With Game 4 of the World Series bet, there was a lull in Wednesday’s sporting events. This gives me the chance to sit down and start looking at the upcoming NBA season.
The 2006 NBA season starts on Tuesday and between now and then I’ll go through and play Nostradamus, predicating each division winner, playoff participants and eventual NBA Finals Champion.
Starting with the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference, where the New Jersey Nets look to be the strongest team. Not only are the Nets the defending division winner, they added very helpful pieces such as rookies Marcus Williams and Josh Boone. Both Boone and Williams can provide immediate help in areas that the Nets need: a backup PG for Jason Kidd, and rebounding help. These additions will help New Jersey’s Big Three of Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, get some rest during the season and be somewhat rested for the playoffs. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a contract year for Carter, which should produce better play from him.
Besides the Nets, this division looks to be pretty bad. The rest of the teams in this division all have major flaws with them. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have the blueprint of having one superstar (Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson, respectively) with flawed core players around them. For Pierce he has a shoot first PG in Sebastian Telfair, who plays like his cousin, Stephon Marbury, meaning that the team will lose but Telfair’s stats will be ok. Iverson’s cast, though slightly better than Pierce’s, still too often stands around and watch AI do his thing.
At least those teams don’t have the problems of the New York Knicks. After their worst season in 20 years, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is gone. In Brown’s place is General Manager Isiah Thomas will now coach the team. Things aren’t all that rosy for Thomas as owner James Dolan placed a win-or-else mantra on Thomas. Further complicating matters is the Knicks’ roster, which has no less than five guards and no inside presence to speak of. These guards, who include Jalen Rose, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Francis, are notorious for needing the ball to play effectively. To me, this all adds up to another very long season for the Knicks.
The wild card team of this division is the Toronto Raptors. Incoming General Manager Bryan Colangelo is attempting to copy his blueprint he perfected with the Phoenix Suns, adding PG TJ Ford with PF Chris Bosh to become, hopefully, the Eastern Conference’s version of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. In addition to Ford, # 1 Draft Pick Andrea Bargnani, free agent Rasho Nesterovic, and Anthony Parker also join this squad so it’s really a crap shot as to how they’ll finish. Well here is how I think the Atlantic division will turn out:
1) New Jersey Nets
2) Philadelphia 76ers
3) Toronto Raptors
4) Boston Celtics
5) New York Knicks
Well that is all for now. Hopefully the weather in St. Louis will cooperate and Game 4 of the World Series will be played. Either way, check back tomorrow as I at least preview the Eastern Conference’s Southeast division. Until then, peace.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
October 25, 2006
One great pitching game deservers another, seems to be the MO for this year’s World Series. One day after Kenny Rogers pitched the Tigers back into the Series, Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter pitched the Tigers to another must win game with his eight shut-out innings, allowing only three hits. He faced only two batters over the minimum and threw only 82 pitches. Also, unlike his counterpart Rogers, Carpenter was not accused of having any substance on his hand.
I joke about the fiasco but Carpenter helped to put that to rest by just dominating the Tigers. Only first baseman Sean Casey and third baseman Brandon Inge had hits and three Tiger players (2B Placido Planco, CF Curtis Granderson, and C Ivan Rodriguez) continued to not have any hits in the World Series. This issue has caused Tigers Manager Jim Leyland to seriously think about some major line-up changes before Wednesday’s Game 4.
Leyland needs to find some spark because the Tigers do not want to fall behind 3 games to 1 since the odds of overcoming that deficit aren’t very good.
Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned as I’ll start my NBA preview in the coming days with the NBA season looking to begin next week. Until then, peace.
I joke about the fiasco but Carpenter helped to put that to rest by just dominating the Tigers. Only first baseman Sean Casey and third baseman Brandon Inge had hits and three Tiger players (2B Placido Planco, CF Curtis Granderson, and C Ivan Rodriguez) continued to not have any hits in the World Series. This issue has caused Tigers Manager Jim Leyland to seriously think about some major line-up changes before Wednesday’s Game 4.
Leyland needs to find some spark because the Tigers do not want to fall behind 3 games to 1 since the odds of overcoming that deficit aren’t very good.
Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned as I’ll start my NBA preview in the coming days with the NBA season looking to begin next week. Until then, peace.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
October 24, 2006
Back in the lab again. First I’ll start by saying that I broadcasted my first game last night, the Monday Night Football game between the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. I did ok, but there is plenty of room for improvement on my part. It’s a fun thing to do and I cannot wait to do it in person at a stadium where I can have access to interview quotes, the entire field, and things of that nature.
