Ten 30 for 30s I'd Like To See

Last week, I ranked the top 30 for 30s so far. If you missed it, click here. This week I give you the top 30 for 30s that I'd like to see. Here are 10 documentaries that I would love to see done and why they would make great documentaries.

10. T-Mac

Tracy McGrady is an NBA Hall of Famer that will be remembered by some as a guy that couldn't advance past the first round. He made teams perennial playoff teams, but was stuck in that round. It wasn't until signing with the Spurs in 2013 (his last NBA season) that he finally got minutes outside of the 1st round. He never did get a championship ring as San Antonio lost in the NBA Finals that year. A lot to enjoy here from one of the biggest personalities in league history.

9. The Peter Warrick Story

This is probably actually higher on the list, but how can Warrick not be #9. The best wide receiver in college football history, the Dillard's incident, being selected #4 overall, long career, but not legendary as some predicted. There are so many interesting storylines with Peter Warrick to discuss.

8. Jeffrey Maier from Baltimore Perspective

Jeffrey Maier grabbed a ball that was a routine fly ball and interfered in play giving Derek Jeter a home run somehow. This story has always been glossed over in sports while we vilify Bartman for going after a ball in foul territory. I would really like to see this story from a Baltimore perspective with some insight from the guy right under the fly ball, Tony Tarasco. 

7. TO Show

Terrell Owens is one of the greatest receivers of all-time. However, some have nicknamed him team obliterator because of their perception that he ruins team chemistry. It would be really neat to see what teammates truly thought about him and the good and bad of his career.

6. The Sam Bowie Story

This guy was picked in between Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. What it must have been like to be him with everyone disliking him because the best ever went one spot later. This is something that would interest a lot of people.

5. The Streak: The Story of Cal Ripken Jr.'s Legendary Streak

Most players can't even play a full 162 game season in baseball. Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 games in a row. How is that eve remotely possible? It would be cool to see them really dive into this story and the night he broke Lou Gehrig's streak.

4. Warrick Dunn Story

One of the nicest guys in NFL history, a lot of people don't know what Warrick Dunn went through in life. The guy had a murdered mother and raised his siblings at 18. You could show how that guy went to become one of the most charitable men ever and show him dominating in football on the way.

3. The Kid: The Story of Ken Griffey Jr.

The only athlete of my lifetime that has come close to Jordan in terms of popularity was Ken Griffey Jr. The swagger, the wearing the hat backwards, the skill, and that beautiful swing. This guy was everyone's favorite player in the 90s and I am sure he has quite the story to tell.

2. Charlie: The Story of How a Heisman Winner Played in the NBA

Two of the best movies in this series focus on two sport athletes Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. What about the guy that won a Heisman and then went to play pro basketball? Are you telling me people wouldn't love watching this?

1. Wire to Wire: The Story of the 1999 FSU Seminoles

The 1999 Seminoles were the first team to go wire to wire. The team was dominant all season long. They had a legendary coach, the greatest college receiver of all-time and a ton of swag. There would be no more interesting story than this one.

- Noland

Ten Best 30 for 30 Films

ESPN has been doing an outstanding job with their 30 for 30 movies and with their documentaries in general. The Last Dance was the perfect show to watch during this pandemic and I've been catching up on all of the 30 for 30s during this time as well. Some of you that are looking for something to watch, might enjoy this list of the top 10 movies during the series.

10. The Dominican Dream

This whole story fascinated me about Dominican basketball player, Felipe Lopez. The "Dominican Jordan" was the #1 HS player in the country, even ahead of NBA legend Allen Iverson. His perspective on what happened to him was really interesting.

9. Pony Excess

This film discussed the rise of SMU football in the 80s and the death penalty that resulted from repeated NCAA violations. It was the first and only time that the NCAA instituted the death penalty on a college football program. 

8. Vick

This 30 for 30 focused on Mike Vick and his career with the controversy around his career. I almost didn't put it because it was broken into two parts, but it was very well done. This is perhaps the most unique situation of all the 30 for 30s.

