NCAA Basketball is Underway- My Teams to Watch

The weather outside is getting chilly, leaves are off the tree, and Duke is undefeated.  Yes, it’s that great time of the year again where Dicky V’s voice isn’t yet annoying, where college students are preparing for finals week and tropical islands such as Hawaii and Bahamas and even Carrier Ships are hosting basketball tournaments!  If you’re a fan of college basketball, like me, you are one happy person…and glued to the ESPN when you get home at night.  Here are my teams to watch for this NCAA college basketball season:

1.)    Duke- Yes, I’m a Blue Devil fan. I have been ever since I hit my growth spurt in the 6^th grade, became a foot taller than any other kid in school and realized that basketball will become a love of mine.  Duke is a team that you either love or hate.  If they hate, let them hate, because it won’t bother me, and it sure-as-heck won’t bother Coach K.  What has drawn me to Duke starts at the top.  Coach Mike Krzyzewski.  He is more than a coach, he’s one of the most positive, influential leaders I may have seen in my lifetime.  He takes boys and turns them into gentlemen in the NBA or in any endeavor that life takes those players.  Any coach that can take All-Star NBA basketball players, put them on a USA Olympic team and make them respect the his philosophies of team defense, has my upmost respect.  Duke is not a school who recruits “one and done” players (with the exception of Austin Rivers).  They are about team basketball; they are about passion and represent everything that I believe college basketball should be about.  And this year Coach K has a team of players that buy into his system and have plenty of talent to take them all the way.  If you are an inspiring post player, do me a favor and watch how hard Mason Plumlee posts up.  While guards, Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon are young and have a lot to prove, they also have one of the best shooters in college basketball on the wing licking his chops to get a shot off.  The Blue Devils have scheduled themselves quite a tough schedule already playing Kentucky, Louisville, VCU and Ohio State.  Oh, did I already mention, they’re undefeated? This team will make a deep run in the tournament, whether you hate it or love it. 

2.)    Indiana University- It’s about time the state of Indiana has a basketball team to rally around! Oh wait, there was Butler too huh?  Well, regardless it’s nice to finally see a once-powerhouse basketball program reign as #1 in the polls once again.  Not since ol’ Bob Knight have we seen a team as dangerous as we’ve seen have this year.  Cody Zeller, like Mason Plumlee is a true post man and plays like it.  But these Hoosiers are not a one man team.  William Sheehey is a will change your whole perspective if you think white boys can’t jump (just check his YouTube clips)!  Jordan Hulls is another solid guard that will help keeps this team on top of the college basketball spectrum. 

3.)    University of Kentucky- Coach Calipari is the kind of coach who lives and dies off of one and done players.  Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, John Wall, the list goes on.  These guys come and play in college for one year, may or may not go to a few classes and ball-so-hard that they always find themselves as a threat in the tournament. With athletic freaks like the freshman Nerlens Noel and Willie Cauley-Stein, the Wildcats will follow suit to any other Calipari team; start off slow, figure out how to play together and make a run at it towards the end of the year.  While, this method may not be the respectable theory, there’s one thing you can’t deny and that is their winning record.  Calipari has taken a once-dominant team in college basketball that fell hard, and driven them to a winning program again.  Players must LOVE playing for Calipari, because even when he was at a small program like Memphis, Coach was getting the best players in the nation (wink).  Now, with the UK name on his chest, his recruiting is only going to get crazier.

4.)    University of Missouri- You thought last year Mizzou was good?  Just wait until this year!  Returning a pre-season All-American Phil Pressey and 6^th Man of the Year, Mike Dixon (fingers crossed), the Tigers are bringing in nothing but talent!  Having big man Laurence Bowers injured on the sidelines really hurt Mizzou last year, but he’s back and he’s playing better than ever!  These four beastly transfers are going to take the team to another level: Keion Bell from Pepperdine, Jordan Clarkson from Tulsa, Earnest Ross from Auburn and a guy who really make an impact, Alex Oriakhi from UCONN.  At semester, the Tigers will also have a stand out from Oregon Jabari Brown rocking the gold and black.  These transfers sat out last season but were still taking classes at Mizzou, which means they’ve had a chance to work out and bond with the returning teammates.  My player to watch is freshman Negus Webster-Chan as he is the future of Missouri basketball.  This should be a fun group of guys to watch this year.  Coach Frank Haith has more than exceeded my expectations as I must admit I had my doubts.  He’s done a fabulous job or recruiting great players and I believe he leads this team in the right direction.

