The Olympic sport of gymnastics confuses me. I’m perplexed as to why the sport of gymnastics discriminates against bigger boned bodies. Yes, I’m lamenting why larger ladies and girthier guys who would like to wear leotards are getting shafted. If boxing and wrestling have a myriad of divisions ranging from pint size featherweights to hulking heavyweights, why can’t the same be true of gymnastics?

MIKE on Sports!

027 Heavyweight Division in Gymnastics

Who cares whether .230 hitting left hand batters bat better against lefty pitchers on rain delayed July double headers? MIKE on sports, baseball staistics, sports humor, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know

026 Baseball Statistics

 Tough athletes play hard and talk just as tough. My own personal Hall of Fame of tough talking athletes probably figures prominently on your trash talkers list, too. They’re legends Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Larry Bird and Babe Ruth. They were not only incredible athletes, but they were smart. Real smart. These sports icons used their own smattering of smack to gain a psychological edge over opponents.  Their brash babble not only gave them an advantage over rivals, but it added to their lore as tough, confident competitors. MIKE on sports, sports humor, tough talking athletes

025 Trash Talk

 I know the words don’t even seem compatible. They appear to go together about as well as Yankees and Red Sox fans. You see, I’ve compiled my very own list of non-sport sports. It consists of roaring races, organized parlor games and quirky contests that involve little or no athletic ability. Skill and discipline are certainly involved in these competitions, but obviously none of an athletic nature. Yet, these non-sports sports are openly, and tragically, called sports by ESPN, FOX and the major sports media outlets. Painfully, they’re treated with the same respect as real sports played by accomplished athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS. MIKE on sports, sports humor, NASCAR, pool, curling, poker, sports stuff you should know

024 Non-sports Sports

 What’s the deal with cheerleaders? I can’t figure them out. This may sound sacrilegious, but I think they’re over-rated. Why do they cheer in some sports and not all of them?  Sure, you ALWAYS see cheerleaders at all football games except those involving the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Can’t miss ‘em jumping, tumbling and clapping at basketball games.  But, these bouncey boosters are nowhere to be seen at baseball games. However, it’d be pretty neat to see some perky petite pixies building a pyramid atop a dugout between innings. MIKE on sports, sports humor, sports fun facts, sports observations

023 Cheerleaders

 You know exactly what I mean when I refer to “immensely important inconsequential games! Be honest. We ALL play them! They’re the juvenile bar room competitions that we instantly turn into epic Olympic events. They’re the mindless matches that puff up our pride and get our competitive juices flowing. They’re the childish clashes that force us to focus, stand taller, talk tougher and take on challengers as if it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Sure, these games may be immature and sophomoric, but they’re immensely important. MIKE on sports, sports humor, fun sports stuff, bar games, important games      

022 Important Inconsequential Games

 If you think steroids will make you a better athlete today, know now what steroids will do to your body tomorrow. Ladies who want a competitive short cut today need to consider whether they want a bristly beard and a body like Bridezilla tomorrow. MIKE on sports, steroids, sports humor, sports stuff you should know    

021 Steroids

 In all of sports, this 10' by 4' glass enclosed structure stands alone as a unique piece of real estate. That's why hockey’s penalty box easily checks into a special place in my MIKE on Sports! podcast. Hockey is the only sport that boasts a physical cell of sorts with a thick wooden door and reinforced plexi-glass walls. Hockey’s penalty box is where players are temporarily banished from the ice for bratty behavior - like tripping, slashing and excessively rough play. MIKE on sports, hockey, sin bin, penalty box, sports humor, NHL, sports stuff you should know, sports history, fun sports facts    

020 Hockey's Penalty Box

 It’s the dubious distinction given to the very last or 256th pick in the NFL Draft. Paul Salata, a former NFL wide receiver is credited with starting the good natured Mr. Irrelevant movement way back in 1976. At first, some football fans snickered at the title given to the NFL Draft’s final selection. And, many NFL prospects bristled at the thought of being picked last in the draft and then being jokingly called Mr. Irrelevant. But, newly appointed Mr. Irrelevants have ample reason to celebrate. MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know, NFL Draft    

