The NBA, where “I’m not thirty, I’ve made hundreds of millions, won the MVP twice and I’m a failure.” Happens!

As the final minutes ticked away in Game 6 of the 2011 NBA finals I was already excited to devour the material that would be ready in mere hours: Where does this put Dirk all time? What does this do to Lebron James’ legacy? What is the most outlandish story about Lebron that I will hear tomorrow? And the world delivered, already there are whispers of Lebron James for Dwight Howard, a trade that will almost certainly never happen and is outlandish at best. The funny thing is that people think we got here because Lebron didn’t live up to expectations when the truth is exactly the opposite.

We live in an age of instant gratification. Any and every piece of data is right at our fingertips; every comment, action, misstep by anyone of note is on the World Wide Web ready to be shared. Technology has altered are perception, it has altered the way we end arguments; it has brought more data than ever to the table to prove these arguments. We have a perception that we understood what happened in the past, especially in sports; because we have the numbers…….but we forget it is all hindsight.

For starters we have to understand the hype machine.  Lebron was not the first, nor the last, kid in High school to get attention like he did when he was only 14. Every year there is another 7 footer that is “light on his feet” and “shoots like a guard”, another talent that is ready to blossom. When you start to analyze most specimens they break down. Their structural composition was not meant for the bright lights and it burns them to the core. How many number 1 recruits have we seen fail at the college level? How many number 1 draft picks have failed to make an impact, to change the lot of a franchise? With Lebron the level of hype and scrutiny was at an all time high. This was the first superstar of the social network generation; his every thought was our internet fodder.

Lebron had a different composition though, his DNA was built for the lights and the brighter they shined the more he thrived. At every level he was the best, when he came to the NBA it was instantly obvious that he was a top 10 player. By year two he was top 5. He took a team that was nowhere near ready to the NBA finals in 07. Here he was, fully grown and blossomed, ready to be crowned the new king. On top of his ability on the court, he had an equal or better understanding of what to do off the court, how to draw fans like few before him. His charisma was off the charts.

When people talk about Michael Jordan they talk about a killing edge. How you were afraid Jordan might murder you if you missed a shot. When Jordan was inducted into the Hall of fame, his speech took shots at people for perceived slights he felt still existed. He was cut from his HS basketball team, he was the third pick in the draft, and he always felt that it was him against the world. When exactly would Lebron develop those feelings, when did he have a chance to cultivate this drive? No one ever doubted him; instead everyone always expected this of him. NO ONE thought Jordan would win 6 titles when he first got into the league, everyone felt that if Lebron didn’t win 4-5 his career would be a failure. The starting points were so different, yet for so long the paths held parallel. MJ didn’t win right away, it took him some years to understand when to step back, to learn to be a better team player, and we were willing to afford Lebron with time to do the same.

You see, Ewing had faltered by this point. Daugherty fizzled. Robinson was too nice. Coleman had no heart. O’Neal wanted to have fun. Iverson was too selfish. Those are number 1 picks, guys like Kobe came in the conversation when you realized, “Hey this guy has 3 rings, and I wonder if we can compare him to the best one day?” But Lebron held true from the beginning, fastest to 10,000 points, performances that made you say WOW! Each year his game was better, each year we watched him grow and marveled at what we perceived was going on. We were able to compare his statistics to the ones who had come before him and there was only one logical conclusion, he would be an all time great. I remember going with some friends to catch Lebron and the Cavs play against the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. We didn’t go there because we were fans of one team; we went so we could tell our kids that we had seen Lebron play in the playoffs. We were sure that it would be an increasingly harder endeavor to get tickets to a Lebron playoff game as his legacy grew; we had to go, to say we had been “Witness.”

There was something hidden though; the bright lights were like steroids for his ego. His public persona had grown and left the rest of his personality structurally unsound. While he was still in Cleveland, his roots compensated, the public perception of a hometown hero who was one of the boys made it hard to see the cracks. Last year the doubt started to come into the picture. After the decision, it was time, the wait was over.

The only true comparison for Lebron James is very simple, Wilt Chamberlain. No matter what Wilt did, any year he didn’t win it all was a letdown and a choke. He was the most physically gifted man of his generation, and losing was unacceptable. Sound familiar? After last night, one thing is clear; no matter what Lebron James does from here on out there will always be a caveat, always a reference to this failure. Wilt won multiple titles; he was on two different teams that are considered to be potentially the greatest team of all time; he scored 100 points in one game; he lead the league in every stat you could think of at some point, but his career, to many historians, was a disappointment, a glimmer of the true greatness he could have achieved. When you come into a league with the talent to be the greatest player of all time you are doomed before you start.

With most guys the hyperbole doesn’t stick the first time we throw it. Our outlandish exaggerations are quickly slapped down as such by those who point to reality, to probability. With Lebron, the fantasy lived so much longer. He took us past thinking “what if” and took us to a place where we were saying “when”. Just when we thought all of the prophecies were coming true, Lebron hit a wall. A green wall. The loss to the Celtics started a chain of events that few could have expected and even less could turn away from, everyone tuned in. Love him, hate him, everyone was watching and listening, waiting to see what would happen next. You might have hated “The Decision” but understand it was fueled by “Lebron Watch” and it drew higher ratings then the finals did that year. The love for Lebron might not be at an all time high, but his fame is at its apex.

The loss to the Mavs, coupled with his weakest performance in any playoff series has cut his legacy at the knees. Will he ever recover? I don’t know, you don’t know, he doesn’t know. Has the perception changed? Absolutely, A-Rod move over, Lebron is taking the seat next to Donovan McNabb at the unrealistic expectations table. But let’s just remember, the only legacy that Lebron has is the one WE created for him because he had met our expectations to this point in the story. We wrote the ending, the fantastic ending, because of the thrill of it, not because it was logical. We should be able to appreciate what we are seeing instead of griping about what wasn’t delivered. Regardless of your outlook, Lebron is clearly one of the 50 greatest players of all time. For a sport that has been around for the better part of a century, that is an amazing accomplishment, but in our world it isn’t enough.

For those of you who think Lebron’s legacy is now written in stone, I would advise you to avert your gaze to the winning team. It wasn’t long ago that we were all sure how soft Dirk was, how he could never lead a team to the championship, how he wasn’t clutch. Turns out one of the most clutch runs in recent playoff history can change the story. The final chapter on Lebron has yet to be written, we may have just read a prequel to the greatness that is going to be displayed; he may go Mitch Williams and crumple from the spot light forever more. Only time will tell the true story of Lebron, and if we keep trying to write it before it happens, we will keep being wrong……but that’s ok, it’s what makes it fun.

A.D.D. Blog

Been a while since we talked sports here, seems like a good time to pick it back up…..so many things going on in areas that I care about. Guess it’s time for my quick thoughts blogging or as it shall be known moving forward, the A.D.D. blog:

NFL and the Eagles:

Ok, before I go on a depressing rant, I have to say this has been a really interesting season. There is no team so far that stands head and shoulders above the others. Teams seem to dominate one week just to be crushed the next. For fun I came up with this flow that goes win loss:

Jags lost to Eagles lost to Packers lost to Bears lost to Giants lost to Colts lost to Texans lost to Cowboys lost to Redskins lost to Rams lost to Raiders lost to Cardinals lost to Falcons lost Steelers lost to Ravens lost to Bengals lost to Browns lost to Chiefs who haven’t lost yet this year!!! That is pretty insane for 4 weeks into the season. Some other freaky stats to keep you confused at night include Brandon Lloyd being 2 yds off the league lead in receiving yds (tallying almost as much as he has in the last 3 years combined in the first 4 weeks), Arian Foster being the greatest RB in football and Run DMC being relevant if not downright dangerous. It has been an interesting and exciting start to the football season….

