Monday, January 31, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened Last Weekend (1/28-1/30)

10. Former American Idol Winner Kris Allen Sings National Anthem at Pro Bowl
            This is on the heals of Fox planting last year’s winner into the halftime show at the Bears-Packers game (note to NFL teams: Don’t hire struggling reality show winners as your halftime entertainment. It’s not good karma). I can appreciate the efforts of Fox trying to raise the profile of these two singers, but at some point they have to realize that the majority of America doesn’t care about them. What’s next, fat Ruben singing before the Daytona 500?

9. “Grey’s Anatomy” Star Patrick Dempsey Finishes 3rd at Daytona Rolex 24
            I’ve never watched “Grey’s”, and have very little knowledge of a guy who is referred to as “McDreamy” by TV Guide, but it’s not every day you see an actor for a chick-show finish well in one of the most prestigious auto races in the world. This isn’t just some celebrity race. These cars get up to 200 mph. I’m not sure how he finds time for this hobby, but kudos to him.

8. St. John’s Destroys #3 Duke
            You either hate Duke or you love Duke. There is no middle ground. Being in the first group, I was pleased with this result.
            I’ve never understood why St. John’s has struggled for the last 20 years. The college is in New York City, the Mecca of basketball. They play their home games in Madison Square Garden. How do they not get a top-5 recruiting class every single year? It’s never made sense. Now that they have former UCLA coach Steve Lavin (and more importantly, Steve Lavin’s hair. Have you ever seen Lavin’s hair? It should have its own Twitter account), St. John’s should be able to capitalize on their prime location.

7. Djokovic Wins Australian Open
            I know as much about tennis as the Kardashian sisters know about calculus, but I do know that Djokovic is kind of an asshole (which I like in an individual sport). And he has two funny consonants at the beginning of his name. I hope he makes a good run at Wimbledon. 

6. Team Lidstrom Beats Team Staal 11-10 in NHL All-Star Game
            It was an entertaining game, but I had a hard time trying to pick which team to cheer for, or figure out who was on which team. Hopefully next year we can get the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry at the forefront of this game.

5. Miami Holds Off Thunder
            Sunday’s game between Durant and Lebron was an oddly paced affair. It started as a wide-open game (38-35 at the end of the first quarter) and then ended as a defensive battle. As currently constructed, the Thunder doesn’t have a strong enough post player to take advantage of Miami’s weakness in the paint. Miami finally put its best crunch time lineup on the floor (Lebron at the point, Wade and Mike Miller on the wings, Bosh in the post, and some stiff filling the 5th spot) in the last 5 minutes that proved to be effective. The “stiff spot” (sounds dirty, but in this case, it isn’t) actually proved to be valuable for Miami, as they are able to use the spot on a bigger guy when needed (Joel Anthony, Big Z), or a 3-point specialist (James Jones, Eddie House’s carcass that somehow hit the go ahead shot on Sunday). Miami is a half-court offense away from being a very dangerous team.

4. Zdeno Chara Shoots a Puck 105.9 mph. During Skills Competition
            For those of you not in the know, that’s really, really hard. Chara looks like these creature that was created by Dr. Frankenstein whose sole purpose is to fire slap shots and crush people. Also, he’s the second person mentioned in this column that has two weird consonants as the first two letters of his name. 

3. O.J. Mayo Claims Energy Drink Caused Failed Drug Test
            No word yet on whether Mayo is also blaming the energy drink for being the reason he’s only averaging 12 points per game. Memphis has some nice pieces in place (Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley), which in my opinion means they should look to move Mayo for draft picks. They’re already using their designated “crazy dude” spot on Randolph.

2. Celtics Defeat Lakers
            What do you get when you have a team with a chip on its shoulder playing a team that doesn’t care until the playoffs? The game we saw yesterday between Boston and the Lakers.
            Apparently there’s major panic going on in Los Angeles over the state of the Lakers. Some callers on sports radio shows have suggested everything from trading Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony, starting Lamar Odom at point guard, and even trading Kobe Bryant. While those are all amusing suggestions, we won’t know what this Lakers team is capable of until we get to April. If Ron Artest can rediscover the desire to play lockdown defense, they will still be the favorites in the Western Conference.

1. NHL Hold’s First Ever Fantasy Draft to Select All-Star Rosters
            This event was five times more interesting than the actual All-Star Game. On paper, watching socially awkward hockey players sitting around in suits waiting to get picked onto a side may not sound like a strong television program, but it was a fascinating watch. The NBA needs to just blatantly copy this for next years game, and maybe if the Pro Bowl squads were picked this way, and the winning side could split $1 million, we’d see an actual football game.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Draft (1-30-11) Classic Rock Bands

After watching the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft on Friday night, I was inspired. Which is sad, but true. Watching that event has led to the first edition of the Sunday Draft. Every Sunday, I will post a different fantasy draft for a different topic. I'll probably deviate from sports most of the time with this column, instead choosing to look at politics, music, entertainment, and any other area that normally doesn't have fantasy drafts (although creating NBA starting-5s using any player that has ever played is pretty tempting). I did this first one by myself (with a little assistance from my fiancee), but in the future if there are any reader suggestions for topics, I would be glad to share the floor with one of you to publish a new draft.

Without further ado, I will introduce the first Sunday Draft. The first topic is classic rock bands. The task here was to create ten bands with four people. Each group needed a singer, guitarist, drummer, and bass player. The draft was conducted snake style (meaning the team with the first pick got the last pick in the second round, first in the third, ect.). Here is how the draft went down. I'll first post the order of selections, and then a chart showing the bands, and then will have some comments at the end. Enjoy.

