FTL Sports

The Yankees are still the best team in baseball. Yes, their rotation is off and on but they do have a lights out pitcher named CC who will guide them through the playoffs. Last night was further proof that New York’s batting lineup is the most dangerous in the league. We don’t need a Big Papi or Albert Pujols; we have a group of guys that can keep the line moving. Our worst hitter is arguably Brett Gardner, and if he is our worst then I think we’re doing all right! I  hadn’t noticed how strong Gardner was until I saw him at the plate yesterday either- he looks pretty built! I find it amusing how everyone says the Yankees weren’t interested in winning the wild card…of course they were! They were resting banged up guys like Nick Swisher to return for the playoffs. Now everyone’s picking the Twins. I’m sorry but there is nothing about the Twins that merits people’s predictions of them beating the Yanks…did anyone see Francisco Liriano tank last night?! Everyone just loves to hate the Yankees.

By the way, the Knicks have shown promise in their first two preseason games. They crushed AC Milan the other day and Amar’e Stoudemire had 32 points in 28 minutes! They lost to the Timberwolves in France, but they weren’t really trying to win; they kept trying out different rotations and were just getting a feel for eachother’s talents.

More posts to follow…

Fletcher

It’s been a while. With the start of school, I just had trouble fitting posts in. Lots to talk about. I might be a little rusty and it will take some time to catch up on everything.

The start of the NFL season has been very interesting. Here are the most notable headlines: 

1) Who knew that Kevin Kolb would get hurt and Vick would be such an able replacement? He is really playing well, although he did hurt his ribs yesterday. I can’t say I’m happy he’s doing well either…no matter what people say, Vick is a scumbag!

2) Break up the Chiefs! Matt Cassel is returning to form afterbeing a solid Tom Brady replacement two years ago in New England. Kansas City did lose yesterday, which reminds me; there is not a single undefeated team in the league! Last year, the Colts and Saints were both undefeated past past week eight if I remember correctly. I guess the balance of talent is more even this year, which is exciting.

3) There is nothing wrong with the Colts! They lost last night due to a 59 yard field goal from Josh Scobee. It was absurd and they can’t do sanything about that! They are a veteran team and will right they ship as the season goes on. We’re talking about Peyton Manning; the fact that they’ve lost on the road and won at home is of very little significance.

4) Time for Ahmad Bradshaw to stop fumbling. I love Bradshaw because he really fights for extra yards and is one of the quickest, shiftiest backs in the league. But with the Giants offensive line being so bad, Eli has been fumbling left and right. Bradshaw especially needs to hold on to the ball because Jacobs (aside from last night against the Bears) has been awful. It’s amazing how these workhorse running backs dop off so quickly. Two years ago, Jacobs was running people over. Now, he reminds me of guys like Priest Holmes and Shaun Alexander – a shadow of his former self.

5) Congratulations to LT. Ladainian Tomlinson is one of my favorite players and it was depressing to see how frustrated he was for the last two years. Now, he’s averaging over six yards a carry on a team that just pummeled the Bills. Ok, they are the Bills but it was still impressive.

6) Is Kyle Orton for real? I had written him off, but he is making making his receivers look really good. His accuracy is impressive.

This is a follow up to my AFC predictions, four division winners and two wild cards.

New York Giants: I am NOT just picking the Giants because they’re my team! They were derailed by injuries and poor play from Brandon Jacobs last season. They’ve added Keith Bullock and Antrel Rolle. Aaron Ross, Mathias Kiwanuka and Chris Canty are back from injury. Although Domenik Hixon is out for the year, he has shaky hands and is overrated- his absence will allow Hakeem Nicks to blossom. As long as Jacobs returns to form, I expect the G Men to be a championship contender.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers has shed his reputation as Brett Favre’s back up; he’s an outstanding quarterback. Greg Jennings is a great receiver and Donald Driver is incredibly consistent. Ryan Grant is one of the quickest running backs in the league- the Packers are simply a well oiled machine. The only other solid team in their division is the Vikings, and Favre has come to the end of the line. It’s not meant to be- there will be no magic this season and he’s going to regret returning for his 20th year.

New Orleans Saints: They’re the champs and didn’t lose anyone notable during the off season. How could they not make the playoffs?

San Francisco 49ers: This may sound crazy, but the Niners are not that bad. They have a bunch of elite defensive players like Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes and Nate Clements. Alex Smith is due for a solid season especially with the return of Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. Also, Michael Crabtree will remind everyone of why he was so highly touted this season. Plus, the Cardinals will be lead by Matt Leinart and lost Anquan Boldin- that doesn’t sound like a formidable team to me.