Unless you are an Eagles fan that is….Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to get too depressed right now, but watching Kevin Kolb play so far this year has been depressing at best. Mike Vick has been a wonderful story and amazing to watch, but you knew an injury was coming with all the hits he has been taking. There is a lot of talent on our offense and defense, but the coaching really doesn’t seem to be getting it done. Each game that I watch, win or lose, I feel that I would have rather seen McNabb without Reid as opposed to the other way around. The only upside right now is that the NFC East is pretty awful, so even a sub par Eagles team has a chance to win the division….I’m moving on before I start to get angry.

College Football, The Noles and Shoelace

Here is hoping to another year with multiple undefeated teams. How will we ever figure out who should be in the championship game? If only there was some way, where each team could be measured against each other towards that goal….maybe something like A PLAYOFF!!! It amazes me that this is a concept that still seems as far away as it did when I started this blog three years ago. There are teams at the top that just don’t have the chance in their regular season to prove themselves, they should be afforded that opportunity in a playoffs.

The Noles have looked awesome this year (what do you mean what happened week 2? There was a game that week? Are you sure?) Ok, so take out a blow out at Oklahoma and we have looked pretty good this year. The things that have stood out to me so far the most is that the run game is BACK, Christian Ponder is not as good as advertised (but maybe good enough with this run game) , and Mark Stoops has brought serious improvement to the defense. This weekend is really going to tell us what the season holds for us. Lose to the U and will be back in the toilet bowl (seriously, its sponsored by Charmin..)

Anyone caught Michigan this year? I know no one has caught Shoelaces Denard Robinson. I am in no way a Michigan fan, at all. But when Saturday rolled around I was looking for their game to see what he would do….first run of the game, 72 yard TD! The guy leads the nation in rushing, by two hundred yards! He has the top three all-purpose yards performances in Michigan’s history…in 5 games played. It is as simple as this, if he stays up all season, he is the Heisman winner and he is going to break endless records. The kid is a true pleasure to watch.

Phillies Run

So let’s end this on the high note that is the Philles. As has been demonstrated many of times in this blog, I am a diehard Philadelphia fan. In my lifetime, I have witnessed one championship team, the 2008 Phillies. I have witnessed countless other let downs, teams falling flat on their face, teams overachieving just enough to make it hurt. I remember it all very clearly and it has shaped me as a fan. People commonly say that Philly fans are too negative, in fact my brother and I commonly say that about my father and Uncles. In reality, I think guarded is the better word. After so many years of being fully invested in these teams and having your heart-broken, smashed and chewed up, you learn to step back, to not get too excited. My whole life, when I talk to my dad about a team doing good from Philly there is always words of caution…”this guy isn’t consistent”; “They aren’t a team”; “The coaching will kill us” ….in almost every single instance he was absolutely right. So it is this conversation that makes me so excited for the postseason:

Me”I think this might be the best Philly team of all time, they win another championship it’s for sure. I’m not even scared about them blowing it, I feel cocky”

‘ Dad “Absolutely, they are the best team in baseball and every move is paying off. This is already the best Phillies team of all time, if they win it all this year it won’t even be a debate.”

What? Did my dad just endorse the team before it’s over? For the first time in my life I’m not nervous about a Philly team! Am I convinced that they will win no matter what? Of course not, that’s why they play the game because you never know what will happen. There are these points that make me really excited though:

The hottest Pitcher going into the Playoffs is Cole Hamels

The best pitcher going into the Playoffs is Roy Halliday

Roy Oswalt is pitching as good as both of them

Every star position player was on the DL this year yet we still finished with the best record in the NL

The Phils have home field advantage throughout the playoffs

If we make the WS, our away lineup (Ibanez DH and Brown in the OF) is better

Those are just some of the points. The team seems genuinely happy to be together and to win together. They don’t get ruffled by challenges because they have been there before and won big. If Halliday is pitching in the Playoffs the way he did in the regular season and Oswalt and Hamels can hold up their end, then people better watch out.

So let me set myself up right here and now to get kicked in the teeth. I am predicting that the Phillies will win the WS. I will go on record that I think they will sweep the first round and not lose 4 games over the entire playoffs. So maybe I will eat crow and become more “Guarded” then ever before, but until then LET’S GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!!!!!

In Loving Memory, I promise

I have been trying for days to write something beautiful, something that would make me feel better about the situation at hand. To ease the pain, understand the situation, try to make sense of losing my grandmother. Each and every attempt has come up empty. Most attempts before this did not make it to the third sentence before dismissed as failure. The truth is I am not talented enough to write something that beautiful, maybe no one is that talented of a writer.

My grandmother possessed a light that shined during the happiest of times and during the darkest of days. To try to capture what she was to me; what she was to our family; what she was to so many people; that is a task that I could spend my entire life trying to achieve.  

What a story that would be, a tale that would have so much generosity, kindness, understanding and love. Make no mistake, it was also a story of challenge and of struggle but her magnificent smile always lighted the way.

In truth, the only thing that was more special than the light within my grandmother, was the good she saw in all of us. So I guess that is how I can make this a worthwhile tribute to you grandma….

I promise to not care as much what other people think

I promise to always keep my door open to my family and those in need

I promise to love like there is not tomorrow

I promise to focus on the good and not worry about the bad

I promise to take care of my family

I promise to not avoid the hard road if it is the right road

I promise to always eat well and make sure my loved ones do the same

Thank you so much for being the greatest Grandmother that anyone could have ever asked for. I promise to try to one day be remembered as you are remembered.

I love you with all my heart. RIP Esther Segal

The only way I can express

Even before I started writing, I was thinking of all of the drawbacks. My thoughts are unorganized, there is not a point I want to get across, and it is just a tough situation. In the end, this is my release so whatever, it makes me feel better it is what I need to do.

As I arrived at Einstein hospital on Saturday morning, I was struck by two very different types of memories. Afterall, my father had worked in this hospital for the majority of my childhood, my mother and grandmother had worked for him. I would fake sick so I could spend the day with grandma at the office. Unlike most people, hospitals don’t bother me, they remind me of days of going to my dad’s office when my grandmother still worked for him. Hiding under her desk during the day, getting ice cream every time she took me to the cafeteria, forcing her to make countless copies of anything we could find in the office because, well, to a 6 year old a copy machine was fascinating.

The other memory is the exact opposite spectrum, my grandfather had passed at this hospital. We had gone through this before, this place was still a hospital. As we got off the elevator on the 5th floor I cursed my memory. I was not even 13 when my grandfather had been here, why the hell do I remember that this is the same floor; that I have already cried countless tears in this waiting room; that straight ahead is the room where we lost him, where I said goodbye……. My father was his doctor (it is my mother’s father) and I watched him give every piece of energy to try and save my grandpa. I cannot imagine what that must have been like for him, but I do know it was a security blanket for us. We knew that my father would do ANYTHING to save him, would not keep us in the dark…

My parents had since split and my father is not around this time, he is not my grandmothers doctor. I look at my older brother, Jason, ever since dad left he feels he needs to be strong for Randy and I. He is a doctor now, still a resident, but a doctor. He places so much pressure on himself. I use to resent how he always tried to play dad, I see him now, I see him clearly. I want to embrace my brother, tell him everything is alright, make him feel better. Randy is struggling too, his intelligence a burden. Randy is already doing rotations on his way to be a doctor, I know him and how he thinks, fact and logic is where his mind is being tortured. Can only I see it? I know he tries to hide it but to me it is so clear. They are both so strong, they keep their cool so they can explain questions to the whole family. For once in my life I try and stay quiet, opinions will be taken better from these two.

