Here we go again...

I havent blogged in 6 months. I wish it was writers block.  There are soooo many topics to talk about.  Life just sometimes gets in the way. Today i am going to talk about the "hype machine" that you and I know as ESPN. ESPN has been my dream destination since i was able to see on cable television in the 80's. They all seemed to have fun doing sports. They were so creative, witty, funny, and always kept me coming back to the television. Whether it was Sportscenter or actual game programming, i honestly thought I was watching and listening to something special every night. They built up everyone. They made athletes bigger than life.  Somehow, in the last 10 years all of that has changed. Athletes are not sports figures anymore. We know what they eat, who they date, what clubs they go to, who they voted for, what kind of underwear they have.  We know that if they have an opinion, it will appear somewhere.  If they insult people, assault people, animals, trees, we will find out. Riley Cooper was at a concert and made racial comments last year and we found out about it. We found out that a football player was taking a fertility  drug to help grant his mothers wish of having a grand child. ESPN doesn't miss a thing. God forbid if they built you up and you fail.  They made Robert Griffin out to be superman and when his knee failed him and his mouth sounded off, he has become a punchline. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer i ever seen. He is probably the greatest golfer most have seen.  His dominance in the sport is only equaled by a few athletes in other sports. ESPN cannot wait to criticize him.  The guy shot 74 74 last week and the headlines made it seem like he shot 80 and 81. Jon Anderson and Jay Harris took sniper shots at him like he insulted their family. Many great athletes over the last 20 years have had  epic falls. Mike Tyson, Micheal Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds,Marion Jones, Tiger, just to name a few and ESPN pounced on them like a hungry lion. No excuse was good enough. If they apologized, it wasn't contrite enough.  If they blamed someone else for their roles in their scandal, they were throwing the person under a bus. If they took 100 percent accountability they needed to take 1000 percent accountability. ESPN had no shame, embarrassing Jim Harrick, when he was at Georgia, or George O'Leary for embellishing his resume. Now we have Johnny Football about to embark on a career that has bust written all over it.  Blake Bortles will be the one who earns his draft status and make Jacksonville relevant again. Manziel is the new Tebow.  There was so much hype around Tebow that it scared teams from giving him a true chance. How about Micheal Sam? He is gay. Okay.. Can he tackle or rush the quarterback? What changed because he told the world he is gay. He is quick off the ball and once he learns how to take better rush routes he may have a future in the league.  It should have been a story for a day. if at all.
So what my point? My point is today, I cannot watch sports the way i watched it 20 years ago. Sports reporting has become so personal and vindictive. There was a writer in Philly who wrote a story about Nick Foles without even interviewing for the piece. He was asked on the Dan Patrick show why the negative tone and he said matter of factly that he was upset that Foles didn't give him access to him. Really? How about having some fun.  The ranting of Dick Vitale was criticized by so many that he actually toned it down to appease his critics. In fact ESPN added a third man to the booth to almost silence him. Instead of the announcers saying Tiger Woods had back surgery and he shot a respectable 74 today on the difficult course, they say boy Tiger has lost his swagger, he is a shell of himself.  Lets put up a graphic that says he hasn't won a major since 2009. Even though he has moved to second in all time overall wins and if get s healthy again he could possibly pas Sam Snead in the next couple of year. Each story has innuendo and criticism without knowing all of the facts. No one has yet to see the video of Ray Rice striking his wife but yet we are lead to believe that he knocked her out and the District attorney in New Jersey gave him a slap on the wrist and the NFL Commissioner did the same thing.  So instead of criticizing law enforcement for not holding him more accountable, the NFL is supposed to teach him a lesson. The Redskins nickname is offensive but the team is not changing the name. Their fan base doesn't care.  The people who buy the season tickets don't care. How much more noise can you make on this topic?  If the Washington teams games are all sold out, what does that tell you.  In short I just turn the volume down and hope for the best...

Jason Collins

I usually have somthing to say about everything sports related. It doesn't mean I am right or wrong.  What i dislike about debatable topics is the overkill that the sports networks gives its coverage.  Tonight Jason Collins is about to become the "first" openly gay male athlete to play in the major four professional sports. First of all that sentence is not true because there are several athletes who can tell you that they know of several players who have played sports. The Ravens had a player. The Redskins in the 70's had a player. The Utah Jazz had a player. This story is only a story because the "old guard" of sports is stunned that this happening.  Gay people are as talented as hetero people. There is not a person alive who doesn't know a gay person or who doesn't love one. This is crazy. Last year Britney Griner said she was gay. Nobody flinched.  Nobody cares if a woman is gay. Give society the benefit of the doubt. We can handle pretty much everything. 
I am listening to this press conference and I dont understand the questions.  He was just asked how has he changed as a person since he came out? Really?  He doesn't have to change.  No one does. Why don't they just ask the real questions.  "Are you going to check you teammates out?"  Are you going to bring your boyfriend around? When you post up a player or box one out do you get turned on? Thats how stupid the thought process really is. That is how stupid the notion of a what is wrong with a gay player playing sports. Plus no one will ever have the guts to ask those questions.  The reason is obvious. The questions are immature and obnoxiuos. Micheal Sam was not asked any questions about his sexuality during his interview with nfl teams. Everyone is shocked by that. Usually teams ask some of the most disgusting and intrusive questions to their prospects. 
Jason Collins is 35 and can help a team by rebounding and blocking shots. So if you want my true reaction read between the lines or read this... SO WHAT.... I would say 100 percent of the people I know would say the same thing. Dont compare this to Jackie Robinson. That is an insult to Jackie Robinson's legacy. Jason Collins is friends with half of the league. Jackie was all alone in a racist world..

Baseball Hall of fame time.. Shame on you

Every year at this time I rant about the voting of the Hall of fame in baseball. They rarely get it wrong but over the last few years they have left me puzzled.  Today some sports writer announced that he would not vote for anyone who played in the steroid era. What?  He made the same proclamation in 2012.  I don't want to say his name because he is the typical anonymous sports writer that annoys me when voting for these honors comes around.  He is one of these bitter writers who enjoy this power. His one vote was revealed and the person he voted for is Jack Morris.  When did the steroid or p.e.d. period begin?  The 1980's? Jack Morris pitched from the heart of the 80's into the mid to late 90's. He pitched in the 1991 World Series. Remember game 7?  10 inning masterpiece against Atlanta?  Sometimes I think people say things to get on television or to get their 15 seconds of fame. I wonder if he isn't the only one thinks that way.
Greg Maddux should have been a unanimous choice. He has several Cy Young awards, 350 plus wins, 18 gold gloves. He has a world series title. He has appeared in several post season games. He revolutionized his position. He made P.e.d. users look silly. He is the greatest pitcher in the national league over the last 40 years. What a joke. Tom Glavine  should be a high 90 percent guy too. Craig Biggio should have gotten in last year. Mike Piazza too. Neither men had any steroid or p.e.d. allegations tied to their names. Frank Thomas too. Mike Mussina had a ton of wins and probably could have won 300 if baseball mattered to him. He won 20 games in his last season as a Yankee. We know that Clemens and Bonds are going to have to wait. Jeff Bagwell just didn't do enough. Jeff Kent will eventually get in in a few years, but not before Biggio. Biggio has 3000 hits.
I am anxious to see how it all shakes out. I wish I had a vote. I would take the honor seriously. Jack Morris is in his final year of eligibility. He deserves some love. He pitched on two championship teams in Detroit and Minnesota. He won 20 games 3 times. He was the ace of his staff. Was his career better than Dave Stewart who never gets a lot of votes? The answer has to be no. Stewart s knock is he pitched for the Oakland A's team that is link to p.e.d. use.  Was his career better than Bert Blyelven who got in last year? I think it was. Blyelven was consistent but never spectacular. Morris was a horse. He faced every teams best pitcher. There is no criteria. Put Morris and that opens door for Mussina, Stewart, Tommy John. Curt Schilling too. He is a whole new argument. I love baseball. I wish them all luck...