7. Unguarded

The story of can't miss prospect turned drug abuser turned motivational speaker. This story, about Chris Herron, is a truly fascinating one. It is really interesting to see his journey as a basketball player and as a human being.

6. You Don't Know Bo

Bo is the 2nd best athlete that I have ever seen. This is the story of the amazing two sport athlete that many consider the greatest athlete to ever live. Super cool story.

5. This Magic Moment

Maybe I boosted this story up a bit as a Magic fan, but I don't think so. This was really well done. It tells the story of the Penny and Shaq years in Orlando. That Orlando Magic team was the last team to take down Michael Jordan in the playoffs.

4. Without Bias

My dad always said Len Bias was the greatest basketball player that ever lived. I never got to see Bias play because he died of a cocaine overdose in 1986 and I was born in 1987. This story meant a lot to me because of how my dad viewed Len Bias, but it is super interesting to watch for any basketball fan. The guy was able to go toe to toe with Michael Jordan in college and this is one of the most interesting stories around. 

3. Jordan Rides the Bus

This story was touched upon in the Last Dance, but Jordan Rides the Bus really dives into Michael Jordan and his minor league baseball career. Why did the greatest basketball player ever quit basketball in his prime to play a completely different sport. It is discussed here in amazing detail.

2. Deion's Double Play

Perhaps this is biased because Deion is a Seminole. However, Deion Sanders is the greatest athlete to ever walk the planet. He was a larger than life personality. This documentary focuses on Deion playing two professional sports. The story is this guy is amazing and one of a kind. After all, he is the only athlete ever to play in the Super Bowl and the World Series.

1. June 17, 1994

Many consider this story the greatest 30 for 30 and I agree. OJ Simpson is one of the most fascinating figures of all-time and everyone remembers that bronco chase. The way that this movie weaved that event into all of the other legendary sports moments of that day was incredible. This is an absolute must-watch.

- Noland

Some Positive News From a Football Player

You have heard all the negative news from the NFL lately. You have heard all the negative news from the Florida State Seminoles. You don't come here for the negative news though. You come here for stories that make you feel good. Despite what is being reported, there is good in football. Especially from the NFL and from Florida State. It is just that the media does not want to report it. Since the media does not want to report it, I will.

Warrick Dunn, yes the same Warrick Dunn that went to FSU (the same university that is trashed by the media) is up to doing great public service again. This NFL legend both on and off the field just donated his 139th home to a single mother. He has changed the lives of 139 families by setting them up for success. 139 families that truly needed the assistance. These are the things that we should talk about more than anything in sports. We should talk about people helping people. There needs to be a balancing act as we cannot ignore the bad, but we shouldn't act like all people are bad people. Kids need to know that celebrities are not perfect, but also know that they can make good choices. Warrick Dunn is one of those people that has always made a good choice.

The media needs to start making sure it reports stuff accurately and fairly too and gives people positivity. It is fine if the media decides to report on Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, etc., but they need facts and not just conjecture. These guys need to report the whole story and if you report on Greg Hardy, then make a big deal about Brandon Marshall too who suddenly gets a pass. If every news outlet is so critical of Jameis Winston who has never been arrested, then ESPN must be critical of their own Mark May who has been arrested 3 times and the NFL Network must be critical of Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp for their past transgressions. Just some consistency and some balance. I believe everyone wants consistency and balance. I think they also want to know that only 1 FSU player has been arrested while signed to a professional contract and his name was Greg Reid and the arrest happened before he was signed. FSU did have this amazing person named Warrick Dunn though and another NFL Man of the Year in Derrick Brooks. Those two amazing athletes make me proud to be a Seminole and Proud to Uphold the Garnet and the Gold. Let me know when graduates from another university do things as amazing as those two. Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn are fantastic human beings and Seminoles everywhere are proud of them. Congratulations Warrick on donating your 139th house to a deserving single mother.