Wild Cards: Atlanta Falcons & Washington Redskins

Both teams are decent defensively, it’s their quarterback-wide receivers combos that will be tough to stop. Matt Ryan is going to improve and Roddy White is a superstar. Donovan McNabb and Santana Moss will be enough to sneak the Redskins into the postseason. I would pick the Panthers but don’t have faith that they’ll ever have a serviceable QB. As for the Cowboys, every team can’t make the playoffs and Dallas routinely under achieves.

When the Knicks acquired all-star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire this summer they were expecting a ferocious, 6-11 beast with a habit of dunking on unsuspecting centers (bottom right). Although they still expect the same results, they couldn’t possibly have predicted that he’d be in Israel right now. Stoudemire has immersed himself in the Jewish culture ever since he discovered his Jewish roots on his mom’s side of the family a couple of months ago. His pilgrimage to Israel has reportedly included trips to sacred Temples across the country and a new Star of David tattoo on his hand (pictured below). He also claims to be learning Hebrew. I find his story very refreshing because it seems like individuality is missing in sports these days. Athletes embrace their roles as bumbling buffoons and rarely try to shed their millionaire images. Amar’e is embracing a new culture and I support him as long as he’s still a beast on the court. I’m happy he won’t be playing on the Olympic team because we don’t need another Antonio McDyess incident where he injures himself before playing a single game. Below is a link to one of “STAT’s” best dunks.

Amar’e Dunks on Anthony Tolliver (One of the most thunderous I’ve ever seen)

It’s time for me to put my picks out there for AFC and NFC playoff brackets and predict the 2011 Superbowl Champions. I have a feeling this is going to be a fantastic and unpredictable season after all of the teams changes superstars made this off season. As usual, wide receivers have stolen the majority of the headlines; I can barely contain my excitement when I think about Terrell Owens in Cincinnati, Brandon Marshall in Miami and Anquan Boldin on the Ravens! My picks are not the most conventional but you can only criticize them in the comments if you give your own predictions.

AFC Bracket:

Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco is going to have a breakout season and Ray Rice is the new Maurice Jones-Drew, a compact spark plug. Their defense is always outstanding; their pass rush hits hard and sets the stage for Ed Reed to pick off everything he can get within arms reach of.

New York Jets: I hate to say it, but these guys have a good team on their hands. Darrelle Revis will obviously bolster their defense upon resigning but Bart Scott and company will be just fine until then. Mark Sanchez is going to be what scouts hoped Matt Leinart would be; a mobile quarterback with an accurate arm. LaDainian Tomlinson still has some solid years left in his tank and the receiving corps is stacked with Santonio Holmes (suspended for first 4 games), Braylon Edwards, and Laveranues Coles.

Indianapolis Colts: How could I possibly bet against the Colts? Peyton Manning is a stud and blessed (as usual) with a fantastic offensive line. Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders should be healthy. Joseph Addai is a serviceable running back and Reggie Wayne is one of the best receivers in the league. The list goes on; the Colts will be a Super Bowl threat once again this year.

San Diego Chargers: Of all my picks, I am least confident in the Chargers. Tomlinson will be tough to replace despite his declining numbers and I’m unconvinced that Vincent Jackson is a viable receiving threat. However, while it’s doubtful that Antonio Gates’s production will ever be close to what it was a couple years ago, he still is a premier tight end. As an Eli fan, it kills me to admit that Philip Rivers is a star. He throws for over 4,000 yards a season consistently- you can’t argue statistics. Whether the Rivers/Gates combo will be enough to make up for a declining defense remains to be seen. It all comes down to the fact that the Chargers are in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. Their only threat will be Denver, led by a sub-par quarterback, inexperienced running back, and an Elvis Dumervil-less defense.

Wild Cards – Miami Dolphins & Cincinnati Bengals

The Dolphins have a lot going for them. They have built a young and athletic defense, showing major improvement last year with a playoff appearance. I remember watching Chad Henne at Michigan a couple of years ago- I knew he would be a solid player. He has superstar potential, especially with a viable running option that will allow him to mix the play calls up. The Dolphins should get enough production on the ground between Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, at least enough to set up Brandon Marshall for a 15+ touchdown season.

The Bengals are a tough act to follow. Carson Palmer is talented yet reserved and football is not the top priority for Chad Johnson (I refuse to call him Ochocinco). Unless Cedric Benson’s critic-hushing season was a fluke, the Bengals will be a tough for defenses to handle. The T.O. Show has come to town and it really is a make or break season for Owens, as his career is on the brink of collapse. He will have more than enough competition too; the Bengals added Antonio Bryant and Matt Jones this off season. Rey Maualuga and Gibril Wilson are beasts and should lead a solid defensive squad. This pick is a gamble especially since they’ll have to steal the wild card from the Patriots. The Pats just don’t have a reliable defense anymore and haven’t had a reliable running options for years either.