The year in sports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZjS5pGNg50&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You CANT HAVE It BOTH WAYS..

Robinson Cano just broke the bank in Seattle. Everyone has an opinion. Yankee fans are sad he is gone, but glad that the Yankees didn't give him the key to the kingdom. Baseball is the king of the long term contracts, where players can't possibly be great for 10-12 years. The Dodgers are about to make Kershaw the richest pitcher in history. He is 25 and clearly the games premier hurler. Mike Trout at age 21 has been runner up in the m.v.p. balloting the last 2 years. Strasburg, Fernandez in Florida, Machado in Baltimore, Bryce Harper, Harvey in New York if he comes back healthy are all going to cost teams hundreds of millions of dollars. The only player in recent memory that has lived up to the big contract is Derek Jeter. Jeter had a long hall of fame career and captained five teams to titles.  Pujols did not get the big contract until he left St. Louis. Cabrera has a ring from his Florida days but all he does is rake. Manny Ramirez delivered for Boston two rings. Chipper Jones made it to the playoffs every year. Mike Piazza had a productive career with the Mets. Carlos Beltran did as well.
Here is my point. Media and fans complain that there is no loyalty in sports. Dustin Pedroia might be the last to be on a team for his entire career and get a payday.  David Wright for the Mets might be another. Tulo out here in Colorado? Maybe. Buster Posey? Joe Mauer? The point is you have to pay to keep people around. Seattle has gotten rid of Arod, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey  Jr., Ichiro!!!! They don't know how to pay for loyalty and commitment to excellence. It is a disgrace that those guys bounced around as much as they did. Jacoby Ellsbury should have been a RedSox for life. Todd Helton may not have won a title but he was a vital part of the growth of baseball in Colorado. Jeff Bag well and Craig Biggio were the reasons to watch Astro Baseball. You can't blame the players. They don't want to leave. Cano wanted to be another Jeter. Long term deals keep fans coming to the stadium. You know when healthy if your star player is going to be there everyday if possible.  Pujols in St Louis. You knew he would hit 3rd and play first. Jeter, Ripken Jr., Helton would be at their positions. Owners make millionaires out of average players and now the world hates a sport where showing longtime loyalty is a foolish gesture ?  I stopped liking the Yankees and became a lifelong Met fan when the Yanks traded away Reggie. I almost abandoned the Mets when they let Strawberry go.  I guess if Peyton Manning and Brett Favre can change teams then anyone can. No one wins in all of this. Unless you are a fair weather fan and can cheer for anybody, then this sports world is for you. Don't cry to me about loyalty anymore. I guess I will be a met,dodger, mariner,angel, yankee, red Sox ,rockies, tigers fan. Go team!!!!

Eastern Conference Basketball isn't fantastic, its anonymous

I haven't written for a while, so I am sorry to post an empty blog. I think my blog is a perfect representation of what is in the way for the heat to repeat as champions. Nothing.. The east has one team other than Miami with a winning record.  The very tall and formidable Indiana pacers. The Bulls will get better as the year progresses. Brooklyn and new York have injuries but have insane talent. They both stink right now. Can anyone name another team in the east? Philly? Boston? Cleveland? Toronto? Do you know that the two team that have longest playoff streak in east?  Not Miami. Not New York. It is Boston and the Atlanta Hawks. If you take away the Heat, Pacers, Nets and Knicks, could you name an All star team. Derek Rose is gone till the playoffs. Rudy Gay is in the witness protection program in Toronto. Kyrie Irving is made of paper mache. He gets hurt more frequently than any person I have ever heard of.  Speaking of Cleveland who is this number one draft pick who sits the bench quite often? Anthony Bennett. He may go down as the most under used number one pick in history.  He is the most anonymous first pick of the last 20 years. The east is so bad that western conference teams are asking for realignment. This could be the first time that several teams make the playoffs with a losing record. Teams are tanking for this great college class? I don't think they could if they tried.
Why are they so bad?  The old teams are just old. Brooklyn and New York can't stay healthy or put two games in a row of consistent basketball together. Other teams have lost star players and are trying to fix problems with unproven talent.  Orlando lost Howard. Atlanta lost Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.  They also fired coaches who could win 50 games a season but fail in the playoffs. They have made terrible trades and have not recovered. The Pistons haven't been the same sine Hamilton and Billups left. Philly got nothing from Bynum and traded Igoudola for nothing but promise.  Cleveland lost Lebron and has the number 1 pick twice in 3 years. Milwaukee lost Bogut and Ellis, and last year Jennings.  Toronto lost Bosh.  Who is Demar Derozen? I know he is a l.a.kid but can he play? These teams are mismanaged for the future. They bring in all of this young potential talent and they are not really ready for the NBA. The west is younger and hungrier. The west has two old teams but they can still play. The Spurs are a top 3 team. The Lakers will be better than most think if Kobe is healthy. The death of the east is the one and done players. The life of the west is the mixture of the old,new, and unproven.  I am a east coast guy and I am dying with this.. We shall see what happens..

Just get over it..