Everyone is dealing differently, there is no right or wrong in this situation. My aunt Cheryl has been by my grandmother’s side every minute, not just now, but for months, years…..you can see how it is taxing on her, but she has only two motivations; taking care of her mother and taking care of her family. There is a chink in the armor of a very close family, our pain is tied together. We hurt more when we see the pain in our loved ones face, so helpless to make it better.

When Grandmom was first diagnosed with cancer and going through Chemo a few years back, she was having a very rough time. At the same time,  I was living in Virginia alone, and working at AOL. I was diagnosed with a case of shingles and it was very painful yet only dangerous for people like her (elderly, sick) and children. I got a call, “Marc, come stay with me, I have to take care of you.” Her voice was stronger than it hand sounded to me in a long while, to her that was the only option, one of her grandchildren needed her.

She needs me now….I am helpless….we are all helpless. Eyes are red all around. Smiles appear when a story of Grandma is told; a found memory shared; a brief moment of energy when Grandma makes a joke.

I can see the impact she has had on this world, there is never less than 5 people by her bedside, sometimes upwards of 12 of us at the hospital at the same time. So many people are devastated because such a wonderful woman is hurting. It is bittersweet to see those from the past, those that I now know I must see more in the now.We share stories of Granda’s exploits, of her generosity, of how much we love her…

Sunday afternoon was the hardest, watching Randy and Jarrett say goodbye for what might be……as you can imagine these are not two people I commonly see crying, its a foreign face, a pained face, my heart is shattered. I try and console them, to ease their pain, but how. I am not alone, the armors weak point has been exploited again. How can we have to deal with real life right now? A job, school, to be honest, why do I give a F#(k!!! But it is the real world, and Grandma of all people would want us to push on, to do what must be done, to make families of our own.

It is Monday now, the real world has thined the group that remain, it beckons at me now. I miss my wife, I want to hold her but the real world is cruel and has kept us apart for this just as it already kept Grandma from our wedding. I have to watch my mother leave her mother, the pain in her eyes, nothing I can do. She has to drive home alone for eleven hours with these thoughts. Today is the day I fly back to Tampa, every second that passes sickens me.I have to take advantage of my time. I am stronger for that today, no use losing my last full day. Easier said then done of course, I break down at least once an hour but I try and hide it. Guess just like Randy was trying to hide it, I am sure it is obvious on my face. Grandma has some lucid moments this day, we talk some….all of my strength….I tell her its ok. We will support each other, I love you. She says don’t just say it, mean it……she calls for my grandather, I want to tell her you will be together soon enough….I say my goodbye and I tell her I love her……is this my last goodbye?

As I walk out of the room I cry harder then I ever have in my life….

I don’t know exactly where to go at this point, like I said in the beginning, there was no direcetion. When I got to the airport my flight was of course delayed for about 2 hours. I knew I would be alone with my thoughts all that time and it frightened me. I had no desire to lose my grip while I was at the airport.  My grandma said part of a poem yesterday, its a poem about what a women was before she was sick, the child she was, the family she raised, the love she knew. That is what I will remember. When I closed my eyes I had thoughts of playing at the office; thoughts of the summer that I lived just her and me at the beach house; thoughts of all the summers the whole family spent at the beach house. I will think of my grandmother for all that she did, the amazing family she started. How she was a loving woman who was always supportive and just an amazing person. The pain is still in my heart, the agony and anguish torment me still. As I write this, I have stopped countless times to fight back tears, to get a grip. But the pain has no power in our memories, it will wash away with time, but the love will be there forever.

So, that is it I guess, not much of an ending or anything. I might post more soon, that is just the way I am getting by….

When did “Having fun” become a bad thing?

I tried with all my might to resist, but I couldn’t help it any longer, I am going to write about Lebron. I know I know, I don’t write for months on end and then I write about the single most talked about “Decision” this year. Well ya know what, this is what I got, so deal with it

We live in a land of hyperbole, and with Lebron, Wade and Bosh joining up in Miami, exaggeration has hit new heights. I am going to hit on some topics and give my two cents. So without further ado:

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would never have done this!

This seems to be a really big point, Lebron can not be one of the all time greats any longer because of his need to play with other stars. Unfortunately, this concept is tragically flawed. First, let us consider the teams that above mentioned three players were on during their careers. MJ for three of his championship teams had Rodman and he always had Pippen. If you were to make an all time defensive squad, those guys are most likely in your starting 5. Additionally, MJ did have this coach, Phil Jackson, who was alright. This team also possessed one of the greatest shooters of all time in Steve Kerr and countless players that are far superior to Lebron’s previous cast. When you consider the teams that Magic and Larry played on the case is even more clear. Neither won championships without AT LEAST 2 other hall of famers on their team! This was a stacked error that people seem to forget about, Boston and LA always had tons of talent. Shaq went to LA, Kareem went to LA, the Big Three went to Boston….at times it seems like the biggest issue is that these guys chose the Heat. If you look at some of those team with Bob Macadoo, Bill Walton and John Havilcheck; Chris Bosh would have been the 5th best guy on the team. These guys didn’t leave their teams because their teams were stacked. They had amazing coaches and would do anything to make sure they won.

This is the greatest Trio ever assembled

This one is just absurd, there is literally NO MERIT. Now, I will give this, by the end of their run this could be the most successful trio ever assembled. But as of now, please stop it. Maybe I can name some better trios

1. Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin and Elgin Baylor -at the time they played together, each was easily the top 3 to EVER play at their position

2. Magic, Kareem and James Worthy-If I need to explain the first two, you are just reading this to waste time. There is no way in hell that Chris Bosh can be compared to Worthy at this point.

3. Bird, Parish, McHale- I think you could argue here that while Lebron is potentially equal to Bird, Wade is a superior player to Parish and McHale. However, the sum of the parts still seems to be greater. At best you could tell me this is an equal pairing. But since these guys won championships and had HOFers coming off the bench, I give them the nod.

4. MJ, Pippen and Rodman- People seem to forget the stats that Pippen put up, they were out of this world. MJ is obviously better then anyone in Mia and I think his difference is about equal to how much better Wade might be to Pippen (You can argue he is not better). This is where some fans will argue with me, but I promise you, Rodman is better then Bosh. I hear the “but Bosh is a 20-10 guy, Rodman never did that.” First off, if Bosh was playing against Rodman he would score about 5 points before running home crying. Second, especially on a team with two super star scorers, I’d take one of the best defensive PFs to ever play the game.

5. Mo Cheeks, Dr J and Moses Malone- Debatable, but I wanted to throw it out there anyhow. Malone and Dr J are obvious choices here, but the point is, to me, Cheeks to date is the superior player to Bosh. ( Getting great stats on a team that does nothing is not very special. See: McGrady, Tracy and Carter, Vince)

So there is 5 trios of the top of my head that I would take instead. I’m sure people could suggest more but the point is, don’t crown em yet. Again, this is not against the move, it was a great move. These guys could win multiple championships and force me to revisit my opinion. The point is, this is not the greatest Trio ever formed.

