March Madness Continues...

Man, the excitement of the 2008 NCAA Tournament has kicked into high gear. After a Thursday where there were only a couple of close games, Friday brought buzzer beaters, upsets and the general Cinderalla feeling we are accumstomed to.

Lets start in Tampa, where we had the anit-chalk day. All of the lower seeds won there, including two games that went into overtime. Drake and Connecticut both lost, which also effectively screwed my bracket. I couldn't predict the Drake game, because I haven't gotten the chance to see them play a lot. I could see Connecticut losing but they looked so well during the last month of the season. But losing AJ Price, definitely hurt them a lot.

The Drake game had it all though. Drake came back from a huge deficit to send the game into overtime. Man. Oh I can't wait for today. Michael Beasley plays again, and I have the chance to make up some ground in my brackets.

Tune in.....

2008 NCAA Tournament

My thoughts on the 2008 NCAA Tournament:

12:30 PM: I wished CBS left the Georgia-Xavier game on. Georgia looks fiesty enough to give Xavier a tough frst round game. I haven't seen their respective benches so I can't see if my pick (Xavier) will be wrong.

The Temple-Michigan St. game is also good starting out. Both teams seem to have little nerves at the beginning of the game.

Wow, its pretty cool that the Temple coach,...., is also a teacher in their business school. Temple is hanging around, with the game tied at 9 with 12:57 left in the first half.

Final Four Picks

I've filled out my brackets and my Final Four teams are North Carolina, Georgetown, Texas and UCLA.

Georgetown and North Carolina will have a rematch of their match up from last year. Without Jeff Green, Georgetown hasn't found that consistent late-game scorer. I think it finally comes back to haunt this year, and Carolina makes the championship game.

I have UCLA winning the title this year. I think Kevin Love is the difference for the Bruins. The past two years they (UCLA) have run into Florida which dominated the post with Al Horford and Joakim Noah. If UCLA doesn't win the title, then you have to start looking at their coach, Ben Howland, and see if his coaching style leaves them to tight for the NCAA Tournament.

Luckily I won't have to wait long for the madness to begin. Tuesday will have the play-in game between Mt. Saint Mary's and Coppin State. Let's go Coppin!!!!

Tourney Time!!!!!!!

Well here it is. The NCAA Tourney brackets have been announced. I am psyched because of all of the games that I will be able to see. I hope to cover a couple of the games in my area. That would be great. Once I get a good look at the brackets, I can offer my Final Four picks. Last year, I got 3 out of 4 picks correct, and half of the championship game participants.

Props to American University, UMBC, and Coppin State for earning their first ever NCAA Tourney appearances.

#1 Overall Seed is North Carolina. I was surprised at this. I didn't think they looked that impressive down the stretch. I know Ty Lawson is coming back from injury, but I'm still not sold on their defensive principles. They'll be in the East bracket.

#1 Seed South- Memphis
#1 Seed West- UCLA
#1 Seed MidWest- Kansas

These are worthy #1 seeds. All of them won their conference tournaments, and generally in the Top 5 the entire season.

East Region:

North Carolina has a pretty tough region with #2 Tennessee and #3 Louisville in the bottom of the bracket. Tennesse, in particular, is the type of team that can cathc fire and shoot you out of the gym. They matchup really well with North Carolina. They have an inside presence to combat Tyler Hansborough in the post, while Chris Lofton leads their outside shooting brigade.

Midwest Region:

Clemson gets a #5 seed? Wow. Definitely wasn't expecting that at all. Georgetown is in the Midwest region, but they get a local opponent, UMBC. If they win that game, either of their next opponents (Gonzaga or Davidson) are more than capable of pulling the upset. A good first round match up: M. Beasley vs. OJ Mayo. Can't wait for Thursday to see that match up.

South Region:

Memphis's bracket just might be the toughest. #2 Texas, #3 Stanford, #4 Pittsburgh, #5 Michigan State all are capable of beating Memphis. The toughest games (physically) will come out of this bracket. Miami earned a bid, which is interesting since they lost to Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech hasn't officially made the tournament yet. I sense big arguments brewing here. Kentucky is also in this bracket.

West Region:

I'm not sure how I feel about this region. Duke is in this region as the #2 seed, but beyond that, I don't see much competition for UCLA. Xavier earned the #3 seed for the region, which frankly I don't know how that happened. Baylor made the field, which took the spot of Virginia Tech. VCU also was left out of the tournament.

Now I'm off to fill out my brackets. When I'm done, I'll have my picks for the Final Four, as well as this year's champion.

