Week 17

As the new year approaches, so does the end of the NFL regular season, and with it the beginning of a new season: the playoffs. This years playoffs are shaping up to be an interesting one, as it will feature a mix of both playoff veterans and some rookie standouts. 

In the AFC the teams are set, it is now just a matter of determining the seeding at the top. If the Texans win they have the number seed, even if the Broncos and Patriots do the same. However, if the Texans lose and the Broncos win, Denver will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Patriots meanwhile will have to win and have both Houston and Denver lose in order to get the number one seed, and even if just one of those teams loses the Patriots will receive a first round bye. The AFC is led by future hall of famers Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Both are having outstanding seasons yet again, and both have made the pro bowl yet again. The other quarterbacks in the AFC include a couple of players who haven't yet won the big game, Joe Flacco and Matt Schaub. Now Schaub missed the playoffs because of injury last year, but he has been around for a while now. The last two seeds are the Colts and Bengals, led by second year man Andy Dalton and a rookie by the name of Andrew Luck. 

Luck is not the only rookie in the playoffs though, Seahawks starting quarterback Russell Wilson has led Seattle to the playoffs. Wilson has led an excellent defense and punishing running attack to the playoffs and will likely hold the 5th seed. The other quarterbacks in this years playoffs include Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers. He has led the Packers to another successful season, and avenge last years embarrassing loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants. Matt Ryan has led the Falcons to the best record in the NFC, and hopes to finally get a win in the playoffs. His other competition lies in San Fransisco, where Colin Kaepernick has taken over at quarterback and led them to the playoffs for the second straight year. While many are still surprised at coach Harbaughs move to sit Alex Smith, there is no doubt that Kaepernick has played well to this point. 

Now the final playoff seed will be decided by Minnesota; the Vikings play the Packers, and if they win they're in. However, if they lose and the Bears win then the Bears are in the playoffs. The most intriguing matchup of week lies in Washington, where the Redskins and the Cowboys will battle for the division title.

One team is led by an established quarterback who can't get any respect because of his failure to win the "big game". The other is led by an electric rookie who has taken the league by storm. Tony Romo vs. RGIII will be the matchup on Sunday Night, and the result could mean two things. It could mean relief for Romo, and a chance to finally win a big game for the Dallas Cowboys or it could mean the beginning of a new era for the Redskins. Either way it is sure to be an exciting day in football, one that will require not getting up from the couch.

SEC Championship

Georgia starting quarterback Aaron Murray had a chance to send his team to the national championship, but as his last minute shot down field came down into the arms of an Alabama defensive back, so did the teams hopes. 

Alabama came away with a 32-28 win at the Georgia Dome Saturday night, and will likely play, once again, for the BCS national championship. Alabama came into the game ranked second in the BCS rankings, behind only the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The defense showed why it is the number two team in the nation when it counted sealing the deal for the Crimson Tide. 

Now this sets up a matchup of two storied programs in Notre Dame and Alabama. Which team will come out victorious? Well we have an entire month to debate that, as the national championship game will not take place until the seventh of January, when the two teams will battle in Miami. Until then, there is plenty of NFL football, and basketball to watch, so don't think that there's nothing to do for the next four weeks.

NFL Sunday

After an incredible night of college football on Saturday, it is now time for the professionals to take center stage. For myself and most of America, football is the focus of the entire Sunday during the fall, and as Thanksgiving approaches, the games contain more and more importance. There are many different story-lines entering the week; backup quarterbacks are starting in what seems like every other game, the most notable being for the Steelers, Eagles and Bears. A rookie out of Arizona, Nick Foles, takes over for the struggling Eagles, while a couple of veterans, Byron Leftwich and Jason Campbell, start for the Steelers and Bears respectively. However, the biggest story is the late afternoon matchup in Foxboro, between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. The rivalry could be renewed after taking a year off last year with no Peyton Manning. 

