NBA & College Basketball Predictions (Part 2)

Well here's Part 2 of my NBA & College Basketball Predictions.....

College Basketball is finally here! The season was underway last night as the top teams such as North Carolina, Connecticut and Gonzaga put on a show against Cupcakes from mid-major conferences. Top teams are supposed to do that right? Here's a breakdown of what will happen during March Madness:

Naismith Player of the Year: Stephen Curry

This has to be the boldest prediction of all. Yes, Tyler Hansbrough is leading the #1 team in the nation and he is arguably the best big man and overall player in the country. Look at it this way, nobody thought Stephen Curry was going to blow up in the tournament last year! NOBODY! People knew Davidson was good, but not good enough to go to the Elite 8 and almost shock Kansas. Curry's numbers have improved each year and his junior year could be his best one yet. He has the best stroke in the country and I believe this underdog will get noticed and get the recognition he needs to get this award. Plus, Hansbrough is injured right now. Who knows when he will return to the lineup?

Coach of the Year: Roy Williams

I would say Coach McKillop from Davidson, but North Carolina could possibly go undefeated with the team they have this year. Davidson won't get enough recognition for this award. With that being said, Coach Roy is going to get this award. The only team that can beat North Carolina is themselves. The starting five of Hansbrough, Lawson, Green, Thompson, and Ellington along with the dangerous bench makes this team unbeatable for the most part. Duke could give them a run at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but other than that North Carolina is going to run the table. Roy Williams is one of the best coaches in NCAA Basketball History with his style and game-planning of up-tempo offense and full court pressure defense.

First Team All-Americans

C Hasheem Thabeet- Connecticut (SWAT TEAM! SWAT TEAM!)

F Tyler Hansbrough- North Carolina (Best Big Man in the country)

G Stephen Curry- Davidson (Best shooter in the country)

G Patrick Mills- Saint Mary's (He could be another Stephen Curry)

G Darren Collison- UCLA (Best PG in the country)

So Close...... G Ty Lawson- North Carolina

Who's going to Detroit? Final Four:

North Carolina (Overall #1)

Connecticut (I'm still shaky about them being a disappointment again. As long as they got Thabeet on the block, there is no reason that this team can't make it to the Final Four. Jeff Adrien is getting better and I like the guard play of Jerome Dyson and A.J. Price)

Louisville (This team is ridiculously talented. They just need to get rid of the Turnover Syndrome)

Gonzaga or Davidson? It's hard for me to decide this one. The Zags have the talent this year to finally get over the hump, but Stephen Curry and Davidson are more hungry than ever to make an encore run at the Elite 8 and get to the next step. I have to go with Davidson on this one. As long as Stephen Curry is on the floor, you have a chance to win the ball game. I have yet to see any team contain this guy. Davidson has most of its team from last year. Andrew Lovelace is a good second option. The Zags starting five is one of the best in the country. Jeremy Pargo is one of the best point guards in the nation, Josh Heytvelt has a nice post game, Austin Daye has burst on the scene as a legit player in the West Coast Conference, and Micah Downs is starting to develop. I just have a feeling that the Zags won't be ready for Primetime again. Davidson will be the hungrier team if they face off in a possible Elite 8 matchup. Curry will have a monster game and lead the troops to its first final four in school history.

So who wins?

National Title Game: North Carolina vs. Connecticut

North Carolina wins it all and cuts down the nets. They are either going undefeated the whole season or lose one game during the regular season (Duke). All 12 men on this team are too talented from top to bottom for any team to matchup against them. Hasheem Thabeet could be a problem for Hansbrough, but on the flip side, Hansbrough could get him in foul trouble and make him not be a factor throughout the game. Without him on the floor, Jeff Adrien's post game could be vulnerable. UCONN's guards, A.J. Price and Jerome Dyson better be ready to run up and down the floor with Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Frasor, and Marcus Ginyard. These guys could wear them down and if that happens, it's going to be a long day for UCONN as North Carolina will be able to do whatever they want. The first half is going to be close, but the second half will get ugly. North Carolina wins this game by 15 and Ty Lawson gets the MOP as Coach Roy Williams wins his second title as a head coach.

