And the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Seires

I can not believe that Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies. On ESPN, all the coverage was for the Yankees and Rangers; no other team it seemed like. I did not even know the Phillies made an offer and I am shocked that they did. I guess that because Jayson Werth signed with the Nationals (HUH?) they can use all that money on a pitcher (and a damn good one). Starting rotation for the 2011 Phillies and for the next couple of years is: 1. Roy Halladay- he is just the best; 2. Cliff Lee- where else would he be the #2 pitcher? 3. Cole Hamels- again, where is he a 3rd starter anywhere in the league? it is crazy! 4. Roy Oswalt- another #1 or 2 starter in the league at the 4 spot. and 5th is Joe Blanton- a avg pitcher but not a 5 starter. The Phillies are so good and I do not see how they win less than 100 games. I said it. With hitters like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino, the run support is like 4 runs a game and 4 out of 5 pitchers giving up less than 3.5 runs/game only a few times will they lose. Maybe money is not everything for some players. Simple Cliff Lee for Arkansas does not want to go the big city where he will be scrutinized on every pitch. We see it with A-Rod. If he does not hit a home run in like 10 at-bats, the city and tabloids go crazy. Also in Texas, he will be the franchise which he may not be ready for. The Phillies is a perfect fit for Lee for a few reasons. It is a familiar place to him. He likes the team and has many friends on the team. He will not be the story of the team or superstar because of Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard and players like that. Finally, it is a much cheaper place to live for him and his family.  I like the decision made by Cliff Lee but I am bitter about him coming back to the National League being a Dodgers fan. On that note I am sad to see  Russell Martin leave and go to the Yankees. He was a cornerstoen to our team of the future and now that he os gone, his presence and defense will be missed here in LA. Best of luck to him in the future, I hope he starts to bat again. 

Week 14 in Review

Week 14 was pretty exciting, especially with the roof collapse in Minneapolis. Did you see the footage of the roof collapse? I was scared. (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/minneapolis-metrodome-collapses-during-snowstorm-121210). That was the theme of the day; being scared. I am scared of how good the Patriots are after seeing them score 81 points in 2 weeks. I am scared of the Steelers Defense. They were ridiculous in their defense. Granted that it was against the Bengals, for the 3rd straight week they held their opponents under 16 points (2nd in 3 weeks 10 or less). I am scared that for the 1st time in I can not remember, Peyton Manning will not be in the playoffs since the 2001 season and that was the only time that he was not in the playoffs (Jim Mora's famous rant of, "Playoffs!?! I hope we can win another game"). They are 1 game behind the Jaguars(?) who cam back from 10 down to beat the Raiders is a great game. Next week showdown will be the winner of the division and I think that Peyton Manning will want to show America and his team the reason why he is the reigning MVP. i am scared that the Buccaneers are good and are not going to go away. The Bucs came back again to win. I trust Jaaash Freeman (Josh Freeman; thanks Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal) and he had another comeback win and he defiantly wins football games. Although the Bucs are playing great football, the Falcons are the team to beat in the NFC south. At 11-2 they are debatably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the NFL right now and for sure the best team in the NFC. Matty Ice is a very real possibility for the MVP and if he shows us more flashes of his greatness, he will turn more heads before it is all said and done. The J-E-T-S are not as good as we thought they were. They are 9-4 and in all 4 losses they did not score a touchdown (Week 1, 9 points, Packers, 3 points, Patriots, 3 points, and this week against the Dolphins 6 points) Also 3 out of 4 of their losses are at home. That is the scariest part of it all. They keep losing at home and they are now the 5 seed in the playoffs and could possible go 10-6 instead of what Jets fans prematurely thought of a 13-3 season or something like that. They win too many close games and it finally came back to bite them. Mark Sanchez is not that good and football fans need to see that. I don't blame him for the home game. Santonio Holmes should have made the easiest catch in the history of the league and he just dropped it.  Finally, How 'bout the Cowboys! Should be 5 wins in a row but 4 out of 5 will have to do for now (thanks Roy Williams). Jason Garret has done a great job as the interim coach by putting more physicality in practices and therefore into the games. I said it a couple weeks ago but I love to reiterate it. On the flip side, the Eagles look out of sync on all cylinders. Michael Vick looks flustered and out of place (although making some great plays). The Eagles are not in trouble (for now) in terms of a playoff spot and if they keep struggling, the could lose home field and possibly the playoffs all together. Week 14 was a good week n Football and I hope to have an exciting Monday night game (2) tomorrow.

