Bringing the Los Angeles Angels to Life

It was not easy to bring the American League in Los Angeles. The concept started in the early 1940s. However, it did not become a reality until 1961. It was when LA had official representation in the league.

What were the challenges?

You are probably wondering what took it so long for the American League to get to Los Angeles. One reason was the disapproval of the appeal of the St. Louis Browns to transfer to Los Angeles. Although their attempt in 1942 had a positive response, it did not push through because of the Pearl Harbor Bombing. It was also impossible for the Browns to transfer to Los Angeles when they planned to in 1954. That is because Baltimore bought the team.
Finally, a franchise talk took place. This happened after the National League and American League joined forces to prevent the Continental League from pushing through. Both leagues agreed to add new franchises to their respective leagues. The American League

Texas Rangers, A Challenging Course

When you hear the word rangers, the first thing that comes to your mind is the people responsible for keeping everyone safe back in the days. The rangers have played a significant role in the history of Texas. Stephen Austin formed the rangers in 1823. It temporarily ended after the Civil War. However, it lived again shortly after the reconstruction era. From 1935, they became part of the Texas Department of Public safety.

Another famous Texas Rangers is the major league baseball team in Arlington, Texas. The team became a part of the American League in 1961. They were formally known as the as the Washington Senators. The team is different from the original Washington Senators who moved to Minnesota. They are an expansion team since the first Washington team just changed their name to Minnesota Twins and not their stat. They became the Rangers after they transferred at Arlington in 1972.

Replacing the first Washington team was a

Fighting Irish to Fighting Coaches, Leahy and Rockne

The University of Notre Dame is the proud home of the Fighting Irish. They tail the University of Michigan as the winningest college football program in the land. They also hold seven Heisman trophies.

There were several concerns about the name Fighting Irish. Specifically, many asked the question why the university used the word Irish. Some were worried because it sounded exclusive to the Irish race. Although the name was very specific, the university welcomed athletes of different ancestries. Many also suspect that the school team is exclusive to the Catholics; however, they also welcome students who hold other religion.

The university never intended to make the school nor their athletic department to be race and religion exclusive. The name Notre Dame Fighting Irish came about to recognize the struggles of the Irish in the Colonial era. The name is suiting for the team because they fight as the Irish fought for their lives way back

Coaches Lead Teams to Greatness

The athletic department in any university is important. Prestigious universities invest so much to scout for potential athletes that will bring victory to their teams. Some even observed athletes of different high schools to look for talented athletes.

However, the discovery of university athletes does not solely rely on scouts. Most successful athletes have to prepare and prove themselves worthy to be part of the team they want to join. They have to prepare for tryouts in order to get the attention of their seniors and coaches.

The success of the athletic teams is not in the hands of the athletes alone. The coaches play a big role in the success and failure of the team. Many schools fire their coaches because of bad team standings. There are also those who name their stadiums and fields after the coaches as a sign of gratitude.

Sports recognize the coaches at large. When the West Virginia Mountaineers received the

Bob McAdoo, A Hall of Famer

Basketball is becoming one of the favorite sports of people all throughout the globe. Unlike other sports, basketball is relatively easy to understand. The popularity of the sport led to the formation of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor is given to those who have made exceptional contribution to the sport.
One significant character who has been given such honor is Robert Allen McAdoo. His induction in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame happened in 2000.

Before he joined the NBA, McAdoo attended Vincennes Junior College and the University of North Carolina. He already played for the two schools back then. McAdoo led the Tar Heels in the National semifinals. However, they lost to the Florida State.

He qualified for the 1972 NBA draft. He started his career in the National Basketball Association in 1972 when the Buffalo Braves drafted him. He stayed with the team, now the Los Angeles Clippers, for five years

The Journey Of The Seattle Mariners

Just as most cities who wanted to have a major league baseball team, Seattle has to wait for a while. Their first attempt to have a franchise dates back in the mid 1960s. The hopes that the Cleveland Indians would move to Seattle did not push through. William Daley has sold the Indians. He then led a movement to get a franchise for Seattle.

They won the bid and established the Seattle Pilots. The team was short lived. Financial issues led to the selling of the team. After that, the owner moved it to Milwaukee and the team became the Brewers. Seattle filed a case against the American League because of breaching their contract. In order to settle everything, the league offered to establish a new franchise in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners were set to start play in 1977.

When the team began to play, fans were very excited. Their first game was sold-out. However, the team struggled. They lost their first game to the California Angels. They

Bayou Country Superfest – Bayou Country Superfest On 2010 Memorial Day Weekend

If you are a country music fan and are within, say, 10,000 miles of Louisiana around 2010 Memorial Day weekend, then you need to get your tickets to the Bayou Country Superfest.

Here are just a few of the names that will be at the Bayou Country Superfest May 29-30, 2010 – Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Brooks & Dunn, and Keith Urban.  Now that is a line-up that will satisfy even the most star-struck country music fan.  This along with the news that Kenny plans to begin scaling back his summer yours makes it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

POLL: Do you like Kenny Chesney or Taylor Swift better?

Vote Kenny Chesney or Vote Taylor Swift

(Vote above for a chance to win a free Nintendo Wii)

This concert will take place in LSU’s Tiger Stadium and will be the first major concert played in that arena in its 85-year history although it did hold a Billy Graham crusade

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 11 – All Unbeaten Teams Win Again

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Stanford, North Carolina, Central Florida, California and Rutgers all recorded upset wins over ranked opponents in college football’s 11th week of play. These events caused changes in my Top 25 Poll. Here is how I see it this week:

1) Alabama (10-0) – The Crimson Tide followed up their signature victory over Louisiana State last week and continued to remain 1 of 6 unbeaten teams with a dominating 31-3 win at Mississippi State. The Tide hosts 163rd-ranked Chattanooga (6-4) this week. Chattanooga is a 1-AA team; if the Crimson Tide want to keep their national image intact, they had better kick Chattanooga back home as a big loser. A potential national championship team SHOULD NOT be playing a 1-AA team this late in the season, if at all.

2) Florida (10-0) – Acting very much like a national championship team, the Gators remained unbeaten by traveling to South Carolina and beating the Gamecocks, 24-14, completing their first

New Orleans Saints

The Saints was founded in 1967, as an expansion team. The team went more than a decade before they managed to finish a season with a .500 record and two decades before having a winning season. The team’s first successful years were from 1987–1992, when the team made the playoffs four times and had winning records in the non-playoff seasons. In the 2000 season, the Saints defeated the then-defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams for the team’s first playoff win.

The Saints’ home stadium is the Louisiana Superdome; it started to play its home games in the “dome” since 1975. However, due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans area, the Saints’ 2005 home opener was played at Giants Stadium against the New York Giants. The remainder of their 2005 home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a 5 million renovation of the historic stadium,

Ed Bagley’s Top 25 Poll – Week 13 – 6 Upsets Scramble the Rankings

Six AP Top 25 teams can testify how dangerous road games are—all were upset during college football’s 13th week of play, and 2 of the 6 will be facing off in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game this week. The away losers included Georgia Tech, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Mississippi and North Carolina. These events caused changes in my Top 25 Poll. Here is how I see it this week:

1) Alabama (12-0) – Give the Crimson Tide credit. They went 8-0 to win the SEC West Division, and went 12-0 on the season after beating in-state rival Auburn on the road, 26-21. Alabama will now face SEC East Division winner Florida for the SEC title, and a shot at the national championship in a game probably against Texas. The Crimson Tide must now get done what they could not get done last year, beat Florida. Their unbeaten string last year was snapped by Florida, and the Tide never recovered mentally or emotionally, losing to Utah 31-17 in the Sugar