5.)Westminster College- There might be a little biased opinion here but I believe the Blue Jays are more athletic than ever!  Coming off that exciting buzzer beater to win the Conference Tournament last year the Blue Jays picked up right where they left starting the season undefeated.  With one true 6’3 post man in Taylor Allen, that Blue Jays are guard heavy.  But, these starting guards are all returners and have that killer instinct.  With Skylar Tolson, Joseph James, Verdis Lee Jr. and Joe Prophet running an opponent ragged you’d think once you get to the bench, you’d catch a break. Wrong. Transfers Robbie Burroughs and Jordan Jones only pick up the momentum from the starters.  With swing men, LeRoy Valandra and Todd Stolte able to keep up with the pack and guard big men, these Blue Jays are fast; very, very fast.  On any given night you could have a different high scorer, and the Blue Jays are proud of that.  It’s fun to watch Coach Mitchell lead this team.  Do they have another run at the tou

No-Shave November-A Great Excuse Being Lazy While Look Great

October 31^st, a date many of us consider to be Halloween, where dressing up, knocking on stranger's doors to tell them jokes and eating tons of chocolate is perfectly acceptable. But, for many men this date resembles a time more important than carving pumpkins; it marks the eve of No-Shave November.

This underground tradition goes back long before the caveman era, back when Jesus made wearing a beard not only appropriate, but stylish.  Facial hair marked the sign of a manly man.  A man, that wrestled wolves with his bare hands, fought of bears for fish in the streams and carried a pocket knife in his pocket at all times for no apparent reason.  Yes, a beard tells the world; “No longer do I have peach fuzz, this is real man hair. Hear me roar!”

As a child, that first patch of fuzz that started showing on your upper lip was exciting.  Receiving a free razor and shaving cream in the mail from Gillette was another epic point in our lives, eager to start shaving like a man.  Some of us couldn't wait to start growing the beard, in which case I’ll never forget my Grandpa Mallette giving me the manly advice of, “Why don’t you put some cream on there and like the cat lick that peach fuzz off.” That saying stuck with me.  No longer would peach fuzz be accepted for a man’s beard.

Now, as my first full year is wrapping up in the “real-world” and I am now a professional, I find myself pondering the question “Can I grow a man’s beard?”

What better time to start as No-Shave November draws near? Though this concept may seem selfish to many (i.e. our lady-friends), I believe I have found a way to give back as we grow.  I think it would be a great idea to make this into a charity for a men’s shelter.  I think if men want to grow a beard it could be for a great cause!  Of course, you can grow a beard for No-Shave November for free, but wouldn't it be for a better cause to give back? I will start this charity in the future, as this year the idea came to me too late in the month to get organized. But I do encourage men to rise this month, set the razors and shaving cream down and let the manliness shine through your face!  

Cardinals Represent What Baseball is About

The defending World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals dropped the "best player in baseball," had a legendary coach retire and still managed to play themselves into Game 6 of the NLCS tonight.  Must we forget what happened last year with the Cardinals in this game?

I think it's obvious to say that St. Louis is the best baseball town in America.  I may have a biased opinion here, but let's look at some facts:

New York believes they have the best team; the Yankees.  Well, how fun was it to watch a bunch of overpaid, pre-Madonna crybabies wiff at every pitch in this playoffs? With respect to Derek Jeter, the whole excuse of "the New York media is just so hard" is really wearing itself out. Turn on ESPN and they are talking about Alex Rodriguez giving his phone number to a girl.  Is that really newsworthy? That's the first story ESPN will talk about when there's an amazing series going on in the NLCS.  Meanwhile, the "die-hard" Yankee fans are booing their own team.  Yeah, that's about as classy as the Atlanta Braves throwing bottles during a game because of a call. The Yankees lost that series after Game 1 of ALCS.  Wanna know how I knew? Look at their body language, heads down, no smiles, no confidence.  America then had to watch painfully as the Tigers basically waltzed through the next three games.

The Boston Red Sox had something special.  Until they starting drinking in the cluhouse, throwing their Manager under the bus, and losing games.  Here's a tip, take note of what's going on with the Yanks and do the complete opposite!

It's been great watching the L.A. Angels collapse.  Everyone had them easily winning the World Series this year.  Just goes to show you can't buy your way to a ring.  Call me bitter, but I hope Pujols has a nice view for these playoffs.

Have we learned never to count the Cardinals down and out?  Two outs, bottom of the 9th against the Nationals and everyone knew the game was over, expect Cardinals nation.  They have the talent, not one superstar in the line-up, but nine.  The pitchers are unreal, the bullpen is young, but they throw like they have nothing to lose and they throw hard.  Look in that clubhouse and you'd see a Little League team, full of best friends making up funny and elaborate handshakes.  The Skipper, an ex-Cardinal catcher, leading these players deep into the post season in his first coaching job ever, as if he was LaRussa himself.  These guys are having a blast playing baseball! YouTube Adam Wainwright clips and tell me he's not enjoying it, follow the bros on Twitter as they tweet about "#highsocksSundays", wear ridiculous Tuxedos on a road trip, and enjoy the game the way it should be loved. I'm a loyal Cardinals fan, and I think it's safe to say St. Louis is the best baseball town in America. Go Cards!!

