The Core Junction

Team USA, led by youngster Blackhawk Patrick Kane, will try to overcome its foe to the north for the Winter Olympics Gold Medal.

[As published in the Columbia Daily Spectator on Tuesday, February 2, 2010].
Of the many factors that bring sports fans to the arena, the opposing team is certainly a major motivation.
If your team is good, watching an intense matchup against a top contender is highly enticing. And if your team is bad, heading to the stadium [...]

[As published in the Columbia Daily Spectator on Thursday, January 21, 2010]
I’m getting really tired with “kicking” in professional football. Does anybody else feel this way?
Football is supposed to be about quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and tough defenses—not kickers and special teams. Yet, as was evident last weekend, kicking and everything that goes along with [...]

[As was published in the Columbia Daily Spectator on October 28, 2009]
What’s in a name?
In sports, a team’s nickname rarely merits a second thought. If you’re from the Bay Area, you might root for the Raiders and your best friend may support the 49ers. More than likely, you have an amiable rivalry.
But what if your [...]

[As was published in the Columbia Daily Spectator on October 12, 2009]
By now, we’re all familiar with Frank Caliendo’s comedy routines poking fun at football broadcaster John Madden. Aside from his obscenely accurate impression, Caliendo’s routine is inherently aided by the fact that Madden really does take enormous amounts of time to describe simple football [...]

[As was published in the Columbia Daily Spectator on September 30, 2009]
In many ways, Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame induction a few weeks ago caused me to think about my childhood and the constant impact that sports have had on my life.
As Jordan proceeded to give his (bizarre) speech, I couldn’t help but recall the [...]

Those of you who are still watching the New York Mets play baseball might have noticed that third baseman David Wright was sporting quite an unusual helmet last week. After being drilled in the head with a 94 mile per hour fastball in mid August, Wright elected to wear a new batting helmet that is [...]