Reported by Joel Sherman from the New York Post he stated that the Marlins are in a horrible state right now and they could hopefully sign anyone even veterans to join the team but nobody would want to join that team. The Marlins are 28th in their farm system ranked by ESPN's Keith Law.

The reporter has used the feature approach, he would mention the struggles of the Marlins have they have done throughout the offseason. With all of the loses the Marlins did they'd say that it shouldn’t be a full rebuild they could at least fix the minor things like outfielders and a pitching staff. By adding veterans to this team could help the young players now and possibly for the future if needed. But some of them do have value in the game as stated how Jamie Garcia and Melky Cabrera have been traded in the past and their respected teams have gotten at least a top-30 prospect over the last two seasons.

As it has been reported by the New York Times that the Cleveland Indians will no longer use the "Chief Wahoo" logo for the 2019 MLB season. As David Waldstein has stated that the Chief Wahoo logo is a source of anguish and frustration for those who considered offensive, outdated, and racist. Chief Wahoo is a cartoonish caricature of the Native Americans that has assumed several forms over the years. Over the past year commissioner Rob Manfred has pressured Paul Dolan who is Cleveland's chairman and chief executive to make the change. Manfred said in a statement provided for the New York Times that the Indians organization "ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan’s acknowledgment that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course.”  

The reporter has this a news style approach considering he has many things to say about the racist logos in sports world. Mentioning multiple teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins for the talk to possibly change their name in the future. But still backed everything up in his story and it is a perfect story for both parties. The people who are for the name and logo, with the people who aren't for the name and logo. This was a perfect article and it has everything that needed to say throughout the whole discussion.  

[robertbalzano1010-blog]

Duke Basketball

As reported on ESPN, over the weekend the Duke Blue Devils now have done the impossible by getting the four top ten high school basketball players in the country and three of them being in the top three. Having #1 prospect R.J. Barrett, #3 prospect Cameron Reddish, #10 prospect and number #1-point guard Tre Jones and now getting #2 Zion Williamson in the blue and white is just crazy to think about. Also, reported by ESPN they have stated that with the three-high school phenoms on the court together will create a number of issues on teams defensively. Barrett is known as a terrific two-way player with improved playmaking skills; Williamson is a battering ram in transition and attacks the paint with his high-flying dunk ability but now has an underrated passer; Reddish who can handle the ball and create plays for himself and others as a 6-foot-7 wing. Krzyzewski will be able to spread the floor and let his three elite prospects go to work in one-on-one situations, and defenses won’t be able to focus on one player. Throw in Jones or Duval running the show, and Gary Trent Jr. knocking down open shots, and there will be few defenses capable of defending Duke. This shows that Duke University has become the school for college basketball and will have the number 1 recruiting class without any doubt this year. Duke has passed the University of Kentucky for college basketball recruitment. This will be the fourth time in five years that Krzyzewski has landed a top-ranked group nationally. He has been through the one-and-done route before with Kyrie Irving and Jabari Parker, but he did jump on board with recruiting Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones in the 2014 class. That group led Duke to the National Championship and with the recruiting cycle that happened Saturday night, the culture for Duke basketball is definitely there to land three forwards for this team is unheard of and Mike Krzyzewski has become the greatest recruiter in sports history. This article is a good example of sports journalism because it shows the facts of how Duke's basketball program has been one of the best in the past 5 years. How the culture is and even how their head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been one of the best recruiter in the country and he got three small forwards to all come to South Carolina to join the Duke Blue Devils for the 2018-2019 NCAA Division 1 season.