One month and a day until football

I love that 80% of Sportscenter is about football. Mort and Adam are traveling across the country giving us news from camp - and might I add, they are positioning them in the worst possible places for the interviews. It's as if the sun is shinning right in their faces and their entire interviews are with their eyes closed. We have some great headlines though- two stories in particular that are sticking to me and no, it's not Tim Tebow's haircut. I love that three of San Diego's most prominent players are 'diva-ing' it and refuse to sign a contract. I love that San Diego has this 'oh we are the team to beat in the AFC west' attitude because that is what Norv Turner condones. Well, I have news for you, San Diego. Denver, Oakland and Kansas City all have something to prove this year and if Al Davis says that Jason Campbell is going to have a breakout season then by god, he will. I'm kidding. It's hard to take what Al Davis says seriously but that's not to say that I'm not impressed by what I'm hearing from the Raider camp.

In other news, just when you thought Lebron James could not inflate his head anymore then he already has, I was wrong. When Lebron announced 'his decision' on live tv, I loved every second when coaches, media, and ex Lebron fans called out James for taking the easy way out because that couldn't be more true. To be the greatest player you must not only win championships, but you also should be the one responsible for the greatness of a team. The team should not win unless the greatest player is present on the court and making their teammates the most improved players. That's what Lebron was on track to do in Cleveland. That's not what he's going to do in Miami.

Now that's all said and done, Lebron is in South Beach and feels the need to threaten the people that struck him down. Not with a torch, but with his words. Oooooooooooo. Big bad Lebron is on the war path. Oh please!!! I'm sure Charles Barkley is crapping his pants because Lebron remembers him putting him down for taking the low road. Bosh stated that Lebron is going to feed off that negativity. Guess what, no he isn't. He is not Kobe Bryant. He folds under pressure. That is why he is in South Beach.

I'm throwing in the towel

The Dodger season is over to me. We went down to San Diego during the week, lost two of three and seven games behind. Our pitching once again proved that there is no end to the tunnel.

Let's just say hypothetically we go on some amazing run and get into the Wild Card spot. There is no way on gods beautiful green earth our pitching will hold up. It will crumble the same way it did last year against Philly during the NLCS. Sherrill must have something on Joe Torre because he should have been sent down to the minors a long time ago, if not cut. Never fails, he always gives up a lead off hit. But all pitching aside, this was the last straw:

I'm watching the Dodgers Giants game tonight. Lincecum is pitching. Two outs, top of the 4th inning. Furcal, our best hitter, is up to the plate and rips one to left field. He's running hard around the bases, as he usually does because his is like the Kobe Bryant of the Dodgers - not because he is the best baseball player in the league but because he gives it his all every single day he shows up to work and is determined to be the best and bring out the best in his teammates. He decides to continue onto third and gets nailed - out at third. Now I know this doesn't seem like a big deal but it is to me. Why would he continue onto third, especially if there are two outs? It's not like he has a chance to score on a fly ball to the outfield. There's a reason why when a baserunner is at second, they call it 'scoring position'. Look, superstars make mistakes - hence game 7 in the NBA playoffs. That was by far Kobe's worst game ever! But things are just falling out of place for the Dodgers and other teams around them are getting better and making the right moves.

Camps have started for the NFL and I'm planning my day trips to Oakland as we speak. Just get me to football please........

Since the last post.....

I know everyone finds it hard to believe that I wasn't on my blog every moment of the basketball playoffs, especially with the Lakers striking rich. I think I was too infatuated with Bill Simmons' minute updates while he's sitting courtside during the finals. God it made me feel so good to beat those pieces of snot. There was just something about the attitude of Celtics that I just couldn't handle. I feel like they were overly dramatic, even as something so subdue as calling a timeout seven minutes into the second quarter would happen. When I'm in a poor mood, I just think of KG's face walking off the court as the purple and yellow confetti slamming down (I know it's pieces of paper but I think the weight of the confetti really hit him hard mentally) on his bald head.

I won't talk about the game because it's over and done with. Plus we have a whole new season upon us and there is much to talk about in the middle of July. Let's say that again, middle of July. Yes, the NBA has taken over the sports world for the time being. As much as I'm bothered by this triple crown nonsense in South Florida, the NBA has leaped far past baseball as the second biggest sport in the US behind football. The beginning of the 2009 season, I was bored. The Lakers had just come off of an easy championship, it was obvious they were the best team in the league and even more obvious they were going for a back to back. Don't get me wrong, I was nervous as hell during the last two rounds of playoffs and almost had a stroke during game 7 of the finals. But if you picked the Lakers in Vegas at the beginning of the season, you didn't win that much money.

