Archive for February, 2012
February 29, 2012
Who won the 2011 NBA title? Was it:
Kobe and the Lakers – no that was 2009 and 2010.
Oh I got it, it was those Spurs led by that all-time great Tim Duncan – sorry, no.
Was it the NBA’s greatest franchise, the Boston Celtics, they won number 18 right? Wrong again.
It was Oklahoma City, led by the league’s youngest star Kevin Durant. No, what the heck?
Oh yeah I almost forgot, it was the Miami Heat – they won the title in July 2010, that’s what almost everyone said anyway. No no no, why I am so confused? (more…)
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Tags:Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, ESPN, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Finals, Russell Westbrook
Posted in ESPN Shenanigans, NBA | 10 Comments »
February 25, 2012
Kevin Hart Drives against TIM Hardaway
You may or may not agree with that opinion but it’s a fact that he is a fool.
Last night was the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the annual curtain-raiser for the NBA’s All-Star Weekend; a game of actors, singers, rappers, television personalities, NBA Legends, male athletes from other sports, and usually a WNBA star or two. The game was a classic East vs West battle.
The West team boasted the old Golden State Warriors trio, Run TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mich Richmond, and Chris Mullin). Other notable stars were JB Smoove, Ne-Yo, and Common – who is not an NBA player but played one on TV. Common and the East’s J Cole had a head-to-head battle that was dominated by J Cole, as he invited him into “Cole World.” (more…)
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Tags:Arne Duncan, Chamique Holdsclaw, Chocolate Drop, Chris Mullin, Cole World, Common, Doug Gottlieb, Dwight Howard, ESPN, Golden State Warriors, J Cole, JB Smoove, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Durant, Kevin Hart, Linsanity, Mitch Richmond, Ne-Yo, Paul Pierce, Penny Hardaway, Run TMC, Tamika Catchings, Tim Hardaway, University of Tennessee
Posted in NBA | 18 Comments »
February 25, 2012
Mesinee Mangkalakiri
The World Badminton Federation may have suggested that women have a more “attractive presentation,” by wearing a skirt or dress as part of their uniform. Okay maybe it is more than just a suggestion. It is a new rule that has stirred uproar in the women’s badminton community, if such a community exists.
Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri, a 2008 Olympian with the United States, was quoted as saying “It doesn’t matter what Kobe Bryant wears, people like his skills on the court. You’d hope they come to watch you because you are their favorite player and you have ability and style, not because you’re wearing someone’s favorite skirt.” Sorry May but I disagree. (more…)
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Tags:2012 Summer Olympics, Badminton, Kobe Bryant, Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri, World Badminton Federation
Posted in Women's Sports | 2 Comments »
February 24, 2012
It was fun while it lasted.
The Jeremy Lin story, which has captivated the sports media, the Twittersphere and the Worldwide Web over the past several weeks, came to a screeching halt last night as the Miami Heat gave “Linsanity” and his followers a much-needed dose of reality.
Lin’s final line – 8 points on 1-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 turnovers in a 102-88 loss by the New York Knicks to the Miami Heat in a game that was much more lopsided than the score indicates.
As has been well-documented during his rags-to-riches story, Lin overcame long odds to even make an NBA squad this season. He’s Asian-American, an Ivy-Leaguer and by all accounts a very articulate, engaging young player in a “me-first” league… an NBA marketing dream for both domestic and international basketball markets. To his credit, Lin was given an opportunity to play at the highest level and he seized his moment on an incredible run, turning his team from a pretender into a potential contender in under a month. What’s not to love here?
The reality is – similar to rookie pitchers in Major League Baseball – it was only a matter of time before the book was written on how to stop Jeremy Lin. Don’t get me wrong – Jeremy Lin is a nice player who will carve out a niche in the NBA as a score-first option at guard. As we learned last night, the second coming of Isiah Thomas he is not. (more…)
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Tags:Jeremy Lin, Miami Heat, NBA, New York Knicks
Posted in NBA | 8 Comments »
February 23, 2012
Lionel Messi
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart – Loads of talent and still more to come.
Defenders
Maicon – If he gets picked over Dani Alves by the national team coach, he must be better.
Gerard Pique – He doesn’t have to defend much against La Liga teams but still is able to avoid complacency. He earns his money in the big games and performs so well you start thinking that maybe he isn’t being overpaid as a defender on a Barcelona team that doesn’t defend much. (more…)
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Tags:Andrés Iniesta, Andres D'Alessandro, Arjen Robben, Ashley Cole, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Cristiano Ronaldo, Daniel Alves, David Beckham, David Silva, Gareth Bale, Gerard Pique, Igor Akinfeev, Iker Cassillas, Joe Hart, Kaka, Lionel Messi, Maicon, Manuel Neuer, Michael Essien, Neymar, Robin Van Persie, Sergio Ramos, Vincent Kompany, Wayne Rooney, Xavi
Posted in International Soccer | 3 Comments »
February 20, 2012
Parity.
This is the reason so many experts and fans give for the NFL’s popularity versus that of America’s original pastime – Major League Baseball.
