I took a walk today. That’s not unusual and this particular walk is one I’ve made perhaps two hundred times before. But this was a special version of that walk. Whenever I get to Augusta National, I take part of the first day I’m there to walk the back nine. And it’s the same walk […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/augusta-national-golf-club-the-masters.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-11-11 10:01:302020-11-12 10:12:31A Walk at The Masters
This year’s Masters Tournament will be historic on many levels. It’ll be the first time the competition has been held in November and it’ll be contested with no patrons (fans) in attendance. The golf course will look different. The course won’t play the same. The Augusta ambience will be different. The Masters has always been […]
In the forty-three years I’ve been working in this business, when asked what I do, or when I’ve had to fill out a form with an “occupation,” slot on it, I’ve always said, “Reporter” or “Journalist.” Sadly, I know a lot of journalism is now tainted with partisan opinion, or has disappeared completely. But in […]
Watching the World Series the other night I was impressed with the kind of baseball being played by both the Dodgers and the Rays. The long ball is still the biggest part of offensive tactics in this era of metrics, but baserunning, defense and pitching are on display in the 2020 version of the Fall […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Peter-Bragan-Jr.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-10-23 18:30:022020-10-23 21:51:52Bragan Adds to the Legacy
It’s not hard to understand why Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone likes this year’s team. He’s said more than once how close he feel to the 2020 Jaguars. And it’s easy to see why. They play hard, they’re fun and they’re an easy group to root for. But watching them can drive you crazy. They’ll […]
As sports fans we’re all getting used to the different time lines that are happening in 2020. The NBA, NHL, college and pro football have all had jumbled schedules. In golf they played the U.S. Open in September and the Masters is in November. In tennis they cancelled Wimbledon but the French Open will conclude […]
There’s always been a discussion about the most important position in sports. It usually comes down to the pitcher in baseball and the quarterback in football. If baseball was only played every four days, pitcher would be the runaway winner in that discussion. A pitcher can control a baseball game from the mound nearly singlehandedly. […]
There are three teams that stand out in Jaguars history as the best in the team’s 26 seasons. All three went to the AFC Championship game, in 1996, in 1999 and in 2017. And all three lost. The ’99 team is one of the best I’ve seen assembled and clearly the best in Jaguars history. […]
Gardner Minshew likes to play football. And he wants to win. I know those statements sound like a call from “Captain Obvious” but have you always thought that about the Jaguars quarterback? It’s easy to pick on Blane Gabbert and his time here but consider this: Did you think Gabbert acted as if he liked […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Gardner-Minshew-v-Colts.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-09-18 12:23:512020-09-18 12:23:51Minshew Likes to Play
A few years ago I was sitting in the Jaguars locker room during training camp next to a veteran player just after a very tough practice. He took his shoulder pads off and let out a long breath. “We could be in trouble,” he said quietly. “Why’s that? I said. As he looked around the […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Marrone-Caldwell.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-09-11 16:42:402020-09-11 21:43:36At Least A Year Away
This week’s column had been on the books for months. I had penciled “Kentucky Derby” into the calendar for this Sunday since yesterday I was supposed to be in Louisville. Excited about writing about the Derby, it would have also been the first live sporting event I’ve attended since Thursday of this year’s Players. “Everything […]
It was 1968 when I first was made aware of racial inequities in America. I was twelve years old. Growing up in Baltimore in an integrated environment, I had Black friends and Black teammates. I didn’t know they were different. I didn’t know anything about anything. I was twelve. In my short lifetime I was […]
As we inch closer to the proposed opening of the NFL season, teams are also getting closer to a decision whether to allow fans to attend games. No fewer than a dozen franchises have already announced they’ll play with without fans in attendance for the first few weeks. Some have said no fans for the […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/no-fans.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-08-21 12:53:592020-08-21 12:53:59No Fans Changes The Game