There can only be one MJ, somebody has to be Pippen

Is that a rule? I never heard that rule before so I am a little confused. I think people are quick to say this because of the obvious position matches between MJ and Pippen and Lebron and Wade. The first and most tragic flaw to this concept is you are not comparing apples to apples. If anything Lebron is like Magic Johnson more that he is like MJ. While Kareem plays a different position then Wade he was another superstar player that needed the ball to score. I am pretty sure that worked out well. Additionally, Jordan got all the hype, but Pippen put up insane numbers as well. I expect the same to happen in Miami where James will put up the lion share of stats but Wades will still be first team worthy. People also seem to forget all of the game winners made by people other then Jordan, he did actually pass the ball. Lebron is at times downgraded as a player because of his willingness to pass and become a distributor, this is actually a great quality in basketball.

This is Dwayne Wade’s team

I mean, he might be captain. He also is potentially the most mature of the three so he could be the leader. Make no mistake though, the end of the season Lebron will have the best PER, and most likely another MVP (unless he penalized for playing with the Trio). Wade is an amazing player, arguable the second best in the league, but Lebron is on another level of everyone else.

Lebron isn’t as good as Kobe or Player X because he has never won it all

This is beyond annoying. So Derrick Fisher is better then Steve Nash? Kendrick Perkins is Dwight Howards superior? Lebron posts a triple double in the final playoff game, he had 29 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists. This game was considered by many to be a complete choke and apparently by his owner as quitting. Kobe posts 20 something points on 89 shots with 13 rebounds and he’s lauded for finding another way to win the game (the “other way” is named Pau Gasol) . At this point is his career, MJ had not won anything either, its a ridiculous argument at least until he is older.

Kobe would never hurt his fans like that, Kobe is the better guy, Kobe wants it more

Where to start? Hmmmm, well first off, Kobe nearly signed with the Clippers and made his “decision” go down to the final minute as well. He didn’t command quite the attention Lebron did, and since he went back all was forgiven, but he did it. Kobe also demanded a trade (you know, cause there was no talent around him, you know cause he forced Shaq out of town) and only let up in his demands when Chris Wallace gift wrapped Gasol for the Lakers. He absolutely wanted to go an play for the bulls for a time and would have if he was granted his wishes.

As for Kobe wanting it more, doesn’t Lebron signing with some of the best players in the league and conceding that he needs help show just how much he wants it? Doesn’t that mean he is willing to sacrafice his own star and potentially his legacy in order to obtain the championship? There is so many contradictions that it is funny. Also, when did it become ok to rape chicks but playing basketball in Miami with your buddies is evil? I’m just saying.

Lebron was scared of the lights in NY

I totally do not get this one. The guy who just did a show called “The Decision” which got more views then the MLB allstar game is scared of attention? I’m not even going further into this one, this is akin to me calling a girl fat after she rejects me.

Lebron is a bad guy because of all of this

First, and I have said this a lot lately. If you are not a Cleveland fan you have no right to be upset with the guy. You lost on the sweepstakes, live with it. Lebron did show bad judgement, he showed that there is no one in his corner saying “Dude, this might not be the best course of action.” but he was fueled by the media, the fans and everyone else. ESPN had a page updated daily called Lebron Watch (this started in 08), Everyone and their mother had constant FB status’ and twitter feeds about where he might go. So yes, I agree he showed that he was cocky, but he also just understands that his brand sells. He used proceeds from the show to support the boys and girls club, people say that was just a PR move. My comment, SO WHAT!!! If he is giving money to charity then it is a good thing, end of story, this helped. Teams constantly trade players when its good for them, Shaq, Moses Malone, Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, and Wilt Chamberlain were all traded in their primes because the bottom line was the team viewed it as a way to get better. Lebron decided to do what was best for him in the system that is set up. You might not like it, but it doesn’t make him a bad guy. If he had gone to Boston or LA I might agree, but come on.

In the end, its all funny. We constantly complain that athletes are too me first. They want too much money and all they care about is personal glory. The greatest basketball player in the world decided he would take less money to play on a team with his friends in South Beach. He’s 25, how does everyone not get this? For all those that say he can never be mentioned among the true greats because of his decision, we will see what your tune is if they win multiple rings. Then again, maybe they won’t. Maybe there isn’t enough money to get a good TEAM together and they fall short. Maybe someone hurts his knee and is never the same again. So many maybes, so many what ifs.

Lebron said he asked his mother for her advice and she said “Go where you will be the happiest.” That is a great mother, that is what she should have said. Maybe people don’t realize but there is a profound difference between being King and being a Savior. Maybe the pressure of being savior was too much, or maybe it was just something that took the fun away. Anyone remember the ticking time bomb that KG had become before he was traded to the Celtics? The guy looked like on any given night he might kill his entire team, he played the good soldier, but he was so distraught, so unhappy. It wasn’t till the tail end of his career that he was traded to the Celtics and a jubilant KG screamed “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!” after winning his championship. I think Lebron was watching, listening, learning. He didn’t have to put himself thru misery, thru pressure that is far greater then what most of these stars have faced (lets not forget, MJ wasn’t even the second pick of the draft).

Maybe he just wanted to have fun in a situation where truly, anything is possible.

Phillies vs Dodgers- Running Journal

Welcome back everyone. I know what you are thinking, “two articles in less then a month, how did I get so freaking lucky!!!”  Ok, so you are probably thinking “This isn’t the porn site I clicked on?“ but since you are already here, might as well keep reading. I really wanted to do a long detailed column on football this week, but unfortunately, the whole job thing got in the way. So I decided tonight I am going to try for the first time ever a running journal. I am going to watch the Phils vs Dodgers and take notes of my thoughts, feelings, etc at the time. IF this works out, maybe next time I will do this with live comments from my readers or you guys who accidentally got here when you tried to click on porn, but whatever.

3:57- I am incredibly nervous about this game and hate that I am still working. I really need to hook up a TV in my office, this is stupid. My plan is to have the game on and rewind any time I hear screaming or yelling. I can’t believe I am about to root for Pedro in the playoffs.

4:12- Checked the game just in time to see Howard pop out for the final out of the first inning 0-0. When I look at Howard I think two incredibly different things; first that he looks like such a nice, lovable guy; second, he could probably beat the crap out of me and all my friends if he felt like it. Does anyone else elicit those feelings? 2006 Big Papi?

4:36- So far 6 men up and 6 men down for Pedro, great stuff. At this point, I have seen a total of 8 pitches in this game and I am starting to lose it.

4:46- Padilla just threw a 96 MPH fastball followed by a 55 MPH breaking ball!!! Are you kidding me, you can’t have that much of a speed difference on the freaking Wii. I’ve always maintained that normal people would crush pitchers who throw all off speed stuff, simply because that would be all you could hope to hit. If someone throws it 90 I’m probably running away, but slow down and I’m going to hit the crap out of the ball (hopefully it would make it out of the infield).

5:00- Game is flying along. We’re going into the top of the 4^th and the score is 0-0 with 1 hit for each team. When I watch something like baseball it makes me laugh at Tiger Woods. The dude freaks out if you break wind in his backswing cause it messes him up. Seriously! Have you seen the noise that is made at baseball games when these guys are trying to hit a moving 98 MPH ball that’s possibly spinning towards them? I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

5:05- What makes me happier, the sound of the bat hitting the ball or the look of the pitcher as Ryan Howard rounds the bases? There really is no right answer to this question.

