The Season Begins

Happy College Football Kickoff

Get the grills fired up. Have the wings and ribs ready. Make sure the batteries are in the remote are new. Put the kids to bed and welcome back football where the games count (Still love the NFL but preseason is a bore). Its College Football time!!!!


No Love For The Smurfs

It was cute when they knocked off Oklahoma in one of the greatest bowl games EVER but now The Boise St. Broncos are drawing a lot of hate from a lot of people. This is what happens when a mid-major stops being a mid-major and they become a major player in college football. The Broncos have their toughest two games at the beginning of the year by facing Va Tech in Landover Md., A home game for the Hokies and then Oregon St. If they run the table then they could possibly be in the BCS championship game. I really don't see it happening because the Cartel, I mean NCAA and networks do not want a team from Idaho on TV and winning a championship. A fluke play or a bad officiating call will cause a loss and the season will be over for the Broncos. As I told a buddy, watch the game Monday night and I believe you will see those shenanigans early and often. I really do want the Broncos to prove all their naysayers wrong because they stopped using a lot of gadget plays and started playing fantastic football.

The Non-Experts

I hate doing picks at the beginning of the season. But a friend of mine sent me this message a month ago: Iowa vs Oklahoma Take it to the bank. I told him no way Iowa wins the Big Ten, its just not possible. He wanted me to take credit for it but I said I would post it and would make regret his picks.

Max M. Iowa versus Oklahoma Reason: They get tough conference games at home. Two solid qb's (Stansi is 18-4 as a starter)dominant line play, many returning starters from their Orange Bowl winning team. Max has his Buckeyes getting thrashed by Iowa in a stunner, at least to me.

Chris M.-Ohio St over Florida. I take this one with a grain of salt because Chris is a Buckeye fan and is completely blinded by the scarlet and gray, but I digress. They return a Heisman candidate in Pryor (although I don't see him having fantastic numbers with old sweater vest conservative offensive calls). I see OSU getting beat by the Canes and losing another so I doubt they will make it. Florida is a possibility.

Sam O. Ohio St. over Nebraska. Nebraska back in the top ten for the first time in a long time. The defense got their Black Shirt's back and they feel like its their year. Unless they get lots and lots of points from their offense, I don't see them making it out of the Big 12. Their defense is good but you still gotta score.

Now mine TCU and Oklahome with TCU winning it all. TCU has always had a stellar defense but now their offense is scoring routinely on their first team defense. Its going to be a Southwest conference reunion with the Horned Frogs shocking the world.

South Beach Bringing The Heat

LeBron picked the Heat as I predicted (its nice being right), but the fallout from Cleveland is despicable. Tears, burnings and an owner losing his mind is not the way to act when a star leaves. Cleveland fans and citizens should show a little more class about LeBron leaving. He didn't leave for more money, (although by going to Miami he does not have a state income tax and therefore he actually doesn't leave that much on the table) he went to a place where he could win a title. LeBron realized that it takes talent around him to get him to the promise land. Gilbert and the Cavs failed to put comparable players around him that would satisfy Lebron. Do I agree with the special on ESPN, no. I think it was a little over the top but I'm not hating on LeBron like most people. He has grown up in the spotlight and used that to his advantage. ESPN has been covering him since he was 15. All LeBron did was capitalize on the market's fascination with him and where he would go. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Other Thoughts:

Dan Gilbert is going to have a hard time getting free agents to come Cleveland. His words about LeBron betraying him and the city f Cleveland were completely uncalled for. Don't sound like a bitter, scorned old man because you did not get the big prize. Gilbert and the Cavs should have pitched LeBron professionally instead of their informal approach that they thought would work. Better yet, you should have got him the players he wanted. If the Cavs trade for Amar'e Stoudemire they possibly could have kept both LeBron and Amar'e, but that trade never happened and that ticked LeBron off. From the start of his impending free agency, LeBron wanted to be recruited, not given cartoons with inside jokes on it. The Cavs figured that had him in the bag because of the money, but that isn't what drove James. It is winning championships and he knew Cleveland was not a place where he could win. Dan Gilbert might have endeared himself to the city with his scathing message about LeBron, but he may have alienated that franchise for years to come with his words. Players talk and all of them will remember the words of Gilbert about LeBron and that may cost him the chance of signing any of them in the future.

It wouldn't surprise me if LeBron had an opt in 3 to 5 years so that if they aren't winning, he can go to New Jersey to be with John Wall and Jay-Z.

