The Rundown

Welcome back to Living Inside Enemy Lines. My name is Matthew Bassin, I’m about to turn 30 (same birthday as Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Tommy Moe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and…. ugh… Paris Hilton), I’m a lifelong Laker and Piston fan and am currently living in the city of their most hated rivals, Boston.

This is a multi-part story about what it’s like to live in this city, from a sports point of view. If you haven’t read parts 1 and/or 2, then you’re going to be confused, so go read those and then come back.

Welcome back. I’ve already covered the Origin and the Boston Red Sox. Next up is the team that almost was the greatest ever, and almost just won another title. The New England Patriots.

As far as my feelings go for the Pats, I really don’t have any animosity toward them. I rooted for them against the St. Louis Rams in 2001, have always liked Wes Welker, Teddy Bruschi is an Arizona Wildcat (my Alma Mater) and have felt blessed to watch Tom Brady do what he does. (I’m the kind of guy that appreciates Legendary greatness in all sports, and I’ve been fortunate to see a few per sport in my almost 30 years on this planet. And yes, Tom Brady is Legendary greatness, but more on that later.)

The New England Patriots have been one of, if not the best NFL franchise in the last 11 years. They have gone to 5 Super Bowls, winning 3. They completed a 16-game season with a perfect 16-0 record in 2007. They have one of the greatest coaches, Quarterbacks and Quarterback-coaching combo’s ever.

And just like with the Boston Red Sox… It’s not good enough for some folks in this town.

The 2011 season has just recently come to an end, with the New York Giants defeating the Pats 21-17 in Super Bowl XLIV… no, XVLI…. no… LIVX… dammit! Super Bowl 46.

The Patriots were the No. 1 seed in the AFC, dismantling the upstart Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, outlasting the vaunted Baltimore Ravens in the Championship round, and coming within a Wes Welker/Deion Branch/Aaron Hernandez catch in the 4th quarter of winning their 4th Super Bowl in 11 years.

But the passes all missed, regardless of fault, and the Giants marched down, just like in 2007, and broke the hearts of Patriots fans throughout New England.

And here come the fans…

“Trade Brady”

“Trade Welker”

“Trade Brady AND Welker”

Are you freakin kidding me?! You want to get rid of a man who just finished a season where he threw for 5,235 yards (Surpassing Dan Marino’s record and second only to Drew Brees), 39 TDs and completed 66% of his passes. And you want to dump the NFL’s LEADING RECEIVER. Who caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards, which is an average of just about 100 yards a game.

“But they choked in the Super Bowl…”

BUT YOU GOT TO THE SUPER BOWL!

I heard a great line while watching NFL Network’s Top 10 (great show btw). “You want to know why there are so many great players who never played in a Super Bowl? BECAUSE IT’S HARD TO GET THERE.”

Now, maybe I’m missing something, because I’m a fan of the Detroit Lions and the closest we’ve come to a Super Bowl is HOSTING it in 2005. But I’ll tell you this, IF my Lions ever make it to the final Sunday of the NFL season, something all 32 teams dream of doing, yet only 2 per year get to do, I’ll spend the entire game celebrating (not to mention laughing my ass off) that they even got there!

But expectations are higher in the city of Boston. Simply getting to the final game is not good enough. They cannot sit back and enjoy the fact that Tom Brady has treated them to 11 years of shear BRILLIANCE at the Quarterback position. In his decade-plus run, Tom has never had a losing season, has never completed less than 60% of his passes, has never thrown for more than 14 picks (that’s less than 1 per game for his CAREER), and is 5th all-time in TDs with 300.

When you look at the greatest QBs of all-time, the majority of them had a Wide Receiver that also did a fair share of the legwork. With Joe Montana, you have Jerry Rice 6’2” (Greatest Receiver of all-time, duh). With John Elway, you have Shannon Sharpe 6’2” (ok, he’s a TE, but he’s one of the top-3 of all-time). With Dan Marino, you have the Marks Brothers (Mark Clayton and Mark Duper). With Peyton Manning, you have Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne (both 6-feet tall).

All of these combos had receivers (or TEs) that caught for over 1000 yards many, many times in their career.

With Tom Brady, here are his receivers throughout his career: Troy Brown 5’10”  (ONE season of over 1000 yards receiving), David Givens 6’0” (maybe) (never caught for 1000 yards), Deion Branch 5’9” (reached 998 yards in 2005, that’s his highest). With those 3 receivers, he won THREE Super Bowls in FOUR years.

Then Randy Moss and Wes Welker came into the fold and Brady went DUMB. (That’s a good thing for you older readers) He threw for 50 TDs and only 8 interceptions, averaging 300 yards a game and a QB rating of 117.2. Wes Welker led the NFL in receptions and Randy Moss broke Jerry Rice’s record, catching 23 TDs for the season. (One more than Rice did in a lockout-shorted 14 game season).

Flash forward to this past season, a season where offense was king, and defense was non-existent (except for San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston). Welker led the NFL in receptions with 122 for over 1500 yards, 2nd year TE Aaron Hernandez had over 900 yards receiving, and other 2nd year TE Rob Gronkowski set NFL records with 17 TDs (most ever by a TE) and caught for over 1300 yards.

Who throws over 2200 yards to his Tight Ends?! Tom Brady does.

And he’s taken this team to the post season almost every year he’s played. They are being called the New York Yankees of the NFL. Last I checked, the Yankees got their reputation because they won… A LOT. And so do the Patriots. 124-35… That’s the record for the Pats with Brady at the helm.

35 losses for his career in the regular season… over 10 years of playing… PFFFFT…. My Lions lost more than that in a 3 year span! (2001-2003, 38 losses), (2004-2006, 34 losses), and (2008-2010, 40 losses) JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE.

What is it about being so good for so long that people end up taking it for granted? Now don’t think it’s like this for EVERY Patriots fan out in Boston, I’m sure some of them can actually appreciate what they have before they lose it. But for the most part, the fans here are ridiculous about this team… just like with the Sox.

A loss means the system is broken, the coach is getting old, the QB has lost his star-power, and an entire overhaul is necessary.

This is just not the case. Only ONE team wins the Super Bowl every year, and it is damn hard to get there, let alone win it. Ask the Buffalo Bills. And the Patriots have been there 7 times in their history, with 5 of those times coming in the last 11 years. And it was almost more… rememeber 4th-and-2 against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game?

The point is, this team is a fantastic example of greatness over a lengthy period of time. They should be celebrated and should be allowed to celebrate the fact that they just went to another Super Bowl. (Yes, people are upset that Gronkowski and Matt Light were dancing at a NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS PARTY, after the Super Bowl. They just finished a grueling season and came up just short in a very tight Championship game. Get a life people.)

I’m baffled by some of the comments I hear daily about this team and how to fix it… You came up 4 points short in the Super Bowl. Not much to fix.

At least with the Red Sox there was a real reason to bitch. But with the Pats, it just makes no sense. 13-3 in the regular season, No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, a young defense that gave up yards and not points, and a top-4 offense in a very, very offense-happy league. Oh, and you also WENT TO THE SUPER BOWL. Good call Boston fans.

No wonder Tom Brady lives in California…

****COMING SOON, WE DROP THE PUCK ON PART 4 OF LIVING INSIDE ENEMY LINES****

Sorry for the delay on Part Two of this story of Living Inside Enemy Lines, but for some reason my Tumblr account was not working. For those just joining us, my name is Matthew Bassin and I am a lifelong Los Angeles Laker and Detroit Piston fan, and I have currently lived and worked in the city of Boston for the last 15 months.

And being a Laker and Piston fan means hating one team and city more than anyone else, Boston.

Now that you’re caught up, let’s get to what it means to live in this city.

It means being surrounded by some of the most obnoxious, yet knowledgeable sports fans in the country. They are also a sky-is-falling fanbase.

I have had the privalege of living in some great sports towns (Detroit and now Boston), some admittedly not-great sports towns (Santa Barbara and Tucson), and some towns that think they are great sports towns but need some work (San Diego and Atlanta).

To be fair to Atlanta, they are a good sports town, but that sport is college football, er…. SEC football (and Georgia Tech). And unless it’s that time of year, the city just kind of coasts around their sports teams.

In Boston, like all cities, there is one clear favorite team, one that gets talked about all year long. You’d think that team would be the Patriots for their decade-plus run of fantastic regular seasons, not to mention three Super Bowls and four appearances. Or maybe the Celtics for winning their NBA-leading 17th Championship in 2008 and getting within the 4th quarter of Game 7 of winning it again in 2010. Or maybe even the Bruins, who ended a 39-year drought by hoisting the Stanley Cup this past June.

But no, it’s far and away the Boston Red Sox. Now, I don’t know how this city treated the Sox during their 86-year dry-spell, but the way this city lived and died with them last summer was something to behold.

First, it was the slow start in April, where most of the population had enough common sense to realize it’s a 162-game season and to not panic. However there were the people who thought this team was dead already because they were trailing the hated New York Yankees.

Then came the months leading to the All-Star break in July, where the Sox were the best team in baseball. Their pitching staff was clicking, newly acquired first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez was hitting like a man possessed, and they, as a team, could do no wrong.

The Sox stayed hot throughout the summer, building a sizeable lead in the division and a seemingly insurmountable lead in the Wild Card race. And all the talk of “Best Team EVER” was stirring on the airwaves, both radio and television. Fans were feeling great about their team, in fact, after the Bruins won the Cup there was talk of the city maybe owning all 4 major sports trophies at once! (Yes, they really did have conversations of significant length about this topic).

Then came the month of September… (If I could add dramatic music to this sentence, I would).

The month of September in 2011 is something the city of Boston will never forget. It is a month where their beloved Red Sox, who were on pace to win 100 games and contend for their 3rd World Series in seven years, went 7-20, including losing 2 out of the final 3 games to the Baltimore Orioles (whose final record was 69-93, last in the division). Then have just enough time to make their way into the dugout and watch the Tampa Bay Rays complete a 3-game sweep of the Yankees and leapfrog the Sox for the Wild Card spot.

Season over. No postseason for the “Best Team EVER”.

And then all-hell breaks loose. The rumors start flying about this player and that player. Stories of Popeyes’ Chicken and beer in the clubhouse during games. Pitchers accused of not giving it their all. The Manager accused of a drug problem.

It was chaotic, yet very entertaining.

Then Terry Francona, Arizona Graduate (ahem) and 8-year manager of the Boston Red Sox, is forced out. And I mean forced out in front of a bus that hits him and drags him under again and again. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’d think after all the success he had (2 World Series, the first two since, oh… 1918!) that they would give him a grand send-off. But no, they threw him out like garbage. Couldn’t believe he had enough character to take the high road with them.

After that, the Doogie Howser of GM-ing, aka, Theo Epstein goes to Chicago to take over as President of Baseball Operations for the Cubs. And now you have a team full of talent and no one to steer the ship. (BTW, Theo Epstein became General Manager of the Red Sox in 2002 at the age of 28. #DoogieHowser)

So now the city is in a scramble to find a new GM and a new Manager. The names that were coming up were very… unimpressive. Except for the ridiculous ones. “Well, maybe Tony LaRussa will come out of the retirement he just went into and come here… Or maybe Joe Torre will leave his cushy desk job and deal with the stress of managing the Sox…”

Yah, Joe Torre is 71 years old… He also became a legend managing the NEW YORK YANKEES… Yah, he’s gonna tarnish that image. I don’t think so.

The Sox ended up with the only guy who’s name was “big” enough to take over in Boston. Bobby Valentine. I personally loved the move. But the fanatics here, had a different opinion. And here’s the problem… The man that was perfect for this job, they just ran him out of town!

Terry Francona was a winner in Boston. He was able to deal with the egos on the team, and settle them enough to win, and win a lot. But the message turned stale, and the players stopped listening. So out with the old and in with the… new?

Spring Training hasn’t even begun, but the Sox have had equal airtime as the Patriots (about to host the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs), Bruins (currently one of, if not the hottest team in the NHL) and probably more airtime than the Celtics (whose season is finally underway, thank-you-very-much stupid NBA Lockout).

This city loves its Sox… as long as they are winning. They aren’t happy with good regular seasons anymore. They have become far too spoiled for that. The days of just enjoying how great the run has been are far behind this fanbase. Maybe they enjoyed them more in 2003, before they finally won a World Series or two… I don’t know, I wasn’t here.

But I’m here now, and as a fan of the Detroit Tigers (A team that has been god-awful until 2006 when they went to the World Series), I know what it’s like to love a team that is finally starting to play good baseball. I was ecstatic that they made the ALCS this year. Was hurt, like any good fan would be, when they were knocked out of the playoffs. But I was proud of them and the season they had. And maybe I’d have a different opinion if they were winners of a couple recent title, but I doubt it.

Like I said, in the city of Boston, the fans are obnoxious, yet knowledgeable. But you also have to deal with the ridiculous sometimes. And when it comes to the Red Sox, at least in my opinion, the fanatics here are definitely ridiculous.

There’s more to come. Still got 3 more sets of teams/fans to break down.

But you’re gonna have to wait… Hope you’ve enjoyed so far.

********Coming Soon, the Saga Continues********

My name is Matthew Levi Bassin. This is my blog. Lately it has been rather empty, for anyone out there that still reads me, I apologize for not being more active. That changes starting today. And it starts, like any good story should, with an Origin.

I was born in Los Angeles, California. The first of three children, and the only member of my family not to be born in Detroit, Michigan. When I was three my family moved back to Detroit where I spent the next seven years growing up in a city that loves sports like few others. I, of course, grew up loving the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Red Wings… as well as the underdog, Michigan State University, where my parents went to school.

Another man went there… in fact, he’s probably the most famous Spartan there is and ever will be. Earvin “Magic” Johnson. And he was the point guard for the team in the city I was born in. So, along with being a Detroit Piston fan, I have also always been a Los Angeles Laker fan.

Now, before you do what EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY PEERS HAS DONE, and tell me that I can’t be a fan of both teams… I am, so deal with it. I was a fan of the mid-90’s Nick Van Exel-Eddie Jones Lakers and the (pukes) Turquoise-and-Orange No-Talent-Outside-of-Grant-Hill Pistons. You grow up loving both teams, it sticks with you.

Now to the point of this story…

Growing up a Laker fan in the 80’s, you had one arch-rival, one enemy that stood out among the pack, the Boston Celtics.

Growing up a Piston fan in the 80’s, you had one arch-rival, one enemy that stood out among the pack, the BOSTON CELTICS.

The Green-and-White leprechan, with their stupid Garden, and their stupid dead spots, and their stupid tradition of winning… And in the 80’s they won A LOT. They kept my Pistons down and out of the Finals in until 1988 when they finally broke through. And they defeated my Lakers in the Finals in 1984 on their way to three titles in the decade.

Needless to say, I grew up HATING the Boston Celtics. And relished in the fact that from 1986-2008, they didn’t win an NBA Championship, meanwhile my Pistons won in ‘89, ‘90 and 2004. And my Lakers won in ‘87, ‘88, 2000, ‘01, and ‘02.

(Meanwhile, in my own life, I went to college, earned my degree in Journalism and started a career in the sports world. Working for newspapers, radio and television stations. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Up-and-Comers and Hall-of-Famers as well as picking the brains of some of the more brilliant minds in the world of sports. Anyway…)

In 2008, the Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and man-handled my Pistons in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals and then man-handled my Lakers in six games to win their 17th NBA Championship and first in 22 years. NOT COOL.

But my Lakers followed that up with back-to-back NBA Titles (No. 15 and 16) including a seven-game series over the hated Celtics. That historical-yet-little-too-convenient-it-went-seven-games series was in June of 2010.

In October of 2010, I took a new job and had to moved… To Boston.

I actually almost passed on the job simply because it’s in the city of Boston. But I took the job, best decision of my life, and I have spent the last 15 months surrounded by Wicked Pissah’s who love their Sox, their Pats, their Celtics, and even their Bruins… although a lot of them are what they call “Pink Hats”, or bandwagon jumpers, thanks to the 2011 Stanley Cup victory.

I’ve listened to the local sports radio daily. Have conversations at the water cooler with men and women, old and young, and I’ve learned some interesting things from these fanatics. Some good, some ridiculous, with some of them knowing where my allegiances lied and some having no clue they were talking to the enemy.

I’ve even spoken to a couple of Celtic players.

So what can I tell you about being a sports nut and living inside of enemy lines? Plenty.

But you’re gonna have to wait.

********TOMORROW, PART 2 OF LIVING INSIDE ENEMY LINES*********

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on the clock for over a month now, eyeing a draft class that isn’t exactly drawing comparisons to the Draft of ‘03. That draft, if you don’t remember, started with LeBron James and included Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.

This years crop? Not quite on that level, at least it doesn’t look that way right now. However, there are a couple of studs who stand out from the pack, and the two I’m thinking of we’re by far the best two players in the NCAA Tournament this past season.

And the Cavs have a chance to snatch BOTH OF THEM. Because the Cavaliers have the first and fourth pick in this years draft. And a chance to grab Derrick Williams of Arizona and Kemba Walker of UConn, the two best players this past March.

But they won’t do it, because that would be very un-Cleveland-like. The chance to bring in two superstars and build around them? That just makes too much sense. But wait, it gets better for you Cleveland! One of them is a Point Guard, the other a Forward, so you can have one of your new stars be a distributor (who can score with the best of them) and the other a finisher (who can defend as well). And make no mistake about it, Kemba Walker hears all the negative talk, and he’s going to use it as fuel. He’s fast, can shoot, can drive and can finish. But he also has very good court vision and he envisions himself a PG, so you can bet your last dollar, he’s going to prove it as a pro.

But no, all the talk about the NBA Draft is about Kyrie Irving from Duke. Well, kind of from Duke. He did only play 11 games this season, does that count as playing for Duke? Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this kid is talented, but do you really think he’s that much better than Kemba Walker? Did he lead his team to the promise land? No, he got bounced in the Sweet 16 by Derrick Williams and the Arizona Wildcats, as a ONE Seed. The same Arizona Wildcats that Kemba Walker defeated in the very next round.

I don’t see how you can bet your future on a guy who didn’t even play a third of his ONLY college season. And that’s exactly what the Cavaliers are doing, because if you go with Kyrie Irving, that means you’re not taking Derrick Williams, which means you’re not taking Kemba Walker either, unless you just want a ridiculous back-court.

So let’s say you go with Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick, who are you taking at No. 4? Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas? Really? So you’d rather have Irving and Valanciunas (will that fit on a jersey?) instead of Kemba and Derrick Williams? I don’t know, maybe it’s me, maybe I’m crazy here, but I just don’t see how this makes sense!

Look at what you get from Derrick Williams: Defense (ask Memphis in Round One), Scoring when it counts (Ask Texas in Round Two), the Ability to carry his team (Ask Duke about the 1st half of the Sweet 16) and the humility to allow his team to work as well (Ask Duke in the 2nd half of the Sweet 16). He’s big, he’s strong, he can shoot and play defense.

And here are the stats from the Tournament: An average of 23 points and 9 rebounds for the four games Arizona was in. Including 32 points and 13 rebounds against Duke, where he went 5 for 6 from behind the arc and scored 25 points in the first half alone.

Now for Kemba Walker, the 2011 Tournament MOP. In the six games it took UConn to win the National Title, Kemba never scored less than 16 points, never had more than 4 turnovers and in the first game, almost notched a triple-double, dropping 18 points, pulling down 8 boards and dropping 12 dimes. (That’s 8 rebounds and 12 assists for you old folk). His average for the tournament? How does 24, 6 and 6 suit you? Anyone else see Dwyane Wade comparisons or is it just me?

