NBA Predictions

Alright, so Kobe got his ring last year and finally proved he could win big without Shaq. After being knocked out of the play-offs last year, LeBron James is as hungry as ever to finally win his first championship. He probably has the most to prove after a tumultuous off-season. However, the Lakers are as good as ever, adding Ron Artest to take care of the other teams top players. Even though the Lakers lost Trevor Ariza, I think that they're a better team with Artest. But, no off-season acquisition was as big as Shaq going to the Cavs.



Shaq is the mentor that LeBron needs. After all, he's done the partner stuff quite frequently and with good success. Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade were all propelled to stardom and championships. Sorry Penny. I don't think that Shaq's stint with LeBron will be any different. The Big Aristotle is the most dominating player to ever play, and I think that he'll teach LeBron a thing or two.



Shaq wants another championship, there's no question about it. Nobody can question LeBron's want or desire for one either, and right now I'm going to make a prediction. The Cavs will start slowly and have some bumps along the way, but will end up finishing between second and fourth in the East. Then, they'll make their way through the playoffs in historic fashion before beating the Lakers in seven games. After the game, Shaq will announce his retirement and proclaim himself as the best player of all time, with Kobe visibly scowling in the backround. He will then go on to jubilantly dub himself dozens of inapropriate nicknames.



Well, this is how it would happen in the dream world, but I think that Shaq and LeBron will definitely win at least one championship together and Shaq will help LeBron get over his championship curse.

Has Duke Been Saved?

A while back, I was browsing through ESPN and found Duke's incoming class of basketball players. For the most part, the players we got were just like everything Duke Basketball has resembled the past eight years. White, un-athletic, good, but un-reliable, shooters, and defense that seemed to be played by a passive seven year old, not a division one athlete. Remind you of players from the past?



After finding this out and realizing that our post players for the next four years were going to be panzies, I went to Youtube and stumbled upon this video.



Class of 2010 Duke recruit? Athleticism? African American? Visible muscles? There's got to be some mistake right? No this kid is really coming to Duke. About a week later it hit me that he must be related to Johnny Dawkins. After fact checking this, I found out that it wasn't true. I figured that in two years, we would have one of the best back courts in the nation with Dawkins and Seth Curry.



A few weeks ago, I found out that he had enough credits to come to Duke and skip his senior season. Now, we actually have some athleticism. After reading about Amdre Dawkins, I found out that he is already a great shooter. This explains why he's going to Duke. Coach K would never recruit someone with great athleticism and a boat load of potential would he?



I mean in the 2000's, when I'm old enough to realize Duke's problems.

Michael Vick's Debut and Sport's Return

After two months of sub-par sports and running out of ideas, sports are finally returning to their usual exciting self. After two years of watching quarterbacks wait it out in the pocket, Michael Vick finally returns to the NFL and brings back an exciting and unpredictable quarterback.



The past two months, there hasn't been a lot of sports to watch, with basically only the MLB going through its most boring months. However, the NFL and College Football are returning, and following them are then NBA and College Basketball seasons. There are finally story lines to follow and money to be taken through bets. On top of all this, the MLB Playoffs are coming soon. Even better is that the Yankees are in them. That one hundred eighty million dollars we spent this summer really did work!



Also, tomorrow night Michael Vick makes his debut for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though it's pre-season, it will be a sign of what's to come this season for Vick. Will the Eagles run some wildcat for him, will he be as good as he was, and how much will he play are all questions to be answered. However, wherever Vick goes, even in Philadelphia, he'll be greeted by boos and stuffed dogs along with very mean taunts. Just handling himself in the midst of this will be a big step for Vick.



Pictures like the above are common on the internet, but in person it's going to be much worse. No matter what happens, the Michael Vick situation will be entertaining. I think that people are in for a surprise when they see him tomorrow night.



Nobody knows how several story lines will play out, but there is no doubt that it will be more entertaining than the past two months have been. Sports are finally kicking into full swing.

