What's Happening in Sports?

The Black Hole Is Becoming a Reality

2009-07-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

There once was a time when you couldn’t mention the NFL and not talk about the Oakland Raiders. How could you not talk about the team that won three Super Bowls between 1976-83. The team that gave us Hall of Famers like Marcus Allen, Howie Long and the late Gene Upshaw. The team, in which Hall of Famer John Madden began cementing his name into football supremacy. Nowadays, you can talk about football for weeks or even months and not think to mention the Raiders. Ironically, the team that’s known for it’s legendary ‘Black Hole’ has fallen into a deep hole themselves and are dragging their players down with them.

Oakland’s egotistical owner Al Davis has caused the Raiders to get trapped in this downward spiral. Davis has done so by not building the team through the draft, attempting to buy a championship, overpaying players, having public feuds with the head coaches, and firing the coaches and coordinators when the team fail to make the playoffs. The poor play combined with a little east-coast bias has lesser fans tuning in and even caring about what happens to the Raiders.

The players are not immune to the negative atmosphere that has affected the Raider nation. This is evident when phenoms like Randy Moss go to Oakland and the public begin to question whether he has anything left in the tank. Well, he proved to the world his first season in New England that he’s still arguably the best player in the league when he caught an NFL record 23 touchdowns. DeAngelo Hall, who is known for his speed and ability to make plays when the ball is in the air, was marked as overrated during his brief tenure with the Raiders. After being waived by Oakland halfway through the ’08 season, Hall signed with the Redskins and resurrected his career.

Randy Moss and DeAngelo Hall are free, but players still suit up for the silver and black every Sunday. There are players that have the potential to be stars in the league, but are unable to shine through the black hole. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha some how has managed to get recognized as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, but he’s not a household name like Champ Bailey and Antonio Cromartie. Four other players that have the potential to be stars in the NFL, but are being held back by the Raiders are linebackers Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard, tight end Zach Miller, and safety Michael Huff.

Kirk Morrison is entering his fifth season out of San Diego State and has been solid since day one. Morrison has recorded at least 115 tackles each of his four seasons and had his best year in ’07 when he picked off four passes and broke up ten others. Fellow linebacker Thomas Howard is entering his fourth season out of UTEP. Howard has tallied at least 95 tackles each of his three years in the league and like Morrison, had his best season in ’07 when he picked off six passes, returned two for touchdowns and broke up eleven passes. Tight end Zach Miller is a big target with a fine combination of speed and blocking skills. In two seasons with the Raiders, the 6’5” 255lbs Miller has 100 receptions, averaging 12.2 yards per catch and played in all 32 games. Finally, safety Michael Huff is entering his fourth season out of the University of Texas. Huff has been amongst the team league in tackles two out of his three seasons and the former college champion show flashes of his big play ability every game.

All four players are young, have the skills to be stars and the on-field experience to lead a team. It has to be frustrating to work hard to achieve your goal of playing professional football, then accomplish it only to have the achievement diminished by an unknown pollutant that ruins any and everything that comes near McAfee Coliseum. Who will be the next Raider to escape and help lead a team to the Super Bowl like Randy Moss? Let’s just hope that there is a next.

The Great Lakes Get Greater

2009-07-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Just when the NBA thought they caught up to the champion Los Angeles Lakers, the team makes a move that propels them back on top. Free agent forward Ron Artest says that he plans to sign with the Lakers. The Orlando Magic, who lost the Lakers in the finals, traded for Vince Carter who is one of the most dangerous scorers in the league. The Cavaliers, who lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, traded for future Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal who brings four championship rings to a hungry Cavaliers squad. The San Antonio Spurs started the wave of blockbuster deals by trading for Richard Jefferson and got younger by sending away the veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Orberto.

On the morning of July 2, 2009, the Magic, Cavaliers, and Spurs had closed the gap that was between themselves and the Lakers. While people were heading home from work, the Celtics were added to the list because they reportedly were close to terms with free agent forward Rasheed Wallace, but the Lakers gave themselves some breathing room around dinner time with the news that Artest plans to sign with the team.

