All posts by Wayne Cavadi

Basbeall, Basketball, Football, Futbol, Golf, NBA, Soccer, Sports, Uncategorized, World Cup

The Wacky Week in Sports

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Welcome to the newest feature at Wayniac Nation. Every Sunday, I am going to take you the world of sports for the week that was. So sit back, grab some coffee, and let’s go around the world of sports!

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The entire world has been engulfed by the World Cup this past week. Whether you love futbol or are one of those people who loves to bash it for being boring and soft (yet tune into baseball and LeBron James and his cramps), the numbers don’t lie: more people are watching than aren’t. Luis Suarez had two goals in his 2014 World Cup debut to send England packing before the knockout round for the first time in nearly 60 years. In just three short weeks, Suarez has to return to Liverpool for the start of The Barclays/ EPL season where I’m sure he will receive a very warm welcome. Spain, who has been ranked number one in the world since 2008 and are the reigning World Cup champs, were bounced by the Cinderella Chile national team. And then there is the good ol’ US of A. Our men’s national team pulled off a big win against Ghana in game one and later today, take on an injury-plagued, suspension-filled Portugal team. The US had two great goals against Ghana but played an otherwise uninspiring game, despite the fact that major sports sites gushed about their game one performance, proving what most of the world already knew: Americans know nothing about soccer. Jozy Altidore is out, our captain has a broken nose, and the man who put US Soccer on the map in Landon Donovan is sitting at home.

Speaking of boring sports, let’s turn to baseball. MLB’s biggest diva hadn’t been in the spot light for several months, so Alex Rodriguez returned to the headlines by dropping his lawsuit against the Yankees’ medical staff. Early reports indicate that A-Rod didn’t necessarily realize he was wrong, but ultimately discovered that no one gave a rat’s ass. On a serious note, the baseball world and San Diego mourned the passing of a great one. Tony Gwynn left us this week, but will always be remembered by his big hits and bigger smile. As a lifelong Gwynn fan, I paid tribute to him this past Tuesday. If you missed it, please check it out: The Loss of a Legend.

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BONEHEAD OF THE WEEK AWARD: Hanley Ramirez, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers. The 30-year old, 10-year MLB veteran short stop made the biggest error of his career on Wednesday night. Ramirez threw away an easy out in the seventh inning an in doing so, he threw out Clayton Kershaw’s perfect game, which would have arguably been the best perfect game ever thrown. Kershaw was dealing Wednesday night, needing just 107 pitches en route to striking out 15 Rockies and walking none. Yet Hanley Ramirez couldn’t reach first base. Well done, dumb ass.

Big news in the world of golf: Lucy Li, an 11-year old prodigy, made big news appearing in the Women’s US Open becoming the youngest girl ever to do so. While she didn’t make the cut, she did extremely well with 78s on an extremely tough Pinehurt No. 2 course and finished 120th out of 154 contestants. I mean, really, how bad do those 34 women feel who lost to an 11-year old right now? Oh yea, Tiger Woods also returns this coming tournament. Waffle House waitress nation wide rejoice.

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The NBA is done and the Spurs, as predicted here on Wayniac Nation, won their fifth championship. Which of course means all the talk has been about Pat Riley and his big three attention hounds in Miami. Will LeBron be back? Is Dywane Wade healthy enough? Is Chris Bosh really a dinosaur? No one seems to care that Tim Duncan, the greatest power forward of all time, is 38-years old and may retire. Everyone forgot that Tony Parker was banged up heading into the Finals and like Wade, his body seems to be wearing down. Oh yea, Gregg Popovich secured his fifth ring in 18 years. No one cares.

The NFL OTAs are still under way and Andre Johnson is still a no show. I’m sure that Bill O’Brien officially naming Ryan Fitzpatrick starting quarterback for my Houston Texans will change Johnson’s mind and have him running back to training camp.

And lastly, there is nothing to report from the NHL because, well quite frankly, who the hell cares about hockey anymore anyway? But seriously folks, the Rangers lost the Stanley Cup to the Los Angeles Kings. Hope you enjoyed it Rangers’ fans. If history has showed us anything, your team won’t be relevant for at least another 20 years.

There you have it, the world of sports in under 700 words. Now go get your red, white, and blue on because I BELIEVE…

 

Basbeall, Sports, Uncategorized

The Loss of a Legend: RIP Tony Gwynn

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I am a 39-year old baseball junkie. When I was eight, I became a Tony Gwynn fan. Everyone by now knows that I am a die hard Yankees fan. I have seen some great players that have come through the Bronx since I started watching baseball in 1983. None of them were ever able to over take Gwynn as my favorite.

