Welcome to Deep Into Sports!

Dez Bryant was right to refuse Roy Williams’s equipment and rookie hazing.

Dez Bryant Belies His Reputation

Dez Bryant was right.

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver has been much maligned for being cocky and immature by not agreeing to carry Roy Williams’s bags–a typical NFL rookie hazing stunt–but it was time for someone to take a stand against the BS practice of hazing rookies.

Hazing itself is immature; rejecting to subject oneself to it is not. It doesn’t matter whether it’s high school seniors to freshmen, fraternity brothers to pledges, or NFL veterans to rookies, hazing is a childish, often dangerous, sometimes even illegal practice that has no place in any of these venues.

Anyone who thinks this is a joke should check out the following list of sports hazing incidents:
Continue Reading Dez Bryant Rookie Hazing – NFL Football

Matt Garza throws a no-hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Year of the Pitcher, Part 2 – MLB Baseball

And it continues…

Matt Garza has just completed the fifth no-hitter of the 2010 Major League Baseball campaign, the first in Tampa Bay Rays history–a team that has been no-hit three times themselves in the last two years, a rather surprising number considering how strong this team is.

Of course, as I watched this game, what really made it interesting was that it was a double no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings, when Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers gave up his first hit, a grand slam to Matt Joyce. Tough way to lose a no-hit bid.
Continue Reading Year of the Pitcher Part 2, Matt Garza – MLB Baseball

Major League Baseball pitchers are having a banner year in 2010, their first in a long time.

Year of the Pitcher

Whether it is because Major League Baseball has manipulated game conditions to counteract the bloated offensive numbers of the steroid era, or because decreased steroid use has increased pitching efficiency, or because of something else altogether, 2010 has truly become the Year of the Pitcher. This season is already being compared to that magical year of 1968, when Denny McLain became the last big league pitcher to win at least 30 games (31) and Bob Gibson set the modern era Earned Run Average record with a sparkling 1.12… and that’s only naming a couple of 1968’s pitching accomplishments.

But in 2010, baseball purists are once again rejoicing. True fans of the game love and appreciate pitchers’ duels far more than slugfests, the taut, tense strategy and technical accomplishment of defense over the mere brute strength of offensive.
Continue Reading Year of the Pitcher – MLB Baseball

The Texas Rangers, not the New York Yankees, win the Cliff Lee trade lottery.

Texas Rangers Not Saying “Wait ‘Til Next Year”

Your humble (okay, maybe not so humble) editor has been somewhat lax in writing articles himself lately. For that, I apologize. It is not for lack of interest and desire. A teething baby and–to a lesser extent–a cold have me beyond exhausted. Every time I set down to write the letters have grown blurry and the words have lacked cohesive sense.

The last few weeks have provided for an unusually active summer season, what with baseball, the World Cup, Wimbledon and the LeBron James free agency farce played out last night on ESPN. Initially my plan was to rail against this self-serving, shameful display–I feel for those Cavalier fans and Cleveland as a whole. At least there was one saving grace: the proceeds went to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

But then I saw this little–now big–tidbit cross the sports wire: Continue Reading Cliff Lee Traded to Texas Rangers – MLB Baseball

Analysis of the Wimbledon Men’s Semifinal matches.

Todd’s Tennis Takes: Wimbledon Semifinals Preview

So Berdych comes through in beating Federer, only needing four sets, and shows the tennis world that indeed Fed’s aura has even taken a hit on the lawn, where he will fail to be in the finals of Wimbledon for the first time since 2002… and for the 2nd Slam in a row will even miss the semis.

Berdych played well, very steady, with strong groundstrokes, but make no mistake, the Federer of ‘04-’06 wins this match in 3 or 4 sets. Turning 29 this August, Fed is in the sights of Father Time… and the results tell the tale–heck, how can this result be so shocking if Falla was serving for the match against him in the 1st round… Alejandro Falla!!!!!
Continue Reading Todd’s Tennis Takes: Wimbledon Men’s Semifinals Preview – Tennis