1-1.           Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Guitar
1-2.           John Lennon, The Beatles, Singer
1-3.           Jim Morrison, The Doors, Singer
1-4.           Robert Plante, Led Zeppelin, Singer
1-5.           Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, Guitar
1-6.           Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Singer
1-7.           Chris Cornell, Soundgarden, Singer
1-8.           Neil Pert, Rush, Drummer
1-9.           Freddie Mercury, Queen, Singer
1-10.       Eddie Van Halen, Van Halen, Guitar

2-11.    John Bonham, Led Zeppelin, Drums
2-12.    John Entwistle, The Who, Bass
2-13.    Jack Bruce, Cream, Bass
2-14.    Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath, Guitar
2-15.    Keith Moon, The Who, Drums
2-16.    Dave Grohl, Nirvana/Foo Fighters, Drums
2-17.    Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Ozz, Guitar
2-18.    John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin, Bass
2-19.    Geddy Lee, Rush, Bass
2-20.    Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath/Solo, Singer

3-21.    Les Claypool, Primus, Bass
3-22.    Ginger Baker, Cream, Drums
3-23.    Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guitar
3-24.    Bill Bruford, Yes, Drums
3-25.    Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bass
3-26.    Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Singer
3-27.    Ian Paice, Deep Purple, Drums –
3-28.    Jeff Beck, The Yardbirds/Jeff Beck Group, Guitar
3-29.    George Harrison, The Beattles, Guitar
3-30.    Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath, Bass

4-31.    Axl Rose, Guns ‘n Roses, Singer
4-32.    Stewart Copeland, The Police, Drums
4-33.    Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam, Singer
4-34.    Roger Glover, Deep Purple, Bass
4-35.    Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Bass
4-36.    Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, Singer
4-37.    Bill Wyman, The Rolling Stones, Bass
4-38.    Mitch Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Drums
4-39.    David Gilmour, Pink Floyd, Guitar
4-40.    Bill Ward, Black Sabbath, Drums

Band
Singer
Guitar
Drums
Bass
1
Ozzy Osbourne (2-20)
Jimi Hendrix (1-1)
Bill Ward (4-40)
Les Claypool (3-21)
2
John Lennon (1-2)
David Gilmour (4-39)
Ginger Baker (3-22)
Geddy Lee (2-19)
3
Jim Morrison (1-3)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (3-23)
Mitch Mitchell (4-38)
John Paul Jones (2-18)
4
Robert Plante (1-4)
Randy Rhoads (2-17)
Bill Bruford (3-24)
Bill Wyman (4-37)
5
Steven Tyler (4-36)
Jimmy Page (1-5)
Dave Grohl (2-16)
Flea (3-25)
6
Mick Jagger (3-26)
Eric Clapton (1-6)
Keith Moon (2-15)
Paul McCartney (4-35)
7
Chris Cornell (1-7)
Tony Iommi (2-14)
Ian Paice (3-27)
Roger Glover (4-34)
8
Eddie Vedder (4-33)
Jeff Beck (3-28)
Neil Pert (1-8)
Jack Bruce (2-13)
9
Freddie Mercury (1-9)
George Harrison (3-29)
Stewart Copeland (4-32)
John Entwistle (2-12)
10
Axl Rose (4-31)
Eddie Van Halen (1-10)
John Bonham (2-11)
Geezer Butler (3-30)


Ozzy and Jimi don't make that much sense together, but they would be interesting to see live. Between Lennon writing songs about worldpeace and Geddy Lee writing songs about trees, hippies across the world would love the second fantasy band. I'm not sure what to think about the third band, other than the assumption that John Paul Jones would always be the designated driver. I think that the 8th group would be the best overall, while the 10th would put on the best live show.

I'm sure there are differing opinions, so feel free to contact me via e-mail with your thoughts on how this list should've gone down. If I get enough messages I'll post them and respond in a public forum. Check back tomorrow for the weekly review of the weekend.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Comparing Carson to Cutler

           To say Jay Cutler has been heavily scrutinized the last few days would be like saying Glenn Beck hates liberals. I don’t feel like writing the 645,712,921,515,339,196th column about whether Cutler should’ve kept playing or not, although I will reference him in regards to another quarterback story that came out.
            As first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Bengals QB Carson Palmer has told the team that if he is not traded this off-season he will retire. Palmer, who has never been the same since he tore his ACL in a playoff game against Pittsburgh in 2006, has every right to be frustrated with the plight of Cincinnati. I can’t fault him for requesting the team to explore trade possibilities, but what message does it send when he is threatening retirement? To me, it sounds like a guy who no longer has the desire to play unless he is in an ideal situation.
            The general public’s acceptance of Palmer is curious. The majority of folks have crushed Cutler for not staying in the game on a torn MCL, but at least Cutler gave it a go for one series before getting the hook. There has been little backlash to Palmer’s “trade or retire” mentality. Why are the masses accepting a guy who has relatively good health hanging it up because he’s tired of losing? Apparently not wanting to play is okay if you’re on a losing team, but not playing because you have a bum knee isn’t. 