The 2010/2011 season is going to prove to be a terrific seven months. The Lakers do not have this covered. While the odds are pointing towards the Heat, I don't think thats happening either. The closer we get to the season, the more my predictions will come in.

My only team that is actually in season right now are the Dodgers. Well, let me take that back. Their season is over and now I'm focusing on the Raiders camp. A little over a month until football starts people. My Dr. told me I need to stay away from gambling for a little bit because my stress levels are a little bit through the roof. We will see how long that lasts. I have a lot of homework to do but just know this........my football lightbulb is officially turned on. Oh, and college starts in thirty-eight days and USC will not be making a curtain call this year.

Everyone just let it out

Tiger just tee'd off and I'm not going to lie, I'm rooting for the guy. Yes he was a absolute bonehead and disgraced his family the worst possible way he can but golf is non existent without him. I'm sick of him apologizing to me, just get on with the what you do best - golf. The Master's wasn't airing live when Tiger tee'd off but Sportcenter brought it to us. I bet ESPN got the most viewership it has ever gotten - like World Series numbers.

On another note, Tom Watson is 'killing' it. That's the other guy I'm rooting for......

Switching gears, the Dodgers have started their season and they are off to a beautiful start. 0-2 AGAINST THE PIRATES. Here are my predictions for the MLB Season:

1) The Dodgers are not going to make it to the playoffs but Manny will still have his premier year since he's made it very clear that he does not want to be a Dodger next year.
2) The Giants are going to win the Division. That pitching 'sick'.
3) The Braves are going to make it back into the playoffs. They have this little Rookie named Hayward that is killing it - at least in his first two games. I just love the fact that at his first at bat and swing at a professional level, he hit a Jack.
4) The Yankees are going to be good again - that's a safe prediction, I know.
5) The Red Sox are going to beat the Yankees in AL Championship (sorry).

But before I can really focus on the MLB season, the hockey and basketball playoffs are right around the corner and I don't know what to do with myself. The Kings clinched and it looks like they are going to play either San Jose or Chicago in the opening round. It's going to be scary. I would hate to get all pumped up about the Kings making it to the playoffs for the first time in six years and they just get swept away. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have a job right now so I can focus and spend quality time cheering on my teams :)

It's a new overtime for the NFL

There are some instances where you complain about certain process' but nothing good will ever come out of it. For example, the bowl system. I love the idea of the playoff system because in the end, the stronger team comes out the winner for 'that moment in time.' But at the same time, the playoff system doesn't really tell me who the best team is sometimes. Did the Phillies and the Devil Rays really play in the world series a couple years ago? Were they the best teams in the MLB? No.

A few years back when LSU won the championship, there were about five other teams that should have been in New Orleans. A playoff system would have been really nice that year. But because of the 'screwed up bowl system' I got to enjoy probably some of the best days of my life in the Big Easy. Last year, the bowl system worked out perfectly however. The right teams were in the National Championship and the right team came out victorious. The point I'm trying to make is that regardless of what the rules are, there are going to always be groups that leash out against the rules.

The same goes for the new overtime rule in the NFL. The old rule made a lot of people mad. But the New England Patriots were not complaining when they beat my beloved Raiders in the 'snow storm tuck rule craze.' The losing teams in 2010 overtimes are going to have something to say about this new rule and it isn't going to be in front of their mothers. Why don't we get a chance to get a touchdown if the other team has already scored one? Why is it that pick sixes or fumbles returned for a touchdown can instantly STOP the game? Why are you trying to change the NFL to be more like college? The bottom line is that I love the new rules. It will call for a more exciting, fair, football game. But it will also call for some sort of backlash. Either way I'm ready. There is nothing like watching your team play catch up when it is totally do-able. Something about kneeling three downs when you are in field goal range in overtime doesn't really excite me very much.

On a side note, the Lakers are looking for their seventh straight win at the Spurs tonight. Lakers are +2. The Lakers can't cover when they are favored big. The Lakers can't cover when they are underdogs. The Lakers can cover when they are favored by five points or less. I think I'd take the Spurs.