Now for the golden 1/3rd boy, Kyrie Irving. In Duke’s first game, he scored 14 points in 20 minutes. In their 2nd round game against Michigan, 11 points in 21 minutes, where he went 1-for-4 from the field, but 9-for-10 from the stripe. The Kyrie you always hear about, showed up against Arizona in the Sweet 16, scoring 28 points, yet only dishing 3 assists.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not so much a knock on Kyrie Irving, as it is the package deal of who do you get with him? Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas is being compared to Pau Gasol and maybe he’ll turn out to be like Pau, but I wouldnt put too much money in it, because there’s been quite a few Europeans playing in the NBA, but not too many with Pau Gasol’s 19 and 9 average.

So, for my money, the package of Derrick Williams and Kemba Walker just can’t be beat. They both have proven to be leaders during the biggest stage of their young careers. And the chance to have both of them could mean a chance for Cleveland. But all the hype is on Irving, so that’s probably the direction the Cavs will go.

But to me, the chance at two proven stars coming together on the same team, it’s just a no-brainer.

The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant! The famous line has been heard again and again in the world of sports. And after 56 years of long…VERY long waiting, it can be said again. And it wasn’t with the big names of Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, JT Snow, Willie McCovey, etc., etc. It was with guys named Renteria, Huff, Uribe, Posey and Ross. Guys called misfits, not hall of famers. Guys with blackened beards, not MVP’s.

And how fitting is it, that a team, a franchise, that has had so many of the greatest players play in the Orange and Black, win their first World Series in San Francisco with a group of guys who couldn’t even sniff  those awards and accolades. True they have the two-time Cy Young winner in Tim Lincecum. But outside of him and maybe Matt Cain, there aren’t a lot of stars on this team. Take a good look at this line-up:

You got Andre Torres, a career .250 hitter who hadn’t played more than 75 games in a season until this year. He’s a world champion. You got Freddy Sanchez, who spent what felt like a lifetime of 6 years playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, before joining the Giants last year. He’s a world champion. You got Cody Ross, the No. 8 hitter in this lineup just a week ago, hitting clean-up yesterday. He’s a lifetime .265 hitter, yet in these playoffs, he was simply incredible. He’s now a world champion. I could keep going, but you get the idea.

This was a team.

Plain and simple, this was a team that played as a team. They weren’t patient, they were free-swinging. They weren’t the favorites, they were the classic underdogs. They had to fight until the final day of the regular season to even make the playoffs. They could’ve made it easier on themselves, but losing the first 2 games of the final 3 game series to the rival Padres made them have to hunker down and fight for it. But they survived that final Sunday and moved on.

In the NLDS, they had the daunting task of ending the great Bobby Cox’s career. They did so in four games, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. It was one-run games the entire way. They took game one 1-0, behind stellar pitching by Tim Lincecum. They turned around the next day and lost an extra inning game in game two 5-4 (and this was at home) to give home-field advantage to Atlanta. In game three they had to face the Brave’s ace in Tim Hudson. They took it 3-2, and did the same in game four, by the same score. Winning both games in Atlanta, and the Braves had the best home record in all of baseball this year, losing just three series all year at home!

Survive and move on.

In the NLCS, the defending National League Champs were waiting for them in Philadelphia. The Phillies had an up-and-down year, even flirting with a .500 record in June before storming back and finishing with the best record in all of baseball. And they just finished dismantling the NL Central-winning Cincinnati Reds, three games to none. The Giants didn’t even flinch as they stole game one in Philly, 4-3. Taking it to Roy Halladay who, just a week earlier, threw the second no-hitter in the history of the MLB playoffs. The fightin-Phils stormed back in game two and routed the Giants 6-1. But San Fran did their job and stole home-field advantage. In game three Matt Cain, who was an average pitcher at best this year, shut down the Phillies’ batter-heavy offense and the Giants got enough of Cole Hamels to take it 3-0.

Game four was the turning point in this series. A fantastic game that saw both Madison Bumgarner and Joe Blanton getting knocked out in the 5th inning and saw the teams tied at 5 heading into the 9th. The Giants gambled by bringing in their closer in Brian Wilson. And it paid off big time. He threw 12 pitches, eight of them for strikes, and got out of the inning with the game still tied. And in the bottom of the 9th, the Phillies played a little game of their own by throwing Roy Oswalt on the mound. Three batters later, Juan Uribe hits a sacrifice fly with men on the corners, brings home Aubrey Huff, and the Giants have a 3-1 lead thanks to a 6-5 win.

Halladay would get revenge on Lincecum the next day as the Phillies send it back to the City of Brotherly Love with a 4-2 victory. But two days later, game six of the NLCS, the Giants would overcome adversity once again. The Phils struck early, scoring two runs in the first. But the Giants didn’t crack, didn’t crumble and didn’t fall apart. They bounced back in the third with two runs of their own and the score stayed tied at 2 all the way to the 8th inning, when Juan Uribe steps up again. This time there would be no sacrifice, just a ball that didn’t land until it was safely out of the ballpark. Giants lead 3-2, and that’s the way it would stay as San Francisco knocks off the two-time defending NL Champs and were heading to their first World Series since 2002.

Survive and move on.

Now came all the talk. How would San Fran overcome the seemingly perfect Cliff Lee? How would the stagnant offense keep up with the Texas Rangers, which blasted the Tampa Bay Rays and the defending World Champion New York Yankees? And, they would have to do it against a man who knew their staff inside and out in their former teammate, catcher Bengie Molina.

Well, you found out in game one. The Giants would once again have to overcome adversity as they fell behind 2-0 after two innings of play. But in the third they came right back with two runs of their own to tie the ballgame, and then in the 5th inning, they would bust the game wide open. Andres Torres hits a 1-out double. Freddy Sanchez follows suit with one of his own, 3-2 Giants. Buster Posey struck out for the 2nd out and it looked like the Rangers would get out of it with just the one run allowed. But then Pat Burrell drew a walk, Cody Ross singled in Sanchez, Huff singled in Burrell, and then, who else, but Juan Uribe would send the ball into McCovey Cove and turn this game from a tense one into a laugher. 8-2 Giants after the 5th inning. They would go on to win game one 11-7! 11 runs on 14 hits for a ballclub that isn’t exactly known for offense. But that was nothing compared to what was about to come…

In game two Matt Cain continued his playoff dominance, rockin-and-rollin the Rangers all night. And after 7 2/3rd innings of 4-hit, shutout baseball, he only had a 2-0 lead. And the Giants were doing nothing to add on as both Torres and Sanchez struck out swinging for the first two outs in the 8th inning. But that’s when the party really started. Posey singled to start the rally, which was gifted to the Giants thanks to 3 straight walks to load the bases and give them an extra run. Then Uribe walked to make it four straight and another run to make it 4-0 San Fran. Then Edgar Renteria hits a 2-run single to make it 6-0. Followed by a 2-run triple by Aaron Rowand to make it 8-0 and then an RBI double by Torres (who started the inning with a strikeout) to finish up a ridiculous 7-run, 2-out rally that put the game completely out of reach. Giants win 9-0 and score 20 runs in the first two games of the World Series to take a 2-0 lead heading to Texas.

So the new questions became, where was that vaunted Rangers offense we were hearing about? What happened to Cliff Lee and CJ Wilson, and how have the Giants just completely eliminated the Rangers staff? Well the Rangers would respond back at home as they hosted their first World Series game in franchise history. And behind the pitching of Colby Lewis and the homeruns of Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton, the Rangers would get on the board with a 4-2 victory.

But that’s all they would get, because the next night, the night of Halloween, a night where Orange Pumpkins and Black Bats rule the night, the Orange and Black of the San Francisco Giants ruled the night. Madison Bumgarner was masterful, throwing 8 innings of 3-hit shutout baseball and becoming the youngest left-hander ever to throw at least 8 innings of shutout baseball in the World Series. And when the smoke settled, the Giants were one win away from their first title with a 4-0 victory. Oh and let’s not forget the 2-run shot by Aubrey Huff and solo shot by the rookie, Buster Posey.

So, last night, game five of the World Series was once again the stage for Cliff Lee versus Tim Lincecum. The Freak had promised his teammates he would be better, and oh was he better. In fact, both Lincecum and Lee were tremendous through 6 innings. Neither of them would budge as the game was scoreless. But in the 7th Lee cracked, just a little. Cody Ross, the surprise of the playoffs, who was batting clean-up in this game, instead of his usual 7th or 8th, smacked a single to start the inning. Then Uribe singled as well to put men on 1st and 2nd. That brings up Huff who HAS NEVER BUNTED IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE, yet in this game, in this situation, had the smarts even before the call was made, to bunt his men over, which he did perfectly. So, men at 2nd and 3rd and one out and up comes Pat Burrell who had a batting average of .000 in the series and he does what he did all of this series… nothing. He struck out to make it two away. But that brought up Edgar Renteria. Remember, men are at 2nd and 3rd, so a base is open and Renteria is a much better hitter than Aaron Rowand who was to follow.

So you would think the obvious thing to do is walk Renteria, right? Well, not when your name is Cliff Lee and you can strike out the entire Yankee’s lineup! Except, his first two pitches are balls, so it’s a 2-0 count. Why not just walk him now? Nope, he’s still Cliff Lee… he can strike out anybody, right?

WRONG. There’s your ballgame. Giants hold on and win the game 3-1. They win the series 4-1. And for the first time since 1954, the world got to hear.

Since the series is finally over I’ve gotten to speak to a good friend of mine from college. He is from the Bay Area and has been a San Francisco Giants fan since he was four years old. And more than that, he has been an employee of the Giants since 2004. His title is Director of Special Events and yes he will be receiving a championship ring. So I asked him what does this mean to him as a fan and as an employee of the now World Champion San Francisco Giants. My friend, Faham Zakariaei had this to say:

“As a fan it means everything. We made it in ‘89 and again in ‘02… falling short both times. For such a storied franchise, we had never won a title in San Francisco. That monkey is now off our back. As an employee, it puts all the hard work, long work days and sacrifices into perspective. MOST IMPORTANTLY it is special because it is the ultimate prize for our fans and those who support out team year round. This is for the city and our fans!”

So for the one’s who came so close and missed. For the one’s who did everything in their career in San Francisco, except bring home the circle of flags, and most importantly for the one’s still rocking the fake beard and the Orange and Black, this title is for you San Francisco. Enjoy it, you’ve waited 56 long years to win it again. I’ll say it one more time for you. THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE THE 2010 WORLD CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL!!!

Forget football, forget baseball, forget hockey (well don’t forget any of those, but…) GIVE ME BASKETBALL!!! The best sport around is back in action, and I, for one, am delighted. I like the pick-and-roll, I like the give-and-go, it’s basketball… (Thank you Kurtis Blow).

The season is just getting underway, and already I’m getting a sense of how things are going to go. The East is the dominant conference this year, with teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. As well as up-and-coming teams like the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Chicago Bulls.

The Celtics are the team to beat in the East (yes I know Miami is there). They are the defending Eastern Conference champs, and came withing a horrible 4th quarter of Game Seven of being the NBA Champions. But they are also the oldest team in the NBA. Nights like the one you saw against the Cleveland Cavaliers will happen often to a team averaging 31 years of age and playing back-2-back games. But they are a playoff team, and don’t be surprised if they are a 4 seed again as they rest their aging bodies during the regular season.

The Orlando Magic feel as if they have something to prove… and they do. They are a good team, and could be a great team. Dwight Howard learned new moves from The Dream this summer, which means he might have a little more offense than put-backs, dunks and alley-oops. Stan Van Gundy is a good coach and the funniest man on the bench. I still feel letting go of Hedo Turkoglu was a huge mistake. The man is a 6-foot-10-inch cold-blooded shooter. And Vince Carter, as good as he is, has a problem with dribbling, and dropping his head when things go wrong.

The Chicago Bulls are just all-around good. And when they get Carlos Boozer healthy, they are going to be very dangerous. Derrick Rose is a top-5 point guard (top-2 according to a certain chicago-friend of mine). Joahkim Noah has proven he is a dangerous center in the NBA (something I did not see coming). And as far as a starting-five go, the Bulls are right up there. They’ll run away with the Central division and be a force to reckon with when the playoffs come around.

As for the Miami Heat… we’ll see. Obviously they are going to beat up on the lesser competition. They have enough talent to do that. But that talent needs to gel to make a deep run in the postseason. Everyone (including this writer) has been harping on LeBron James, who just seems to make things worse for himself. (Twitter pages, new Nike commercial) But I’m not going to back down. The way he announced his decision was just terrible. It was all his people who made the decision to make an hour-long special and use one of the worst interviewers in the game “Do you still bite your nails?” Really?! Come on Jim Gray… It showed what a spoiled, egotistical brat he is. “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” Who says crap like that? But what everyone is missing is the best part of this whole thing.

Just how brilliant Dwyane Wade is! He didn’t have to do anything except call Chris Bosh and ask him how the winters are in Toronto. Then call LeBron James and ask him how the winters are in Cleveland. “They both suck!” Is what I’m sure they said. And Wade says “Well it’s 75 and sunny in December here, why don’t you guys come on down!” I’m not sure if that’s exactly how it went, but you get the idea. The man brought two great players to Miami and saved a fledgling franchise. Simply brilliant. But then again, he did go to college. So Miami has their new Super-Friends, and sidekicks (Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, etc.) And they are going to need time to mesh. They’ll win plenty of regular-season games, it’s the playoffs that should be interesting. I’m not sure they’ll get by Orlando. And I really don’t see them getting past the Celtics.

Regardless, the East will be a lot of fun to watch in the 2010 season.

In the West, there are of course the Two-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, with the best player on the planet in Kobe Bryant. And I’ll talk more about them in a minute, but there are a couple western teams trying to stand in the Lakers way of making it a four-peat as Western Champs. The Dallas Mavericks are supposed to be dangerous (we’ll see if they actually make good on that for once). The Oklahoma City Thunder are young, brash, athletic and lead by the most-likely-candidate for MVP, Kevin Durant. However, it’s Russell Westbrooke that makes this team go. They impressed a lot of people by taking the Lakers to six games last year in the opening-round of the playoffs. They won’t be an eight seed this year, so we’ll see how they do against other competition.

The Denver Nuggets are always dangerous, but aside from Chauncey Billups, they are a team full of headcases. Carmelo wants out, J.R. Smith wants more tattoos, and their head coach wants a hospital bed (sorry, bad taste). But unless Chauncey can rally them to play as a team, they aren’t going anywhere deep. The San Antonio Spurs are seasoned, lead by Tim Duncan and are starting to add some some young-blood to their aging team. But is it enough? Father-time catches up with everyone and the Spurs look like that might be a problem. Tony Parker deserves a long contract and San Antonio should give it to him. Richard Jefferson should be much better this year, as it’s his second year with the offense and he should be more comfortable. He’s too good to not produce. And the Utah Jazz are… the Utah Jazz. Great team at home, and pitiful on the road. And if it wasn’t for the Lakers, they might actually win the West with home-field advantage. But L.A. knows how to play them in their own building, so forget that.

The Phoenix Suns are going to be interesting. Everyone keeps saying Nash is done, they’ve lost Amar’e, blah, blah, blah. Nash is the heart-and-soul of that team. Where he goes, they go. And he sure doesn’t look done to me. They’ll be good enough to make the playoffs, and as long as they don’t have to face the Lakers early, they’ll probably make a run.

The Los Angeles Clippers finally have their number one pick in Blake Griffen. And he looked great all preseason and looked great on their opening night… but the Clippers still lost by 10. Everyone seems hyped up on the J.V. L.A. team making the playoffs this year. If they do, it will probably by the 8th seed and then they get knocked out by the REAL L.A. team in 4 or 5 games. The Golden State Warriors finally have Monta Ellis back and he looks fantastic. Him and Steph Curry are going to be a very fun tandem to watch and could lead The City back to the post-season.

And now for the main course. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. First of all, have you seen those rings?! I want one. I’ll use it as a dinner-table. That’s how large it is. The Champs return with their starting SIX intact. And they finally added some depth to this team. The additions of Steve Blake to play the back-up PG role is huge. He has been a starter on other teams, and knows how to run an offense. So there won’t be a slip when Derek Fisher goes to the bench. Matt Barnes is a fantastic pick-up for a team that plays good defense like L.A. does. He’s fast, lengthy and scrappy. He’ll be able to give rest to Artest and Odom, and the defense won’t miss a beat. And bringing in Theo Ratliff is just awesome. Great shot-blocker, and adds even more height to an already tall team. With the West down a little from years past, I expect the Lakers to have an easier time (even though everyone brings their A-game when they play the champs) making it to the best record in the West. However, I could also see them doing what the Celtics did last year, and rest their guys to get ready for the playoffs.

So as to my ridiculously early predictions. They go like this:

MVP: Kevin Durant.  ROY: Blake Griffen, barely over John Wall.  6th man of the year: Jamal Crawford    Coach of the Year: Probably Sproelstra     Western Champs: Los Angeles Lakers    Eastern Champs: Boston Celtics    NBA CHAMPIONS: Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 over Boston.

Okay folks, it’s been awhile since we delved into history. But it’s time. And we’re starting with a biggie. You know how when people talk about two-sport athletes, they always mention the same two names: Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.

Now I’m not going to take anything away from those two. They are both outstanding athletes, and I wish we would’ve gotten to see Bo’s career actually pan out. But neither of these guys hold’s a candle to Otto Graham.

Now before you ask, “who?”, I’m going to tell you.

Otto Graham was a high school and college basketball player-turned college tailback at Northwestern-turned quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Now, if you’re a young sports fan, or just pay attention once in awhile and you’re asking, “How have I never heard of this man?”, don’t worry. He played from 1946-1955.

Which is why I am writing about him. It’s time to respect history. And you respect what you know. So you’re about to get to know the most underrated Quarterback and maybe athlete of all-time..

Otto Graham was born in Waukegan, Ill. Where he was a two-sport athlete for Waukegan High School. He played tailback and kicker for the football team and starred on the basketball team. After high school he accepted a scholarship to Northwestern where he continued his versatile ways, even adding baseball to his resume. He was Second Team All-American in basketball as a junior and made the First Team as a senior.

He also destroyed records on the gridiron. He played the position of tailback, but he threw like a quarterback. He set records at Northwestern by passing for 2,072 yards for his career, returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown and in 1943, finished third in the Heisman balloting.

He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1944, but it was World War II and Graham decided to do his civic duty and join the United States Navy Air Corp for two years. (now called the United States Coast Guard). While serving he was approached by Paul Brown. Brown was forming a professional football team in the All American Football Conference. And he needed a quarterback…

Brown had seen first-hand what Graham could do. Back in 1941, Brown was the head coach of Ohio State and was upset by Graham’s Northwestern Wildcats, 14-7. After witnessing what Otto could do, Brown decided playing with him was better than against him. So he signed him to a contract with the Cleveland Browns.

When World War II ended, Graham went back to sports. But not to the AAFC. His first stop was his first love… basketball. Otto was a bench player for the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League. And in that 1945-46 inaugural season, the Royals would go 24-10, be the 2nd seed in the playoffs and defeat the Sheboygan Redskins in three games to win the first NBL Championship.

This was a start of ridiculous things to come for Otto Graham. From the NBL, he went to the AAFC in the same year and lead the Cleveland Browns to a 12-2 record in their inaugural season, including a 7-0 start where they outscored their opponents 180-34. In the AAFC Championship game the 12-2 Browns defeated the 10-3-1 New York Yankees 14-9. Graham’s second championship in ONE year.