Even though the Lakers won the championship this past season, Artest adds toughness that the Lakers have been lacking. The team feeds off the toughness that Kobe brings on the court game in and game out, but another tough presences in the locker room helps the team. Artest is following the recent trend of veteran players taking less money and playing smaller roles on teams to win a championship. He is losing about $12 million dollars over the next three seasons compared to the amount that he could have possibly received from another team.

The move means the absolute departure of Trevor Ariza from the team, who was instrumental throughout the Lakers championship run. The two sides could not agree to terms, but the Lakers are a better team with Artest. Who knows? Head coach Phil Jackson may orchestrate his fourth three-peat as a head coach.

The Washington Not-at-alls

2009-07-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

When the Montreal Expos packed up their bags and moved to the nation’s capital, the move generated excitement that have not been seen in Washington since the glory days of the Redskins during the 1980s and early ‘90s. Following a .500 season during their inaugural campaign in Washington, the excitement for the Nationals has dropped every season despite the addition of the $693 million dollar stadium. The 81-81 record that the Nationals put up during the 2005 season was no surprise. The players that were carry-overs from the Expos had played home games in Montreal and Puerto Rico during the 2004 season, so having a steady home rejuvenated the players in ’05. The change of scenery, uniforms and team name was not enough to change the atmosphere of losing that plagued the Expos in Montreal and drove the fans away.

The Nationals are in arguably the toughest division in baseball, but no one will argue that they are the worst team in the division. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East with a 22-54 record, which is not shocking because since their arrival in the nation’s capital in 2005, the Nationals have finish last in their division every season except for in 2007 when they finish second to last. The Nationals have not posted a winning record and including the 76 games played this season, the Nationals are 306-417 since 2005, a winning percentage of only 42.3%.

Why have the Nationals played poorly after a promising start? The front office is mostly at fault. Yes, the players have to go and play and they should receive some of the blame, but the Nationals’ front office has made poor decision after poor decision. Two of the worst decisions was not re-signing veteran RF Jose Guillen and all-star LF Alfonso Soriano following the 2006 season. The Nationals traded for Soriano in December of 2005 with hopes that he could become the cornerstone for the booming franchise. After shopping him in trade talks and placing him on waivers after the trade deadline had passed in ’06, Soriano still gave the Nationals the first opportunity to re-sign him, yet Soriano is a Cub. All he did was have the most prolific season in Nationals’ history. In 2006, Soriano batted .277, but more importantly he hit 46 homeruns and stole 41 bases.

How do you let a 40-40 player go that’s in his prime? Don’t Know. I do know that letting Jose Guillen go was a mistake. The Nationals was not sure that Guillen was going to be able to return to form after a wrist injury limited him to 69 games in 2006. In ’05 when the Nationals had their best season and Guillen was healthy, he led the team with 24 homeruns. All Guillen has gone off to do is hit a combined 43 homeruns and drive in 196 runs with the Mariners in ’07 and the Royals in ’08. In both seasons, Guillen proved to be a durable player and played in 153 games.

For the Nationals to ever make the playoffs, they need the other teams in the NL East to have sub par seasons, like they’re having this year. The Nationals missed out on a golden opportunity to steal the division while the Mets, Marlins, Braves and Phillies are all playing inconsistent. The Nationals don’t have the farm system or payroll to compete with their division rivals during the off-season, so their best and probably only chance of making the playoffs is to compete and hope that maybe they can have a magical season like the Tampa Bay Rays of a year ago.

Not all is bad for the Nationals. They did draft the pitching phenom from San Diego State Stephen Strasburg, but now they have to focus on signing him. The GM that was in charge during the poor personnel decisions, Jim Bowden, resigned before the beginning of the 2009 season. They still have one of the best stadiums in the majors and a fan base that is ready to jump on the bandwagon, but having the worst record in baseball is not the way to lure fans to your ballpark. Most importantly, if the Nationals can sign Strasburg and continue to develop their young pitchers, they can become contenders in the National League.