This year the Colts have a new quarterback in Andrew Luck, and have rode him to their current 6-3 record. While Indianapolis has been rejuvenated by their rookie quarterback, the Patriots have had a quiet year thus far. Currently sitting at 6-3, and atop the AFC East, the Patriots have struggled at times this season on defense, and even offensively in the 4th quarter. Despite this, it does seem like the team is prime for a second half run going towards the playoffs. The Patriots have ended the past two regular seasons on eight game winning streaks. Currently on a three game winning streak, New England seems to be ready to get rolling offensively. 

The real intriguing aspect to this game is the showdown between the two starting quarterbacks: rookie Andrew Luck and perennial MVP candidate Tom Brady. One is veteran who has won three Super Bowls, and two MVP awards, while the other is a rookie standout, who is trying to help rebuild the Colts franchise. While the two are both great quarterbacks, there is also such a contrast between the two. One was drafted late in the sixth round, while the other was just recently selected number one overall. One went to the University of Michigan, while the other was on the west coast studying at Stanford. Despite all that, the two have both produced similar numbers this season, in terms of yards. Luck has thrown for 2631 yards, and Brady is just ahead of him at 2645 yards, but there is a difference in other statistics. Brady has thrown 18 touchdown passes with a 100.1 passer rating, while Luck has only thrown ten touchdown passes and has a 79.1 passer rating. 

Brady and the Patriots do have the edge heading into this game at home, but if the Colts can come into Foxboro and pull off the upset, one could really start talking Luck for MVP. 

Fantasy Football: A Cruel Game

In football, like any sport, one roots for their home team, and always roots against its rivals. This is something very simple about sports, that most people have a grasp on. I, however, have had some trouble lately, because of fantasy football. I am in a league with ten other friends, and most everyone is into it. So, when I'm watching games I find myself getting mad at players I love.

One example comes from a couple of weeks ago, when I was watching the Patriots and Jets. I hate the Jets, and I have no one on that team so it was easy to root against them, but the trouble came with a player on the Patriots: Rob Gronkowski. Gronk. Who doesn't like this guy. He is one of the best tight ends in the league, and set multiple records for a tight end receiving last year, trust me, he was on my team. This year I do not own him, my opponent did. To make it even worse my quarterback is Tom Brady. So when Brady threw to Gronk not once, but twice for a touchdown, I had mixed feelings. At first I was happy the Patriots scored, then ecstatic that Brady threw a touchdown, then brought back to reality when I realized it was to Gronkowski. The worst part about all of this was that I ended up losing that week, and I don't think I can ever forgive Gronk. 

I guess the point here is that I'm an idiot. I really should not get that into fantasy football that I am rooting against players on my favorite team. But the reality is that I am, so I mine as well keep enjoying it.

2012-13 NBA Predictions

The NBA season is upon us, and it is already off to an exciting first week. So exciting, in fact, that I forgot to give you my season predictions for how this year will turn out. First off I want to start by saying that James Harden will not average 40 points per game, win the MVP, and lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals. I'm sorry to disappoint any die-hard Houston fans. I also believe that the Thunder, Lakers, and Celtics will all finish with records above .500, which their current records do not reflect. So, now I will begin to predict how I think both the Eastern and Western Conference standings will look like at the end of the regular season. 

Eastern Conference:

1. Miami Heat

2. Boston Celtics

3. New York Knicks

4. Indiana Pacers

5. Brooklyn Nets

6. Philadelphia 76ers

7. Chicago Bulls

8. Atlanta Hawks

Well I am definitely not alone with my prediction that the Miami Heat will finish with the best record in the east. I think the Heat are the clear favorites to repeat heading into this season, and with the additions of shooters in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, they should end up with home court advantage throughout the playoffs. My second seed is Boston, and I really don't think that they will have a slow regular season like they have in the past couple of years. I believe that the youth the team has gained will help them win some more games during the regular season. I also think that Rajon Rondo will make a run at the MVP, due to an increase in scoring. Now, my three through six seeds could really finish anywhere, there is no clear best team out of those four. I think the Knicks will finish at three just because they have Carmelo Anthony, who thrived along with the  rest of the team under Mike Woodson late last year. I love the point guard tandem of Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd, and the Knicks have great scoring off the bench in J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. The Pacers are number four for me, because they have a very deep roster for the third year in a row, and now have the experience of making a decent playoff run last year. Now I have the Nets over the Sixers because of the injury to Andrew Bynum. He will miss a little time, and I do like Brooklyn. Both teams should be pretty even throughout the season, however, and it will entertaining to watch Joe Johnson and Deron Williams play together. The Bulls will make  the playoffs and finish above the Hawks, because of the return of Derrick Rose at some point this season. The Bulls also, as they displayed last year, have enough on their squad to win a lot of games in the Eastern Conference. I pick the Hawks to squeeze in ahead of the Bucks, simply because I think they have a better all-around roster. The backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis will be great to watch though. 