Take that “Neon” Deion.

Graham would go on to lead Cleveland to a 52-4-3 record and 4 straight AAFC championships before the Browns moved to the National Football League. Graham’s Browns were snickered at. Saying they played lesser competition and that they wouldn’t be able to play with the big dogs of the NFL. Their first test would be against the two-time defending NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

It was no contest. Otto Graham threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns as the Browns routed the Eagles, 35-10. Graham would lead the Browns to a 10-2 record and a 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the 1950 NFL Championship game. 

By the time his career was finished, he had taken his team to 10 CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS. Winning seven of them, including his last two years in the NFL. Nine out of the 10 years he finished as the First-Team All-League Quarterback.

He completed 55 percent of his passes in his 10-year career. He threw for 23,584 yards and 174 touchdowns. His play in the championship games were even better. In 1950 he had four touchdown passes in the 30-28 victory over the Rams. In 1954, the Cleveland Browns (fresh off back-2-back title-game losses to the Detroit Lions) demolished the Lions 56-10. Graham ran for three touchdowns and threw for three more. And in 1955, his final season in the league, he went out as he came in, with a NFL title victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Otto Graham conquered sports from 1946-1955. It started with basketball and ended with football. He won SIX championships in his first FIVE years as a professional athlete and finished with enough rings to cover both hands, minus the thumbs. His record in the AAFC was 52-4-3. His record in the NFL was 57-13-1, the best winning percentage of any quarter at .810. He was a winner any way you look at it. Going 109-17-4 as a quarterback.

Respect is about what you know and now you know plenty. Go out and impress your friends with this information the next time they argue about greatest quarterback ever. Because while I love Joe Montana (4 Super Bowls, 4 titles), Dan Marino (1 Super Bowl, no titles), Peyton Manning (2 Super Bowls, 1 title) and the rest. They don’t hold a candle to the great “Automatic” Otto (11 Championship Games, 8 titles).

Otto Graham, the greatest two-sport athlete of all-time.

For the last year or so, the basketball world has been keeping one eye on LeBron James. Trying to decipher if he’s made a decision on where he’s going to play next.

Would he stay in Cleveland? Would he go to New Jersey to play for Jay-Z? Would the New York Knicks reinvent their legacy by adding the King?

Well after all the wondering, the day finally came to find out LeBron’s decision. You may have heard it was coming. And on Thursday, July 8th at 9:27 p.m. You finally found out. LeBron James is “taking his talents” to the Miami Heat.

And his ego. His unbelievably huge ego.

I was shocked personally. Baffled at what I was watching. Here you have LeBron in a white and reddish stripped shirt. Could be Cav’s colors, could be Bulls colors, could not have anything to do with his decision, but it’s something I noticed.

It turned out to be Heat colors.

Here’s LeBron in front of a bunch of kids who idolize him. And you have this ginormous spectacle. This giant hoopla he allowed and probably wished for. And what does he do with it?

He slaps his fans, friends, family and teammates in the face.

He publicly grabbed the city of Cleveland by the throat, reached into its chest and pulled out its heart.

Disgusting.

To think that this is the “Chosen One”. The one we are all supposed to “Witness”. Yeah, I witnessed something alright. I witnessed a spoiled brat of a man completely disregard his home. The man has the word “loyalty” tattooed on his body… but not in his heart.

Now, let me set the record straight for those of you who are confused as to why so many people are upset with what they “witnessed”.

I have no problem with LeBron James leaving Cleveland to play somewhere else. In fact, I thought he had to if he was going to win a title. LeBron gave the Cavaliers seven years and all he got back was an over-the-hill Shaquille O’Neal, an older Antawn Jamison, a never-will-be in Anderson Varejao, etc. He never got any help in Cleveland. I actually felt bad for him.

And I’m a Kobe fan, so you know how had it is to feel sympathy for the enemy.

So as far as leaving Cleveland, he had to if he was going to win a title. But to publicly disgrace your city and yourself like that? In front of children no less? It’s just abysmal. You figured if he was going through with this media circus, it was because he was staying in Cleveland. But no. He allowed the media circus and made himself a clown.

All the respect, gone. He’s not loyal, he’s not about family, he’s not about his fans. He’s about doing whatever he can to be mentioned among the greats: Magic, Michael, Bird, Kobe… Only he’s never going to be on that pedestal now. He’s now a sidekick. A star who joined another star’s team just to win a title.

He’s Karl Malone with the Lakers. Clyde Drexler with the Rockets.

When you think of the greats, did any of them ever slap their team in the face like this? No. And I know they were never in the spotlight like LeBron is. Doesn’t matter. You don’t do this. You don’t behave like this.

You want to leave? Fine. Do it in a respectful manner. Sit down with your team. Tell them “Guys, it’s been a great seven years. But I feel like the next step in my career is elsewhere.” Give them the respect they deserve by finding out from their teammate and friend personally. Tell you family and fans “Thanks for the memories. I’ll always have a place for you, but it’s time to move on.” Given them the respect and love they have given you for seven years and then some.

But no. We saw LeBron’s true colors on Thursday. They aren’t Cavalier red and white. They’re not even Miami red, black and white. They’re yellow and black. Black for his cold, dead heart. And yellow for the stripe on his back as he turns and runs to South Beach.

His seven years as the “Chosen One” are over. It’s time for a nickname that’s actually true. So take your pick “Gutless One”, “The Great Turncoat”, or even “LeBenedict”.

I’m gonna go with the one we saw on Thursday.

“The Heartless One”.

The Los Angeles Lakers toppled the Boston Celtics 83-79 in game seven of the 2010 NBA Finals. Now for those of you who hate L.A. (And I know there is plenty of you) forgive me for gushing, but I have to reflect on this. Because this literally was history in the making. And my generation finally got to be part of it.

As Kobe Bryant said of this, his fifth title, “This is the sweetest.”

Oh yes it is. Think about it. Really think about it. The Lakers and Celtics have a combined 33 NBA Championships (17 for the Celtics, and now 16 for the Lakers). They have faced each other 12 times for the title with the Celtics holding a seemingly very large 9-3 edge. However, it was 8-0 Celtics after 1984, which was also the last time these two teams went the distance for the title.

But since 1985, when Los Angeles finally defeated Boston for the first time, it is the Lakers who hold a 3-1 edge in the Finals (winning in ‘85, ‘87 and 2010).

These two powerhouse franchises have co-owned the NBA since day-one. The Minneapolis Lakers won five of the first eight NBA titles. That would be in the late-40’s and early-50’s. But starting in 1956 the Boston Celtics blanketed the basketball world in Green and White. Winning 11 championships in 13 years. Which is just ridiculous. And of those 11, seven were against the Lakers. Including three seven-game series.

Fast-forward to the 80’s. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson have rejuvenated the two proud franchises and rekindled a flame that had long since gone out.

It started in 1979 when Magic’s Michigan State Spartans manhandled the previously undefeated Indiana State Sycamores and their leader, Larry Bird in the NCAA Championship Game, 75-64. (Still is the highest-rated basketball game ever.)

In 1980 the Lakers won it all over the Dr. J-led Philadelphia 76ers with a 20-year-old rookie leading the way. And when I say leading the way, I mean starting game six in Philly, without Kareem. He starts at center, plays forward and guard and leads the Lakers to a title-clinching victory with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. (LeBron where you at?)

By the way, Magic had found out that morning that Larry Bird was given the Rookie of the Year award in a blowout, so that might be why Magic played so well that night. But I digress.

In 1981, Bird’s Celtics won the Championship over the Houston Rockets. And in ‘82, the Lakers and Sixers were back again and again it went to the Lakers. The Sixers would finally topple the Lakers in 1983 for their first title. But it was in 1984 when the world got to see the series they had been waiting for. The Celtics and Lakers squaring off for the title for the first time since 1969.

And they didn’t disappoint.

The Lakers shot out the gate in Beantown and took game one, and had a chance to take a commanding 2-0 series lead heading back to Los Angeles. But a time-out was called that changed all that. The Celtics stole that game in the final seconds and that changed the whole series, if that’s possible in a seven-game series. The Celtics would win in seven and Bird would have his revenge from 1979.

But in 1985, the two would do it again. Only this time Magic, Kareem and the rest of Showtime would take charge and win it in six games. A huge win for Los Angeles. A break of the Leprechaun curse. No more listening to the ghosts of Laker-past. Boston was now a team just like any other in the 80’s. You got in L.A.’s way, you got ran over.

The Celtics would be back to win it in ‘86, but it was over the Houston Rockets, so does it really count? OF course, but it couldn’t have felt as good as the one in ‘84. There’s just something about this LA/Boston rivalry that means so much more when you defeat the other. And in 1987 they would meet again.

So from 1980-1987 the Celtics and Lakers were in the finals every single year, or at least one of them were, if not both. In fact, you can stretch that to 1989 for the Lakers. But in ‘87, it was the rubber match. And thanks to Magic’s baby-hook, the Lakers would win the title and the rivalry for the decade. They beat Boston 2-to-1 in Finals meetings, 5-to-3 in titles for the decade and demolished them 9-to-5 in Finals appearances. But after 1987, we didn’t get to see LA/Boston again… until 2008.

I was excited in 2008. Confident the Lakers would handle the “Big 3” of Boston. Many people were. But man were we wrong. The Celtics dominated that series and clinched it in six games with a 131-92 thumping Los Angeles and their fans will never forget. So when Boston defeated Orlando in the Eastern Finals this year, I was nervous. Excited, but nervous.

I knew the Lakers were a better team than in 2008. I knew the Celtics were older than they were in 2008. But Rondo was better, Perkins was better and Davis was better. And then Game One happened and L.A. out-muscled Boston and won the opener. And people started saying this series is over. Phil Jackson never loses a series after winning game one. Blah, blah, blah

But the Leprechaun is much more powerful than people remember. And the ghosts that haunt the Lakers when they face the Celtics can be overbearing. So when game two went to Boston, I was biting my nails… all 20 of them.

But then L.A. rebounded in game three in Boston to take a 2-1 series lead. Only to lose games four and five and fall behind 3-to-2 heading back to Los Angeles. But I was very glad for the 2-3-2 style this time, because games 6 and 7 were going to be in LA-LA Land. And game six was an absolute joke. The Lakers rumbled their way to a 89-67 thumping of the Celtics to give David Stern, and the NBA World exactly what they wanted: A game seven between Boston and Los Angeles. For the fifth time in their storied history and the first time since 2005 for the NBA.

Nobody watched the 2005 NBA Finals, which is a shame because it was two complete teams battling it out in the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs. And it was the greatest series that nobody watched. After 6 games and 3 quarters of the 7th game, the series and game were tied. It all came down to the 4th quarter, which the Spurs won thanks to home-court and free throws…hmm….sounds familiar.

In this game seven, the Lakers trailed from the jump. It was an annoying game of cat-and-mouse. The Celtics would take a lead and the Lakers would chop away. Boston would rebuild and L.A. would again knock it down. But the Lakers could never get over that hump. Never take the lead.

Until Derek Fisher did what he has done time and time again when it counts. He pulled the Lakers collective butts out of the fire with a ginormous three that tied the game at 64 and sent the Great Western Forum… excuse me, the Staples Center into an absolute frenzy.

Kobe Bryant, who had a horrible game through the first three quarters did his closing act with a tough fade-away jumper from the right elbow and some clutch free throws for 10 points in the final quarter. Pau Gasol hit big free throw after big free throw (which he was missing earlier). And Ron Artest hit the biggest three of his career to notch 20 points for the game and help clinch the victory. For which he thanked his psychiatrist for.

And I love him for that.

The Lakers outscored the Celtics 19-15 in the final stretch to escape another horrible Green and White memory. They took the game, the series and a bit of history as well.

Since the NBA began, it’s been Celtics or Lakers. In the 50’s, the 60’s and the 80’s. And whenever these two got together for a Finals, it’s almost always a classic. But when it goes to game 7, it’s legendary. The Balloons that never fell in ‘69. The Logo (Jerry West) becoming the only player to win MVP yet lose the series. Bird finally defeating Magic. These are all Celtic memories. 4-0 in Game 7 versus the Lakers.

Not anymore.

For this Game 7, people will remember Derek Fisher’s three, Ron Artest’s three and kiss to the heavens. And Kobe Bryant standing on the table, ball in hand, arms outstretched in a sea of Purple and Gold confetti.

Laker memories for a Laker victory that will go down as one of the greatest and most important in the NBA’s most storied rivalry.

And I get to say I saw it.

Hey folks, been experiencing technical difficulties with the laptop. And it has made it impossible to write ANYTHING. So, I know it’s been awhile, but I’m getting caught up in everything that has happened in the world of sports. We have a few new/repeat champions that need to be praised. So without further delay, let’s get to it!

I would like to personally thank a long-time family friend, a man I have watched grow up for many years, Andrew Diamond for helping me with some great football (soccer) conversation. It’s World Cup time (in case you didn’t know), and Andrew is one of the most knowledgeable fans I know. So without further delay, Mr. Diamond’s piece on the 1-1 tie between those damn Red Coats, and us Yanks:

The U.S. Finally Stands Up to its Big Brother

            The U.S. was very fortunate to get the goal in the way they did. Robert Green’s “Hand of Green” error will forever be remembered as one of the all-time blunders in World Cup history. Although they were gifted that fortuitous break, the U.S. was able to stifle Wayne Rooney, hit England on the counter-attack and was well deserving of their draw. While the English will put all of the blame for the draw onto their keeper’s mistake, the real reason that the United States drew with England was that U.S. manager Bob Bradley won the tactical battle over his England counterpart.

            English coach, Fabio Capello made tactical errors that cost his team two points. He played James Milner on the left side of mid-field despite the fact that he was coming back from a virus. Obviously he was not fully recovered because he played poorly for the first 30 minutes, got beaten several times by Steve Cherundolo, and following a yellow card he was replaced with Shaun Wright-Phillips in just the 30th minute. This is a mistake that managers with Capello’s experience should not make. Also, the decision to play Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in central mid-field together was the wrong option. While they are both very talented offensive-minded midfielders, the reason why they should not be played next to each other is that they play almost the identical role. If both of them are pushing up to help score, then there is going to be no one holding in deep mid-field. This left gaps in front of the England defense that enabled the U.S. to create several scoring chances on the break.

But the worst tactical mistake made by Capello was playing Green in the first place. He had a more experienced option and a younger more talented option he could have gone with. In the end he chose the player that had neither experience at the world stage nor good recent form for his club.

            Bradley resisted the temptation to tamper with the formula that has worked for the team in the past and it was the right call against England. The only changes from the line-up that did so well in the Confed Cup was at forward and right back. The more experienced Cherundolo played in defense over the younger-but-less-experienced Jonathon Spectre, and Robbie Findlay filled in for the injured Charlie Davies. The only other big decision for Bradley was whether or not to play Oguchi Onyewu.

Many managers wouldn’t trust playing a center back that had not played for seven months, but Bradley did just that. I was one that felt it was suicide to play Onyewu against the likes of Wayne Rooney. Fortunately, playing Onyewu worked out as his size, strength and steel in defense negated much of Emile Heskey’s physicality. Many questioned if he could go the full 90 minutes, but Onyewu actually played much better in the second half as he shook off some of the accumulated rust and played like we have come to expect from him.

            With this opening draw, the U.S. has yet again exceeded expectations under Bob Bradley. This game against England has been the focus of attention for most of us but the next two games will decide if we can progress to the knockout phase of the tournament. Slovenia and Algeria will present an entirely different proposition from England. The U.S. is considered the favorite in both games, not a position they are used to. The real challenge for Bradley will be getting the tactics right to break down and score against two well-drilled and disciplined sides that play a much more cautious style than England.

(This is where Andrew Diamond’s story ends and my addition begins)

One of the giant reasons the United States was able to earn the draw was the cool-head of Keeper Tim Howard. The last-defense on a team is the keeper. He’s the one who gets the blame for a loss (or tie in Green’s case), and Howard was every bit the last defense the U.S. needed. After the early goal by Steven Gerrard in just the third minute, it’s easy to get on-edge and make mistakes. Howard did the exact opposite. He stood tall and kept the U.S. in the match until Clint Dempsey was able to make good on a chance in the 39th minute.

And in the second half, Howard was tested multiple times as both teams started stretching the field. There were three different times in the second half where the English offense bested the American defense, only to be stymied by Howard. He made key save after key save to help the United States earn a 1-1 tie. I just wanted to make sure he got his due in this story.

Thanks again to Andrew for a well-written piece. Look for more work from Mr. Diamond as the World Cup continues throughout the month of June and into early July.

So you wanna play rough, huh? No problem. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers seem to like that just fine.

In game one of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Lakers took it inside, crashed the boards, got second-chance points and just out-muscled the rough-and-rugged Boston Celtics for a 102-89 victory at Staples Center. And it wasn’t even that close. It was 84-64 after three quarters. It took a semi-run by the C’s in the fourth to get it to a 13-point defeat.

And while it was Kobe’s 30 and Gasol’s 23 that will get the main credit for the win. It was Ron Artest who set the tone from the jump, getting into it with Paul Pierce just 27 seconds into the game. Locking arms with Pierce as they fought for position and they both went down. They got double-technicals for the scuffle, but it sent a message to the rest of the Lakers.

This is why you brought me in, now let me show you how defense is done.

Artest’s stifling defense aggravated Pierce and took him out of his game. Yes Pierce finished with 24 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 12-for-13 from the free throw line. But he was essentially a non-factor in game one. And for someone to lead his team with 24 points and be a non-factor, you know something was up. What was up, was Ron Artest’s tenacity. He forced bad passes defensively, made a few steals, and really showed the Lakers how you need to play if you’re going to defeat the Celtics. Plus scoring 15 points himself, including a big three-pointer in the 3rd quarter to give the Lakers a commanding 84-64 lead with 28 seconds left in the quarter.

Of course 30 points from the Greatest Player in the NBA helps as well.

Kobe Bryant continued what he’s done all post-season. Dominate offensively, and leading the way for the L.A. Lakers. He had 12 points at the half, but came out with 14 in the 3rd quarter to give the Lakers a 20-point lead heading into the final frame. He finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. His 12th 30-point game of this post-season. Yes, that would be 12 out of 17 games. Just a complete game by the most complete player in the league.

And of course there was “soft” Pau Gasol. He admittedly was pushed around by Kevin Garnett in the 2008 Finals. Not in 2010. Different year, different Pau. This is a Pau Gasol with two years of playing with Kobe. Two years of learning what it takes to be a Champion. He doesn’t slink away from physicality anymore. He dishes it out. Kevin Garnett finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds. The Celtics finished with just 8 offensive rebounds as a team. The same amount as Pau earned by himself. His line, a fantastic 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Just a monster game for Gasol.

So the Lakers, who lost game one of the ‘08 Finals in Boston 98-88, have taken game one with their 11th consecutive 100-point game. And while it is just one win, it’s a very big win. A win that brings up a very big number.

47-0.

That is what Phil Jackson’s teams are after taking game one of a series. And yes, every series is its own entity, this is still a number that gets a lot of recognition around the league. And you can bet the Celtics know it. They may not speak about it, but they know it exists.

And while Laker fans will be jubilant tonight. (And yes I am quite happy myself, because I was very nervous for this game). There is one big thing I have to speak about negatively. A 6-foot-10-inch thing to be exact.