My least favorite quote in the world is "just get over it".  Everyone around the world has problems, issues, or situations that they have to overcome and the best way friends or enemies choose to tell their friends or enemies how to handle something is to simply say "just get over it".  How does this apply to sports? i can give you two major examples.  The first one: USC GOT SCREWED by the NCAA. The University of Miami got a slap on the wrist by the NCAA for its lavish scandal.  For almost a decade players, coaches in multiple sports received impermissible benefits from a booster which is at the core of almost every NCAA investigation.  The school imposed its own sanctions and because they cooperated with NCAA officials only lost 9 scholarships to its football program. The coach of the basketball team who coaching at another university now got a 5 game suspension. The matter is now history.  The NCAA threatened that they may impose the death penalty for the violations by the school.  All they got was a slap on the wrist. USC lost 30 scholarships, lost prestige, prominence, a coach who couldn't overcome the sanctions and have floundered over the last 3 years.  The people involved with the scandal lost a Heisman trophy and banishment from the school. They have been trying to pick up the pieces ever since. To make matters worse, Penn State was rewarded for its compliance with the NCAA and are going to start to get scholarships back as early as next year.  USC was not given a chance to "suck up" or kiss ass to get scholarships back. I guess they pissed off the wrong compliance officer. I guess because they tried to defend themselves and that was a bad thing. I guess they knew that Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo was getting benefits and so they had no right to defend their "lack" of knowledge. What a joke. But I guess USC NEEDS to GET OVER IT.  They can't sue the NCAA for unfair litigation. The NCAA governs itself.  They have fired or had several officers resign over the last five years. The NCAA has punished players for selling their jerseys for tattoos, They have ended a players career for having dinner with Deion Sanders. Just get over it.. Right?
The second one is Steve Bartman.  Bartman is a lifelong Cub fan who needs to come out of hiding  and be human again.  The Cubs just stink. They think the hiring Theo Epstein is going o change their luck and win a world series.  The blame Bartman for interfering with Moises Alou chance for catching a foul ball.  Every fan would have done the same thing. Every fan has done the same thing since the beginning of time. The Cubs haven't won a world series in over 100 years.  Bartman, the billy goat, the black cat, make the story sexy and silly. Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson were once in a lifetime players and couldn't deliver the goods.  Sammy Sosa couldn't either.  They burned out Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.  CUB FANS need to GET OVER IT and leave Bartman alone. They need to realize that everyday they wake up they can change the course of their lives with their own actions. Bartman is still in hiding 10 years after this fiasco. GET OVER IT!!! Let him come home. Red Sox fans and the media forgave Buckner for his blunder in the 86 series. Buckner was a Cub too..

The NFL.. How wrong have I been

I have a few friends around the country who enjoy keeping me on my toes or bluntly like to try and prove that I am uneducated or inaccurate when it comes to football prognosticating. With MY football team sitting at 0-6 and looking more and more bleak each week i guess i can take the ribbing this year because because i have never been so wrong.  i said that the AFC is weak. I said 6 teams in the AFC would have winning records.  I said the that the Jets were a mess. i said that the NFC would dominate every AFC team.  I said Seattle, the Giants, San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, Atlanta, Green Bay were way better than any AFC team. Hell i even predicted the Super Bowl would be Manning Bowl 4. How wrong have I been.
Denver and Kansas City have three wins against the NFC east. Both have beaten Dallas, The Giants and Eagles. The Patriots have defeated the Bucs, Saints, and Falcons. Indianapolis has beat Seattle and San Fransisco. Bengals have beaten the Packers. Hell the Jets have beaten the Falcons. In fact the Falcons have lost to the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots. This was supposed to be the coming out party for some NFC teams this year. Instead two former NFC coaches are leading the only two unbeaten teams to an undefeated record. John Fox and Andy Reid are NFC alumni and are enjoying a ton of prosperity. Peyton Manning is playing football like a video game.  Alex Smith is not making mistakes and his team keeps on winning.  Jamaal Charles is putting up Jim Brown like stats. Their defense just recorded 10 sacks in a game.
Remember all of that talk about running quarterbacks? No one is talking about them now.  RG3 has not been impressive this year. In fact if we were to gauge the progress of the young qb's from last year, Andrew Luck would be number 1, Ryan Tannehill would be number 2 over Wilson and RG3 and even Colin K. The AFC has had so many impressive wins that it is hard to defend the NFC's honor. I am speechless as to how bad the Giants are.  They give the football away easier than a child gives away candy.  They have no balance, pass rush or fight. I have never been been afraid to watch a game.  I watch with one eye open wondering when the collapse is going to happen.  The Saints could have been the flag bearer for the conference but the crumble in New England was shameful. They had two opportunities to win that game. Green Bay losing at Cincinnati was another disgrace.
Can we turn it around?  I wish I felt confident to say yes. The Seahawks will get better as they get healthy. So will the Niners. Green Bay just got dealt some bad news with their injuries.  Dallas can score on anyone, but cant stop anyone. Like the eagles, Giants, Bears, Redskins... I have one wish for the next 6 games. You know what it is...

who is more disappointing Peyton Manning or the Atlanta Braves

For the record, I think that both Peyton Manning and the Atlanta Braves have nothing to be ashamed of.  Both have put themselves in position to win titles.  Both have one world series ring since 1995. Both have dominated their divisions and leagues for many years. Manning is going to re-write the record books before he is done. The Braves have won the National League east an astounding number of times I think they have won 15 division titles since 1991, including this year. Chipper Jones is as tragic a hero as Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning's teams have won 12 division titles, and lost in the first round or game 8 times. He has one super bowl ring. Who is more disappointing?  In my opinion the answer is the Atlanta Braves.
Peyton Manning has had terrible games in the post season. He would lose to Tennessee in his first playoff game, he would lose to Miami in his next one and then his worse loss was against the Jets and they lost 41-0. The New England Patriots always seemed to have his number.  Hew would put up video game number during the regular season and looked lost and confused in playoff games. He had great players on his offense. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are hall of Famers.  Edgerin James was efficient and reliable as anyone.  Dallas Clark and Marcus Pollard made a lot of plays for him.  They did not have a great defense.  Dwight Freeney was unblockable during the regular season, but in the playoffs was often a non factor. They had could never get a consistent pass rush or stop the opponents running game. Peyton is often blamed for his teams failures because he would throw a late interception or multiple interceptions in games. Fair or not the quarterback either gets too much credit for good thing or too much blame for bad things. i think he should be appreciated just for getting their. Several great players never got to the super bowl or won a playoff game. Barry Sanders never was as spectacular in the playoffs as he was in the regular season.  Didnt the packers hold him to negative yardage in a playoff game? In fact I dont think he won more than one playoff in a game in his career if at all.  O.J. Simpson ran wild in the NFL no post season legacy to speak of. Dan Fouts lit up every team in the NFL in his brilliant hall of fame career, no rings to show for it.
The Atlanta Braves are tragic and here is why.  They dominated everyone. They out pitched everyone.  They would win games that were insurmountable more than anyone. They matched up well with everyone. Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz Avery, Alejandro Pena, Mark Wohlers, John Rocker, embarrassed everyone. They lost to the Yankeees after dominating them in earlier games. They lost to the Twins who had only Jack Morris as an imposing pitcher. They lost to Toronto who had Winfield and Molitor. The Braves were favored in all of these series. They had a superstar laden lineup. They could beat you with a speed game with Otis Nixon or power game with Gant and Justice. Glavine Smoltz, Maddux, and Chipper Jones are first ballot hall of Famers. What puzzles me about their lack of success is the baseball adage of momentum is the next day starting pitcher.  The Braves threw four top of the line starters at teams each night. They put teams in slumps with their dominance. They never had a team that they dreaded playing. The Colts season was always based on whether they beat the Patriots. When they would win people thought that they could win the title.  when they lost people would say same sorry ass Colts.  The Braves were always the hunted. They had no peer. They just simply could not win. Teams would bleed their starting pitching for 8 innings and get to their bullpen and beat them late quite often.  The Yankees, Blue jays, and Twins had memorable world series wins in the late innings to sting the Braves.  Jim Leyritz name is a sore subject down south.  Kirby Puckett and Dane Iorg dramatics in Minnesota. Dave Winfield, Kelly Gruber. Ernie Witt.  Tom Heinke stifled the bats of the Braves in world series. The Braves had more heart breaking losses than anyone.
I am sure anyone would love to be Peyton Manning or Chipper Jones or Greg Maddux because of their brilliance on the field. However the lack of rings will always haunt these guys. All great players and great teams.  Unfortunately we are all judged by wins and chips. Both only have one in the last 20 years. The Braves are more tragic because they had no peer. They had reservations to be in the playoffs every year and just got beat when you least expected it.  W e all knew that Peyton would throw that pick or we all knew that Peyton wouldn't come through.  He only did it once. We all were shocked when the Braves would fail in the post season. They had everything...

