On this date: the deadliest sports catastrophe in U.S. history occured

On this date 45 years ago, the deadliest sports catastrophe in U.S. history occurred when Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed in Huntington, West Virginia.

The flight was chartering the 1970 Marshall Football team, which included 37 players, eight coaches, 25 boosters and five flight crew members. All 75 passengers were killed in the crash.

If you have never watched the movie “We Are Marshall” starring Matthew McConaughey, I highly recommend it.

Here’s a archived video of the crash:

Visiting universities is one of my hobbies and visiting Marshall University is definitely on the bucket list.

 

Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC Penalty Shootout

In case you missed the Portland Timbers defeat Sporting KC in the Western Conference MLS Playoffs, do yourself a favor and watch the penalty shootout then thank me later. This was one of the most intense PK shootouts I’ve ever watched.

If you’re any sort of soccer fan, you won’t regret watching this.

 

 

Houston Rockets primed for pursuit of the 2015-2016 NBA Championship

Going into the off-season after having a magical postseason run, yet falling short in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors in five games, the Houston Rockets front office had one goal in mind: to bring every member of that squad back for another run at the championship.

Re-signing unrestricted free agents Patrick Beverley, Corey Brewer, K.J. McDaniels and Jason Terry was the Rockets’ top priority, and while they locked each up to multi-year contracts, they also filled a void they were desperately searching for: a point guard.

Daryl Morey, the Rockets’ GM known as the mastermind behind the NBA analytics movement as well as the co-founder of MIT’s annual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference held in Boston, pulled off another improbable trade in the off-season.

Ty Lawson

The Rockets traded away Kostas Papanikolaou, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Pablo Prigioni and a lottery-protected 2016 first-round draft pick to Denver for PG Ty Lawson.

Putting Lawson’s off-court issues in the rear view mirror, he is not only a top 10 point guard who fits perfectly in Kevin McHale’s offense, but he is the point guard James Harden needs.

Last season, Lawson was the seventh best point producer in the league, which combines points and points generated by assist. He is a top 10 shot-creator, he ranked second in team points per game off of drives with 13.9. Who lead that category? James Harden. Lawson also has a incredible basketball IQ, which gives the Rockets arguably the most brilliant backcourt in the NBA this season.

Lawson also fits McHale’s philosophy of going “downhill” and ball movement on the perimeter as he shot 61 percent from the rim last season and most of his assists were dished to three-point shooters.

Lawson comes to a winning Rockets environment that has welcomed him with open arms and has taken care of him after spending the past six seasons with the Denver Nuggets, which the last couple being catastrophic because of coaching changes, missing the postseason and off-court alcohol abuse.

With the Rockets tipping off their 49th season on Oct. 28th at Toyota Center vs. Lawson’s former team the Denver Nuggets, neither talent, athleticism, psychological mindset, free throw shooting, or offense and defense will be the biggest key to the Rockets’ success this season.

Health

Just as any team in the association, health will be the most pivotal deciding factor on how far the Rockets go in the playoffs this season. Last season, the Rockets missed 182 games to injury, which was the highest total for any playoff team in the Western Conference. They still managed to pull off 56 wins and earned the second seed in the conference all while losing starting Center Dwight Howard for 41 games, Forward Terrance Jones for 49 games, starting Guard Patrick Beverley for 26 games and Forward Donatas Motiejunas for 11 games.

If the Rockets can figure out how to defeat their biggest kryptonite for 82 games, and that’s a MASSIVE IF, which is the injury bug, the sky is the limit for this group, because everyone on this team has the correct mentality and one goal in mind.

Pursuit

The term “Pursuit” has a much larger definition for this team than your simple synonyms of quest or chase. The Rockets adapted “Pursuit” as their official marketing campaign and slogan last season, but it’s more than a slogan, it’s a mindset that each player on this roster has stuck to: Pursuit of the championship. Everywhere you look inside Toyota Center, the arena is decked out in “#Pursuit”, fans are wearing shirts that say “#Pursuit”, it has even become its own hashtag on social media for the Rockets and its fans. Every guy in the locker room has strong belief and a great feeling knowing they can accomplish something special.

Each player on this roster knows they will have to give their 110 percent every night and do what they do best individually so everyone can come together as a team and have a shot at winning every game in a brutal Western Conference to accomplish that Pursuit when they hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.

JJ Watt surprises kids at Texas Children’s Hospital dressed up as Batman

Everyone knows Houston Texans Defensive End JJ Watt for his athletic abilities and the impact he makes on the football field, but what a lot of people don’t know is that his biggest muscle is his heart.

From making a six-year-old girl’s wish come true by marrying her for a day to recording a a video on Instagram proving to non-believers he’s friends with a young fan to paying a surprise visit to a 12-year-old Leukemia patient who named his VGo telepresence learning system “Watt”,  you’ve read and heard about the countless emotionally chilling stories about how Watt goes out of his way to impact either an individual or a group of people.