Zebras, Foot Locker and the NFL

Just like everyone else in the sports world, I believe this Replacement Refs controversy is ruining the NFL.  Absolutely horrible calls are being made, play has been getting way out of line, and the outcomes of games are being put at risk.  But, let’s not put the complete blame on these D-III , NAIA and Lingerie Football referees.  THEY. ARE. NOT. NFL. REFEREES!

Look, would you throw elementary teachers in as college professors if the professors went on strike?  Would you expect those elementary teachers to perform as well as the professors if they were put on the spot immediately? These replacement refs were thrown into the fire, put on the spot, etc. and expected to perform at a caliber that has never been familiar to them before.  Remember, they were probably lower-level referees for a reason!  Yes, the calls are bad.  Yes, the reviews are even worse.  But, let’s give these guys a break.  They aren’t the ones on strike or refusing to pay a pension.  Now, coaches and players are taking advantage of the replacement refs and seeing just how far they can take it.  This is becoming a farce! 

The end of the Green Bay-Seattle football game was one of the craziest endings of a game I’ve ever seen.  And of course, the replacement refs were the ones that had to make the tough call.  Unfortunately, they made the wrong call.  As I’m sure everyone else expected, I couldn’t wait for the postgame interviews.  I just knew that Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and the rest of the Packers were going to explode and provide plenty of great sound bites.  But no, they were respectful, professional and classy in the way they handled the tough questions from the media.  Besides a few explicit tweets, I was thoroughly impressed with the way the  Packers organization handled the situation. 

Here’s the real problem.

The regular referees want more money and pensions.  The NFL is refusing to pay this.  The NFL is a multi-billion dollar corporation and the referees are now trying to get their cut. GREED seems to be a common theme here, but isn’t that the bottom line of all lockouts? 

Aaron Rodgers may have said it best when he was quoted yesterday, “First of all, I've got to do something that the NFL is not going to do, and I have to apologize to the fans.  The game is being tarnished by an NFL that obviously cares more about saving some money than having the integrity of the game diminished a little bit.”

Thank Jerry Jones!! The NFL is Back!

Last night kicked off the beginning of the National Football League regular season with a game between the New York Giants who hosted the Dallas Cowboys and I think I could feel the sports world take a breath of release.  Finally, something for us to look forward to on Sundays; finally a sport other than baseball to talk about; finally, a season where everything will go smoothly.  Wait, they’re using replacement referees? Scratch that, there’s already controversy. 

But, at least the game is back. This year is going to be a little bit different for me as a fan as I joined a Fantasy Football League for the first time.  I drafted, I negotiated, and I’m ready for this season! As if I wasn’t already a fan of football, Fantasy Football is going to make watching the other teams play more enjoyable and I’m excited about it.   I’ll be rooting for guys I normally wouldn’t and defenses I probably shouldn’t and I’m going to win.  Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, and many others better step up for me big this year!  Fingers crossed for no injuries.

You should be just as excited as I am.  I’m excited to see how this new breed of rookie quarterbacks will fare against the hard-knocking NFL defenses.  I’m excited to see how Peyton Manning will do coming off a whole missed season in a new city.  I’m excited for the Rams to win a few more games this year.  I’m excited for my boys, Adrian Clayborn and Mike McNeill to have HUGE years!  I’m just excited for the game to be back!  Good luck to all the Fantasy Footballers, the players but more importantly the replacement refs (you’ll need it)!

Mizzou- New Look, Same Attitude

Despite what all the traditionalists, the old-school Tigers and the die-hard Big 12 fanatics have to say about the University of Missouri leaving the Big 12 Conference for the SEC, I’m pretty excited for this year’s college athletics.

Don’t get me wrong, the old rivalries of The Border War, playing tough teams like the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas will be missed, but let’s look at why teams like Texas A&AM, Colorado, Mizzou and Nebraska left the conference--$$$.

“It’s all about the Benjamin’s baby!” oh, and exposure.  Turn on ESPN College Gameday and see what they’re covering and what teams are getting the limelight; SEC teams. Other than having to dreadfully watch the weekly Notre Dame butt-kicking every Saturday afternoon on NBC in the fall, the SEC powerhouse teams are always getting coverage on ESPN, CBS, and ABC. 