The nfl shoud be ashamed of itself for this concussion settlement

I first started playing football as a six year old in Greenburgh, N.Y. The Fairview Center had it all. Basketball, Baseball, Summer Camp and Football. There was a kid on my team named Sean Williams and he could ball. He had a 80 plus yard touchdown run and it was awesome to see. I remember in Jr. PeeWee football practice doing drills like monkey rolls, reaction drills and something called bull in the ring. Never heard anything about concussions. I remember one practice we practiced against the peewee team and someone got the wind knocked out of them. He was gasping for air like that scene in total recall. I was scared but playing left guard I knew that I wouldn't get hurt unless I hurt my self. As I advanced through the years, I only saw one person get a concussion. Steve Sacks got dinged up pretty badly in a game my junior year. He was my go to guy our senior year. He has turned out fine. Now I am not equating my exploits as a player to that of a NFL player but I am certain no one told us about concussions. There were two really outstanding players in pop Warner. Reggie Battle could really hit,. Alfie Fullwood could too. Again no concussion speech then either. I remember in high school watch these amazing videos where John Facenda would narrate these great sequences where NFL players would get nailed and it would inspire us to want to duplicate what we saw. No concussions were ever discussed.
Fast forward to today, every thing is being done to prevent concussions and there is nothing that can be done to stop them. The only way to stop them us to end football period and we all know that isn't going to happen. We ask these human missiles to entertain us the best way they can and now we are making it worse for the league. Players have been taught knockout shots for years and got paid mucho dinero for putting players out of the game. Now there is a dangerous strike zone that is going to put more players in wheel chairs and not decrease concussions because helmet to knee or leg hits can cause concussions too. Players don't spend a lot of time at practice learning how to tackle because there are not long practice sessions any more.
So what the league does to help those already afflicted by giving them 765 million dollars to help them deal with their issues. The players want 9 billion. 9 billion is the cost of the most recent television contract. The league didn't even give the players a day in court so that a judge or arbitrator could dispense a proper amount. The case is closed and if players want to go back to court, they would have to do it individually or as a group forfeit it all. Also only 10 million dollars is going to research. 465 is going to the players. 200 million is going to lawyers fees!!!!!! When I worked as a security guard at clubs some nights I would take inferior tips just so I would have money in my pocket instead of breaking the bank. I felt like a prostitute because I was only motivated by the money and not the principle of my labor. NFL players took an insulting offer and have hurt the future. They should have opened Pandora's box. Now there will be no accountability. Yes 100,000 plus per person is a huge benefit and more money than a lot of the players before 1970 received in their entire career. They should have forced a national forum. The NFL just showed the players the difference between why they have it all and the players will never. The best interest is supposed to be for the players and their families. We all know medical care is going to evaporate that money faster than one can spell "it". I thank god I have a girl. I am not sure I would let a son of mine play football.

The NFC is loaded

Can you think of a NFC team that actually is real bad? Carolina? St.Louis? Philadelphia? Detroit?  All four of those teams had bad records last but had good wins over a quality team last year.  All four teams have quarterbacks who were number picks overall and all four teams are going to be difficult to beat this year. Let's go division by division to prove my point.
The NFC north is probably the weakest division in the conference. Most people feel that Green Bay is the best team. Aaron Rodgers had a good season last year, but far below his standards. He still needs a running game to give them balance and their defense needs a great year from Clay Matthews. They have holes on the o-line due injury and their secondary will be tested. They score a lot, but give up a lot too. The Bears have a new coach who is an offensive genius. Marc Freshman know offense. Jay Cutler would be wise to learn from him. The Bears have the balance the Packers wish for but don't have Aaron Rodgers leading them. The Bears will play solid defense, seem to always get an injury that disrupts their  season. Stay healthy Chicago and you may have something. The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson. He can keep them in games. They have a great defensive line. This team will go as far as Christian Ponder will take them. No Percy Harvin  will kill them too. The Detroit Lions have added Reggie Bush and if he stays healthy, the lions could be the most dangerous in all of football. The have an unstoppable force on offense in Johnson. They have front four that will knock you senseless. They have a quarterback who can throw the pigskin. Don't sleep on Detroit.
The NFC south also has four teams that will be difficult to beat. Atlanta Falcons last year were the team with the best record in the conference. They added OSI on defense and Steven Jackson on offense. The have balance on offense and should be an offensive juggernaut. Their secondary killed them last year. If they can get pressure on the quarterback they may have what it takes to win it all. The New Orleans Saints get their coach back and must really improve on defense. They gave up the most points in NFL history. They still have Drew Brees  and a loaded offense. They truly believe that Rob Ryan can change their defense. If he can, Bree's can do Magic. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have my attention. They will better on defense with the addition of Revis. Josh Freeman last year was great in the fourth quarter. They have great balance on offense. This team will drive everyone crazy this year. The Carolina Panthers have serious talent too. Cam  Newton can be a superstar. They have solid receiver in Smith. Two good backs when healthy. A superstud linebacker in Luke. If they figure it out between the ears, they be in every game they play.
NFC West has sick speed, youthful zest and mad talent. The Niners added championship pieces and are mad that they are no longer unbeaten in Super Bowls. The have speed in the receiving corp. They have a bruiser in the running attack. Great tight end. Great talent in the front seven. The secondary may be the only question. They will have home field and have the quarterback of the future. Will they lose a game? We shall see. The Seattle Sea hawks have everything the Niners have and when Percy Harvin returns, they will have more. The Seahawks are invincible at home. Their defense is fierce and fast. They can control the ball with a punishing rushing attack. They must hold on to the ball. This team is for real. The Arizona Cardinals added Carson Palmer and the physical defense they have could cause problems for all of its opponents. If Palmer throws the ball to his players more than to the other team, the Cardinals could be formidable. Patrick Peterson is must see television. So is Larry Fitzgerald.  The St. Louis Rams might Bethe only bad team in the NFC. Last year they beat the Niners.  They have a plan that bothers the Niners. They lost Stephen Jackson. Sam Bradford has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had a franchise quarterback salary. He needs to deliver some wins. They had a good draft over the past three seasons. Put up or get out of the way..
My favorite division, the NFC east, I could talk about for hours. The Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants all are capable of making a title run. The Redskins won the division last year behind rookie sensations Robert Griffin and Alfred Morris. The 'skins had balance and drove everyone crazy with their diversity in play calling. Griffin is coming off a knee injury and the 'skins vow to keep him safe this year. Can their defense keep up with their offense? If they can maybe this new generation of quarterback is ready to take over league. The Cowboys can score with anyone, but the key to this season is Demarco Murray. When he plays, they usually win. Romo needs a running game to take the pressure off of him. The Cowboys have talent on defense but they have always had talent. They should be better than their 8-8 record. Romo got paid. Jason Garrett is on the hot seat. Playoffs or bust. The Eagles are going to try and wear people down with their tempo and speed. The can run it well. They can stretch the field with Jackson. Mike Vick. Always off to a fast start gets hurt and then the interceptions pile up. The eagles will either be the most exciting team to watch or a train wreck. They have too much talent to be so bad. Defense has to get back to being dominant and opportunistic. Chip Kelly get ready for hell or give em hell.. The Giants... No preview about my team. Its a secret as to where I think they will end up. No one ever talks about the Giants. They talk about Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, the Jets, Ravens, Tebow, concussions. So I will keep them under the radar too....
So the NFC will have the following conclusions... Niners, Packers, Falcons, Giants win the divisions. Seattle and Chicago get wild card. Giants and Packers in the championship game. Who do you think wins.
The Super bowl is in my stadium. I am  not a fan of the new style quarterbacks. I saw Peyton Manning throw seven touchdown passes. All of these young guys are one hit away from being out for the season. The Manning bowl will be exciting.