Sitting down at lunch this week, a friend of mine posed a hypothetical situation. “The Jaguars need a quarterback and despite the fact that you’re on the wrong side of fifty, they think you’re the answer,” he said. “They’re offering you a $2M contract. The caveat is you might catch the virus. Will you sign?” […]
You might remember I talked with Joe Namath recently about his book, “All The Way.” During some small talk in our conversation, I mentioned I had my hip replaced at the end of last year. “I’ve had both knees and a hip,” Joe responded. “They’re great. Do the rehab. Those cats know what they’re talking […]
When he first popped up on the video conference this week, Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone looked like he either had a mask under his chin or a weird shadow on his face. Turns out he’s grown a beard since the last time we saw him. I don’t know if Marrone has ever had a […]
We’ve always been an events town. You could set your schedule around what was happening during the year. Just about everybody knew when the Daytona 500 was happening, the Gate River Run, The Players, The Kingfish Tournament, opening weekend for the Jaguars and Florida/Georgia. Add in the Jazz Festival, the various shrimp festivals, opening of […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Gate-River-Run-Jacksonville.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-07-24 11:03:552020-07-26 11:12:33Would You Run or Ride
In the next couple of weeks Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL are set to start or resume their 2020 seasons. The NFL plans to open training camps within the next ten days. And while the PGA Tour has been back on the schedule for just over a month, they said this week […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Covid-19-Science-Versus-Social.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-07-17 10:44:232020-07-18 10:44:35Science Versus Social
After the early news broadcast one night in 1981 the phone at my desk rang and it was Don Brewer. Don was well known and active in the community so when he asked me to come meet him at some trailers on Beach Blvd, I didn’t think twice. “We’re going to have a fishing tournament,” […]
While we’re waiting for a vaccine and to see if some professional sports will start, or others will continue, what are you watching? We’ve gone into unknown territory when it comes to a lack of professional sports on TV. On of the great trivia questions I was asked during the “Stump Sam” days was, ‘What […]
https://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Caddyshack.jpg7401400Sam Kouvarishttps://www.samsportsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sam-kavouris-sam-sportsline.pngSam Kouvaris2020-07-03 15:54:342020-07-03 15:54:34What Are You Watching?
A Walk at The Masters
/in Golf/by Sam KouvarisI took a walk today. That’s not unusual and this particular walk is one I’ve made perhaps two hundred times before. But this was a special version of that walk. Whenever I get to Augusta National, I take part of the first day I’m there to walk the back nine. And it’s the same walk […]
A Different Masters
/in Golf/by Sam KouvarisThis year’s Masters Tournament will be historic on many levels. It’ll be the first time the competition has been held in November and it’ll be contested with no patrons (fans) in attendance. The golf course will look different. The course won’t play the same. The Augusta ambience will be different. The Masters has always been […]
Sports Media Changing
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisIn the forty-three years I’ve been working in this business, when asked what I do, or when I’ve had to fill out a form with an “occupation,” slot on it, I’ve always said, “Reporter” or “Journalist.” Sadly, I know a lot of journalism is now tainted with partisan opinion, or has disappeared completely. But in […]
Bragan Adds to the Legacy
/in Baseball/by Sam KouvarisWatching the World Series the other night I was impressed with the kind of baseball being played by both the Dodgers and the Rays. The long ball is still the biggest part of offensive tactics in this era of metrics, but baserunning, defense and pitching are on display in the 2020 version of the Fall […]
Mastery Takes Time
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisIt’s not hard to understand why Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone likes this year’s team. He’s said more than once how close he feel to the 2020 Jaguars. And it’s easy to see why. They play hard, they’re fun and they’re an easy group to root for. But watching them can drive you crazy. They’ll […]
Tony Trabert – 70 Years Later…
/in Tennis/by Sam KouvarisAs sports fans we’re all getting used to the different time lines that are happening in 2020. The NBA, NHL, college and pro football have all had jumbled schedules. In golf they played the U.S. Open in September and the Masters is in November. In tennis they cancelled Wimbledon but the French Open will conclude […]
It’s the Quarterback