March Madness Creeping Closer

We're approaching the half-way point of March, and the college basketball conference tournaments are beginning to fill spots in the Big Dance. Already there have been some upsets that will bring the mid-major vs. big conference debate again. VCU and St. Mary's are two teams who I know will be hoping that some big time schools don't make extended conference tournament runs.

The number #1 seeds in the tournament are far from being decided but the schools I hear the most are: UCLA, Memphis, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke. Going into the conference tournaments, my number #1 seeds would be North Carolina, Memphis, Texas and UCLA. I really don't want to put UCLA there, but at this point I have no choice.

This isn't a West Coast bias thing. I have seen a couple of UCLA games, and more importantly their finishes. UCLA has gotten the better end of several calls that decided their a couple of their games recently. The call in their game against Stanford decided the game (props to the Bruins for coming back from a 12-point deficit to make the game close), and the call against Arizona State set the stage for Josh Shipp's miracle shot.

Texas earns my nod over Tennessee because they beat Tennessee, and they have the nod over UCLA if it comes to that.

But the conference tournaments will clear the picture up. Oh I can't wait.

Monday Night Home Cooking.......

Well the NFL season officially ended Sunday night with the Pro Bowl. Its not really a game as much as its a glorified scrimmage. But what it does is mark the start of the off-season. Already this NFL off-season is shaping up to be an interesting one.

However, now is the time to focus on college basketball. Monday brought two terrific games, between rivals. First the Rutgers women's basketball team faced off against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Not only is this a re-match of last year's championship game (which touched off the Don Imus incident) but Rutgers is winless against Tennessee. The game started out on the path again as Tennessee took a huge lead. Rutgers showed their heart as they fought back and took a one point lead with less than 30 seconds left in the game.

Tennessee set up their final with Shannon Bobbitt pulling up for a jumper. All-American Candace Parker grabbed the offensive rebound and took a short baby hook. That missed and Nicky Anosike grabbed the rebound. Here's where the controversy takes place. The clock stopped with 0.2 seconds when Anosike grabbed the rebound. She proceed to come down, and go back up within 0.2 SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I watched that part of the game live and let me tell you that: 1) the foul was called with no time left on the clock and 2) Tennessee got a gift victory.

Now Tennessee definitely played hard and fought back in the final minute, but that call effectively gave them the victory. Hopefully, this type of call won't occur in the Tournament, because that would be a travesety.

On the men's side, there was a similiar situation that took place. The game was Georgetown vs. Villanova. A typical Big East battle, low-scoring with tough defense all night, the game was tied at 53 with less than 10 seconds left. Villanova had the ball and they were going for the win. Guard Scottie Reynolds lost the ball on the baseline, and Georgetown guard Jonathan Wallace grabs it. He dribbles up court where he is slightly bumped by a Villanova player. The referee calls a foul with 0.1 seconds left!!!! Of course Wallace knocks down the free throws giving Georgetown the victory.

This foul call was different from the previous one, because the clock didn't malfunction, but the impact is the same. The referees in these cases took the game out of the player's hands and put it in their own. It's just sad that after 39 great minutes of basketball, two games could come down to the referee.

Lastly, I want to send out prayers and well-wishes to hockey player Richard Zednik. Zednik was inured in a gruesome injury on Sunday night. When I first saw the clip of it, I wondered how the guy was able to walk off the ice. You see, his teammate's skate flew up and cut him on the neck. Yesterday it was reported that Zednik lost about five pints of blood. And that the skate barely missed his juglar. Hockey is a dangerous sport and really, I'm surprised that more injuries with skates dont happen. I guess this just shows how much body control and athleticism hockey players really have.

Next up on the sports radar is some hearing with Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, maybe you've heard about it. Looking forward to that. Until then, peace.

February 1, 2008

It's almost here. Finally, after what seemed like a month of anticaption, the Super Bowl is here. Well its still two days before, but you know what I mean. I'm finding it hard to learn anything new about these two teams. They played each other in Week 17, and since then, not much has changed. No major injuries, no suspensions, nothing. Pretty much the game will take the same form as the one in Week 17.

Can the Giants get pressure from just their defensive lineman? In Week 17, they sacked Brady on the first play of the game. And that was it. No more sacks the rest of the game, and Brady threw the ball 42 times.

Looking back the Giants did play really well. The converted 60% of their third downs, gained 4 yards per rushing attempt, and only had one turnover. They also got a score from special teams with Domenik Hixon providing a 74 yard kickoff return.

Despite all of that, they still lost. I know that there are good things to take away from that performance, but it has to be dis-heartening to know you played close to perfect and you still lost. I think this will be in the back of the mind of the Giants, no matter what trash they talk.

