The Beginning of The End?

Well folks, we're finally here.  The beginning of the 2010 NFL season.  Tonight, everyone in America will tune in to what promises to be a thrilling rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game.  The Vikings, led by the ageless wonder Brett Favre, come into the game facing a heap of questions and doubts about their ability to repeat last years success.  Sidney Rice, the Vikings best receiver last year, is out for at least half the season with a hip injury.  Percy Harvin is always a question mark with his random migraine attacks.  Favre is dealing with an ankle still swollen from the beating it took in the Championship Game against the Saints.  And injuries in the secondary have the media doubting whether the Vikings are even the best team in their division anymore.  Personally, I'm not that worried, for a few reasons: 1) Brett Favre has been called old for years, been beaten up and knocked down for years, and continues to pick his body off the ground to sling the ball around at a high level.  Why doubt him now?  After all, people called him old and injured last year, and he ended up having a career year.  2) People forget that Sidney Rice was irrelevant until last year.  Brett Favre helped to make him into the good receiver he is now.  We've seen Favre do alot with alot less than he has now on this team, which I remind the critics, is still arguably the most talented team outside of Dallas in the NFC.  And 3) The Vikings dominated against New Orleans last year and if it weren't for a few turnovers, that game is theirs. 
                    And yet, after tonight, the season begins in earnest.  So many storylines to follow: Can the Colts get back to the Super Bowl, will this be the year the Texans become a legit playoff team, are the Ravens superbowl material, is Aaron Rodgers an MVP quarterback, and then there's the whole Donovan, Haynesworth, Shanahan triangle going on in DC.  But there's another storyline thats a bit more troubling is the looming lockout next year.  We've heard about it for months, that the collective bargaining agreement is in jeopardy and America might have a locked out football season after 2010.  I can't imagine life without football, can you?  I guess all football fans can do for now is enjoy all the storylines and games and teams this year.  With so much uncertainty looming, this year might be more important than ever. 

The Return of Favre...........................again

So the Brett Favre saga is officially over @ last.  Well, @ least for this year.  2011 is still up in the air.  Although personally, I think the old gun-slinger could still be himing and hawing @ age 50.  But that's a story for another year.  The official story is that Brett Favre was kidnapped in Missisippii yesterday by Jared Allen, Ryan Longwell, and Steve Hutchinson.  The three players took a private plane there on Monday to convince/beg Favre to return, or @ least to give the world an answer.  Then they tied him up, put a hood over his head, stuffed him in a bag, drove him to the airport, and locked him in the cargo hold as they all headed back to Minnesota.  Okay, maybe thats not exactly how it happened, but no matter how you slice it, thats how it sounded when I heard the news yesterday.  Could this all be coincidence?  Remember, last year it was August 18th when Brett Favre made his decision to help the men in purple.  What's today? August 18th, although technically, Brett Favre may have made up his mind yesterday.  Is there any doubt that he's back?  It would be kind of odd, (and funny) if Brett Favre traveled to Minnesota just to announce that his ankle hurts too much to play.  Although with Favre, anthing is possible I guess.  Now today, Favre is expected to take the practice field and Brad Childress and the Vikings are expected to announce @ 2:30 that (gasp, Favre is back!)  Alot of people kinda expected Favre to return, but it seems the Vikings had a little reason to be nervous.  I mean, they were reduced to sending 3 of Favre's friends to his home in Missisippii to eat his steak and take him back to Minnesota.  Not that I blame them; Favre's value to this team is adds up to more than his age.  Lets be honest, Tavaris Jackson can be salty about it all he likes, the bottom line is that with him, the Vikings win maybe 8 games and probably miss the playoffs.  With Favre, the possibilities go to the playoffs and beyond.  Take a good, hard look @ last year and tell me with a straight face that the Vikes dont need Mr. Indecisive.  Here are some stats that are almost unfathomable for an ageless 40-year old: 68.4 completion percentage, over 4,200 passing yards, 33 TD's and only 7 INT's with a brilliant passer rating of 107.2.  And by the way, did Sidney Rice make the pro bowl before a certain old guy started throwing it to him? The answer is nope.  The Vikings have the talent to make the Super Bowl, but only with Favre.  If you really believe that the Vikings can win it all with (snicker) Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels quarterbacking the ship, you can consider yourself medically brain-dead about the game of football.  Not that it'll be easy for the Vikings; they play in a tough division.  The Bears are better defensively and offensively this year ( as long as Mike Martz, the new offensive coordinator, can handle a QB that threw 26 INT's last year, they should be fine).  Dont forget about the Packers either, a team that had the 2nd best defense in the league last year and has a budding superstar QB in Aaron Rodgers.  But the Vikings are 3rd in that division without Favre.  No matter how you look @ it, thats the bottom line.  Yes, we all went on the same crazy ride as last year and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that and the year before.........................................you get the point.  Yes Brett Favre is old.  Yes he's a drama queen with gray temples.  Yes, he's indecisive.  And he's always indecisive.  But he's also the ultimate iron man.  He's a future Hall of Fame QB.  He's a proven winner.  He owns every freaking record a QB has, even the record of gray hairs.  And he's still the most superior gun-slinger the NFL has ever seen.  Complain about it all you want, the NFL is better with Favre in it.  He's must-see TV.  So many times i've heard people say, "Man, I'm tired of Favre.  He should just retire.  Why do we have to put up with this every single year?!" And yet those same people are the ones tuning in on Sundays to watch him play.  If there were a word like hypocritical irony, I would use it to describe the complainers.  Don't kid youselves; you love Favre.  He's a walking headline.  And now, he's back on our TV sets again.  But who knows about 2011?  Till' next year Favre...................................................