1991 Finals Rematch

The Lakers and Bulls square off in the United Center tonight in what looks to be a good game. These 2 teams played just 2 weeks ago on November 23 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won that game 98-91 in a very even back and forth game. The Lakers Bench helped them out with 39 points; 21 of those pints from Shannon Brown and 10 from Matt Barnes. Carlos Boozer is back from his broken hand injury and is still trying to get into the offense and set with his new team. With that said, I think that he will give the Lakers big men trouble because offensively based on previous experience from his Jazz days. WIth andrew Bynum not set to return until Tuesday (don't hold your breath), there is only 1 true big man in the lineup, Pau Gasol. Last time against the Bulls, Pau only had to worry about Joakim Noah (my Most Improved Player along with Kevin Love. Ill give it to both of them) and he did decent but not great. I think the Bulls have too many big men for the lakers to handle. Maybe Ron Artest will guard Boozer. He has in the past. I say the Lakers win 105-102 and the Lakers need some late game heroics from a player to be named later (I think Kobe but I said that last time and it was Fisher). Lakers need to do well on this road trip in order to feel good about themselves in order to go into Christmas Day matchup against the Heat with confidence and blow them out of the building (Come on guys, everyone wants the Lakers to beat the Heat. I talked to Celtic fans and they are rooting for the Lakers in this matchup. When Celtics fans are rooting for the Lakers, the whole nation wants the Lakers to win).

The Most Unlikely of Heros

Derek Fisher hit a beautiful buzzer beater to beat the Clippers 87-86. This was not the game that Lakers fans had hoped. They were not playing their best brand of basketball. Going into a long road trip the Lakers needed this win more than ever. 1-0 on the road trip sounds good but how they got it doesn't look good.

Lakers-Clippers Preview

I actually think this is a trap game for the Lakers. After this game, they go on a 6 game road trip to the east coast and midwest (The Clippers game is technically a road game but i don't count it). The Clippers, being the "home" team, have won the last 2 meetings against the Lakers at home. Blake Griffin will try to have a good game to prove to all that he is the "Rookie" of the Year (2nd year in the league but 1st year  playing). With all that said I think the Lakers will take care of business late in the 4th quarter because of one factor. Kobe Bryant. He is the best closer in the game and will close it out if it gets close. Who will guard him, Eric Gordon? Eric Bledsoe? Rasual Butler? Al-Farouq Aminu? I DON'T THINK SO!!!!! Give Kobe an easy 30 and Pau with 25 and 13 boards and Lamar has another solid game. Lakers 109 Clippers 101.

Jets and Patriots Are so Good!!! (Which part of that is false?)

Watching one of the most anticipated Monday Night Football games in recent years, turned out to be a terrible one sided game. Maybe it was so hyped because last week's game was the Cardinals vs. 49ers. This game is so bad, I actually stopped watching and started to watch the not-so-great premier on Men of a Certain Age on TNT. 45-3 not even mid-way through the 4th quarter is not what ESPN had hoped for. I actually think that Rex Ryan pissed off Tom Brady and Co. with all his smack talk (although it was hilarious). Maybe he should keep his mouth shut and curse out his players some more because they need to be ripped for the awful performance. Rex Ryan did the same antics before they played against the Browns and it took 74:45 minutes (4 quarters +OT) to win the game (barely). Rex's press conference antics need to stop and they need to stop winning big against the bad teams and having good games with the good teams. I think the Jets have a lot of talent, but no cohesiveness.

Bowl Season is Here and I'm Not Happy

The college football season is over and the bowl schedule is upon us and there are a few things that I would like to talk about.
1. The national championship will be a shootout and a great game all around. Oregon Auburn were the 2 best teams in the nation
2. The Rose Bowl matchup is a terrible one. TCU Wisconsin? There NEEDS to be a Pac-10 school in there. It should be Stanford. The tradition of the Rose Bowl is always talked about and one of those great traditions is a Pac-10 (Pac-12 next year) school vs. a Big Ten School. Stanford should be the match up. I am all for TCU being in a BCS game but put it in a game that does not have such a great history as the Rose Bowl does. I say that any BCS non-automatic-qualifier-school should be in the Fiesta Bowl. That bowl actually has a history of non-aq schools in it. (Remember Boise St. vs. Oklahoma? I do, I watch it still from time to time and it a great game. Or last year's classic with TCU and Boise). The tradition needs to be restored for the Rose Bowl game.
3. Boise State needs to play on New Years Day, and those bowl games need to demand that they have Boise State in their game. I don't care if its a BCS game, as long as its on New Years. December 22? Its also a matchup I want to see on the day devoted to college football.
4. Why do we have no-name bowls after December 31? I'm okay with BCS games after Jan.1 but not no-name bowls with no name teams. Nevada vs Boston College in the Kraft Food Hunger Bowl? Im so confused. Switch it with the Utah vs. Boise State game.
5. They moved the National Championship back to 2 more days to January 10. I hate this; its more than a full week after New Years and its just going to get later and later. College Football needs to end before the NFL Playoffs begin.
I feel better now. Now I can watch Ravens vs. Steelers game which is a great one. Did you see that Joe Flacco 98 yard drive against debatably the best defense in the league? He is a great quarterback and has a bright future ahead of him.