Is the NFL about to go back in time?

Remember the 80's? Crazy hairdos, electronic music, colorful clothing, and NFC dominance in pro football? How about the 90's? Chubb Rock, the high-top fade, Good Fellas, and The NFC dominance in pro football? I believe from 1984-1997 the NFC won every super bowl. I think the Los Angeles Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in 83 and the Broncos beat Favre and Green Bay in 1997. Yes I know that Baltimore won the Super Bowl last season, but have you seen how loaded the NFC is? Let's talk about the AFC today and you will see why I am worried about how this season could be the beginning of run for NFC dominance....
If you go by division, you will be lucky to find 6 teams that are playoff worthy much less super bowl worthy. The AFC east or least is horrible. The New England Patriots could win this division with me playing quarterback. The Patriots have not won a super bowl in a decade and every one is wondering if Tom Brady has peaked. They lost Wes Welker so their offense will be different. Their defense hasn't been the same since their super titles. Yet they will some how win 13 games, get home field and lose to someone in the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins may be improved overall as their quarterback gains experience. No Reggie Bush which gave them a running game. If they win 8 games that will be a miracle. The New York Jets are either going to be real bad or horrible. Richard Todd couldn't save this team. Freeman Mcneil , Richard Caster or Carl Basilauskus or Greg Buttle are not walking into that locker room to help this team. Sexy Rexy should cut and run. They have destroyed Sanchez. Yikes.  Buffalo has a lot of talent. Can you name anyone on this team? C.j.Spiller can ball. Stevie Johnson can too. Mario Williams. Okay. E.j. Manuel has a lot of potential and a ton to live up to. Is he a first rounder? He was drafted in the first round and now it is time to prove it. A new head coach in Marrone who has a great reputation could spell a positive future for the Bills. This year however will be long. 
The AFC south has two good teams in Houston and Indianapolis and two bad teams in Tennessee and Jacksonville. Houston has the talent to go all the way. Great running game. Great receivers. Solid D-line. Solid secondary. So why can't they win? They can't win because they don't have anyone who makes they wow play that makes a difference. They are a grinder team. They don't scare anyone. You know what going to see each game. I think they don't believe they are actually a good ball club. Everyone seems to hold their breath when the play the Patriots, Packers, or any team that has equal talent. The only way to quiet the critics is to simply win. We shall see.. The Colts shocked the world last year. No one expected them to win as many games as they did. Everyone is expecting a decline this year because year 2 in the Luck regime will be tougher. The schedule will tougher and preparation for the Colts will be taken more seriously. Luck needs a running game to take pressure off of him. Their defense is a liability. They can win some AFC games but NFC games could be difficult. Tennessee hasn't been the same since Steve McNair died. Jacksonville hasn't been good since Brunell left. Both teams hang their hats on a running game and tough defense. The only problem is they don't have a tough defense and the quarterback play is erratic. This division is slightly better than the east. That is not saying much.
The AFC west is like the AFC east. One super team, the Broncos. One team that has potential, the Chiefs. One team that is a head scratcher, the Chargers. One team that has talent but is still going to struggle, the Raiders. The Broncos last year got hot
Last year and got stunned in the playoff game against Baltimore. Peyton Manning played like a M.V.P. and the Broncos defense was really opportunistic. They had a crazy schedule and held their own. This year they play the NFC east and have to play all of the "good" teams in the AFC. They lost Dumervil on defense and Von Miller for the first 6 games. They can score a lot with addition of Wes Welker. They are going to have to until the reinforcements come back.  The Chiefs have a new Coach in Andy Reid, an angry fiesty quarterback in Alex Smith. Great running back in Charles. Solid crew of linebackers and receivers. So why the doubt? Charles is always hurt. Smith is coming off an injury season. The secondary can't cover anyone. They defensive line is young. Any questions? The Chargers have Rivers, Gates, Matthews, Freeney.  So what's wrong with them? Rivers, Gates, Matthews and Freeney aren't enough. Matthews is often injured. So is Gates. Freeney is 75. They lost Ingram for the season. Manti Teo hasn't shown us much yet for he has been hurt. This season could be a train wreck. The Raiders have good players, but they are all young and unproven. Learning season for Pryor. Matt Flynn got another payday but can't beat out any rookies or second year players. Where is McFadden? They have Heyward-Bey. The question is do they make this a learning season or try and win? Tough decision..
The best division in the AFC is the North. The Ravens lost a ton of talent. Lewis is gone. Bold in is gone. Reed is gone. They could go from the top to the bottom. Joe Flacco got his big money deal and all he does is make the playoffs. This year will be a challenge. The Steelers are getting no love anywhere and I think they love it. Big Ben is probably loving the fact that no one gives them a shot. They lost Wallace and Harrison. They need a running game to be the true Steelers. The need a blitzing scheme that works to be true Steelers. Don't be shocked if they are in first place or last place this year. Cleveland has some optimism this year. A good young physical defense. A stud running and quarterback who is not afraid of the big bad Ravens or Steelers. Don't sleep on Cleveland.  This division is the Bengals or bust. Two years in the postseason. A good young quarterback. A good young receiving corp. Tough defense. They can't cover though and that is what kills them in the end. They have all of these cast offs from Dallas and Taylor Mays, who have a skill set, but struggle between the ears. Put up or shut Bengals.
So here is the rub.. Patriots, Texans, Bengals, Broncos are a lock for the post season. They can compete against anyone. They Chiefs and Colts will be wild card. Soft divisions they play in and AFC North teams will beat each other up.  Only 6 teams will have winning record.  Texans and Broncos in AFC title game. Peyton will be in New York in the big game. 