Carmelo: Great player, or underachiever?

Carmelo Anthony, or "Melo" has always been a great scorer in the NBA.  For seven years, he's been the best player on a talented Denver Nuggets team.  For seven years, he has scored at will and carried the Nuggets to the playoffs.  And for seven years, he has been overrated and has underachieved.  Lets be honest folks.  We all witnessed that infamous 2003 NBA Draft that brought us Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and yes, Carmelo Anthony.  Looking back now, what can we say about them?  Lebron James was crowned king and made the Cavaliers relevant again, carrying them all the way to the NBA Finals and winning two MVP awards during his time in Cleveland. Dwyane Wade is the only player out of the 4 of them that has carried his team to an NBA Championship.  He's built a reputation as a closer and an explosive dynamic player on both ends of the court.  Chris Bosh?  Ok, maybe he's been an underachiever as well.  He's put up great numbers in Toronto, but has only made the playoffs twice in 7 seasons and has never been past the first round.  But I would never suggest that Chris Bosh is overrated.  He has been one of the more talented power forwards in the league and last year averaged a career-high 24.0 ppg along with 10.8 rgg.  As for Carmelo, from the beginning of his career to now, he has always been overrated in my eyes.  Earlier throughout his career, he was criticized for bad shot selection and selfish play.  Twice, he's averaged over 28 points, and along with Lebron, is one of the few players have have accumulated at least 12,000 points, 3,500 rebounds, and 1,500 assists.  However, take a long look at Carmelo's track record.  He's only been past the first round of the playoffs once in 7 years.  He's had immaturity issues, both on and off the court.  Just recall the brawl a few years ago in Madison Square Garden, in which Melo was suspended 15 games and probably cost himself a chance at an MVP award.  Now, going into his 8th NBA season, Carmelo is looking to take his talents elsewhere.  The Nuggets have offered him a 3 year/65 million dollar extension.  Considering that the league might be heading towards a lockout in the coming future, I would think that he would take the money.  But Carmelo is weighing his options.  He hasn't decided to accept the extension, which means that next summer, Carmelo would have his own chance to be courted as a free agent.  According to sources, Carmelo doesnt like the direction of the team, and is looking to take his game (and underwhelming career success) to another location.  There are reports that New York is his likely destination, just as there were reports that Chris Paul was interested in New York so that he, along with Melo and Amare Stoudemire, could form their own "big three" in The Big Apple.  Carmelo could either take the extension so that the Nuggets could trade him elsewhere with no problem.  Or, Carmelo could not take the extension, and the Nuggets could lose him for next to nothing.  Either way, i believe that Carmelo is not the kind of player worth spending 22 million on.  He's proven that he's not a player you can build around and he's proven that while he is a great scorer, he is not a great leader, and perhaps never will be.  A leader is supposed to take charge of a team and be the voice of reason in a locker room and also show the mental toughness and fortitude that players who follow them would expect.  Scorers are a dime a dozen in this league.  But true leaders, those are the players worth keeping and building around. 