However, the numbers are a lot closer then the pundits ever admit. Let’s take a close look at them, and start with the good clean year of 2000. (more…)
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Tags:Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, MLB, NFL, Parity, Ralph Wilson, Super Bowl, World Series
Posted in MLB, NFL | 16 Comments »
February 18, 2012
Yes, you read that correctly.
Courtesy of the always awesome Deadspin, ESPN ran that headline on ESPN Mobile from 2:30 to 3:05 EST this morning. Shortly afterwards, the apology came: (more…)
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Tags:Chink in the Armor, Deadspin, ESPN, ESPN.com, Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
Posted in ESPN Shenanigans, NBA | 2 Comments »
February 17, 2012
Fed Ex delivery driver Ed Weiland, carries packages in downtown Bend, Ore. Weiland also writes for a blog and predicted that Jeremy Lin would be a good NBA player
Although a couple of us weren’t that surprised that Linsanity is running wild, NBA scouts and GMs are likely kicking themselves for overlooking him.
However, before the 2010 draft, there was one fellow that had him pegged as a potential NBA starter. (more…)
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Tags:Ed Weiland, FedEx, George Hill, Jeremy Lin, Lin, Linsanity, National Basketball Association, NBA, NY Knicks, Wall Street Journal
Posted in NBA, NCAA Hoops | 6 Comments »
February 14, 2012
All this football Hall of Fame talk got me thinking about transgressions in other sports. And when you talk Hall of Fame, you start in one place – Cooperstown, New York.
With the recent induction of Barry Larkin and Ron Santo (both debatable), I decided to take a look at one of my favorite players growing up. Why is Sweet Lou Whitaker not on the tip of the pen of the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America? (more…)
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Tags:Alan Trammell, Barry Larkin, Baseball Writers Association of America, Cooperstown, cooperstown new york, Lou Whitaker, MLB Hall of Fame, Ron Santo, Whitaker
Posted in MLB, Throwbacks | 1 Comment »
February 13, 2012
Immediately after the New York Giants come-from-behind victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, debate swirled not on another 4th quarter comeback by the most clutch quarterback in the NFL or on the Tyree-esque sideline catch by Mario Manningham… but on a play which arguably could have sealed the game for New England. (more…)
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Tags:David Patten, Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, New England patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl XLVI, Tom Brady, Wes Welker
Posted in NFL | 7 Comments »
February 13, 2012
Two young All-Star PFs with great careers ahead of them.
Griffin is known for his explosiveness — Love for his well-rounded game.
Griffin scores a loud 35 — Love a quiet 20 and 20.
Griffin’s ceiling is higher — Love is more fundamentally sound.
Griffin intimidates and imposes his will on offense — Love stretches the defense.
Griffin has flair for the dramatic — Love is the better rebounder. (more…)
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Tags:Blake Griffin, Defensive rating, Kevin Love, NBA, Offensive rating, Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares
Posted in NBA | 6 Comments »
February 10, 2012
European players are common on NBA rosters these days, and a lot of them are pretty talented: Nowitzki, Rubio, Parker, Bargnani, Calderon, and the Gasol brothers among them.
Twenty years ago there were only a few. The shining light among them was Drazen Petrovic. (more…)
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Tags:Clyde Drexler, Croatian Basketball Players, Dale Ellis, Drazen Petrovic, Dream Team, FIBA World Championship, Jim Paxson, Michael Jordan, National Basketball Association, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Osacr Robertson, Otis Birdsong, Pro Basketball Hall of Fame
Posted in NBA, Throwbacks | Leave a Comment »
February 8, 2012
According to Profootballtalk.com, one of the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee just started covering the NFL in September 2011.
Take that in for a moment. Someone responsible for determining whether a player is worthy of the HOF, the ultimate honor…has been covering the sport for a mere five months.
In addition to the issue of inexperience, how can that person NOT be swayed by some of the other voters that have covered football for many years? (more…)
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Tags:Hall of Fame, HOF, National Football League, NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Profootballtalk.com, Super Bowl, Voting
Posted in NFL | 4 Comments »
February 7, 2012
With the first of two Duke/North Carolina match-ups a day away, I would like to take a look back at the last 30 years of this fabled rivalry.
These are my five most memorable games:
5) Feb 3, 2000 – Chapel Hill – Duke 90 UNC 86 (OT) (more…)
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Tags:ACC, Chris Duhon, Coach K, Duke, Joseph Forte, Michael Jordan, North Carolina, Sam Perkins, Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
Posted in NCAA Hoops | 2 Comments »
February 7, 2012
Remember when Monday Night Football began giving us the starting lineups via the video head shot and self-intro? Around that time, I distinctly remember Edgerrin James hitting us with “Edgerrin James, every-down back”
Between 1997 and 2006, Edge and his fellow RBs accounted for 28 of the top 50 yards-from-scrimmage seasons in NFL history. In the five years since? Only Ray Rice, Arian Foster, and Chris Johnson. (more…)
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Tags:Arian Foster, Chris Johnson, Edgerrin James, Every-down Backs, Michael Turner, National Football League, NFL, Ray Rice, Super Bowl
Posted in NFL | 1 Comment »
February 6, 2012
Five Super Bowl Rings — over 100 sacks — two All-Pro teams. But no Canton.
