NBA Semifinal Preview

The first round gave us some of the most exciting and lopsided basketball in recent memory. The Cavs easily got past Detroit. The Hawks had to beat Miami in seven. Orlando sent Philadelphia home without Dwight Howard in six games. Boston and Chicago had one of the most exciting opening round series in a long time. The Lakers got past Utah in five even though they blew a couple big leads. The Rockets finally got out of the first round beating Portland. Dallas beat a what seemed to be old, tired and beat up Spurs team. The Nuggets blew the lid of New Orleans including a 48 point beat down in Game 4. The second round looks to be more competitive.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

1 Cleveland vs. 4 Atlanta

LeBron and crew have had plenty of rest and studying of their next opponent. Lets be honest though. The Cavaliers were gonna win this round. Mo Williams and Delonte West are playing great basketball on both ends. The bench for Cleveland has been better than expected. Atlanta should’ve had their series wrapped up sooner against Miami. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby will probably steal a game, no more than two. Key player is Anderson Varejao. He needs to be up to form on defense to stop the Hawks from scoring in the paint. The Cavs win this in five.

2 Boston vs. 3 Orlando

The Celtics have been through a grueling series agianst Chicago. Ray Allen has been spectacular while Boston’s bench needs to get in gear for the semifinals. Eddie House and Stephon Marbury for one, need to be more aggressive. The Magic can’t afford to have Dwight Howard elbowing anyone. Paul Pierce will be his usual self, but can Ray Allen continue his success from the quarterfinals? The key player is Hedo Turkoglu. The Magic need more from him now that rookie Courtney Lee is going to miss most if not all of this series. If Hedo is still cold, the Magic have no shot. Boston in seven.

Western Conference Semifinals

1 LA Lakers vs. 4 Houston

The Lakers got their dream matchup. They did not want to play Portland. No way. The Rockets are playing great defense and score when they need to. Ron Artest and Yao Ming were nearly unstoppable against Portland. Shane Battier made big shot after big shot. Houston’s bench was more than adequate. The Lakers will need more from their bench and specifically Andrew Bynum. He needs to play sound basketball with Yao Ming. Kobe, Pau and Lamar will need to be great in what is expected to be a low scoring series. Key player is Luis Scola for Houston. Scola was quiet for the most part against Portland. The Rockets will need more from their power forward to win. Lakers in six.

2 Denver vs. 6 Dallas

The Nuggets were soaring higher than the Rocky Mountains in the quarters against New Orleans. That should’ve been a sweep. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are going to get their 20 plus points in every game, but the Denver bench will need to play smart ball. No stupid fouls and they must play sound defense against a deeper Dallas team. Kenyon Martin and Nene need to be more involved. The Mavericks surprised a lot of experts with their series win in five games against San Antonio. Dirk Nowitzki was great, but it was all Josh Howard for the Mavs. Dallas showed that they will not go down that easily in what is probably their last run at a title with this group. The key player is Jason Kidd. He got a lot of help against the Spurs backcourt and will need it again with Billups. He needs to be the field general on offense, but must be great on the other side. Dallas in six.

A-Fraud is still an A-Hole

I’m the kind of person that believes if you treat others as you would like to be treated, good things will come to you. What goes around comes around you could say also. This guy is something else. Since the revelation of using steroids in February, Alex has laid low. For the most part. He had to. After that strange and disastrous press conference in Tampa where he gives a pause of what seemed to be thirty minutes to say “thank you.” I still can’t believe his teammates were there. But then again they had to. They are going to be asked all season long about him and his problems so lets just get it out of the way now. Johnny Damon saying that he could have done worse things than taking steroids is a good point. When asked what is worse, he responded, “murder.” Yeah, murder is worse Johnny, but what about in terms of baseball. I think that was the context of the question. Now with Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts book, “A-Rod”, due to come out in the next week, Alex and his teammates are gonna have more questions come their way.

