Sweet Sixteen.... Day One

The Sweet Sixteen begins tonight and the match-ups couldn't be much better.

You have UCONN playing their first game since allegations alleging improper benefits given to a recruit. Will this be a distraction for the talented Huskies? I don't think so given this team has already lost its starting PG (Jerome Dyson), and had its coach miss the first game with dehydration.

Then there's Duke, who is playing in the regional semifinals for the first time since 2006. Though the Blue Devils lack a true inside presence, guard Gerald Henderson has taken his game to a higher level for the tournament. He is leading Duke with 18.5 points and second on the team in rebounding. No matter how Duke does the rest of this tourney, Henderson has played himself into a lottery pick in June's draft.

If you want to see a team with a strong inside presence, then look no further than the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers have DeJuan Blair snatching every rebound in sight. Though he is only listed at 6'7", Blair is averaging 14 rebounds in his first two tournament games. His ability to stay out of foul trouble will determine if Pittsburgh advances to the Final Four.

Memphis is trying to have a repeat visit to the Final Four. last year, they were a couple of free throws away from winning the National Championship, but this year they haven't dropped off. Despite losing a trio of players to the NBA, Memphis went through Conference USA undefeated (again) and was in contention for a number #1 seed With rumors that the University of Kentucky job is about to be available, Memphis head coach John Calipari could be looking to make the statement that lands him that prestigious position.

My picks to win tonight's games are UCONN, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Villanova. That Duke-Villanova game was a bit difficult to pick. Both teams are perimeter orientated but Villanova is the tougher team. And all that point guard switching Coach K did during the latter part of the season has me worried. So Villanova it is.

My bracket isn't in total shambles, but I did miss on a couple of second round games. All my Final Four teams remain so I still have a shot for bragging rights amongst my friends for the best bracket. I got 11 of the Sweet Sixteen teams which is about 69%. My Elite Eight number should be better.

USA Quarterfinal.......

Tough Game? Not for Team USA

By: Alfons I. Prince

The Redeem Team heard the talk. They decided to respond on the court. And what a response it was.

It was given in the form of a 116-85 win over Australia Wednesday night. That message will certainly resonate as America moves on the semifinal round of the Olympics.

Kobe Bryant led a balanced USA attack with 23 points. Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James added 15 and 16 points, respectively.

The game was close throughout the first half as America missed free throws (11-21). A quick 5-0 run as the half ended left USA ahead by 12, 55-43.

That run set the stage for America’s fast start out of halftime. They began the half on a 14-0 run to push the lead to 26. It ballooned up to 30 during the third quarter, as America silenced any talk of an Australian upset.

Most of that talk came from the Australian camp. "I don't think you need to take the scare factor too heavily," said Aussie guard Patrick Mills. "That's one thing Australians have, we're fearless and we don't take a step back from anyone. Just got to go out there, put our best foot forward and give it a good crack."

The Australians were fearless, and they did put their best foot forward. It was not enough as America continued to show their difference in talent, and depth.

That depth allows America to use pressure defense to disrupt the offensive flow of their opponents.

"The tournament is decided by easy baskets, and with America it's hard to get a shot off, and it's hard to get the ball past the half-court line, and they beat you down the floor and get layups," Australian coach Brian Goorjian said.

USA remains undefeated at these Olympics, running their record to 6-0. They will play their semifinal matchup Friday night ET. Win that game, and they’ll be one game closer to fulfilling their mission of bringing the gold medal back to America.

Lack of Pitching Hurts Hagerstown

Washington, DC--For the team from Hagerstown, Md., their time at the Little League World Series has provided lots of emotions. In their first game, they didn’t record a hit yet they still won 3-2.

In their second game they improved, recording six hits, scoring five runs. It was far from enough, as their opponent, Mill Creek, Wash., pounded them for 16 hits, to win 15-5 in five innings.

The loss put Hagerstown’s record at 1-1 with one game remaining in pool play.

That one game becomes very interesting, if Hagerstown wants to advance in this tournament.