019 Mr. Irrelevant

 Now, here’s a strange name for a very important test!  Every year at the NFL Combine, draft prospects learn that there’s nothing wonderful about taking the Wonderlick test - that mandatory and daunting eaxm with a funny sounding & highly intimidating name.  That’s because potential NFL players can’t possibly prepare for the Wonderlic’s 12 minute, 50 multiple choice questions.  Similar to college SAT exams, the Wonderlic test focuses on math, vocabulary and cognitive reasoning skills….and, ironically, poses no questions having anything whatsoever to do with football. MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know, NFL    

018 The Wonderlic Test

 When organizing its first draft in 1936, the NFL never imagined just how successful its formal selection process would become. Nor did the league realize its growing sport would spawn its own unique language – that I now call NFL Draft Speak. This highly specialized language comes complete with idiomatic phrases determining the future fortunes of forecasted first round picks. Ironically, as the most televised non-athletic sports event on the planet, the NFL Draft begs for expert analysis like never before. Once again, ESPN and NFL Network analysts will be called upon to expertly decode NFL Draft Day language. These pigskin pundits will dissect dozens of NFL prospects while translating NFL Draft Speak into everyday language. MIKE on sports, American sports culture, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know, NFL Draft, ESPN, NFL Network    

017 NFL Draft Speak

 Today is Earth Day. So, to celebrate, I'm going green. Now don't get me wrong.  I'm no left leaning, hybrid driving, granola crunching, tree hugging environmentalist.....not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm going green because it’s my duty as a citizen on this planet. And, I want to show other sports fans how to go green, too. No, I'm not measuring my carbon footprint or even recycling any of my toilet paper. Instead, as a sports junkie, I'm creating my own Earth Day tradition. I’m going green the way a true sports fan needs to go green. MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know, going green, Earth Day

016 Going Green on Earth Day

 You know, if ESPN once reported on a NASCAR driver named Dick Trickle, then, we can certainly report on a soccer player named Kaka.   Actually, his real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, and he hails from the soccer crazed country of Brazil.   Seriously, it takes an entire day to pronounce this cat’s full name. No wonder why he just wants to be called Kaka.   This Brazilian midfielder can really play.   Kaka once starred for Brazil’s national team as well as in Italy’s pro league, Spain’s La Liga and the European Champions League. MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, fun sports facts, Major League Soccer, sports history, sports stuff you should know

015 Soccer's Kaka

 I’m a sports guy, not a political pundit.   I’m also a firm believer that politics should be left out of sports world - completely.   Sports should always be fun.   Watching games we love must remain an escape from our daily grind.   There must never be any meddling from muckrakers or well intentioned athletes lobbying for our vote or public sentiment.   I deplore protests, prepared statements and political platforms at sporting events.   As a fan, I just want to watch players play and not witness them plead, pimp or pander to my emotions and sense of duty. MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, politics  

014 Keeping Politics Out Of Sports

 There are two schools of thought on this topic.   Some fans love unwritten rules.   They revere them as time honored traditions that compliment the black and white regulations permanently etched in rule books.   Other sports fans like me revile them. We dismiss them as quirky superstitions and loosely interpreted gentlemen’s agreements.   Sure, breaking them is not illegal. But, unreasonable zealots claim that any unwritten rule transgression is highly unethical & totally appalling.   However, a legitimate argument can be made that if unwritten rules are so important to be followed, then they should be written down.   In indelible ink! MIKE on sports, sports humor, American sports culture, fun sports facts, sports history, sports stuff you should know  

013 Unwritten Rules in Sports!

MIKE on Sports is for every American sports fan - especially if you like to laugh or learn something unique about sports. It's loaded with clever quips and fun sports stuff you should know that ESPN and other sports networks fail to report. MIKE on Sports offers great sports humor, short sports stories and interesting sports history that never really grab the headlines on ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. Unlike Mike and Mike, Dan Patrick, Mike Francesa and Bill Simmons, MIKE pontificate about timeless observations and often overlooked peculiarities from our American sports culture. Listen to MIKE on Sports for good fun and better reporting on the best stories that you always knew existed, but had to wait for someone like MIKE to deliver them to you.

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MIKE on Sports!

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