Western Conference:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

2. San Antonio Spurs

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Denver Nuggets

6. Memphis Grizzlies

7. Dallas Mavericks

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Thunder are my number one seed, because of the combination of youth and experience they have, as well as the greatness of Kevin Durant. Durant should make another run at both the scoring title, and the MVP, while the addition of Kevin Martin will serve as a nice complementary piece to the roster. The loss of James Harden will not stand out as far as I'm concerned, because of the return this season of backup point guard Eric Maynor. The Spurs will finish ahead of the Lakers in the regular season, because the Lakers will take some time to mesh. As we have already seen in the first week, the health of the older Lakers is a legitimate concern. Even though the injury to Steve Nash is not a significant one, it is something to keep an eye on as the season goes on. As far as four through six, the Clippers will finish ahead due to another MVP-type season from Chris Paul. They have also replaced players like Mo Williams, Nick Young, and Reggie Evans with better players in Jamaal Crawford, Grant Hill, Ryan Hollins, and the return of Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets and Grizzlies could finish flipped, but I think the addition of Andre Iguodala will be enough to grab the five seed. The Mavs will get the seven seed ahead of the Timberwolves. I picked the Timberwolves, because I think the return of Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, as wells as the additions of Brandon Roy and Andre Kirilenko will be enough to sneak into the playoffs. 

Playoff Predictions:

First Round-

(1) Miami Heat v. (8) Atlanta Hawks 

Heat win 4-1

(2) Boston Celtics v. (7) Chicago Bulls

Celtics win 4-3

(3) New York Knicks v. (6) Philadelphia 76ers

Knicks win 4-2

(4) Indiana Pacers v. (5) Brooklyn Nets

Pacers win 4-2

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves

Thunder win 4-1

(2) San Antonio Spurs v. (7) Dallas Mavericks

Spurs win 4-1

(3) Los Angeles Lakers v. (6) Memphis Grizzlies

Lakers win 4-2

(4) Los Angeles Clippers v. (5) Denver Nuggets

Clippers win 4-3

Conference Semi-Finals-

(1) Miami Heat v. (4) Indiana Pacers

Heat win 4-3

(2) Boston Celtics v. (3) New York Knicks

Celtics win 4-2

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (4) Los Angeles Clippers

Thunder win 4-2

(2) San Antonio Spurs v. (3) Lakers

Lakers win 4-2

Conference Finals-

(1) Miami Heat v. (2) Boston Celtics

Celtics win 4-2

() Oklahoma City Thunder v. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Thunder win 4-2

NBA Finals-

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (2) Boston Celtics

Celtics win 4-3

Yes thats right, I don't have either the Heat or Lakers in the Finals. I think that the Pacers will give the Heat a great series and then the Celtics will beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics improved perimeter play, along with a stronger Rajon Rondo will knock off Miami. I believe the Lakers will lose to the Thunder, because of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Although the Lakers big men Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol will have strong series, and Kobe will be Kobe, Durant and Westbrook will dominate their respective matchups. Especially Westbrook, because no one on the Lakers can guard him, unless they put Kobe on him, which will hurt his offense. In the Finals, I think it will go back and forth. Rondo will have a great series, while either Garnett or Bass will knock down jumpers all day over Kendrick Perkins. Of course this could, and likely will, not happen and everyone else will have picked the right finals of the Lakers and the Heat. But, I truly believe that there is a strong possibility of the season playing out as I have predicted, we'll see. 