2009 NFL Dark Horse: Bengals Edition

2009-07-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Winning the championship in any sports is the goal for the teams and is the aspirations of the sports fans. For some sports fans, they just hope and pray that their team is not the butt of all the jokes at seasons end. The Cincinnati Bengals’ fans are the latter. The Bengals have flirted with the playoffs in recent years, but after one trip in 2005 where franchise QB Carson Palmer suffered a season-ending injury on the Bengals’ second offensive play in an eventual 31-17 loss to the rival Steelers, nothing has been good for the Bengals. Things maybe looking good for the team this season with everyone having something to prove, an attitude that can unite the team.

With injuries plaguing the roster, turmoil between the organization’s front office and players, their recently gained reputation of their players being “hoodlums” and the years of terrible and agonizing losing holding them back in 2008, players and coaches are optimistic about their chances in 2009. All-Pro receiver Chad Ochocinco is healthy and more importantly focused on rebuilding a positive relationship with All-Pro quarterback Carson Palmer. The duo has been one of the most prolific QB-WR combinations over the past five seasons, but injuries and contract disputes interrupted their chemistry a season ago. Despite the departure of pro bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals’ receiving corp will be better than in ’08. The Bengals added veteran receiver Lauvernes Coles during the off-season. Once troubled receiver Chris Henry is focused and determined to make nothing, but positive contributions to the team, plus speedsters Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson will be entering their second season; both battling for the fourth receiver spot on the depth chart. Big dependable tight ends are a quarterback’s best friend and rookie Chase Coffman from Missouri fits the bill. The 6’6” 257lbs Coffman was selected 98th overall in the 3rd round by the Bengals.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is recovering from an elbow injury, in which it was once believed that he would need Tommy John surgery to fix, but that would have prolonged recovery. Palmer is recovering better than first expected and you can expect the All-Pro to return to form. Every passing game needs a steady and reliable running game to open up the deep ball and Cedric Benson will provide that for the Bengals in 2009. After being released by the Bears in ‘08 for not living up to the expectations that all top five picks possess, Benson resurrected his career with the Bengals. The offensive coaches have added zone-blocking schemes to help with his north-south running style. If healthy, expect Benson to rush for at least 1,200 yards and to add about 8 touchdowns in ’09.

Expect the Bengals to score a lot of points in 2009, but you can also expect for the defense to be better than in ’08. The Bengals had the 12th ranked total defense in ’08, but gave up 22.8 points per game. The Bengals drafted former USC LB Ray Maualuga with the 38th overall pick in the 2nd round to team up with ex-USC teammate LB Keith Rivers. The Bengals also added All-American defensive end Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech to team up with veteran defensive ends Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers. The Bengals have a nice rotation on the defensive line with three hogs to fill the gaps. With defensive tackles Pat Sims and Domata Peko returning, the team added veteran Tank Johnson to add much needed leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bengals have talent and leadership on offense and defense and can make a run at the playoffs. Despite having to play the defending champion Steelers twice a season, the Bengals are in position to compete for a wild card spot and possibly win the AFC North division, something that the Bengals have only done once since 1990.

2009 NBA Draft Reactions (June 30, 2009)

2009-07-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NBA Draft was held last weekend and apart from the players, the draft was relatively the same as years past; the analyst analyzed, the reporters reported, and commisioner David Stern had a fun time with the dedicated fans, especially the fans of the Kincks. Despite the similarities to drafts of years past, there were many topics that caught my attention and never left my thoughts. The five most intriguing things from the 2009 NBA Draft:

5- The Lakers Dedication to Re-signing Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza
I don't know if anyone noticed, but the Lakers traded two draft picks away and did not receive a single player or draft pick in return, but more importantly they received cash considerations. These trades have been overlooked, but the moves boost the Lakers' chance of retaining both star fowards that were crucial throughout their championship season.

4- Potential, Potential, Potential
NBA teams are willing to draft a player that has a "higher ceiling" rather than a player that is projected to be a "good-but-not-great" pro that spent 3-4 years in college. Experts grade the Pacers as one of the worst drafts because they selected former North Carolina All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough with the 13th overall pick, but they grade the Raptors high because they selected former USC G/F DeMar DeRozan with the 9th overall pick because he has "Potential." No offense to DeRozan who can become a star, but teams under value what prospects can do wrong and over value what they can possibly become. Yes, drafting a player for potential is not an all the way bad, but what's wrong with drafting a player that has shown the ability to trigger a weakness and correct it, and work hard to become better at what they do good already. If a player have a "low-ceiling," that only means that they don't have to develop a work ethic.