Yesterday, social media, the internet, and sports stations were paying homage to this great human being with some beautiful commentary on his life. The entire time my phone was blowing up with people making sure I had heard the terrible news, as if I had lost a family member. Throughout the day yesterday, we heard and read a lot from reporters and friends recollecting his insanely amazing career. Today, I want to share with you the life of a legend from a Tony Gwynn super fan. I idolized this guy for so long that I have no problem admitting that Tim Kurkjian’s piece gave me the chills.
Continue on to my homage to a legend

Football, Futbol, Travel, Uncategorized, World Cup

Futbol, America’s Pastime: World Cup Commentary with Amelia

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I couldn’t be prouder to introduce our newest writer to the Wayniac Nation family. She comes to us from her amazing travel blog The Adventures of Amelia in which, through photos and memoirs, she recollects her amazing journeys around the world. We have wanted to collaborate for some time, so what better time than the World Cup. Amelia has been to more than a dozen of this year’s World Cup qualifiers, so she looks to bring you worldly insights as she delves into the world of futbol and Americana.

 

Amelia in Guatape, Colombia who won their first game (Sorry Nomi the Greek)
Amelia in Guatape, Colombia who won their first game (Sorry Nomi the Greek)

Well guys, it’s finally upon us. We’re five days into the greatest sporting event in the world, and just hours away from the highly anticipated debut from the US Mens’ National Team. We’ve made it another four, unbearably long years to hear that sweet sound of vuvuzelas (just kidding, they won’t be there this time), Ian Darke’s dulcet announcing tones, and various rhythmic chants sung in languages we can’t even understand. Despite the 32 nationalities represented, we don’t need to be fluent in multiple languages to comprehend this magnificent event. The sport itself is communication enough. It’s called fútbol and it’s the most International language of them all. For me, it’s also the first romance language. From gruesome, mid-air head collisions, to footwork that would blow even David Copperfield’s mind, this sport is one of the finest worldwide. Brilliantly orchestrated dives from the likes of Balotelli and Dragba make for a spectacular performance for all you drama-types out there, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s perfectly sculpted abs are capable of turning even the girliest of girls into fans of ESPN this summer. And by the way, ladies, have you seen the Spanish team roster this year? Come. ON. And gentlemen, if the intense head-to-head play wasn’t enough for you, perhaps Adriana Lima’s Kia ads will do the trick. What doesn’t this event bring to the table? The 2014 World Cup is here, and it has something for everyone — even Americans.
An American, Honduran, English Lady’s view on futbol? Keep reading!!!

Basbeall, Basketball, Entertainment, Father's Day, Football, NBA, Sports, Uncategorized

Happy Father’s Day Sports Style

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It’s that magical time of year. The time of year when the grills are afire and the Coors Light are acoolin’. What better way to celebrate dear old dad than with BBQ, beer, and baseball?

Throughout the course of sports history, there have been quite a few powerful gene pools across the major US sports. Every one knows about Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds, and if you don’t, you really need to put down the Dungeons and Dragons and come outside for a little while. The Bonds’ father and son duo combined for 1094 drug induced home runs over their notorious careers and stand as one of the most famous combos of all time. The Griffey’s were so nice, they had to name them twice! Ken and Junior not only combined for 782 home runs themselves, they actual hit back-to-back bombs in the same game. When my dad and I bonded, he snuck me to get ice cream when my mom said I couldn’t have any. These two were bashing back to backers. Don’t get me wrong, I love my dad and I love ice cream, but the closest me and my dear old dad came to baseball immortally was when he coached my 3rd grade little league team (which Wayniac Nation’s own Sport Illuminati was a member of 31 years ago!).
Keep reading for the newest Father/Son Sports Combos!!!

Entertainment, Football, Futbol, Soccer, Sports, Uncategorized, World Cup

Are You Ready For Some Futbol: Tempo da Copa do Mundo

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Well, folks, kickoff for the 2014 World Cup is just hours away. I have always watched the World Cup, but on the grander scale, I am really just learning about soccer. The boys from The Thread and I all picked a Premier League team last season to help delve ourselves into the world’s most popular sport, and I chose the Tottenham HotSpur. While they gave an emotional roller coaster of season firing two coaches along the way, there wasn’t much in the form of excitement from such a low scoring and boring team.

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So while I boosted my knowledge of some players and the sport, here’s what I know about this year’s World Cup: it is being played in Rio Di Janeiro, Landon Donovan was left off the US Team, and FIFA hates the Americans and gave us a nearly impossibly draw. That being said, I turned to some reliable sources, my guys Manyool (aka Manny) and the notorious CP that I work with pretty much 50 hours a week. These two guys are stud soccer players and pretty much eat, breath, and sleep futbol. In fact, if futbol was a lady, they would take her out and wine and dine her. When I started putting Tottenham games on the TVs at Verde during the soccer season, they began telling me all they knew about soccer. I can assume, much like the rest of the nation, Manny and CP will be getting drunk together yelling at TVs for the next month of their lives. To ensure no stone was left unturned, I also turned to some others for help. Wayniac Nation’s own Q – Tip chimed in and, of course, I turned to The Thread for their input as well. So, sit back, pop yourself open a nice cool Brahma, and enjoy some crazy predictions.