Monday, January 24, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (1/22-1/24)

10. NASCAR Adopts New Points System
            Because America was demanding it. Surely a new points system will save NASCAR’s sagging attendance and television ratings. I don’t know about you, but when I’ve been watching a NASCAR race over the last 20 years, I’ve said aloud countless times, “Boy, wouldn’t NASCAR be great if they changed the way they awarded driver points? That would be swell!”
            NASCAR just can’t get out of its own way anymore. Ever since the 2004 season (the first year of their playoff system, and the height of the sports popularity), it’s been a steady downhill fall ever since. The collapse of the economy was a major factor, as NASCAR is the most corporate driven sports league in America. It’s hard to find a business willing to pony up six figures to plaster their corporate logo all over the side of a racecar. The other lesser-known part of this is that corporations were responsible for the bulk of ticket purchases. I used to go to the Cup races at Loudon every year because my Dad used to get free tickets from an auto parts company. Couple that with the flying brick they call a racecar and bland personalities (there’s a reason Nike had zero interest in signing Jimmie Johnson to an endorsement deal. And he’s won the last five championships), and you have a sport that is at a serious crossroads.  

(READER ALERT: I cracked a joke in my fake e-mail response column about how I wouldn’t post a NASCAR preview, but I think I have to do it. I grew up with NASCAR (my Dad used to work on a race team in the Northeast back in the late 70s/early 80s), so I think I’m pot committed to do it. I don’t care if no one reads it. As a matter of fact, I should probably encourage you not to read it.)

9. Bar in St. Paul Roasts a 180-Pound Bear During NFC Championship Game
            Next year when the Cowboys play Philadelphia, I would like to capture an eagle and cook it in a crock-pot all day after reading this story. You know, if eagles weren’t endangered species or anything.

8. Evgeni Nabokov Refuses to Report to New York Islanders
            I’ll agree with Nabokov on the point that it’s pretty weird that the team with the worst record in the NHL would attempt to add a 35-year old goalie with only 3 months left in the season. At this point, they should just try to bottom out and go for the 1st overall pick. We’ll see if Nabokov ends up in Detroit (the team that originally signed him) after all, or some other contender (Colorado should take a look. Their goaltending has been awful this year).

7. Kobe Bryant Calls Denver Nuggets’ Fans “Idiots”
            Aggressive move by a guy who still hears about his rape trial eight years ago every time he plays at Denver. Even Lebron James has to respect how brazen Kobe’s defense of Carmelo Anthony was.  

6. Texas Ends Kansas’ 69-Game Home Winning Streak
            The inclusion of this event at #6 is a very weak attempt on my part to show that I’ve followed college basketball so my March Madness columns in a month and half sound sort of credible. Or as credible as a column can be on a blog called “No Credentials At All.” I think I’ve watched 15 minutes of college basketball all year, but then again, isn’t that true for 75% of people who end up filling out brackets? I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about San Diego State other than they are undefeated and ranked in the top 10. I can’t wait until March when everyone pretends they are college basketball experts.

5. Keith Olbermann Quits
            I wish he could bring every other left/right wing television host along with him, and then go back to hosting “Sportscenter”. Because that’s what he was best at.

4. Toronto Blue Jays Trade Vernon Wells to Angels
            Congratulations to the Angels for knocking the Washington Nationals off of the
top spot for most ridiculous move of the off-season. They weren’t willing to pony up an extra $3 million to match Boston’s offer to Carl Crawford, but they’ll trade a couple of guys to acquire an outfielder who is three years older, not as productive, and makes more money than they would’ve had to pay Crawford? Huh?

3. Tampa Bay Rays Sign Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon
            I’ve heard rumors that they plan on also signing Kevin Millar and Mark Bellhorn. If they can also bring Trot Nixon into the fold, watch out.

2. Green Bay Packers Survive Chicago Rally, Win NFC Championship
            What a sloppy game. Watching Caleb Hanie kind of felt like I was watching myself play basketball. There were a whole lot of “what the hell” plays he made (the interception he through to Green Bay’s B.J. Raji, who weighs 335 pounds. How do you not see a guy that big?), and an equal number of “how the hell did he” throws (the ones to Johnny Knox to set up the first Bears touchdown, and his TD pass to Earl Bennett). That’s probably why he’s a 3rd string quarterback.
            Speaking of my basketball game (because I know tons of you care about it), last Monday was my most up and down performance yet. On two successive plays, I ran into my own teammates while they were driving to the basket (one of them I decided to cut to the basket right when he started driving, the other I was trying to set a pick right as my teammate started dribbling right at me. That’s what you get for trying to help out). Shortly after, I hit a Rondo-esque runner in the lane (I’m not sure how I even penetrated into the lane, I’m pretty sure it was an accident) and then a 25-footer. My game is more up and down than Mark Sanchez’s ability to throw the ball to an open receiver.

1. Steelers Go Up 24-0, Hang On Against Jets
            You could say that the Jets lost by the length of their baby toe. You could also say that they had to put their foot in their own mouth after the game was over. You could also say that nothing cures athlete’s foot like tough actin’ Tinactin, but that wouldn’t be very relevant.
            I was pretty surprised how easily Pittsburgh ran the ball on the Jets. If Pittsburgh can have similar success against Green Bay, I like them to win their 7th Super Bowl.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Responses to "Reader" Mail

These may or may not be actual messages I've receieved from readers. They also could've been made up by the author of this column to create a backbone for this piece. You never know. Enjoy!