5:38- I’m officially done work and focused on the game. Top 6^th 1-0 with Rollins up. Speaking of which, Rollins needs to pick it up if were going to have a shot at winning it all.

5:40- Rollins strikes out, nice. I know people talk about Harry Kalas, but I don’t think the story gets enough attention. No disrespect to the Angels, because its always hard when a young and bright talent passes away, but no way any player means as much to their team as Harry meant to Philly. It’s just not possible; the guy was the voice of Philly. I just pray that I can utter the sentence “The fightin Phils did this one for Harry!”

5:50- I hate one run games, they make me sick to my stomach. I remember hearing one time that no true fan ever enjoys a good game from their team. It is so true, a good game and you’re breathing heavy, screaming at the TV and just freaking out. Give me a blow out already so I can relax, I mean, it’s Friday. On a completely different note, the only cheers that I ever hear from these Dodger fans is “Philly Sucks”, I mean really, you can’t root for your team instead.. Negative karma will come back to you. End of the 6^th inning 1-0 Phillies.

5:57- I’m not exactly a baseball guy, but I would walk Ryan Howard with an open base. I mean he’s got an RBI in every postseason game this year and 15 in the last 9, just seems to make sense.

Great comment from my brother on Pedro’s game so far “Soul glow is apparently just as effective as HGH at reviving old pitchers careers!” He makes a great point, if he pitches in Philly he might have to worry about that mop freezing to the back of his neck.

The Viagra commercial with the guy talking to his own reflection just came on and it really bothers me….how can your reflection know more then you about a medical condition then you do? Shouldn’t this guy talk to his doctor about his reflection talking too him?

6:09- Manny whiffs and strikes out, WOW! Pedro is looking awesome and I feel horrible writing that because I am writing this live.

Holy rusted metal batman! Thought that might be a HR. So Pedro has gone through 7 innings and hasn’t thrown 90 pitches yet…do you pull him? Will he get hurt if you leave him out there?

No matter how many times he says it, I don’t believe Lopez tonight is going to be very funny. Why are there so many half good comedians getting talk shows? It doesn’t make sense to me.

6:15- The problem with writing a running journal on a baseball game is that you have no idea how long its going to be. Last night if I would have done this, there would have been opportunity for two pages worth of thought in the 5^th inning alone. Tonight, we got to the 8^th in under two hours, life is funny that way.

6:19- Dobbs is pinch hitting for Pedro after Ruiz was just walked with one out. It will be interesting to see how this will play out, I think it is the right decision; you don’t want to risk hurting him if he can do this type of start again in the playoffs. Dodgers are pulling Padilla as well, great game from both starters.

These black taco commercials from Taco Bell are absolutely hilarious. Not the way I think they mean them to be though, I would never ever eat something called a black taco. It sounds like the name of a gross sex move or a stripper in some seedy bar in a really bad area. If I’m sitting next to someone that orders a black taco I’m yelling “Joke Off” immediately.

Side Note: Joke off is something that my friends and I do when someone says something that was meant to be serious, but has an easy 5 jokes that could be made to make it dirty. Someone yells joke off and then everyone delivers their best one liner and a winner is chose, great times.

6:28- This isn’t insightful or funny, how is Craig Sager taken seriously? His suits would have been a joke in the freaking 70’s.

Blake hits a ball off of Feliz’s glove for a lead off single. Feliz has been a big pile of dung so far in the playoffs. Juan Pierre is coming in to pinch run, my stomach is more contorted then Jenna Jamison’s face in a snuff flick.

6:31- They bunt and Park and Howard boss miss the freaking ball. A runner on first and second with nobody out and maybe pulling Pedro wasn’t the greatest idea ever. I need a drink, or 4.

6:36- Were still on Russel Martin batting, baseball is taking years off my life, now it’s a full count……

6:38- Easy double play, the exact way you want it, and for the second night in a row Utley makes a horrible throw. It is not what you expect from him, but its happened two games in a row. Game is tied up, there is 1 out and a man on 1^st and Chan Ho Park gets pulled.

6:42- Dodgers are gaining momentum, Thome gets a hit and gets Martin to 3^rd and there is still only one out. Manuel is now pulling Scott Eyre…I have to say, this freaking playoffs I have never seen so many pitchers get pulled so fast, it makes the game take too long.

Kobe is at the game and is apparently a Dodgers fan even though he grew up in Philly. Ya know what Kobe, GOOD, no one likes you anyhow, and you’re a dick!

6:46- Ryan Madson was just brought in to pitch and I’m not sure how I feel. 2007 Madson I would be thinking please god don’t pitch a curveball. 2008 Madson I would say inning is over. 2009 Madson, I have no idea what is going to happen and I do not like it. Did I say I agreed with pulling Pedro? I was just kidding; can we put him back in?

6:49- 3-1 count and the chances of me getting too drunk tonight are increasing by the minute, if he walks him I am going…..live journal ladies and gentleman, thank god I didn’t decide what I was going to do because he did walk him. Here comes Matt Kemp and Jack Daniels.

6:52- STRIKE OUT!! That was huuuuuuuge. Need a quick out now and get out of the inning, but wait, were switching pitchers again, why not? It was 6:15 when the 8^th inning started, its still going.

Stop telling me that these teams have the most come back wins and walk off wins and good road records already. It’s the NLCS, the two teams there having really good records and winning close games is not really all the surprising.

6:58- They just had a shot of Kobe wearing glasses and trying to look like Spike Lee, I hate that guy.

7:00- The count is full, the bases are loaded, there are two outs in the bottom of the 8^th…..and he freaking walks him to get the lead. Maybe if Manuel wasn’t changing pitchers as often as he has to change his freaking diaper someone could get a rhythm. How does it make sense to change pitchers every batter?  My brother Randy again “I feel like I am watching a little league game where everyone has to play.”

7:03- And the correct answer was Chad Durbin ladies and gentleman. Bases are still loaded and Manny comes in and pops out on the first pitch. Thank god because if he went more pitches I would have lost my mind. Top of the 9^th, top of the order and it’s a one run game. I will say this, if someone gets on base, and Ryan Howard gets up, it’s a tie game.

7:07- Broxton vs Rollins, its time to make a mark Rollins…..grounds out!

7:10- Shane grounds out so there are two outs. Utley is up to bat with a chance to make up for his error, I’m not having fun anymore, I’m rocking, I’m nervous……someone show a clip of Matt Stairs and make me feel better already.

7:13- Fly ball for the final out of the game. As much as I love the guy, there is no ignoring the fact that Chase Utley cost us tonight’s game and nearly cost us last nights games. With that being said, I would almost bet money that he is out of this world this Sunday.

So there we are, the series is tied at 1-1 but Philly now has home field advantage and Cliff Lee coming up. I am going to break some things now and get drunk. Good day….I SAID GOOD DAY!

Been A long Time

Well hello hello!  I’d ask if you missed me but let’s be honest, I don’t exactly have regular readers. But here we are the football season has started, playoffs are almost here in baseball, time for me to get back to writing. This blog is something I have definitely missed doing, I could lie and give a bunch of reasons why it feel off, but to be realistic, it was simply a lot of life changes and me being lazy.  Thanks go out to some good friends who have encouraged me to get back into this, it really is appreciated.  Today to get back in the swing of things, I plan on bitching about FSU football for a bit before giving my weekly NFL picks. Please feel free to message me if you would like me to write about a certain topic.