Well, Watt has done it again.

This time, Watt dressed up as Batman and visited Texas Children’s Hospital.

Visiting children in hospitals is a normal routine for Watt, but this visit was rather special because it was for Texas Children’s Hospital’s annual Spirit of Children Halloween party sponsored by Spirit Halloween. Not only was Watt dressed up in costume as Batman, but he also spoke in a deep scratchy Batman voice as he mingled with the children and adults.

Rikki Ragland, owner of Rikki Ragland Media Group and spokesperson for Spirit Halloween, stated on Twitter that her and Watt’s manager worked for a year to make this event happen.

👍🏼 @JJWatt 4 coming 2 our #spiritofchildren @SpiritHalloween party. His mgr and I worked for a yr to make it happen🏈 pic.twitter.com/GXbRzWgsb6

— Rikki Ragland (@RikkiRagland) October 16, 2015

NBC’s “The Today Show” will air a feature on Watt’s visit on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 7 am C.T., so don’t forget to set your DVRs! Check out www.houstontexans.com for a sneak peak of the episode.

Once again another unforgettable gesture by the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and personally my favorite out of the endless acts he’s done.

Most of you know Watt is one of my biggest role models along with Michael Jordan because of his motivational mindset and work ethic, but also because he uses his fame and fortune to his advantage by collaborating it with his fun loving personality and giving it all back to the community, whether it be visiting sick kids or surprising young fans or taking care of firefighters, JJ is the one person you can look up to even though he’s an athlete/celebrity.

So when you mix Watt and Texans Children’s Hospital, a place I called home for the first half of my life, there’s no better feeling in the world. Seeing smiles on those kids is priceless, especially having been in their shoes and understanding the joy and happiness of meeting an athlete.

Check out the full feature on www.today.com

Also check out the full interview off Watt with NBC Today Show’s Janet Shamlian on www.today.com

 

 

Houston Rockets unveil new alternate jerseys

Houston Rockets fans have been patiently waiting for new jerseys for a long time and their wish finally came true.

The Rockets unveiled three new alternate jerseys on Tuesday, September 15 at a private season ticket holder event at the House of Blues in Downtown Houston. Lights shined bright on stage and cameras flashed at Dwight Howard, Donatas Motiejunas and Sam Dekker as they modeled the new alternates.

Pictured L-R: Sam Dekker, Dwight Howard and Donatas Motiejunas stand and model the Houston Rockets’ three new alternate jerseys. Photo courtesy of @00rocketgirl on Twitter.

The sickest jersey of the three was rocked by Sam Dekker, which was an all black jersey with red trim around the shoulder, that says “HOUSTON” on the front. THAT is the road alternate jersey for the 2016-2017 season. Yes, unfortunately fans will have to wait one more year to see the incredibly cool black jerseys.

Sam Dekker stands and models the new 2016-2017 Houston Rockets road alternate jersey. Photo courtesy of @00rocketgirl on Twitter.

But, don’t worry because my personal favorite new alternate jersey was worn by Donatas Motiejunas: a “CLUTCH CITY” jersey! The shirts debuted last season versus the Oklahoma City Thunder; now we get actual ketchup and mustard jerseys that say “CLUTCH CITY” on the front. The only downside about those jerseys is they’re the sleeved jerseys, which in my opinion, look extremely ugly but just because they’re ketchup and mustard and say “CLUTCH CITY” on the front. I’m definitely buying one. Fans won’t have to wait long to see the Rockets wear the “CLUTCH CITY” jerseys as they will debut on Nov. 14 at home versus the Dallas Mavericks.

Donatas Motiejunas stands and models the Houston Rockets’ alternate pride “CLUTCH CITY” jersey. Photo courtesy of @00rocketgirl on Twitter.

The last, and my least favorite jersey of the three is the new home alternate jersey, displayed by Dwight Howard, a sleeved all silver with black trim jersey. When you mix a sleeved jersey with the color silver, that spells disaster. That jersey is so ugly I wish they didn’t even unveil it. But, unfortunately we have to live with it because the jersey will make its debut on Nov. 25 at home versus the Memphis Grizzlies and will be worn six times during the season.

Dwight Howard flexes and models the Houston Rockets’ new home alternate jersey. Photo courtesy of @00rocketgirl on Twitter.

A downer in the jersey unveilings is that with the three new jerseys, one jersey has been eliminated from the jersey rotation, and that jersey was not only my favorite but a fan favorite as well: the ketchup and mustard alternate jersey that said “HOUSTON” on the front. So go ahead and wear those jerseys for the last time because the Rockets will not be wearing them anymore.