“If you had a gun put to your head, which of the four remaining quarterbacks would you trust to win one game?” – Eric, Woodbury, NY
            Depends on the circumstances. If all four quarterbacks were on evenly matched teams, I would take Roethlisberger slightly ahead of Rodgers. As good as Aaron Rodgers has been, I’ve never seen him drive his team down the field 80+ yards to win the Super Bowl. Roethlisberger isn’t the most graceful QB, but the guy just finds a way to make plays (see the 3rd and 19 throw he completed to win the game against Baltimore last week).
            The other two guys aren’t as far behind as you might think. Cutler, for all of his recklessness, has the strongest arm of any quarterback in the NFL. Sanchez is totally erratic, but when the game is on the line, he always seems to make a play. We’re lucky to have very intriguing quarterback pairings for the championship games this weekend (even more lucky when you consider that Brady, Manning, and Drew Brees are not involved).

“Which are you more excited for, real baseball or fantasy baseball?” – Ken, Miami, FL
            Fantasy baseball, and it’s not even close. I might not be in the majority on this, but I do feel like fair amounts of people are with me. Baseball was built for statistical nerds. Fantasy football is more mainstream, but baseball is for the hardcore stat geek that is willing to invest time in learning who the hot AAA prospects are. Perhaps I’ll get sucked in to baseball a little more if the Red Sox are a juggernaut, but committing 3+ hours six nights a week to a baseball game is too much for me. I’ll take any NBA game over any MLB game any day of the week. And then I will check my fantasy team for five minutes the next morning.

“Hockey seemed to be gaining some steam in the States last year, but in my opinion, has fallen off a bit. What does the NHL need to do to get more into the American sports scene?” Pierre, Quebec City
            This one is pretty simple. The NHL needs to come up with an arrangement to get their games back on ESPN. Sadly, we live in a world where “Sportscenter” dictates to a large percentage of the population what they should be watching. Without a contract with ESPN, hockey is lucky to get five minutes of coverage per hour of “Sportscenter”. ESPN used to have outstanding coverage of hockey back in the late ‘90s. There are rumors that ESPN and the NHL have had preliminary talks, so we’ll see what happens.

“I’m not sure how excited I can let myself get over Blake Griffin. The Clipper stink will get him eventually.” – Travis, Long Beach, CA
            I don’t think the Clipper stink will get to him. It’s much more likely that a freak leg injury will. Griffin plays basketball the way Ronnie Lott used to play football. Keep in mind that Lott had a finger cut off so he could continue playing in a game. The only thing that will stop Griffin is him jumping 12 feet in the air to snag a Baron Davis alley-oop, and then landing awkwardly and shattering his knee into 6,000 pieces. If I was a Clippers fan, I’d be terrified every time he went in the air.

“Why did you let yourself become infatuated with “Jersey Shore”? What’s wrong with you?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire
            Great question Cameron. Somehow (probably do to great editing by the folks at MTV), I became invested in the well being of these people. Escapism is also a factor, as while I certainly didn’t party like the cast of the show on a regular basis, I do remember being a little younger and not having all that much to worry about. Am I a little embarrassed to say I’ve watched every episode of the 3rd season so far? Yes. Am I looking forward to the next episode? Yes, yes, and yes.

“Any interest in golf?” – Bob, Tempe, AR
            The only two tournaments I usually try to catch are The Masters and the US Open (catch = watch the last three or four holes). Unless Tiger Woods finds his mojo again, I’m on the outs with the PGA Tour.

“I’m not sure who was older, the cast of the “Golden Girls” during their 5th season or the big 3 (Duncan, Manu, and Eva’s ex) for the Spurs. Can they keep it up all year?”  - Troy G., El Paso, TX
            Do I think San Antonio will end up with 70 wins? No, but as long as they can maintain their health they should have an excellent chance at nabbing the #1 seed in the west. Coach Gregg Popovich has done a great job of resting Tim Duncan (he’s only averaging 29.4 minutes per game so far this season), which is the right thing to do with a 34-year old 7-footer with a lot of mileage on his knees. Ginobili has been playing as well as he ever has, and Tony Parker (who is only 28, it just feels like he’s older because he was at one time an 18-year old rookie) has not let his much-publicized divorce distract him. I don’t think they could last against the Lakers, Oklahoma City, or Dallas in a seven game series as presently constructed, but the fact that they are a threat in the west with an aging Duncan is very impressive.

“Lebron…humble he not.” – Yoda, a Galaxy far, far away

            Wise words from the great Jedi master.

“I’m currently in the 16th year of my Madden franchise. My entire roster is full of players that were generated by the computer. At what point do I just need to start over?” – a 14-year old from Topeka, KS
            It all depends on what your objective is. If you’re using your favorite team, than going the full 30 years is acceptable. Perhaps you want to win Super Bowl with each team, which means as soon as you win it, you start a new one. Or lastly, you are trying to play the entire career of a rookie player and develop him to greatness (Sam Bradford, Dez Bryant, ect.). At that point you end the franchise when that player retires.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t wait for your NASCAR preview.” – Leroy, Raleigh, NC
            Unless I want to attempt to set a new record for least viewed page on the Internet, I don’t think there will be a NASCAR preview coming from No Credentials, but you never know. I am a closet NASCAR fan.

“It’s going to be a weird NFL Draft this year…who do you think will get the most value?” – Edward, Arlington, VA
            It’s always hard to predict how college prospects will end up in the pros, but I think there will be two groups of winners. One will be the Carolina Panthers, who will more than likely draft Auburn DT Nick Fairley. Fairley is probably not going to be quite as dominant as Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, but he won’t be too far off. Carolina should still be terrible next year, so I have a feeling they’ll still have a crack at Andrew Luck.
            The second group is whoever is able to make moves to stock pile future picks, or bring in a player. This is not a very deep draft (with the exception of the defensive line). If I’m a team like the Cleveland Browns at #6, I would love nothing more than have a team knock on my door to try to move up to my slot (don’t be surprised to see the Patriots make a move to jump up and grab Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green). Expect a flurry of trades on draft day.