The team they face in their last game, Lake Charles, La., is undefeated and has allowed only three hits thus far.

The logjam at the top of the Pool A standings means Hagerstown will have to do a couple things to advance.

First they will have to win, and then they have to hope that Mill Creek, Wash., loses their final game. If not, they will have to rely on run differential, which creates more headaches than tax time.

First, Hagerstown has to put this defeat behind them. The pitching staff must forget the fact that they allowed 15 runs, and 4 home runs. Two pitchers, Ryan Kinter and Josh Barron, must forget the fact that they did not record an out.

And they must do it rather quickly, as they play again on Tuesday.

3rd Quarter.......

USA has come out and continued to keep the lead between 15 and 23 points. They defended the front of the rim better in the quarter as LeBron James, and Chris Bosh had a couple blocks in the quarter.

Wade continues to show that he has returned.

2nd Quarter.....

2nd Quarter Thoughts:

• Their defense intensity continues to cause Greece some problems.


• USA looks more comfortable running half-court sets, as the lead grows to nine.


• Dwyane Wade looks back to his All-Star form. He is taking over the game offensively for America.


• USA goes on a 21-2 run to end the quarter to push the lead to 17.


• The half fittingly ended on a block by Chris Bosh, signifying USA's defensive presence throughout the first half.

USA vs. Greece

At the start of the second quarter USA leads 20-16. Here are some early thoughts:

• USA's defense keyed a spurt that allowed them to take the lead
• They still do have trouble in the half-court but mainly when Jason Kidd is on the floor.
• Kidd picked up three early fouls and is likely to sit the rest of the half.

Early NFL Thoughts........

NFL training camp fights occur every year. This picture on the left is from the 1997 Redskins training camp fight between Michael Westbrook and Stephen Davis. The fight left Davis beatdown and Westbrook with a fractured relationship with the Skins.

This season has been no different with the Panthers having an intra-squad fight and the Rams-Titans squaring off against each other.

Sports Illustrated has a good article about it here, giving coaches' opinions on the subject.

Training camp fights are a very touchy thing. Some can bring a team closer, while some can divide the team. The problem is that you never know which way the team will go until its too late.

The Panthers seem to be of the former variety, as Smith immediate felt remorse, and all the rhetoric from the team all echoed the closeness of the team.

Aaron Rodgers played his first preseason action last night. He played well, and didn't make any glaring errors.

Though he had one interception, it wasn't his fault as the pass bounced off his receiver's shoulder pads.

It should only get easier for Rodgers this preseason moves forward. He survive his first team. The next one will come on Opening Day, when the Minnesota Vikings come calling.

Lastly, I have to end on Brett Favre. Finally, he will play this Saturday against the Redskins. I am excited to see Favre, to see if the joy he had last year is still there. I want to see if that Week 2 match-up with the Patriots will have any meaning.

Well that's all for now.........

Going wait until the after the last preseason to predict how the season will go. Hopefully, that will help.

In Case You Missed It..........

......The Tampa Bay Rays are good. Like, no really this team is good.


First place good. In August.


4 games ahead of the Red Sox (9 games ahead of the Yankees).


Where did this team come from? I can't exactly answer that, but I know that I am thrilled that someone else in the AL East has stepped up.


The Rays have taken their mixture of youthful exuberance (5th youngest team in the majors)and great pitching to become the feel-good story of this season.


They might hit a little snag in the next week. Despite the injuries, the Rays are equipped to stay on top.


They have a balanced line-up, with no one hitting more than 22 home-runs. Some might argue that that is a problem, but I disagree. Having everyone contribute creates that team atmosphere where everyone feels like a part of the team.


They have rebounded from that awful 7-game losing streak going into the All-Star break to go 16-7 since then.


Here's to hoping that their story continues..........

Olympic Fever........

These four guys to the left are responsible for it. They are responsible for raising my interest in these Olympics. I'm sure you know how the race was won, but if not here is a link for a clip of the ending.



