Give Credit Where Its Due!!!

The 2009 college football has officially begun. As always there were many exciting moments and some moments that make us stop and say, Did that really just happen? Like when Oregon's star running back Legarrette Blount threw the infamous punch that not only got him suspended for the year but put the big defensive lineman on his knees. There were some incredible games that had to seen, for example the Miami vs. Florida St. game. That was an incredible ending with 3 lead changes in the fourth quarter and a goaline stand by Miami when Florida St. had four plays to score.

However, I would like to discuss a game that I appreciated very much and that is the BYU-Oklahoma game. I thought that both teams played very and that either team could have won the game. The only downfall was that BYU is still not getting any credit for having beat the third ranked team at the time. They are putting the excuse that Sam Bradford was hurt. Even with Bradford in the game OU had only scored 10 points to BYU's 7, not much of a difference. We could say that BYU didnt have Harvey Unga, but that doesnt matter, because whoever plays has to step up. Then after in the post game all Coach Stoops was saying was it was penalties and not saying anything about BYU. OU had 12 penalties to BYU's 10 and only had 6 more yards in penalties, again, not much of a difference. On the other hand, BYU had four turnovers to OU's 2 and one happened to be on the one yardline and BYU would have at least scored a field goal.

OU had the game handed to them and they didnt take advantage, it is their fault and only theirs that they lost this game. One sign of a sore loser is that they put excuses, that is the only thing people have done since this game. BYU deserves a ton of credit for basically playing on the road and going home winners. There is no reason why OU should have lost. BYU played hard for 60 minutes and OU did not. BYU deserves all the credit in the world, and they won fair and square.

Now, to all of those that are mad at Coleby Clawson for injuring Bradford. Injuries, if you havent noticed are part of football. Football is a contact sport and evry player on the field risks getting hurt every single game. It was a clean hit and Clawson was just playing his position and trying to help his team win. There was no reason for Clawson to apologize but he did, yet OU fans cant get over the fact that Bradford is still hurt.

The Draft: '09 Version

So the NBA draft has come and gone and now we must wait all offseason long to see how the results will play out. Blake Griffin went number 1 which was nothing unexpected. He was by far the best player in the draft and still has tons of potential. The Timberwolves had quite a few picks and spent their first 3 on point guards. However, they have already sent Ty Lawson to the Nuggets and now there is talk that they might send Rubio to the Knicks, because it is unsure as to whether or not Rubio will play in the NBA this season or go back to Spain. Tyler Hansbrough went 13th to the Pacers, many think that it is a little high. I think that as good as he is, he is still underappreciated and will have a great NBA career.

Some of the trades that took place before the trade took some of the hype off of the draft itself. What I think to be the biggest trade was Shaq to Cleveland. Cleveland didnt really lose anyone big as Wallace is getting older and was plagued by injuries and they will do fine without Sasha. Adding Shaq to that line-up means bad news for the east and the rest of the league. They were the best team last year and adding Shaq will only help. Another big trade was Vince Carter to Orlando. I think that the Nets got the better end of the deal on this one and especially now that Hedo is opting out. The magic gave up their promising rookie for Vince who is getting older, but still should have a few good years left in him.

Also a big trade that means bad news for the west is Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. I think that the Spurs got the better end of the deal even though they lost 3 players. They shipped off some of their veterans that are running out of gas and in turn they get Jefferson who is a great one on one player and can finish at the rim. The Lakers did away with their only draft pick and that only indicates that they are wanting to keep intact the same team that just won the Championship.

It is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the offseason turns out, especially with teams like the Jazz, Rockets and Suns that are awaiting answers as to who is going to optout or who are wanting to trade some high profile players.

Welcome Welcome!!

With me being a Giants fan, I could not resist to mention the milestone that Randy Johnson hit tonight. He is the newest and probably tallest member of the 300 win club. Congratulations to him on that. It is a milestone that is very difficult to reach and one that doesnt happen too often. Randy Johnson has been a consistent pitcher throughout his lenghty career that has taken him to a few teams and to a World Series win with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Who knows when this milestone will be hit again. It is extremely difficult in todays era to get even 15 wins in a season and at that rate it would take 20 years to comlete 300 wins. I am glad that he was able to accomplish that feat and to do it in a Giants uniform is even better. I believe next closest pitcher is Roy Halladay and he is sitting at 140 wins, but he also carries the age of 32.

Baseball has some of sports most difficult records to beat or milestones to reach. The 300 win club, 3,000 hit club, and 500 Homerun club. Those three milestones are goals that every baseball player has and it may be a while before we see anyone enter into one of the three. Once again CONGRATS to Randy Johnson on his 300th win.

What Should We Expect?

This postseason has been one to remember with some of the series that we have had. The Celtics-Bulls was one for the ages. The Celtics-Magic was a good one as well. The Cavs swept their first two series to get run out of the gym by Orlando in 6 games. The Lakers-Rockets was an up and down series that ended in 7 games. The Nuggets-Lakers was an intense series with the better team coming out on top. To go along with the games that were played, it seemed to me that there was a lot of dirty play. There were a lot of flagrant fouls as well as technicals that were given out, and that even led to a few suspensions.