I don’t want to speculate about his steroid use. Whatever comes out in the future, (believe me there will be more), he took something. He says he took the drug(s) from 2001-2003. Sure you did. I’ll take your word for it after your Katie Couric interview. The book alleges that Alex was using as far back as high school. In less than a year he was benching 100 pounds and went up to 300. Again, whatever. I’m more intrigued about pitch tipping. That is unforgivable in baseball clubhouse standards. Telling an opponent what pitch is coming from your teammate and expecting the same when it’s your turn to the plate is beyond being a narcissist. That is being a rat and the ultimate “screw my team” move. You can’t be forgiven for something like that if it’s true. Would it really surprise me if it is true. No.

(Maybe Varitek can give you another good smack this season)

“To me it seems like a lot of ‘He said, she said’ kind of stuff,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi. That maybe true if this were a marital dispute between Selena and Alex. Alex has those already with his ex Cynthia and the skeleton Madonna. Man that’s gross. Joe has enough trouble already with his horrible Yankee team. To make that comment is a bit of a reach for him. Again it is all alleged, but we can’t dispute this kind of stuff right off the bat. “Game of Shadows” really opened our eyes to the sickness that some athletes have over themselves and their image. This book about Alex is not like that book at all, but it reveals what many already knew about the fraud that is Rodriguez. From the other side I can see that Alex could never win. With that kind of talent that he has and the pressure that comes with that, he was brought up so fast and came down so much faster. But Alex, why did you sign that contract? He rationalized with Peter Gammons back in February that with him signing that contract it brought a lot of pressure to perform and produce at a high level. Simple solution, don’t sign. Yes you would be stupid not to, but that pressure goes right out the window along with all the anger from some. You could have sticken it to Scott Boras and settled for less, like you did in 2007 after opting out of that contract and settling for less to stay with the Yankees. Use your head for once Alex.

(What were you thinking going with this succubus)

To be fair, as a society we seemed to have strayed away from the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.” It’s a great concept, but with the “court of public opinion” it’s the opposite. I’m not here to judge by any means. Mainly to advise. As the adviser for Alex my first piece of advice would have been to come clean from the start. We forgive very quickly in our culture. You have to be honest about it and not come off as some melo-dramatic type who craves attention. Two, keep quiet. Once you have come clean there shouldn’t be anything more. No stupid magazine covers that slam home the narcissist point and just play baseball. And my last piece of advice is too make an effort to tell the young generations about the dangers and stupidity of what you did. I don’t see it enough from the big name athletes. They say their going to talk to the youth and tell them what they did was wrong and the dangers of it and how it affected them. WHERE ARE YOU? If it’s a case of no media attention then I will point my frustration with them, but come on. I came across a story this past week on ESPN’s show “E:60.” A great show by the way. This man is a bodybuilder who got caught up in using and selling steroids. By looking at him is reason enough to see the dangers, but he has come to that realization only now that they ruined his life. I leave you with this quote from him that A-Rod, Bonds, McGwire and even Canseco should be telling the youth about steroid use. “I think you’re an idiot if you do them, because if you get caught, you’re gonna go to jail.” Gregg Valentino.

NHL Semifinal Preview

If you missed any of the first round, I truly feel sorry for you. Best hockey I’ve seen in a long time. Bruins swept Le Canadiens. See ya to the frenchies, after those few knuckleheads boo a country’s national anthem. Grow up and learn some respect. Washington came back down 3-1 to New York. Carolina beat Brodeur in a Game 7. I still can’t believe that happened. Pittsburgh beat crosstown rival Philadelphia in six. In the West the Ducks were mighty (sorry J.R.) and beat the Sharks in six. It should have been a sweep the way they played. Detroit and Vancouver easily went by Columbus and St. Louis in sweeps. The young Blackhawks blew out the Flames in six to set up an even better second round of this years playoffs.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

1 Boston vs. 6 Carolina

After that emotional Game 7 win the Hurricanes now have to face the best in the east. The Bruins are well rested although I think that might hurt them. Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference will need to be sharp to stop the Canes attack of Eric Staal and Ray Whitney. Goalie Tim Thomas has to be up to form in this one. Learn from the mistakes of Brodeur and don’t get beat in the last minute. Cam Ward has been brilliant in net so far for Carolina. The key here is defense. Both teams can score, but it will come down to who plays the best defense. Key players here are David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Both were great against Montreal, but must continue the success for the Bruins to prevail. Boston in seven.

