Blog Closed for a while

For my two fans who read my blog, I will be shutting down writing for a while. Life is just a bit too hectic right now for me to be able to write so I don't want to waste your time. Maybe by football season things will be a bit more normal. I will let everyone know when I start writing again. Thanks.

Random Thoughts on NBA Playoffs So Far

Cavs - Wizards
-Game one of the Cavaliers and Wizards didn't disappoint. The teams went back and forth and in the end the Cavs pulled out a squeeker to go up 1-0. Expect every game to be this intense. It felt like a fight could break out at any moment (and it nearly did). These teams really hate each other. And it's fun to watch.
-After all the crap DeShawn Stevenson talked, he couldn't back it up. It was the same DeShawn Stevenson who publicly said that LeBron James was overrated. All DeShawn did when it was time to put his game where his mouth is was to go 1-9 with 3 points. Hey DeShawn, in the famous lyrics of Fred Durst, "your mouth is writing checks that your ass can't cash!" Let me suggest that the league give DeShawn a drug test and the team to put some duct tape over his mouth.

Suns - Spurs
-Wow, what a game! Too much happened in this game for me to talk about everything.
-Is it me or does Phoenix actually look like the best team in this series. I mean, could the Spurs play a better game than that? I think not. It took 2 OTs, Amare Stoudemire fouling out, a Tim Duncan 3 pointer (his first of the season), and Tim Duncan to score 40 points to win. If the Suns can shake off the tough loss, I'm confident they can win this series.
-Amare Stoudemire's body control is amazing to watch.
-To all NBA Refs, stop calling fouls on Tim Duncan. Don't you know that Tim Duncan has never committed a foul in his career? It is rare to see Duncan get called for a foul without him crying over it. Seriously, every foul he cries over! It makes me sick.
-To all NBA Refs, call a foul every time Tim Duncan misses a contested shot. It is also a rare moment to see Duncan not cry when someone plays good defense on him and he misses.

I'm not going to write about every game but the first two games were great and I couldn't help it. Let's hope the rest of the playoffs are as good as these games were.

Smoked Aces

We’re going on three weeks into the baseball season and there have been some serious issues with some elite aces. Below are my thoughts on a few of these big name pitchers and why I think they are struggling.

CC Sabathia- The defending AL Cy Young winner has been struggling mightily. His numbers through 4-18-2008 are 18 IP, 13.50 ERA, 2.56 WHIP, while striking out 14. The strikeout rate isn’t bad but that WHIP is awful. The Indians say he’s not injured and I believe them. CC still has had the great velocity on his fastballs (94-96MPH). He has just not been able to locate his pitches. When he’s throwing strikes, they are “fat” strikes (and no I am not making a CC fat joke). CC is missing inside the strike zone. He is not locating very well and all his pitches are very hittable. I think CC will find his groove and break out of this slump. CC will find his rhythm soon enough as the weather gets warmer, and by the end of the year, his ERA will be back in the 3.5 range.

Justin Verlander- The pitcher who I thought would win the AL CY Young is also struggling. His season to date numbers are 24.1 IP, 7.03 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, while striking out 14. Mr. Verlander has been struggling just as bad as Sabathia even if his overall numbers look better. Word is that his velocity is actually down. He’s throwing around 93-94 MPH, which would be a great thing if you used to seeing him throw 99-101 MPH. Verlander may just have a bit of a tired arm from last year. It’s a cause for concern when a pitcher is not throwing as hard as he used to. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Verlander spend a short stint on the DL soon. He may just not be 100 %. Ultimately, Verlander will be OK and I expect he’ll be in the running for a CY Young Award before it’s all said and done.

Roy Oswalt- This year, even after a good start his last outing, Roy’s numbers are 23 IP, 6.65 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, while striking out 16. Roy has been on my worry radar for two seasons. Last year he showed some signs of decline with a high WHIP and lowering strike out rate. I’ve learned to watch for things like that since Jason Schmidt had the same issues a few years back. Now Schmidt is hardly ever healthy and is nowhere near the pitcher he once was even when healthy. Back to Oswalt, while you still may see a solid start from him here and there, it’s time to realize the decline. He still has a great name but he’ll no longer be the Roy Oswalt that we have come to expect.