Is Something Wrong with Peyton Manning?

     Manning just threw his 2nd interception (9th in 3 games) on a throw that he knew he should not have made. I think that all the Colts injuries are getting to Manning and he just doesn't have that connection with his no-name receivers and we can finally see it on the field. In the offseason and off days Manning would practice with his receivers on their free time and because of all the uncertainty of receivers and running backs, his rhythm is off and it is showing up on the field. Also he is getting hurried and hit a lot because of all the injuries to his offensive line. They are still 6-5 (manning is the only reason they are over .500 and in the hunt for the playoffs).
     On the other hand of the game, the cowboys look rejuvenated for the 4th strait game. They are 2-1 under Jason Garrett as their head coach and look to be playing for something. Playoffs is not happening for them this year, but they could have momentum into the next season (if there is not a lockout. Cross your fingers). I also like the way Garret is motivating his players and making them do things that marshmallow Wade Phillips would never do. Perhaps the biggest change that we can see is that during Wednesday practice they put on pads and hit in almost full speed. Well done Jason Garrett.

Sneaky Saints Strike Again

The Saints came from behind in the last 2 minutes for the 2nd time in two weeks. Last week, it was the Cowboys (3-8) on Thanksgiving, and this week against the Bengals (2-9). The Saints are a great team, but they have too many come from behind wins from sub-.500 teams. This season they have also lost to the Browns (4-7) and the Cardinals (3-8). Great teams, especially Super Bowl Champions, use these games as tune-up games for the bigger games that are on their schedule. Lets hope that next week against the Rams they can play well to get ready for the Ravens in 2 weeks. I think this is cause for concern for the Saints and they will have a tough time in the playoffs; if they even get there.

Battle for Bragging Rights

UCLA and USC square off on the football field at he Rose Bowl in Pasadena. For both teams this game is the season. USC would be bowl eligible (over 6 wins) but due to NCAA restrictions they are not able to play in a bowl. This is the first time all century that the Trojans have not been in a bowl game. For the Bruins, they have had a tough season and are not bowl eligible after a disappointing and injury riddled season. A win for either school will be the high note of the winner's season. Should be a good game. UCLA 24 USC 37

UCLA Robbed

The Bruins were robbed of a chance to go to overtime against Kansas. The call at the end of the game was questionable and not the right call for the better of the game. The referees basically said, "Kansas is ranked so they are better so they need to win. UCLA played well but Kansas needs to keep the streak (now 64 strait home wins) alive."

One positive note- Joshua Smith played well coming off the bench and stayed out of foul trouble. I would rather have Brendan Lane fouled out and being a non-factor than Joshua Smith.

One thing they need to work on- Ben Howland needs to learn timeout-management. He called his final timeout with 3:14 left in the game and he needed that timout at the end of the game to drawup a Christian Laettner (Duke '92 Final Four) play.

Final Note- things looking up for Bruins. A real teat early in the season and i give their overall peformance A-. Turnovers (19) and free-throw-shooting (64%) killed their chances.

UCLA's Tough Test

UCLA takes on No.4 Kansas in Kansas tonight. It is the 2nd game in the last 3 that the Bruins will face a Top 10 opponent. If the Bruins lose tonight it will be their 3rd in a row and put them back at .500. The Bruins are a very young and talented group that will come out firing tonight and try to keep up with the Jayhawks. I am feeling that the Bruins will keep it close but the experienced well-coached Kansas will pull it out. Don't underestimate the Bruins because when they play well, they are virtually unstoppable at times. Than again, their wins have come from Mid-Major conferences and were also in the comfort of Pauley Pavilion. If the Bruins keep it within 12 for the whole game, I would consider it a big improvement and step forward for the young Bruin squad. I predict a 72 to 65 win for the Jayhawks.

Cleveland, Here We Come!

Tonight's game between the Heat and Cavs is going to be epic. LeBron is coming home (or just visiting) and the fans are ready for him. In fact, they have been ready for this since July 8th when he announced to the world on TV that he is "taking his talents to South Beach."Well now that he has returned as a visitor and the once beloved LeBron will be so uneasy and stiff that he will probably score in the mid-teens and I believe that the Cavs win 108-104 in a close one. The Heat will have a chance to tie it up or win and will give to to Eddie House like the last 2 times they needed a last second shot.

Lakers woes

Lakers plated flat for the 4th strait game. I don't think that they are in trouble because it is an 82 game season and we just started December. If it were April or March I would be a little worried.

Sports Lover

Welcome!

Hey Sports lovers, This is my blog about any kind of sports. You can post and I will talk about it an weigh in on the issues. I wiLl update at least once per day and not on the weekends unless something crazy happens.

SportsLover21