Sports Blog

Here at Robbins Sports, we have been speculating as to who will be the eventual champion this year. Well, here is the way I see it going down:

East:

(1) North Carolina
                    UNC
(16) St. Mary’s
                                    UNC       
(8) Indiana
                    Indiana
(9)Arkansas                                          UNC

(5)Notre Dame
                    Notre Dame
(12)George Mason
                                    Notre Dame
(4)Washington St.
                    Wash St.
(13)Winthrop                                                                       East Winner: 
                                                                                                UNC
(6)Oklahoma
                    Oklahoma
(11)St. Joe’s
                                    Lousiville
(3)Louisville
                    Louisville
(14)Boise State

(7)Butler                                               Tennessee
                    Butler
(10)South Alabama
                                    Tennessee
(2)Tennessee
                    Tennessee                       
(15)American

Midwest:

(1)Kansas
                    Kansas
(16)Portland St.
                                    Kansas
(8)UNLV
                    Kent 
(9)Kent
                                                           Kansas
(5)Clemson
                    Clemson
(12)Villanova
                                    Clemson
(4)Vanderbilt
                    Vanderbilt
(13)Siena                                                                            Midwest Winner:
                                                                                                Kansas
(6)USC
                    Kansas St.
(11)Kansas St.
                                    Wisconsin
(3)Wisconsin
                    Wisconsin
(14)Cal St. Fullerton
                                                           Wisconsin
(7)Gonzaga                              
                    Davidson
(10)Davidson
                                    Georgetown
(2)Georgetown
                    Georgetown
(15)UMBC

West:

(1)UCLA
                    UCLA
(16)Miss Vly St.
                                    UCLA
(8)BYU
                    Texas AM
(9)Texas AM
                                                           UCLA
(5)Drake
                    Drake
(12)W. Kentucky
                                    UConn
(4)UConn                   
                    UConn
(13)San Diego

(6)Purdue                                                                            West Winner: 
                    Purdue                                                                  UCLA
(11)Baylor
                                    Georgia
(3)Xavier
                    Georgia
(14)Georgia
                                                           Duke
(7)West Virginia
                    Arizona
(10)Arizona
                                    Duke
(2)Duke
                    Duke
(15)Belmont

South:

(1)Memphis
                    Memphis
(16)Texas-Ar.
                                    Memphis
(8)Miss. St.
                    Oregon
(9)Oregon
                                                           Pittsburg
(5)Michigan St.
                    Michigan St.
(12)Temple
                                    Pittsburg
(4)Pittsburgh
                    Pittsburgh
(13)Oral Roberts

(6)Marquette                                                                             South Winner:
                    Kentucky                                                                  Stanford
(11)Kentucky
                                    Stanford
(3)Stanford
                    Stanford
(14)Cornell
                                                           Stanford
(7)Miami
                    Miami
(10)St. Mary’s
                                    Texas
(2)Texas
                    Texas
(15)Austin Peay

Final Four:

(1)Kansas
                    Kansas
(1)UNC

                                    Champion: Kansas

(1)UCLA
                    UCLA
(3)Stanford

When Spring Training comes to a close in late March, Major League Baseball players are usually pretty excited about finally getting to play real games. This year, a few choice teams should be even more enthused about the their opening day games. Namely, the Dodgers, Padres, Athletics and Red Sox. Why? Because aside from the fact that it is opening day, a memorable moment for any team, these four clubs will be playing their opening series overseas. The Dodgers will play the Padres in China and the Boston Red Sox will square off agains the Oakland A’s in Japan, the home of Boston’s ace pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

These internationally staged games are in line with the current trend of taking American sports into foreign venues. For instance, last season the NFL held a regular season game in London, England, the NBA played a variety of exhibition games in China (mostly due to Yao Ming’s star status), and the MLS hosted and participated in many international friendlies and tournaments.

My question is what impact, if any, results in taking American sports global. And are the impacts worth it. To answer that question, just ask the leagues. Would the NBA be the same without Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitski or Pau Gasol? Would Major League Baseball be the same without David Ortiz or Albert Pujols? No. The fact of the matter is that taking American sports to an international stage brings in foreign talent that makes the leagues more competitive and the games more interesting to fans, especially foreign fans. Nowadays, you could pit the best five American NBA players against the best five international players and have a pretty competitive game. Would that have been the case 15 years ago when Jordan and Magic Johnson were playing? Not a chance.