Read on for some OUTRAGEOUS PREDICTIONS

Entertainment, Golf, Sports, Uncategorized

US Open is Closed for Lefty

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We are 24 hours away from another major and the 114th US Open. A lot of the talk on ESPN and other sports networks is that Phil Mickelson seems confident to get over that hump and grab a US Open Championship. Well, after all those runner-ups at the US Open, our in-house golf expert, Q-Tip, returns to answer the Lefty question:

I live in North Carolina. Unless you live under a rock or are entirely too caught up with Rashad McCants, you have by now heard that Pinehurst is hosting this weekends’ US Open. As if it wasn’t hard enough already, the infamous ol’ Pinehurst Number 2 course has made some changes to make it even more of a challenge. The question on everyone’s mind since the back 9 of the 2013 US Open is: Can Phil Mickelson ever get the final trophy to complete his career grand slam? It’s the one Phil wants most and it has been the most elusive to him. We have watched him come oh so close for so many years only to throw it away. He literally did just that in ‘06 when he hit a drive on the 71st hole into a trash can. So here we are once again, the US Open is about to start, Father’s Day is a week away, fans will sing Happy Birthday to Phil at some point, and the answer to that question is just days away from being answered. Actually, we don’t have to wait. The answer is simple: he can’t and won’t win the 2014 US Open.

Keep reading to see why Lefty can’t win!

Basketball, College Basketball, Entertainment, Sports

Watch Out Duke, You May Not Be the Most Hated Team in Carolina Much Longer

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What an eventful week, folks. There was a little bit of everything going on in the world of sports. OTAs reached full steam in the NFL and Andre Johnson is still a no show for my Texans. The MLB June Amateur Draft’s wonderful 8,642,783 rounds concluded Sunday which was highlighted by the San Diego Padres drafting Johnny Football in the 28th round. The New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings are in a doozy of a Stanley Cup Finals as the Rangers have let the first two games get away from them in overtime. The Miami Heat ironically couldn’t take the heat in Fan (less) Antonio and the Spurs out sweat them to a Game One victory. And once again, we missed out on a Triple Crown with the ponies.

Felton and McCants: The Pride of Carolina
Felton and McCants: The Pride of Carolina

Then there was Rashad McCants. Yet another athlete from a major collegiate program has come forward and cried foul. McCants was a central figure on the University of North Carolina’s 2005 championship team that defeated Illinois by five points in St. Louis. He appeared on ESPN’s Outside the Lines making a very severe claim against UNC, a school long under suspicion of putting athletics before education, claiming he took “paper classes”. These were classes primarily in the African-American studies program that allowed students to write one term paper a semester and not even show up to any classes in between. McCants accusations claim that tutors even wrote his papers and apparently did such a good job that he made Dean’s List (I have been informed that this is an academic achievement, not an honor by legendary UNC coach Dean Smith for being good at hoops) in that championship season. Further investigation has shown that five players from the championship team, including four anonymous “key players”, were coincidentally enrolled in the same classes.

See why no one cares about Rashad McCants

Entertainment, Gambling, Horse Racing, Movies, Sports, Uncategorized

The Batman Stakes: Does Chrome Take the Triple Crown?

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Well, folks, we have the rare chance to watch history yet again. This Saturday, California Chrome goes for the first Triple Crown win since 1978. Wayniac Nation welcomes back The @SportIlluminati, our in house odds man and horse racing expert. Heim nailed the Preakness with his unique approach. This time, he gets even more creative. So, fire up the Batman signal and sit back and enjoy your Belmont Prediction Special, courtesy of the one and only Sport Illuminati:

There are ten horses looking to spoil the Triple Crown effort of California Chrome. On the surface, it’s hard to make a strong case for any of the others. Much like my favorite superhero Batman, what you see on the outside is a hard shell of what lies beneath. As with Batman, each of these horses present a little bit more than what appears. So, I am going to break down the participants of this race using the different actors who have played Batman over the years. In essence, each of these horses mirrors one of the actors in one way or another.

Continue reading The Batman Stakes: Does Chrome Take the Triple Crown? →

Basbeall, Entertainment, Fantasy Baseball, Gambling, Sports, Uncategorized

Fantasy Baseball Update: I Hate Fantasy Edition

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Welcome to June, fantasy baseballers. This is the time of year that pretty much half of the team that you drafted is hurt. There are twenty plus top starting pitchers, like Jose Fernandez, on the shelf and big offensive stars, like Prince Fiedler, are done for the year. Unlike fantasy football which you can win with the team that you drafted, baseball is all about the waiver wire moves you make in June and July. I have lost the likes of Fielder, Jose Abreau, and Andrew Cashner just to name a few, so I looked deep to find some people myself. Others I am keeping a close eye on, ready to pick them up any given moment.

Continue reading Fantasy Baseball Update: I Hate Fantasy Edition →

Basketball, NBA, Sports, Uncategorized

Time to Spur this Heat Wave

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The NBA Finals are set and I can’t wait. Despite Lance Stephenson‘s best efforts, the Pacers blew the series (see what I did there?) and the Heat rolled to their fourth straight title series. The Spurs and Thunder played a bizarre series out West in which the home team completely dominated the first five games until last night’s overtime thriller that sent the Spurs back to the Finals for a second consecutive season.

Do you have the Spurs or the Heat? Keep reading to see who I picked!