Shaq Versus

The past two Tuesdays, from eight to nine,I've been watching a new ABC show, Shaq Vs. In the show, Shaq takes on the top pro athletes in their sports. So far, the results havn't been great for the Big Shaqtus.



The first week, Shaq took on Ben Roethlisberger at football. He didn't do as bad as I thought, staying with Big Ben for most of the game. The only thing was that Shaq got a stipulation. He only had to go from the twenty yard line while Big Ben had to go from the forty, which isn't unreasonable considering how good he is. Each player got the chance to score three times, with each touchdown counting as seven points. After each player got two chances, the score was fourteen up. On his third try, Shaq threw an interception while Big Ben scored. Game, Big Ben. Even though he lost, Shaq was pretty funny and the show was entertaining.



Last night, the show's second episode aired. This time, The Big Freeze took on Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. He didn't have any advantages this time, and got to pick a partner. He chose Todd Rogers, an Olympic Gold Medalist. He also brought in Casey Jennings, Misty May Treanor's husband. However, he and his partners lost both games in a best of three series. As a bet, Shaq had to walk down a California beach wearing a pink speedo.



In next week's show, Shaq takes on Albert Pujols in a home run contest. Shaq only needs to hit it two hundred feet while Pujols needs to hit it four hundred feet. The episode will be on next Thursday on ABC. Shaq also plans to take on Oscar De La Hoya, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Phelps. If Shaq can win any of these contests isn't known, but it's entertaining to watch. One thing I would like to see added is the other athletes taking on Shaq at a basketball game.

Greg Paulus: From Scapegoat to Savior

Greg Paulus has always been the player Duke fans blame for everything. I did it, and you probably did too. He was everything Duke basketball has resembled over the last ten, horrible, years. White player? Check. Slow? Check. Small for his position? Check. Role model was Coach K? Check. He was all these things and was hated for four years. Finally, Coach K made a smart decision and benched him.



Images like the one above embodied Paulus' career at Duke. About five seconds later, Paulus would get beat to the basket by a much quicker, bigger, and stronger player and then try to flop. What most people don't know about Paulus is that in high school he was a better football player than basketball player. He was the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and had scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Miami.



After his basketball career at Duke didn't work out. Let me re-phrase that sentence. After his basketball career at Duke failed miserably, like a two year old trying to ride a bike for the first time, Paulus decided to try football at Syracuse University. Syracuse is his hometown, but it's also my second favorite college.



At first, I wondered why Greg was trying to ruin college sports for me. Then, I realized that Syracuse football is absolutely terrible. He, as a hometown hero, could actually help. Help? Usually when Greg Paulus and help are in the same sentence it results in a picture like this.



However, yesterday he was named starting quarterback for Syracuse. With the return of wide receiver Mike Williams, Paulus could actually form a good connection. Now I don't expect Syracuse to go to the Rose Bowl, but I expect an improvement over last year.



Paulus also finally gets a chance to redeem himself for four years of mistakes and flops. There isn't a football equivalent to a flop is there? Paulus can prove that he really is an athlete, and he can do it in front of his home crowd just like he did in high school at CBA.

Tim Tebow and Psycho T: Competitors of the Century

It is rare that a successful college athlete would turn down the millions of dollars that are guaranteed with the signing of a contract. Why go back to school for a year or two and risk being injured and having all your success and future fortune taken away? The answer is a shot at glory and history, not to mention your dedication to your college and desire to win. Not many athletes see this. They play in leagues where one day it can all end and your career and aspirations are over. They want to get the money now while they're healthy. It takes a special person to realize this and an even better player to achieve it. It takes a player like this.



Gotcha. Or a player like this.



Tim Tebow and Psycho T both came back to school for their senior years, turning down the money and fame of the NFL and NBA. They also are very similar. Both are white men who often look like they don't belong in Division One sports. They also share three common traits, hustle, desire, and intensity. I'm a Duke fan, but it's easy to see that Psycho T just plain and simply outworks his competition. I don't even need to say anything for Tim Tebow.