Let me break this down for you:

                                              The more coverage, the more exposure.

                                                  The more exposure, the better recruits. 

                                                     The better recruits, the more wins.

                                                        The more wins, the more money.

                                                           The more money, the more coverage.

And the cycle starts over.

 It’s simple math.

Finally, fans won’t have to watch all the Mizzou football games on that crappy, low-budget, local network, and look forward to that one week where ESPN decides to cover the game (if MU is even a contender).  Mizzou will be playing big time schools and powerhouse football programs.  Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, I mean are you kidding me?  I feel like it’s Christmas come early!  And those are only the elite football teams on the schedule! Instead of scheduling bum teams like Bowling Green, Iowa State, or SEMO, the Tiger’s “easiest” teams to play this year would include Syracuse, Arizona State, and UCF.  Yeah, I’d say Mizzou is moving on up.

Fans will get to see the much-anticipated, highly-ranked DGB (Dorial Green-Beckham) cut through defensives and James Franklin continue to build on his already impressive resume.  So, what does this mean to you, the reader? 

The Mizzou fans better bring the heat this year!  We now have the reputation of the SEC to live up to.

Candidate for the Dumbest of the Year

Here are the facts:

San Francisco Giants outfielder, Melky Cabrera tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Melky gets a 50-game suspension handed from the MLB.

Melky and his entourage make a FAKE website and FAKE water company stating that he took this water which had the performance-enhancing drugs and that he was unaware of it.  He did this in efforts to get out of his 50-game suspension.

….what!?!

Here is my take on the situation:

April Fool’s Day is in April Melky! You, sir, just cost yourself millions of dollars and your dignity.  Congratulations Melky, you’ve now joined the ranks of Sammy “the Corker” Sosa, Barry “Swollen Head” Bonds, Manny “the Idiot” Rameriez and Jose “Juice” Canseco as the dumbest baseball players to ever take drugs and swing a bat.

United States Women’s Soccer Team Motivates All, (Including Guys)

When I was 11 years-old, Mia Hamm and the United States women’s soccer team won the World Cup in historic fashion!  I was glued to the TV and couldn’t manage to get myself ready for my own little league game.  It was overtime and the game had gone into penalty kicks.  After the first eight players took their shots, it came down to Brandi Chastain.  She shot, the goalie missed and next thing I knew Chastain ripped off her jersey in triumph as I stood there shocked.  I wasn’t sure whether to go crazy because they won the World Cup or to just stare at the shirtless lady!

In my eyes, that moment defined women’s athletics forever!  Beautiful, athletic girls could beat the crap out of teams; it inspired a generation of girls.  That first wave of that generation of girls just won the Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. 

After last summer’s 2011 World Cup, and having Japan defeat the U.S. in the Finals, the team was ready for vengeance.  Last summer, Americans really got behind this team led by Abby Wambach, Hope Solo and the youngster Alex Morgan.  Between this summer and last, the women prepared harder than ever, and it paid off.  An exciting finish to the quarterfinals, when Alex Morgan scored the winning goal in the 2OT carrying the women to the finals.  They got their wish, Japan vs. USA Part II, and for those of us who don’t have NBC Sports Network, (don’t get me started), the US women prevailed 2-1! 

It’s great to see the support the women have been receiving.  The recognition that they have earned and that they deserve has finally come full circle.  Young girls wanting to grow up to be the next Mia Hamm are Alex Morgan and company.  Now young girls want to aspire to be them. 

Guys, take note.  I saw more tweets and posts about the women’s soccer team than I did about the men’s team, (didn’t qualify this year).  It’s refreshing to see young, female athletes bust their tail to work for one goal.  In this case a few goals!

Dwight Howard is a Laker…and a cry baby

Dwight Howard kicked and screamed his way out of Orlando last night, (doesn’t happen to that city very often).  He was finally given what he wished; to play with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.  Can we PLEASE stop talking about him?!

The best center in the NBA just got traded to play with one of the best and most decorated basketball players of all-time, oh, and Kobe Bryant.  The fact that Kobe and Dwight are finally on the same team isn’t that special to me.  Um, hello?!? Have we not learned anything from the past experiences from Kobe and all-star centers?  He ran Shaq (one of the greatest) right out of L.A.  He ran Andrew Bynum, who had plenty of promise, out of L.A.  Who’s to say he’s not going to “click” with Dwight?  Kobe wants his shots, and will complain and ball-hog until he gets his way.  And for the last two seasons all we’ve heard from Dwight is, “I want to be traded, I want my coach fired, I want more touches, wahh, wahh!” 

So now, we have two of the biggest babies in the NBA playing on the same team.  L.A. has a lot of egos in that town, but I’m not sure The Staples Center can hold these two egos at the same time. 