2 Washington vs. 4 Pittsburgh

The two names of hockey are now going to clash for a spot in the Eastern Finals. Of course I’m referring to Miroslav Satan and Donald Brashear. You thought I was really that senile. CROSBY VS. OVECHKIN. You already knew anyway. Sid has something to prove here. To get back to the Finals he has to beat his top rival. He has help in Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, but Ovie has Alexander Semin and Mike Green. Pretty even if you ask me. As in the previous round for these two it will come down to goaltending. Marc-Andre Fluery was fantastic in the net for the Penguins. And how about Simeon Varlamov for the Caps. You talk about pressure. Having to start Game 2 against the Rangers and shine the way he did for the rest of the series. Varlamov is the reason why the Caps are here. Ovechkin will win the Hart trophy and that is all he wins this year. Pittsburgh in seven.

Western Conference Semifinals

2 Detroit vs. 8 Anaheim

Everyone knows that the Ducks are no ordinary eighth seed. The defending champs will have their hands full with trying to contain Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan on the offense. Getting past Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin on the defense and trying to score on Jonas Hiller. Don’t get me wrong. The Red Wings have their stars in Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetteberg and Nick Lidstrom. The Wings will need another great performance out of Chris Osgood. The Ducks made Evgeni Nabokov look like a regular guy. What will they do with Osgood? Key player is Marian Hossa. If Hossa is kept quiet the Ducks will have no problem knocking off the champs. This time I go with my heart. Ducks in seven.

3 Vancouver vs. 4 Chicago

Quite possibly the best matchup in the West if not the second round. The Canucks play sound defense and score when they need to. Roberto Luongo is just amazing. He can stop almost anything, key word almost. This Blackhawk team is young, fast and hungry. They can smell the Cup. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are a superstar tandem. Chicago has hockey fever again and it’s thanks to them. Nikolai Khabibulin was great against Calgary and must be against Vancouver. Now more than ever Chicago needs Khabibulin to be on his game because there will be few scoring chances against Luongo. Key player is Martin Havlat. Havlat will need to take charge on offense for the Blackhawks to skate past Vancouver. Chicago in seven.

Without gloating (too much), the first round in a previous post was correct on all, but the Sharks vs. Ducks. I don’t see anything short of seven games for all the series. For more great hockey playoff previews and chatter check out hockeytalkbiz.

The League of Golden Showers

Something we got from the Director of Baseball Operations of the GBL baseball league that was sent from the Calgary Vipers franchise. Let us know if you think this is in good taste or another example that the league will whizz all over you.

The Lions Guide to the NFL Draft

In less than 24 hours another crop of college athletes will make the jump into the NFL. Another year of what ifs and what could have been questions and opinions. Five years later we will look back and see who our favorite team could have taken instead of that “bust.” Those unfortunate teams who have had the number one pick, have been burdened with the pressure of making that player into a success. A franchise savior so to speak. This year is no different. The win less Lions (I’m not going to gloat D-Town) are expected to pick Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. A name which in the past two weeks I will not forget because of all the crazy non stop coverage. Will this Bulldog fair better than other number one picks? Only time will tell.

Is it really different? They’re still the Lions.