3- The Power Shifting to the East
During Michael Jordan's first retirement and after his second retirement from the Bulls, The West have dominated the NBA Finals. The Rockets won the NBA finals in '93-94' and '94-95' while Mike was working on his baseball swing and since his retirement form the Bulls following a championship season in '97-98', the West have won eight out of eleven finals. With blockbuster trades by the powerhouse Magic and Cavs and solid drafts from the teams of the future like the Knicks, Bulls and Hawks have made the East a more powerful and deeper conference. Once free agency starts on July 1, teams can begin to fill their rosters and that could dictate exactly how much power has shifted.

2- NBA Getting Collegiate
There has been one commonality with NCAA men's basketball, you can't win a championship without stellar guard play and in the NBA, the commonality is that big men rule. The top prospects were mostly guards and more teams are shifting to an up-and-down style offense making players like Shaq and Yao as obsolete as those yellow portable cassette players. This can also be an effect of the lack of true centers and power forwards that are available today, either way Nascar watch out, the NBA is gunning.

The number one thing that intrigued me the most:

1- The American Dream, Pt. Deux
Ricky Rubio's comtemplating of whether he should go to the Wolves or stay in Spain disturbed me. Just because he didn't get drafted by the Lakers or Knicks, he wants to run back to Spain. I think he should stay there and never come back and David Stern should award the Wolves with an extra 1st round pick for next season since Rubio once to be a baby. Some athletes work hard all there lives, putting in extra hours in the gym to live the American Dream of one day playing for their favorite team, but there is this thing that stands in the way in all four of the major sports and its call the draft. They may get drafted by the Lakers or Thunder, the Cowboys or Lions, or the Yankees or Pirates. Regardless of what team you play for the same rules apply and you still have to put in work. There are many players that didn't even get drafted and have a better attitude towards their situation compared to Rubio. Foreign countries think that the United States is arrogant, its true, but thinking that you can dictate what team you can go to just because you have a talent is bogus. Pay attention that I said "a talent" because on his tapes he showcased one skill, ball-handling.

Buffalo Calls a 'T.O.' (Mar. 7, 2009)

2009-07-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Before the 2008 season had begun, I picked the Buffalo Bills as my sleeper team in the AFC due to the way quarterback Trent Edwards and runningback Marshawn Lynch progressed towards the end of the year. Through the first part of the season, I was right. The Bills started the 2008 season 5-1 with their only loss coming to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals in week 5.

Now before the draft, training camp and the preseason, I will do it again; the Buffalo Bills are my dark horse in the AFC. Why? This guy you may have heard of him, Terrell Owens. Before I begin to rave about Owens, lets look at the players that's already there.

In two NFL seasons with the Bills, Marshawn Lynch has racked up 2,151 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, with back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Expect those numbers to improve with the addition of Owens. Regardless of whoms the QB, defenses can not stack the box against the Bills. Owens will accompany fellow go to guy Lee Evans, open-field specialist Roscoe Parrish, and the developing James Hardy in the receiving-corp. I think the Bills should utilize three-receiver sets with Owens, Evans and Parrish and either a TE or FB depending on the situation to stretch the defense and put pressure of the opposing coordinators.

Lee Evans in his five year career averages 16.0 yards per catch, with two 1,000 yard seasons and 32 receiving touchdowns. Now, Evans and Owens are perfect compliments, reminiscent of the Bills former duo of years ago of Eric Moulds and Peerless Price. I don't expect for Trent Edwards to put up Drew Bledsoe type Buffalo numbers and throw 4,000 plus yards, but I do expect for him to up them 11 touchdown passes from a year ago. Edwards did have a 85.4 QB rating and completed 65.5 percent of his passes in 14 games last season, but he has to up his touchdown production and there is no excuse, barring a serious injury, why he shouldn't because now in the huddle is the second most productive widereceiver in NFL history, Terrell Owens.