Lamar Odom, where the hell were you tonight? Because you certainly were not in the NBA Finals. In 21 minutes of work, you took just 6 shots, one that was from about 28 feet away, and scored just 5 points, grabbing only 4 rebounds and dishing out one pathetic assist. That is NOT okay. This is a power forward who can handle the rock like a point guard, drive like a shooting guard, and block like a center. Yet he was nowhere to be found.

So while I will take the 102-89 game one victory. I need to see more out of the most important sixth-man in the NBA. And the Lakers are going to need more out of Odom if they are going to win this series.

Now I want to say something to the referees: Let them play.

There were entirely too many ticky-tack fouls called in this NBA Finals game. There were 54 fouls called, leading to 36 free throws for the Celtics and 31 for the Lakers. That is too many whistles in a Championship game. They’re grown men, let them play.

All in all, it was a sloppy, yet great game one. The Lakers got exactly what they needed out of their starting-five. Kobe looked in control and in sync with his teammates. Pau looked like a MAN in the paint. Artest was inside Pierce’s jersey all night. Derek Fisher hit some big shots and some big flops (best flopper in the game I say). And Andrew Bynum out-dueled Kendrick Perkins, 10 points to 8 and 6 rebounds to 3.

The Laker defense held the Celtics to just 1-for-10 shooting from behind the arc. Held Boston to ZERO second-chance points. And held the Celtics to just 29-for-67 from the field.

Wait, i’m confused. Wasn’t L.A. supposed to be the soft team?

The Los Angeles Lakers are going back to the NBA Finals for the third straight year and a record 31st time as an organization. And I will get to that plenty, but first I want to congratulate the Phoenix Suns on a very well-fought Western Conference Finals.

Heading into the 2009-10 NBA season most people, myself included figured the west was the Lakers, the Denver Nuggets and then everybody else. But then the Suns started the year 14-3 and the world took notice. Until they followed that up with a 12-18 record heading into late January. But the Suns finished strong, going 28-7 From January 28th, to head into the playoffs with a 54-28 record and the three seed in the Western Conference.

They took down the upstart and injured Portland Trailblazers in six games to set up a rematch they’ve wanted for a long time. The San Antonio Spurs. And the Suns got that sweet taste of revenge in the form of a 4-0 beat-down. Which brought them to the door-step of the NBA Finals. 

But in their way were the defending champs, who had revenge on their mind as well. Kobe Bryant remembered the first-round losses in 2006 and 2007. And his game showed it. In the Western Conference Finals, Bryant averaged 34 points and 8 assists in a six-game victory over the Suns. 

So to the Suns, I say great season, but it had to come to an end. The Los Angeles Lakers have dreams of their 16th NBA title, Kobe Bryant has visions of his fifth and Phil Jackson is working on number 11.

But there’s a familiar foe standing in their way. A foe going for their 18th NBA championship. The leprechaun-green and ghostly-white of the Boston Celtics. A team that is kryptonite to the Los Angeles Lakers. Ask Wilt Chamberlain, ask Jerry West, heck, ask Kobe and Pau from 2008.

You know those 10 titles in 11 years that the Celtics won back in the 50’s and 60’s? SEVEN of them were at the expense of the Lakers. In fact, nine of the Celtics NBA-record 17 Championships have been over the Purple and Gold.

Including two years ago. A Finals that sticks in every Laker-fan’s memory bank like a sore-thumb. All the talk before the Finals that the Lakers were unstoppable. They would run circles around the Celtics and win this in six. Well what happened? The Celtics punched the Lakers in the mouth and never looked back as they won their 17th title in game six on their home floor in embarrassing fashion.

131-92.

They out-muscled, out-hustled and just out-played the Lakers. Kobe Bryant, exhausted from having to guard Paul Pierce, was overwhelmed by the Boston defense. Pau Gasol was bullied by Kevin Garnett. And the Laker bench could not keep up with the Celtics reserves.

But this is not 2008. And this is not the same Laker team. That team had not won a title. This team has. That team was soft. This 2010 team, with the addition of Ron Artest, is definitely not soft. Pau has learned toughness from Kobe. Andrew Bynum, though not 100 percent, is definitely more of a factor than in 2008… when he was on the bench in street-clothes.

So, in this 12th meeting between the best two franchises the NBA has to offer, how do I see it coming out? Glad you asked.

I see Gold and Purple-rain in the weather forecast and I’ll tell you why. The addition of Ron Artest is about to pay off huge dividends. It hasn’t really shown much up until now, but it will.

Because Artest, one of the best defenders in the NBA, is going to be on Paul Pierce instead of Kobe Bryant. Which frees Kobe defensively to guard Rajon Rondo, who is young and quick, but is still an easier cover than Pierce. And it will free Kobe offensively, because he won’t be exhausted from having to guard Pierce on the other end.

And since Artest is still an offensive threat (25 points in game-six’s clincher over the Suns), the Lakers will have more points on the board as well. Pau will not be bullied this time around and neither will Lamar Odom. Bynum will be on the floor to cancel out Kendrick Perkins. And I see the benches (minus Odom) basically being a wash.

So with all that said, I’m going with the Lakers in six. They’ve won their last five playoff series on the road, but with the Celtics playing so strong right now, I don’t see this ending in Beantown in just five games. I see a great battle between the two best franchises.

I see Kobe Bryant realizing his greatness, and how much that fifth title means to his legacy. It would tie him with Magic Johnson, THE greatest Laker, and it would be over their most-hated rivals. It would put him one behind Michael Jordan, his biggest comparison.

And it would set up yet another chance for a three-peat next season for Kobe and Phil Jackson.

Of course Boston could mess all that up by reminding L.A. why they won the title in 2008. With heart and muscle.

But I feel the Lakers are tougher this time around. They are definitely more battle-tested this time around. And in this Lakers/Celtics rivalry turnabout is fair-play. Like in the 80’s when Bird’s Celtics defeated Magic’s Lakers in 1984. What happened in 1985? Magic got his revenge. And then the Lakers did it again in 1987. So the Celtics used old-fashioned true-grit to win in 2008. But it’s 2010.

And I’m betting Kobe and the Lakers learned their lesson.

Okay, I know the Lakers are hated by everyone outside of Los Angeles, but this is ridiculous. Even the refs are in on it. Now before you go and call me biased, I have evidence.

Undeniable evidence.

Before I get to it, let me explain where I am going with this. And I’m not going to pull punches. If it wasn’t for the obvious involvement by the referees, the Los Angeles Lakers would have just completed a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns. But apparently Commissioner David Stern wants a longer series. He needs the exposure. And if this crap he pulled costs the Lakers their rightful shot at defending their title, then he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Now let’s take this game by game. In game one, the Lakers used their size advantage to dismantle the Suns, 128-107. That and Kobe Bryant playing like the best player on the planet (40 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists). And this was despite the 32-to-22 edge in free throw attempts for the Suns.

In game two, the Lakers once again went inside and defeated the Suns, 124-112. This time Pau led the way with 29 points and Kobe played the role of Magic, 21 points and 13 assists. In this game, the Lakers had a 34-to-26 free throw advantage.

So now we head to Phoenix with the Lakers up 2-0 in the series, something no one comes back from against L.A. And in game three the Suns took down the Lakers 118-109. This despite Kobe’s almost-triple-double of 36 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists. The Suns had a 42-to-20 edge in free throw attempts.

A 42-to-20 edge in free throw attempts?! Are you kidding me? And the Suns connected on 37 of those free throws. 17 free points. Really? So the Lakers became dirty in Phoenix and the Suns played clean? Come on…

And tonight, game four. A complete miscarriage of justice. A horrible display of obvious bias toward the home team. The Suns went to the free throw line time and time again, as well as got extra possessions, due to fouls, which lead to points. And tonight the Suns went to the free throw line 32 times, compared to 13 for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant did his again with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. But even the best in the business can’t fight the referees.

A 32-to-13 free throw advantage. A 74-to-33 free throw advantage in two games and you’re surprised this series is tied at two?!

I’m not surprised, I’m disgusted. This isn’t sports, it’s politics. And it doesn’t belong in the NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL. The better team should win, plain and simple. It should be a fair fight, and tonight was not. And neither was games three. The referees have stripped any credibility to these Western Conference Finals by sticking their whistle where it doesn’t belong. Time and time again I saw the Suns drive the lane and either make a shot or get bailed out with a foul. And time and time again, I saw the Lakers drive the lane and„. nothing.

No foul, no shot, just a turnover. Right…

CAN I GET A FAIR FIGHT?!

This sound fair to anyone else out there? The Los Angeles Lakers are now forced to go home with a series tied at two instead of going home to plan their title defense.

Now if it was fair, if the referees let the teams play and the Lakers lost these two games, I’d have no problem with it. But it’s such an obvious cheat that I cannot stay quiet on this one.

Yes, the zone has caused problems. Yes the Suns bench stepped up huge. And yes the Lakers have forgotten to go down low. But when you’re playing against a team with an Ace in the hole, it causes you to change your game-plan.  The Lakers have been forced to play a different style because they are not getting any calls. And I don’t mean some of the time, I mean they were out-shot 74-to-33 in free throws! They aren’t getting any of the calls!

Because the referees have decided to step in… Excuse me, they were instructed to step in and blow their whistle where it doesn’t belong. Actually, they pocket their whistle plenty of times… When the Lakers have the ball.

74-to-33.

Hey Ref, I got a place you can stick your whistle. It’s where the SUN don’t shine.

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers will meet in the Western Conference Finals next Monday. These two Division rivals have not met in the post-season since 2007. And although that was only three years ago, a lot has happened in that time. Back then, the Suns were the dominant team, defeating the Lakers in the first round in back-to-back seasons.

But things are different in 2010.

Los Angeles has a 7-foot-1-inch Spaniard in Pau Gasol. They have a 7-foot-1-inch young center in Andrew Bynum. And they have one of the best defenders in the game in Ron Artest. And speaking of defending… The Lakers are the defending champs. They finished with the best record in the west. And they are looking to repeat. The Suns, meanwhile, shocked a lot of people with the season they had. I knew they would be a solid team. But when you spoke about the teams who could possibly de-thrown the Lakers, Phoenix was not on the list.

But now they are.

And they earned the right to get there. The Suns, led by the crafty Canuck, Steve Nash, outlasted an upstart Portland squad in six games and then did what NOBODY believed possible. They swept the San Antonio Spurs. The Tim Duncan-Manu Ginobli-Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs! (and if you say you called it, you’re full of it).

Now, I’ll admit, I picked the Spurs to persevere and I was wrong. Congratulations to the Suns for that feat. But the party stops here. You’ve run into a wall of a team. A team you can’t out-run, can’t out-shoot, can’t out-play.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the defending champs for a reason. They have a great coach in Phil Jackson. Maybe you’ve heard of him. They have athletic big-men in the aforementioned Gasol and Bynum, as well as 6-foot-10-inch-Lamar Odom coming off the bench. And they have Kobe Bryant. I know you’ve heard of him. He’s only owned the NBA for the last decade. Going to six NBA Finals, winning four titles, including a scoring title, a Finals MVP and regular-season MVP.

And he’s back for more.

After struggling against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Kobe righted the ship and the rest of the crew followed in a four-game sweep….excuse me… the FIRST four-game sweep ever of the Utah Jazz. That’s right. No one had ever done it before. And when you think of the Jazz’s long, extensive, playoff history, that is impressive. And Kobe led the charge, averaging 32 points and 6 assists in the sweep.

And now we wait a week for them to play. So here’s some knowledge for you to pass the time. The Lakers remember the Suns beating them in 2006 and 2007. Well, the one’s on that Laker team remember. Which would include Kobe and Lamar. And I’m not one to say that Kobe Bryant holds a grudge, but… Oh who am I kidding.

KOBE BRYANT HOLDS A GRUDGE.

And he is not a man you want to play when he’s determined. Especially when he’s got the better team… Which he does. The Lakers are better than the Suns. They have a better coach, better star player and better starting-5. I’ll even make it 6 and include Odom. As for the Suns… Yes they have a better bench. But besides that, they are worse than the Lakers. And they are worse than they were in 06-07. Actually, in some cases, they are the same. Both teams (‘06-07 and ‘09-10) lead the NBA with 110.2 ppg. But this year’s Suns allowed 105.3 ppg, compared to the 102.9 that ‘06-07 team allowed.

The ‘06-07 Suns got an avg. of 89.3 ppg from their starting five. This years Suns got an avg. of only 77.8 ppg.

The ‘06-07 Lakers got an avg. of 78.4 ppg from their starting five. This year’s Lakers got an avg. of 82.1 ppg. And in 2006, the Lakers defense was 25th out of 30 teams at 103.4 ppg. This years Lakers… 9th with allowing only 97 ppg.

What I’m trying to pound into your head is that the Suns are done. They will not beat the Los Angeles Lakers. On paper, L.A. is just better.

“But you don’t play on paper!”, you argue.

You’re right, you don’t.

So let’s take a look at this years head-to-head match-ups:

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix suns 3-games-to-1 in the regular season. The Lakers averaged 108.5 ppg against Phoenix. Shooting 49-percent from the field and 42-percent from the 3-point line. The Suns averaged 101 ppg, while shooting 43-percent from the field and 33-percent from the 3-point line.

Oh yeah, and the average margin of victory on both sides was 15 points. The Suns won their one game by 15, the Lakers won their three games by 20, 19 and 6.

And if you want a little history lesson, i’ve got one for you. The Phoenix Suns joined the NBA in 1968. Since that time, the Suns have been to two NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers? They’ve WON 11.

So what do I make of this? Simple. The Suns are a great story. a “last-hurrah” for Steve Nash. But that’s  exactly what it will be.

A last hurrah.

The Suns have been here before and have crumbled under the pressure. As for the Lakers, they are taller, better, and they have that championship swagger.

Something the Suns know nothing about.

The second round of the NBA playoffs have begun and before we get too far into round two, I wanted to prepare you for what is to come and recap round one.

In the East, the top four seeds advanced… ho hum. But in the West, we had some very interesting drama. Let’s start at the top:

(1) Los Angeles over (8) Oklahoma City in SIX games. I guess the only “surprise” here was that it took the Lakers six games to defeat the upstart Thunder. But is that really a surprise? This is the same Laker squad that went to seven against Houston last year. Houston without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady. It boggled your mind last year. It shouldn’t have this year. You should’ve known better. Yes the Lakers are talented enough and tall enough to win in five or maybe a sweep. But that’s just not this Lakers’ style. They toy with their food. They get bored until they are slapped in the face. Then they stop playing and start PLAYING. But they won and that’s what matters…advancing.

(7) San Antonio over (2) Dallas in SIX games. Another great series between the Texas powerhouses. The Spurs have been the class of the NBA for many years. Winning titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. But last year they were over-matched by Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. This year was different. It was San Antonio taking control. Stealing a game in Dallas before holding their home court three times. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker did what was expected of them. And sadly, so did Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. I feel bad for Mark Cuban. He cares so much about his team. But his team will never be good enough….scratch that, they are good enough. They will never be smart enough to win it all. At this point, it’s time to take a serious look at your team’s leader and make a decision. Nowitzki is fantastic on offense… by himself. But his team around him does him no good and vise-versa. Think Dominique Wilkens and the Atlanta Hawks. Spurs are tested. They passed and move on.

(3) Phoenix over (6) Portland in SIX games. I tip my hat to the Portland Trailblazers. With no Greg Oden and no Brandon Roy, the Trailblazers gave the Suns a great fight. Stealing game one behind Andre Miller’s 31 was just the wake-up the Suns needed to remind them it’s playoff-time. Roy eventually rejoined the team, but it was not enough. The Suns are back in the second round of the playoffs. No D’Antoni, no problem. They still have Steve Nash. They still have Amar’e Stoudemire. And they have a rejuvenated Grant Hill, who, at 37, is one of their most athletic players.

(5) Utah over (4) Denver in SIX games. (anyone else see a trend?) Now this one was an upset. I know it’s a five over a four, so not really, but look at the teams. The Denver Nuggets were in the Western Conference Finals last year. They had another year with Chauncey Billups at the helm, Carmelo Anthony at the wing, and the same core players salivating at the mouth with a chance to get there again. And then you look at Utah. A team known for making the playoffs… but that’s about it. They play well at home, they suck on the road. Have for years. And this time, they were missing Mehmet Okur. But the Jazz took it to the Nuggets on their home court twice. Which makes sense if you think about the fact that Denver and Utah play in similar altitudes. But the fact that Denver fell apart toward the end of the year and let it carry into the post-season, shows me that they are still as much of a headcase now as they were before Chauncey joined them. And that surprises me.

So there you go, the odd-seeds (1, 3, 5 and 7) prevail in six games each. Two of them expected, two of them “upsets” So now to my predictions: I’m sticking with half-and-half and six games.

The Los Angeles Lakers will take down the Utah Jazz in six games. (maybe five). The Jazz and Lakers have done this before. Five times before, but only two recently. The Lakers took down the Jazz in the second round in 2008 and in the first round last year. They know the Jazz cannot handle the height of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Add in the fact that they haven’t won in Los Angeles in forever AND that L.A. knows how to play in Utah… Well, sorry Utah, you are to the Lakers what the Knicks were to the Bulls in the 90’s… A stepping-stone. Lakers in 6.

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns… now this is a fun one. Remember Horry checking Nash into the boards? The Suns do. And even though Horry is now retired, the Spurs still know how to play mind-games with the Suns. And I believe that will play a factor. The Suns are good. The Spurs are better head-to-head. I believe Tim Duncan & Co. will overwhelm Steve Nash & Co. The Suns are headcases in the playoffs, just like the Nuggets and Mavericks. The Spurs are playoff-tested, and more importantly, playoff-approved. Some will call it an upset. But I call it knowing your opponent. And unfortunately for Phoenix, the Spurs know how to beat the Suns more than the Suns know how to beat the Spurs. The Spurs and Suns have met in the playoffs five times since 2003. And the Spurs won four of them. San Antonio with the “upset” in 6. (maybe 7)

And with the second pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select… To change for the better.

And it’s about time.

For decades the Detroit Lions have had a couple of obvious problems. Problems that were so blindingly obvious, you wondered how they missed them for so many years. The problem is they’ve only been obvious to their die-hard fans.

Let’s take a quick trip back in time. To the mid-1990’s. The Detroit Lions had the best running back in the game in Barry Sanders. They had the second-best wide receiver in Herman Moore. And they unfortunately had Scott Mitchell who had, what seemed like, a 2-to-1 Interception-to-Touch Down ratio. (It wasn’t that bad, he actually threw 79 TD’s to 57 picks while playing for the Lions).

But in the Sanders-Moore Era (1992-1997), they had a winning record four times, and none were dominant. They went 10-6 in ‘93, 9-7 in ‘94, 10-6 in ‘95 and 9-7 in ‘97. And since 1997 they have had ONE winning season.

One… in 12 years.

Now let’s get an embarrassing statement out of the way: Yes I am a Detroit Lions fan. I always have been and I always will be. No matter how many times I’ve beaten myself over the head with a tire iron, I can’t forget that I love this team. And for all the years I’ve been a fan, I’ve said the same thing… Well I’ve said a lot of things. Most I cannot type for you on here. But the gist of it is: “The Lions are miserable in the trenches.”

And they have been for many, many years.

They had the best running back the game has ever seen and they squandered him. Barry Sanders ran for 15,269 yards in 10 years. That’s an average of over 1,500 yards a season. And he did it with virtually no help from the offensive line. If he had had the offensive line Emmitt Smith had in Dallas he would’ve demolished Walter Payton’s record in about 8 years…

Sorry, I’m getting off-track.