The race alone was one of the best sporting events I've seen this year. I'm now fully immersed in Phelps' quest for eight gold medals. At this current time, Phelps is 3-for-3 in his quest. The next events for Phelps: the 200 butterfly and 800 free relay, both of which he already holds the world records for. I'll be tuned in.



Next Olympic sport that has caught my eye is USA men's basketball. The 'Redeem Team' won its second group game, defeating Angola 97-76 on Tuesday night.



Though the team still hasn't lit it up from the outside, their defensive pressure has been some of the best I've seen in international competition in a long time. That is the key to the US winning the gold.



Defense. Sure, these international teams have played together and under FIBA rules longer, but they have never played a team with this much talent or defensive intensity.



Not to mention, the huge chip on the shoulders of all the players. They've heard for two years how they don't have enough 3-point shooting, how the rest of the world has caught up to them, how much of a disappointment it would be to come back with anything other than a gold medal.



These players have pride. They'll win the gold. They may not win every game by 25 points, but they'll be standing on the top podium wearing gold medals.


Tune in to see it..........

August 11, 2008

Man the hot topic of this weekend has to be Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and others saying that they would listen to offers from Europe. Now watching the morning shows, I'm hearing people criticize these players for thinking about going to play in Europe.

REALLY!!!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!

Why?....what is keeping them here?

I hope that one of these stars take the money, and go to Europe. The NBA is showing some of the American arrogance, believing that their way of basketball is best. However, in each of the past four NBA Finals, at least one team has had a strong foreign presence. (San Antonio in 2005 and 2007, Dallas in 2006, and Los Angeles in 2008)

Throw in the fact that our American teams haven't dominated in world competition in some time, and the idea doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Also, Wade and James (along with Carmelo) had shown that when examining their contracts, they are not opposed to doing something new. All three signed shorter contracts after their rookie contracts so that they could have more freedom. I don't think they saw this coming, but it helps them out. The current collective bargaining agreement ends in 2010, though there is a league option for another year.

Commissioner David Stern has a potentially problem. How will he handle it? Will he not even research the topic and run the risk of losing one (or more) of the league's megastars?

August 5, 2008

Man, it has been a long time since I've been able to blog. A lot has taken place in that time.

Roger Federer lost at Wimbledon, and now is about to lose the No. 1 ATP ranking for the first time in 237 weeks. Though he will be replaced at the top by Rafael Nadal, Federer epitomized what a champion should be. This article echoes that sentiment.

However the sports story that brought back to my blog is no other than Brett Lorenzo Favre. Here is the latest from ESPN, and hopefully this will be all. This has been the leading story for far too long. And the coverage is making me sick.

Why does Favre get to dictate what happens with the Packers forever? How long are they embedded to Favre? Favre twice flip-flopped on returning to the Packers before finally realizing this was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Now, Green Bay is supposed to bend over backwards for Favre because he had an amazing season? Yes, the Packers were one win away from the Super Bowl, but they didn't make it because Favre threw a terrible interception in overtime. Yet that is overlooked.

And now he really handcuffed the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is not going to re-sign with the Packers after this fiasco. And why should he? The Packers haven't shown any commitment besides their one to Favre.

And Favre is definitely a diva in his own right. Waiting until July to decide to come back, and then blame the Packers, saying they forced him out. Boo, boo, boo. Please!!! You retired, prolly because the Packers didn't go after Randy Moss, and it was on your own accord.

Now they all will have to live with their decisions. And we'll all be watching, whether we want to or not......

The Day After

So it has taken me a little bit of time to de-compress from last night's drubbing. I could live with a Laker loss. KG, Doc Rivers, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are all deserving of a championship. But not like that. I would like to applaud the Celtics for continuing to pour it on and not even let the Lakers think about coming back.

However the Lakers didn't show up at all!! It's like they didn't get the memo that they were going back to Boston. Like they expected the game to be easy. I was embrassed to watch the game.

But enough about the losing side. The Celtics won the series with the part of the game that usually wins: defense. I watched some of the best, if not the best, defense played by an NBA team. I used to think that the Spurs were the premiere defensive team in the league. Not anymore. The Celtics played at a level that no one in the league has seen in awhile.