Next I have to give props to referee Mike Carey. Carey, who has 18 years of experience as an NFL official, is the first African American referee at a Super Bowl. Not to mention, his crew will have two other African Americans officials, line judge Carl Johnson and field judge Boris Cheek.

So, once again the Super Bowl is the site of something historic. Last year, it was the matchup between Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. Now Mike Carey has provided another first.

Since last year's Super Bowl, I feel like there have been great strides made for African Americans off the field in the NFL. Jim Caldwell has been named as Dungy's successor, whenever he decides to retire. Romeo Crennel earned an extension on his contract, this after leading the Cleveland Browns to a 10 win season. Ron Meeks, an assistant for the Colts, has also been interviewed and could possibly earn a head coaching job. I truly believe that last year's Super Bowl changed some of the thought process of the NFL. The idea of hiring a black coach not only stopped becoming taboo, but the manner in which they coached mattered.

Smith and Dungy have the laid-back approach to coaching. No, its not any less intese, but yelling is not something they do a lot of. That seems to have rubbed off around the league. Yes, there are still the yelling types, but even those (Tom Coughlin) have softened up.

It'll be interesting to see what changes, if any, this Super Bowl will have for the upcoming year.

January 29, 2008

Less than a week to the Super Bowl and the media frenzy is really about to take off. Today is Media day and more than likely, someone will make a statement that reporters will take about for another two days. Me, I like to try and focus on the game, since that is what its about.

They played less than a month ago, so they are pretty familiar with each other. In that last game, the Giants were right there and their game plan was an effective one. This time, I don't know if they'll be as successful. First, their secondary is banged up. Sam Madison has only played in one game this postseason, because of a strained stomach muscle. Aaron Ross was playing with a hurt shoulder, and now has the flu. Their secondary has been doing outstanding things against good receiving corps this season, but Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Tom Brady are a totally different animal.

Speaking of Brady, I would not pay any attention to his ankle. This is Brady's chance to permanently add his name to legendary quarterbacks. Not only would this be his fourth Super Bowl, but he would have been the quarterback of the second team to go the entire season undefeated. That would be amazing and I don't think his ankle would stop him for attempting that.

So those were first thoughts on the big game. More will come throughout the week. I mean it is only Tuesday.

The NBA All-Star game is approaching fast. I'm anxious to see who's going to be left out in the Western Conference. A ton of players are having monster seasons, but its only 12 spots. The reserves will be announced on Thursday, so we'll all find out then.

Lastly, some disappointing news from my alma mater, Howard University. The men's soccer coach was arrested after driving to Virginia to meet a girl he thought was 13 years old. Yes 13 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used to wonder where NBC continued to find cases for their "To Catch A Predator Series" Not anymore......Damn shame..........

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round

So after wild-card weekend, we've got some good match-ups for the divisional round. First up are the Seattle Seahawks versus the Green Bay Packers. This pits Brett Farve versus Mike Holmgren.

The game starts off fast as Seattle scored two quick touchdowns but Green Bay fights back. They scored 21 unanswered to gain control of the game. The weather played a part as the snow picked up as the game wore on. That played directly into the Packers' hands, since they have the better running game. That proved to be correct as Ryan Grant pounded the football. Green Bay took over the game and ended up winning 42-20.

New England versus Jacksonville is a very entertaining game. Jacksonville too the opening kickoff and went 80 yards for the first score of the game. New England came right back and scored on a Tom Brady touchdown pass to Ben Watson. Jaguars QB David Garrard fumbled on the Jags next possession, which the Patriots turned into another touchdown, a 14-7 lead, early in the second quarter. Jacksonville comes right back with a 95 yard drive to tie the game at 14. Garrard now has two touchdown passes.

The Jaguars are throwing the ball pretty well. They're also having some success with the run. New England is also showing a balanced offense. This game will be won or lost with turnovers and/or penalties. Jacksonville already has one, the Garrard fumble. Tom Brady has started 12 for 12, with 120 yards and a touchdown. He looks so calm in the pocket. After being sacked on the first offensive play, Brady is getting tons of time to throw.

I have to disagree with the CBS's halftime crew assessment of the game. I don't think New England is on the ropes, not by a long shot. New England has played close games this season, so they know how to play for 60 minutes. We also have seen Jacksonville let up, especially in their last game against Pittsburgh. But time will tell.

Time did tell as the Pats ended up winning the game 31-20. Next up for the undefeated Pats are either the Colts or the Chargers, both of whom New England has beat this season.