Ncaa makes me sick

I absolutely hate guys like Johnny Manzell. I am going to misspell his name thought this piece because I don't respect him at all.  He is a spoiled brat who gets his way because he has affluence, and because he has the right people in the "old boys network" who protect him. Are we going to hear 5 years from now that he actually took money and since no one could prove it manzeil could get away with it? Is he another Lance Armstrong, Ryan Braun, Pete Rose? Guys who knew they did wrong and make the public sympathize with them and then burn us in the end?  Don't you just want to put a uniform on and cheap shot him for rubbing this in all of our faces?  He goes to the super bowl, the heat game, hangs out with celebs, signs thousands of autographs for free allegedly. At first everyone was writing articles and said have compassion for Manzel because he is 20 and he doesn't no any better. Even he gave a press conference and expressed his hope that people would understand  that he is a little 20 year old rich kid who can have things that most people his age can't.  He shows up at a Texas frat party and thinks that they care going to roll out the red carpet for him. They should let him get drunk and tied him up to a tree.
This decision bothers me because Terrell Pryor, A.j. Green and Dez Bryant paid a big cost for doing something as egregious as manzelll. Those three guys mistake was they had a money trail. Dez Bryant lost his eligibility because he had lunch with Deion Sanders. He got no money. He got a sandwich and some fries and his college career was over. Football players at North Carolina were suspended because they were at a party where some known agents were at. Manzelle was in a room signing autographs where somebody got money for his time. I am outraged that on the day that Dr.King said 50 years ago how he wished he kids could grow up in a world where his two kids could be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. Where is the equality? Are we that naive?
Also stop saying athletes need to be paid.. Division 1 athletes get more perks, advantages, hook ups than professional athletes. They get free books, education, best dorms, best girls, they rarely pay for food, alcohol. They get free sneakers, clothing, jackets,. They get into every party, bar, club, strip club usually for free. What don't they get? When they go to bowl games they get a gift bag like they are going to the Oscars. They get play station, x-box, beats head phones, plus other goodies. Yes I get it. They don't have an opportunity to find a job.  They can in the off season. They get a stipend as well. No one who plays the game complains. I went to a 1aa school for football. The athletes  owned Amherst. UMass basketball team. Say that to a bouncer in Amherst and they have nightmares. 
I am simply appalled that the NCAA suspended him for a half off a game. Who cares about Rice University or Sam Houston st which is the next game? To me they destroy people. They punish people for being slick. If Manziel isn't being slick I don't what is...

Oregon and Ohio St. Try to dethrone the Crimson Tide

Another college football season is upon us and the only question anyone wants to know is if someone can stop the SEC from winning another title?  Alabama has won the last two and are loaded to do it again.  They have the best leader in the game in Nick Saban. They have the veteran quarterback on offense and defense. They have a dynamic player in T.Y.  and  more top players sitting on the bench than the dream team.  They have a tough opener against Virginia Tech, but they are chomping at the bit to play Texas A&M on September 14th. If they get through those games, the annual tilt with LSU and Georgia could determine their fates. No one expects them to be tested. This is the SEC though. Texas A&M showed them that last year. The SEC is loaded. South Carolina is good.  Florida is quietly lurking in the swamp. Georgia has top five talent. L.S.U. does too. The story though is A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel.  Manziel is being investigated for receiving improper benefits from signing autographs. He is the reigning He is an trophy winner. He has had the off season for ages. Court side seats at Heat games. Appearances at other sporting events, concerts, talk shows, other universities have made every either love him or hate him. He should be suspended if he did something wrong. We will save my thoughts on him till later.  If he plays all season the aggies will be a formidable opponent.  The SEC is ready for war. Let's see who can challenge them.
Every year I say that the Pac-12 conference has the team to dethrone the SEC and it never comes to fruition. USC every year has as much talent as anyone in the nation and just can't seem to get out of their own way. Stanford is the most physical team in the conference but every year loses or play down to a team like San Jose st and falls out of title picture. UCLA has a real good quarterback in Hundley but can they handle being the kings of L.A.? So that leaves only one team. Oregon. Oregon has a dynamic duo in Mariota and Thomas. They will score 500 points but can they stop anyone? Stanford punched them in the mouth last year and showed them the meaning of toughness. They have a favorable schedule. They have the speed to run with Alabama. Do they have the heart? A new coach may be what the doctor ordered.
The ACC has Five good teams that won't back down from a fight. Clemson has been underachieving over the last two seasons. They can play with anyone. Boyd and Watkins are a combo worth watching. They open with Georgia. This will make or break their season. A close win or loss may give them the confidence to go all the way. A blowout loss will crush them. FSU is starting a super phenom freshman so there will be great highs and lows. Virginia Tech has a NFL ready quarterback in Thomas. He had to play like one. Opening against Alabama will show far he has come. The Hokies want to be back on national stage. Miami has to get back to dominant defense days. If they can they have weapons on offense who can do damage. North Carolina has NFL quality on defense. The question is can they score enough to compete. South Carolina on opening night will answer some questions.  The ACC is taking on the big dogs to start the year. If they come out unscathed then we're mash have a something here. No one expects them to win a single game. I think Clemson will. Tech won't lie down for Alabama.
The big 12 has Oklahoma and revitalized Texas program. K-state shocked everyone last year. Coach Snyder is a living legend. Oklahoma St. Always finds a quarterback and a receiver that lights up the scoreboard. Can anyone in this conference play defense? Oklahoma and Texas used to win with balanced attacks on both offense and defense. A showdown with Notre Dame  will put them back on the map with a win. A down year for this conference.
The big east is all about Louisville. Teddy Bridgewater has the burden of carrying a conference that just simply does not have enough quality teams.  Louisville will be favored in every game by 10 points or more. They may unbeaten and not play in the title game. That's a shame...
The big ten is loaded and angry. Everyone picks on this conference because every year they have quality teams who get embarrassed in big national games. Ohio st. Is the pick to play for the title. They went unbeaten last year and a ton of people returned this year. Braxton Miller is the best player on the team and will win the He is an if they go undefeated. He is that good. No team in the big ten has as much talent returning like Ohio st. Michigan on offenses will be explosive, defensively they have a lot of new faces and unpredictable. Michigan st. Always finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. They will find a running attack but the quarterback position is a weakness. They play good defense. Penn st. Is still one big signing year away from getting back to the top. Nebraska is trying to erase the memory of the championship game. Wisconsin knows who they are and have the team to sneak up and bite someone.  The Buckeyes should rule this conference.
Notre Dame had a lot of success last year. They beat you with defense one week. They beat you with ball control the next. Not having Golston will hurt them. Tommy Rees is a backup. Their defense is great on the defensive line. They have a brutal schedule as they do every year. Revenge is on the minds of Stanford,USC and Michigan. Should be fascinating.
Overall there are four teams that can challenge the SEC for the title. Ohio st. Must be solid on defense or they won't have chance. Stanford needs to find a play maker on offense who is a security blanket for the quarterback. Oregon has to stop someone and not turn the ball over playing too fast. Clemson has to compete for four quarters and BELIEVE they belong at the adult table. I think Ohio st. Will get it done.... The south has risen again, but it is time for the rest of the country to step up and be heard..