Are Owens and the Bills a right fit? Maybe, but only time can tell. I think that this go around for T.O. is going to be different than his previous stints with the 49ers, Eagles and Cowboys. Controversy just seems to follow Owens around like his shadow, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he will learn from his stay in Dallas to finish his career on a high note. The big difference between all of his departures are simple, Owens wanted to leave the 49ers and Eagles, not Dallas. Owens career in a nutshell; he dumped the 49ers, refused to date the Ravens, broke up with the Eagles and then finally got divorced by the Cowboys just after he bought some new drapes. For the first time in his career, Owens was not the man in the relationship and got his feelings hurt. Those hurt feelings I believe will humble Owens enough, so that his work ethic and experience can rub off on the younger players on the Bills and translate into success.

Will this be his last stop, will Owens leave after the one year deal is over, will he quickly re-sign once the 2009 season is over, or will he pull a Manny Ramirez and wait until one month prior to the start of the 2010 season to sign that same deal that was virtually offered five months ago. I don't know but in the words of T.O., "get your popcorn ready."

NBA Versus NCAA: Can It Be Done? (Mar. 2, 2009)

2009-07-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

One of the most one-sided debates in sports goes as follows, can the best NCAA team beat the worst professional team. Some say yes, but most people, including I, say no, but I want to expand the debate even further. I doubt that a NCAA FBS all-star team can beat the Detroit Lions, but I do think that an NCAA men's basketball all-star team can beat the Wizards, Thunder, Timberwolves, or another bad NBA team in their current state. I debated whether or not I should include a completely healthy NBA team, but injuries are a part of sports that teams have to deal with. It works both ways because college athletes get injured, one in particular I wanted to add to my team, Marquette's senior guard Dominic James.

Now let me start with the players that without question are on my 12 man roster. Connecticut's center Hasheem Thabeet, North Carolina's forward Tyler Hansbrough and guard Ty Lawson, Louisville's forwards Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, UCLA's guard Darren Coliison, and Pittsburgh's forward DeJuan Blair. They are guarantees, but this does not mean they are starters. That leaves me with five spots to fill and ten players that I think can compete against professionals.

The ten players that are in question, but their talent is not doubted are, Connecticut's forward Jeff Adrien, Pittsburgh's forward Sam Young, Texas' guard A.J. Abrams, Clemson F/C Trevor Booker, Florida's G/F Nick Calaethis, Oklahoma's forward Blake Griffin, Arizona State's guard James Harden, Kentucky's guard Jodie Meeks, Mississippi State's forward Jarvis Varnado, and Davidson guard Stephen Curry.

Now I know, Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry are not guarantees on my list, but they still have a shot.

The starting five:

C - Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3 263lbs
It was not just Thabeets size that landed him a starting spot, but his 10.5 rpg and 4.4 bpg made it a easy decision. Those are not just inflated college stats, but he has worked hard during his time at UCONN to become a better rebounder and shot blocker.

F - Blake Griffin, 6-10 251lbs
Blake is a beast, a monster, but it was his 6-10 251lbs frame that landed him a starting spot. Not denying his skills, but is also the perfect low post guy to be on the floor with Thabeet. Griffin averages 22 ppg and brings down 13.8 rpg, you can not leave him alone on the post.

F - Terrence Williams, 6-6 220lbs
One of my favorite players, Williams is a big solid slasher type player that reminds me of a Stephen Jackson from the Golden State Warriors. He scores 12.6ppg but most importantly he brings down 8.4 ppg and dishes out 4.7apg. Williams, an one man fastbreak, is one of the most dangerous players once he's in the open court. He can dish it, he can score it and he does them both well.

G - Jodie Meeks, 6-4 208lbs
I was tempted to just say SCORER!!!, and leave it at that, but what else is there to say. Meeks is amongest the best in the nation at scoring and his 25.4 ppg average proves it. He can create his own shot and he has done that this season, three times going over the 45 point mark, including a 54 point performance.