December 30, 2007

Well here it is. Tonight (Yesterday) the New England Patriots will try to finish the regular season undefeated. The game presents problems, but only for their opponent, the New York Giants. The Giants are a banged up team with running back Brandon Jacobs nursing a sore ankle. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress rarely practices anymore. Winning the game does nothing for the Giants, they'll still be playing the Tampa Bay Bucs next week, in Tampa. So really, what motivation do the Giants have? Sure, there is the competitive pride, the pride that every player has, but if the ultimate goal is to win in the playoffs, why risk injury just to keep a team from going undefeated in the regular season. Because trust me, Tom Coughlin will lose his job if the Giants lose their playoff game badly, regardless if they defeat the Patriots. The pros don't out weight the cons enough to play the starters for more than a half.

The above paragraph was written before the game started while the following was written post-game.

Well, guess that only playing the starters for a half thing was wrong. The Giants provided the Patriots(and the nation) with a great game. However, the Patriots prevailed and completed the first 16-0 regular season in league history. Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning's touchdown passing record, and probably sealed his first MVP (regular season) award. Randy Moss also broke the touchdown reception record. Moss has spent this season proving doubters wrong, and has taken great joy in doing so.

Next up for the Patriots is the postseason. As much as this undefeated regular season is good, the Patriots won't be remembered unless they win it all. I'm not picking against the Patriots, that much I can say.

Oh yea, the Redskins and the Titans will grab the final two playoff spots. Enjoy the final week of the regular season!!!!

December 26, 2007

Could the Lakers be a real contender in the Western Conference? That's a question I found myself asking while watching the Lakers play the Phoenix Suns last night. The Lakers defeated the Suns for the second time this season, behind Kobe's 38 points. Andrew Bynum contributed a career high 28 points, while adding 12 rebounds.

The Lakers also got solid contributions off the bench. The game had the feel of a playoff game with all of the intensity displayed by both teams. What impressed me the most was the way the Lakers rose to the occasion. Kobe got off to a slow start yet he didn't have to force any shot, because his teammates made enough shots to keep them in the game. I would have to see the Lakers play some other Western Conference powers before I can call them contenders. I do know that this start is keeping Kobe Bryant happy. The trade talk has simmered (though with the Bulls firing Scott Skiles, it just might heat back up) and the Lakers are playing well. It just mights be time to look a little closer. They may just have something out there in L.A.

The Miami Heat look bad, Shaq looks old, and without any shooters, opponents can just clog the lane, stifling Dwayne Wade. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, resemble a team on the rise. After fighting through early season injuries and dealing with the holdout of Anderson Varejao, the Cavs are showing the form that got them to the NBA Finals. That's a good sign in the always open Eastern Conference.

In the final NBA game on Christmas, two teams of the future squared off. The Portland Trailblazers faced the Seattle Sonics. The Trailblazers came into the game on a ten game winning streak. Second year guard Brandon Roy has been leading the way, averaging 24 points per game, during the streak. The Blazers have been a surprise this season, doing this without the services of Greg Oden, who was lost to micro-fracture knee surgery before the season started.

The Sonics have been playing better lately, but they still are a young team. In this game, the Sonics trailed by 16, during the third quarter, but cut the lead to 6 with 9:35 left in the game. The Blazers held tough, pushing the lead back to 156 with 5:45 left. From here, the Blazers kept the lead in double digits, and won 89-79. They now have an 11 game winning streak, and officially the hottest team in the NBA. Jarrett Jack and Brandon Roy lead the way with 17 points apiece.

Though the Blazers looked great, I'm not quite ready to put them in the playoffs yet. It's a long season, and I want to wait and see how they react to a losing streak. Now that the NBA Christmas triple header is over, I can focus on this last weekend of the NFL season. Check back later on for my thoughts on that.

Until next time, peace.

November 18, 2007

Adam Jones. Do you know who that is? ‘Pacman’ Jones. I bet you know who that is. Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones is seen in newspapers but rarely heard when his name is spoken. Why is that important? Because calling him ‘Pacman’ only feeds his ‘street-cred’. How can you grow up when people refer to you as the name of a video game character? That’s something the media can do. Call him Adam Jones. That’s his name. As I type this, I see on ESPN’s NFL Countdown several instances where Adam Jones is referred to as ‘Pacman’. His name is Adam Jones. ‘Pacman’ is a nickname. Nicknames are cool, but when you start making more noise for off the field transgression, a little humility can be helpful. Let’s help him with that.

Week 11 NFL Picks:

Cincinnati, Green Bay, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New England, New Orleans, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago and Tennessee.

College football is reaching the end of the season, yet the upsets continue. This week both Oregon and Oklahoma lost to unranked opponents, Arizona and Texas Tech, respectively. Both lost their quarterbacks to injury in the first quarter. And now both have had their national title hopes dashed.