Charles Barkley said that if he were LeBron he would have tried to win it on his own. If I remember correctly, Charles took the Suns to the Finals with help from Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle and lost to the Bulls. Then a few years later Charles joined the Rockets with Hakeem and Clyde and nearly got back to Finals if not for a buzzer beater by John Stockton. People are getting onto these guys for partnering up and it doesn't make sense to me. Everyone needs help to win, that's why it is a team game. Stars have partnered together in the past and present to win a ring and that is what it is all about. The King wants a ring, and South Beach is the best place for him right now.

Don't think for a moment that ESPN and LeBron did not have that special planned at least a month or so in advance. The network has given the impression that they threw together "The Decision" in a few days. New commercials are not made in a few days and all the commercials were new. So James and ESPN put together a solid plan and got great ratings.

Carmelo Anthony will be either a Bull or Knick after next summer if he does not sgn that extension. Melo is in the same situation as LeBron was in,the Nuggets haven't really brought in the right type of player besides Chauncey Billups to help them dethrone the Lakers and win a championship. Nugget fans, you might want to brace yourself for heartbreak too.

I'm taking a break from blogging for the rest of the summer. I appreciate all the comments and support.

Could Miami Actually Get A Big Three?

A Transaction Unnoticed

A small transaction took place yesterday in the NBA that a lot of people did not notice. The Miami Heat traded Daquan Cook and their first round pick, (No. 18 respectively) to the Oklahoma City Thunder to clear cap space and OK City gets a shooter. The conventional thought was that Miami could sign two max players with one being Wade, but what this move actually does is give the Heat an opportunity to sign three max players. So the possibility of DWade, Lebron and maybe a Chris Bosh or Amare' Stoudamire. The balance of basketball power could shift dramatically from the west to the east.

I don't think Lebron stays in Cleveland as I have previously written. The have never constructed the right team around him and its not his fault. Its just didn't workout. But if Lebron goes to Miami, then he really means what he says that it is about winning championships. Partnering with Wade and possibly another superstar would definitely give him the opportunity to winning multiple championships. Wade would provide Lebron the edge and leadership he needs to learn how to win, Wade has been there before. He's a former Final MVP. Miami is also perfect because it provides Lebron a place where there is no state income tax on his large paycheck. That's why New York would never make sense, that state tax income is way too high. That is also why I am eliminating the Clippers, even though their roster and the exposure is very appealing. If Lebron sits down with Pat Riley in South Beach on his recruiting trip, its over. Riles and the natives with the beautiful beaches and the exposure that Miami can give will be hard for the King to turn down. Riley knows how to appeal to players and knows how to win championships. If Lebron really wants to win, then Miami is the best option for him, with Chicago being second. The one person I feel sorry for is Eric Spoelstra because if Miami gets Lebron and Bosh or Stoudemire, the Riley will come down from the front office and lead the team to another title.

July 1st is right around the corner and the intrigue is building. Another big three could be coming and that might be the right formula to dethrone the Lakers.

A Dark Cloud Hangs Over The NBA

When will the NBA and mainly David Stern wake up and realize that no one trust his product? That game last night was a complete joke and at the root of the problem is the perceived rigging or at least awful officiating that has plagued the league in the last 10 years or so. What the NBA is doing by solely marketing individuals and not teams is purely hurting them from a casual fan point of view and the hardcore fans are starting not to care as well. Over the last week no has paid attention to the Finals and the ratings have shown it. NCAA realignment, World Cup, hockey and the NFL off season has been the top story while the NBA Finals have been mired in obscurity.


I understand home teams generally will get a little more calls than a road team. However, a 37-17 free throw difference is absolutely insane. Missing over the back calls and random charging calls while the officials hold their whistles. I did not know in basketball you could clothesline a player and that is a good no call. Pau Gasol took Kevin Garnett's head off on a rebound and no call was made. Or Rondo being clobbered by Artest on a rebound while Joey Crawford the referee looked on and he did not any look to call a foul. I love the flopping performance that Derek Fisher puts on and how the so called announcers say that good defense. Fisher looks to fall on every play because he does not have the foot speed to keep up with today's point guards. When the games were called evenly and the right way, the Celtics won. Yahoo! Sports had a story after game 3 that the Celtics owners went up to Stern and cussed him out about the horrible officiating. One of the things he stated to was was have the same officials call the series and stop rotating guys in. Right after that confrontation the Celtics won the next two games. Coincidence, I think not.