Extra Stuff: Missouri and Kansas

Kansas

The defending champs are in a rebuilding stage as they are building the team around Sherron Collins. This team will make the tournament but will get bounced in the second round. The young guys of Aldrich, Morningstar, Releford, Morris, and Teahan are not ready for primetime yet. They will finish third in the Big 12.

As for Missouri....

Yes, the basketball program has been in shammels since Kareem Rush, Rickey Paulding, Clarence Gilbert, Wesley Stokes, Arthur Johnson, and Brian Grawer have left. Missouri is still in a rebuilding stage, but I see some improvement this year. Former Prep Star Marcus Denmon will be the main focus of the Freshman class. He has a scorer's mentality and can make any shot on the court. DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons, Matt Lawrence and J.T. Tiller are the key players that are returning. Six freshmen on the team with a lot of potential can have some growing pains, but they should help improve this program. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Missouri finishes 6th in the Big 12 and wins at least 20 games which would be a huge improvement from last year's 10th Place finish with a 16-16 record.

The Border War: Both teams will split games this year.

*That's all I got*

More blogs to come, so stay tuned for Blog #9........

NBA & College Basketball Predictions (Part 1)

Sorry I have been late with these blogs, I have been really busy with school lately. I know the NBA has started along with Preseason College Basketball, but I made predictions before the seasons started. I just never had time to actually post on here, but I have time on my hands now, so here we go.

The most debated position in the NBA:

Dwight Howard has the Center position on lock. Shaquille O'Neal is aging and Yao Ming has yet to prove that he can stay healthy and be a more physical Center in the league. Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett could be in a tie with Amare Stoudemire in a close third. I have to give that position to Tim Duncan still. He's Mr. Fundamental and has four championships with three NBA Finals MVPs. Can't replace that. If KG can get Boston to repeat then maybe I will change my mind. LeBron James is the King of Small Forwards. I guess you can make a case for Paul Pierce too since he was the Finals MVP, but whenever LeBron steps on the court, that's a 6'8" 240 lbs "Freight Train" coming with a basketball IQ that is out of this world! All LeBron needs is a jump shot and he will be a complete player. The shooting guard position is not even debatable. Who is the guy that wears #24 on the Lakers again? Oh I remember, Kobe Bryant! How can I forget about that? He has the skill set of Michael Jordan. I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for that comment, but it's true. He will never be better than Jordan, but here's what Kobe has over Jordan, a better long range jump-shot. It gives Kobe an advantage because he can make any shot on the court whether it's a tough long fade away or a deep three-point shot.

This leads me to the most debatable position in the NBA. The Point Guard position. Steve Nash was the man until last year when young Chris Paul developed his game and just amazed the whole league on how he performed on the court. He was the runner-up for the NBA MVP last season averaging 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game and made his first All-Star appearance. His assists and steal average lead the NBA. He led the New Orleans Hornets to the postseason only to fall short to the San Antonio Spurs in a tough 7-game Western Conference Semifinals series. Chris Paul is #1 in my book! As far as Steve Nash goes, he was #1 for a long time when he won back-to-back NBA MVPs in 2005 and 2006, but his numbers dropped in 2007 and since then, his game has declined a bit. He's still one of the best point guards in the league, but he falls to number #3. As for the rest of the list, Tony Parker is at #2 as he holds 3 rings on his fingers for the San Antonio Spurs. He was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. I have never seen a guy get to the basket faster than TP! As soon as he makes his move, it is hard to stay with him. He's like a Roadrunner on the court and the rest of the defenders guarding him are a bunch of Wile E. Coyote's! Deron Williams is at #4. His point and assist totals have gone up as well. He just needs to work on his defense more. He is bound for an All-Star season this year and if he does not get voted in, there is a conspiracy! Finally, the old man Jason Kidd is at #5. J-Kidd still has something left in the tank, but a kid named Rajon Rondo could be on this list when this season is over with. Rondo is the most improved point guard in the bunch even though his turnovers have increased, but his assists have increased as well. His jump shot is starting to develop and as it develops his confidence in his jump shot will increase. Look out for this guy!