The deeper story is the tragic end of Dennis Dixon’s collegiate career. The Heisman hopeful began the game on a high note, running for a touchdown and leading his team in position for another one. After a receiver dropped a potential touchdown, which deflected into the hands of an Arizona defender for an interception. Arizona scored but Dixon moved the Ducks quickly back into position for another score. Dixon tried to make a cut with his left leg and it buckled. That buckle tore his ACL and finished his season. His team wasn’t able to recover from the loss of their leader. Now the Ducks need some help to make it to the Rose Bowl. Though Oklahoma also lost their quarterback, they lost to Texas Tech for another reason. Their defense couldn’t contain Tech’s offense in the first half of the game. So the roller coaster college football continues. Stay tuned.

October 4, 2007

The first Thursday is October is here. This weekend contains some important games in college football as teams now scramble to stay in the national championship race. The Oklahoma-Texas loser will lose their slim hopes for a national title and doubly bad, is the fact that the loser will miss out on the Big 12 championship game as well.

The SEC has a couple of big games, starting with tonight’s battle between Kentucky and South Carolina. The teams have only one loss between them as they sit atop the SEC East. Both teams are dependent on their offenses but for different reasons. Kentucky, who relies on theirs, is led by quarterback Andre Woodson. He is grabbing the attention of many NFL scouts as he went 325 pass attempts without an interception, which was a new NCAA record. South Carolina, whose offense can be a hindrance at times, is led by head coach Steve Spurrier. Spurrier has had to rotate between two quarterbacks, Chris Smelley and Blake Mitchell as his usual offensive display has been muzzled. Though South Carolina’s defense is strong, I think Woodson leads Kentucky to victory and keeps them undefeated.

The “major” SEC battle looks a lot less important as Florida unexpectedly lost at home to Auburn. Even still, the Gators trip to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers has huge national title implications. The Tigers defense has been stifling, especially at home. For further proof, check the game earlier this season when Virginia Tech visited the Bayou. Florida was left licking its wounds as they got caught looking ahead to this game. Now they have the chance to show what they can do. Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow has looked good against inferior competition but he will have to play his best collegiate game as Florida not only tries to not only stay in the national championship picture but two losses will probably knock the Gators from the SEC title chase as well.

If its October, then its Major League Baseball playoff time. Three of four playoff series have started and I am comfortable in feeling that the Colorado Rockies will face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The Rockies have too much momentum, while the Red Sox have too much pitching. For the first round in the National League, the Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks will advance as the Chicago Cubs will pay for not leaving their ace, Carlos Zambrano in the game longer. In the American League, the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians will advance as their pitching staffs are the most complete.

Well, October is a great month for sports fans. You have baseball playoffs, college and professional football and then at the end of the month, the NBA. October, ITS FANASTIC!!!!!!

Why Barry Bonds is a Hall of Famer

This is not the prevailing sentiment floating around baseball these days. Though his numbers will be quite worthy of Hall of Fame (HOF) admittance, people will use his surly attitude and his “steroid use” as detractions. Even though Bonds only had one season, 2001, where he hit over 50 home runs, and he was a two time MVP before 1992, Bonds will always be linked to steroids. Nevermind the fact that he has won 8 Gold Gloves, or that his batting average is a career .298. Bonds is the poster boy for steroids, and probably forever will be.

Add to that, the fact that Bonds is not very friendly with the media (or anyone else) and you have someone who is easily vilified. Take, for example, his decision to sit out Monday’s nationally televised game against the Chicago Cubs. Apparently a 42 year old with a history of leg problems can’t get a day of rest. But I digress at the moment. Back to why Bonds is a Hall of Famer. First, despite being constantly pitched around, he has had over 100 Runs Batted In (RBI) in 12 of his 21 years of playing Major League Baseball. He has also led his team deep into the playoffs, with the Giants being 5 outs away form winning the World Series in 2002. He is still the most feared hitter in baseball and has been for several years. Excluding the 2005 season (in which Bonds only played 14 games) Bonds has had more than 100 walks for six straight seasons.

With Bonds moving closer to this hallowed HR record, the detractors have become louder and fierce. As if the game of baseball has been clean in its entirety. Let’s just forget about the “greenie” stage where coffee was marked, letting players, coaches, etc. which coffee had the amphetamines in them. Or maybe let’s not remember the fact that a team attempted to throw a World Series. Some have stated that the honorable thing would be for Bonds to just stop playing and not break the record. So they would want him to quit, after blasting Ricky Williams for quitting on his team. The man has done everything you want from a baseball player during his career. He hit, stole bases, played the field, and led his team deep into the playoffs. Though he doesn’t have a World Series ring, he won’t be the first star player not to get one.