Another reason why sports reach into foreign countries is a good thing becomes apparent when you take a look at business revenue. By attracting a larger audience base around the world, the NBA, MLB and other major sports leagues make more money. Apparel sales and royalties from televised games are at an all-time high. The leagues are making more money which, in turn, allows them to plan for the future, invest their money wisely, and ultimately improve the situation of the leagues. Any way you slice it, going global is a marked improvement.

But, what about all the naysayers who maintain that foreign influences are changing the games we Americans have grown up with? There are those who feel that today’s sports are so different from the past that we can no longer call them American sports. Rather they must now be called international sports. And honestly, there is some truth in that. But if you take a look at how sports have changed, you’ll see that evolution is the culprit of the changes not foreigners. Take for instance the changes that have occurred in the NBA over the years. In the early day of basketball, the granny shot and textbook bounce passes were the norm. In contrast to that style of play, nowadays the league is ruled by ally-oop dunks and crossovers. But, you have to ask yourself whether these changes can be chalked up to foreign influence. In my opinion, the changes can be attributed more so to homegrown players like Lebron James and Allen Iverson than foreign players.

To sum up, taking American sports global is a good thing. The leagues’ rosters are more talented and their wallets are fatter than ever before. How can you argue with that?

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports, an online provider of Basketball Uniforms, Baseball Uniforms and Gym Bags.    

At RobbinsSports.com, we rarely have situations in which we can’t settle a dispute with a customer.  Recently we’ve run into a problem that we feel merits public censuring, especially since the customer is a government entity, the City of Park City, Utah.  The Park City Racquet Club bought some professional basketball standards from us in November, and they refuse to pay for them.  There is nothing defective about the standards, and they use them each day the Park City Racquet Club is open.  This entry is a warning to other businesses who might be considering doing business with Park City, Utah.  Be careful!

To read the whole story, including our lawsuit against Park City, Utah, you can go to the blog I’ve created that will detail the process that I’m going through to force Park City to pay Robbins Sports the $38,000+ that they owe us.

Spring Training is usually a time for veterans and rookies alike to get in some much needed practice before starting the regular season. While there is the occasional fiery rookie trying to make the team, for the most part Spring Training is pretty subdued. All that changed when the Yankees played the Devil Rays on Tuesday.

Four days prior to Tuesday’s game, a D-Rays hopeful went barreling into the Yankees’ back up catcher, breaking the catcher’s wrist. Joe Girardi was anything but subdued after the play, saying that it was “unnecessary” for a Spring Training game. In on the act as well was Shelley Duncan, who hinted that the D-Rays display of aggression might not be the last between the two teams.

Fast forward to Tuesday - In the first inning, the impending eruption was already brewing as Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips intentionally beaned a D-Rays batter. Then, in the second inning, all hell broke loose. The Yankees Shelley Duncan rounded first after an infield error, only to take off for second base after hesitating for a brief moment. The hesitation clearly cost him as second baseman Aki Iwamura received the ball well before Duncan arrived at second. But, it seemed as if Duncan would have it no other way as he proceeded to make a hard slide into second base with his spikes high up on the leg of Iwamura. Duncan was instantly tossed from the game, sparking a bench-clearing brawl.

This is where the powers that be in baseball need to step in and take some action. A slide like that of Duncan’s, while protective in nature, was a blatant attempt to injure an opposing player. Yes, his teammate had been injured in a previous game, but it had been unintentional. The MLB needs to differentiate between good, hard play and malicious intent. If not, America’s pastime is going to see a lot more of what transpired between the Yankees and Devil Rays.   

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports, an online resource for Baseball Uniforms, Basketball Uniforms and Track Uniforms.

It is undeniable that the Houston Rockets are the hottest team in basketball right now. Since losing to the Jazz on January 27th, the Rockets have reeled off 19 straight wins. I don’t care at what level you are playing, be it professional, collegiate or even high school, that’s incredible. Only the ‘71-’72 Lakers and the ‘71-’72 Bucks have surpassed the Rockets’ current feat, winning 33 and 20 straight, respectively. But then again, with Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the helm, I am surprised that those win streaks weren’t longer.

The question at hand, though, is whether or not the 2008 Rockets can reach or even surpass the Lakers’ record of 33 wins without defeat. In my opinion, that is a pretty tall order. But, hypothetically it is possible. Here are the next 15 teams the Rockets must play in order to do so:

1. Hawks  2. Bobcats  3. Lakers  4. Celtics  5. Hornets  6. Warriors  7. Suns  8. Kings  9. Timberwolves  10. Spurs  11. Kings  12. Trail Blazers  13. Sonics  14. Clippers  15. Sonics 

This schedule poses a whole slew of threats to the Rockets’ winning streak. 7 of the 15 teams are above .500 and potential playoff teams. Four of them have better records and arguably more talent. Moreover, as the old adage goes, on any given day any team can win. Even the below .500 teams. 