The Finals are finally here and it consists of two teams no one thought would meet in the Finals. A lot of people expected the Cavs or Celtics out of the East, but no one the Magic. Almost everyone expected to see the Lakers and thats what they get. So it comes down to two teams. The best in the West and the beasts in the East. If we base this series off what happened in the regular season then the Magic win in a 4 game sweep as they were 2-0 during the season. Not so fast, the Magic are good, but the Lakers are better.

The Magic are a team that live and die by the three. It seems to me that if they dont make more than ten a game then they dont win. Clevelands downfall was their defense and lack of scoring. The Lakers do both of those things better. The Lakers are taller and have a way of guarding Lewis and Pietrus. The Magic are going to struggle to make the threes like they have been. Also the Magic dont really have anyone that can guard Kobe. If they couldnt guard LeBron, then they are not going to be able to guard Kobe as well.

The Lakers are by far the better team and more experienced. The Magic are young and this year is just not their turn. Give them a few years and they will be a dynamite team in the NBA on a year to year basis. I grew up a Magic fan, but when Shaq left, so did my love for them. I was a huge Dwight Howard fan, but he has lost some of my respect for the way that he plays. I am not much of a Lakers fan, but I hope that they can pull it out. I dont think that this series is going to be as close as people think. My prediction is that the Lakers win in 5 games. It is kind of a stretch, but they do have Kobe and experience and someone that can guard Howard.

Good luck to both teams and may the best team win.

Let's Have a Rematch!!

It is not very often that there is a rematch in a championship game and the last time it happened in the NHL was in 1983 and 1984 where the teams split the Stanley Cup with the Islanders winning it one year and the Oilers the other. Last year, Detroit handled the Pens winning 4-2 and during the offseason received one of the Pens' forwards.

This year is going to be a great series. Both teams are playing great hockey and working as a team. The Wings are a little banged up with some injuries and have been complaining that they didn't get enough rest before the start of the finals. The Wings do have home ice advantge and that will play a big role as they are dynamite in Joe Louis Arena.

I think that as of right now the Pens are playing better hockey. They outplayed the Canes in every game of their last series. Crosby and Malkin have this team on the right path to come away as Stanley Cup Champions this year. It is going to be a great series. The Wings are one of the best teams that hockey has seen and they have a few players that are going for their fifth Stanley Cup. The Wings by far are the veterans, but the Pens do have the experience of last year and are playing better.

It is going to be fun to see how this series rolls out and don't be surprised if it goes to 7 games. My prediction is 4-3 for the Pens. These are my two favorite teams in the NHL, but I hope that Pittsburgh wins because Detroit wins it too often. I just hope for a good series.

Are the Cavs' in Trouble?

Who would have thought that the cavs would be down 3-1 against the Magic in the Conference Finals. At most we thought 2-2, since the Cavs' were so good at home during the regular season only losing twice. The Magic have just outplayed them and out hustled them. The Cavs' have not been rebounding nor playing defense and late in the game they stand around on offense and watch LeBron do his thing.

There are a few reasons why I think the Cavs' still have a legitimate chance at winning this series. The odds are definately against them as only 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series., but who better than LeBron and the Cavs' to be the 9th team. It is going to be an uphill battle but it is not impossible. When you have MVP on your team and arguably the best player in the league, there is always a chance.

As for the Magic, they live and die by the three and that showed yesterday as they made 11 more three-pointers than the Cavs'. The Magic went 17-38 from three-point range shooting 44%. However, the Magic are not going shoot that well every night and that is when they lose. They are not smart enough to constantly feed Dwight Howard the ball and continue to shoot the three whether or not they are feeling it. If the Cavs' can capitalize when the Magic are not shooting well, then they could have a blowout win.

Another reason, of course is LeBron James. He has not played his best in this series so far, yeah he is scoring a lot but has had many costly turnovers late in the game. Also his teammates have not been helping him like they were during the season and their first two playoff series.

I would not count out the Cavs' just yet, all they need is one decent victory that is not on a last second shot to get their confidence back and when that happens, look out Magic. The Magic are a young team and the Cavs' have been to the Finals before, so they know what it takes to pull it out. May the best team win!!

How Sweep It Is

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing excellent Hockey and that shows with the sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes that was completed last night. The Pens outplayed them in every single game. This series really wasn't that close. The Pens outscored the Canes 20-9 on the series, with three wins by a margin of at least three goals.

There was a time this year that everyone lost hope in the Pens. They were out of the playoff race sitting in tenth place and they switched coaches about mid-way through the season. However, since then they have been playing incredible hockey and it has paid off as they now await to see who they will face in the Stanley Cup Finals.

There is a chance that we could see a repeat of last year, if Detroit were to make it. The Pens await the winner of the Detroit-Chicago series and that currently sits at 3-1 in favor of Detroit. The Pens have one of the best if not the best player in the NHL in Sidney Crosby and he has been stellar this postseason, not only scoring, but invovling his teammates. MY prediction is that the Pens win the Stanley Cup, beating the Red Wings in seven games. The Finals is going to be a great series to watch.