After Chris Bosh injured himself in Game 1, many pundits were ready to put the fork in the Miami Heat. Following their Game 3 loss and subsequent 2-1 series deficit, many were starting to twist the fork. However, the duo of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade scored a million points collectively in Game 4, knotting the series at two-a-piece. Last night, we saw the greatness of James and Wade as the Heat comfortably rode to a Game 5 victory. With Danny Granger and David West injured, this series is in the bag and Miami fans can thank Eric Spolestra for making this one change…
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The New York Knicks left the playoffs in a New York minute, leaving New York basketball fans without a team to pull for. While Knickbocker faithful won’t rally behind the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat, another team is quietly playing the best basketball since the 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers. And no, it isn’t the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Baseball officially begins tonight in Miami when the new-look Marlins take on the defending champion, St. Louis Cardinals. The new stadium is apparently pretty cool (there are fish tanks behind home plate), so we’ll get to see first hand tonight! With the excitement brewing around baseball, it’s time for some bold predictions for the 2012 season. Some will be Yankee and Met related, some won’t be. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. We’ll re-visit this article in October.
Every April, the best golfers in the world arrive at the Augusta National Golf Club to play in the Masters Tournament. For most golfers in the Metropolitan area, the Masters signifies the beginning of the golf season. The weather is getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and the magic of the Masters has everyone digging their clubs out of the garage.
Last night, Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE. All weekend long, there has a buzz in the air that the ex-WWE, UFC Champion would make his return. Sure enough, Lesnar came back during the last segment and delivered an ‘F5′ to John Cena. And I couldn’t be more disappointed.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Eight years ago at Wrestlemania 20, Lesnar and Bill Goldberg had arguably the worst match in Wrestlemania history. Both men were leaving the company and had effectively ‘sold out’. The match was stale, raw, and pretty boring. Neither man cared. On his way out, Lesnar was nice enough to flip off the WWE Universe as they chanted ‘Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye’. Lesnar also has had some curious moments inside the Octagon as a UFC Fighter that we just won’t get into.
Maybe it’s because I’m a loyal fan, but I don’t want any part of Brock Lesnar and seeing him last night really turned me off. The guys who are the road daily deserve to be in the main events, not sell the outs. True, Lesnar is still a popular character and will appeal to non-WWE fans, but Wrestlemania 28 was the highest grossing event ever in WWE History–and they didn’t need Brock Lesnar to make it happen.
Give John Cena a lot of credit. Guys like The Rock and Lesnar come in out of nowhere and go over Cena on a regular basis. Sure, male fans hate Cena, but it’s apparent that he’s willing to do whatever for the company. That’s admirable.
Lesnar will probably work more often than the Undertaker does, but he won’t travel with the rest of the guys. If WWE does intend to fully go down the Lesnar road, I hope it ends via a Tombstone pile driver at Wrestlemania 29.
Wrestlemania XXVIII was just as good as advertised. The show was highlighted by the Rock and John Cena, but a few other matches had fans going crazy from start to finish. During the recap, I’ll recount my predictions and share some thoughts (good and bad) about the event. Enjoy.
Last week, I received Wayne Coffey’s book about R.A. Dickey, titled Wherever I Wind Up (My Quest For Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball).
When he was called up to the New York Mets not even two years ago, Dickey was a journeyman knuckleballer who had spent fourteen years knocking around the minor leagues and had already started looking into his next line of work–as a high school English teacher. Today, the 37-year-old Dickey has emerged not only as the most improbable success story in the major leagues, but as arguably one of the most fascinating athletes in America.
Dickey spent this off-season climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about human tracking in Mumbai. The book chronicles Dickey’s journey from the abuse he suffered as a child to the No.1 draft choice of the Texas Rangers in 1996. Dickey also talks about his unique relationship his fellow big league knuckle ballers. The book is fascinating and must read for any baseball fan.
For New York residents, Dickey will have three book signings in the next month.