“There’s been a lot of “Free Kevin Love” talk. In your opinion, who is an athlete in any sport that really needs to be let loose so he has a chance to win?” – Edwin, Fargo, ND
            I’ll list them by league.

NFL – Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers – Carolina needs to trade him for a 3rd round pick before a felony happens on their team bus. Smith would be a perfect fit in St. Louis.
NBA – Richard Hamilton, SG, Detroit Pistons – I put Hamilton here only because I think he still has something left in the tank, and he could definitely put a team over the top. If he could some how end up in Chicago (which he probably won’t because the Pistons and Bulls are in the same division), Chicago would become even more dangerous than they already are.
MLB – Any member of the Pittsburgh Pirates – I shouldn’t have to explain this one to anybody.
NHL – Jarome Iginla, RW, Calgary Flames – Iginla has been dragging a mediocre Flames team on his back for the last decade. If we could somehow deliver him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he would score at least 45 goals being paired with Crosby or Malkin.

“If you had to hang out with anyone on the “Jersey Shore” for a day, who would it be?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire
            I guess we’ll take one more “Jersey Shore” question. Vinny appears to be the most normal dude on the show (admittedly, that’s not saying much, but it’s a valid point in this case). I’ll nominate Pauly as a close second. 

“Give me your honest opinion about Jason Garrett as the Head Coach next year. Not that I’ll care. I just want to read about it. “ – Jerry Jones, Dallas, TX
            It makes sense going into a potential lockout to have some continuity going into 2011. I’m excited to see what Rob Ryan will do with the defense (Rob is Rex’s twin brother who the Cowboys just hired). If you recall, Ryan’s last team (Cleveland) put up some inspired efforts against the likes of New England and New Orleans this season. I’ll be anxious to see what he’s able to get out of DeMarcus Ware.

“Is Bill Belichick senile?” – message from several angry Patriots fans after loss to Jets
            I won’t say he’s senile, but he does seem like a guy who’s not quite as invested as he used to be. I could never imagine Belichick in 2001 running a fake punt in a playoff game. Maybe it’s just a case of having already accomplished so much.

“What’s wrong with the New Jersey Devils?” – David, New York City
            Brodeur getting older doesn’t help, but I think a lot of it has to do with a lack of talent at the blue line. If you think back to the great Devils teams that won Stanley Cups, they had guys like Scott Stevens knocking dudes out. Ever since he left, along with guys like Ken Daneyko and Brian Rafalski, they have not been as solid defensively. That would be the main reason they haven’t won a playoff series since the lockout. 

“My buddy and I got into an argument about what the perfect basketball team would have. Can you settle it for us?” – Sean, Saco, ME
            This is a hard one because there are so many ways to play basketball. Depending on whether you want to have a run-and-gun team (2004-2007 Phoenix Suns) or a lock down defensive team (late-80s Detroit Pistons), each style would call for players with different skill sets. For the sake of coming up with an answer, here’s a sort of realistic 8-man rotation I would put together of current players if I needed to win one game.

PG: Rajon Rondo (superb passer and defender, don’t need a scorer like Rose or Westbrook)
SG: Kevin Durant (can stretch the floor, would be alpha dog 1A on this team)
SF: Lebron James (alpha dog 1B, can obviously do it all)
PF: Kevin Love (best rebounder in basketball who can also bury 3s and hit free throws)
C: Dwight Howard (most dominant center in the game, doesn’t need the ball all the time to be effective)
BG: Jason Terry (can be a microwave off the bench, instant offense)
BF: Glen Davis (not afraid to step in and hit a big shot if needed)
BF: Thabo Sefolosha (lockdown defender)
BC: Serge Ibaka (averages over 2 blocks per game, a force inside on the defensive end)

“Based off of the preview for next week’s episode, it looks like Sammi Sweetheart could leave “Jersey Shore”. Big loss?” – C. Muir, New Hampshire
            All right, I guess we’ll answer one more Jersey question. Even though Sammi is an uber-bitch, I’d be bummed out if she left. It’s good to have a little tension between roommates, and her volatile relationship with Ronnie is always solid entertainment. I hope she sticks around.

“Give me your instant reaction when you heard that Catwoman and Bane would be the villains in the next Batman movie.” – Stuart, Rochester, NH
            Bane’s inclusion in this movie was pretty surprising. Director Christopher Nolan has shied away from non-realistic characters and story lines so far. I’ll be curious to see how Bane looks in the film. As for Catwoman, I’m disappointed that Anne Hathaway will play the part. Just seems a little too obvious, and it almost reminds me of the crappy Batman movies in the mid-90s (“Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin”) where they were heavy on names, but the story was not as sharp. 

“Where do the Nets go now that they have shelved the idea of trading for Carmelo?” George, Newark, NJ
            I always thought it was pretty moronic that a 10-31 team was trying to make a blockbuster trade in the middle of the season. It didn’t do any of their young players any favors (particularly Derrick Favors, who has shown flashes, but was definitely distracted by his rumored move to Denver). A team like this just needs to go through the motions this season and add assets for the next year or two. Maybe in two years when they move to Brooklyn they will have the flexibility to add an elite player, and develop him along with someone they took high in the draft.