A new year in Sports

Wow, what a year in sports.  So many events and happenings have been going on since the year 2010 started.  The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in franchise history.  The NBA Free Agency period finally concluded with shocking twists and turns and "decisions" that sparked anger and debate all over the country.  The Fiba World Cup culminated with questionable calls and a new champion.  Tiger Woods, the once heralded champion of golf, has won as many majors this year as I have.  And once again, the Brett Favre saga threatens to engulf us all.  Its times like these that you really have to appreciate the excitement and interest that sports can bring.  This year has produced just as many if not more headlines and hot topics than in years past (I mean honestly, how many times have we been able to discuss basketball in June and July?)  We've had a lot of interesting stories in sports this year, from constant no-hitters in baseball, to the decline of both Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, to the recently enshrined Hall of Fame Class of 2010 (congrats to Scottie, the greatest Robin in league history).  Now we're headed toward the final part of the year, and many more stories will emerge and others will break and others still will continue to capture our interest.  Here are a few storylines to keep your eyes on as the year begins to conclude:

• Will Brett Favre return? It seems that every year we are subjected to the 40-year old divas will he/wont he drama.  This year there seems to be even more question than before, as the rusty bones in Favre's hundred year old ankles are aching with doubts about whether or not he can give it one more go.  The great thing about this story, is that we are all in the dark about his decision until it actually comes out, so continue to speculate!
• Speaking of decisions, what a doozy it was to see King James turn his into the spectacle of the century.  Me being a Miami Heat fan, I'm forced to put aside the fanboy and think about this as an analyst.  Regardless of whether you agree with the decision or not, the bottome line is, its generated huge buzz and excitement for this upcoming season of basketball.  What will happen? Will the Miami Heat, led by The King, The Flash, and that Canada guy, dominate and cruise to the NBA Finals against the Jordan clone and his yellow and purple subordinates?  Or will the retro "Big Three" turn green with envy and prove that they have more than a little diesel left in the tank? The Countdown has begun............................
• Whats up with Tiger?  He went from being the greatest golfer in the world to "ugh his putting needs work."  Counting the recently completed PGA Championship, Tiger is 0 for the year.  Whatever it is, focus, drama, age, he's just not the guy he once was.  Its not a question of whether or not he's still dominant, because the answer to that one is clear.  My question is: Will Tiger win this year @ all?  And will he ever shake this dark cloud hovering over his head?
• The Yankees are primed to defend their world series title this year.  Should be interesting though; there are alot of close division races that are only heating up as the season winds down.  And how many no-hitters are we going to see this season alone?  So far, my count is @ 5, which was unheard of in a single baseball season until this "Year of the Pitcher" thing fell in our laps.  I'd say there will be @ least 2 more before the playoffs start.  Altho, I'm about as sure of that as  I am that Brett Favre will play this year.  Can somebody say 50/50?
• There are looming lockouts that are positively looming over the NBA and the NFL respectively.  Could America handle life without basketball and football?  I could curl up in a corner and cry just thinking about it.  Sure hope Roger Goodell and David Stern can negotiate better than Manny Paquio and "Money" Mayweather.  (Seriously guys?  I mean boxing is pretty much dead anyways, but this is the only fight that anyone wants to see. And u won't because............................why exactly?) 
• And finally, there are a series of questions that need some serious answering.  Will Derrelle Revis, the pro-bowl, shut-em down cornerback for the New York Jets, suit up this season?  Will Blake Griffin win rookie of the year over John Wall?  Will Stephen Strasburg help make the Nationals @ least relevant next year?  Can the Saints repeat?  Is Tim Tebow worth the hype?  Will Allen Iverson ever find another job in the NBA?  Will the T.O., Ochocinco thingy in Cincinnati work out?  And will the NCAA recover fromt the series of agent mishaps and player corruption?  The year isnt over yet, so.....................................who knows?  All I know is, should be an exciting end to the year, based off of what I've seen.