Kudos to the Celtics. They won their 17th title. They did it the hard way, playing more postseason games than any other team in the league's history. Next year, I hope that they continue with this intesity and focus towards repeating. I want them to, to show the same passion. I know its tough, but to me repeating separates the good champions from the great ones. It's easy to be a hunter, but quite the different thing being the hunted. Can the Celtics take on that challenge?

June 17, 2008

Before I get into the NBA Finals, I just came across this article. While this is just one owner's opinion, I hope that MLB doesn't take it too seriously.

I don't see what the problem is. Pitchers should have to bat. They pitch (starters) once every five days, so they have the time to develop that skill, and for the extra BP. (batting practice) The league wants to move away the steroids era, and making the National League adopt the DH rule seems counter-productive to that goal.

Some pitchers (Zambrano, Webb, Willis) can actually hit the ball and if more emphasis was placed on hitting, more pitchers would be hitting.

Furthermore having different rules places an added element during the World Series. How will the managers' strategies change under the different rules? None of the other four major sports have this quandary, which is another one of baseball's special qualities.

Tonight's Game 6 of the NBA Finals can be the end of the 2007-2008 season. The most exciting regular season in years gave way to a postseason of spectacular performances and now a rivalry re-visited. The Celtics have a 3-2 series lead, but they need to finish this off now. A Game 7 would bring all the pressure back to Boston. Kobe would be salivating at the idea the he could be the first to lead his team back from a 3-1 Finals deficit. The Lakers would have the momentum, and the Celtics, already physically wounded, would have their already fragile psyche come back into the forefront.

That's all one game away for now. Game 6 will come down to what this whole series has focused on: inside play. Will Kendrick Perkins be able to play and how effective will he be? How much longer can P.J. Brown play at such a high rate? Will Lamar Odom continue his recent efficient play? Which Kevin Garnett will show up? How hurt will Paul Pierce's knee be after the cross-country flight, one that was delayed no less. Will Doc Rivers continue to push all the right buttons?

We shall see. I picked the Lakers to win in six games, and while it certainly looks bleak, I'm sticking with my pick. Games 2-5 were all one or two possessions away from having a different outcomes. So the Lakers will win tonight, setting the stage for a Game 7 for all the marbles.

NBA Finals

So this is just a quick little post stating who I think will win the NBA Finals.

I'm going with the Lakers in 6. Check back for reasons why later, before the game starts.

Hockey Thoughts

Hockey......

The Pittsburgh Penguins showed a lot of heart yesterday. They easily could have given up. After leading the Detroit Red Wings 2-0, they found themselves down 3-2 with less than one minute remaining. However, the Pens scored in that final minute, fought through two overtimes and finally prevailed in the third overtime. Now they head back to Pittsburgh for one more time.

The first period will decide the game. In game 5, Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 2-0, which had two effects. First, it gave them a cushion for the run that Detroit would make. Secondly, it gave the Pens confidence that they could hang with Detroit in Detroit. In their last trip here (2 games), the Pens lit the red light a grand total of zero times.

Detroit, meanwhile, came out flat. Though they eventually took the lead, they spent too much energy coming back. And maybe, just maybe they relaxed a little bit, thinking they had the Stanley Cup won.

Tomorrow, Lord Stanley will once again be close to the building. Will it enter?

May 21, 2008

Lakers in 6........

That's my prediction for the Western Conference Finals. I did have this whole prediction written out, but most of it turned out to be untrue. The only things that were correct are that the Lakers are younger, and that the Lakers have meaningful playoff experience. That experience showed tonight, as the Lakers overcame a 20-point deficit to win 89-85. That experience will allow them to advance to the NBA Finals.

Where they will meet the Boston Celtics. Having the home court advantage really will help Boston. The injury to Chauncey Billups will slow him down at least until Game 3. Not getting a split of the first two games will prove to be the difference.

Lakers-Celtics, now that's a NBA Finals match-up I can get excited about.

Game 7......

Well, I just got done watching the New Orleans-San Antonio Game 7, and I wrote a game story on it. For your reading pleasure........