Tim Tebow and Tyler Hansbrough just seem to be so alike. Both have(and will)star at major Division One colleges who have great tradition and programs in their respective sports. Both were very successful, each so far having one player of the year award and at least one national championship. They were both very successful in their college endeavors. They both share a look that says they don't belong playing but yet both dominate games. They're hated by opposing teams but loved by their own and I don't think that there is a program in the country who wouldn't want either.



Going into their senior seasons, both of their squads were ranked number one. Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tarheels won the championship after a few letdowns, none of those were at Cameron by the way. It will be interesting to see if Tim Tebow can finish the season where he started it and win a National Championship, which will be his third. He could also win his second Heisman trophy if he plays like he did the second half of the season.



The only thing that's different than last year for Tim is that the BCS is much stronger and one loss almost certainly derails your championship dreams. Last year, the one loss was what fueled them. Tebow gave a speech at the press conference that fired up him and the rest of his team mates and fueled them to go on and eventually win the National Championship.

Am I a little worried about Tim Tebow taking a few more snaps under center than last year or our games on October 10th and 31st against LSU and Georgia? A little bit, but one fact drowns that fear out. The fact that Tim Tebow, and Tyler Hansbrough, always find some way to get things done.They are the players that everyone wants but can't have and therefore are the most hated players in their respective sports. They are plain and simply competitors and winners before they are football and basketball players.



I'll end this blog by making my prediction about the upcoming college football season. Florida Gators 14-0 and National Champions and Tim Tebow Heisman Trophy winner.

State of the Yankees

Ever since I've started seriously following the Yankees, I've always felt as If I've been let down. There has always been a what could have happened feel. It's almost hard to put into words.

First learning about the Yankees, I was mesmerized. Why not? Twenty six world series wins, countless Hall of Fame players, Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and a field full of countless memories. They were THE team. Not to mention our obvious advantage in our rivalry with Boston. The world as a Yankee fan was perfect.

But then, for nine years absolutely nothing. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Nada. What happened?

Was it boredom? Was it happiness? Was it possibly aging. Was it the acquisition of players that are low in character, cheaters, don't perform in clutch situations, demand insane amounts of money they don't deserve, are often injured, and usually distracted players?



To tell you the truth, It seems like a combination of all the afore-mentioned things and some others that we don't even know. You simply can't pinpoint one thing, and even five would be hard. However, since our last championship several things have changed.

We moved to a different stadium for one, although it is about the same size. Why abandon the place where all of our memories occured. The Great Bambino calling his shot, Lou Gehrig's "I'm the luckiest man alive" speech, and countless others.



Joe Torre went to the Dodgers, in one of my deepest nightmares. Love or hate Torre, you had to respect him and the job he did. His replacement, Joe Girardi, has at his best been "questionable" as a manager. What makes the fact even worse is Torre voicing his pleasure over being in Los Angeles in a State Farm commercial. Yes Joe we also agree it is great to drive, something most of us say when we get our license at sixteen or seventeen years old!

Some people would say none of this would matter If we played like we know we can. However, Jeter has been getting older and not as electric and exciting as he once was. Mariano is still his same great self, but age is catching up to him and his decline should start to happen. Have you seen him without a hat on these days? His hair looks like an eighty year old Senate member.



Whats next for Mariano, shooting his hunting partner by accident? But to top this off, the Yankees have been importing top talent that has greatly disappointed. That's right Mr. Clutch and Rocket I'm talking about you.



Although, It could also be the fact that we have begun to accept losing and have no fire. Derek Jeter is my favorite player, and I know that he has his clean-cut image, but there is a point where you show emotions to fire up the rest of your team. He is an absolute professional, but he can still be one while making statements and showing more emotion than Yao Ming. We are accepting losses that we wouldn't have during our championship years.

However, despite all these things we're number one in the AL East by three and a half(possibly four), Mariano is the saves leader, Texiera is playing well, our new stadium is pretty nice, our pitching has been rather good, and other than his 0-6 at bat Friday night(so far), including several at bats with the game on the line, Derek Jeter has been his usual clutch self. As for Alex Rodriguez, I've plain and simply lost all hope.