I believe Stern has decided to dictate the league's champion not based on the best team but on the single individual who he can market. If you think about when he came into the league Magic and Bird elevated the league to a new plateau. The NBA in the 70's was drug infested with lackluster stars. The Magic and Bird turned the league around not only with their play but their image. Michael Jordan was next in line and made the NBA global. Now Stern is trying to endear Kobe to the public and no one outside of L.A. cares for him and that hasn't changed since his first three championships with Shaq. Stern cannot use his marketing genius to sell a product that people don't want. He is trying to manipulate history by having the Lakers win and thinking that it will create more buzz around his league. Actually have the games officiated correctly and let the players decide on the floor how the game is won and that will create buzz for the league.

Stop The Comparisons



In the instant analysis world we live in today, the questions were asked if Kobe can compare to Magic or Michael. The answer is a resounding NO!!! Magic was a 6'9 PG who could play all five positions on the floor. He could dominate by either scoring or controlling the tempo of the game. Magic prolonged the career of Kareem and made Worthy, Cooper, Thompson and Scott household names with Showtime basketball. Magic was an innovator during the 80's. Michael Jordan did things on the court I have never seen and I am only 32. His moves and body control in the air were never seen before. People marvelled at the hang time at first, but later they saw his will to win and they way he made his teammates better. There was not a more ruthless man on the court. His flair for the dramatics were unmatched. Kobe has not brought anything new to basketball. All he has done is imitated Jordan from his walk, talk and mannerisms on the court. To me, probably why I have not connected with Kobe is because I don't think Kobe knows who he is. Kobe looks and acts like somebody he is not and that disconnects him from the public. Winning the championships does not make him a leader are vault him over the great Lakers before him. Think about this, Kobe went out and got a tattoo so that he could gain some street credibility. Does that sound like a leader? Leaders lead by examples not follow others. Magic and Michael found ways to lead on the court. They let their PLAY get the street cred, not a tattoo. People today need to look at the history of the game before they make such ridiculous statements.

Its tough to watch the NBA. I have been a fan since 1990. Maybe its time I move on like most of my friends. Its just hard to that because when basketball is played the right way, its the most beautiful and exciting sport to watch. Hopefully someone in the league office will recognize that and turn back the clock and give us all back the game of our youth.

Mizzoued Themselves Again

Too Slow To The Show

The Show-Me State has showed up last again to the party. Weeks after everyone thought Missouri would be going to the Big Ten first, but it was Nebraska who surprised everyone and left. Next Colorado went to the PAC-10, with Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Ok St. to follow. How did the University of Missouri screw this up one might ask. They simply Mizzoued themselves again.

As previously stated in a previous post, the Tigers have a history of hosing themselves over. Extra downs in football, unbelievable plays against them in basketball and now the administration has shown how to bungle a slam dunk invite to a major conference. With all the poaching of schools from the Big 12, everyone assumed Mizzou would join the Big Ten and be the twelfth team. It would work geographically with natural built in rival in Illinois. The St. Louis and Kansas city TV market are in the top 30 which would only enhance the Big 10 network. The school's basketball and football programs are nationally recognized as well as the baseball and women's softball program. The academics are there, its in the heart of the Midwest. The stars were aligned to gain some revenue from the TV network that a lot of pundits laughed at. The Governor said go, regents of the university said go, curators said go, but the chancellor and athletic director stood pat. Now Missouri is going from a major conference with the BCS to a school that is on the outside looking in.

Texas made it clear that Missouri did not matter. All of the Big 12 South said that Missouri was replaceable. The national view of the school is that of consistently underachieves in athletics. Add to that, when the school goes to big time events like NCAA tournament or a bowl game, the fans don't travel well. These are a few reasons why the Big 12 conference catered to the South part of the conference.

Second cause of all the poaching was the Big Ten network. The network has generated billions of dollars and has helped all of its schools grow in revenue, which this is what its all about, football revenue. The Big Ten ends its football season before Thanksgiving and their teams for the most part have been ran over in bowl games. People forget about the the conference and their teams for the most part have lackluster showings in bowl games.