/in Football/by Sam KouvarisThere’s always been a discussion about the most important position in sports. It usually comes down to the pitcher in baseball and the quarterback in football. If baseball was only played every four days, pitcher would be the runaway winner in that discussion. A pitcher can control a baseball game from the mound nearly singlehandedly. […]
Can The 2020 Jaguars Repeat ’96
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisThere are three teams that stand out in Jaguars history as the best in the team’s 26 seasons. All three went to the AFC Championship game, in 1996, in 1999 and in 2017. And all three lost. The ’99 team is one of the best I’ve seen assembled and clearly the best in Jaguars history. […]
Minshew Likes to Play
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisGardner Minshew likes to play football. And he wants to win. I know those statements sound like a call from “Captain Obvious” but have you always thought that about the Jaguars quarterback? It’s easy to pick on Blane Gabbert and his time here but consider this: Did you think Gabbert acted as if he liked […]
At Least A Year Away
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisA few years ago I was sitting in the Jaguars locker room during training camp next to a veteran player just after a very tough practice. He took his shoulder pads off and let out a long breath. “We could be in trouble,” he said quietly. “Why’s that? I said. As he looked around the […]
Virtually A “Fan”
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisThis week’s column had been on the books for months. I had penciled “Kentucky Derby” into the calendar for this Sunday since yesterday I was supposed to be in Louisville. Excited about writing about the Derby, it would have also been the first live sporting event I’ve attended since Thursday of this year’s Players. “Everything […]
The Athlete’s Voice
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisIt was 1968 when I first was made aware of racial inequities in America. I was twelve years old. Growing up in Baltimore in an integrated environment, I had Black friends and Black teammates. I didn’t know they were different. I didn’t know anything about anything. I was twelve. In my short lifetime I was […]
No Fans Changes The Game
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisAs we inch closer to the proposed opening of the NFL season, teams are also getting closer to a decision whether to allow fans to attend games. No fewer than a dozen franchises have already announced they’ll play with without fans in attendance for the first few weeks. Some have said no fans for the […]
Would You Play?
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisSitting down at lunch this week, a friend of mine posed a hypothetical situation. “The Jaguars need a quarterback and despite the fact that you’re on the wrong side of fifty, they think you’re the answer,” he said. “They’re offering you a $2M contract. The caveat is you might catch the virus. Will you sign?” […]
New Hip, No Problem!
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisYou might remember I talked with Joe Namath recently about his book, “All The Way.” During some small talk in our conversation, I mentioned I had my hip replaced at the end of last year. “I’ve had both knees and a hip,” Joe responded. “They’re great. Do the rehab. Those cats know what they’re talking […]
Camp Changes For 2020
/in Jacksonville Jaguars/by Sam KouvarisWhen he first popped up on the video conference this week, Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone looked like he either had a mask under his chin or a weird shadow on his face. Turns out he’s grown a beard since the last time we saw him. I don’t know if Marrone has ever had a […]
Would You Run or Ride
/in Cycling, Running/by Sam KouvarisWe’ve always been an events town. You could set your schedule around what was happening during the year. Just about everybody knew when the Daytona 500 was happening, the Gate River Run, The Players, The Kingfish Tournament, opening weekend for the Jaguars and Florida/Georgia. Add in the Jazz Festival, the various shrimp festivals, opening of […]
Science Versus Social
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisIn the next couple of weeks Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL are set to start or resume their 2020 seasons. The NFL plans to open training camps within the next ten days. And while the PGA Tour has been back on the schedule for just over a month, they said this week […]
Fish Tales
/in Fishing/by Sam KouvarisAfter the early news broadcast one night in 1981 the phone at my desk rang and it was Don Brewer. Don was well known and active in the community so when he asked me to come meet him at some trailers on Beach Blvd, I didn’t think twice. “We’re going to have a fishing tournament,” […]
What Are You Watching?
/in Featured/by Sam KouvarisWhile we’re waiting for a vaccine and to see if some professional sports will start, or others will continue, what are you watching? We’ve gone into unknown territory when it comes to a lack of professional sports on TV. On of the great trivia questions I was asked during the “Stump Sam” days was, ‘What […]