The point is, the fans of Detroit have known for years that it doesn’t matter how many skill-position players you have. If you have nobody to block for the quarterback and nobody to make the opposing-team’s quarterback’s life hell… Well you’re going to end up with one winning season in 12 years.

So this is what makes Detroit’s pick of Ndamukong Suh so important. It’s a sign that finally, FINALLY things are changing. And it has to be for the better because it cannot get worse. I’m not wishing. I’m stating a fact. It literally cannot get worse.

Before the last two drafts, the Lions were trapped under the ignorant-grip of Matt Millen. A good football player, a good football analyst… a miserable general manager. The man just has no idea what to do with a football team. And unfortunately for the fans of Detroit, the owner of the Lions, William Clay Ford, was too old and too ignorant himself to notice it. In fact, after five years as General Manager, Millen’s record with the Lions was 21-59. And you know what Ford did?

HE GAME MILLEN A FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION!

You’re joking right? 21-59?! An average of going 4-12, and Millen get’s five more years?

But I digress. We’re talking draft. So take a look at the drafts under Millen’s helm, starting with 2002:

They took Joey Harrington out of Oregon, with the 3rd pick. Nice guy, probably one of the nicest in football. But he was too wet-behind-the-ears to take over a miserable team. And in the end his confidence was shattered and his career was ruined by playing for the Lions.

In 2003, the Lions started with the wide receivers. They stayed at home with the 2nd pick and took Michigan State’s Charles Rogers. The man who beat every one of Plaxico Burress’ records at MSU, also smoked himself out of the league.

In 2004, they stuck with the wide receivers and took Roy Williams from Texas with the 7th pick. This one i’m torn on. I don’t believe it was a busted pick. I think Roy is still a talented receiver. But with no one to protect Harrington, he could barely get the ball to anyone, let alone Roy and his career faltered in Detroit.

In 2005, what a surprise, another wide receiver! This time it was Mike Williams from USC with the 10th pick. Now what happened with Mike Williams is not the Lion’s fault…somewhat. He got screwed over by following in the footsteps of Maurice Clarett and tried to leave as a sophomore. At first he was allowed, and then the NCAA changed their mine and Williams was forced to miss a year of football before becoming a pro. And consequently ate himself out of football. But they should’ve known better than to take a wide receiver who hadn’t played for a year…Oh wait, Matt Millen was in charge. No chance of him knowing any better.

In 2006, the Lions went away from the offense altogether and drafted Ernie Sims, a linebacker from Florida State, who produced somewhat for the Lions, but as of two days ago, isn’t even a Lion anymore as he was part of a multi-team trade that sent him to Philadelphia.

In 2007, with the 2nd pick, another wide receiver, this makes four in five years, Calvin Johnson from Georgia Tech. This one you have to like. The man’s a beast… when he gets the ball. Which is still a work in progress. But at 6’5”, the man has great hands, can leap a small safety with a single-bound and is faster than most on the field.

In 2008, Millen’s last with Detroit, the Lions didn’t pick until 17th, so it doesn’t matter. Mercifully that was Millen’s final year and the Lions are in the process of digging their way out of his hole. But it’s a hole the Lions had been dealing with before Millen came along and added to it.

But now, in 2010, I can see a change. A change for the future of the most futile franchise in all of sports. Last year, I didn’t see it. I didn’t think Matthew Stafford was a good pick. Hopefully I’m wrong. But with the off-season acquisitions of Pro-Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, defensive tackle Corey Williams, wide receiver Nate Burleson and now drafting Suh. It’s a step in the right direction.

Coming into the draft, there were many options for the Lions. The 2nd pick in this years draft was much more appealing than the 1st pick in last years. But a lot of it depended on who was taken first this year. And when the St. Louis Rams took Sam Bradford with the first pick, my heart skipped a beat. And when the Lions actually did the right thing and took Suh, my mind went numb. (I’m not used to the Lions doing the right thing.)

Suh was the prize of the draft this year in everyone’s eyes. And the Detroit Lions are now the proud owner of him. Now I might be getting ahead of myself. But it’s nice to see someone with half-a-brain is making decisions in Detroit.

And trust me, after years of dealing with a man with no brain… I’ll take half-a-brain anyday. So here’s to the hope that after seeing the Arizona Cardinals make the Super Bowl, and seeing the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl in back-2-back years…

Maybe, just maybe, the Detroit Lions are making the right steps to do that themselves someday.

The 2010 Masters are complete and what a weekend for ESPN, CBS, The PGA Tour, Augusta National and the fans of golf.

What started as a circus surrounding Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, ended with Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy crying on the 18th green and the rest of the world wiping away tears.

And you should have. Because it was quite a story.

Eleven months ago, Phil Mickelson’s world was turned upside-down. His wife Amy, the mother of his children and love of his life, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. And then, on the week of his wife’s first surgery, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer!

Now, let me make something clear. I love Tiger Woods. I always have been and always will be a huge fan of Tiger. And being his fan involves certain responsibilities. Like not rooting for Phil, his biggest rival. But in a week that saw me rooting for Tiger on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saw me rooting for Phil and Amy on Sunday evening.

Now I’ll get back to Phil and his accomplishment. But I have to address the circus. How do you not talk about the ginormous white elephant in the room. And in this case it’s a Tiger.

Tiger Woods hovered all week. Before the Masters in the headlines and during the Masters on the leader-board.

I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn’t. You know how media is. If there’s something to talk about, they will. And even if there isn’t anything to talk about, they’ll find something. I should know… I am the media. But this was ridiculous.

Tiger Woods made a huge mistake and is trying to move on. And no one is letting him. Why did we have to talk about it this week?  I didn’t want to. I wanted to enjoy watching the best in the business do what he does best. And he did his part on the golf course.

(Although, that part about him working on his antics needs a little more work.)

But is anyone surprised that A) Tiger was in the hunt and B) that he still has hissy-fits when he messes up?  I’m a golfer, and I can tell you first-hand that you can talk all you want about having a better attitude on the course, but when you hit that shot that matters and you shank it, or flub it, or thin it, or chunk it, all the talk goes out the window.

You’re using four-letter words and they aren’t “Fore!”.

So i’m not surprised Tiger Woods is not an angel on the course and you shouldn’t be either. But lost in the craziness was a spectacular return by golf’s chosen son. The man who makes you shake your head in disbelief was back and he didn’t miss a beat. Yes he didn’t win the Masters, but come on… first tournament in over half a year and he places tied for fourth… at Augusta.

That’s impressive.

But not as impressive as Phil.

This is a man who has had to struggle with being downgraded again and again because he’s going against Tiger Woods. But let’s look at the numbers and maybe now you’ll appreciate just how good Phil really is:

He’s technically been a pro since 1992. But we’ll start in 1996, the year before Tiger started mowing down the competition and see how Phil’s been keeping up. It was also Phil’s first successful year as a pro. He won four times on tour, had eight top-10 finishes and made over $1 million in earnings for the first time. Since that time, he’s won a total of 33 times, and now four majors, including becoming just the 8th person to put on the green jacket 3 times.

His total victories stands at 38 now. Here’s some of the great names he’s ahead of: Lee Trevino (29 victories, 6 majors), Johnny Miller (25 victories, 2 majors), Gary Player (24 victories, 9 majors), Raymond Floyd (22 victories, 4 majors), Hale Irwin (20 victories, 3 majors), and I’ll throw in everyone’s favorite, Fred Couples (15 victories, 1 major).

Phil Mickelson is No. 12 all-time in total victories, which means only 11 golfers in history have had more successful careers than Phil. And yes he used to be known as the greatest to never win a major, but he’s won four out of the last 25 majors. So that title has long been stripped away.

He’s a three-time Master’s Champion. It’s time he got his due.

And the story that is his life is making it easier and easier to like him. His emotions on Sunday were as real as it gets. The hell he’s been through is so much worse than Tiger’s infidelity. And it isn’t getting one-half of the attention. But that’s the way the media works. We surround the gossip like vultures and ignore the feel-good stories until they are thrown in our face so hard, you cannot possibly ignore it.

And this Sunday we saw a man fight through his own personal hell and return to the top. It wasn’t Tiger, it was Phil.

And his wife was by his side.

Okay… I know this will come out petty. Some may even call me a Hater. But I’m sorry, when I see a huge case of injustice, I have to say something about it. And no I don’t care that I’m a week late with it: The Duke National Title is a fraud. It was handed to them by the committee and I’m disgusted. And I’m sure most of you didn’t even notice how easily it was done. So before we even get to the title game, we have to deal with the Final Four.

The Final Four took place in Indianapolis. This you all know. And the Butler Bulldogs play about 5 minutes away. This most of you know. Now here’s the scenario:

The Butler Bulldogs have won their region. They are playing in the Final Four in their own backyard. The first team to do so since the UCLA Bruins in 1972. What a story it would be if they were to play in the National Championship game in their own backyard. Well, thanks to the referees, they were able to do just that…

Now before you call foul (oh yes, a pun is intended), here’s the facts:

Butler was playing Michigan State, a team that has become synonymous with the Final Four (six in 12 years). And they had just been there last year, playing in the Championship Game just 40 minutes from their own stomping grounds.

So to the committee, they’re thinking “We’ve seen them recently, let’s have a more interesting story.” And they made sure they had one.

Raymar Morgan, MSU’s lone senior, was hit with two fouls before you could blink. And Michigan State was hit with four before Butler had one. Both teams play an aggressive style of defense. Rather similar actually. Yet Butler is the only team being allowed to play theirs…Or Michigan State played dirty.

And the placement of the fouls was interesting as well. Morgan, State’s lone leader after Kalin Lucas went down with the Achilles-injury, had three at halftime. He finished with 4 points in 23 minutes of play, after averaging 30 minutes for the tournament. A non-factor in what would be his final game. And Delvin Roe, who stepped up in Lucas’ absence, had two. Meanwhile, Butler’s leaders, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack, have a combined ZERO FOULS. Guess Michigan State was just playing dirty.

At halftime of this game I knew Butler was going to the Title Game. It was obvious. And sad. Because it ruined what could’ve been a great game between Michigan State and Duke. Two of the best programs for the last decade. But it was taken away.

And in the second half, it gets worse. Roe picks up his third foul less than three minutes into the contest (Hayward had a steal for Butler, but no fouls yet). Morgan picks up his fourth with 12:38 left to play. (But Hayward picked up his first mere minutes before!) Delvin Roe picked up his fourth with 2:23 to play. And yes Hayward still only has one foul and Mack has none. But then Hayward picks up his second with 56 seconds left in the game!

See in the end, the fouls were close to even: Michigan State had 21, Butler had 17. But it’s who the fouls were on that made this game so obviously handed to the home team: For Michigan State three of their four best had a combined 13 fouls. For Butler, their two stars had a combined two fouls.

It was disgusting to watch. It was a travesty of justice. And I knew it was going to happen by halftime.

Now for the National Championship “game”.

It’s the hometown David versus the Goliath’s of Goliaths.

DUKE.

And we all know how much the referees love Duke.

But they also love Butler this year.

But you and I both know that Butler cannot be champions. It would ruin the NCAA. They would be called the worst champions to ever win it. But Duke… That’s a different story. It’s Duke. It’s the brand name.

So the committee has a problem. How to keep everyone interested in an uninteresting title game. Well, Step One: Keep it close. People love close basketball games. Especially people with no team to root for. Then-again most people are Duke-haters, so they’ll root for Butler.

Step two is to make sure Duke wins, however possible.

In the first half, things go as planned. Couple of fouls to the no-name players, but none really given to the big boys. (Butler’s Hayward and Mack have ZERO. Meanwhile Duke’s Brian Zoubeck has zero, Jon Scheyer has two and Kyle Singler has one). And the score is 33-32 Duke. Just what the committee ordered.

But in the second half, problem occurs. One big problem. His name is Brian Zoubeck. He is 7-feet-1-inches tall, and he went from having no fouls in the first half to having four fouls in just 8:39 of game-time in the second half.

This is a big problem, because Duke needs him to be where they are, up 47-43 with 11:21 to play. But the refs take care of that, because from 11:21-1:42, yes almost 10 minutes of game-time, Butler scores one field goal.

ONE FIELD GOAL!

But it’s just 60-57 Duke, so Butler is still in it. The people are still watching. And the Duke-haters are still hoping.

And now for my favorite part. The exact place in this game where the referees gift-wrap the title for Duke without anyone noticing. Here’s the scene:

The score is 60-59 Duke, with 36 seconds left. Singler comes up short on a 15-foot jumper from the elbow. It hits the front of the iron and shoots straight down. Brian Zoubeck is there, but so is Matt Howard of Butler. Zoubeck throws an elbow that knocks Howard to the floor, right in front of the referee. Obvious foul.

But wait….Zoubeck has four fouls. Five means “you’re gone” in college. We can’t give him the foul. Luckily the ball goes off his foot, so we can just give the ball to Butler.

The problem is: That’s a foul! It’s Zoubeck’s fifth, he should be gone. Instead,he’s allowed to stay. And with five seconds left, Hayward drives to the baseline and puts up a jumper. A shot that could win the game for Butler. But Zoubeck is there to get in Hayward’s face and causes Hayward to shoot the ball higher than normal (remember, Zoubeck is 7’1”) and the ball goes off the back of the iron instead of dropping for a 61-60 lead. Zoubeck gets the rebound, gets fouled and seals the win, 61-59.

So there you have it folks. A gifted-on-a-silver-platter National Title for Duke. The fourth championship for Mike Krzyzewski and a highway robbery of a National Championship Game.

But hey, at least it was close, right?

Hey all, sorry for the delay. Just uprooted and moved across the country. Getting settled in has taken a little bit. But i’m back, and the stories are coming. Gonna take a look at the NBA and NHL playoffs. Gotta talk about Duke getting gifted a National Championship on a silver platter. And the boys of summer are back in business. The B-A-double-S-I-N is back at work. Enjoy!

Get your dancing shoes dusted off, it’s time to party. The crashers are in the building and the party has only just begun! Day one of the NCAA tournament is underway, and people are already throwing away their brackets. The number ones are fine, but the twos are sweating bullets and the threes want no part of the fourteens.

Let’s start with the upsets:

The first one of the tournament belongs to Old Dominion as the 11-seed. They took down No. 6 Notre Dame 51-50. In a game that set basketball back about 40 years… The Irish held a 30-22 lead early in the second half before ODU went on a 9-0 run to take the lead. It was back and forth the rest of the way… Minus the three minutes from 5:51-2:51 when neither team could score a point while tied at 43.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early 15-6, making eight of their first 17 shots, when Old Dominion was in man-to-man defense… But the Monarchs switched to a zone defense and changed the complexion of the game. The Fighting Irish couldn’t fight the zone, making just 13 of their next 42 shots. Luke Harangody was nowhere to be found, as he finally scored his first points with 12.6 seconds left. A pathetic and sad finish to what was a pretty good career. But no one should be surprised by Old Dominion’s victory. They took down Georgetown earlier this year…

Speaking of Georgetown, say goodbye to the Hoyas. They just got the crap kicked out of them by Ohio 97-83. The Bobcats, who went just 7-9 in MAC play, have been on a tear since the MAC tournament. They road a 4-game winning streak in the conference tournament to make the big dance, and kept it going today. Georgetown, which had been playing some very good basketball, will now be watching from the stands.

The Hoyas looked great in the Big East tournament, making it to the conference final before falling to West Virginia. Coach John Thompson III said the team was playing it’s best basketball heading into the big dance. So much for that…

The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead thanks to some very efficient 3-point shooting and never looked back. They led by as many as 19 points before the Hoyas cut the lead to seven with 5:47 left. But Ohio would not let it get any closer, and a team that looked like it had a chance to make the Final Four is the highest seed to lose today… but just barely.

Bad day for the SEC.

Florida and BYU had an all-out war today, going to double overtime before the Cougars took down the Gators, 99-92. Not an upset, because BYU was the seven seed in the 7-10 game. But it set the tone for the SEC that Vanderbilt wanted no part off as the 4-seed.

The Commodores took on 13-seed Murray State in a game where you could tell only one game came to play… and it wasn’t Vanderbilt.  Murray St, who was picked by President Barack Obama to escape the first round, made a profit out of the President. They held a 36-32 halftime lead, but then had to make a comeback of their own as they trailed 65-64 with 4.2 seconds left…

That’s when Senior Danero Thomas became a hero.

The Racers were doing just that in the final seconds. Racing around the court, looking like a chicken with its head cut off. Trailing by one with 12.7 seconds to go, they jacked up a rushed 3-pointer, which missed and went out of bounds. But not before it went off a Vandy player, giving Murray St. one last chance. And once again, the Racers were rcing around. The first option was shot, the second option was shot, so the ball went to the third option who took the shot. And it was a shot the Racers and all their fans will remember for the rest of their lives.

Pondexter hits with 1.7 for the Huskies.

Quincy Pondexter and the 11th-seed Washington Huskies continue their surprisingly-good play with an 80-78 victory over 6-seed Marquette. The Huskies, who won the Pac-10 tournament over regular-season champion Cal, will keep their dancing shoes on thanks to a gutty performance. Marquette is tournament-tested, and always a tough-out. But with the game tied at 78, Pondexter drove the lane and hit a bank-shot with 1.7 seconds left to give the Huskies the win. Pondexter finished with 18 points and Isaiah Thomas finished with 19 to keep the Pac-10 in the tournament. (they only garnered two spots in the dance).

Gaels fly high for first time in 50 years.

The 10th-seeded Saint Mary Gaels took down 7-seed Richmond 80-71 to advance in the Big Dance for the first time since 1959. The Gaels, who have been bridesmaids to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference for years, are finally making a name for themselves and their conference. The WCC has been laughed at for years, until Gonzaga started making a name for themselves in the NCAA Tournament by knocking off much more accomplished programs.

And now it’s St. Mary’s who’s taking down the bigger schools. And they have a real shot to continue their strong play as they take on No. 2 Villanova who barely survived.

The Wildcats, who were in the Final Four last year, were almost one-and-done this year. Taking on 15-seed Robert Morris, Villanova played down to their competition and almost paid dearly for it. It’s easy to do when you play a 15-seed, especially when you consider the fact that only four 15-seeds have ever won in the history of the tournament and none since 2001.

But it was almost one. Robert Morris jumped on the Wildcats right away and led 29-22 at the half. Villanova coach Jay Wright benched his leading scorer, Scottie Reynolds as a “teaching point”, and was almost taught a lesson himself. Instead, it was Reynolds who got the message and with his team trailing 55-47 with a little over four minutes left, Reynolds hit some big free throws down the stretch to force overtime. And the Wildcats took it from their, surviving 73-70 in OT to move on to the second round.

The rest of the games went pretty much as expected. The ones moved on easily as Kentucky dismantled East Tennessee St 100-71, and Kansas took care of LeHigh 90-74. Two-seed Kansas St dropped 15-seed North Texas by 20. Fifth-seeded Butler survived the 12-5 upset, 77-59 over UTEP. Sixth-seeded Tennessee held on against 11-seed San Diego State, 62-59. New Mexico was able to hold off Montana 62-57. That’s a three taking down a 14. Third-seeded Baylor used a strong second half to defeat 14-seed Sam Houston State. And 9th-seed University of Northern Iowa took down 8th-seed UNLV 69-66.

And then there’s Texas and Wake Forest.