So the question becomes: Will they keep an 8-time Gold Glove winner, 7-time MVP, soon-to-be All-Time HR leader out of the HOF? And if so, for how long? I wonder will this discussion ever come up for a certain 43 year old pitcher still throwing smoke. Wonder why he gets a free pass.

July 11, 2007

MLB held its All-Star game last night. With a little less than two weeks before the NFL training camps open, this time of the year is reserved for MLB. So I have decided to blog about this game.

The pregame interview with Willie Mays was excellent. Fox did a great job and both Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr were genuinely interested in what Mays had to say. That interview alone garners more interest in the game.

However the ensuing “Swing for a Million” promotion drained most of that energy. The guy who attempted barely hit the ball out of the infield. The pregame introductions brought some of that energy back especially when Barry Bonds was introduced. The pregame tribute to Willie Mays was even more touching than the interview. It took me back to the summers when I read Satchiel Paige’s book and actually have a strong love to play baseball. This was before I struggled to catch up to fastballs, which eventually drained that said love. Now I’m a regular fan for the season and a highly interested fan for the playoffs.

Now that the game has finally started, there was some first time jitters as Prince Fielder dropped a routine throw at first base. That mistake was quickly made up for as third baseman David Wright of the NY Mets made a diving stop to end the inning. In the bottom of the first Jose Reyes led off with a single, which brought Barry Bonds to the plate. His first at-bat ended with a flyout to right field. Nevertheless, Griffey was able to come to the rescue with a single the brought home Reyes, and gave the National League (NL) a 1-0 lead.

Griffey then helped to preserve that lead by making a strong throw from right field to nail Alex Rodriguez at the plate to end the 3rd inning. Ichiro Suzuki provided some sparks as he delivered an inside-the-park home run to put the American League (AL) up 2-1. That happened to be the first inside-the –park HR in All-Star game history. The AL then added to their lead by a solo HR from Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford in the top of the 6th.

The NL cut into the lead following a triple by Carlos Beltran and a sacrifice fly by Griffey. The game moved along until the top of 8th inning when Cleveland Indians catcher Victor Martinez hit a 2-run HR to push the AL’s lead to 5-2. The NL made a late push when Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run HR to cut the lead to 5-4. Then the NL loaded the bases against Francisco Rodriguez. He was able to save the game and now the AL has 10 straight victories over the NL. This victory also gives the AL home-field advantage for the World Series.

Well I must say that this year’s All-Star game was quite entertaining and at the same time it was a well-played game. Bring on the 2nd half of the season.

July 8, 2007

Well Roger Federer has done it. He has joined the exclusive company, which winning 5 straight Wimbledon titles gets you. Though this time was much, much, much harder as Rafael Nadal pushed Federer to 5 sets, with Federer having to win two tiebreaks. This win also kept Federer’s grass court winning alive. It is now at 54 matches, with his last lost coming in 2002. This title also put Federer closer to catching Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam titles.

Federer has 11 titles which ties him with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver for third all time. With Federer having won every title except the French Open, it seems that the only thing that will be able to stop him from passing Sampras is injury. He even seems close to winning a French Open title, as evident by his advancing to the finals the past two years.

Now Federer can, should and will enter the conversation of greatest tennis players of all time. Where he will rank will depend on the person(s) making the list, but he will be near the top. He has won on every surface, though not the Grand Slam at the French, and he transformed from a temperamental youth to an unflappable man. In today’s match he withstood Nadal’s best, and still he was able to finish the job.

When it’s all said and done, Federer will have more than 20 titles. He is only 25 years old, and has managed to say relatively injury-free. Though Nadal is closing the gap, I have no doubt that Federer will raise his game once again. One thing is for sure, the classic match-up provided by those provided that Federer earned his record tying Wimbledon title.

July 7, 2007

Excuse me if this feels like déjà vu. I know its 2007, but it feels like years past. At least that’s what the fans at Wimbledon should feel. For the second straight year, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will square off for the men’s title. Both men overcame slow starts, with Nadal actually losing his first set against Novak Djokovic. Nadal was able to come back and win the second set 6-1 before a blister forced Djokovic to retire while trailing in the third 4-1. Federer was nearly pushed to a tiebreak by Richard Gasquet but he regained his form and won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, and 6-4. Now the match-up is set, Federer versus Nadal. Federer is putting his 53 straight grass court wins (not to mention his four straight Wimbledon titles) up against the only man standing in between Federer and his quest to win every Grand Slam. (For the record, Nadal has won the previous two French Opens against Federer) Federer will win again and tie Bjorn Bork’s open era record of five straight Wimbledon titles. Nadal will provide plenty of resistance, but at the end of the day, Federer will have all the answers, especially on a surface where Federer is far more comfortable.