The A.I./Chauncey Billups Trade:

I did not see this trade coming at all. I wonder if this was a desperate move by Joe Dumars? or Was this trade even necessary for Detroit? I didn't think Denver would want to give up A.I. as long as Melo was still his teammate, but Denver could be thinking that they don't have a shot at an NBA title now, so let's rebuild. As for Detroit, Joe Dumars is trying to be the Jerry Jones of basketball all of a sudden. By this move, he is trying to buy a championship now. The way I see it, he got rid of the wrong guy. Sure, Chauncey hasn't come through in the playoffs lately, but it is not his fault. If Detroit wanted to make a huge trade, Rasheed Wallace should have been on the trading block. I don't see how Detroit continues to put up with his non-sense. He still runs his mouth too much and when that happens, he has a bad game. It really showed in the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row against Boston and Cleveland. Rasheed can be a better player than what he is now, but I don't see the work ethic, heart, determination, and willingness to even do that. He has the skill set, but he has to quit letting the referees affect his game. If "Sheed" was on the trading block, somebody would have took a chance for him. I don't if his value would have been great like Chauncey Billups, but Detroit would have still got something good in return for Rasheed. Since the trade, it looks like Denver got the better of the deal. It is still a long season, Detroit just needs time to adjust to A.I.'s playing style. They have a nice, young bench with Rodney Stuckey leading the way ready to start at any time. It won't be while A.I. is there, but he should see more playing time than last year. He's bound to have a breakout year and if he ever gets a chance to start, LOOK OUT! In Denver, Chauncey fits more into George Karl's coaching style. He's controlling the pace of the offense and the Nuggets have clicked. Carmelo Anthony is starting to get into his groove again due to Chauncey's presence.

Rookie of the Year:

Since Greg Oden didn't play last year, he is still a rookie. It is going to take him a while to develop. He will not be a scorer, but he will be one of the best rebounders and shot blockers in the near future. His vertical for his size is crazy. It is difficult to get a shot over his head. I wonder if Tony Parker's floater would get beat into the stands? If Greg wants to be a better scorer, he needs to develop a post game because he has none. Michael Beasley is an inside-outside threat that will give you at least 15 or more per night. He's a good rebounder as undersized as he is. He has All-Star potential. It's just a matter of his work ethic and commitment to getting better. Derrick Rose, #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft from the Memphis Tigers, playing for the Chicago Bulls. This has to be a big surprise for me. His Point Guard development has skyrocketed! I thought it would take longer for him to develop in the NBA than the others, but he has grasped the game speed. He is currently averaging 18.8 points and 5.3 assists. Needs to cut down on the turnovers, but other than that, he has been the most impressive rookie next to........

O.J. Mayo. He is the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Many NBA scouts and experts knew he had an NBA game at USC. There are some things that he could have done better at USC such as distributing the ball more and better shot selection, but other than that, he showed that he was ready for the NBA. He's currently averaging 20.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. I guess learning some of your NBA buddies like "Melo" got you a head start.

End of the Season Awards:

MVP- Chris Paul (Now that his game is getting even better and has added another piece to the puzzle, he could have another career year and possibly lead the Hornets to the NBA Finals this season)

Defensive Player of the Year- Dwight Howard (Shocking right? It's not so shocking anymore, now that he had a 10-block game this year vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder! Sure, Kevin Durant didn't play, but that's still a hell of an achievement as he became the second player in NBA History to have a triple-double that was in the block category)

Rookie of the Year- O.J. Mayo

Coach of the Year- Nate McMillan

Sixth Man of the Year- James Posey (Could he be the next Robert Horry? He has been clutch during Miami and Boston's title runs playing solid defense and hitting three-point shots down the stretch of ball games)

Most Improved Player- Rodney Stuckey (Since Posey is in his shadow for the sixth man award)

Biggest Disappointment- Houston Rockets (Yes, I'm calling a one-and-done season for them again. T-Mac and Yao need to prove that they can stay healthy. Yes, they have Ron Artest but there's still a chance he could be a mental case again.) Player: Yao Ming (I don't know if he will ever live up to the hype?)