An October Glance at the NFL

   The National Football League has taken over my Sundays, and I don't mind a bit. As the season approaches the midway point, the games become more and more intense. The level of competition throughout the league become greater it seems as most teams still believe they can make a run at the playoffs. Of course that is not really the case. In the next couple of weeks teams will either remain in contention, or slowly fall back. The Minnesota Vikings may be a team that falls back. The Vikings were 5-2 going into this weeks Thursday Night matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they came out flat and got  handled at home 36-17. The Vikings got off to a fast start, however, it would not surprise me at all if they drop their next 5 games, which include two games with the division rival, and now 6-1, Chicago Bears. So, while some teams may begin to fade, others should get on a roll.

The team that seems most prime to get on that roll, is the New England Patriots. After traveling to London to take down the St. Louis Rams 45-7, the Patriots sit at 5-3, and atop the AFC East. Besides back to back prime time games against the Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers at home, the rest of the schedule looks promising. Don't be surprised if the Patriots end the season with the second best record in the AFC, or even home field advantage throughout the playoffs. 

   Whatever happens, it's sure to be another exciting finish to the regular season, and we all know come January how much more the games intensify. So if there is one thing I'm trying to say here, it's that there will be teams that have promising starts, who end up one of the worst teams in the league. Likewise there are also teams that come out of the gates slow, and take time to get going. However, once they do get going they are very hard to stop, as we saw last year. All you have to do is get in, and then ride that momentum to the Super Bowl. 

   I would also like to take this time to announce that next I will be making my predictions for the upcoming NBA season, which will include my NBA champion. So check in soon to see who I think will be making it to the NBA Finals, and yes that James Harden trade does affect my decision.

Football and Baseball Make This Time of Year Truly Special

The leaves are falling, and baseball and football fill the air. Sports are all around us right now during this autumn of 2012, and I'm trying to take it all in. It is truly amazing what is going on in the world of sports right now in baseball and football, at both the collegiate and professional levels. 

In baseball the playoffs are underway, and the new wild card system worked out just the way Bud Selig wanted it. All four division series went the distance of five games, with multiple games ending in dramatic fashion. The Tigers went up 2-0 in its series against the Athletics before losing the next two on the road setting up a game 5 with Justin Verlander on the mound. Verlander delivered with a complete game four hit shutout of Oakland, and sent the Tigers to the ALCS for the second year in a row. In the other American League series the Yankees and Orioles went back and forth, much like the two sides did down the stretch of the regular season, with neither side giving an edge. The heroics of Raul Ibanez may have saved the Yankees, as he both tied and won game 3 with home runs. The Yankees took game 5 of the series at home with a complete game effort by their ace C.C. Sabathia. In the national league the series are equally exciting.

The Washington Nationals were in the playoffs for the first time in...a really long time. They took on the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, who found away to get into the playoffs as a wild card. The series went back and forth much like the Yankees-Orioles series, and with similar dramatics. In game 4 Jayson Werth hit a walk-off home run to send the series to a deciding game 5 in Washington. Game 5 did not disappoint. The Nationals quickly jumped ahead 6-0 with the help of the long ball. However, by the time the game got around to the bottom of the 8th inning, the Cardinals had crept back to close the gap to 6-5. The Nationals got an insurance run in the 8th inning, and had the Cardinals down to their last strike with Carlos Beltran on third base. The Nationals closer, Drew Storen, proceeded to walk the next two batters, Yadier Molina and 2011 playoff hero David Freese. This set up little known second baseman Descalso to deliver a game-tying two-run single, which was followed by another two-run single from shortstop Cozma. The Cardinals advance to face the San Francisco Giants who came back from an 0-2 deficit, to win three straight games on the road, and move on the NLCS. 