G - Darren Collison, 6-0 160lbs
Certified leader, Collison has led his team to the Final Four multiple times and his leadership landed him the spot over Ty Lawson. When the game is in crunch time, Collison wants to take the shot and he has done so many times. Collison, like Meeks, can create his own shot off the dribble.

The Reserves:
F - Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9 250lbs
G - Ty Lawson, 5-11 195lbs
F - Earl Clark, 6-9 225lbs
F - DeJuan Blair, 6-7 265lbs
F - Trevor Booker, 6-7 240lbs
G - Nick Calaethis, 6-6 194lbs
F - Jarvis Varnado, 6-9 210lbs

Not too much size off the bench, but they are not that small neither. Hansbrough, Booker, and Blair provide big active bodies that can go up and compete for rebounds. Hansbrough has the hardest working motor in basketball, period. He is going to get to the line, get rebounds and loose balls and convert them into points. Booker is lesser known than most the players, but is one of the best big man defenders. He get steals and block shots averaging 1.5 spg and 2.2 bpg. Booker reminds me of the Detroit Pistons' forward Jason Maxiell. Blair is a big body that is hard for anyone to move around. He is the best offensive rebounder in the nation averaging 6 offensive rebounds per game. Blair can also score, which makes him, along with Hansbrough, a good option off the bench for low post points.

Lawson and Calaethis are the lone reserve guards. The reserves job is to obtain the offense and keep the energy high; the fast-paced Lawson is perfect for that job. Lawson's high assist to turnover ratio insures me that he can keep the offense running smoothly and fast. Nick Calaethis is one of the most underrated players in college basketball. Let me throw you some stats: 18.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 6.4 apg, solid. He has range and plays smart. Long arms and firey, Calaethis can play the 1, 2, or 3.

Earl Clark and Jarvis Varnado fills out the team. Outside of devoted college basketball fans, these two guys are virtually unknown. Clark is an athletic guy that can get up and down the floor and is dangerous in the open court like his teammate Terrence Williams. He has great range for his size and can defend the bigger NBA G/F. Jarvis Varnado, WHO? He's just the best shot blocker in the nation averaging 5 per game. Varnado is similar to the younger Ben Wallace that terrorized opponent's offenses, he's a menace.

So there you have it, no Stephen Curry. Yes he leads the nation in scoring, but he has to take alot of shots. I wanted to add him because of his range and great passing, but Lawson and Collison has the passing covered and Calaethis and Meeks has the range.The only thing missing is a coach. This took me one second to debate, but even though I am a die hard North Carolina fan, Duke's head coach Mike Krzyzewski would be the coach to lead these guys into a fierce, hypothetical battle. He is the best motivater and loves line-ups like this; fast, active, and smart.

How Much Is a Haynesworth? (Feb. 27, 2009)

2009-07-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

Redskins’ fans are going to love this. Dan Snyder dropped some loot to bag the biggest, literally the biggest free agent available in former Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins and the perennial All-Pro defensive tackle agree to a 7yr/$100 million dollar deal ($41 million guaranteed) that can max out at $115 million based on performance. Now we have seen this before from Snyder, year after year. Not only did the Skins splurge for Haynesworth, but they also gave cornerback DeAngelo Hall a 6yr/$54 million dollar deal with $22.5 coming in guarantees. That’s a possible combination of $169 million with $63.5 million dollars guaranteed.

The Redskins have been to the NFL this decade, as the Yankees have been to the MLB, nothing. They just take the best players, pay them what everybody else either can’t or won’t, then are a non-factor in the postseason. I’m not even going to begin to talk about the stimulus package that the New York ‘Cant-bees’ spent to acquire the numerous free agents this winter headlined by pitcher C.C. Sabathia, but Snyder and the Skins have clearly descended back to their old ways. Last offseason the Skins made an effort to build a championship caliber team through the draft and keep continuity in house, but after disappointing performances by receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas, and tight end Fred Davis, the bright future of safety Chris Horton, the Skins seventh round pick in 2008, was not enough to stop Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins from going on a spending spree.