-Noland

Jameis Winston Doesn't Deserve This

It has been a while since I have posted on this blog. I have been crazy busy and I have not had anything I have really wanted to write a great deal about. The one exception has been my Florida State Seminoles and this awesome football team. However, I did not want to write anything and brag too much about how they are doing until the job was finished. That being said I have to talk about the current situation dominating sports news. It is a shame that I have to talk about it, but it is what it is.

Now, when I first saw the headlines, I have to say that I was shocked and horrified. I was horrified that anyone can do a bad deed. I am horrified that anyone can lay there hands on a woman. After I read the article I was still horrified, but for a different reason. I continued to do research on the matter before opening up my mouth because I wanted to confirm what I was reading. It was easy to come up with my conclusion that "this is complete and utter crap."

How can ESPN be so irresponsible? I expect this nonsense from TMZ, but not ESPN? This whole story about what Jameis Winston might have done is an absolute disgrace to the journalism profession, and to people in general.

Before I get into it I do want to thank Stephen A. Smith for being the one person in the media I have heard be honest about this situation. I agree with most of what he said and have copied it here.

Let's go over the facts here. The case is from December 2012 and is nearly a year old. It was closed in February and all of a sudden reopens and Jameis is blamed by a GOSSIP organization. He was never implicated of anything, was never named in a police report, and the police never questioned him. Not to mention that the alleged attacker was described as being between 5'9 and 5'11 in height and having a thick build. Jameis Winston is 6'4 and 235 and not a thick build. The assailant also reportedly had straight hair. Does Jameis Winson have straight hair?

All of the facts seem to point that this is a load of malarkey. The police don't seem to think he had anything to do with the crime. Judging by the description in the police report there is no reason to think Winston is involved with this crime at all. Is it possible that the victim described the height wrong? Absolutely, anything is possible. However, as a 6'2 man myself I have never been mistaken to be under 6 feet tall. Jameis Winston is 2 inches taller than me. Do we really think that a man as tall as the FSU QB can be mistaken as 5'10? Do we really think that Jameis Winston's hair can be considered straight under any circumstance? There are several other points to make about this story that seem to point towards Winston being 100% innocent and this story being ridiculous.

ESPN went so far yesterday to post an article with the headline "Winston not talking to police."
Of course he isn't talking to police. He has never been implicated of a crime by anyone besides you and TMZ. If the police weren't trying to talk to him, why would he talk to the police? Is he going to say, "excuse me officer do you have a minute so I can talk to you about some crap I'm not accused of that TMZ associated me with?" Is this where we are with this story? Do we really want to trash this man that badly? There is nothing tying this man to this crime. It is an absolute joke the stories being run.

Jameis Winston is the Heisman frontrunner and FSU is #2. It seems logical that someone brought up this old case and tried to throw Winston into it in order to derail that. It seems logical that somebody might be threatened by FSU. It seems rather fishy that a case closed in February is suddenly reopened just as many are considering FSU the title favorite. The timing is odd and this story stinks. I have my theories, but unlike those who reported this story I will not go around accusing random people.

Jameis Winston is the anti-Manziel, seems to be a good guy, and we love him at FSU. We all have his back. Whoever started this rumor must feel really good about themselves, but as always the truth will prevail. I am extremely confident that this was made up. I am not trying to make light of the situation or the victim. However, this type of accusation with no proof and nothing to go on should not happen in America. Innocent until proven guilty. Jameis is innocent unless proven otherwise. Lay off our quarterback. Now we know you are afraid. This guy is going nowhere. FSU is going to keep dominating that scoreboard. Light 'em up Jameis.

-Noland

Less Than 1 Week Until NBA Draft Lottery

In 6 days the NBA Draft Lottery will be held. ESPN will air the draft lottery Wednesday May 30 @ 8am live from New York. This will be held before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The event will really be about finding out who will get Anthony Davis. The Wizards have a realistic shot and fans have got to be hoping for it. Davis is an absolute stud and someone that can help the Wizards compete quick. So what are the chances the Wizards get him?