While all of this baseball has been going on I have also been able to enjoy watching, the always exciting, college football. Now as a college football fan I do not really have a favorite team. I kind of have my favorites from each major conference, and root for those schools, while also enjoying other ranked matchups throughout Saturday. This college football season, like every other, has been filled with upsets of top-ranked teams. Most recently the number 3 school, South Carolina, fell to the LSU Tigers (my favorite from the SEC) in Death Valley. Also the number 5 team in the nation, the West Virginia Mountaineers, got destroyed on the road at Texas Tech. This now has left us with a top five of very familiar teams. At number five are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who have not been this relevant for years. At number 4 there is Kansas St. which has quietly gone undefeated thus far. Numbers 1-3 are used to being at the top, Florida, Oregon (my favorite team from the Pac-12), and defending National Champion Alabama. Its all setting up for another fantastic college football season, and surely there are more upsets to come in the second half of the season.

Professional football has been confusing to say the least, some teams have done what we thought they would, and others have been questionable at times. Most expected the Texans and Falcons to be very good this year, but I don't know i they thought they would be this good. Both are undefeated, with the Falcons sitting at 6-0, and the Texans at 5-0, with a Sunday night football matchup with the Green Bay Packers just about to begin. The Packers were a squad many expected to have another strong season, despite losing early in the playoffs last year. This was still a team that went 15-1 in the regular season, and, headlined by a missed call at Seattle, have fallen to 2-3 and are in need of a victory tonight. Another team many expected to replicated the success of last year, the New England Patriots. The Patriots finished the regular season 13-3 last year, and made it all the way to the Super Bowl, before losing to the New York Giants. This year, However, they have struggled to stay consistent. The offense has looked unstoppable at times, and the defense arguably better than last year. But, the Patriots are now 3-3 after losing to the Seahawks in Seattle this afternoon, and questions will be swirling in New England all week long. 

I am now going to leave so that I can watch both game one of the NLCS between the Cardinals and the Giants, and Sunday Night Football between the Packers and the Texans. This time of year may be the best for a sports fan. Heck, I even got to watch the Knicks play the Celtics last night in an exhibition game. Theres nothing like sitting on the couch and watching sports for hours...and then remembering you have homework due the next morning. It's going to be a long night.

The Red Sox Struggles

In all of my short years of watching baseball, never has my team shown such little chance of making the playoffs. I know I must sound a bit ridiculous seeing how the first year I started watching the Boston Red Sox was the year they broke the 86 year old curse of the bambino. Many Red Sox fans had to deal with the heartbreak that was caused by the team losing multiple chances to win a World Series. Whether it was game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when the ball famously went through Bill Buckner's legs, or the more recent events of the 2003 ALCS. A series that came down to a game 7 in Yankee stadium with a tremendous pitching matchup of the former Red Sox great Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez. The sox led five to two in the 8th inning, but could not hold on, as fan favorite Tim Wakefield gave up a walk-off home run to little known Aaron Boone. Most fans had to deal with all of that, while I walked right into the glory days for the sox. 

Despite knowing how lucky I am to have witnessed two World Series wins, and multiple playoff runs, I am still going to complain. 

This team has been struggling mainly, because of their lack of consistent starting pitching. The two leaders of the staff, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, have been terrible really, and despite a recent okay outing from Jon Lester, the two seem to be getting worse. Now the rest of the starters have not been great either, but their not supposed to be, in fact any strong starts from Aaron Cook or Feliz Doubront are just bonuses if you ask me. The offense has been great for the most part. It has been right up there at the top of the American League in most offensive categories. Despite that there still seems to be something wrong in the lineup. Maybe it was the lack of speed most of the season with both Ellsbury and Crawford missing the first half of the season with injuries. Or maybe its the catching situation. Jarod Saltalamacchia has shown great power in his bat, but the backup Kelly Shoppach has had a better overall record when catching for the Sox. 

There is also the fact that both Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia have not been hitting at their all-star standards to this point in the season. Gonzalez has raised his average in the last month, but has yet to show the power that is needed in the middle of the lineup. Perhaps the struggles have to do with management.