“If Dale Earnhardt Jr. sucks again this year, I vote that we kick him out of NASCAR.” – Mark, Augusta, GA
            I’ll co-sign that. He needs to crack the top 15 and contend for a win or two to restore some semblance of relevance (semblance of relevance…that was a power phrase).

“Which non-playoff team is the biggest threat to win the Super Bowl next year?” – Ted, Gorham, NH
            Without knowing what the off-season will hold, here’s my list of non-playoff threats.

  1. Detroit Lions (they were 13-3 against the spread this year. If Stafford is healthy, and they have another solid draft, this team can make noise)
  2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (finished 10-6 with one of the youngest rosters in the league. They should only get better)
  3. Dallas Cowboys (5-3 under Jason Garrett with Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee playing quarterback. I’m expecting big things with Romo back under center)
  4. Oakland Raiders (I like they’re young offense. If they can improve their defense a little, they could be the favorites in the AFC West)
  5. Houston Texans (oddly enough, the addition of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator will make them a better team. Wade has always been a quality defensive coach. Unless Indianapolis makes some new additions to their o-line and defense, Houston can make the leap in the AFC South)

So there you have it. I’m also posting my Championship Game picks at the bottom of this. Have a good weekend folks.

STEELERS (-3.5) over Jets

BEARS (+3.5) over Packers (I’ve gotten every game wrong in the NFC, so order your Super Bowl tickets now Packers’ fans)

Monday, January 17, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (1/14-1/16)

10. Yankees Surrender 1st Round Draft Pick for Relief Pitcher Rafael Soriano
            This situation is fantastic because a week after GM Brian Cashman said the Yankees would not give up a draft pick for a relief pitcher, the Yankees signed Soriano, thus giving up a draft pick. For a minute, I almost forgot ol’ George was dead.

9. Albert Pujols Sets Deadline in Contract Negotiations With Cardinals
            If Pujols enters the season without an extension, and knows he can hit the market after 2011, we are looking at potential for an epic season by Pujols. He usually hits .340 with 40 homers anyway. Imagine him in a contract year? Yikes. All I can say is, I would take him 1st overall in fantasy every day of the week this year.

8. Seattle Looks Like a 7-9 Team, Loses at Chicago
            I’m never better on an under-.500 playoff team ever again. Although based on how my picks have been so far, I should just stay away from the NFC (0-4 so far…sigh).

7. Reds Ink 1B Joey Votto to 3-Year, $38 Million Extension
            This is a great bargain for Cincinnati, but also not a bad move by Votto. Votto gets to build his stock a little bit before he can hit the open market again, and potentially get a Adrian Gonzalez type contract.

6. NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart Arrested in Australia
            Apparently, Stewart beat up one of the owners of an Australian dirt track because the racing conditions were poor. Good to see Tony still has his old temper.

5. Nets Schedule Face-to-Face Meeting With Carmelo Anthony
            You have to hand it to New Jersey for pulling out all the stops to try to land Carmelo. Their multi-billionaire Russian owner is even making a special trip to try to persuade Anthony to sign an extension. I still can’t ever remember a situation where so much was made of a bottom-feeding team trying to land a small forward who scores a ton, but doesn’t do much else. Would I sign ‘Melo as a free agent? Absolutely. Would I mortgage most of my roster and potentially, 1st round picks, in order to do it? Probably not. 

4. Packers Destroy Falcons
            Green Bay is terrifying right now. Aaron Rodgers has firmly stated his case as a top-3 NFL quarterback (Brady, Rodgers, Manning, in some sort of order is my top-3). It will be fun to see how they do in the rubber-match with Chicago. 

3. Clippers Defeat Lakers 99-92
            The win wasn’t the biggest statement made by the Clippers on Sunday. Blake Griffin getting into a scuffle with Lamar Odom and Ron Artest and getting ejected was the bigger one. LA’s B-team finally has a franchise player who is not afraid of anyone. I just hope that he doesn’t seriously injure himself when he’s jumping 15 feet into the air.

2. Steelers Come From Down 14 to Pull Out 2nd Half Comeback
            A sloppy game (the play where everyone stopped moving except the fat Raven who picked the ball up and ran it in for a touchdown), but a great payoff in the end with that pass by Roethlisberger to get them inside the five.

1. Jets Put Foot In Patriots’ Mouth
            In no particular order, here are the reasons New England lost.

  1. Clearly, in the National Football League, you have to score more points to win the game. In this case, the Jets scored more points. (I was channeling my inner Troy Aikman for those who didn’t get the joke)
  2. They did not have a single receiver who could consistently beat man-to-man coverage. The Jets didn’t run any exotic blitzes in this game (the kind of blitzes that Tom Brady routinely figures out before the play even starts). It would’ve been interesting to see how this game would’ve turned out if they had any form of a deep threat. I don’t think any Patriots fan had any inklings of regret about letting go of Randy Moss until the clock struck 0:00 yesterday.
  3. The fake punt attempt at the end of the first half was at best, reckless decision making. At the time, it was a 7-3 game. The odds of Mark Sanchez driving 80 yards with a minute left in the half were fairly slim. If you punt the ball, go into the half down 7-3, it’s a totally different second half. Giving away seven points, and more importantly, giving more momentum to an underdog, is not a good idea in a playoff game.


Saturday, January 15, 2011

NFL Divisional Round Picks

STEELERS (-3) over Ravens
I've gone back and forth with this pick for the last 5 minutes. Ultimately for me, it comes down to trusting Ben Roethlisberger more than Joe Flacco to make a play (we're talking football here. I would not trust Roethlisberger with any female I cared about).