Here’s another thing to think about, why isn’t Orlando making a bigger deal of this?  Cleveland was furious and outraged when LeBron James left.  Burning jerseys in the street, ripping down billboards, etc. and that was LeBron’s HOMETOWN!  But, Dwight Howard, Orlando’s franchise player, leaves town (in a childish way) and there’s no aftermath?  What does this tell you?  Maybe Orlando was ready for him to go?  Maybe, LeBron was just that much better?

He’s what I’m most excited to see from the Lakers off-season; Stephen John Nash.  The one-time, back-to-back MVP of the league and one of the best point guards of my lifetime will be dishing to Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant.  How much fun will this be to watch?

Bottom line is, here is the Lakers starting line-up:

Steve Nash

Kobe Bryant

Ron Artest (refuse to say his ironic other name)

Pau Gasol

Dwight Howard

Yikes!

Red, White and Blue…and Gold

The 2012 London Summer Olympics commence tonight and as an American, I am ready!  I’ve got my fake Adidas and Nike uniforms made (Egypt) and I’ve been arguing about which American basketball Dream Team was better as if there are no other countries that even come close. Let’s kick this thing off tonight in style!

I don’t know about you, but I am truly banking on America taking home every gold medal in every category, (except when Usain Bolt participates).  But, in particular there will be a few competitions that I am definitely watching (or at least recording on the DVR).

               

  -First and foremost I will be watching the USA Men’s Basketball team demolish teams.  Let’s face the facts, the only team that could give the U.S. a run for their money is Spain and the Gasol brothers.  Yeah, I think we’ll be okay.  The real question that has been media-blasted is which “Dream Team” is better.  That’s like the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate.  Athletes are bigger, faster and stronger these days, so we aren’t exactly comparing apples to apples here.  We’ll never know, let’s move on.

               

  -I will be interested in the men’s swimming competitions.  No, not because I’m worried the U.S. won’t win gold.  I’m excited to see Americans Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte go head-to-head.  Phelps was the man last Olympics, will Lochte carry on the Olympic Torch?  Are you Team Phelps or Team Lochte?  This could definitely be a MTV series.

               

  -I will definitely be watching Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and the rest of the ladies compete in the Women’s Soccer competition.  They were so close in the World Cup last year.  I’ll be the first to admit, I was on the edge of my chair when they were playing.  I just want them to win one!

                

-Any other competitions will be casually viewed as background noise. 

I am confident that America will represent this year and once again prevail to take home the majority of gold medals!  The Opening Ceremony kicks off tonight.  Do you remember four years ago when Beijing had a million drummers and a crazy light show?  I really hope tonight will top that, so sit back and enjoy the next few weeks of weird sports like javelin, disco-throwing and walking on balance beams.

The Harvard Graduate Jeremy Lin makes Millions (Go Figure)

Have you heard the (Lin)sane news about breakout point guard Jeremy Lin going to the Houston Rockets?  After playing a fantastic 20-something games for the New York Knicks and averaging 28 points per game, Jeremy is bai(Lin)g on the Knicks for more money and more freedom.

What a great story it was, when All-Star’s Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire became injured and the Knicks were derai(Lin)g and cripp(Lin)g, Coach choose the Harvard grad to take the reins.  The underdog, couch-hopping, point guard with the half-a-million dollar contract took action, and by the time the other half of the world awoke, Jeremy Lin was the talk of the sports world!

In the next few games Jeremy did not back down and his numbers did not dec(Lin)e.  Millions of merchandise was sold instantly.  You would have thought Tim Tebow was playing basketball the way ESPN covered this story.  Every earth(Lin)g know wanted to see the unconventional, unknown guard succeed!  That is, until Melo came back and screwed everything up again.  Now, look, we all know Carmelo Anthony is a great scorer.  But, let’s just say he plays for the name on the back of his jersey and not the front.  When Melo and Jeremy finally got to play together, Jeremy’s role was to put the ball (Lin) Melo’s hands.  And if you are a sports fan, we all know selfishness doesn’t (Lin) basketball games.  Jeremy was soon listed as disabled and sat on the bench for the rest of the season.

Open the free agency market and the rebui(Lin)g Rockets offer a multi-million dollar contract. The Knicks were given a dead(Lin)e to match the offer.  After weighing their decision the New York Knicks decided Jeremy Lin wasn’t worth $25 million dollars over three years and pasted on their opportunity. 