Playoff Predictions:

East

1. Celtics (The Big Three with young talent is all they need)

2. Pistons (They will eventually click with A.I. Rodney Stuckey is a security blanket)

3. Cavaliers (Mo Williams could help out some. Is he consistent? LeBron can't do it by himself again)

4. Magic (Dwight Howard is a much better player, but they are lacking size at the forward position. Will Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu show up in the postseason this time? Who's their shooting guard again?)

5. Heat (They will be back in the playoffs. All D-Wade needed was some nice young talent. Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley should help. Just hope that J-Will doesn't get into his turnover prone mode again. Lacking a big man hurts this team as well)

6. Raptors (Jermaine O'Neal helps. They have one of the better post games in the NBA now. Chris Bosh is more a perimeter player anyway. Having O'Neal on the block can help elevate Bosh's game to another level. A good combination of three-point shooting with Kapono, Parker, and Bargnani makes them a threat in the East. There's one problem, where's the defense? I see another version of the Phoenix Suns coming.)

7. Hawks (They are for real. Haven't missed a beat from last year when they almost upset the Celtics in a tough 7-game first round series. They might be better than what I gave them, but we will see)

8. 76ers (If Elton Brand can prove that he can stay healthy, then I will change my mind. Then again, do they have a legit point guard? It's time to see if Lou Williams can handle the spotlight)

West

1. Lakers (As long as Kobe Bryant is leading the squad, what can go wrong? Andrew Bynum is back along with Gasol, Odom, and Fisher. The Lakers could get back to the Finals again.)

2. Hornets (Last season was not a fluke, this team is for real. With the addition of James Posey, this team could dethrone the Lake Show this year as the Best of the West. Chris Paul is playing out of his mind right now! Will Peja finally show up in the postseason?)

3. Rockets (A good regular season team, but Yao, T-Mac, and Artest concern me. Can they stay healthy and will Artest be a huge asset or a cancer to this ball club? I see another first-round flop coming)

4. Spurs (They are the oldest team in the NBA, but they have proved that age ain't nothing but a number. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, with a healthy Manu Ginobili. This team is not going anywhere. The Championships speak for itself)

5. Suns (Shaq is aging and it has affected the Suns offense. Steve Nash is starting to decline, but on the bright side, Amare Stoudemire is getting better and better each year. He is a dominant force in the post. Time has run out on the Suns unless Shaq turns into his late 20's again. Ha. Like that would ever happen.)

6. Utah (The most underrated team in the NBA. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are the most underrated one-two punch in the NBA. They have the winningest active coach on the bench. So what does that mean? This team is still a force to be reckoned with! Look out! Oh wait, will Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko get out their playoff slump?)

7. Portland (With or without Greg Oden, this team is ready to take the next step and get in the playoffs again. Brandon Roy will have a career year and make a second All-Star appearance. Nate McMillan will get some Coach of the Year pub off of this season)

8. Denver (The addition of Chauncey Billups gives this team some hope, but losing Marcus Camby will hurt their interior defense. Can we say EXPOSED!)

NBA Finals Preview:

Lakers vs. Celtics (YES! The Rivalry is back!) Lakers in 7. Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant

The Celtics was a much easier decision for me to make than picking the Lakers to go to the Finals. The Celtics should have no problem handling Detroit again. Detroit's time is running out as well. I still believe the Hornets are going to give the Lakers problems. It will be a seven game series, but Kobe will show up and show his greatness against James Posey. As far as the NBA Finals goes, the Los Angeles Lakers will get over the hump this year in seven games. The Lakers don't have to worry about James Posey shutting down Kobe. Half of the Celtics perimeter defense is gone because of the Posey departure. This will open up the Lakers offense and Kobe will have a much better series than last year. The addition of a healthy Andrew Bynum helps too. Kobe will get the Finals MVP and get his fourth Championship. Phil Jackson becomes the winningest coach in NBA Finals history with ten rings.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my NBA & College Basketball Predictions.........