Now don't get me wrong I put the blame on the players first, but it is not wrong to explore the problems in team management. Of course new Manager Bobby Valetine has his fair share of critics as far as his managing goes, but that should not even be a part of the conversation, because if you ask me the biggest mistake of all was not re-signing Terry Francona last summer before the infamous September collapse. Communication has been a huge problem for this years Red Sox, and Francona always seemed to be able to communicate well.

Communication might have to be made soon as to which direction the Red Sox are going. Are they going to give up on this season and start looking forward to rebuild, or will they stick with this group and attempt to make a run at one of the two wild card spots. That question may be answered soon enough, as the Sox finish up a four game series with the Twins today. The Twins have the second worst record in the American League, and if the Sox lose today they will have been swept in a four game series at home, and will have really put a dent in their playoff chances.

But as I said at the beginning I really should not be complaining, because even if the Red Sox do not make the playoffs for the third straight year, I still have those two World Series victories to fall back on. That's two more than many past Red Sox fans ever had.

Summer On Smash: Free Agency in The NBA

NBA free agency has always been an eventful time for NBA basketball fans. It occurs soon after the end of the NBA finals, as well as the draft. This summer has been no different, in fact even more exciting than in past years. In the summer of 2007 the Boston Celtics big three was formed, when the Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but those were both via trade. In the summer of 2010, LeBron James made his "decision" to travel down to the warm beaches of Miami Florida, and side with fellow All-Stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This summer, however, has seen more big names being moved than any other year, whether through free agency or trade.

A 6-time NBA All-Star, Joe Johnson, was one of many star players to relocate this month. Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets for multiple role players and draft picks. The move sparked maybe the biggest free agent of them all, Deron Williams, to re-sign with the Nets, and give Brooklyn arguably the best backcourt tandem in the NBA. One team who would argue that statement is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers added a huge piece to its squad, one that it thinks has been missing for a while, an All-Star point guard. Well, not only did they get an All-Star, but also a two-time MVP winner in former Suns guard Steve Nash. The sign and trade deal almost came out of nowhere, as the Lakers had been Nash's biggest rival for years, while playing with the Suns. Nevertheless Nash ok'd the deal, not only because of the Lakers' potential, but also because he would be closer to his family in Phoenix. Another shocking move was made by a veteran All-Star guard, this time it was Ray Allen. Ray Allen had spent the past 5 seasons with the Boston Celtics, and helped them win a title in 2008, but after losing to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season, Allen decided to sign with the defending champion Heat. The move shocked most Celtics fans (including myself), but it was not the end of the world for Celtics fans, because they added a veteran shooting guard of their own. Longtime Dallas Maverick Jason Terry agreed to sign the Celtics just days before Allen decided to leave. Some think that the two are connected, but it has been denied by Allen. Terry was not the only Maverick that left the team, the point guard who led them to a championship just a year ago, Jason Kidd, left Dallas for New York. Kidd signed with the Knicks with the intention of mentoring the young breakout point guard, Jeremy Lin. It sounded like a great plan until Lin signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets. One that the Knicks intended to match until Houston changed the third year of the contract to $15 Million. Instead the Knicks decided to just trade for a former Knick point guard, Raymond Felton.

Despite all of these blockbuster moves none were the story of the summer in the NBA. The biggest story remains where is Magic center Dwight Howard going? Howard has expressed on many occasions that he is not interested in playing for the Magic next season, but no deal has been made yet, and the two sides do not seem to be able to figure anything out. All the blame is to go on Howard, however, as he made it clear that he would stay if the coach and general manager left. Well, at the end of the season Van Gundy and Otis Smith were fired, and Howard proceeded to simply change his mind. Howard is single handedly ruining the Orlando Magic's organization. After getting a brand new arena, and hosting the All-Star Game this past year, the Magic are now most certainly headed backwards.

Despite the problems in Orlando, the rest of the NBA is looking great. The league continues to get more and more exciting as more players change locations. Fresh rookies are preparing to make an impact on the league, and the 2012-2013 NBA Regular Season Schedule was just recently released. On October 30th the season begins in Miami, where the Heat will begin their defense of the NBA title against their rival of recent, the Boston Celtics. Can't wait? Me neither.