I am going to cut the Redskins some slack, the draft is two months away and many of their pieces are there from last year. Will Albert Haynesworth be the player to push the Redskins over the top, I think so. He is dominant and ferocious, and their fans better pray he comes to play like he has a one year deal every game. They have the pieces in place. The safety tandem of LaRon Landry and Chris Horton has a year together under their belt, defensive end Jason Taylor wants to come back and should be healthy and ready to go for mini-camp. Defensive end Andre Carter can now play up to his full potential with a healthy Taylor and Fat Albert clogging up the middle and the biggest key the Redskins are happy for, healthy linebackers. Rocky McIntosh was virtually non-existent last season due to serious injuries and combine the return of him with the oh-so dependable London Fletcher, there is no reason the Skins ‘D’ should fall outside the top 5 in 2009.

Let’s see what Daniel Snyder and the rest of the front office has in store for the rest of the offseason because if they were me, I’d focus most of my attention on the offensive side of the ball now.

End of Quarter One (Dec. 18, 2008)

2009-07-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

With every NBA team playing atleast a quarter of their games of the 2008-2009 season, there is enough substance to evaluate whether or not some trends and performance are real.

What's Real?

The Celtics, Lakers and Cavaliers
The Celtics (24-2), are tops in the NBA and are currently on an impressive 16 game winning streak. They can lose their next ten games and the 76ers, who are second in the Alantic division, can win their next ten games and Boston will still have a one game lead in the division. The Lakers (21-3), are second in the NBA and are first in the Western Conference. The Lakers are currently the NBA's highest scoring team averaging 108.4 points per game. The Cavaliers (21-4), are third in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs are the only team in NBA that is perfect at home, 13-0, and leads the league in point differential at +13.1 and scoring defense allowing only 89.2 points per game. Barring any major injuries, you can expect to see two of these three teams in the NBA finals.

Indiana Pacers F-Danny Granger
Take a second to think of who might be in the top five in points per game right now. If you said Wade, LeBron, Nowitzki, Kobe, and Danny Granger, you were right. Since Granger was selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft, I have taken little mental notes on him because he had the makings of an NBA All-Star. This season, Danny Granger is having an All-Star caliber year averaging a career high 24.4 ppg, which is fifth in the NBA. Yes, the Pacers are 9-16 and are currently last in the Central division, but Granger has been steady with seven +30-point games, two of them being +40-point games.

The Oklahoma City Thunder
The only thing in the NBA that is worse than their name, is their performance. The 2-24 Thunder are going to easily roll to the NBA's worst record. They are really bad. They have a nice group of players, but they are not meshing well together on the court. I will be surprised if they win more than 12 games, and that's pushing it.

The Real MVP
The 19-6 Orlando Magic has the fourth best record in the NBA, third in the Eastern Conference. They are led by not a bird, nor a plan, but Superman. I have to admit, when the Magic drafted Dwight Howard 1st overall in 2004, I was skeptical of their decision believing that they should have selected Emeka Okafor, but every game Howard proves me wrong. Howard is averaging 21.1 ppg, is fourth in the league with 57.1 field goal percentage and leads the in rebounds per game (14.1) and blocks per game (3.87). Dwight is having a monster year and has the Magic flying high along with him. The only kryptonite for this Superman is himself, and I dont see him slowing down no time soon.

What's Not?

The Washington Wizards
The Wizards has the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 4-19, but they are a much better team. They have injuries, not only to Gilbert Arenas, but Brendan Haywood as well. Interim head coach Ed Tapscott has the team working hard and playing harder, so I'm convinced that they will finish with atleast 30 wins. That doesn't sound like alot, but take into account that the Wizards have 59 games left. A feat like that to finish the season just might land him a head coach position next season.

The Houston Rockets
The Rockets are 16-9, fourth in the Western Conference, but I don't believe they will be a factor during the playoffs because their big three, Yao, McGrady, and Artest, are playing musical chairs with the seats at the end of the bench where the injuried players sit. As much as I want the Rockets to succeed, I don't see them getting out the first round even more. They will make the playoffs, probably if the Mavericks don't make a big run, but they will be one and done if they continue to play with two, one, or none of the big three.