The new slogan is, "YES WE DID!"

After 221 years, history was made as Barack Obama not only became the 44th President of the United States, but the first black President elected to office. He won the popular vote 52% to 46% and won the electoral votes by a landslide 349 to 162. Missouri and North Carolina are still being decided at the moment. Obama was clearly the better debater and campaigner throughout this election. He had to prove everybody that he was worthy of getting the Democratic nominees and becoming President. From graduating in the top half of his class at Columbia College and Harvard Law School, being a Illinois state senator working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state, and expanding early childhood education, to now becoming the President of the United States. It is official, but the bad news is that we all have to wait two and a half more months until Bush is out of the White House for good. I'm glad America woke up and realized that we have had a enough of broken policies for the last eight years. It's time for this country to get back on its feet. I voted for Obama not because of a silly celebrity, not because of him getting endorsed and promoted by sports, not because of his race, but because of his policies. Obama clearly had the edge on McCain when it comes to the economy, health care, education, national security, the war, and other subjects. True that both agreed on a few issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but overall, Obama has a better plan that suits best for America. I like his health care plan making it affordable fore everybody by lowering premiums, co-pays and deductibles. His economic plan make more sense by taxing only the wealthy and giving the hard working middle-class the benefit of tax cuts. Bill Clinton tried something similar to this when he was in office and look what happened to the economy. It was stabilized and national debt was not as bad like it is now. His education plan of giving $4,000 to any college student who does at least 100 hours of community service per year. There could possibly be other requirements, but it is a good start for making college affordable. I could use $4,000 right now to help continue my education. I like his war strategy on sending more troops to Afghanistan and focus more out there than in Iraq. Afghanistan started 9/11 and its time to settle the war out there and finally capture Bin Laden before he plans another terrorist attack. He's probably planning one right now seeing that he hasn't been on camera in a while. The War in Iraq should not have happened in the first place. Weapons of Mass Destruction...Where are they?

John McCain and Sarah Palin showing some class

John McCain went out gracefully in his losing effort. He actually took the blame for his loss. What put the icing on the cake, was when he had no idea at first on how to restore the economy when Wall Street nearly crashed. He said that the economy is still stable at first. He changed his statement later, but it was too little too late. When the subject was brought up again, he said he didn't fully understand the economics as well as he should. His best debate was the final debate, but he was in too big of a hole to even get close to a comeback. Another mistake he made was having Sarah Palin as his running mate. His loss was even greater when Sarah made a statement about why the troops are fighting the war in Iraq. She said America was fighting for its right to "free speech." You hear me? LOL McCain also voted 9 out of 10 times on most of Bush's policies. Mainly, his tax cuts and war strategy. He couldn't avoid the fact that his campaign was influenced by former lobbyists and Washington insiders. McCain also got desperate in trying to attack Obama with his false political ads. The ad that sealed his fate was when he did his quote on quote, "Lipstick on a Pig" ad. Him and Palin clearly misunderstood what Obama said about that. Saying that he made a racist and sexist remark towards Palin. NO. At first Palin said, "You what the difference is between a Hockey Mom and a Pitbull? Lipstick." Obama said, "If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig." Referencing to McCain's political views. Another ad falsely accused Obama of supporting "Comprehensive Sex Education" for Kindergartners. Does that sound like some bullsh*t to you? Finally, he banned reporters from his campaign bus, knowing that he was going to screw up at some point again and again. I have to give McCain some credit for not giving up and throwing everything he could at Obama, but unfortunately for him, he could not shake the Obama/Biden campaign and as a result he lost by a big margin in electoral votes.