So, who is the winner in this situation? (A) The Knicks for not throwing all this money at Jeremy?  (B) The Rockets for receiving a fan-favored, unproven point guard? Or (C) is it Jeremy Lin?  If you answered (C), Jeremy Lin you (Lin).  The man played really good for a couple games, hit a game-(Lin)ning shot and has now made $25 million dollars in 3 years.  Jeremy Lin maybe the 2^nd smartest guy I know from Harvard, Zuckerburg being the 1^st.

Regardless, I wish nothing but good things for the head(Lin)ing Jeremy Lin next season!

This Time of the Year is a Fan’s Nightmare

The NBA Finals are over. LeBron and the Heat finally got their ring! That’s great, now we can stop talking about how he doesn’t have one and move on with our lives. But, there is a major negative with the NBA season ending; what do we watch now?!

This is the slowest part of the year for a sports fan.  And don’t give me that, “Oh well, the baseball season is still on!” This is the slowest time of the year for baseball too! It’s not like its playoffs or there are any clutch games to get excited about.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch the Cardinals destroy any team…for background noise.  But, until playoffs creep closer, it’s hard to get excited for baseball right now.

It’s getting so bad that the WNBA was on ESPN the other night.

College World Series? Please…

Euro-Cup?  That’s cool, play the games while everyone else is working.

What’s boxing?

Occasionally, on Saturday and Sunday I’ll get excited to watch the PGA Tour; when Tiger’s in the hunt.

No NBA, no NFL, no College Football or Basketball.  What are we to do?  This time of the year is when ESPN doesn’t know what to do with themselves.  Watch and see if I’m lying.  Poker, spelling bees, hotdog eating contests and cheerleading competitions will be viewed on the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.”

I guess we’ll have the Olympics approaching.  Although, I don’t know anyone’s name except for Michael Phelps, I guess that’s a start.  So for the next month or two, the only sporting event to look forward to is the London Olympics.  I guess we’ll have to settle.  

Apologies to the San Antonio

So, it seems as though the night after my last post, "Thoughts about the NBA Playoffs," my praise of the San Antonio Spurs turned out to be a curse.  The young-gunning Oklahoma City Thunder abruptly ended the Spurs 20-game winning streak and lost the next four games eliminating the Spurs from the playoffs.  All I can say is...my bad.  Heat at Beantown tonight, watch it.

Thoughts about the NBA Playoffs

Like a few of my followers, I have been tracking the 2012 NBA playoffs and I have some thoughts about what I’ve seen. First and certainly foremost, those old Spurs players are setting a trend for the NBA that I hope is becoming noticed by the rest of the NBA organizations and players. They are winning and doing EVERYTHING right! They’re currently sweeping through the playoffs, which is never been completely done before. Not to mention they’re riding a 20-game winning streak through the regular season and playoffs. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are blowing pass defenders and getting in the paint anytime they please. The role players know what their role is and they are great at it. The Spurs aren’t just winning games, but they’re doing it the right way. Here’s what the Spurs AREN’T doing that makes them so good:

 -They AREN’T whining or complaining at every call.
-They AREN’T putting blame on each other (or on Coach Pops) when things go wrong.
 -They AREN’T ball-hogging, or being selfish with the ball. -They AREN’T dirty players. They play hard and physical, not dirty.
-They AREN’T all standing around watching one player try and make a play and “get his”.

 I must admit, I wasn’t expecting this out of the Spurs. They maybe old in age, but they’re vets and they are playing really well TOGETHER. I would encourage all basketball players to watch how the Spurs play games, because that’s how the game should be played. It would be easy for Duncan, Ginobili or Parker to complain they aren’t getting enough shots. But they all understand that’s it’s a team game, and their TEAM is getting it done in a big way. Props to Coach Popovich and the rest of the Spurs for playing OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE as a team.

 Second thought about the playoffs, call me crazy but, the Heat just might be a little bit better without Chris Bosh. Bosh went down with an abdominal strain in the Pacers series, and has been out since. The Heat seem to be winning without his presence, right? Is that because they can finally get out and run? With him out, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James don’t have to make sure Bosh gets his shots too. The Heat play a completely different style than the Spurs, because Wade, LeBron and Bosh MUST get their shots. Take Bosh out of the equation and let the role players “do their thing,” and the Heat may just make it to the Championship. I feel like Bosh is an anchor dragging the Heat down. Rumor has it, Greg Oden wants to make a run to Miami in the future. The old man will have to pass a physical first.

 Finally, the Lakers MUST make a big trade if they ever want to win a championship again. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol aren’t getting it done with Kobe. Bynum still has room to improve, but I think Gasol might just be, let’s say, “on his back nine,” and has reached his climax. I say it’s time to ship out Gasol for some young, go-hards to get more athletic. Since, the Lakers are out of the playoffs, I refuse to continue to speak about them. As a fan of basketball, I have no favorites in the NBA. I seriously just want to see great playoffs; a couple Game 7’s and possibly a few games come down to a last shot. Good luck to the final four teams, hope to see some good basketball, no blow outs and please refs let the players play!

