Ramble On

Do you like books? I hope so because unless you’re a hard-core major league baseball fan you’re heading into a void (with yours truly). I just can’t get into MLB baseball. Ever. I had some flirtations with the Chicago Cubs in the ‘80s and would bandwagon on the Cincinnati Reds as a kid, but life is just too short to sit through a MLB game. So we ramble on. 

About five years ago I stumbled upon a revelation that was life changing. I created a new rule for myself: “Never miss fun in real life because you sat at home watching sports on TV.”

It’s a wonderful way to live. I can’t remember the last time I watched Boise State football, a regular season NBA basketball game or some random midwestern drag race. I’m definitely not changing that rule now to start watching major league baseball.

This doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with sports and definitely don’t mean I’ll miss watching a Saints game, but it is liberating. Be that as it may, here are some cool things that are going on.

 

World Cup

Now this is something I never expected to pay attention to at all. Growing up, soccer might as well have been synchronized swimming — I couldn’t do it and definitely wasn’t going to watch it. It was foreign. Boom.

A few World Cups ago it seemed like everyone started talking about it, maybe the United States was acting like they could compete, I’m not sure. Anyway, everyone kept asking me if I was going to watch the game. Astounded, I laughed in their face and told them I would rather spend my night at home than watch a match.

Then they told me the match was at 9 a.m. and that, my friends, was when I became a soccer fan.

Standing in a packed bar, drinking beers and acting like I knew the rules, “What do you mean that was an offsides,” I exclaimed. Everyone agreed but I don’t think they really understood that I wasn’t mad at the referees; I was actually asking what the hell does offsides in soccer mean.

Anyway, as you read this a lot of countries will have been kicked out of the tournament as the field narrows down to eight. So, go Columbia! I think.

 

Lebron James

As I write this, the NBA world is in a tizzy over the prospect of Lebron James joining yet another team and making said team a favorite to lose to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA championship. Fivethirtyeight.com made this really cool chart about the prospect and had some interesting words that I’m sure made some Pelicans’ fans drool:

“It’s a long shot, but James knows better than anybody about the championship potential of three major stars on the same team.”

I’m not holding my breath but how crazy would that be? Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins, Lebron James. Now that would get me to start watching some regular season basketball games.

Ramble On
*Lebron James – Associated Press

Dominik Koepfer

Quick! Name the only Tulane Green Wave male tennis player to be ranked number one in the ITA poll? OK, I know you just saw the answer.

Koepfer, who graduated from Tulane in 2016, was two points away from qualifying for the Wimbledon. Yes, the Wimbledon. Koepfer knocked off a few higher ranked opponents before falling in a five set barnburner to Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos.

Koepfer is currently the No. 240 ranked player in the world.

 

Arkansas Razorbacks

Your hearts have to go out to the Razorbacks baseball team. They had the College World Series wrapped up and were one out away from winning the championship. Oregon State was on the ropes and couldn’t touch the Razorbacks’ flame-throwing pitcher Matt Cronin.

Then there was the foul ball heard around the world.

One good thing about the horrible miscue is that there was plenty of blame to go around as not one, but three Razorbacks could have made the play to win the College World Series. Instead, all three watched the ball fall innocently between them.

After that it was all Beaver magic as Oregon State knocked a runner around and then watched Trevor Larnach deliver a two-run home run that will go down in Beaver history, as Oregon State won 5-3.

Yes, there was a third game played but this was the night — and play — that won the championship. It’s going to be a long off-season in Arkansas.

 

And like a fine wine with a steak dinner, every game should be accompanied by a beverage and song.

 

Beer Pairing: Bell’s Brewing’s “Pool Time” Ale 

Playlist Recommendation: Led Zeppelin – “Ramble On”

 

 

Around the Way

Could LSU football actually have a great quarterback on their team? It seems like it has been awhile and the folks in Baton Rouge are tired of talking about losing the big games due to quarterback play but the times may be changing.

Over the offseason, the LSU Tigers seemingly upgraded the position by bringing in grad transfer Joe Burrow from Ohio State. Burrow wasn’t going to get a shot in Columbus but may be the Tigers’ Week One starter. Better yet for Tiger fans is that Burrow graduated in three years, which means he has two years eligibility remaining.

Yet, that’s not all the good QB-news in Baton Rouge as Coach Orgeron recently signed Peter Parrish out of Phenix City, Alabama to the 2019 recruiting class. ESPN ranks Parrish as the number four dual-threat recruit in the country.

Orgeron says Myles Brennan, last year’s backup quarterback, will get the first snap with the starters in the spring but make no mistake there will be a big-time quarterback competition taking place in Baton Rouge.

 

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