They said a black man couldn't do "this.....or that"

It's funny how some people say that African-Americans can't accomplish what whites have already done. People said blacks are not good enough to play Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson changed all of that when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers starting in 1947. People said that blacks can't play golf. Look at Tiger Woods, he's the face of the sport now. Some of the white golfers get mad when they lose to him by big strokes or when he makes a miraculous comeback to win a tournament or major. People said that blacks can't have equal rights. Martin Luther King Jr. had a say-so to that statement. He fought hard to give African-Americans civil rights, liberty, and freedom so that blacks can succeed and be whatever they want to be. People said blacks couldn't be appointed to the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall was the first black man to accomplish this feat in 1967 and he helped outlaw segregation in Public Schools. There have been many things that people said about blacks! "Blacks won't be able to accomplish something in life!" "You niggers don't belong here!" and just other foolishness that have came out of people's mouths. The most famous statement of all of them was blacks are not good enough to ever become President. I'm laughing at that statement right now. Barack Obama shows us all that you can definitely be anything you want to be last night when got elected to become the first black President of the United States. Isn't that something?

Lastly, ignorant, racist, or assinine comments after the election for your fun and pleasure:

I don't know if I will be able to put all of them up, but this is hilarious. Shows how some people just have no brains.

"I realize some people are idiots and only vote because he's different."

"Bill Clinton did not spread the wealth around, he raised taxes for the wealthy...which honestly isn't a bad idea." Isn't that what Obama is pretty much doing? So Obama's plan is not a bad idea. lol

"When Bill Clinton was in office, he allowed the rise of terrorism. His inaction is the reason we even had a 9/11..." Explain what the inaction was? and How did he allow the rise of terrorism if he was out of office almost two years before it happened?

"As for Palin, yeah she has zero foreign policy experience, but what about Obama? What experience does he have?? It's a double-edged sword, you offer attacks at the republicans, yet have no alternative by the democrats. very hypocritical."

My response: *Since you want to talk about double-edged swords.......

From yahoo.com on What went wrong for the McCain Campaign: Yet it was during town halls that McCain committed gaffes that would come back to haunt him. One occurred in December, when he said economics was "not something I've understood as well as I should.'' The Democrats used that moment of candor against him for months.
"The town halls were a double-edged sword,'' Reed said. "They allowed him to come back in New Hampshire, but after he became the nominee, he often went off-script and off-message. And that confused voters.''

"Bush wasn't a horrible President. Sure, a lot of bad things happened during his presidency, but you can't just point your finger at him and say that it was all his fault. Like I mentioned earlier, 9/11 was a pot-head, liberal, big government, democratic asshole's fault, not Bush's."

Too bad the Republicans were still controlling most of the White House when this happened. The Democrats took over in 2002.

"Oh, so we need to send more troops to a less violent region just because they started it? That makes no sense. You send troops to the place with the highest amount of violence. Common sense..." Common sense? Hmmm....That may be true, but Afghanistan has plotted more terrorist activity than Iraq and they were the cause of 9/11. Just because Afghanistan is a less violent region doesn't mean they are still not violent. They could possibly be planning another attack as we speak.

"Well at least he won't be President for long. When he gets assassinated you're going to feel stupid for electing Biden. I'm not saying Obama deserves to die, and I'll support him as our new President, but he's not going to last long. There have already been attempts on his life and he's not even in office."

Complete ignorance. First of all, Obama is going to have the best secret service in the history of the U.S., so that won't happen. Second of all, like Barbie Girl Sarah Palin would have done any better if G.I. Joe McCain would have passed away? lol

"Obama the antichrist, Oprah the prophet."

"McCain voted democratic 50.4% of the time. Meanwhile, Obama is the leftest of the left. He is more left than Bush was right."