a warm up blog before i start blogging again

I haven't blogged since June and so much has happened in the world of sports.  The Dodgers went from last to first.  The Pirates have thrown down the challenge to its pursuers in the N.L.Central. Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Anderson Silva lost a fight. NFL training camp opened. Great news for some. Bad news for others. A-rod is back and the Yankees have a pulse. Jeter comes back today.  Usain Bolt is still the man. Ryan Braun is pathetic. Why do they lie? Johnny Football hates signing autographs... For free.  NCAA better handle this right. A.J. Green and Dez Bryant are watching.  Scary stories about Lamar Odom, Chamique Holdsclaw, Dick Trickle, Aaron Hernandez to name a few.   Dwight Howard bailing out on the Lakers. Houston Hello..
A lot of stories I will be talking about over the next few months and hopefully gives an unique spin to them.  Should college athletes be paid or is this a story about only a select few athletes?  Why does no one complain about p.e.D's in football or boxing but go crazy about in baseball? Do Americans have a right to say something since the majority of the prescription drug population make up is mostly us and our kids? The Jets should fire everyone after Saturdays fiasco. Tiger didn't win a major this year. Serena is 60-4 this season.  Are they still must see t.v.? Does anyone really care about the upcoming Alvarez/Mayweather fight? Miguel Cabrera is the greatest right handed hitter since Willie Mays? Who is better? Frank Robinson? Edgar Martinez? Robin Yount? Adrian Peterson want 2500 yards this year? Rg3 and the Redskins are the most over hyped team in football. Super Bowl or bust they say.
A ton of topics I will dissect over the next few days. Plus news and weather..  Let's get ready and I could have my radio show back in a week..

Why does everyone hate A-rod

When Alex Rodriguez finally got a World Series ring a few years ago, I honestly thought that the world put him their rear view mirror and leave him alone. How wrong I have been. He is the most hated, scrutinized, polarizing athlete in the entire world. Tim Tebow nor Lebron James has nothing on A-rod. A-rod could find this spy guy in Russia right now and be arrested because somehow someway someone would say that he has aided in some way. A-rod could take a bullet for the President right now and he would be blamed for the assassination attempt. I have heard every pundit on every show talk about how hated he is.  How A-rod is not a Yankee.  How the Yankees want to get rid of him. How he has personally destroyed the game of baseball. A-rod is the only P.E.D user who admitted to taking the drugs because he was trying hard to live up to the richest contract in baseball history. Bonds denies not knowingly taking them. Clemens went to court and was acquitted during his trial for taking them. Mark McGwire took years to admit what he did. Only A-rod is getting the abuse he gets. His name is linked to the latest scandal and deservedly so he should be persecuted as a repeat offender but he is not the only one on the list. Lance Armstrong lied to us for years and years, yet every person in the world would still buy Lance a beer if they saw him in a bar. All of the things he did for Cancer patients will never be forgotten and in most people's eyes his evil was used for good.
Does anyone remember Reggie Jackson?  When Reggie became a Yankee the locker room was divided from day one. He told the press that he was the "straw that stirred the drink" on that ball club the made Thurman Munson nuts. Reggie openly fought with Billy Martin in the dugout because Billy thought he wasn't playing hard enough in a game in Fenway Park. of all places. No one would ever accuse Reggie of being precocious or shy. Even George would get on Reggie for his strikeouts and lackluster efforts at times, people associate Reggie's career only with a the Yankees. He was a stud with the A's in the early 70's. His home run in Tiger Stadium at the 1971 All Star game is still traveling.  He is often credited as being a Yankee even though so many disliked him. I know about the World Series performance in 1977. I know about 1978 as well. The Yankees immediately two rings in Reggie's tenure. When he left the Yankees it took 12 years before they went back to the post season.  Maybe if A-Rod had better success in the Post season people would leave him alone. Maybe if he had not signed the richest sports contract that the Yankees can't get out of people would leave him alone. Maybe if he didn't date Hollywood actresses or beautiful models people would leave him alone. Maybe he should be giving out autographed baseballs like Jeter after he dates you and dumps you. The man tweeted that he was getting back on the field.  Brian Cashman went psycho on him. The Yankees lost tonight.  They may lose Texirera for the rest of the season. What would happen if A-rod hit a walk off home run in game 7 of the world series and won the championship for the Yankees this season? Would you think he is a true Yankee then?  Probably not....

Boston Fans are the toughest fans in the world..

I wish I was Boston Strong.. I dont mean to trivialize the entire Boston Strong movement. I am extremely sensitive to what happened on Boston Marathon day. I am only using the phrase to try and understand  what you guys have been through. Heartbreak after heartbreak. 86 Mets. Aaron Freaking Boone. Bucky Freaking Dent. The New york Giants David Tyree. Eli Manning in both Super Bowls when you clearly have had better teams. The Stanley Cup against Edmonton with the messed up ice and fog in the arena. And of course the the other night. 1 minute from forcing a game a 7. Yes you have redemptive moments. Beating the Lakers and giving Garnett and Pierce their one and only title. Beating heavily  favored Vancouver in 7 games in Vancouver ( which caused a riot) was awesome. The Red Sox down 3-0 to the Yankees and sweeping the next 4 games and then sweeping the Cardinals in the World series was the stuff of legend. How do you keep sane? When I went to the University of Massachusetts I used to argue/debate with my fellow classmates about what city had better sports or better teams. At that time the Celtics were supreme. The Giants and Mets were filled with super players so the debates was quite heated. i was at UMASS when the riot happened after the Mets defeated the Red Sox in '86. The wave of passion even went racial. The combatants were on Donahue of all shows in the 80's.
What I love about Boston fans is no matter how good or bad their teams are their fans show up and support their players. I am sure Celtic fans are mad at Doc rivers for bolting to the Clippers in Los Angeles of all places but I am sure they will applaud him for what he accomplished while the Celtics coach. They never booed Larry Bird when he coached the Pacers so I don't expect Doc to get a bad reception as the Celtics re-build. The Bruin loss was tough to see because i felt they had the better team and had the proper strategy to beat the upstart Blackhawks. The Bruins had several opportunities to score in the first period and exuberance caused them to miss out. Bergeron is a super hero. He has my respect forever. The Red sox are currently in first place in baseball. No one expects to finish there. The Blue Jays have just won 11 straight and are preparing for a huge run in the second half.  The Yankees have not had their team all season. Jeter and A-Rod have yet to play this season. Chris Davis is "crushing" the ball everywhere and Baltimore is here to stay. I don't want to jinx the Sox but things could get tough for them in the second half. The fans will still be there.  That is why Boston Strong is more than just a slogan, it is a way of life. You have my respect...

Micheal Jordan is a "better" player but Lebron Means More...