Both of these teams are schizophrenic. Texas started the season 17-0 and were No 1 in the country. They looked like one of the best teams in the land. But went on a downward spiral after that and finished 24-10 and 9-7 in the Big 12. Meanwhile Wake Forest has looked great at times and horrendous at other times. You couldn’t have a more perfect 8-9 battle. And these two provided one hell of a show. You had a feeling it would go to overtime before the game even started and they didn’t disappoint.

It was a one-point game at halftime, and a tie-game after regulation. And in overtime Texas struck first with a 3-pointer. Then stole the inbound-pass and dropped another three to go up 74-68 with 3 minutes left. They looked like they were going to steamroll the Demon Deacons and face Kentucky in the 2nd round. But Wake Forest was not done yet. They fought back and after hitting a three with 15 seconds left, trailed by just one. And with 1.3 seconds left, Ishmael Smith drained a jumper to give Wake Forest the 81-80 victory to send Texas home with their tails between their legs.

So day-one is in the books. And it could not have gone better. Three overtime games, a couple of buzzer-beaters, upsets left-and-right and a whole bunch of people holding their breaths.

Like I said, this is the best time of the year.

Flipping the script on this one and writing for the fun of writing. No real story, just giving you more insight to how I think. So here is my starting-5 of the greatest NBA players. To be fair, I’m not going to go with just the 5 men I feel are the greatest of all-time. I’m going to do it as if it were a real team, meaning position by position.

(Imagine you’re hearing introductions for the World Wrestling Federation)

AT POINT GUARD, BORN AND RAISED IN LANSING, MICHIGAN. STANDING 6-FOOT-9-INCHES TALL, OUT OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY…EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON!

This position is an easy one to choose. Magic is hands-down the greatest PG of all-time. There’s nothing he could not do. You want him to pass, he’ll do it in a way that will knock you out of your seat. He made passing exciting. You wanna talk game-winners? No problem there either. Game 4, 1987 Finals: Lakers/Celtics in the Boston Garden. L.A.

You know my favorite part about that video? Not the Lakers breaking the Celtics heart in their own arena. Well, that is my favorite part, but my SECOND favorite part is that Kareem is WIDE OPEN. Watch it again, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Larry Bird all converge on Magic, leaving Kareem all alone under the basket. The most unselfish man in basketball could play a little selfish when he needed to.

Earvin was a wizard on the court. But more importantly, he changed the game. And yes I know him and Larry Bird helped change the NBA together, but Magic did something no one thinks about: He made the black player marketable.

Before Earvin, black players were viewed with the common, misguided stereotypes. Angry, ignorant, unapproachable, etc. We all know this is crap in the first place, but the thoughts were there. Look at the history of marketed stars in the NBA, the evidence is right there. And here comes this 20-year-old kid who’s smile lit up television screens around the world. He was nice, he was charming, he was talented, he was Magic. And name me another PG that could start at center in his rookie year in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Philadelphia, and play all five positions. Not to mention score 42 points, grab 15 rebounds, dish seven assists and win Finals MVP.

Oh yeah, he also spent 75 percent of his career in the NBA Finals: 12 seasons, 9 Finals, 5 Championships. Including winning his High School, College and NBA Championships in a span of four years. Imagine what he could’ve done if he had never contracted HIV, or if the world weren’t so ignorant to it in 1991.

AT SHOOTING GUARD, RAISED IN WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, STANDING 6-FOOT-6-INCHES TALL, OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA… “HIS AIRNESS” MICHAEL JORDAN!

Once again, another no-brainer. Michael Jordan is the greatest shooting guard the NBA has ever seen. He did not have a weakness. He was deadly on offense and defense. And he battled his way to greatness. Jordan would face the greatest on his way to making a place for himself among the ranks. It started with the Boston Celtics. In 1986, MJ broke a small bone in his foot in just the third game of the season. And instead of sitting out the entire year as instructed, he came back to lead the Bulls to the playoffs. And in their opening match-up was with the Celtics.

In game two, which was in Boston, Michael Jordan dropped 63 points, a playoff record that still stands. The Celtics took the game 135-131 in double overtime, and went on to sweep the Bulls on their way to their third and final title of the 80’s. But the world was shone a glimmer of what was to come. Remember, this was in his second season!

Nike jumped on it early. Seeing Converse pick up Magic and Bird, Nike decided to grab their own star. And they picked the right one. Together they built an empire in Jordan’s name. The shoes speak for themselves. Michael took care of the hype.

From the 1988-89 season until the 1992-93 season, Jordan never averaged less than 30 points per game. And he never missed more than four games in a season. After the Celtics, MJ had to get through the Detroit Pistons. Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys were tired of being bridesmaids to the Celtics and Lakers. They brought a new extra-rugged style of basketball to the NBA (believe me, they didn’t invent it, look at how the Celtics and Lakers played in the finals throughout the 80’s). The Bad Boys went to the finals three consecutive years, winning back-2-back in ‘89 and ‘90. And they defeated Michael Jordan along the way everytime.

But in 1991, MJ led his Bulls to a 4-0 sweep of the defending NBA Champion Pistons, and Jordan was finally in his first NBA Finals. One problem: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were his opponent. One more legend to take down. And MJ did just that.

The Bulls would win in five games and Michael Jordan would have his first title. He would win five more, going 6-for-6 in the Finals. And he won Finals MVP everytime, to go along with 5 League-MVPs.

AT SMALL FORWARD, BORN AND RAISED IN FRENCH LICK, INDIANA. STANDING 6-FOOT-9-INCHES TALL, OUT OF INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE HICK FROM FRENCH LICK….LARRY BIRD!

Now this one I’m going to explain, because Larry Bird is hardly a small forward. But when Larry played, there really wasn’t a small forward. Bird was just a forward. And he was unbelievable.

He changed the game the day he and Magic stepped foot on the court for the 1979 NCAA Championship. Bird led his Indiana State Sycamores to a 33-0 record before falling to Magic’s Michigan State Spartans 75-64. But the game was the most watched NCAA Championship ever. Still is.

And when he went to Boston, he quickly turned around a once-proud franchise that had been stuck as of late. They went 29-53 the year before acquiring Bird. Larry Legend turned them around quickly. They went 61-21 his rookie season. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds his rookie season. And he destroyed Magic in the Rookie-of-the-year voting, 63-3.

From his rookie year, the 1979-80 season, until the 1985-86 season, Bird averaged anywhere from 21-29 points, while averaging 10 rebounds. He won a title in just his second year in the NBA, taking on and out-playing Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games to get to the finals where he defeated the Houston Rockets for his first of three titles. He would go to the Finals five times in his career, including four consecutive years from 1984-1987.

And if it wasn’t for a back injury he suffered REPAVING HIS OWN DRIVEWAY, who knows how long he could’ve kept that up for. But he still averaged 24 and 10 for his career that ended too early after the 1991-92 season. And even Bird says he should’ve retired in 1988. That’s how bad his back was and how determined he was to keep playing.

He could pass almost as good as Magic. He could shoot as well as anyone who ever touched the basketball. He was tough as nails. And he just knew the game of basketball inside and out. 3 MVPs, 3 NBA Championships, 5 Finals appearances and a career cut short by working too hard.

AT POWER FORWARD, BORN IN WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA. STANDING 6-FOOT-9-INCHES TALL, OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO…BILL RUSSELL!

Now before you start, I know Bill Russell played center in college and the NBA. But only because he had to. He was the biggest…besides Big Norm, AKA Wilt Chamberlain. But watch video of Bill Russell, that man is a power forward. And the best to ever play that position. It’s a shame people don’t know their history and forget about how great this man was.

Starting right away in Boston in 1956 he scored 15 points and pulled down 20 rebounds. He would continue to do that throughout his illustrious 13-year career. He would finish with a career average of 15 and 23. He won two NCAA titles at the University of San Francisco before moving on to the NBA and winning 11 Championships, as well as a Gold Medal as Captain of the 1956 United States Olympic Squad.

And he did it having to deal with racism along the way. In the times when Russell played, black players were treated awful. Russell had to deal with it throughout his childhood. But when he came to the NBA, he changed the way people looked at basketball. He wasn’t the first black player, but he’s the first you can think of. He became the first African-American basketball player to reach Super-star status. He was the first black player the white people wanted to see. And to me, that is just as important at Jackie Robinson playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He never averaged less than 20 rebounds for a season in his 13-year career. He is tied with Michael Jordan for the 2nd-most numbers of MVPs with five. He once grabbed 32 rebounds IN A HALF. He grabbed 51 for an entire game, 2nd-most behind Wilt’s 55.

Bill Russell won 11 Championships in 13 seasons. He won two NCAA titles and an Olympic Gold Medal. He is sports greatest winner. He could hound you defensively and get his offensively. He changed the game forever by making it okay to root for a black player.

If anyone deserves to have their number retired throughout the NBA, it’s Bill Russell’s “6”. (yes, LeBron I’m talking to you.)

AND AT CENTER, BORN AND RAISED IN NEW YORK CITY, STANDING 7-FOOT-2-INCHES, OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES…KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR.

Now I’m sure I’m going to get arguments about this one. There are a lot of great centers in the history of the game. But for my money, none are better than Kareem. He won 3 NCAA Championships with UCLA. It would’ve been four, but in his time freshman played on a different team. It was much more like Varsity and Jr. Varsity.

In fact, in 1965, his freshman year, the Varsity team was ranked No. 1 to start the season. And when the Varsity and freshman team faced each other, Kareem scored 51 points and led the freshman squad to a stunning 75-60 upset.

And the NCAA changed the rules for Jabbar. The dunk was banned after the 1967 season, primarily due to Kareem’s dominance with it. It didn’t come back in style until 1976.

Now I keep calling him Kareem, because that’s what he wanted to be called, at least starting in 1971. But during his college and early pro career, he was Lew Alcindor. (Actually it’s Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.)

Now when Lew joined the Milwaukee Bucks, he jumped right in with both feet. He averaged 29 points and 15 rebounds his rookie season. And in his second season, he scored 31 a game and pulled down 16 rebounds per game, on his way to his first of SIX MVPs and leading the Bucks to a World Championship.

He won his 2nd MVP the next year when he scored 35 points a game and grabbed 17 rebounds. But Milwaukee didn’t fit his style and he let that be known, asking for a trade to either New York or Los Angeles. And in 1975 he got his wish.

With the Lakers, Kareem kept doing what he was doing. Scoring over 27 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. But he wasn’t winning any more titles… until Magic showed up. Together they became the games most unstoppable force. Combining to go to 9 NBA Finals in the 1980’s, winning five of them.

He finished his 20-year career as the highest scorer in NBA history with 38,387 points. He was a 19-time All-Star with the greatest shot in NBA history.

The unblockable “Sky Hook”. And he was deadly with it.

But maybe the biggest difference between him and other great centers like Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal is that if you put him on the free throw line, you were just hurting yourself. The man could make his free throws at a 75 percent-rate. Which is rare in great centers.

A 6-time NBA Champion, a 6-time League-MVP, a 19-time All-Star and the career points leader in NBA history. The Captain, as he was lovingly called, is my starting center.

So that’s my starting-5. Magic, Michael, Larry, Russell and Kareem.

My question to you is: Who you gonna to bring to beat them?

Nomar Garciaparra has retired from the game of baseball. He signed a one-day contract with the Red Sox organization to retire as a Red Sox…Red Sock…however you say it. Which I think is the dumbest thing in the history of sports-retirement. Well, besides saying you’re going to retire and then change your mind. But I digress…

Now, I have two questions for you: Is Nomar a Hall of Famer? And… Did you even notice that Nomar was still playing? And can you name me the team he was on last season without looking it up?

Okay, so I have three questions for you.

Let’s tackle the first one. Nomar Garciaparra as a Boston Red Sox…Red Sock… however you say it, was one hell of a short stop. In 1997, his rookie season, he hit .306, with 30 home runs and 98 runs-batted-in (RBI). He was named an All-Star, was eighth in MVP voting and took home Rookie of the Year honors.

The next year his numbers jumped to .323 with 35 home runs and 122 RBI’s. He was second in MVP voting. His numbers continued to climb in the coming years. His batting average went to .357, then .372.

Then came 2001 and the Sports Illustrated-Cover jinx. You know the one I’m talking about. SI had Nomar on the cover with the title, “A Cut Above… Baseball’s Toughest Out”. And the “toughest out” was taken out… by a wrist injury. He played just 21 games that year. He was averaging 143 before that.

But Nomar came back in 2002 to play 156 games, the most of his career. He hit .310, lead the league in doubles and was voted an All-Star for the fourth time. And in 2003 he did it for a fifth time. All-in-all, in the nine years he spent as a Boston Red Sox…Red Sock…whatever, he hit .323, had a slugging percentage over .500 and was a 5-time All-Star.

But in the 2003 playoffs, Garciaparra disappeared. In 12 games he had just one RBI, zero home runs and 10 strikeouts. The toughest out was tough to figure out. In 2004 he was up for a contract extension. And Nomar was looking to get paid the way Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were getting paid.

Theo Epstein had other ideas.

He traded Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs in a 4-team trade right at the trade deadline. Boston received Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz in the 4-team trade and went onto have the most memorable post-season in recent memory. They fell behind 0-3 to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Only to pull off the first 0-3 comeback in baseball history and just the third in all of sports history, winning the series in seven games, 4-3.

And then they swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series. Their first in 86 years. With Nomar wearing a Cubs uniform. I heard they sent him a ring, saying they never could’ve won it without him.

I’m sorry, am I missing something? Didn’t they just win it WITHOUT him? He was not on the roster… I checked.

But I get it. It’s a nice gesture. And I’m sure it was heartfelt by his former teammates. But he wasn’t there. Which leads me to my other question…

Can you name the last team Nomar Garciaparra played on?

In 2005 with the Cubs, he tore his groin and played only 62 games. But then came 2006 and Nomar got to go home. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him, mostly because they were part Red Sox…Red Sock…whatever, already. Grady Little, the Dodgers manager, was Nomar’s manager in Boston. And there were a few former-Boston/once-again teammates in LA as well.

But Garciaparra flourished that first season in Dodger-Blue. Playing 122 games and hitting .303 with 93 RBI’s and grabbing his sixth-and-final All-Star nomination.  2007 wasn’t terrible as he was able to play 121 games… But his batting average dipped to .283, the first time it was under .300 for Nomar in what was close to a full season.

He only played 55 games in 2008 for the Dodgers and spent last year in Oakland where he played only 65 games. (And yes I had to look up where he played last year).

So I ask you, does a 6-time All-Star who hit .313 for his 14-year career, which was marred by injuries, deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?

I’d like to think so, as I’m sure Red Sox Nation does. He is one of the players that stands out when you think about the last decade-and-a-half in baseball. And if it wasn’t for a miserable post-season in 2003, he might have had a World Series ring that he actually earned on the field with the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

Then again… Maybe the Yankees would have 28 titles right now instead of 27. Just saying…

Free Agency has begun in the NFL and moves have been made that make me smile, cringe and in some cases just scratch my head with confusion. Let’s start with the head-scratcher:

The New York Jets have agreed to give the San Diego Chargers their 3rd-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft that could become a 2nd-round pick, in exchange for former All-Pro Cornerback, Antonio Cromartie.

Cromartie, a 2006 pick out of Florida State surprised the NFL in 2007 when he collected 10 interceptions, including three of Peyton Manning in one game, on his way to the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro selection.

But it was a mirage instead of a precursor.

Since that season, Cromartie has had five interceptions in two seasons. And only 19 pass deflections compared to 18 in 2007. This is why the Chargers were not holding back tears when they let him go. Actually they were. But they were tears of joy. Because Antonio Cromartie is a bust. He’s a poor tackler, whenever he does try to tackle. He’s a miserable cover, and he’s gutless to boot. Case in point:

And that was against the Jets! The team who just picked him up! What the hell are they thinking? Do they think Cromartie was just half-assing it to get out of San Diego?  Do they think he’ll go back to how he played that ONE year? Because they are about to be sorely mistaken. Cromartie is downright awful. He had one lucky year where his athleticism and luck of being in the right-place-at-the-right-time carried him to his only Pro Bowl. And yes I know part of the game is luck. But guys like Champ Bailey, Darren Sharper, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu make their own luck by being football savvy. And there’s another thing they have in common, heart and guts.

And they all hit like freight trains. Something Cromartie won’t do if you pay him. Because, let’s face it, he’s been paid and he still won’t hit anybody.

I’ve spent the last two years working in sports-radio in San Diego. I’ve spoken to former players and commentators alike, and they all agree Cromartie is Fool’s Gold. And the Jets, who should know better, considering he’s a huge part of the reason they got past San Diego, are dumb enough to waste draft picks and money on him.

Moving on…

The Carolina Panthers said goodbye to their leader, Jake Delhomme. This is one year, one miserable year, after they gave him a lucrative extension. Which I still didn’t get considering he committed six turnovers at home against the Arizona Cardinals in the 2008 NFC playoffs. He had a career-worst 18 interceptions last year before having a season-ending injury with five games to play. That’s 18 interceptions in 13 games for you math-wizards.

This leaves a 35-year-old quarterback jobless, for now. And it leaves the Panthers with a big question of who takes over as signal-caller. There’s Matt Moore, who took over at the end of last year, throwing eight touchdowns to only two interceptions and helping the Panthers win four of their last five games. He’s basically their only hope, because he’s cheap, and they still owe Delhomme more than $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

And finally my Detroit Lions, whom I pleaded with not to get Cromartie and they actually listened… have added another wide receiver! Sorry, couldn’t help myself. This is a good thing actually. Nate Burleson, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, signs a 5-year, $25 million contract. $11 million of it is guaranteed.

This is good news for the Lions in many ways. It’s gives new QB Matthew Stafford a legitimate number two receiver to help with the double-teaming and sometimes triple-teaming of Megatron, a.k.a Calvin Johnson. Also it reunites Burleson with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. And when these two were together in 2004, Burleson caught 68 passes for 1,006 yards.

So there’s your wrap-up for day-one of free agency. Burleson’s out of Seattle, Delhomme is out of a job, Cromartie is out of San Diego and the New York Jets are out of their minds.

Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers have decided to part ways. This after a month of missing from the team to tend to his four-year-old daughter, Messiah. It ends a circus act that was once Allen Iverson’s brilliant career. At I hope it does…

Allen Iverson is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. One of the greatest small men of all-time. His will and tenacity are second-to-none.  The guy had ADHD throughout his entire body, that’s how much he could not and would not stand still. His crossover of Michael Jordan in 1997 will forever live as one of the greatest ankle-breaking moves i’ve ever seen.

He took the 2001 76ers to the finals, taking down Kobe, Shaq and the Lakers in game one to take away what would’ve been the first perfect playoffs in NBA history. His ability to score at will at under 6-feet-tall is one of the most impressive feats in NBA history. From his rookie year in 1996, until the 2007 season, Iverson never averaged less than 22 points-per-game.

But those days are over.

In the last two years, his numbers have dropped to 17 points and now 13 points-per-game. And the man who refuses to take a lesser role is now playing himself out of the NBA. His stint with the Detroit Pistons was disasterous. Not because they ended their streak of six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. But because when he started, the team didn’t gel. When he came off the bench, he would play poorly because he was pissed. And then the “back injury” to end last year, which anyone with half a brain knew was Detroit benching him for good.

And then there’s this year. Three games with the Memphis Gris

Congratulations Canada. You have done what you needed to do to say these 2010 Olympic Games were a success. With Sidney Crosby’s five-hole goal 7:40 into overtime, Canada defeats the United States 3-2 for the Gold Medal. And I commend you for it. You won the Gold in the most important event at your Olympics.

Now take a seat, I’ll get back to you.