Can’t Take the Hit, Get Out the Kitchen

ESPN has done it again. They’ve found an ongoing story that the media manipulate to make controversy and have everyone talking about. Football is getting too rough! The New Orleans Saints are in the center of this controversy. In case you need to be caught up to speed, some coaches allegedly put a “bounty” on quarterbacks and receivers in the NFL. They would give out money to defensive players who would take out offensive players. Now, when we say “take out” we mean end careers, knock players out of the game and severely injure the offensive players. The New Orleans Saints organization are definitely paying the price and facing consequences. Coaches and players have been suspended indefinitely. Was it wrong? Yes. Is it the end of NFL as we know it? It shouldn’t be!! But, the media is making is seem like it is. They even got a video-recording of Defensive Coach, Gregg Williams giving a pregame speech. In the speech he’s shouting about what the defensive players should do out on the field. It gets pretty vivid, but it’s no difference than what any other coach says to his team. The media makes it sound like Gregg Williams was absurd with his pre-game speech. If you’ve ever been a player in a locker room before a game, that’s just what coach’s do. They motivate their players; they get their players blood boiling and get them amped up for the game! The people blowing this story out of proportion are the same kids that never participated in sports in high school or college. The aftermath of this “bounty-crisis” is a joke! Now, players are scared for their life. They’re talking about how rough football is becoming. Wait, they’re just now realizing this!? Tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this what you signed up for? People are just NOW realizing that you get hurt playing football? That’s the risk they are willing to take (FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!). Roger Goodell, the man who runs NFL, has certainly invested most of his time in preventing concussions and serious injuries. Concussions are also the talk of the NFL right now as well. With legendary defensive player, Junior Seau, passing away last week the public is directly blaming the concussions he suffered as a cause of his death (possible suicide). Concussions happen in every sport, not just football. They should be taken seriously because they can cause serious damage to the brain. But, players know this upon playing the sport. If it means the player who suffered the concussion needs to sit out a practice and/or game than so be it.

Here’s the problem we have with the NFL bounty and concussions problems: What rule(s) is the NFL going to change? Realistically. Players are always going to hit or be hit hard. Football is an extremely physical sport. If the NFL were to change rules on how hard a player can be hit, it would no longer be football. You mind as well call it Ultimate Frisbee. Stop complaining about how rough football is. If you can’t take it, then find another hobby or profession. There’s a reason the NFL players make the millions of dollars. High risk, high reward. Tell me if I’m wrong, but football includes hard-hitting, not cheap shots. Offering monetary bonuses for taking a player out of the game is a little over the line, but stop complaining about the aggressive nature of football. Football is for tough men, if you’re too worried about getting hurt then play golf.

Albert Losing His Swag

Dear Albert,

How's that whole "L.A. Angels thing" working out? Glad you sold your soul to the (6-10) Angels? Can't say we've missed ya. Sincerely, The (11-6) Red Hot St.Louis Cardinals P.S. Baseball isn't all about Greed and Money. Just watch Moneyball

Mizzou is a Top Contender-Get Used to It

For some reason, this year I feel as though college basketball has taken a back seat in sports. Thank the Lord, my favorite time of the year is approaching! March Madness Baby (Dick Vitale’s voice)!

If you haven’t been living in the state of Missouri, maybe you’ve heard about the big things going on over in Columbia. The Tiger basketball team is putting together one heck of a season. Faith in (Frank) Haith started off rocky with the old baggage (University of Miami) he was entering Mizzou with, but he is currently proving his worth now! He’s got the team working hard on both sides of the court, and trusting each other in the process. From star point guard Phil Pressey to the big dog in the paint, Ricardo Ratliffe and even our 6th starter Michael Dixon; these Tigers aren’t just looking to get to the Final Four; they are determined to win the whole thing! And I didn’t even mention the leaders Kim English and Marcus Denmon. These guys have the right attitude and the swagger that they are carrying has many people becoming believers.

“But, they haven’t played anybody tough!”

Oh? Top ten teams like Kansas, Illinois and Baylor don’t count? It’s a good thing Missouri is moving to the SEC next year. Maybe then, we won’t have to hear this nonsense that there isn’t any competition in the Big 12. Speaking of next year, Coach Haith already has three D-I transfers coming into the program next year from Oregon, Auburn and Pepperdine. Enter “Transfer U.” I know I’m excited to see what recruits Haith will begin pulling. Coach has some ballplayers on his team this year. One through six on the team could start at any school in the nation.