Final Thoughts

Nebraska President Harvey Perlman taking shots at Mizzou for listening to overtures from the Big Ten is completely uncalled for. Mizzou has the most beef of anyone from the North because they got hosed two years ago when they beat Kansas head to head and got a Cotton Bowl berth instead of the Orange Bowl. Nebraska feels that they are back on the scene because of Pelini and their football staff. But a word to the wise to Perlman and Tom Osborne, just because you are preseason ranked for the first time in five years does not mean you are relevant. The once dominant Huskers used to own the upper part of Missouri as well as Nebraska. But Gary Pinkel and Mizzou started winning and recruits started flocking to Columbia instead of Omaha. From a basketball standpoint, the Huskers have not made the tournament since 1998 and have been to a championship game since the 60's. To me, the Big Ten has not improve itself with Nebraska. If its about revenue for the network they haven't gained very much because Omaha is barely in the top 100 of TV markets.

Mizzou is still dealing from a position of strength if one of these two things happen. Either they get picked up in the Big East and they can definitely dominant in football and get an automatic BCS bid and have a higher profile conference in basketball. Or if they go to Mountain West and that league becomes BCS eligible. The only drawback with the Mountain West is that the teams out west aren't really known nationally and therefore that will hurt recruiting overall. I also fear that by moving to that conference that coach Anderson and Pinkel would bolt for bigger schools at the first sign of an opening of a major program.

Texas put on the front that they could hold the Big 12 together but they are the ones who were really looking to leave. Here's why I say that. Notre Dame and Texas are the two prized recruits in all of this because overall they generate the most revenue. If Texas really felt secure about its place in the TV market outside of Texas then they would keep the Big 12 together and start their own TV network, they wouldn't need an outside entity to woo them. Being associated with the Pac 10 will cost them a lot of the casual fans that they have because who wants to watch them kickoff at 10:30 at night. They could have easily kept the Big 12 together and let Nebraska and Colorado walk and found suitable replacements. Now they will probably have the Pac-16 championship games played either in New Mexico or Las Vegas.

If you cant tell I'm a little disturb by all this movement for football. As much as I a huge college football fan, this is the sort of thing that just might drive me away. I know in life you have to adjust to change. But when you see grown men acting like babies and chasing dollar signs instead keeping the students in mind, its a little disturbing.

LeBron And Cleveland Has To Learn How To Win

Its Not All His Fault

The Cavs crushing lost is not all LeBron's fault. The Cavs have failed him in a few areas as well. But first I am going to touch on a few things about LeBron that I noticed. LeBron never has learned how to win and college could have taught him that. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar touched on this earlier this week when he spoke about the quality of play in the league today. The benefit of players going to college is they learn how to deal with adversity and how to win. Most players who turn pro in team sports, go to a minor league and develop and learn the nuances of the game. The NBA's D-league is not yet a functioning farm system, therefore its rare you actually see anyone come up and make a huge impact. Lebron's talent is great but he was handed the NBA and has to go through growing pains on winning. Michael did it, Kobe did it and now Lebron is having to figure out how to win. Lebron never got in any one's face or he didn't try to fire his team up. Its area where college would have helped him figure out how to motivate not only himself but his teammates.

No Chip

Something the great ones always have and majority play with. That's a chip on their shoulder. Michael Jordan got his by the freeze out in the All-star game. Kobe repeatedly tells himself he's better Shaq and wants to prove he is a leader of a team. D-Wade's chip is LeBron, Chris Bosh, Darko and Carmelo were all chosen ahead of him. Tim Duncan is everyone thought his game was boring. But its that one area or thing that drives a player to be great and I don't see that with LeBron. Think about this he breezed through high school and was already given the name " The Chosen One" and " King James". ESPN was televising his high school games. At 17 and 18 the world was his oyster. Everything has been given to him at such a young age and with all the hype he hasn't used anything to motivate him daily. Maybe this loos will drive him to be great. The funny thing is people are talking more about his impending free agency than his poor play. I know the elbow was hurting him but this was his chance to cement his legacy in Cleveland and he looked disinterested for much of the series.

Danny Ferry Is Not Innocent Either

The Cavs will most likely drop Mike Brown. When your team gets blown out in three or the four games and defense is your speciality, then the team will probably show you the door. However, Danny Ferry should not be far behind. Ferry has not surrounded LeBron with the talent to win either. The Cavs have had opportunity to build through the draft but Ferry has chose to trade picks and bring in role pieces instead of developing a players. Mo Williams is not really a point guard or a two guard. Varejo is limited offensively and the Big Z was aging and nothing was done. Ferry just keep to plug in holes instead of fixing the issues. The Cavs are in trouble because teams like the Magic, Bucks, Grizzlies and Thunder are building teams the right way, through the draft. When you are small market its easier to build that way and try to keep your own free agents than trying to trade away valuable picks. Its interesting because Ferry became a GM because he was so highly thought of with the Spurs. He should have used their model because they had Tim Duncan and drafted Parker and Ginobli and won 3 more titles. The Bulls had one great player but Scottie Pippen is also a hall of famer. You need at least two studs to win in NBA.