A friend of mine responded to a facebook discussion by say this this quote," Micheal Jordan is a "better" player , But Lebron means more", and he could not be more correct. Micheal Jordan came a long to this world when we were still getting over Muhammad Ali's retirement. Reggie Jackson and his Yankee Days. Magic and Larry were must see t.v. The Doctor J show. Lawrence Taylor and Joe Montana legends growing. In other words the sports world was okay. Hell it was better than okay. It was thriving. We met a man named BO. We had Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler. The Mets were big in baseball. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were fierce rivals. Chrissie and Martina were opening the door for Steffi. Carl Lewis was God. Excess was the word and everyone was having fun. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46 and Hale Irwin had a magical run at it too. SPORTS was as Good as it gets...
This generation needs Lebron. Tiger does not connect to all people like people want him too. No matter how many golfing academies he opens or what he does for main stream America, people will always want more from him.  Baseball is treated like pro wrestling.  No one believes in any number put up or no one fully understands the P.E.D rage in the game. Football wants so badly for a new face to emerge because it is tired of re-tread coaches and old quarterbacks winning titles thus making all of the old boy network proud that their style of football still wins over this new age of football. Plus football players are wimps and are incapable of taking care of themselves. All of the new rules implemented to keep players safe or on the field have diminished the game to the point that fans would rather the players play flag football than to watch penalties called for hits that made players millions of dollars in previous year. Even Hockey is pushing harder for a more open ice/European style game. The story lines are more about concussions and players who fail than giving credit to the ones that have succeeded.
The NBA has been ridiculed over the past 15 years because they seemed to be more interested in just putting bodies on the floor instead of proven talent. Inviting 18 and 19 year old kids to play has hurt the game so much that teams have been moving at a feverish pace because of no fan support. Think about this, what other sport was given a mandate to dress up or improve your attire for press conferences before and after games? This couldn't be more insulting than any mandate that anyone could think of. Lebron is pure. Lebron is the savior of this generation.  He is Derek Jeter, Micheal Jordan, Joe Montana wrapped up in one enormous figure. He represents everyone. He is Tupac to most people because he is just like all of them. Raised by a single mom. Educated but has a street edge. He is the voice of this generation because no one is. RG3 could become that in football if he stays healthy. Tiger Woods showed that no one is perfect or teflon. Lebron has to keep quieting main stream America who resents him for making a choice. When he wins an entire generation wins because he took the short cut that so many want to take and is thriving. He is like Jay-z selling records out of his car and creating his own brand and company.  Jordan did it too, but he had Nike, gatorade, and other large corporations blow him up. (plus he was winning dunk contests, and doing the unimaginable at the same time). Lebron had one commercial run during the entire playoffs!!! Jordan had McDonalds, Gatorade, Nike, Wheaties, Hanes all going while he was at his highest peak. If that does not tell you why he must continue to grow and win, nothing else will....
Jordan is a much better player. He would average 45 points a game in this era. There are no obstructions to the rim in this era. No Bol.  No Shaq. No Olajawon. No Robinson. They hand checked back in those days. There was no flagrant fouls called in this series. Lerbon this new generation of fans needs you to keep being you. I hope you do...

swallowing the whistle is nothig new in all sports..

 I wrote a blog two months ago about whistle swallowing and I deleted last night because I could n't finish it. I know that it has been a part of sports for years. Remember the 2001 NBA playoffs. Dikembe Mutumbo never had any fouls called on him in the Eastern Conference playoff run. When he met up with Shaquille Oneal in the finals, if he sneezed it was a foul. This past football season, the Atlanta Falcon were denied a pass interference call the allowed the Niners to win the NFC championship game. Only the Niners lost the Super Bowl on a similar play when Crabtree was held in the endzone. This season in baseball has been marred by several blown calls by umpires. Baylor's womens basketball team had its championship dream ended on a no call to end that game. Coach Melky was so angry that she was willing to pay any amount of money for making comments about the officiating. We understand that Refs are people too.  They miss calls, they have bad judgement on some calls that is blatantly obvious to you and me. The homerun in the Oakland A's and Cleveland indians game is an example. We all saw it as a homerun. 4 umpires who watched the same replay did not. Armando Galarraga retired 26 straight batters in a game and when it appeared to the entire planet that number 27 was out too, the umpire screamed out safe. What do we do?
Clearly everyone is going to complain that the Spurs should have had a few free throws to eliminate the Heat tonight. Spur fans forget that Bruce Bowen grabbed Lebron James on a potential game winning shot where Lebron should have at least had free throws. He got nothing but swept aside. All pro sports put out its best officials for championship games or series. they try not to let the refs or umps be the story and want the players to determine the outcome. Did Jordan push off? Of course he did. But it wasn't called. Remember the 1985 World Series when the Cardinals thought they had won but the first base umpire called the runner safe at first? Making a tough call is why they have the guys there in the first place. If you can'tdo it or the moment is too big or bright for you then get out of the way. Game 6 will be remembered for the shot by Allen, the Missed free throws by Ginobli and Leonard, and of course the no calls in overtime. its a damn shame..

Dr.J... The forgotten star

When I was a lad, I had a few sport heroes. I loved Reggie Jackson. He was bold, cocky, intimidating. He believed he could do no wrong. Even though he struck out a lot, I watched just to see if he could hit a home run. Before he became the most notorious criminal since Al  Capone, I loved the "juice". He was poetry in motion on the field. His teams stunk, but I would still watch to see if he could break a long one or make someone look foolish. Sports in the 70's was about to erupt with these individual talents that no one had ever seen before. Pele was still a stud. Yes I know teams were still the talk of all sports. The "big red machine" in Cincinnati was awesome. The dynasties of UCLA, Boston Celtics, New York Islanders were outstanding. But they were all dying out. Gretzsky was about to emerge. Magic and Bird were about to take over the NBA. Joe Montana was creating a legacy at Notre Dame. And then there was Doc.
Julius Erving was a playground legend. He is went to the University of Massachusetts and I could imagine what kind of playground games were being played at the shoe. He was must see television no matter what level of basketball he played. You did not care if he won or lost. You just had to see the Dr. The NBA should have gotten the doctor out of college but they had rules against players going hardship. So he went to ABA and blessed them with his playground antics. The ABA was ridiculed for its individuality on the court. It would be no surprise if games were in the 150's or 160's in regulation. Defense was an option but seldom played.  When both leagues merged, many old school NBA people thought that the way Doc played would not succeed in the league. Yes he did not win several titles but he was extraordinarily successful.
The Philadelphia 76ers were the lucky team to get Doc. He led them to the NBA finals four times. His first season in the NBA, Doc led the Sixers against Portland. They won the first two games but couldn't overcome Bill Walton. Doc was awesome in the series. He quieted most of his critics with his dazzling dunks and outstanding play. He has several posterising plays in that series that are still legendary. He next faced Magic Johnson and Kareem a couple times in the finals. Losing one and winning one in 1983. The final defeats keep him out of the best player conversation. Which is unfair because he could play against anyone and dominated them. His ABA career was ridiculous. He was a three time M.V.P., two time champion, and three time scoring champ in 5 years. As a rookie he averaged 29 points a game. His playoff numbers were better than his regular season numbers. He averaged over 30 points in each of his playoff seasons in the ABA.  He was the show. He did not play defense like Micheal or Lebron, but no one ever gave it to the Doctor. If he had won NBA titles like Bird or Magic, there would be no argument. He even did a movie . The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh was a must see for any Dr. J fan. He opened the door for all of the creative players that followed him. Connie Hawkins and David Thompson were spectacular as well but did not do it like the Doctor.
You all know how much I love Jordan. Dr.J is on that same mount Rushmore. The Milwaukee Bucks had a chance to have Oscar, Kareem and Doc. Can you imagine what kind of dynasty that would have been?  Doctor J should never be over looked in these best ever discussions. For my money Dr.J is still in the top 5 conversation. What do you think?