BCS Playoff Plan (Dec. 16, 2008)

2009-07-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

For years now I, like many college football fans crave a playoff system for the bowl subdivision(formerly Div. I). The likelihood of a playoff system happening is slim because of all the money that is at stake with the universities and the bowl's ties to conferences. If we have learned anything from our forefathers it should be that, one plan may not work, nor the second, but they can be combined to make a compromise. This is why I have begun to come up with a preliminary plan for what I think the NCAA should do.

-The regular season should be shortened to 11 games with all conferences that have a championship game teams play their first game the last weekend in August (ACC, Big 12, C-USA, MAC, SEC)

-With that being said, the conference championship games should still be included

-Keep the BCS rankings, but add Strength of Schedule back to the formula

-The top 8 teams in the BCS rankings advance to the playoffs

-Keep all the bowl games

-Rotate the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls with the number 1 seed in the quarterfinal round, similarly to how the games were rotated when there was no BCS National Championship game (e.g. 1 vs 8-Rose, 4 vs 5-Sugar, 3 vs 6-Fiesta, 2 vs 7-Orange) and still award the trophies

-The semi-final round games should not be bowl games and the highest remaining seed should play the lowest remaining seed (e.g. 1 vs 7, 4 vs 6)

-The BCS National Championship game will still be the championship game with the awarded trophy

-Quarterfinal games should be played on January 1st, Semi's on Jan. 8, and the BCS National Championship on January 15

These are just my ideas of what I think the NCAA should do by determining the FBS champion. There are some things that I have not thought about yet because these are preliminary, but the above suggestions have been thought through and I believe that they are reasonable and reachable.

Not Just My Defensive MVP (Dec. 11, 2008)

2009-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh Steelers LB James Harrison is in his 5th season out of Kent State and is playing out of his mind. Harrison currently leads the league with 7 forced fumbles, third in the NFL with 15.0 sacks and second in the AFC in sacks only behind former teammate, Dolphins LB Joey Porter. Arguments can be made for players like Joey Porter, DeMarcus Ware, and Albert Hanyesworth for Defensive Player of the Year, but Harrison should be awarded not only the Defensivie Player of the Year, but the NFL MVP as well. No player on the offensive side of the ball has made an impact that can mirror the performance that Harrison has put on for the his team this season. In the Steelers three losses this season, Harrison has 1.0 sack with two safties, both coming in a 24-20 loss at home Week 10 to the Colts, but in the Steelers 10 wins Harrsion has 14.0 sacks, 7 FF, INT, and a safety, complete dominance. Name a player in the league that has been this important to the success of their team THIS SEASON. The Steelers defense is loaded with players like Troy Polamalu, soon to be household name Lamar Woodley and is coach on that side of the ball by the well-respected defensive coordinator Dick LaBeau, but Harrsion's impact can't be overlooked. When he debuted in 2004 replacing one of my favorite players LB Jason Gildon, I didnt think that Harrison was capable of matching Gildon's production, but Harrison has followed a Pro Bowl 2007 season with a monster, MVP-like 2008 campaign that deserves to be rewarded.

Barber and Portis (Dec. 10, 2008)

2009-07-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Watching Sportscenter recently i picked up on a disturbing trend. What's up with Jerry Jones questiong Marion Barber's toughness and Jim Zorn question Clinton Portis' preparation. We talking about a runingback that made it to the Pro Bowl without starting a game(Barber) and a perennial MVP candidate(Portis). I think any real NFL fan can agree that Portis and Barber are not just two of the toughest backs in the league, but two of the toughest players at any position. The Cowboys are 8-5 and is currently holding on the final wildcard spot. Not to underestimate the importance of Tony Romo to the Cowboys, but I don't believe they would be were they are now without Marion Barber, just look at the second meeting with the redskins and his dominance in the 4th quarter. Now Clinton Portis carried the Redskins to the 6-2 mark they held before they hit a wall and loss 4 out of their last five games. Jerry Jones and Jim Zorn are just reacting while dealing with the frustration of maybe not making the playoffs after promising starts. It is understandable to feel the pressures this late in the season with the playoff rush getting tight, but to call out the players that helped you have the chance to make the playoffs is not cool at all.