FSU FOOTBALL

It is almost ironic that I call this blog style quick hits, cause that’s what the game this past weekend felt like. A quick hit to my stomach. I love FSU, Bobby, Micky….but the reality is just staring us in the face now, these guys can not cut it. Of course we still win some big games like BYU. There is far too much talent on FSU’s squad (and there always will be) to not win games, but that does not make us a good team. I truly believe that the biggest issue on our team is heart, and if you look further into that, it comes down to recruiting. In the current age of wide spread media, twitter, every idiot having their own blog (wait what) the recruiting field is more of an even playing field then it has ever previously been. Of course certain school (FSU included) have an edge because they are “Football Powerhouses” but the fact remains top level recruits are going to hometown schools with the knowledge that it will not effect their pro future. Miami and FSU are shinning examples of how you can have lots of pro talent and still not be in the upper echelon of college football. So how do you get an edge? You need to have kids with heart, guys that will go out and win games old school, because they want it more, because they need it more.  FSU has continued to get top notch recruits, but apparently our coaching staff does not understand how to measure heart, how to measure intelligence, how to measure character. Look at the incidents that have happened in the past 3 years, the cheating scandal, the brawl; before they ever got to the football field players on this team proved football was not their top priority. I’m not exactly sure what the answer is, but I do believe FSU has gotten to the point where no coach should be safe and discipline needs to be established, and thats all I gots to say about that!

Football Picks (pick in Caps)

LIONS (+10.5) at Bears

Fact- Jay Cutler is a bag of douche, it had to be said. I could deal with forcing your way off a team cause you are a giant baby, but turning on your fan base the way he did is just classless. But I’ll tell you what, if you miss the good old days of all american preppy tool QBs then this is the game for you! I don’t as much think that the Lions will win this game as I think it will be a close game. Megatron, Stafford, Smith and Pettigrew make up an incredibly talented young core and I am not overly impressed with the Bears D. I could actually see this being a 14 point game until the final minutes when Johnson breaks for a huge touchdown and crushes your teaser pick….just saying.

BENGALS (-5.5) at Cleveland

I just stepped into some dog shit, let me clean it off in some horse manor! That ladies and gentleman is a metaphor for replacing Brady Quinn with Derek Anderson as your starting QB. Braylon Edwards claims that this will be great for him as DA will look to hit him downfield, the major question that remains is will Edwards actually hold onto the ball. The nice little subplot that no one is talking about, trouble Cedric Benson going to the Bengals, the FREAKING BENGALS, and getting his act together. If you like Ochocinco touchdown celebrations, I predict a fun weekend.

Seahawks (+8.5) at COLTS

Peyton Manning went into his first season as a starter without Harrison on the field, loses his head coach  and A Gonz bust his knee in week 1 while Bob Sanders (shockingly) is injured. This sounds like a formula for disaster….unless you remember that Peyton Manning is your starting QB and then your realize this is the formula for MVP season. It begs the question, has the NFL ever had a starting QB that was also the Offensive Cordinator? I mean officially? Cause we are moving in that direction. Seattle has Seneca Wallace starting at QB and banged up corners, so basically, start anyone and everyone you have from the Colts team.

GIANTS (-9.5) at Chiefs

In other news Todd Haley and Eric Mangini are in a dead heat for fastest coach to alienate his team award. Haley probably has a slight edge as Mangini has previously won the award in the past. As for the football game, if you like to play Madden against people who have never played before and see how many silly things you can do while shutting them out, then this is the game for you!

BUCS (+7.5) at Skins

Really? The team that just lost to the Lions is getting a touchdown spread????? I actually went to Skins training camp this summer and remember thinking that they seemed very nonchalant as they ran thru drills. The Skins offense is awful, the Bucs offense is awful, both teams are awful. Still, I think this game has a very good chance of being 6-0 or 3-0 or 3-3 tie, since I can’t see either team scoring a touchdown I don’t think either team will win by a touchdown.

TITANS (+2.5) at Jags

I think Jeff Fisher gets wayyyyyyyyyyy more credit then he deserves as a coach. Last year, at 2-0 VY was benched in favor of Kerry Collins. This year, at 0-3 Fisher will not consider running the wildcat (talked about this last year) even though his players are begging him to. Regardless, I like this Jags team even less, think they have a worse coach and don’t think they should have won last week. The Titans are hungry for a victory and Chris Johnson has enough talent to beat a bad team by himself, plus Lendale White will not fumble into the Ezone. Look for the Titans to get a win on the board and if not, look for the Titans to go about 0-6 with a rough schedule up ahead.

Raiders (+9.5)  at TEXANS

A pair of number 1 picks facing off should be much more exciting then this game looks to be. Mario Williams has quieted critics of his selection spot by becoming one of the leagues most complete Defensive Ends. Jamarcus Russel, not so much, he couldn’t hit Rhianna in a parked car…..Too Soon?  There is much more fight between the coaches then on the Raiders team, look for them to look lousy yet again.

RAVENS (+2.5) at Patriots

Better Defense + Better Offense= Beating a team by more than a FG. New England will not be able to stop the two headed monster from Baltimore and that will just give way to play action pass and big strikes down field by the young gunner. Ed Reed has yet to return a TD and its week 4, so yeah, I expect a big play from him. Is it weird that ever since the “offensive genius” Billick has left the Ravens offense has gotten steadily better?

Jets (-6.5) at SAINTS

To me the hardest game of the week to pick. I love what the Jets are doing so far this season and I can at least say from a fantasy point of view, this will be a down week for Colston who has to go up against Revis all day. But, its at home for N.O. and there is nothing big on the line so Brees shouldn’t choke (yea thats right, I said it). Could be a real big day for Shockey and I wouldn’t be suprised at all if special teams was what decided this game. It’s always fun to watch strength vs strength and that is exactly what this game is.

BILLS (-1.5) at Dolphins

From worse to first and back to worse. The good news for all you Dolphin fans, Henne can actually throw the ball downfield so we might finally get to see what Ted G is really made of. Look for Edwards to force the ball to T.O. early in this game to avoid his bitching, but in the end, the Bills look like a far better team. As a side note, Tyler Thigpen who was recently acquired in a trade with the Chiefs is potentially the best QB at this game.

Dallas (-3.5) at BRONCOS

This is when football experts out think themselves. Dallas has two wins, they thumped Tampa (awful team) and they pulled one out against the Panthers (awful team). They looked bad in almost every game, Romo makes bad decisions and Ware with his new fat contract can’t get to the Quarterback. Felix Jones is out this weekend and Barber is at best not 100%. While I do think Tashard Choice is a very solid backup, when the strength of your offense is your running game and your starting your third stringer you got problems. Denver on the other hand does not have the most impressive victories in the world but they have been winning. The new leadership of Brian Dawkins can not be understated and it seems that B Marshall is finally on board. Look for Elvis Dumervill to get to Romo and get him rattled. Regardless, 3-0 home teams are probably going to be a little fired up to be dogs in this game and I think its time for Moreno to have his welcome to the NFL party.

Rams (+10.5) at 49ERS

Steven Jackson meet Patrick Willis and a very hard day ahead. This 9ers defense is clicking on all cylinders and is very unhappy after losing on a last second TD play from Brett Favre. Vernon Davis took a while, but the kid seems to finally get it and no one has ever questioned his athletic talent. Frank Gore being out will just cause this offense to be more aggresive and I don’t see anyone on the Rams defense that will step up to stop them.  Maybe Spags should drop his pants at halftime to get his teams attention….its worked before.