Steelers 17, Ravens 13
Confidence = 1

FALCONS (-2.5) over Packers
If this line was Falcons by -3.5, I would take Green Bay. I like Atlanta by a field goal.

Falcons 24, Packers 21
Confidence = 2

Seahawks (+10) over BEARS
It feels very odd taking a 7-9 team on the road to cover, but the Jay Cutler-Mike Martz combo makes it hard to justify laying 10 with them. Expect Chicago to win, but it will be fairly close.

Bears 31, Seahawks 24
Confidence = 3

PATRIOTS (-8.5) over Jets
Easiest game of the week. Mark Sanchez was terrible against a mediocre Colts defense. If the Colts won, you could've argued that Sanchez would've been the Colts MVP for the game. If New England can keep New York in "3rd and 5" or longer, expect a Patriots blowout.

Patriots 34, Jets 10
Confidence = 4

Regular Season = 61-50-1
Playoffs = 2-2
Confidence Score = 7 (nailed the top two games I was the most confident in)
Overall Record = 63-52-1

As I explained last week, I was toying with a little gimmick I called "the confidence rating". My plan for next year (assumming the NFL isn't locked out) is to run a picks contest through my blog page. One half of it will be seeing who ends up with the best overall record, the second part will be who ends up with the highest total "confidence score" at the end of the year. Planning is in the infant stages, but I think it's something that any NFL fan could have fun with. The confidence score element is great too, because even if you're overall record is hovering around .500, if you're nailing the games you feel the best about, you could still be in contention for some sort of prize (haven't figured out what that prize would be, like I said, infant stages of planning here). Expect more info as next season approaches.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Shoe Wars and the BCS Championship Game

            I remember watching the 2006 BCS National Championship game with a friend who happened to be a manager for an Adidas store at the time. The game was the most memorable college football game I’ve ever seen, with Vince Young putting on a super human performance to lead Texas over Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and the USC Trojans. Despite the memorable match-up, all my friend could keep talking about was all the “swooshes” he was seeing. He was referencing the Nike logos on both team’s jerseys. It was sort of understandable, since this was a guy who if he heard anyone say Nike while he was working, would ask, “Did you just use the “N” word?” Say what you want about the man, but he was damn dedicated to his company.
            I couldn’t help but be reminded of that evening five years ago while watching last night’s Auburn-Oregon game. Oregon tied the game with over two minutes left with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but Auburn methodically drove down the field to kick a field goal as time expired. It wasn’t as epic of a contest as the previously mentioned Texas-USC tilt, but still a great game that met all expectations going in. Most people were probably focused on this match-up. I couldn’t help but notice that the swooshes were joined by a funny looking logo. This clash pitted the long-time dominator of athletic shoes and apparel (Nike) against a 15-year old rival whose origins are very similar to how Nike began (Under Armour).
            Under Armour was founded by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank in 1996. Along with a former teammate, Plank began the new company from his grandmother’s basement in Washington D.C. A year later, Plank grew his revenues from $17,000 to $100,000. A front page picture of former Raiders quarterback Jeff George wearing an Under Armour mock turtleneck first introduced the company to the masses (who knew that Jeff George would be partly responsible for something other than having an awful moustache when he was a rookie and screaming at his coach in 1996 and getting suspended for the rest of the season while he was on the Falcons). Improbably, the big break for the company was Jamie Foxx wearing an Under Armour jockstrap in “Any Given Sunday” (it does make sense that a jockstrap would be more valuable in the back story of a company than Jeff George). Ever since 2000, Under Armour has slowly been expanding their product line, and in a similar fashion as Nike’s strategy, has begun signing top athletes as endorsers, with none bigger than Tom Brady (if I was a homer, I would’ve mentioned Miles Austin, but I’ll put it in parentheses to make the statement seem less serious). In 2008, Under Armour began outfitting some colleges with athletic gear. In 2009, they inked Auburn University.
            Nike has been keeping a close eye on Under Armour for the better part of the last decade. There origins are very similar to Under Armour (founder Phil Knight used to sell shoes at track meets out of the trunk of his car, while co-founder Bill Bowerman used a waffle iron to create the game-changing waffle outsole). They even train their associates to give a speech about how Nike’s compression wear is more durable than Under Armour’s. Nike’s been kicking Adidas’ ass for years, but they recognize that this new upstart is different. Under Armour only does less than 10% of the revenue Nike, but they have become a hip brand with kids across the nation. They may not persuade a bunch of middle-aged men to make a switch, but eventually the kids they are appealing to now will be middle-aged men with kids of their own.
            This is where we need to bring up the University of Oregon. Oregon could be renamed “Nike College”, as it’s the alma mater of the aforementioned Knight and Bowerman. Stationed close to Nike’s headquarters, Oregon has developed into a testing ground for Nike. Starting in 2006 (ironically enough, right around the time when Under Armour was beginning to air television ads), Nike began designing radical new uniforms for Oregon. The Ducks wore 9 different combinations in the 2006 season alone. Most of them featured neon yellow quite prominently, which irked some alumni. The suits at Nike weren’t concerned about the alumni when making these uniforms, they were thinking about kids. Oregon has been transformed into the university of cool, and Nike’s swoosh is all over it. It didn't take them long to realize that Under Armour was a threat, and they needed to react quickly to strike back in the battle for America’s youth.
            This back-story made Monday’s game that much more interesting. There was Oregon, in the most important football game in the program’s history, trotting out onto the field in uniforms they had never worn before (they were specially designed by Nike for this game). Auburn was wearing their traditional blue jerseys, a stark contrast to the space-age garb being worn by the opposition (don’t give Under Armour any credit for this. According to an ESPN.com article published last month, they have proposed multiple alternate uniforms, but Auburn has refused in order to stick with tradition). If you didn’t know any better, and you had to pick which school was equipped by the young upstart sportswear company, you would’ve picked Oregon.
             Will Auburn’s victory have an immediate impact in the sportswear industry? It probably won’t in the short term. Under Armour has Auburn plastered all over their homepage right now, but I doubt millions of people will chuck their Nike’s in the dumpster and purchase Under Armour sneakers. It will be interesting to see what this sector of the economy looks like in 20 years. Their journey from a grandmother’s basement to the outfitter of the national championship football team in 15 years has been remarkable. As long as they continue to add high caliber athletes to endorse their product, and they continue to expand their product line (or in other words, follow the Nike blueprint), they should be in great shape.
           