2008 NBA Playoffs-

Well the time has come to break down the NBA playoffs. So without delay let’s get to the matchups:

Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers VS 8. Denver Nuggets- On paper this seems like a great series to watch. There will be lots of exciting offense to watch but the Denver Nuggets really don’t have what it takes to put any fear into the Lakers. I expect many shootouts in this series with the Nuggets missing the finish line of most of the games. Kobe (AKA The Assassin) Bryant is going to make sure the Nuggets fall in this one.
Prediction- LA Lakers in 4 (that’s right…a sweep)

2. N.O. Hornets VS 7. Dallas Mavericks - Count me in as one of the few people who never believed in the Hornets. I won’t discount their record or success. I just don’t believe they are championship ready yet. Chris Paul is a true superstar but the Mavericks are hitting their stride. Dirk is playing like the MVP since he’s returned from the ankle/knee injury. I see some fire in his eyes and his teammates have followed his lead. This will be a back and forth series but I think Dallas is not the right matchup for the young Hornets. The Hornets would have been much better off against the Nuggets.
Prediction- Dallas Mavericks in 7

3. San Antonio Spurs VS 6. Phoenix Suns- The Suns traded for the Diesel just because of the Spurs. Now they get to test and see if the move will pay off. The Suns and Spurs REALLY don’t like each other. This series is going to be electric and I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s not smart to bet against the Spurs but I don’t think that Shaq will put up with any underhanded nonsense from Bruce Bowen or the rest of that dirty playing Spurs team. Consider Shaq the highest paid bodyguard in the world in this series.
Prediction- Phoenix Suns in 6

4. Utah Jazz VS 5. Houston Rockets- This is the non relevant game of the Western Conference. Houston doesn’t have enough to beat the Jazz. Not having Yao is going to hurt now more so than it did in the regular season. We all know that T-Mac doesn’t know how to will a team to win.
Prediction- Utah Jazz in 5

Eastern Conference:
1. Boston Celtics VS Atlanta Hawks- This one is just so lopsided I won’t even comment on.
Prediction- Boston Celtics in 4

2. Detroit Pistons VS Philadelphia 76ers- The Pistons have been a huge thorn in the 76ers side for many years. This year won’t be any different. The Sixers just aren’t there yet with this young team to beat a playoff tested Pistons team.
Prediction- Pistons in 4

3. Orlando Magic VS 6. Toronto Raptors- If I cared about who wins this series at all it may be enjoyable but I don’t. Both of these teams are solid and will give each other fits. It will be a good series as far as the back and forth goes but I have to say that since neither of these teams stands a chance to make it to the finals so it doesn’t matter to me.
Prediction- Orlando Magic in 7

4. Cleveland Cavaliers VS Washington Wizards- This will be a good series to watch. There is some bad blood and some history with these teams. It will be a good series to watch. On paper, now that Arenas is back, the Wizards are the better team. The Cavs starting 5 frustrate me because I don’t think they play the correct combination of players around LeBron James. Because of that, I don’t have confidence in the Cavs. I hope LeBron puts on a show and wills his team to victory but I have my doubts if he’s there yet in his career.
Prediction- Washington Wizards in 6

In the Conference Semi Finals:
Western Conference- Lakers will beat Utah in 6 and the Suns will beat Dallas in 7.
Eastern Conference- Detroit will pummel Orlando in 5 and Boston will advance past the Wizards in 5.

In the Conference Finals:
Western Conference - Lakers will beat the Suns in 7
Eastern Conference- Boston will beat the Pistons in 6

In the Finals: (I’ll break this down more when it actually gets here)
Boston will beat the Lakers in 6

A Few Different Things

While I’m not a believer in the Detroit Tigers, I also am not worried about their slow start to the season. The Tigers, through the first 7 games of the season, have started off 0-7. The thing is the Tigers are missing their spark plug. Curtis Granderson is the man who makes this team go. You don’t score 120 runs for a team and not be missed when you’re out of the lineup. Granderson is due back in a few weeks and the Tigers will get back on track. However, they have to start winning games or they will be in too big of a hole to climb out. Either way, this team’s bullpen is too much of a liability for them to be a serious contender. They have OK starting pitching. Of course, as a Cleveland Indians fan, they can continue to lose and I’ll just fine with that.

The NFL draft is just a few weeks away. There is still no sign of who the Dolphins are going to select at number 1. As of today, most experts seem to agree that it will be one of the Longs and not Matt Ryan. Who knows what the Parcells camp is thinking but I do know w/o a doubt they know who they are taking. That decision has been made already. If I was a betting man (and I am), it’s going to be Chris Long. He’s a safe investment, if there was such a thing. Chris Long would also bring back an immediate return on the investment. He’s ready to play right away. Of course, the Fins would have to decide how to fit him and Jason Taylor on the same defense because they essentially play the same position. We’ll see what happens come draft day.