As for the game itself, Dallas made a change at QB, which could have huge ramifications on their season. At the beginning of the second half Drew Bledsoe was replaced by Tony Romo. Drew had an awful first half, being sacked four times (once for a safety) and threw a terrible interception as the Cowboys were driving to take the lead at the end of the first half. In fairness to Drew, though, two of the sacks weren’t his fault as the line provided no blocking but the interception really sealed his fate.
Romo came in and showed flashes of why Parcells made the change. However his play also showed his inexperience, throwing two costly interceptions including one that was returned for the game clinching score. I think Parcells made the right move because Drew can’t escape the rush. With a full week of practice with the first teamers, I think Romo will develop rapidly and help improve the offense of the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys have their own set of problems, the Chargers also have pressing issues of their own. They learned that they may lose LB Shawne Merriman for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy on steroids. Now Merriman will appeal the situation saying the steroid he is accused of taking was in his system because it was in an over-the-counter supplement. Personally I think his appeal will be denied. In the past couple of years the news has been littered with stories of professional athletes using steroids and quite frankly, blaming them on over-the-counter supplements is getting old. These days you have to be smarter when taking supplements. Just my opinion.
Merriman’s alma mater, Maryland did something good this weekend in college football. They moved one victory closer to becoming bowl eligible by virtue of their 26-20 win over NC State. However their schedule is really tough with four of their five last opponents only having one conference loss and the fifth opponent is Florida State, they should be able to pull out the one victory needed to become bowl eligible.
Other interesting things from the weekend in college football include fast paced finishes by Notre Dame, Texas and Miami in their victories over UCLA, Nebraska and Duke respective. Ohio State and Michigan appear headed on a collision course to a November 18th showdown for all the marbles (the Big Ten Championship, as well a spot in the National Title Game). Man I need to see if I can get tickets to that game because I know its going to be a crazy atmosphere.
All of November will be crazy in college football. In addition to that heavyweight slugfest, the month is littered with high powered games like West Virginia versus Louisville on November 2nd, USC versus Cal on November 18th and then USC again this time versus Notre Dame on November 25th. All of these games will have serious BCS implications. What a month it’s about to be.
While November is primarily for college football, this time is for football and the World Series. In this year’s Fall Classic, the Detroit Tigers are tied one game apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals after another postseason gem from Kenny Rogers. Unlike his first two wins however, this one is causing a bit of a stir. The Cardinals think that there was a foreign substance on the left hand of Rogers. This is important because if there was, the rule is that that player is immediately ejected and also suspended 10 days. However the Cardinals never made a formal request for the umpires to check Rogers’s hand and by the top of the second inning the “substance” was gone.
Now once again, the supposedly squeaky clean game of baseball has a scandal. Look the Cardinal didn’t tell the umpires to check so they can’t cry about it now. On Fox, they (Fox) showed he had the same spot of “substance” in his starts against the Yankees and Athletics, and neither of those teams had him checked either. And another fact to remember is that after the “substance” was removed, Rogers still went out there and pitched seven more great innings of baseball. If I were associated with the Cardinals, I would focus less on this and more on Game 3, because this situation is starting to look like the controversial incident that the White Sox when they won the World Series last year.
Well that’s all for now. Check back tomorrow and see what I think about Game 3 of the World Series. Until next time, peace.
As for the game itself, Dallas made a change at QB, which could have huge ramifications on their season. At the beginning of the second half Drew Bledsoe was replaced by Tony Romo. Drew had an awful first half, being sacked four times (once for a safety) and threw a terrible interception as the Cowboys were driving to take the lead at the end of the first half. In fairness to Drew, though, two of the sacks weren’t his fault as the line provided no blocking but the interception really sealed his fate.
Romo came in and showed flashes of why Parcells made the change. However his play also showed his inexperience, throwing two costly interceptions including one that was returned for the game clinching score. I think Parcells made the right move because Drew can’t escape the rush. With a full week of practice with the first teamers, I think Romo will develop rapidly and help improve the offense of the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys have their own set of problems, the Chargers also have pressing issues of their own. They learned that they may lose LB Shawne Merriman for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy on steroids. Now Merriman will appeal the situation saying the steroid he is accused of taking was in his system because it was in an over-the-counter supplement. Personally I think his appeal will be denied. In the past couple of years the news has been littered with stories of professional athletes using steroids and quite frankly, blaming them on over-the-counter supplements is getting old. These days you have to be smarter when taking supplements. Just my opinion.