I need to stand and applaud my American boys who did what no one deemed possible. They stood with the big dogs, and they barked loud. When you looked at the teams heading into the Olympics your thoughts probably went something like this:

“Well let’s see, the Canadians have to be there for the Gold, it’s their Olympic games and their squad is stacked. Sweden is the defending Olympic Champions from the Torino Games and they’ve got a very formidable team as well. And of course the Russians will have to be involved, they’re the Russians, they always are.”

And now a conversation about the American’s chances:

“Hey, who do we have in goal?”

“Let’s see, there’s Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller”

“Who?”

“I dunno…”

“Alright, well, who else is on the roster?”

“There’s Zach Parise, Ryan Malone, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Kesler, Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan…”

“Wait, wait, wait, will you tell me someone I know?”

“Ooh, there’s Patrick Kane. He’s a nice up-and-comer on the Chicago Blackhawks. And there’s… no one else i know”

“Great, so we’re screwed then.”

“Most likely”

You get my point. No one knew the names of the players on this United States hockey team.

AND THEY WON THE SILVER MEDAL!

Think about how amazing that is. The biggest name on the American team is a KID on the Chicago Blackhawks. Our Captain is Brian Rafalski, who’s not even a star on his team, the Detroit Red Wings.

But he will be now. They all will be now. You’ll remember Zach Parise and Ryan Malone and Jamie Langenbrunner. And you’ll remember Ryan Miller.

The little-known goalie out of Michigan State University, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, who stepped up to become the MVP of the tournament. And it wasn’t even a question. In a tournament that had names like Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur, Alex Ovechkin, and Roberto Luongo. It was Miller who was most responsible for his team being in the Gold Medal game.

He allowed one goal against the Swiss in his first game, one against Norway in his second, three against Canada the first time around, he pitched a shutout against the Swiss the second time around, he had a shutout against Finland before being pulled, and today he allowed three again in an overtime thriller. He kept his team in it with stellar play between the pipes.

And his reward, all of their rewards is a Silver Medal…that could’ve been Gold.

Down 2-0 in the second, Ryan Kesler took a pass from Patrick Kane and beat Roberto Luongo to cut it to a one-goal game with 7:15 left in the 2nd period. And the Americans were back in it. Then came the 3rd period. And it was still 2-1. And the clock was ticking. Still 2-1. Time was running out on the Stars and Stripes as they kept coming, but could not get anything in net. Still 2-1. Then with 1:27 to play, the U.S. pulled Miller for an extra attacker… and it finally happened.

With 24 seconds left, and the hometown crowd going nuts, Zach Parise slipped one past Luongo to tie the game at two and silence the crowd.

Overtime for the Gold. A victory for hockey.

What was a fairy tale for the Americans was extended just a little bit longer. But after 7 minutes and 40 seconds of OT, it all came to a crashing halt as Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller for the Gold Medal-winning goal. Canada 3, United States 2. And yes, I haven’t forgotten about Canada.

The Canadians need to be applauded for their perseverance. They were the best team coming in. This was their Olympics to lose. And then they were slapped in the face by their Big Brother 5-3 a week ago and had to play an extra game just to get into the medal rounds. But once they got in, it was business as usual. They embarrassed the Russians 7-3, and then jumped on top of Slovakia 3-0 before having to hold on, 3-2. And then came today, where they gave the Americans their first deficit in these Olympics, 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 during the second.

But then they were only up one goal, and then, with victory just 25 mere seconds away, they were tied and forced to play more hockey for the Gold. Think about how quiet that locker room must have been before overtime. The Gold was right there! And then it wasn’t… But the Canadians regrouped. They came out in overtime and out-shot the Americans in the extra period 7-4, and finally got what they were looking for out of their new National Hero, Sid the Kid.

He is arguably the best player in hockey right now. He’s a world champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and now an Olympic Champion, that he himself delivered to his country… in his country. That’s a pretty sweet feeling. So yes the Canadians deserve a ton of credit, accolade, and gratitude.

But years from now when people talk about these Olympic Games, they will remember a few things. One will be the Canadians taking the Gold. But in a world where you don’t remember who took second… People will remember this young American team that gave the Canadians and the world as much as it could handle on the ice and walked away disappointed with a Silver Medal.

I, for one, am not disappointed. I am proud. Proud of my Americans for the 9 Golds, 15 Silvers and 13 Bronze Medals, 37 in all for these Olympic Games. A new Winter Olympic record. But only one medal will stand out to me. It was the last medal our country earned. A Silver Medal in Men’s Hockey.

And to me, with what was expected of Americans, that Silver Medal is shining as good as Gold.

Remember the glory days of the Boston Celtics?  No, not the 60’s or 80’s. I’m talking about the 2008 NBA season. The year they reminded people of what a great franchise they once were. They won their 17th NBA title, the first since 1986. But they did it by bringing in two key players the age of 30, but great players nonetheless in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. And it worked… for a year.

But last year was a disappointment for the Celtics. They lost Kevin Garnett to injury, which included the playoffs. And then going seven games with the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs caused them to be exhausted when they took on the Orlando Magic. And the Magic took advantage, knocking out the Celtics in 7 games to go to the Eastern Conference Finals.

And like I said a few days ago, the Celtics now look old. They blew a chance to prove themselves against the Cavaliers, and now they fall to the five-win…excuse me, now SIX-win New Jersey Nets, 104-96 at the TD Garden. Keyon Dooling hit a jumper to end the 1st quarter and give the Nets a 29-27 lead… And they never trailed again! In Boston!  The Celtics couldn’t even retake the lead for the final 3/4ths of the game. And how’s this for sloppiness at home; The Nets shot 41 free throws, making 34 of them, to the Celtics 11. And Boston was only 3-for-19 (.158) from three-point range.

And yes, I concede, they probably played down to their opponent. But they are in no position to be doing that. They are not the top dog in the East. They aren’t even in the top-3 anymore, the Atlanta Hawks have taken their spot behind the Magic and Cavaliers.

Boston has what it takes to be better than this. Just not what it takes to be a real threat in a seven-game series. They need more than a healthy Paul Pierce now. They need a sense of urgency. This isn’t the team that was once excited to get to the playoffs. This is a team that has become bored with the regular season.

And they have no business being bored with the regular season. They were swept by the Atlanta Hawks this year. They have had to deal with injury after injury, and quite frankly, they need as many games as they can get in Boston. They have had nothing but long playoff series where they could not win away from the “Garden”. So this team needs to get their collective heads out of their collective asses before it’s too late.

Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s too late. So instead, just blow the rest of your games, get as high of a draft pick as you can get, and hope for next year. Because sorry Beantown, but this year, at least for the Celtics, is done.

Wow! Can you believe it?  Can you feel it?! All the talk. All the joking about the possibility of a Canada/USA final. And it is actually happening! The Canadians you expected. But it wasn’t easy. Well, it started easy, but it was tough at the finish. The Canucks were rolling, up 3-0 on the Cinderella-team of Slovakia in the third period. The fans were dancing and chanting “We Want USA”… And then came the Slovakians.

They had pulled this off before. They beat both the Russians (in the preliminary round) and the Swedes (in the medal round), two of the three teams expected to be fighting for the Gold. And here they came. A goal by Lubomir Visnovsky with 8:25 to play. Followed by a goal by Michal Handzus with 4:53 to play. And just like that, it’s a 3-2 game and gut-check time for Canada.

The Slovakians kept on pushing. Throwing puck after puck and player after player at the net. Outshot 21-9 in the first two periods, Slovakia threw 12 shots on goal in the 3rd to Canada’s seven. And they came so close. With 55 seconds left, they were finally able to pull goalie Jaroslav Halak for an extra skater. And it almost worked. Pavol Demitra corralled a loose puck with 9 seconds left and he was right in front of the left corner of the net. He lifted the puck in the air and… Roberto Luongo got just enough of it to save the day for Canada.

So threat avoided, and IT…IS…ON! The Americans and the Canadians playing for the Gold. A Rematch of the 2002 final in Salt Lake that saw the Canadians skate away with the Gold on our territory. Now it’s payback time. The Americans already did it once, just five days ago, defeating Canada 5-3. Was it a premonition of things to come, or did they awake the sleeping giant that is Canadian Hockey?

No one has won more Olympic Medals in the game of Hockey than the Canucks. 13 medals; 7 Golds, 4 Silvers and 2 Bronze. The Americans, who have been the top dog in the past, are not in that position this year. They were called “young”, analysts were unsure of how the U.S. would compete against the big guns of Canada, Sweden and Russia. Well, you only have to win the games you play, and the Americans have done that.

They are 5-0 in these Olympic Games. And yes they did not have to face Tre Kronor (Sweden) or the Ruskies, but that’s not America’s fault. They won the games the needed to win. Those two great countries did not. Of the teams the U.S. faced, there is no doubt Canada is the best. And they took it to them on their home ice. And if you watched the American’s today, and you watched the Canadian’s today, you would have to agree that the Red, White and Blue looked better than the Red and White.

The U.S. took it to Finland 6-1. The Canadians looked sluggish to start against Slovakia, but woke up and eventually took a 3-0 lead, only to let Slovakia get right back into it. That says something. You need to be able to step on your opponent’s throat when you have them down. Only one team did that today and it wasn’t the host team.

And don’t kid yourself. This is the most important game in the entire Olympics for the people of Vancouver and the rest of Canada. This is their sport. Their sport on their home turf…well…ice. They own this sport in the Olympics, the greatest player in the history of hockey is Canadian, and the winningest team in the history of the NHL is the Montreal CANADIANS. So yes, this game matters tremendously to the Canucks, whether they want to admit it or not.  And now they can finish what they set out to do when the Games began.

And yes, we joked about the possibility. We laughed at the idea of America being there when the smoke settles. But thanks to a tournament filled with upsets, the smoke is starting to settle and the Stars and Stripes are still standing.

One more game to go. It’s the final event in all of the Olympics, minus the Closing Ceremonies of course. So all the eyes of the Olympic world will be on the ice on Sunday. A chance for glory, shocking glory is at-hand for the Americans. All that stands in the way is Little Brother.

And he’s grown up quite a bit.

The American’s are playing for the Gold Medal in Men’s Hockey. Who they are playing will have to wait until later. But for now it’s time to rejoice as this young group of players have taken the Olympic Games by storm. Nobody expected them to defeat Canada and earn the top seed in the medal rounds, but they did. And in a medal round full of upsets, the American’s stood strong, didn’t look past anyone and demolished Finland, 6-1 to reach the final game.

Ryan Malone scored 2 minutes into the game on Finish goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, Zach Parise scored 4 minutes later, followed by goals by Erik Johnson and Patrick Kane 90 seconds apart to lead the Americans to a rout. Kiprusoff was pulled after the fourth goal in seven shots. He had allowed 4 goals in 75 shots in his previous three games, giving him the best save percentage of the games…until today. Nicklas Backstrom was put in goal after that, but barely fared any better, allowing two goals in the first four shots he face. And they were 15 seconds apart. The rout was on, and the Finish were….well, FINISHED.

That first period saw the American’s outshoot Finland 13-4. And then Ryan Miller took care of the rest. He faced seven shots in the second period, and had a shutout going until there was about 11 minutes left in the game and he was pulled for Tim Thomas who allowed one goal, but that hardly mattered at that point. The U.S. avenged their loss to Finland in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Torino Games, and have made the Gold Medal game for the first time on foreign soil since 1972.

They played the Canadians in the Gold Medal game at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, and they faced Finland in the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Now it’s time to wait as Canada and Slovakia duke it out in about an hour for the right to face the young, upstart Americans. My money is on Canada, but then again, my money was also on Sweden to FACE Canada, and Slovakia changed all that.

One thing is for sure, The United States, who would’ve been happy to make the medal rounds when you think of the rosters for Sweden, Russia and Canada, are taking home at least a Silver. But we’re greedy. We want that Gold.

Have you ever been in a situation…where you knew you had to act a certain way…but when you got there, you just couldn’t go through with it?  THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS ON FEBRUARY 26.

1935 - The New York Yankees released Babe Ruth. Ruth signed with the Boston Braves for $20,000 and a share in the team’s profits.

1981 - Edgar F. Kaiser, Jr. purchased the Denver Broncos from Gerald and Allan Phillips.

1985 - Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers) became the third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

1989 - The New York Yankees announced that Tom Seaver would be their new TV sportscaster.

1997 - Philadelphia’s “Legion of Doom” line scored 15 points against the Ottawa Senators.

The Boston Celtics were standing toe-to-toe with the Cleveland Cavaliers, leading 74-73 after three quarters. Then came Mo Williams for 14-fourth quarter points, he had 19 in the game. LeBron James did his usual line: 36 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists. And the Celtics, who have been invincible at home the last two years, just looked old. Falling in the 4th quarter 35-14, and losing the game 108-88.

They scored three baskets in the entire 4th quarter! Three?! At home?!  I don’t care that Paul Pierce wasn’t there. You got Jesus Shuttlesworth, AKA Ray Allen. You got the Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett, one of the greatest Power Forwards of all time. And you got Rajon Rondo, the up-and-coming Point Guard that helped you win your 2008 NBA Championship. Scoring three baskets at home in any quarter is pathetic, but in the 4th quarter, when you need it most, it’s just gut-wrenching.

Now I’m gonna point out the obvious… Why does Kevin Garnett only have 10 points on just 10 shots? This man is one of the best in the game, why only 10 shots? In comparison, Rondo shot the ball 19 times, for 19 points. Tony Allen shot the ball 8 times…for 8 points. Now, me myself personally, I would take about5 shots away from Rondo and 7 shots away from Tony Allen and throw them to KG. Especially in the 4th quarter when you need him most.

I understand the Cavs play very good defense. But the 5-52 New Jersey Nets could’ve gotten more than three baskets! Look… I know the Celtics are getting older, not better. Garnett is 33, he’ll be 34 during the playoffs. Paul Pierce is 32, Ray Allen is 34 and Rasheed Wallace is 35. That ain’t exactly a group of spring chickens, which apparently means young people…somehow. (by the way, if you’re reading this and you know why young people are compared to spring chickens, please respond to this story. But I digress…)

The Celtics need to look in the mirror and realize they are not built for a title run anymore. They had a quick fix, and it still works against the lesser teams. But against the Magic, Cavs, Hawks, Lakers, and Nuggets, they just can’t do it anymore. Not in a 7-game series. They can’t stay healthy and it’s been exposed this year. Garnett was down for awhile and now Paul Pierce keeps popping in and out like a whack-a-mole. And no, Nate Robinson is not the answer.

Sorry Beantown, you had your title which keeps you two ahead of the Lakers for most all-time in the NBA. But your run is done, at least for now. But who knows…maybe Kevin McHale can gift another big name player for you in a year or two. But I doubt it.

The mighty Swedes are done! And The American’s, The Finish, and especially The Canadians can thank Slovakia for that. Now the hometown Canucks can avoid facing the defending Olympic Champions from the 2006 Torino Games. The Swedes were the No. 2 seed in the medal round this year, facing 7-seed Slovakia. And the 7th-seeded Slovakians took it, 4-3.

After a scoreless first period, the Slovakians came out like gangbusters and scored two goals in 37 seconds around the 8-minute-mark on Henrick Lundqvist to jump up 2-0. The Swedes responded by scoring two goals themselves in 37 seconds around the 14-minute-mark of the second to square the game at 2. But the Slovakians added a goal with 48 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period.

In the 3rd period, the teams traded control of the puck with neither team getting too many scoring chances. But Slovakia made the most of their rare chance, adding a goal at the 9-minute-mark for a 4-2 lead and what looked like breathing room…until the Swedes came right back with a goal of their own just 38 seconds later to make it a one-goal game once again. But that would be as close as Tre Kronor would get. And even with pulling Lundqvist for an extra skater in the final minute could not help the defending Olympic Champs, as the Swedes could not get that tying goal.

Slovakia pulls off the upset despite being outshot 29-14. Slovakian goalie, Jaroslav Harak was the MVP, outplaying Lundqvist with ease, stopping 26 of 29 shots compared to Lundqvist who stopped just 10 of 14. Lundqvist hadn’t allowed a goal in 172.34 minutes (a modern-day Olympic record) prior to allowing two goals in 37 seconds in the 2nd period.

So the defending champs are done and a 6/7 battle is next as Canada and Slovakia will face off in the late game of the semi-finals, which will be played at 6:30 EST on Friday. The American’s will play Finland in the early game at Noon EST on Friday. And if the two teams from North America can finish off the two teams from Europe, then the Gold Medal rematch of Big Brother (United States) vs. Little Brother (Canada) will be on. And I, for one, am licking my chops at a chance for that.

(And for those of you wondering, what the heck Tre Kronor means, it’s “Three Crowns”, which refers to the three crowns on their Hockey Sweaters. The three crowns represent the lesser national coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden and the national emblem.)

Those of you hoping to see a match between the Americans and the Russians in Men’s Hockey are going to be disappointed. And it’s not the American’s fault. They survived. The Russians did not.

Two quarterfinal games were played tonight that went in completely different directions. The US played the early game against Switzerland in a hold-on-to-your-breath game that saw the Americans clank shot after shot off the post, crossbar and Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks. The man made 42 saves to Ryan Miller’s 19. The difference was the US took 44 shots to Swiss’ 19 in a 2-0 victory. Survive and move on.

Zach Parise took care of the scoring, finally, 2:08 into the 3rd period when he got his stick on a Brian Rafalski shot that hit Hiller in the facemask before sneaking into the goal. The New Jersey Devil added an empty-netter with 11.2 seconds left. Survive and move on.

While a 2-0 US victory over a lightly-regarded Swiss team is not as impressive as the 5-3 win over the favored hometown Canadians, a win is a win. Which is more than can be said for the Russians, who had the daunting task of facing the hometown Canucks. And the Canadians hammered Alex Ovechkin and the Ruskies, 7-3. The Canadians, who were no doubt steaming over the fact they even had to play in the play-in round, took their frustrations out on an unsuspecting Russian squad filled with medal hopes of their own.

Lead by the ridiculous stick of Ovechkin, as well as Evgeni Nabakov in goal, the Russians looked like a team no one wanted a part of. Look at the names on this roster; You’ve got last years scoring champ in Alexander The Great. Pavel Datsyuk, a leader on the 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, Evgeni Malkin, second best player on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and all-time great Sergei Federov. Not to mention Ilya Kovalchuck, Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Gonchar…well you get the picture. The Russians were stacked. But that stack fell like flapjacks at the hands of the surprised-to-be-6th seed Canadians.

And now the Lake Placid rematch will have to wait. But the Big Brother/Little Brother rematch is still a possibility. More work needs to be done for it to come to fruition. The top-seeded American’s now face No. 4 seed Finland who took down Jaromir Jagr (who probably played his last game on the ice) and Czech Republic, 2-0. And the Canadians face the winner of 2nd-seeded Sweden and Slovakia, which is going on as I write this. It’s 2-2 with 5:30 to go in the 1st period. Slovakia scored 2 goals in 37 seconds to take a 2-0, Sweden came back with 2 goals of their own in 37 seconds to tie it. Sweden, by the way, is the defending Olympic Champions from the Torino Games in ‘06.

So no “Miracle on Ice” rematch, which would’ve been for the Gold this time, unlike in 1980. Yes, if you didn’t know, our greatest victory in American Hockey history was in the semi-finals that year. If The United States defeats Canada for a second time, our greatest victory will have a “co” next to it.

Roads….where we’re going we don’t need roads.