The third quarter couldn’t save the New Orleans Hornets this time. Not in a Game 7 against the defending champs. The San Antonio Spurs used a decisive second quarter run to defeat the Hornets 91-82, to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili, who had 26 points and Tim Duncan, who added 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Hornets were led by Chris Paul, who almost had a triple-double with 18 points, 14 assists, and 8 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler, who had 13 points and 15 rebounds.

New Orleans fought back from an early double-digit deficit to take a one point lead, 37-36, with 3:31 left in the second quarter. San Antonio countered that with an 11-1 run to quickly extend the lead back to nine.

As for the famed third quarter, the Spurs used this quarter to extend their lead. After leading 51-42 at halftime, the Spurs out-scored the Hornets 20-14 during the third to lead 71-56 going into the fourth quarter.

The Hornets made a run during the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to three, 83-80 with 1:07 left. Jannero Pargo missed a 3-pointer from the corner, and after Tony Parker nailed a jumper the game was over.

The Spurs made 12 3-point field goals en route to shooting 40 % from the field. The Spurs also out-rebounded the Hornets 51-42.

New Orleans could not match San Antonio’s outside shooting. The Hornets only made 4 3-point shots, but still shot 41% overall. This hampered New Orleans’s ability to take advantage of the San Antonio turnovers they forced. The Spurs turned the ball over 14 times, but the Hornets could only score 12 points off of them.

The Spurs also held a decided advantage in bench scoring. The San Antonio reserves outscored those from New Orleans, 22-19, with 18 of New Orleans points coming from Pargo.

Next up for the Spurs are the Los Angeles Lakers. The Western Conference Finals will begin on Wednesday, May 21 in Los Angeles. These two teams split their season series, with each team winning two games.

Tomorrow, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals........

40 Days in 40 Nights

Well the NBA playoffs have started and the games have continued to be exciting. The Spurs and Suns played a double OT thriller, the Lakers showed why earned the #1 seed in the Western Conference, and the Celtics showed why they had the best record in the league this year.

So after the first weekend, I am ready to make my predictions for the first round.

In the West, I have the Lakers, Hornets, Suns, and Jazz. In the East, its the Cavs, Celtics, Pistons and Magic.

Even though Detroit lost their first game, I still expect them to come out and win the series. But that loss doesn't bode well for their chances to win the Eastern Conference. The Pistons continue to show a lack of urgency at the worst times. Boston does not show that complacency. They took care of business, crushing the Hawks.

Check back at the beginning of the second round, see my picks for the next round. Until then, peace.

Chalk?

Well....from 65 down to 4. The 2008 NCAA Tournament does have a first. For the first time, all four #1 seeds have made it to the Final Four. And only one game was close.

The Cinderalla team, Davidson, lost its glass slipper. But not without a fight. Behind Stephen Curry, Davidson made a run to the Elite Eight, and was a 3-point shot from making the Final Four.

Next weekend sets up for some great games. UCLA will face Memphis, while Kansas takes on North Carolina.

UCLA matches up really well with Memphis as they have the long, athletic bodies to go with the length that Memphis showed on Sunday. Kevin Love with give Dorsey the same match-up problems that Oden did last year. Here is where the experience of the past two years will help UCLA. And where the free throw troubles of Memphis will finally catch up with them. The pressure of being in the Final Four for the first time will get inside of the head of the Memphis players. UCLA prevails.

The Kansas-North Carolina game is much harder to predict. Kansas will be able to run with North Carolina but should they try is the question. With a healthy Ty Lawson, North Carolina runs better than any team in the country and Tyler Hansborough seems determined to win a championship. Kansas will be playing such freedom after finally advancing to a Final Four. Coach Bill Self looked ABSOLUTELY relieved once the final horn sounded. I think North Carolina will run a little better that Kansas and set up my Championship game prediction, UCLA-North Carolina.

But this first time of having all #1 seeds will produce some magical moments. UCLA will win the title. Chalk though? I'm still having trouble accepting that.

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.....