Several things

First of all I hope Melissa Busque and her team pick up a victory tonight in their W-League playoff game.

Secondly, ESPN is talking to the umpire from the Buherle no hitter and asking him about the strike zone and what it meant to umpire a game like that. Quite frankly no umpire cares about the history made. Umpires and referees are not at sporting events to make history, they are their to make sure that what does occur is fair and done with integrity. They should never be interviewed after a game about what it means to umpire a perfect game. Quite frankly they don't care, and if they did I'd be concerned.

Thirdly who cares who did or didn't vote for Tim Tebow in a pre-season poll. First of all, it's a poll. They don't matter. Second of all it's a pre-season poll, which matters even less than not mattering at all.

I don't think polls really mean anything. I don't think athletes care if they are ranked or not ranked. I would think and hope that athletes always think that they are the best team and that they always have to work 110% to get a win. The only poll that really matters is the one at the end of the season, after the playoffs are all over. The best teams are decided on the field, not in polls.

The only thing that polls do is interfere with an athlete's psyche. If they are ranked high sometimes a team might think that they are so good and that they can relax, which isn't the case. Hard work and focus gets a team to a number one ranking, it's never just talent alone. Unbeatable teams are not only highly talented but they also are the hardest working and most foucsed.

For an inexpiernced or unconfident team an opponents ranking can mess with their heads and make them think that they can't compete with another team. If the opposing team is ranked high and has a great first 15 minutes an athlete on an inexpierenced or unconfident team can begin to think that "well they are ranked number 1" and they begin to ease up a bit figuring that everything is a lost cause.

All in all I don't think teams do or should pay attention to polls. They are their for people who don't play the game. They are their for the people who market it and talk about it. They are only useful for a motivational speech that goes like... "lets show everyone why we are better than them"

Upsets usually occur because of mental differences in teams. Teams in the same league often have similar talent levels. There are certainly differences but people are in the same league for a reason. The reason why a last place team can beat a first place team is because of the teams mental approach to a game. I believe that upsets most often occur because of psychological advantages rather than talent advantages.

And lastly, I tuned in to TV and saw an athlete complaining about their Madden ratings. What is the world coming too? Prove EA Sports wrong on the field and edit your rankings in the game to make you happy. I must say that I do feel that EA Sports often does get rankings wrong, however as a high identified fan it's easy to argue that I just rank my favorite teams players too high.