This year the Tigers are serious. I can’t wait to see them play great teams like Kentucky, North Carolina and tough teams like that in the tournament. March Madness is approaching and the excitement in Mid Missouri…make that the Midwest is building. The Tigers are for real this year, so make us proud in the tourney!

P.S. Yes, I am on the bandwagon for Jeremy Lin.

Gisele Bundchen’s Husband or Peyton Manning’s Brother?

Who do you have winning the Super Bowl? I’ve watched my ESPN, I’ve listened to Mike&Mike, I’ve analyzed John Clayton’s predictions and I think I know who will win.
But, before I announce my pick, I have a few things to say:
First of all, why is the media stealing all the thunder from Eli Manning and talking about Peyton non-stop. It’s one thing if we were still discussing Tim Tebow (joke), but Peyton isn’t playing in this Super Bowl. We know he’s sat out all season and next season is unpredictable. So, let’s give our attention to THIS YEAR, and the players playing right now. This is their time to shine. I feel as though Peyton has always shadowed over Eli’s accomplishments. Even this entire week leading up to the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning is the trending topic.
Second, Coach Belichick is a good coach. Yes, he’s sneaky and cheating, but wouldn’t you try to win the amount of Super Bowls he has any possible way you could? After saying that, I’m not convinced that this whole Rob Gronkowski ankle thing isn’t a conspiracy. Gronkowski has been nursing the ankle injury a little too much with the media. Belichick and the Patriots are putting up the front the Gronk is still hurt and questionable for Sunday. That way, the Giants will be shocked when they see Gronk score the first touchdown of the game, with many more following. You heard it hear first!
And finally my prediction. I’m taking Brady and the Patriots winning late in the 4th quarter 27-23.
Don’t get me wrong, Eli Manning is great, I like Victor Cruz, but they’re playing a dynasty. I’m not a huge Patriots fan, but they’ve been there so many times before and they know what they’re doing. Some would say, that the Giants beat them in the Super Bowl a couple years ago, so why won’t they do it again? I just feel as though New England has a certain swag and confidence about them. Gronkowski will play like he has all season and Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker will be serious threats. Brady is too good to lose to the Giants twice in a season.
That’s my pick. Go Rams!

Wide Receivers Are Really Dropping the Ball (Puns are Fun)

I’ve watched football for years now. I’ve played a little football in middle school, attended many games and I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that my high school, Webster Groves, is the best high school in Missouri year after year when it comes to football. I digress…

Football is a man’s game. Tough, hard-hitting, fast pace, react quick or wake up on the ground is what football is all about. The past couple years, the NFL has taken a stance and came up with all new rules that have banished all types of rough play. “Don’t hit too high, don’t hit too low,” and “watch out that helmet hurts!” type rules has everyone walking on eggshells. These rules directly affect the quarterbacks, kickers and our beloved wide receivers. So, you tell me why these grown men, go-hard “athletes” get paid MILLIONS of dollars to drop a ball?

Now, I’m sure people would respond saying, “You don’t know what it’s like, so don’t judge!” And you have a point. I don’t know what it’s like having to cut through the middle to catch a pass wondering where Brian Urlacher is or sprinting full speed down the sideline watching back for a pass while Ed Reed is tracking you. But, I do know that these receivers are trained to do that. THAT’S WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING!

So, what happens to you, when you don’t perform at your job?

I understand that not everyone is perfect. I understand that receivers are going to drop a ball every once and awhile. That running through the field trying to catch a bullet from Tom Brady ain’t easy. I have my off days too. But, if a receiver continues to drop balls, why would you still throw to them? Why would you still play him? There is one team in particular I’m calling out; I think we all know where I’m heading with this…

I’ve been a Rams fan since they came to St. Louis and in the past few years, being a fan has not been easy. Even my mom can predict what play the Rams are going to run. You can only hear the announcer say, “Annnd, another 2-yard carry by Steven Jackson.” Then the Rams try to through one pass with young Sam Bradford and the receiver, being wide open, drops it. Destroying any confidence Sam the Ram may have had. Not even “offensive genius” Josh McDaniels could stand a season with our awful offense, before he went running to the Patriots.
You watch teams like the Patriots, the Packers, the Eagles and even the Broncos and the receivers catch balls they are supposed to, and even some that they aren’t supposed to catch.
I refuse to watch the Rams receivers continue dropping EASY passes! If they can’t do their job, send them on their way packing and find someone who can. I don’t care if it’s Justin Blackmon, Randy Moss or Terrell Owens, Coach Fisher needs to step into his new possession and set things right immediately. Because let’s face it, Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford aren’t getting any younger and the Rams couldn’t be any worse.