I wrote last year that I thought LeBron would probably stay in Cleveland. But I like most people feel that after this series, I think he is gone and that will be devastating to that city. I doubt he goes to the Knicks because he said he wants to win and they aren't close to winning. That leaves Chicago, Miami, Portland and Dallas in a sign and trade and Cleveland. If home is truly where the heart is then LeBron will stay. However sometimes its good to leave home and see what else the world has to offer. The city of Cleveland needs their native son to stay home so they can keep their identity.

NBA Playoffs So Far

I've been down with an ear infection so my apologies for not updating. Here are some of my thoughts on the NBA Playoffs:

Know Your Officials

What turns most people off to the NBA is the isolation's plays that some teams run for players, but even bigger than that is how the officials dictate the game. Look its bad when I can name Dick Bavetta, Joe Crawford, Joe Forte, Steve Jave off the top of my head. Name another sports where you know the referee's by name. There has always been that suspicion that the games are fixed. The league dodged a big pr nightmare when Tim Donaghy got busted for gambling but I think it really confirmed what most people believe, the league tries to setup its championship games for ratings. At first I was a skeptic but now I am coming over to that side. You want all the exposure that you can get so people are talking about your product. No one will talk about the finals if San Antonio or Utah makes it. Its all about star power or bigger market recognition. That's why rooting for a team like Orlando to knock off Cleveland, even though Dwight Howard is a star in his own right.

Speaking Of The Magic

Can someone please make the Atlanta Hawks disappear Has a team ever played so poorly but been in the playoffs? How can lose by an average of 29 points to a team with a 40 point blowout in the first game. This looks like a 1 seed versus a 16 in the NCAA tournament, but the Hawks are the supposed 3 seed and the Magic are the 2, the match-up should be closer. You can take any of the five starters from the Hawks and you would love them on your team but collectively they are awful. You can tell they have no clue on how to play together as a unit. Some of that falls on Mike Woodson the coach, but I put most of it on the players who have to recognize that the teams around them have better chemistry and understand how to play the game. Look for Joe Johnson to bolt and Mike Woodson to be let go. What should really happen is the management should give refunds to their fans for their teams pitiful play this postseason. That would send a real message to their team. (Two side notes to beat the Magic don;t let them hit 10 or more 3's because if they do it over. Also Dwight Howard shot over 80% in a series which basically sounds like no one guarded him. Tells you how pathetic the Hawks played)

The Suns Rise Again

You have to be happy for Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. They finally beat their long time nemesis the Spurs, and in a sweep which is shocking. The cool thing is no one expected the Suns to be here, the bad side is the Lakers should and will destroy them. This is a different Suns team from the ones in the past. Their bench is young and deeper which gives Steve and Amar'e some help. The only way the Suns beat the Lakers is by outscoring them. The Lakers are way too big and a half court game would end up just killing the Suns on the board. Nash deserves to be in a Finals before the book closes on his career. What I found great is last night Steve got his eye busted and with one eye scored 10 points and 5 assists!! That shows you how talented these guys are.

Cleveland Is Playing With Fire

When the stars align for you to win championship, you shouldn't mess around. But the Cavaliers are not taking the Celtics seriously and it could comeback to haunt them. The Cavs have no answer for Rondo who messed around and got a triple double. Putting Lebron on him could help a little or it could get Pierce, Allen and Garnett going. What I see in the Cavs is a team who relies completely too much on one player. They sit around and wait for LBJ to bail them out, and if they really want to be a great team, they better stop building their team like the Mavericks and get Lebron a solid Robin. What I mean is the Mavericks are built around Dirk and he can't do it alone. Mo Williams, Varajeo, Moon, Parker and now Shaq are role players, not a solid player that takes the pressure off Lebron. The other thing I noticed is the Cavs don;t have a sense of urgency, they have that feeling that they can turn it on at anytime. They better put the Celtics away in the next two games because if its goes seven, the Celtics will win it. The C's are now a dangerous "Big 4" and if they start rolling they are one of the few teams that can unseat the Lakers because of their physical style of play and their defense.

Also I will update where a part of my blog was mentioned on ESPN later on this week. Thanks for reading....