With the jerseys unveiled, which one is your favorite? Which one will you purchase and add to your jersey collection?

From L-R: Sam Dekker, Dwight Howard and Donatas Motiejunas pose for a picture as they model the new Rockets alternate jerseys. Photo courtesy of rockets.com

 

Campus Recreation to host Pro Football Pick’em

Do you think you know the NFL? Are you one of those fans who can predict the outcome of a game before it kicks off?

Well here’s your chance to prove your knowledge! University of Houston Clear-Lake’s Campus Recreation is giving you a chance to predict the winner of each game per week for a chance to win a prize for that week.

The game is called UHCL’s Pro Pick’em, and just like any pro pick’em game you’ve played before, the rules are pretty simple:

1. The object of UHCL’s Pro Pick’em is to accumulate as many points as possible by correctly picking the winning team in each of the games played each week during the 2015 NFL Season.
2. Each time you correctly pick the winning team in a game played during the 2015 season, you will receive one point in the standings for this event. Please note that no points are awarded for games that end in ties. The points earned by each participant will be tallied, and the participant who finishes with the highest point total in the standings among all participants will win the “Weekly Prize” for that week.  These weekly totals also add towards your final total for the “Grand Prize”, which is the overall point’s leader at the end of the regular season.
3. The deadline for submitting picks during each week of the 2015 season will be every Thursday by 5 p.m. All picks for a given week must be submitted before that deadline to be considered in connection with the congruent week.

So now you’re probably wondering okay how do I get started, how do I participate and where do I get the form to make my picks?

How to play:

1. You MUST be a UHCL student or a faculty/staff to be able to participate
2. Pick up your UHCL Pro Pick’em sheet from either the Fitness Room, located in SSCB #2.103, or the Student Life Office, located in SSCB 1.204. You can also print out the form from the weekly email that will be sent out.
3. Follow the directions on the top of the form to correctly fill it out.
4. Once your form is completed, you may turn it back in in either the Fitness Room, Student Life Office, or electronically to campusrecreation@uhcl.edu by 5 p.m. every Thursday.

Pretty simple right? For more information you can contact Campus Recreation by either emailing Campus Recreation at campusrecreation@uhcl.edu or by visiting Campus Recreation online.

 

JJ Watt reveals daily diet and nutrition intake

ESPN’s Houston Texans affiliate Tania Ganguli recently released an article about JJ Watt’s nutrition habit and his daily diet.

According to Ganguli, Watt consumes around 9,000 calories PER DAY! That is how much I consume probably in a month.

The 9,000 calories consists a mixture of around 50 slices of bacon, 20 chicken breasts and 13 avocados.

Watt also broke down part of his diet in an interview with Fox Sports’ Jimmy Traina couple of months ago. In the interview, he stated that he eats two breakfasts per day, which consists a total of 10 eggs, hash browns, whole wheat pancakes, banana, orange juice, water, apple, oatmeal and a wheat toast.

Watt stated the reason behind his diet change was because his body was lagging in the energy/fuel that he needed based on how much he worked out.

“My body was was grabbing for something that wasn’t there,” Watt said. “It was trying to fuel itself with no fuel.”

Truthfully, I’m not surprised Watt consumes these many calories per day because of his work ethic and his workout regiment.

With Watt being one of my role models, I would’ve never thought I’d use his motivation for diet since I need to increase my calorie intake.

“Literally, if I’m not working out, I eat the whole time I’m not working out,” Watt said. It’s exhausting. You have to force feed. You have to force yourself to eat food.”

 

2015-2016 Houston Rockets schedule

The 2015-2016 NBA schedule has been released and here’s what sticks out to me as far as the Rockets go:

The Rockets debut the preseason on Oct. 6 at Memphis then come back home the next night to play the Mavericks at Toyota Center. Rockets then fly to their D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers where they will host the Magic at State Farm Arena on Oct. 11. Rockets will play five more preseason games before beginning their pursuit to the championship on Oct. 28.

The Rockets will open the 2015-2016 season at home on Oct. 28 vs the Denver Nuggets then host the Golden State Warriors for a nationally televised game on ESPN two nights later on Oct. 30.

The Rockets will have 19 nationally televised games (not counting NBATV) (eight at home), with 10 on ESPN, 7 on TNT and twice on ABC.