Merriman’s alma mater, Maryland did something good this weekend in college football. They moved one victory closer to becoming bowl eligible by virtue of their 26-20 win over NC State. However their schedule is really tough with four of their five last opponents only having one conference loss and the fifth opponent is Florida State, they should be able to pull out the one victory needed to become bowl eligible.
Other interesting things from the weekend in college football include fast paced finishes by Notre Dame, Texas and Miami in their victories over UCLA, Nebraska and Duke respective. Ohio State and Michigan appear headed on a collision course to a November 18th showdown for all the marbles (the Big Ten Championship, as well a spot in the National Title Game). Man I need to see if I can get tickets to that game because I know its going to be a crazy atmosphere.
All of November will be crazy in college football. In addition to that heavyweight slugfest, the month is littered with high powered games like West Virginia versus Louisville on November 2nd, USC versus Cal on November 18th and then USC again this time versus Notre Dame on November 25th. All of these games will have serious BCS implications. What a month it’s about to be.
While November is primarily for college football, this time is for football and the World Series. In this year’s Fall Classic, the Detroit Tigers are tied one game apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals after another postseason gem from Kenny Rogers. Unlike his first two wins however, this one is causing a bit of a stir. The Cardinals think that there was a foreign substance on the left hand of Rogers. This is important because if there was, the rule is that that player is immediately ejected and also suspended 10 days. However the Cardinals never made a formal request for the umpires to check Rogers’s hand and by the top of the second inning the “substance” was gone.
Now once again, the supposedly squeaky clean game of baseball has a scandal. Look the Cardinal didn’t tell the umpires to check so they can’t cry about it now. On Fox, they (Fox) showed he had the same spot of “substance” in his starts against the Yankees and Athletics, and neither of those teams had him checked either. And another fact to remember is that after the “substance” was removed, Rogers still went out there and pitched seven more great innings of baseball. If I were associated with the Cardinals, I would focus less on this and more on Game 3, because this situation is starting to look like the controversial incident that the White Sox when they won the World Series last year.
Well that’s all for now. Check back tomorrow and see what I think about Game 3 of the World Series. Until next time, peace.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
October 18, 2006
I want to start today’s blog talking about the “feud” between African-American sports journalists Scoop Jackson and Jason Whitlock. They have taken decidedly different views on a study, which was done by Richard Lapchick. The study basically concluded that the newspaper industry has done a bad job of having minority diversity at the editor level. While both journalists agree that this is true, the reasoning behind their ideas is where the battle lines are drawn.
Whitlock believes (as it appears to me) that African-Americans have not only not prepared ourselves to become editors but also that we are not interested in becoming major newspaper editors as well as other professions such as college coaches of major sports. Jackson believes that a major part of the reason African-American college students and African-Americans in general, don’t pursue these professions is because of the lack of minorities in these fields. I see both sides of the argument, but my personal belief falls closer to Scoop’s point of view.
My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. As I finished my senior year, I noticed that I would not be happy making a living doing chemical engineering work, and that I loved the world of sports and writing about it. I started to come to this conclusion while watching the rise of sports debate shows, especially The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. On these shows, I have seen many journalists (both minority and majority) debate their views, and each brings a special flavor. I love hearing these views and even arguing with my TV in a sort of mock debate with them.
I must confess that I do get more enthused when I see someone who looks like me on the show, and I’m not sure if Mr. Whitlock understands the effect of seeing someone of your race successfully doing something that you are interested in doing. I know that anything worth doing requires a lot of hard work, and I also know that because of a lack of minorities in the newspaper industry already, my work will be further scrutinized.
I appreciate the truth and honestly the Mr., Jackson’s column provided. I already know of the hard work I personally must do and it is a great feeling to be conscious of the barriers you help to break down when achieving your goals. In wrapping up this section, I will say that I will miss Mr. Whitlock’s 10 NFL Truths (Apparently, Mr. Whitlock has resigned as a contributing writer to ESPN.com) , I will continue to read Mr. Jackson’s column and I hope to meet both of these good sports journalists in the future. Even though they have different viewpoints on the issue, they both should take happiness in the fact that I, an aspiring minority sports journalist, will continue to push forward and help to make the changes they desperately both want to see.