              
             

Monday, January 10, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (1/7-1/9)

10. Cavaliers Center Anderson Varejao Out For Season With Foot/Ankle Injury
            As if the Cavaliers haven’t had enough bad luck this year (losing 20 of their last 21 games, Lebron taking his talents to South Beach), they now lose their most watchable player who else was probably their most valuable trade asset. At least they’ll have a great chance at the #1 pick in the draft that is loaded with talent…oh wait, the 2011 draft class is probably the weakest in five years. It just sucks cheering for Cleveland.

9. Andrew Luck Stays at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh Leaves for 49ers
            Pretty refreshing to see a kid stay in school to earn his degree. The cautionary tale of this maneuver is Matt Leinart, who after his junior season at USC would’ve been the 1st overall pick in the 2005 draft. Leinart stayed in school, slipped to 10th in the draft (costing him millions of dollars) and now is a 3rd string quarterback for the Houston Texans. Luck appears to be a much more pro-ready prospect at this point in his career than Leinart was, so hopefully he’ll maintain his status for next season, and maybe even end up in a better situation than he would’ve in Carolina.         

8. Heat Survive in Overtime Against Trail Blazers
            Lebron and company have been playing pretty solid ball ever since they decided to play fast-break basketball. If they can add some form of an interior presence at the trade deadline, they will be a serious championship threat.

7. Blake Griffin Records 23rd Straight Double-Double
            Griffin plays basketball the way Sharktopus has no regard for human life. My level of excitement for his appearance in the dunk contest on a 10-point scale is 32,893,819,381

6. University of Michigan Schedules Meeting With Les Miles
            What does Michigan need to turn around their floundering program? A coach who makes mind-boggling play-calls, takes audacious risks, has no idea how to manager a clock, and most importantly, eats grass during games to be “one with the field” (and oh by the way, this guy somehow wins football games. I’ll sign off on Miles to Michigan all day).

5. Carmelo Anthony Trade Talks Heat Up Again
            Reportedly, the latest trade proposal that would end up with Anthony in New Jersey now involves 15 players. For those of you that don’t know about the NBA, 15 players is the number allowed on one NBA roster. This trade makes zero sense for New Jersey, but they’ll turn over their entire roster in order to satisfy their Russian billionaire owner who wants a superstar on his team. Good times.

4. Syfy Channel Airs “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”
            KHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(TANGENT ALERT: Believe it or not, while I was typing the previous word, the theme song for “Doogie Howser, M.D” came on my television. That has to be the longest, most uncomfortable opening introduction in television history. Creepy, low-tempo keyboards stretch on for about 45 seconds while they are showing all of little Doogie’s accomplishments. Then they list literally every actor who ever appeared on the damn show. All in all, this introduction lasts for roughly a minute and 45 seconds.)

3. Green Bay Wins Again at Philadelphia
            This was probably the strangest game of the four wild-card match-ups. It felt like Green Bay dominated, but Philly had the ball with a minute to go and a chance to win. Dog lovers across the nation must’ve been rejoicing when Vick’s last pass was intercepted.

2. Jets Win at the Buzzer Against Indianapolis
            You have to hand it to Peyton Manning for almost dragging his sorry team to a gutsy win. Hopefully for his sake, the Colts are able to reload similar to how the Patriots did after Ravens pounded them in last year’s playoffs.
             Looking ahead to the AFC Divisional Round, I can’t recall ever having both games on one side of the bracket being rubber matches (I’d suggest that the round should be renamed “Rubber Games, sponsored by Trojan”, but that would be inappropriate). I don’t give the Jets a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning at Foxborough, but I could definitely see Baltimore squeaking out a win against Pittsburgh. Definitely looking forward to next week.

1. Seahawks Stun Saints, Advance to Divisional Round
            I hate this Seattle team. For whatever reason, I can’t accept that a 7-9 team made the playoffs (I’m weird like that). It’s almost as pathetic as when an 83-win St. Louis Cardinals team won the World Series in 2006. With all that said, their performance against New Orleans last Saturday was fantastic. Matt Hasselback was chucking the rock like it was 2006. More importantly, Sean Payton didn’t advance (he’s a little too arrogant for my taste. Also, I’m a little bitter that he was once the Cowboys offensive coordinator, but left to coach the Saints. You could say that my opinion of him is slightly biased). Seattle will probably be lucky to put up 10 points in Chicago this week, but good for them for silencing at least a few critics.