This is what went down on February 22nd throughout the years:

1874 - Walter Winfield patented a game called “sphairistike.” More widely known as lawn tennis.

1894 - Ottawa refused to travel to Toronto to play in the first Stanley Cup game. The Cup was awarded to the Montreal AAA.

1956 - Jackie Robinson signed a contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1957 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NFL operations did fall within coverage of antitrust laws.

1967 - Jim Ryun set a record in the half-mile run when ran it in 1 minute.

1968 - Wilt Chamberlain, of the Philadelphia 76ers, became the first player to score 25,000 career points in the NBA.

1983 - Herschel Walker signed a $5 million 3-year contract with the USFL’s New Jersey Generals.

1987 - Nate McMillan (Seattle Supersonics) set an NBA record when he had 25 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers.

1991 - North Carolina became the first NCAA team to win 1,500 games.

1997 - Patrick Ewing (New York) entered the top twenty list of all-time scorers in NBA history.

1999 - Garth Brooks attended spring training camp with the San Diego Padres as a non-roster player. The Padres Foundation agreed to contribute to the Touch ‘Em All Foundation in lieu of a salary to Brooks.

2000 - Robby Knieval made a successful motorcycle jump of 200 feet over an oncoming train.

The San Diego Chargers finally let go of the face of their franchise. LaDainian Tomlinson, eighth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 12,490 is no longer the running back in America’s Finest City. He leaves San Diego in a time of turmoil. The Chargers, who started the season 2-3, went on an 11-game winning streak to finish the season 13-3, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and a first-round bye in the playoffs. But in the 2nd round of the playoffs, when the Chargers hosted the 9-7 New York Jets, the offense sputtered, the defense crumbled, and the Bolts were shown the door at their own stadium.

Now the Chargers must answer questions they shouldn’t even have to deal with. Number one, who the heck is gonna run the ball in San Diego. This is a question they shouldn’t have to answer, because the answer should be Michael Turner. But they let him go two years ago. But even with them letting Turner go, they could still have a decent running game, if they held onto fullback Lorenzo Neal. Since the departure of Neal, the Chargers offense has suffered greatly in the running game. Neal, whom the Chargers believed was too old to make a significant contribution, is in this man’s opinion, the greatest blocking fullback in the history of the NFL. Look at his career, look at the men who ran behind him, and find me someone who DIDN’T rush for over 1,000 yards that year. He was the best in the business, and the Chargers blew it by letting him go. And look at what has happened since. In 2006, Neal’s last season where he played all 16 games, LT rushed for 113.4 yards per game. That’s the year he won the MVP. In 2007, Neal only played 13 games in his final season with San Diego, and LT’s numbers dropped to 92.1 yards per game.

Now look at the numbers since he was let go by San Diego. Tomlinson rushed for only 69.4 yards per game in 2008 and in this past year, a career-worst 52.1. He only rushed for 730 yards on a Charger team that was one of the worst in the league at rushing the ball. Yes the Bolts had multiple injuries, especially for men in the trenches, but injuries are a part of football and the Chargers dealt with them very well considering they still went 13-3.

But the loss in the playoffs is all too familiar for the fans of San Diego. Another season filled with great expectations that ended about 3 weeks too early. Talent-wise, the Chargers are just as good as any team in the NFL. But mentally, the Chargers are just messed up. They make stupid plays like headbutting a player on the ground and kicking a challenge flag. Ten penalties in a playoff game for a team that showed great discipline during the regular season is inexcusable.

And now the Bolts start rebuilding a team that has been so close yet so far. The running game is nowhere to be found, the offensive lines needs help and the defensive secondary is as weak as it gets (i.e. Antonio Cromartie running away from Shonn Greene in the playoffs).

If the Chargers had let go of LT two years ago and held onto Michael Turner, one big problem would have been avoided. And i know hindsight is 20/20, but San Diego should have seen this coming. Tomlinson was getting older, not better. Turner had nowhere to go but up. And now they have neither. And Sproles is a free agent, so who knows who is going to be carrying the ball.

Tomlinson had a great career in San Diego. A career that should’ve ended with at least one title. But if LT is to win a title, it’s going to be with another team in another city. Let’s just hope that team has a good offensive line, because LT is going to be 31 when the season starts, and running backs above the age of 30 generally do not pan out. Maybe LT still has some lightning left in the tank, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The Chargers did for two years too long and look where it got them.

Do you believe in Miracles?!  Well this wasn’t one of them, but it was still an amazing upset. The United States hockey team has upset the very talented Canadian squad, 5-3 to go to 3-0 in the preliminary round. Brian Rafalski of the Detroit Red Wings, who also happens to be the Captain of the American squad, scores the first 2 goals to help get the US started, he wold have had a hat-trick, but they gave him an assist on a shot of his that glanced off teammate Jamie Langenbrunner’s skate in he 3rd period to give the US the lead for good.

The end of the final two period were a hold-your-breath, non-stop action-packed affair. The final 2 minutes of the 2nd period was a back-and-forth fastbreak contest. And the final 2 minutes of the game was basically spent in the American’s zone, where the Canadians just kept on coming and the US kept scrambling to stone them. Goalie Ryan Miller made some spectacular saves, some of which I don’t believe he even saw. The young American’s looked a little rattled in the finals minutes as the Canucks made a hard push for that 4th goal, but some hard checks, back-checks and pokes helped keep that puck bouncing away from open Canadians and then an empty-netter with 30 seconds left clinched it for the United States.

Now it’s not the medal rounds, so this victory doesn’t touch what the Americans did at Lake Placid in 1980, but for this young American team to defeat the experienced Canadians in their own backyard is the best of confidence boosts. And don’t get it twisted, this victory means a lot on both sides. For the Americans, who saw canada put up ridiculous amounts of goals in their first two games, it means these guys can play with anybody. And that’s great to know when you’re moving onto the medal rounds.

For the Canadians, it has to be a little bit crushing. Their big brothers from down south who play their sport, comes into their own backyard and beats them. This is Canada’s Olympics, especially for the sport of hockey, and while no one in that country up north wants to admit it… They need to win gold in Men’s Hockey. To hear “Oh Canada!”, in their backyard after winning the Gold in hockey would be the best possible scenario for the country of Canada.

But that dream was dealt a blow today by Big Brother. And for the young, brash, up-start Americans, go grab a Coor’s Light, a hamburger and a slice of apple pie with some American cheese on it! Because it’s American and you’ve earned it.

Wow! What a game it’s been! After 2 periods, the Americans lead the Canadians 3-2 on the ice. Brain Rafalski of the Detroit Red Wings has 2 of the 3 goals. And if you’ve missed it, get your TV onto MSNBC. The final two minutes of the 2nd period was a track meet! Breakaway for the US, followed by a breakaway for the Canucks, and then another for America. Fantastic!

Now for those of you who says, “Who cares? It’s hockey”, well I can’t really help you. But think of this: The Olympics are in Vancouver, which is in Canada for those who didn’t know. And Hockey is Canada’s sport. The Canadian roster is filled with veteran champions (Martin Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Scott Niedermayer), coached by a championship coach (Red Wing’s Mike Babcock), and has been designed by one of the greatest Canadian hockey minds of all time (Steve Yzerman).

Meanwhile the American squad is a young, ragtag bunch with a lot of names you do not know. So to be up 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after the second period is one helluva accomplishment. But it’s not done yet. Let’s see if the veteran experience pulls the Canadians through, or if the younger legs of the US can skate by the powerful Canadians. Third period coming up!

UPDATE! Brian Rafalski fires a shot that glances off teammate Jamie Langenbrunner’s skate for a power-play goal, the first for either team in this game, to give Team USA a 4-2 lead with now 10 minutes to go in the game!

Orlando took down the Cavaliers today 101-95 in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s the Magic’s first victory over Cleveland since taking last year’s conference title in five games. But for some reason the story is about two grown (excuse me, overly grown) men having a little spat over a fictitious nickname.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard are both being called “Superman”. They are both powerful centers, and in our society, being called Superman means you are the strongest. Now, first and foremost, let me get one thing straight, there is ONE Superman, one man who made us believe a man could fly, and his name was Christopher Reeve. I’m a comic-nerd, have been my whole life, I was brought home from the hospital in a Superman shirt, so my word is gospel on this matter. Back to the matter at hand…

The Diesel and Big Dwight are both ginormous centers made mostly of muscle. Unlike

(That’s Robert “Tractor” Traylor)

Now being strong is fine and dandy. But Shaq is also remembered as being great for how agile he was at 7’1” 320+ pounds. Dwight Howard is powerful and quick. But he’s also raw, he’s getting better, and the more he can hit those 8-to-10-footers, the more dangerous of a center he will be. Another quality these two centers share is their sense of humor. Both are very funny cats that can easily make fun of themselves. Which is why I’m surprised that Shaq is this upset over something so little.

Now to set the record straight. Neither Shaq nor Dwight are Faster than a Speeding Bullet, both are powerful, but not More Powerful than a Locomotive, and neither can Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound. I mean, Shaq can barely jump anymore and Dwight didn’t even dunk his dunk attempt while dressed as Superman!

So while both are very powerful centers, neither are Superman. Kryptonite does not hurt them, they did not crash in Smallville, Kansas and be found by a Farmer and his wife. They do not have heat vision, X-ray vision, super-hearing, super-speed (watch shaq move down the court…) etc., etc. Now I know many of you think i’m taking this a little too literally, but then again, isn’t Shaq doing the same thing?

Doc…Are you telling me you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?!   More blasts from the pasts. This is what went down in the world of Sports on February 20th throughout the years.

1887 - The first minor league baseball association was organized in Pittsburgh.

1929 - The Boston Red Sox announced that they would begin playing games on Sunday.

1930 - Clint Benedict (Montreal Maroons) became the first goalie to wear a mask in the NHL. Benedict wore the mask temporarily during an injury.

1943 - Phil Wrigley and Branch Rickey chartered the All-American Girls Softball League.

1952 - Emmett L. Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball. He was authorized to be a substitute in the Southwestern International League.

1958 - Racing jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000, as he rode the winner at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.

1971 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season.

1974 - Gordie Howe came out of retirement to play for the Houston Aeros with his two sons.

1993 - The New York Islanders retired Billy Smith’s #31.

1993 - The Florida Marlins opened their first spring training camp.

1997 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) signed a contract worth $22.9 million over 2 years.

2000 - Garth Brooks began training with the New York Mets.

2002 - ESPN and the Liberty Bowl signed a contract that extended through 2008.

2004 - Defenseman Sergei Zubov (Dallas Stars) posted his 600th point.

And now you know…which is half the battle

American Bronze-medal winner in the Snowboard Halfpipe event, Scotty Lago, has volunteered to leave Vancouver after photos were leaked of him partying and letting some girl kiss the Bronze medal, which happened to be around his waist.

(This photo was obtained through TMZ’s website. Check it out at www.tmz.com)

To this I have to say, come on…

Sorry, let me rephrase that…COME ON!!!

This is ridiculous. There is nothing really obscene about the photos, yeah it’s a little off-color, but so what? He’s a snowboarder. He’s a 22-year-old, and last I checked, 22-year-old snowboarders like to have fun. Now I can’t say for sure, but I know a guy, who knows a guy, who has a 21-year-old brother who attends Colorado University in Boulder and he snowboards. And I have it on good faith that they party hard…

This is not partying hard. And even if it is, you… and when I say “you”, I mean the International Olympic Committee… you should know that when you allowed Snowboarding to become an Olympic event, you were going to have to deal with some small issues (i.e. Marijuana, drinking, partying, and mostly kids just getting out of their teenage years who are itching to have a little unsupervised fun).

And yes, sometimes they make mistakes. But to send the kid home, or ask him to remove himself from the Games because some overzealous fan wanted to kiss the medal is just nuts. (no pun intended…well maybe… but come on, look at the photo!)

These were just some kids having fun, celebrating their great accomplishment. No harm, no foul. No one was assaulted. I’m willing to bet there are worse things going on in Vancouver as we speak (ahem…CURLING!). But the IOC, who is known for having a traditional stick up its behind, is blowing this way out of proportion, and now an athlete is embarrassed when he should not be, and people are wasting their time talking about a nonevent in the middle of the Olympic Events.

The kid came out of nowhere, with the run of his life to win the Bronze Medal. He wasn’t expected to, like Shaun White with the Gold, and he celebrated as such. And at the time, there was no harm, no foul. And now, thanks to the reactions of the IOC, harm has been done to this kid’s reputation, and harm has been done to the US Olympic team as a whole, because there will be one athlete missing from the Closing Ceremonies that deserves to be there. That Bronze Medal is his invitation, and it has been stripped (not the medal, the invite).

And yes there is a foul too…it’s the stink coming off the stick that is stuck in the rear-end of the International Olympic Committee.

What in the wide, wide World of Sports is going on here?!

The San Antonio Spurs fall to the Philadelphia 76ers 106-94 thanks to a HORRIBLE 4th quarter where they got slapped 33-18. And getting just 12 points combined from Duncan and Parker will not get it done. Spurs are going the wrong way. Getting old’s a bitch. They need to find a way to get Richard Jefferson’s game involved.

The Cavs and Nuggets both fall to teams lesser than them. The Cavs lost to the Bobcats, 110-93, and the Nuggets lost to the Wizards (who’s even ON the Wizards?!) 107-97. Now considering these two teams played an overtime war last night, some people would let it slide. NOT ME! This is pathetic. These two teams are supposed to be thinking Championship, start showing it by showing up even when you’re tired. You’re some of the best athletes in the world, you can’t be that tired.

Miami and Memphis are going into overtime as I write this. 85-85, didn’t know this was 1995. Play some offense!

SO, i got a few of my “obvious” games wrong…BUT…My upset pick happened. Dallas went into Orlando and beat the Magic, 95-85 thanks to a very strong finish where they out-hustled, out-shot and out-played the Eastern Conference Champs, 30-16. And just outta curiosity, has anyone seen Shawn Marion since he left Phoenix. I can’t seem to find him or his game anywhere in the last 2 years of the NBA. Just wondering…

We’re taking you BACK 2 THE….PAST. This is what went down on February 19th in sports history.

1935 - Lou Gehrig signed a contract with the New York Yankees for $30,000.

1942 - The New York Yankees announced that they would admit 5,000 uniformed servicemen free to each of their home ball games during the coming season.

1946 - Danny Gardella became the first major league player to go to the Mexican League.

1965 - The NFL began using six officials during games.

1977 - Rod Gilbert (New York Rangers) scored his 1,000th point.

1996 - Charles Barkley (Phoenix Suns) got his 10,000th career rebound. He became only the 10th NBA player to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in a career.

1996 - Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the second youngest NHL goaltender and 12th overall to reach 300 career victories.

Now you know and knowing is half the battle!

Something I feel like starting… Picks for games. How original! But whatever, I wanna see if I’m good at this or not. So here we go. My picks for tonights NBA games:

The “obvious ones”   Spurs over 76ers, Nuggets over Wizards, Cavaliers over Bobcats, Raptors over Nets, Hornets over Pacers, Jazz over Warriors.

The “harder ones”   Celtics over Blazers (Portland is much improved and having Camby n the paint will cause problems, but I think the C’s experience will get them a win. Look for Rasheed to play like his oldself in his old stomping grounds), Grizzlies over Heat (Miami sucks on the road, Memphis is good at home), Suns over Hawks (see Griz over Heat for reason), Bulls over Timberwolves (both teams suck, Bulls are better though), Pistons over Bucks (both teams suck, Pistons are better though).

My upset of the night, I think the Mavericks will go into Orlando and beat the Magic. Just a hunch I got. There you go. Call me out on the ones I get wrong, I’m gonna keep doing this for pro and college and keep track of how I do.

Everyone knows the story by now. Tiger Woods, the most popular athlete in the world, the man who has won 14 majors, 73 tournaments, as well as the hearts of many golfers around the world, is a cheat. Not in the way of steroids, or performance-enhancing drugs, but in the Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bill Clinton way. He, like most men on this planet, loves women. And there’s nothing wrong with that… unless you’re married.  And now, after the $hit hit the fan and then some, Tiger finally has come out to talk about it…sort of.

While I appreciate the gesture, the way Tiger has gone about this is all wrong. You cannot control this situation. You cannot control the way people will feel about you in the future. But you can influence it by taking the right steps. America is a country who loves its heroes and is quick to forgive. Look at the great names I mentioned above. People love Michael Jordan for what he did on the basketball court. They ignored the rumblings during his career of gambling problems and infidelity. People love Magic Johnson, and when he announced to the world that he was HIV Positive in November of 1991, the world was turned upside-down. And it was obvious how he ended up with the disease… And of course, our beloved former President, Bill Clinton. The man who turned the OVAL office into the ORAL office. And yet, the country forgave him and still loves him to this day. Like I said, we love our heroes and are quick to forgive.

But the way Tiger Woods is going about this, in my eyes, is all wrong. Like everything else in his life, he seems to think he can be in control. Well, he thought he was in control of his mistresses as well…and we saw how that turned out. This is not the golf course. This is not a game. This is real life. You cannot control it. Sometimes you have to just man up and eat some crow. And by holding a “press conference”, if you’d like to call it that, during the Accenture Match Play Championships (the FIRST company to drop Tiger as a spokesman) where you do not allow all of the press to be there, where you refuse to answer questions, is not the way to do it.

I want to state here and now, I am a HUGE fan of Tiger. Been a golfer since I was 14 (i’m 28), I know the game, I know the history of the game, and I believe nobody, not even Jack, Arnie, Bobby, or Walter, nobody is as good at hitting that little white ball as Tiger Woods. He’s a brat on the course, so in that way, Jack and the rest are “better”. But pure talent and skill, Eldrick is the best there is, best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Now that I got that out of the way… Tiger should’ve held a real press conference. He should’ve answered the questions from the people. He should’ve walked up there and spoke from the heart, instead of writing something down. It means more when it’s not memorized or drafted. It would’ve been better. It would’ve been real. I personally don’t care about his sex-life. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of the guy. Not for cheating on his wife, but for being able to get some of those girls (have you seen them? DAMN). This is a nerdy golfer with HUGE teeth, and he’s got some hot-ass women, sorry not some, LOTS of hot-ass women! But I digress…

Speaking as a golfer, I want him back. I miss the magic he performs on the course. It’s like watching music being made. Simply beautiful.

Speaking as a Sports Anchor, I want him back. I want something to talk about besides his affairs. Because really, who cares? He’s not there to raise your children or teach you right from wrong. That’s the job of your parents. (Thanks you Charles Barkley)

Just because Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete in the world right now, does not mean he is not human. People make mistakes. You’ve done it, I’ve done it. So yah, he messed up, big time. It’s time to get over it. Tiger needs to, the media needs to, the fans need to. You love him because he makes you smile and shake your head everytime he hits the ball. It’s time to get back to doing that.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hosting the Boston Celtics tonight in yet another installment of the NBA’s greatest Rivalry. The names that have played in this game could fill up an entire wing of the Naismith Hall of Fame. But the big name now, probably the biggest name in the NBA, Kobe Bryant is not planning to suit up. Some people question Kobe on this one… I don’t. This man has bigger goals this year than keeping beantown down for a night. He hit the game-winner in Boston at the end of January..

That’s enough for the regular-season rivalry for both coasts. Doesn’t matter if the C’s win in LA tonight if the Mamba is not playing. Title No. 5 is waiting for No. 8/24. He has greatness to live up to, and a win against Boston in June matters more than a win against Boston in February. Rest the ankle, finger, knee, 31-year-old body, whatever. Just get healthy so you can repeat…

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