CHARGERS (+6.5) at Steelers

Steelers win this game, but in the last seconds on a comeback drive by Big Ben. San Diego’s corners don’t seem to get it so far this season, so it’ll be interesting to see, but Phillip Rivers will get his points as well. It’s amazing to look at this game and feel like the running game from both teams will not be a factor. With Polamalu still out look for Sproles to have some big plays in space. A key matchup to watch for in this game is Lawrence Timmons on Antonio Gates, should be quite the battle.

PACKERS (+3.5) at Vikings

This has nothing to do with picking the game correctly, I want to see Favre lose this game and lose it bad. I don’t think its a question, right now, Aaron Rodgers is a better QB. To me Favre is the NFL’s version of Roger Clemens (minus all the steroid BS). I can not argue that the TD pass at the end of last weeks game was amazing, but Favre looked damn good the first couple of weeks as a Jet too. Reality wise though, Rodgers is probably in for a long day with a lot of hits and might go down faster than Lindsay Lohan on Saturday night after 3 lines and two beers.

So that’s that folks. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I’ll catch you later.

MG

Well it has been entirely too long, but with all the things going on in Philly sports right now it’s time for an article. So without further ado, here are some of my quick hits, this or that, or whatever the hell it is I call my ADD style of writing.

 

SIXERS IN THE PLAYOFFS

 

This is really not that exciting of a subject. I mean, great job, and kudos to the team for finishing in the 6^th seed after Elton Brand went down. However, I don’t understand the coaching at times…or most of the time actually. Why the hell does Willie Green start? Why is Reggie Evans getting minutes over Mareese Speights? Personally, I would have rather not made the playoffs (which would have been an amazing feat since we pulled it off with those two shmos getting major minutes) and seen Speights develop. Look at the league this year, no way in HELL we make the finals. Only way were coming out of round 1 is if Tonia Harding decided to hit Dwight Howard in the knee cap.

 

For a positive side though, I think Iguadola continues to be one of the most underappreciated talents in the entire NBA. The fact that once again he was looked over for the All-Star game when he is our best defender (one of the best in the league) and our primary scorer is just ridiculous. I use to always tell everyone all about Bill Simmons articles, but in his latest MVP column he had a blurb on Ray Allen and nothing on Iggy. So Mr. Simmons, I ask you this question, how uncomfortable is it with all those, eh, well, you know, in your mouth?

 

FLYERS IN THE PLAYOFFS

 

I’ll never pretend to be the biggest hockey fan in the world, and unfortunately I’ve drifted further and further away the last couple of years. I always love playoffs though; the energy in hockey playoffs is hard to match anywhere. I tried to stay up to date with the team, I followed how many goals that Carter has scored this season, I know little more. What I do know is that after watching game 1 of the series, it doesn’t look great. The team seemed overmatched, out hustled and were getting knocked around. I sure hope this is an aberration, but if not, were not in for a long playoff series.

 

THE EAGLES

 

And now onto my bread and butter, my boys, what I really love, some FOOTBALL!!! It was just announced today that the Eagles have completed a deal for LT Jason Peters pending a physical and new contract. This was a great great great move. We now went from two very consistent but aging tackles to two guys who could be anchoring the line for as long as their predecessors before them. People were talking early that this was a very poor offseason for the Eagles; those people might want to check themselves at this point. As much as I liked Runyan and Thomas over the years, I always felt they were somewhat overrated. They were good, no doubt, and better then average easily, but neither of them were ever Top 5 kinds of guys in my eyes (Thomas maybe 6 years ago.) Now we have Stacy Andrews, a raw beast of a man that will be molded by Castillo into a force. The addition of Peters means that the Andrews brothers will most likely play next to each other. As a guy who has brothers, I can not imagine how excited these two our. If it were me, it would be a non stop game. I suck at basketball, one of the only people who know how to make me look good is my brother. He knows the two shots that I am capable of making, where to get me the ball and where to look for the ball from me. That’s too talent stricken Jews playing Bball!!! Imagine two Pro Bowl caliber O-Line guys having this type of fun. I can see it now:

 

Stacy “Hey how much did they pay Haynesworth again?”

Shawn “Not enough for what were going to do to him.”

Stacy “Pile on???”

Shawn “Pile on!!!”

 

Alright admittedly I’m a 5 year old, but still I’m giddy. Short yardage problems? Not when the O-line averages around 350 and Leonard Weaver is the guy in front of Westbrook. A real FB, what an amazing concept.

 

Now let’s talk what they will do next, because the Eagles still hold the 24^th pick and about 9 others in this draft.

 

Option 1- Draft Moreno, have a two horse system that will be scary good and Westbrook’s replacement when he eventually hangs them up. I like this concept, Westbrook says he feels good going into the year, but you are kidding yourself if you think he is not injury prone. It would be another great weapon and smart since our O-line is so beefy.

 

Option 2- Draft Pettigrew and finally have a real threat TE. I like Celek, a lot, more then most. But be real, Pettigrew is a major upgrade and would be that real red zone threat that we have needed. He would be a great compliment to the speed of Jackson and Curtis and really open up the middle of the field.

 

Option 3- Trade for a Veteran WR. Here is my stance on this one, if it’s Boldin, break the bank. Give them a 1, 3, and 6. The guy is an amazing football player, not just a WR. He will bring a lot of what I just said Pettigrew brings to the team, plus an added toughness. The guy is built to be a west coast type WR. My biggest concern with Boldin is that he has injury problems. Add that to the facts that were trading away a bunch of picks for what is not our biggest need and it might not be worth it. We shall see. I’m not too keen on the other WRs available by trade, Edwards is not worth the price that is being asked. He had one great year and has been mostly a disappointment, he drops too many balls, and he seems to be me first. Ocho Cinco, 2^nd round sure, 1^st round get bent.

 

Option 4- There are other WRs who would be available at this slot, Percy Harvin could be a good idea because the Eagles would really use a talent like him, plus he could take over return duties if Jackson and Demps are starting. I don’t love the D talent at this spot, but its not out of the realm of possibilities that the Iggles trade up to get Maclin, a dominant D player, who knows.

 

Here is what I do know. Things are looking up and things are looking great. Those critics who felt the Eagles were being too conservative better start changing their tune, cause its looking real promising right now.

Championship Weekend

Hello and welcome back! Remember how last week I said I was able to be calm because of the WS victory and all that, well you can throw that out the window. I love the Phillies, and the WS was amazing, it truly made me happy for, well, I’m still happy. However, the Eagles are my favorite team! There is no truer expression then “I BLEED GREEN!” I named a dog after Brian Dawkins, I’ve gotten into countless debates about McNabb, maybe it would make more sense to say “I breathe green” (although that doesn’t really sound healthy). This weekend was AMAZING and I have to say, regardless of how this season ends, I will always have a place in my heart for this team, it is one of my favorites of all time. So without further ado, I will break down this weekends matchups and a quick note, how many other people do you know who went 3-1 in their picks this weekend? I even said that AZ had a chance, gotta get props for that one!

AFC-Ravens vs Steelers

This is the third matchup this season of two bitter rivals. Make no mistake, no one is over exaggerating this is going to be an out an out slug fest. I’m talking hits so hard you have snot bubbles coming out! To me, this game comes down to two major factors- Pitts Oline and Joe Flacco.  I’m not saying Flacco because he is a rookie QB, sure that factors in, but here is the reality, he is playing one of the greatest defensive teams of all time. What he has at his disposal is a good to great running game and an amazing Def. He needs to take only what he’s given, throw the same passes he did against the Titans (Masons TD) and that will get picked this game. The Oline for Pitt is a much clearer subject, but here is the thing, as of right now they are playing awesomely. Last week was their best performance of the entire year. And for a team like Baltimore, who has already lost twice to the Steelers, that is not good news. This game could really go either way, I wouldn’t be slightly suprised if Big Ben trying to do too much leads to an INT that changes the game. However, with the way the Steelers are playing lately, I think they win this one. Final score- 13-10.