1) With everybody focused on A-Rod’s 600th homer, I’m more concerned with the way he’s hitting in general. Despite his claims, it’s obvious that the only thing on Rodriguez’s mind is when his next home run will be. However, has everyone forgotten that he was on the all-star team this year yet is batting below 270. with less than twenty long balls?! Alex, you’ve got plenty of time to catch 600, let’s focus on getting on base buddy.

2) Where did Jose Bautista and his 33 homers come from? I hadn’t heard of the guy before this season, and for obvious reasons- he’s playing on his sixth team in a six year career! He was unimpressive on numerous bottom feeders like Tampa Bay (during the dark days when they were known as the Devil Rays), Kansas City and Pittsburgh. He’s now tearing it up on the MLB’s biggest surprise, the Blue Jays. The Yankees just learned their lesson the hard way; the Jays can hit. We got burned for eight runs… two nights in a row! We’re in danger of being swept thanks to the king of inconsistency, AJ Burnett. I’d rather him be consistently bad so the Yanks would at least know not to start him. Instead, he pitches a Cy Young worthy game and warrants another start, which he blows. He has so much talent but hasn’t put together a string of great games in an eternity.

3) The Heat became the team to hate by putting together an unbeatable team this off season. They’re the Yankees of basketball and just gave everyone another reason to despise them. When LeBron was signed they sold all of their season tickets in a matter of minutes. Normally, the purpose of the season ticket department is to promote and sell season tickets all year long. The Heat, having already sold their entire stock, just fired the entire season ticket branch because they don’t need them anymore. The department was penalized for the success of the franchise and its employees are now jobless. I understand that sports is a business, but Miami could have just relocated the workers. Maybe this is a sign that the Heat are struggling financially due to their recent signings. Intentions aside, it wasn’t the classiest of moves.

It seems like the only teams I write about these days are the Yankees and Heat, but football season is coming. It should be a great season after all the roster changes that went down this summer.

Reports are that sharp shooter Eddie House is signing with the Miami Heat. Analysts said the Heat’s roster wouldn’t have any depth…so much for that idea! Miami now has a squad filled with great role players who will ensure a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, the success of the Heat’s roster reconstruction is intriguing superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. These soon to be free agents now want to create their own mini all-star teams by teaming up with their friends, a phenomenon that NBA commissioner David Stern was clearly trying to prevent by publicly denouncing LeBron’s choice to leave the Cavs . I can’t complain because the Knicks are surely going to benefit from this trend (who can resist the Big Apple?), but soon teams will become stacked and the talent level throughout the league will be lopsided. Front runner fans are becoming more and more common; newly founded dynasties are going to drive away what’s left of true die hards. Why should potential fans be loyal to their local teams if there is no chance they will ever have be championship worthy? The NBA will have power houses in the big cities like LA, New York, Boston and Miami, while small markets like Memphis, Toronto and Minnesota are going to be left out to dry.

You don’t have to know anthing about basketball to have an opinion on the flocking of superstars to one team. It’s equally relavant in baseball (NY Yankees) and the NFL (Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens). Some people feel this predicament is good for the NBA and all of sports; you know my opinion. Feel free to weigh in one the subject, even to simply disagree with me.

These days no one knows the meaning of longevity. Terrell Owens used to be one of my favorite players…before he spent one disastrous season in Buffalo and now is headed down to play with Chad Ochocinco. This will be his fifth team and T.O. is destroying his legacy; fans remember guys who stick with their respective teams and represent one city for their entire career. What ever happened to people willing to go through the ups and downs of a sports franchise for the sake of the fans and their family? Allen Iverson, one of my favorite basketball players of all time, has diminished his legacy dramatically by playing for four different teams in the past couple of years. Same goes for Brett Favre. Even Michael Jordan hurt his reputation by playing for the Washington Wizards at the end of career. The unfortunate truth is that none of these guys know how to do anything but play sports. They retire and realize they are nothing without their sport. After all, not everybody can be a ESPN analyst! John Elway will be remembered forever because he was a great player that played for one team. Players are not well advised and never know when to hang their cleats up.

If you comment on this post, include your favorite one team player of all time (any sport).

Here is a the Commissioner of the NBA David Stern’s EXTREMELY interesting take on LeBron’s choice. He doesn’t mince words and his opinion is refreshingly honest. I went to a sports management program at Georgetown this week and insiders said that he was an absolute genius and one of the greatest commissioners in the history of sports. And that was not just coming from people who worked for the NBA, soccer, baseball, and hockey business professionals all agreed.

There’s an advertisement prior to the video, don’t click out because his response is coming.

NBA Comissioner David Stern on LeBron’s Future