On the women’s side, Venus Williams joined an elite group of women. By defeating Marion Bartoli, Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title. That put her with Martina Navratilova (9), Steffi Graf (7) and Billie Jean King (4) as the only women to win four or more titles during the Open era. Williams definitely played better than her ranking coming into Wimbledon. During her run to the final, Venus was able to defeat the 2004 Wimbledon Champion (Maria Sharapova), the 2004 U.S. Open Champion (2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova) and the French Open runner-up (Ana Ivanovic). That left Williams well prepared for her Final opponent. While Bartoli was able to make the first set close, coming back to tie that set at 3-all. However, Venus took over from there winning 9 of the final 10 service games. With the U.S. Open up next, it will be great theatre if all the major players in the women’s game can compete, without any injuries. But when does that usually happen.

With Wimbledon wrapping up on Sunday, the focus will now turn to the MLB All-Star game. That takes place on Tuesday in San Francisco, and all eyes will be on Barry Bonds. Bonds is only four homers away from tying Hank Aaron’s HR record of 755. I just hope that the pitchers don’t begin to walk Bonds every time he steps into the batter’s box. Without running to the top of my soapbox, MLB needs to embrace Bonds, as he approaches this milestone. This is one of the only ways to move past this. Anyways, I also predict that Bonds will hit a HR in his park for the All-Star game. As for the result of the game, does anyone really care? The MLB brass wants to draw more interest to the game, so they attach home field advantage for the World Series to the game. Well since that rule has been implanted, I have watched less than before. I don’t see how letting the home field advantage for the World Series be decided by an All-Star game makes any sense. Especially when it is mandated that every team have a representative. I know that MLB is still trying to recover from their ill-advised strike, but isn’t a better way just to lower ticket prices, and have more fan-team interactions. Just my thoughts on that.

Well I’m off to go enjoy the day before the heat comes back.

July 6, 2007

The final weekend at Wimbledon is here. On both the men’s and women’s sides of the brackets, there are surprises. First, take the women’s final which features Venus Williams versus Marion Bartoli. Coming into Wimbledon, Venus was a sleeper pick to reach the final. Having not played much this in 2007, her ranking has dropped to #31. But Venus is a different woman once she steps onto the grass of Wimbledon. After fending off match points in her first and third round matches, Venus caught fire against Maria Sharapova. She turned in a near flawless performance as she won 6-1, 6-3. Williams then went on to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic to earn her place in Saturday’s final.

Her opponent, Bartoli, is even more of a surprise. Bartoli, who is ranked #19th in the world, earned her spot by defeating #1 seed Justine Henin. Even more impressive is the fact that Bartoli lost the first 6-1 and was down 4-3 in the second. Bartoli then rebounded, won the second set, and pulled away to win 6-1 in the third set.

On the men’s side, the final four has more household names. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, seeded #1, 2 and 4th respectively, all have made the semifinals. The surprise comes from the fact that the 3rd seed, Andy Roddick, isn’t there. Roddick lost in five sets to Richard Gasquet. Even more surprising was that Roddick lost the match after being ahead by two sets. Add that to the fact that Roddick lost two straight tiebreaks after winning 18 straight tiebreaks, and you can see why Roddick was at a loss for words in his post-match press conference. Gasquet gets a great gift as he gets to face Federer in one semifinal while Nadal and Djorkic face off in the other.

So after several washouts, the final weekend has the possibility of providing some magic. Federer can match Bjorn Borg’s record of five straight Wimbledon championships, while Venus Williams can win her 4th championship. The win will be her first since 2005, when she also was ranked in the teens. Watching these two events is reason enough for me to tune in. What about you?

July 2, 2007

The NBA draft has come and gone. There were a couple of trades made, but they didn’t involve the two players (Kobe and KG) that most wanted and/or expected. The trades that were made seemed to do little more than make sure the Western Conference will have young studs to continue their dominance. The first trade involved the Seattle Sonics and the Boston Celtics. Seattle received Boston’s 5th pick in the draft (Jeff Green), Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak in exchange for All Star Ray Allen and Seattle’s 35th pick (Glen Davis). A good trade on paper, but Allen is 32. The Celtics gave up two young players for one old one. Seattle gets two high rated players to rebuild around.

The next trade involved the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers. Portland received Channing Frye and Steve Francis in exchange for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones. This is a major steal for the Blazers. Not only do they clear room for Greg Oden, but they also give Frye a chance to redeem himself, this time without the bright lights of New York. All in all, this draft has me excited for the NBA season. It has been awhile since I have felt like that.