Why is Charles Haley on the outside looking in when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Haley was a 4th round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1986, and made an immediate impact his rookie year by recording a team-high 12 sacks and forcing four fumbles. (more…)
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Tags:Charles Haley, Dallas, Dallas Cowboys, Haley, National Football League, NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl
Posted in NFL, Throwbacks | 7 Comments »
February 5, 2012
Lets get this out of the way first–congratulations to the recent elections into the HOF:
Curtis Martin – the epitome of durability & production. A class act to boot.
Chris Doleman – 150 sacks in 15 yrs.
Willie Roaf – dominant Tackle for 14 yrs.
Dermontti Dawson – long overdue; best C of the 1990s.
Cortez Kennedy – great very good DT
Jack Butler – senior committee selection from the 50s.
The process for electing HOF members needs to be reevaluated. (more…)
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Tags:Andre Reed, Bill Parcells, Charles Haley, Chris Carter, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin, Dermontti Dawson, Jerome Bettis, NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Steve Atwater, Tim Brown, Willie Roaf
Posted in NFL | 8 Comments »
February 5, 2012
In a technological world, we now have access to virtually everything instantly.
We have been watching and critiquing both New England and New York the entire season and playoffs. There is also a two-week break before the Super Bowl to compile even more information on these teams.
With so much time and technology, we should have a clear picture on how this game will turn out. (more…)
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Tags:David Beckham, H&M, Hulu, Madonna, Mark Cuban, New England patriots, New York Giants, Skechers, Super Bowl, Super Bowl Ads, Toyota, Volkswagen, Will Arnett
Posted in NFL | 1 Comment »
February 4, 2012
A couple of times a week you can see a certain basketball team trot out a rotation that looks like this:
PG – 6’4″
SG – 6’7″ 205 lbs
SF – 6′ 8″ 215 (6’11″ wing span)
PF – 6’11″ (7’5″ wing span)
C – 7’0″ 250 lbs
First big off the bench – 6’9″
Back up swing man – 6’6″ 220
If you were looking to your nearest NBA city, you would come up empty. (more…)
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Tags:March Madness, NBA, North carolina Basketball, Roy Williams, Tar Heels
Posted in NCAA Hoops | 2 Comments »
February 4, 2012
Some of the more memorable title teams of the last fifty years have been characterized by their tough defenses.
The ’86 Bears and the 70’s Steelers. The Bulls of the 90’s and the Spurs of the 2000’s.
Perhaps this has fueled the notion that a team needs at least a very good defense to win on the biggest stage. In fact, offensive performances in championship games have been just as important. (more…)
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Tags:Auburn, BCS Championship Game, Bears, Cardinals, Colts, defense wins championships, LSU, NBA Finals, offense wins championships, Oregon, Packers, Saints, Spurs, Steelers, Super Bowl, World Series, Yankees
Posted in MLB, NBA, NCAA Football, NFL | 3 Comments »
February 3, 2012
“New York or New England, make a pick”. If I knew anything about guns, I’d let you know the model and make. Shiny.
“Who the fuck are you guys?!”, I bark back realizing my hands are tied, and some fucktard knocked me out while I was getting into my car.
“New York? New England?… You mean the fucking Super Bowl?”
“Yeah, that’s right hotshot”, the man says with a smirk, pulling back the trigger on his big shiny gun that won’t get out of my god-damn face! “Make a fucking pick!!!” (more…)
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Tags:Eli Manning, Gambling, New England patriots, New York Giants, Super Bowl, Tom Brady
Posted in Handicapping, NFL | 5 Comments »
February 3, 2012
St. Patrick's Michael Gilchrist in 2007
New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Balt/D.C. have long been considered the regions of the country with the most high school basketball talent. NBA rosters are littered with players from these areas.
It’s time to talk about northern New Jersey in the same light. 15 NBA players prepped in North Jersey, highlighted by big names Andrew Bynum; Al Harrington; Loul Deng; Joakim Noah; J.R. Smith (as soon as he gets back from China); and exciting rookie Kyrie Irving.
In contrast, the NYC area is only represented by 8 players. (more…)
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Tags:Al Harrington, Andrew Bynum, Joakim Noah, Kyrie Irving, National Basketball Association, NBA, New York City, North Jersey
Posted in NBA, NCAA Hoops | 8 Comments »
February 2, 2012
Last night, I was watching the Knicks/Pistons game on TV when Spero Dedes mentioned the anniversary of a Knicks milestone: 28 years ago, Bernard King scored 50 points in consecutive games. It hadn’t happened in the NBA since 1964.
King was 20 for 23 (10 FTs) and 20 for 28 (10 FTs) from the field. Those are Wilt & Shaq numbers, and sick for a 6’7″ small forward. It got me thinking. (more…)
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Tags:Bernard King, Dwight Howard, Hall of Fame, Kareem Abdul Jabaar, NBA, New York Knicks, Shaquile O'Neal, Tyson Chandler, Wilt Chamberlain
Posted in NBA, Throwbacks | 7 Comments »
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