NFC-Eagles vs Cardinals

Well you don’t really have to be a rocket scientist to know my prediction here, but lets talk about this game anyhow. I don’t think the Cards running game stands a chance. Hopefully, they will make an attempt at getting it going and make this a game, but unlike many experts think, the Eagles will shut this down first. Stewart Bradley and Co are going to punish everyone at the line. The main obstacle for the Eagles Defense is going to be, duh, the AZ Wrs. You can play perfect coverage on Fitzy and he is going to catch balls anyhow. You can make a perfect hit on Boldin (when healthy anyhow) and he is going to keep running. I think there is going to be a lot of pressure on Kurt Warner and for how great he is if you can hit him he will turn the ball over. On the other side of the ball the Eagles have to be careful. This is where the Cards can win the game because while the defense may not be superb, they excel in creating turnovers. Points off a turnover early in the game at home could end up being more then the Eagles are able to come back from. I expect a HUGE, I repeat HUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEE game from Brian Westbrook. Let’s face it, he’s been mostly a no show for the first two games of the playoffs. Not for a lack of effort, simply because the other teams are solely trying to stop him and opening everyone else up. I think in this game it wont matter and its time for Westbrook to put his stamp on the playoffs. If McNabb can stay mostly mistake free, the Eagles should be very well off in this game….I’d say more, but I don’t want to jinx anything. So till next time………..

Happy New Year and were back

Hi EVERYBODY! Sorry for the long hiatus, but I’m back and I am ready to go. I think I can say the World Series has been 98% responsible for my absence. I mean, you go 25 years without seeing any of your teams win anything, 1 championship and I’ve been sitting pretty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still screaming my head off at the Eagles and the Seminole and the Sixers, but for the first time in my life I can always just say “At least the Phils won the WS!”

So let’s catch up on a couple of things…first off I’d like to talk about the bet. My buddy Mike and I made a bet at the beginning of the season on who would have a better year; Eagles or Packers, HA! Now Mikey is going to have to dress in Eagles gear for a day, get all dressed up for a night at the bar, AND read a speech I’ve written for him to be posted on YouTube (I promise the link will be here). Now this has nothing to do with anything except I wanted to rub it in his face a little more and I’m pretty sure he will read this blog, sorry Mike, MOVING ON……………

WHY I DON’T EXCEL AT SPORTS

Growing up I always wanted to be a star football player, but it just didn’t happen. I always thought that maybe if I was bigger, or stronger, or maybe faster then I could have done it, maybe if I trained harder or had more dedication…. Recently I have realized what was missing. It first dawned on me after the Texas vs. Ohio State game when Colt McCoy was doing a postgame interview, I thought about what he said and realized that Tebow and Bradford had said the same thing, that countless athletes had something that I didn’t have, McCoy said “First I would like to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ without him none of this would be possible.” SERIOUSLY! How unfair is that crap, Jesus is helping you play football. I thought these guys were supposed to be all freaking pious but here they are blatantly cheating and no one is saying a word. I mean, should this be considered a performance enhancer. It’s not like these guys say at the end of their speech they want to also thank Jesus. He’s always first and most important. If I had just had Jesus in my life I could have been the starting QB at my HS, F****! But seriously, how ridiculous are these guys. I’m sure many of my Christian readers are waiting for me to burst into flames but I’m sorry I have to point this out. When you score a TD at the end of a football game, when you run over another player, when you win the big game, you can pretty much bet that Jesus didn’t really have a part in that. Unless God and him were betting on the national championship game but then wouldn’t you want to be on the team God was betting on…..look, I’m not trying to challenge anyone’s faith or religion. I totally understand and respect when an athlete thanks God or whoever during a speech about his accomplishments. I just think its ridiculous to thank or point to Jesus/God/Alah/Fonzi during the game, THEY AREN’T WATCHING BECAUSE THE OFFICE IS ON!

THE IGGLES

Man has this been a fun year. Even if the Eagles were to lose this weekend I feel like I have already gotten four weeks worth of playoffs. Ending the season by thumping the Cowgirls to get into the playoffs, that was awesome. I am glad McNabb is finally getting people off of his back. He never should have been getting crap in the first place, put his exact numbers for Brett Farve and people are talking MVP year! The one thing that bothers me is Andy Reid probably saved his job. Don’t get me wrong, we win the big one and I don’t give a Damn (hell we win the superbowll and I could die a happy man) but if we don’t go all the way, this team needs a new leader before they get too old. Dono should get a chance under a different play caller for at least 1 season before we see him on another team. I’ve written about this at length before so I won’t go crazy right now.

This weekends games all look to be great, I’m not going to do spreads but I will do a quick breakdown on each matchup:

Eagles Vs Giants

The Giants have a monster on either side of the ball that are really scary. Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs; when the Giants won, those two crushed people, when the Eagles won they were non factors. I don’t see a situation where the Giants D doesn’t show up. The Eagles will have to fight for yards and Westbrook is going to need a big game. However, the Eagles D is coming together at the right time and after watching the neutralize AD I feel they can do much of the same against the GMEN. The Giants need to look out for Brian Dawkins. I love Ed Reed and think he is just an amazing player to watch, he is a CB playing safety, maybe even a WR out there. But if Ed Reed is a CB playing Safety then BDawk is a LB. He is wrecking havoc on other teams and has been all over the place the last couple of games. Add the fact that Mikell is playing at an ALL STAR level and these safeties pack a punch. Not a big suprise but I think the Eagles win this one and honestly wouldn’t be shocked if they use this game to send a message.

Cards vs Panthers

Can Edge be Edge of old for the next couple of games? Ya know, the guy who did the spin move off the tree and made it fall over (you remember the commercial) if he can then EVERYONE needs to watch out. However, I find it hard to believe that he can continue to compete at such a high level. Beason and Peppers are going to put a hurting on Warner and he is going to have a big turnover or two. Fitz might be the big play WR but Anquan Boldin is the safety outlet in this offense, with him missing its not good news. OH, did I mention that Stewart and Williams will probably run for 4 TDs this game. Miracles happen and I would love to see one, but the Cards are getting pounded!

Ravens vs Titans

Kerry Collins vs the Ravens in the playoffs, I’ve seen this before, it doesn’t end well. To those of you who point to the midseason matchup I have some news, the D on the Ravens has gotten much better, the D for the Titans has gotten beaten up. The Titans hurt themselves by being so good early on, it forced other teams to figure out how to play them. I’d love to see Young find his way into this game and just win like he always does, but I think the Ravens win this one on an Ed Reed TD.

Chargers vs Steelers

I think the Chargers may be better off without LT. Not for good (maybe though) but at least for this game. He wasn’t going to run on this D and maybe Sproles shiftiness can cause some matchup problems. Either way, the PGH D somehow got forgotten in their week off. This is one of the best defenses EVER! EVER! In my opinion, if the Oline for PGH plays even well they are on their way to the SB.

 

Ok thats it for now, hopefully I’ll be back in less then a month. Until then, GO EAGLES!