Here are the odds by team.
Charlotte 25%
Washington 19.9%
Cleveland 13.8%
New Orleans 13.7%
Sacramento 7.6%
New Jersey 7.5%
Golden State 3.6%
Toronto 3.5%
Detroit 1.7%
New Orleans 1.1% (from Minnesota)
Portland 0.8%
Milwaukee 0.7%
Phoenix 0.6%
Houston 0.5%

Notes: New Orleans has two picks so they actually have a 14.8% chance of getting the #1 pick. The Nets lose their pick to Portland unless its in the top 3. Golden state loses their pick to Utah unless their pick is in the top 7. If everything holds to form, Golden State will pick 7th.

-Noland

The Move to the Big 12 NEEDS to Happen

This move needs to happen. Take Clemson, VT and Miami with us, but it needs to happen. I know our school is worried about the perception of leaving the ACC academically, but that doesn't really matter. Our athletic department needs to cover their costs and the ACC negotiated a horrible deal. The projected revenue coming from the ESPN deal is expected to be backloaded a great deal. That won't help programs that are in current budget deficits very much. It will also make the gap between the haves (Big 12 and SEC) greater than the have nots (ACC and Big East). We cannot expect to continue to compete at a high level when those schools are raking in twice as much as us.

We sell more tickets in the Big 12. Sure, the schedule will be harder too, but does that hurt the SEC. If you lose a game in the SEC you still have a chance. We lose to VT in the ACC next year and we are done. If we move to the Big 12 and lose to VT, we can make up for it with games against Ok, Ok state, and Texas. It sets up a defacto national championship of Big 12 against SEC unless USC or Oh State go undefeated. It also brings in more money. We also don't have to worry about selling tickets from home games. Every single game against Big 12 opponents should sell out, except for maybe Iowa State.

Over the last two years FSU has finished in the top 10 of the Director's Cup twice, won the ACC in basketball, had a sweet 16 appearance, won two bowl games each time while having the best record in the state. We cannot expect that to continue if this move is not made. The budget deficit will likely increase due to a poor TV deal and lower ticket sales. People just aren't coming to see the Noles play Duke. Nobody cares. Let's make the bold move and see what happens. Let the ACC sink themselves, but don't let them take us with them. President Eric Barron said that FSU is not seeking alternatives, but that should change ASAP. We need to join WVU and make a good decision for ourselves.

-Noland

Why the Florida Gators Stink

That is not the actual title of the sportingnews article, but I like it better. The once popular magazine and website had an article about why the demise of the Florida football program happened. They seemed to place most of the blame on Urban Meyer. It is a pretty interesting read so I recommend you check it out.

Several things stand out. You cannot let the inmates run the asylum and that is apparently what happened. You also can't sell your soul for winning. If winning is all that matters, you will lose yourself along the way. This could be why Meyer had so many health problems towards the end in Gainesville. It also is a horrible reflection on Urban Meyer if true. Especially if he is trying to negatively recruit against Florida and a mess he helped create in order to get recruits at Ohio State. If Meyer is truly doing that than it shows a complete lack of class.

It also shows that for some reason certain schools do not seem to get negative attention. Can you imagine if FSU had at least 30 players arrested in just 6 seasons? Before you go insulting Bobby Bowden think about how long he was at FSU. Meyer was at UF for 6 seasons and had over 30 players arrested, that is deplorable. He had special rules for some athletes, that is also deplorable.

This article also makes Percy Harvin out to be the biggest prima donna in the NFL. Harvin looks like the most selfish brat to put on a football jersey in this article. There is no justification for how he acted if true. It helps allow you to see one reason the Vikings have gone downhill since Harvin's arrival.

The faking injuries to cover up failed drug tests is the biggest blow to UF if true. That is just blatant disregard for the law and the student body of Florida. Absolutely horrible. You need to read the article it is crazy stuff. Somehow I don't see ESPN giving this one too much coverage though. Don't think ESPN will do too much investigating.

-Noland