So, is it possible for the Rockets to continue their winning streak and hit the 34 mark? Yes. Is it probable? No. In fact, the Rockets will be lucky if can win 10 of their next 15 games. The Rockets are a very good team riding a lot of momentum right now. But facing a stretch where you have to play five teams any one of which could win the NBA title this year is a tough road for even the best of teams. What will happen? The Rockets will beat the Hawks and Bobcats taking their record to 21-0 since January 27th, but then will lose in quick succession to the Lakers and Celtics. Both Boston and LA have too much fire power to lose to the Yao-less Rockets.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for Basketball Uniforms, Baseball Uniforms and Portable Scoreboards.

A week ago, I wrote an article about how Yao Ming’s injury would affect the Rockets. In that article I alluded to the fact that Yao Mings’ broken foot was potentially going to be the downfall of the Rockets surge in the West, and possibly ruin their season altogether. Now, though, I have changed my mind and retract my statements. Well, actually, the Rockets have changed my mind. In fact, instead of feeling like the Rockets are doomed to yet another season of mediocrity, my position now is that this injury is a blessing in disguise.

Since Yao went down, the Rockets have won five straight games. A perfect span in which they have beaten two sub-par teams (Grizzlies, Pacers), one reasonably good team (Wizards), and two very good, talented teams teams (Nuggets, Mavericks). So, it seems as if having their most reliable player has not affected the Rockets in a bad way. Rather, Yao being sidelined looks to have galvanized Houston.

Case in point: Tracy McGrady is a superstar and when healthy is one of the best players in the league. He is going to get his points with or without Yao Ming. But, the rest of the team is a different story. When Yao and McGrady are in the game, the rest of the team is reduced to mere role players, giving an extra little something to get Houston over the hump. No one player does anything out of the ordinary. However, since Yao went down, Tracy McGrady has had to rely on the rest of the team to continue the insane hot streak the Rockets are currently riding. Rafer Alston is scoring like primetime player. Shane Battier, aside from his usual selfless play and reliable defense, has also started putting up big scoring numbers. Luis Scola is filling the void in the paint beautifully. And even Carl Landry has got into the act lately, scoring in double figures in the last few games.

The point is that every Rockets fan from here to Beijing was completely demoralized upon hearing about Yao Ming’s foot. But, to me, the Rockets are going to be better for it. All of their players are beginning to step up their games. When Yao gets healthy again, the Rockets are going to get yet another dangerous player to their already talented lineup, which will ultimately catapult them to the upper echelon of the NBA. In the short run, the Rockets may find it difficult to win a title. But Rockets fans need to be patient. Becaue in the long run, watch out NBA!!! The Rockets are going to be dominant for many years to come.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an oline provider of Basketball Uniforms, Baseball Uniforms and Portable Scoreboards.

Every year my friends and I take a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona in order watch our beloved San Francisco Giants play spring ball. And although the Giants have not been very good over the past fewe years, especially in the Spring, Scottsdale has become one of my favorite vacation spots in the country. There is just something incredibly alluring about baseball in the Spring.

Imagine this - A sunny yet breezy day. You and friends lying on the damp, green grass in the left field bleachers. A hot dog in one hand and a cold drink in the other, watching your favorite team playing America’s favorite pastime. What else could you ask for? A few days away from work without a care in the world. No wonder spring training is so much fun.

The best part about spring training, though, is not the endless leisure or beautiful weather. Rather, it’s the atmosphere. Usually when I go to professional sporting events, be it baseball, basketball or whatever, I am way too caught up in the outcome of the game. Often times I lose sight of the actual game of baseball and focus too much on winning. But during spring training that is not the case. I literally feel like a little kid again. It’s just fun to go to the park and watch the game. I don’t really care who wins or loses, because it is a pre-season game that means absolutely nothing. Instead of cursing under my breath when one of the Giants’ players gets out, I find myself saying ‘wow, that was a great catch’ or ‘man, the opposing pitcher has some nasty stuff.’ The game itself is what’s important.

Simply put, spring training provides an opportunity to get away from the competition-driven real world and have a nice, relaxing time at the ball park. Remember those days when you were more interested in fishing that last sunflower seed out of your pocket than catching a fly ball? Or running through the sprinklers in between the first and second game of a double header? That’s what spring training is to me and that’s why it is so much fun. It is childhood all over again.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Robbins Sports and Athletics, a national provider of Baseball Uniforms, Basketball Uniforms and Portable Scorebaords.