Not that I have discussed that topic, I can go back and review the previous NFL weekend. The Monday Night Football game was a thriller. Matt Leinart is continuing to show that he really was the most prepared NFL QB coming out of college. Though the Arizona Cardinals lost the game to the Chicago Bears, Leinart threw two touchdowns against the vaulted Bears defense and also put his team in position to win the game with a late field goal. That’s now two straight weeks where Leinart has performed coolly and calmly in the clutch. All that aside though, the Bears found a way to win and now they are 6-0 heading into their bye week.
Leinart’s backfield mate at USC, Reggie Bush and his team, the New Orleans Saints have to be one of the league’s heartwarming stories. They are undefeated at home and right now they have the upper hand when it comes to the NFC South Divisional title and the playoff birth that comes along with it. Bush is close to the league lead in receptions and just his presence on the field has opened up running lanes for Deuce McAllister and passing lanes for Drew Brees.
As much as the Saints are the touching story of the NFL, the Detroit Tigers are that story of MLB. They are already in the World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. They await the winner of the National League Championship Series, which at the current moment is being led by the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 2 after the Cardinals 4-2 win on Tuesday night. The World Series is scheduled to begin on Saturday in Detroit, where the Tigers will look to finish their storybook season.
Well that’s all for now, check back tomorrow as the outcome of Game 6 of the NLCS is discussed. Until then, peace.
Jason Whitlock's Column
Scoop Jackson's Column
Whitlock believes (as it appears to me) that African-Americans have not only not prepared ourselves to become editors but also that we are not interested in becoming major newspaper editors as well as other professions such as college coaches of major sports. Jackson believes that a major part of the reason African-American college students and African-Americans in general, don’t pursue these professions is because of the lack of minorities in these fields. I see both sides of the argument, but my personal belief falls closer to Scoop’s point of view.
My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. As I finished my senior year, I noticed that I would not be happy making a living doing chemical engineering work, and that I loved the world of sports and writing about it. I started to come to this conclusion while watching the rise of sports debate shows, especially The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. On these shows, I have seen many journalists (both minority and majority) debate their views, and each brings a special flavor. I love hearing these views and even arguing with my TV in a sort of mock debate with them.
I must confess that I do get more enthused when I see someone who looks like me on the show, and I’m not sure if Mr. Whitlock understands the effect of seeing someone of your race successfully doing something that you are interested in doing. I know that anything worth doing requires a lot of hard work, and I also know that because of a lack of minorities in the newspaper industry already, my work will be further scrutinized.
I appreciate the truth and honestly the Mr., Jackson’s column provided. I already know of the hard work I personally must do and it is a great feeling to be conscious of the barriers you help to break down when achieving your goals. In wrapping up this section, I will say that I will miss Mr. Whitlock’s 10 NFL Truths (Apparently, Mr. Whitlock has resigned as a contributing writer to ESPN.com) , I will continue to read Mr. Jackson’s column and I hope to meet both of these good sports journalists in the future. Even though they have different viewpoints on the issue, they both should take happiness in the fact that I, an aspiring minority sports journalist, will continue to push forward and help to make the changes they desperately both want to see.
Not that I have discussed that topic, I can go back and review the previous NFL weekend. The Monday Night Football game was a thriller. Matt Leinart is continuing to show that he really was the most prepared NFL QB coming out of college. Though the Arizona Cardinals lost the game to the Chicago Bears, Leinart threw two touchdowns against the vaulted Bears defense and also put his team in position to win the game with a late field goal. That’s now two straight weeks where Leinart has performed coolly and calmly in the clutch. All that aside though, the Bears found a way to win and now they are 6-0 heading into their bye week.
Leinart’s backfield mate at USC, Reggie Bush and his team, the New Orleans Saints have to be one of the league’s heartwarming stories. They are undefeated at home and right now they have the upper hand when it comes to the NFC South Divisional title and the playoff birth that comes along with it. Bush is close to the league lead in receptions and just his presence on the field has opened up running lanes for Deuce McAllister and passing lanes for Drew Brees.
As much as the Saints are the touching story of the NFL, the Detroit Tigers are that story of MLB. They are already in the World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. They await the winner of the National League Championship Series, which at the current moment is being led by the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 2 after the Cardinals 4-2 win on Tuesday night. The World Series is scheduled to begin on Saturday in Detroit, where the Tigers will look to finish their storybook season.
Well that’s all for now, check back tomorrow as the outcome of Game 6 of the NLCS is discussed. Until then, peace.
Jason Whitlock's Column
Scoop Jackson's Column
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