Hockey and Basketball Playoffs to begin soon

Well, we have reached the Sweet 16, two of the four regions are totally done for in my brackets, however I still have Kentucky winning. I can honestly say, I have no idea what is going to happen in the next couple of rounds. Ohio State looks like they are the team to beat - which of course the one year I don't have them going very far they tell me so, Michigan State had it good until their leading scorer dismantled his achilles, Cornell is still a part of this madness, but I'm sticking to my guts and I still have Kentucky winning. I just hate that I have to wait four days until the next round.

So with that in mind, my attention is turned towards the last leg of hockey and basketball regular season. With the Lakers, my main concern is that we do not finish with the best record in the NBA. We are 3 1/2 games back from the Cavs with about a month left of the season which if I may add, most of the games are away. Luckily, the almost Bynum Catastrophe panned out to be just a strain.

With the Kings, I'm not going to worry about our overall record because it's simply not attainable. What my biggest concern is that we don't completely blow it and just slide of the playoff race. I was lucky enough to attend last nights game against the Colorado Avalanche. When there was six seconds left in the game and the Avalanche tied it up my friend leans over to me and states 'oh by the way, I have yet to go to a game this season where it doesn't go into overtime."

Luckily, Colorado was stupid enough to get a penalty in the final minutes of overtime and the Kings scored about thirty seconds into the start of the penalty. Game Over. The Kings have the number five spot and I'm ok with where we are at right now. Opening round of the playoffs would be against the Sharks. Well, maybe I'm not very content with our standings.

The New Neil Young

All I have to say is that my uncle is a Rock Star. Last night at Molly and Malones, there was a Neil Young tribute. Guests were called to the stage to sing their favorite Neil Young Song. There were some great performers that came to the stage but nothing like my uncle. He rocked it out there (see attached picture).

I've really got nothing for you today. I like the Lakers -8 against the Warriors however.

On another note, I'm going to the Clippers game tonight and going to hunt down Bill Simmons.

Just as I thought

Ok, so when Bosh tied up the score with nine seconds left, my first thought was why in the world would they leave that much time on the clock to let Kobe win this game? He could have run the clock down to nothing but I guess when you see your shot, you see your shot. Bottom line is that you are giving the best closer in basketball an open lane to the basket basically. But hey, I'm not complaining. The Lakers came out with a win, they didn't cover the spread, they broke their three-game losing streak and now they are off to Phoenix.

What worries me a little is that some guy named Jose 'on the red team' as my friend from Boston called them, was running circles around the Lakers. I don't know what has happened with their defense in the past month or so. Last night Kobe, Bynum, and Gasol had a double digit game yet we beat the Raptors by two. When those three used to score like that, we would win by +10 easy. I don't know where the defense has gone. Or are the teams just getting that much better? Whatever it is, the Lakers will figure it out because they are the Lakers.........hopefully.

In other news Dunleavy is no longer the Clippers GM (thank god) and Garciaparra has retired (don't care that much). All I know is that Ben couldn't keep it consensual - AGAIN.

Sorry for the delay

Ok, so I apologize for the lack of posts for the last four months. There are no excuses; except for the fact that I simply did not have the time. Since November, I've changed departments at work and decided to focus on the 'licensing' world (very very interesting world; a lot of people trying to stamp their names on things to make a buck or two), visited yet again my family in Louisiana, vacationed at the beautiful Grace Bay Hotel in Turks and Caicos, hit the slopes in Aspen, attempted bringing a child into this world and still attempting, and got laid off. That's just the stuff that isn't related to sports.

Since my last post I happened to experience in person the ass whipping the Saints did on the Patriots, enjoyed yet another SEC team winning the National Championship, the start of the Laker season, the middle of the Laker season, the start of the hockey season, the middle of the hockey season, an unforgettable Gold medal match between Canada and the US, an amazing Superbowl victory for the New Orleans saints, the start of Spring Training, the playoff run the LA Kings are making, and the three game losing streak by the Lakers. Like how I ended on the Lakers?

Let's not worry quite yet. Every team that plays the Lakers brings their 'A' game. That is why, my friend, the Lakers are not covering. Kobe just came back from an injury, it is taking a little bit of time for them to get into their grove. The Lakers are playing the Raptors this evening (Lakers -11) and this is going to be the start of their streak. They are going to end up with the best record in the NBA because they have to. But pick Toronto this evening because the Lakers are going to win by 10.

Yea, I started betting the NBA now because I'm a degenerate gambler and football season is over.

It's nice to be back everyone. Let's not go this long again.....