The NBA free agent period has begun and there still remains the possibility that major action will take place. Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, Gerald Wallace and Vince Carter are some of the names who will be on the market. Wait, scratch Carter from that list. Sources are reporting that he resigned with the Nets, his contract an estimated $60 million dollars for 4 years with a team option for a 5th year. Even without Carter, there are plenty of players who can help teams take that next step. Though not “stars” per se, they can do the things needed (rebound, defend, shoot) to get further than the first round of the playoffs. Of the names listed above, Lewis is closest to changing teams with the Sonics have Kevin Durant and Jeff Green playing the same position as Lewis. That will keep interest in this period fresh.

The MLB All-Stars were announced last night and Barry Bonds was voted a starter. So he will be able to play in his home park. I know Bud Selig was upset at that fact. With Bonds only 5 homers away from Hank Aaron, the pink elephant in the room continues to grow. As for the rest of the rosters, both look really even. I like that Magglio Ordonez made the team. He has been really crushing the ball for the Detroit Tigers. I hope they make the postseason again; they’re a fun team to watch.

Well it’s the first week in July, so football is almost upon us. I cannot wait. Really. I can’t.

June 28, 2007

Well, well well. It is finally that time. After numerous talks and mock drafts, the 2007 NBA draft is upon us. We know that the first two picks will be, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, but after that it’s anyone’s guess as how the draft will go. A lot really depends on which trades are made. You have just about everyone on the trading block, from Kevin Garnett, to Jermaine O’Neal to Mike Bibby, and of course Kobe Bryant. If any of these names are moved, the draft will move in a completely different direction, that previous thought. When it’s all said and done, I feel that Kobe will be in a Lakers uniform, and he will have Jermaine O’Neal with him. I don’t know if that will be enough to make Kobe happy, but it will be a start.

In other sporting news, football season is almost here. The NFL has been in the news year-round unfortunately. From Pacman Jones, to Tank Johnson, NFL players have been making the wrong kind of headlines. Some, more like most to all, of these events are the players own wrong doing. But I’m just sick of the way the players get treated after making a mistake. Apparently everyone else not in the NFL is perfect and never make mistakes. Like NFL players are the only people to drive drunk, or have fights at the club. Yes, I know playing in the NFL is a HUGE privilege and they should be grateful, but I think our society has placed them too high up on a pedestal. And this problem isn’t just in the NFL. Everywhere there are stories about “celebrities” and what they are doing. WHO CARES?!?!?!?!?! Why is it news when Paris Hilton gets out of jail? Why is that on Sportscenter?

When Charles Barkley stated that he was not a role model, I was young, anywhere between 8-12. Even at that age though, I agreed with him. I didn’t look up to him, MJ, or any other athlete when making moral choices. Parents need to raise their children, not athletes, actors, actresses or musicians. Nor should the TV. Not to say that sports doesn’t need a little bit of housekeeping itself, but the family structure in general needs help more.

Now that I’ve stepped down off my soapbox (for now), there are reports that the NFL rookie symposium had 100% attendance. That should have been expected with new commissioner Roger Goodell throwing out suspensions like Peyton Manning throws touchdowns. I did not expect that Troy Smith would be engaging Goodell in debate about whether or not the league focuses too much on negative stories. I like that because it’s a sign that Smith is aware of what is going on around him. I just hope that he continues to strive to be one of the success stories, rather than become one of the negative ones.

With the baseball season moving towards the All-Star break, the season has had some surprises. No, I’m not talking about the Yankees not being very good, I’m more so talking about the Brewers leading the Central, the White Sox’s freefall, and how mediocre the NL East is. Also, surprises for this cannot be talked about without mentioning Sammy Sosa. He achieved another milestone, going past the 600 Home Run mark earlier this month. In any other era, that would be an automatic pass into the Hall of Fame. Of course, there has been much speculation that he may not receive first ballot entry. Of course I think that this is ludicrous. The man took a year off, got re-charged and now is back to his old self. The whole steroids issue bugs me anyways. In addition to the extra attention focused on Barry Bonds, I’ve wondered why its always assumed that hitters were the only players using. A power pitcher like Roger Clemens is still playing at the ripe young age of 43 and there isn’t any speculation. I could go play the race card here, which would be very valid, but I will refrain from doing so. However, the fact is that pitchers used just as much as hitters, and all things equal, hitting a baseball is still not easy. I would consider it a travesty if they started to put asterisks by the records these players are achieving. They didn’t put asterisks when the mound was too close or not high enough. So they shouldn’t do it now. I think I’ll stop here before I get all angry and such.

Look for a NBA Draft post later tonight or early tomorrow.