- On April 6th, Dickey will appear at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ;
- On April 10th, Dickey will appear at Barnes and Noble CitiCorp in Manhattan; and
- On May 10th, Dicey will appear at the Yogi Berra Museum in Little Falls, NJ
Wrestlemania XXVIII will take place this Sunday night in Miami. Alike most Wrestlemanias, Vince is pulling out all of the stops to entertain the masses. Outside of the matches, hip hop star, Flo Rida and Machine Gun Kelly (???) will perform. WWE’s annual Hall of Fame induction will feature Edge, the Four Horsemen, Yokozuna, and Iron Mike Tyson. While the casual fan won’t care too much about Machine Gun or the Hall induction, this year’s card is shaping up to be much better than the last few years. Without further delay, here are my official WM XXVIII predictions…
Lost in the Tebow-hysteria, the NFL doled out a serious penalty to Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints. Effective April 1st, Payton will serve a one-year suspension. The Saints will also pay fines in excess of $1 million and forfeit second round picks this year and next year. To make matters worse, the Saints have until August 1st to work out a new contract Drew Brees. Earlier this year, the Saints hit Brees with the dreaded franchise tag which Brees was extremely unhappy about. While losing Payton effectively takes the Saints out of the Super Bowl picture, the NFL had to make this move.
Player safety has become a huge issue for the NFL. The new CBA has placed strict rules concerning concussions and the NFL will likely face lawsuits from past players dealing with the lingering effects of these injuries. By punishing the Saints, the NFL is sending a direct message to the rest of the league–cut the crap and don’t purposely hurt other players. Payton and the Saints knew the NFL was cracking down–and they decided to look the other way. The Saints gambled, thinking the NFL wouldn’t punish them, and they lost.
For the betterment of the league, Sean Payton will not be on the sidelines this year. The Saints, who are hosting next year’s Super Bowl, can forget about playing in the game. Payton is the mastermind behind the Saint offense and losing his play calling ability crushes this team. While the Saints will obviously feel the effects of this ruling, future players will not suffer from the bravado of this barbaric mentality.
After Peyton Manning agreed to a deal with the Denver Broncos, expectations began to soar for the defending AFC West Champions. In Las Vegas, Denver’s Super Bowl odds skyrocketed from 30-1 to 10-1 within minutes of the Manning news. While adding a Hall of Fame quarterback will make any fan base excited, Denver shouldn’t rush to print Super Bowl tickets just yet.
After going 8-8 last season, Denver fans have to assume Peyton can easily transform this team into a double digit winner. However, opponents outscored the Broncos by 81 points last season. If you take away a few ‘Tebow miracles’, the Broncos were at best a 6-10 team. Adding a 37-year-old Manning should tilt the scoring edge in Denver’s favor, but the rust and newness with his arrival may prove to be a difficult transition.
Manning has primarily been a ‘dome quarterback’ and has never played the majority of his games outside. Manning’s record is just 62-44 in outdoor games. Add in the injury concerns and playing in the volatile Denver climate may cause some issues. However, John Elway must have been convinced by Peyton’s workouts to know the weather won’t be an issue.
While the conditions will be cold, the opponents will be much tougher for the Broncos. In addition to its divisional opponents, the Broncos will face the AFC North, NFC South, Texans, and Patriots this season. Seven of the Broncos’ sixteen games will come against playoff teams while four more of those games will come from two teams who were as good (record-wise) as the Broncos were last season (Oakland, San Diego). Don’t sleep on the Chiefs, retooled Bucs, or upstart Panthers, either. All three teams have gotten better.
Denver’s main receivers (Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker) are very, very raw players, but Manning was able to turn Austin Collie into a household name. Manning will need more dependable targets and past team mate, Dallas Clark is available. In addition, long-time center, Jeff Saturday is expected to meet with the Broncos.
When I look at the Broncos, I don’t see a Super Bowl contender. Thomas and Decker are skilled play makers and defensive end, Von Miller is a dumb, yet special talent. This team just lacks the depth to get on par with the AFC’s elite.
Given their tough schedule and unfamiliarity with Peyton’s system, I don’t envision the Broncos being much better than their 8-8 record in 2012. Sure, a 10-6 record is attainable and could probably clinch the AFC West, but getting those ten wins won’t be easy. Signing Peyton Manning was the right move for the Bronco franchise. I just don’t see it paying off as handsomely as others do.