Let us take a trip down memory lane with Detroit and the number one pick. Detroit had the number one pick in three previous years. In 1943, Detroit took Running Back Frankie Sinkwich out of, coincidentally enough, Georgia. Played with the Lions for only two seasons due to an injury in the military, but did win the 1944 NFL MVP award with Detroit. 1950, the Lions picked Leon Hart, Heisman Trophy winner, out of Notre Dame. He won All-Pro honors on offense and defense in 1951. All his eight seasons were played in Detroit. The last time the Lions had the number one pick they chose Running Back Billy Sims out of Oklahoma in 1980. Sims was on the verge of having a good career. A knee injury knocked him out in 1984 and had to hang up the cleats. Billy Sims had over 5,000 yards rushing, 2,000 yards receiving and 47 total touchdowns in just five seasons. Since Billy Sims, Detroit’s drafts have been abysmal. Examples: Andre Ware 1990, Bryant Westbrook 1997, Chris Claiborne 1999, Joey Harrington 2002, Charles Rogers 2003, and Mike Williams 2005. The lone bright spot was Barry Sanders 1989. Calvin Johnson 2007 could be another, but I will hold judgment. The pressure is on Detroit this time around more than any other. Not for economic reasons, but just the fact that they don’t compete. EVER!

Talk about the odd couple, but these two have something in common.

When you have the number one pick, it’s kind of bad. You were the worst team the previous year and you need some work to get back to the top. When you have the number one pick back to back years. You have twice as much work and really almost no hope of getting out of the cellar. It’s happened. Most recently with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Why do I mention this? To give Detroit a break. Most teams will not screw up the number one pick. Yes it’s happened quite a few times, but it won’t be as bad as they two. 1994, the Cincinnati Bengals took Defensive Tackle Dan Wilkinson out of Ohio State. What did Wilkinson do while in Cincy? Nothing to warrant being the number one pick. Only played four years in the Nati. Was let go after no Pro Bowls or playoff appearances. What makes this worse is that the following year the Bengals again with the number one pick took Running Back Ki-Jana Carter out of Penn State. It wasn’t that Carter didn’t perform up to standards, but he was bit with the injury bug. What makes it worse is that Marshall Faulk, soon to be Hall of Famer, was taken right after Wilkinson in 1994 by the Colts. Man thats gotta hurt.

Cleveland in 1999, their first year back since the now Baltimore Ravens left town, decided to take Quarterback Tim Couch out of Kentucky to lead the franchise back to greatness and maybe a Super Bowl championship. Couch was the first of five QB’s taken in that first round. Couch was given way to much on his shoulders. There was no line to protect him and pretty much no weapons either. Sheep to the wolves in this case. When the Browns started to turn things around an injury kept Couch from getting them into the postseason. The following year he lost the starting job and his career began to come to an end. The year after Couch was drafted the Browns, again with the number one pick, chose Defensive End Courtney Brown out of Penn State. Brown like Wilkinson for the Bengals, never lived up to the hype and faltered quickly in Cleveland. Seven seasons and no Pro Bowls later, Brown did land in Denver, but could not salvage his career. The person taken after Couch in the 99′ Draft was Quarterback Donovan McNabb. Taken by the Eagles McNabb, as you all know, is one of the best QB’s in the league. I’m not saying Donovan would’ve lasted longer than Couch in that mess, but you got to wonder.

Jeff has fallen on his head so many times during his career.

I now come to my decision on the worst number pick of all time. It might come as no surprise to those that truly were wronged by him. Expectations are hard to live up to. Especially when you were brought into a losing franchise from the start. Quarterback Jeff George drafted in 1990 by the Indianapolis Colts is my worst number pick of all time. I went back and forth between him and Linebacker Aundray Bruce. Bruce did produce, but to label him the next Lawrence Taylor was not fair to him. There will never be another L.T. Oh, I forgot about LaDainian Tomlinson, anyway I didn’t go with Bruce based off that. I could have gone with Michael Vick or David Carr, but that was too easy. And since this is the worst number one pick that takes out Ryan Leaf (told myself I wasn’t going to mention him), Akili Smith, or Lawrence Phillips. Wow those three were terrible. Jeff’s career totals were not that bad, but no Pro Bowls, two playoff appearances and several bad teams. His best year oddly enough was in Oakland 1997. Jeff threw for under 4,000 yards passing with 29 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions for a 4-12 Raider team. That epitomizes Jeff George’s career. When expecting great things, fail. When expecting nothing, truimph. Beware those with the number one pick. Many will turn your franchise around, but those will also become Jeff George. Yikes.