• Oct. 30 Hou vs. GSW 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Nov. 6 Hou at Sac 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Dec. 17 Hou at LAL 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
• Dec. 25 Hou vs. SAS 7:00 p.m. (ESPN) (Christmas)
• Jan 15 Hou vs. Clev 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Jan 18 Hou at LAC 9:30 p.m. (TNT) (MLK Day)
• Jan 27 Hou at SAS 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Feb 4 Hou at Phx 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
• Feb 9 Hou at GSW 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
• Feb 10 Hou at Pdx 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Mar 2 Hou vs NOP 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Mar 5 Hou at Chi 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
• Mar 14 Hou vs Mem 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Mar 16 Hou vs LAC 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Mar 22 Hou at Okc 7:00 p.m. (TNT)
• Mar 29 Hou at Clev 7:00 p.m. (TNT)
• Mar 31 Hou vs Chi 6:00 p.m. (TNT)
• Apr 3 Hou vs Okc 2:30 p.m. (ABC)
• Apr 6 Hou at Dal 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Start making your Christmas plans early #RedNation because the Rockets have a Christmas game AT HOME at Toyota Center!!!!!

The annual New Years Eve game this season at Toyota Center will feature the defending champs Golden State Warriors.

Josh Smith makes his Rockets return on Dec. 19 when the Los Angeles Clippers visit Toyota Center.

As noted by the voice of the Rockets Craig Ackerman (ca_rockets), the Rockets only have 19 sets of back-to-back games and no four games in five nights.

Check out the full schedule on rockets.com and let me know what Rockets game(s) you’re looking forward to the most.

 

 

Happy birthday Giles Barnes!!!

Happy 27th birthday to my dude Giles Barnes, who if you don’t know is a Jamaican/English Forward for the MLS club Houston Dynamo. Barnes is easily hands down my favorite MLS soccer player, not only due to his skill set but his personality as well.

If you’ve never met Giles, you’re missing out. He is one of the coolest athletes I’ve ever met and not only can his public appearances with the Dynamo vouch for that, but as well as his social media game as he is always interacting with fans on Twitter and occasionally on Snapchat when he takes over the Dynamo and/or MLS handles.

The best part about Giles thought is his accent!!!!! He has definitely the best accent I have ever heard from not only an international born athlete but out of anyone I’ve ever met that was born oversees.

If you have never heard him talk and heard his accent, experienced his personality or missed his interview on SportsRadio610, I highly recommend clicking the link below:

Barnes: “I Love Playing In Houston, It’s Incredible” « CBS Houston.

Here are some of his highlights from this season as well as last:

Oh and Giles also has incredible fashion “swag”. Take a look for yourself:

Well Giles, I hope you had a fantastic day celebrating your birthday and keep doing you my man!

 

 

Houston Dynamo Academy U-17/18 vs. Chicago Fire Academy U-17/18 proves to be a thriller for the ages

The 2015 U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs have been nothing short of being electrifyingly entertaining as group play concluded and quarterfinals kicked off.

The Houston Dynamo U-17/18 Academy faced off against the Chicago Fire U-17/18 Academy in the first match of the single-game knockout round at Houston Sports Park on July 7, 2015.

Fans gathered at the park and sat on lawn chairs and on the grass on the sunny and breezy evening to watch their Dynamo Academy team play in the quarterfinal match.

Casual soccer fans weren’t the only ones in attendance to watch the teenagers play the game they love, but players and coaching staff from the first team were also in attendance, including Ricardo Clark, Alec Cochran and Houston Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle.

The Dynamo and Fire each finished atop their respected groups, with the Dynamo being the only team to sweep through the tournament by winning all three of their matches.

The Dynamo were led by the team’s leader in goals Juan Flores, 28 goals in 30 games, while the Fire were led by Peter Schropp, 29 goals in 29 games.

Both teams did not disappoint as the match turned out to be a grueling physical battle from the start to the final whistle. Both teams played with 10 men in the second half as Josue Palomino of the Houston Dynamo received a red card in the game, while Oscar Gonzalez of the Fire also received a red card.

The Fire got off to a quick 2-0 start scoring their first two goals in the 17′ and 39′, both by Ryan Sierakowski.

The Dynamo weren’t going to back down trailing by a deficit of two goals as Christian Lucatero brought his team to within one in the 51′ with a goal coming off a penalty kick. The Fire and Dynamo then exchanged goals by Andrew Gutman and Juan Flores in the 66′ and 69′ leaving the Dynamo trailing 3-2 in the 69′. The Dynamo rested their fate of the season in the hands of Christian Lucatero as he scored in the 75′ tying the game up 3-3.

Even though the Dynamo rallied all the way back to tie the game after trailing 3-1, it just wasn’t enough as Ryan Sierakowski put the dagger in the Dynamo’s hearts by scoring the game winning goal in the 94′ and completing the hat trick which lead the Fire to defeat the Dynamo 4-3 and move on to the semifinal round.

With the loss occurring in heartbreaking fashion, the Dynamo Academy showed incredible heart and character after the game.

With the win, the Chicago Fire U-17/18 Academy will move on to the semifinals vs the Montreal Impact U-17-18 Academy, which will take place on July 16 in Carson, California at the StubHub Center.