All Star Reserve Insanity

Deng over Lopez?
Randolph over Gasol?

Pucklife

HOCKEY HOCKEY!  Is back!  Yippee!  Go Bruins!  Go Sens!  Should be a wild condensed schedule infused year.  I am shocked given the stupidity of the lockout that the fans have come back and the games have been so entertaining.  The players certainly seemed to chomping to get back at it!!!!

CBB Thoughts

1.       Duke got destroyed last night by Miami.  It was unwatchable baby.  Look for the Blue Devlis to fall off as Miami, North Carolina, and NC State gain some steam.

2.       Miss you Ryan Kelly. 

3.       Michael Carter Williams has a true baby face. 

4.       This year is wide open.  There is no dominant team. 

5.       Loving the Kentucky struggles!  Brings a smile to my face to see the agent Calipari fail. 

6.       Final Four:  Butler, Oregon. NC State,  VCU

Two Awful Teams

The soap opera in LA keeps getting more interesting.  The Lakers held a team meeting yesterday for everyone to air their grievances.  According to reports Kobe and the Dwightmare went at it a bit.  Game by game the train wreck that has been the 2012-13 Lakers has been fascination to watch.  Kobe started the season off strong but has cooled off of late.  He has joined twitter, a pleasure for us all, and has somewhat behaved himself.  Howard has looked disinterested and healing on the fly from his back woes.  He’s picked up tech fouls left and right.  One wonders if he ever will regain his stature as a top player in the league.  These days he looks serviceable.  And will he resign in LA? 

                Gasol has shown flashes after being demoted to bench player.  What an awful situation for the talented big man, he has served as the whipping boy for years.  Nash looks old and slow.  Really old and slow. 

                There is no cohesion or effort from the Lakers when it counts.  Yet still they are only four games out of the playoffs. 

                It is a shame the Lakers will never blow it up, that is not their style.  D’antoni should be axed but given the fact that they already fired Brown this year, D’antoni and his contract will stay.  Gasol and Howard should be unloaded for assets so the rebuild can happen. 

                Maybe they turn it around a bit?    It has been a spectacular failure thus far 

               

                Boston, the leagues other marquee franchise, has been just as disappointing this year.  They are clinging onto the eight playoff spot in the East.  Rondo has not progressed to the elite level player many thought he would.  Jason Terry forgot how to add instant offense off the bench over the summer.  Green has mastered the deer in the headlights look.  The mainstays Garnett and Pierce along with the youngins Bradley and Sullinger have all been solid.    Unless a major shakeup happens at the trade deadline it would appear that the window on Celtics relevance is closing. 

A Classic?

NFL Playoff alert!  The Ravens Broncos game was a classic.  Aside from the Dierdorf annoyance factor the game had everything.  Two Trindan Holiday special teams returns for touchdowns.  Manning slinging touchdowns and Flacco matching him with long bombs to Smith and Jones, Flacco by the way earned himself a new contract with that performance.  The last throw in regulation time was shocking, how did the Broncos secondary let that happen?  Excitement!  What a battle!  In the end Manning threw an awful interception which led to a 2^nd 0T field goal by the Ravens rookie filed goal.  Manning’s arm looked a little rubbery towards the end of that game, maybe it was the cold?  Ray Lewis lives on to fight another day.  As a Patriots fan I am scared of a rematch with Baltimore.  The Ravens look like a team of destiny. 

                Oh and in the second game the Niners steamrolled the Pack behind a fleet footed rookie quarterback. 

                On to today’s matchups!  

Roll em Roids, Pucks, and Tide

CFB Championship

That one was tough to watch as a ND fan.  Absolutely steamrolled by an uber talented Alabama team.  The Crimson Tide seemed to have stallions at every position.  Yes the SEC is still dominant.  Perhaps Oregon would have given them a game.  Saban is about as likeable as a dutchoven moment early in the morning but the overlord gets it done year after year.  Three out of four is unprecedented.  In the end it was a great miracle season for the Irish.  Golston will build on this season and be an excellent player in the future.  Can the Irish match this successful year in the coming seasons?  Sadly, probably not.  The SEC will still dominate the polls.  Oregon will be in the mix.  Ohio State is building something under Urban Meyer.  Perhaps when the playoffs come for college football the Irish will have a chance to get to a championship game but the odds are against them.  Sad to see Teo go.  Disappointing to hear Kelly is taking interviews for the NFL. 

Baseball Hall of Fame

No one got the 75 percent to be elected to the hall.  No one inducted this year.  Consider it a statement year with all the PED users on the ballot.  I think most of them deserve to make it.  Those drugs like it or not were a part of the baseball culture and most of the players in question have hall worthy careers spanning the non “PED” years.  All the PED’s did and do is prolong some productivity by accelerating recovery.  Eventually some of these guys will make it as the writers turn over realizing PED’s have always been a part of the game for a hundred years or so and their morality faces them every morning in the mirror.  Remember the “era of PED’s” by electing a few to the hall.  Preserve history and put asterisks by their names if need be.

NHL

Emotions are mixed about hockey being back.  Living in Canada I find there is an overload of hockey coverage and not enough basketball coverage.  It is painful for a hoops addict.  I root for the Senators and Bruins go to some games and love playoff hockey.  I love it yet hate it.  The lockout was nonsense spearheaded by the worst commissioner in sports Gary Bettman.  Look for the Canadian teams to regain their fans but in the US the fans might not come back. Empty seats will be a black eye for the NHL. The play itself should be wide open with a limited amount of regular season games and a frenetic schedule.  Last years abridged NBA season was wild so perhaps the same thing will happen in the rinks.  

Playoffs Week Two

Before I begin the look ahead in the playoffs let me touch on the RG3 situation.   The QB was obviously hurt and injured depending on what language you want to use.  After the mounting a 14-0 lead over the Seahawks he probably should have been taken out of the game.  The blame for what happened after is all on Shanahan.  RG3 is never going to let on that he was hurt, that is the football players mentality unfortunately.  Given how he looked afterwards he should have been taken out.  The risk for serious injury was there, it is awful that the coach ignored the obvious and left him in the game.  A healthy Kirk Cousins over a hobbling RG3 probably would have given the Redskins a better shot at beating the Seahawks. 

                This week’s games:

Seattle at Atlanta- Hmm the Falcons need to prove they have some cajones.  Their big play offense will have limited shots against a great Seattle defense.  Can they contain Marshawn Lynch?  This will be another key.  In the end I am thinking the Falcons will fall surprising no one and everyone at the same time. 

Green Bay at San Francisco- This game has the look of a classic.  The Niners trounced the Pack early in the season.  San Fran’s rookie quarterback in the playoffs?  Yikes.  The Niners are a well rounded team on both sides of the ball.  The Packers defense is weak.  Aaron Rodgers must have the game of his life for Green Bay to win this one.  Unless Kaepernick throws pick sixes early I look for the Niners to win a close one.

Baltimore at Denver:  This is Ray Lewis’ last game.  Early turnovers by Flacco will help the Broncos get out to an early lead and hang on to win the game despite some late Ray Rice heroics.  Denver by a touchdown.  Manning will continue his magnificent season.  The Ravens defense’s age issues will be exposed. 

Houston at New England:  I only hope the Patriots are not taking the Texans lightly as Dan Shaunessy wrote.  Thanks for the bulletin board material Dan.  I suspect the Texans will come out strong behind Foster and some playmakers on defense.  Look for a close game early.  In the end the difference will be at the quarterback position.  A Brady to Gronk touchdown will close the first half.  The Patriots will carry that momentum to the second and win going away.