Well, I’m off to a bad start with my championship predictions this year. After the Tigers collapsed in the final two minutes of the NCAA championship game, I’m now 0-2. The Patriots lost and now the Tigers. Can I make it 0-3 with the NBA? I’ll make an official prediction on the future NBA champs soon. I want to see the seeding first. I’m still leaning on the Lakers VS the Celtics as of today but I need to get a better feel for the Lakers before I commit.

The NCAA Final Four

While the two Final Four games on Saturday night seem like boring blowouts, it was anything but boring. The score may indicate there were two games easily won by Memphis and Kansas, but the games were highly entertaining. Kansas, in the first half, came out ready to play and played at a level like North Carolina has never seen this year. They were absolutely punched in the mouth by Kansas, and for the first time this year, looked like they didn't have confidence. Fact is, they didn't start the game with the same intensity that Kansas came with. Before UNC knew what hit them, they were down by 28 points! I was in disbelief at what I was seeing. UNC finally woke up and started punching back. Midway through the second half, UNC had Kansas doubting themselves and had the momentum. They climbed to within 4 points. You may see a team down by 28 points climb back into it in the NBA, but in college, it is unheard of. Kansas showed some serious character by withstanding the UNC run and finishing the game strong. I honestly thought they were going to fold under the pressure and the momentum that UNC had.

Memphis has played as well as any team I've ever watched at the NCAA tournament. They have played with confidence and consistency. At no point during any of their games did it feel like they were in jeopardy of losing. They just look like they are the better team when matching up against the opponent. Their talent is just overwhelming. They cause mismatches at just about every position. Coach Cal has these kids playing with the confidence it takes to win a championship. They believe they are better than everyone else, and the most remarkable thing is they are making their opponents believe that too. I see the look of fear and intimidation in every team they've played so far. Even fellow number 1 seed UCLA had the look of being over matched during the Final Four game. They knew they didn't have a shot at winning. They were playing like underdogs and played with a bit of desperation in their eyes.

Now it's Memphis and Kansas in the Championship game. Kansas likes to run and play a frantic pace. The problem for Kansas is so does Memphis. This game is going to be fun to watch. The pace will make you tired from watching on the couch. I don't think that Kansas has the talent to beat Memphis, and I think given the pace of the game, Memphis will be cutting down the nets in the end. I think that Kansas played a little over their heads in the UNC game. I don't think they have another one of those games in them. When it's all said and done, Memphis is this year's NCAA champion.

I want to make one small point about Tyler Hansbrough. Even though his numbers say he had a decent game with 17 ponits and 9 rebounds, he truly was over matched. He was playing a team with some inside presence and couldn't perform at his usual self. I think it's a sign of what you can expect of him in the NBA. If you dominate in college, it doesn't mean you can dominate in the NBA. Hansbrough is going to be an average player at best in the NBA. His motor is the one thing he has going for him. He hustles and is tenacious but he isn't going to be able to score like he did in college among the giant super athletes that the NBA has. He does have a future in the league but don't expect the 20 points and 10 rebounds to be what you see from him.

The other player I'd like to talk about is the man they call CDR. Chris Douglas-Roberts is a remarkable player. His style of basketball is very unique. In college basketball, he can take over a game and he's quite refreshing to watch. Some of the moves he makes attacking the rim I haven't seen since the Magic Johnson days. Those 1980's moves combined with the moves of the modern day player is what makes CDR the effective player has been. I can say w/o hesitation that there is no other player in college with that unique package. Unfortunately for CDR, he plays a position that is a dime or dozen in the NBA. He's a wing player. For those who don't understand the basketball lingo, a wing player is a guy who is basically a G or F who can drive to the basket and be able to score from the outside. It is generally a position that guys are anywhere from 6'5" to 6'9". The NBA is filled with those kind of players. Every year there tons of wing players entering the NBA draft and end up being busts or not even getting drafted. These guys have to match up against players like Josh Smith, Shawn Marion, Josh Howard, Tracy McGrady, and even LeBron James. Those are just a few examples. If you know the NBA and those players I've mentioned, you can see why wing players often struggle to take their college success to the NBA. I think CDR will stick around in the NBA and will be a decent player, but he isn't going to have anywhere near the career he's had in college at the next level. This is one evaluation I make that I hope I'm wrong about because I love CDR. But, looking at this from a unbiased point of view, that is my assessment.