FALSE! How can you be more Democratic, if you voted 90% on Bush's policies? Sounds like a full Republican to me. Evidence from http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/: John McCain has voted with a majority of his Republican colleagues 88.1% of the time during the current Congress. This percentage does not include votes in which McCain did not vote. Voted Democratic huh?

"Communism here we come."

"Yea sure bring up his campaign....I'm not talking about Obama's campaign because it was brilliant...bc all of the people out there that are ignorant believe his empty promises."

"You'd be a sore loser if that Sand nigger lost." WHAT?

"Yet another black person who just voted for Osama for being black." Can we say irrelevant?

Finally, the infamous Hitler comparison.....*yawn*

Hitler: a smooth talker who won over just about the entire country and preached a different direction

Obama: a smooth talker who won over just about the entire country preaching change.

They both took over when there countries were at low points.

Both are socialists.

Obama is no where near a Nazi! This a bad comparison between the two. I need to see more. For the record, if Obama is a socialist, then McCain is a fascist. McCain has some similarities to Mussolini and Stalin. They are in the same boat as Hitler.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqDnYrjci-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-o8eFTXMQY

As I close, what happened yesterday, happened. Everybody needs to move on and face the fact that Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. I'm going to be real, I have a few concerns about him, but I think he can get this country where it needs to go. Let's see if he sticks to his word. In the meantime, HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE! YES WE DID!

"My President is Black. My KC Fitted is Blue......."

Message to all black people (especially the youth): I know you all are happy that this historic event happened, but just because we have a black man in office, does not mean you start having a "NIGGA MOMENT." It's bad enough that some black people already have "ignorance" in their blood. Celebrate responsibly.

World Series Controversy? (Other MLB news as well)

First of all, I want to say congrats to the Phillies for winning the World Series. The city of Philadelphia has been dying for a championship since 1983. They apparently don't count last year's Arena Bowl Championship because it's not a major sport according to the fans in Philly. The Phillies won the series 4-1. Cole Hamels was the MVP with a 4-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in the postseason. Brad Lidge made history by becoming the first Phillies closer to go perfect in save oportunities for a whole season! Way for him to resurrect his career that almost went into a downward spiral. 48 out 48 including the postseason with a ERA of barely under 2. Game 5 had to be finished another night due to inclement weather on Monday and Tuesday, but there could have been some controversy over this championship. The main reason is the umpires. Here's why:

This had to be one of the worst called World Series in MLB History. These umps were blowing calls left and right, mainly the strike zone calls! In Game 1, when Cole Hamels was trying to catch Carlos Pena stealing on a pickoff throw, he balked! When he threw the ball to first base, his foot and his body position was facing home plate. In order to throw the ball to first base legally, you have to be facing first base with your body squared to the spot. Evan Longoria should have been able to automatically go to first base. That's where MLB should have had the replay on in the World Series. This play cost the Rays at least a shot at a run and in the end they did not win Game 1. Before the Hamels non-balk ruling, Shane Victorino was picked off by Scott Kazmir in the second inning when he was on second base, but the umps said he was safe. When the replay popped up, Victorino was clearly out. I mean come on ump? You are right there looking at the play! How can you miss such a call? The umps had the worst strike zones I've seen too especially in Game 5 when Kazmir and Hamels went at it again. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kazmir was robbed out of a couple of calls that were balls but should have been strikes. When Pat Burrell was at the plate, he should have struck out looking. On three of Kazmir's pitches, they were a little low, but still in the strike zone. Well, the umpire, has a different mindset of the strike zone, so he calls all balls. After Kaz walked Burrell, he was immediately pulled from the game. The inning before and after Hamels got away with some strikeouts on completely bad calls. When Akinori Iwamura got caught looking in the fourth inning, the pitch was clearly out of the strike zone, but Hamels gets the call. I don't know why, but Umpire Tim Kellogg apparently forgot his contacts or forgot to pick up some prescription glasses before the game. In the sixth inning, Hamels got away with another one. He got the same outside call. The Phillies got robbed a bit too with B.J. Upton being called safe at first base in Game 3, but overall, the Tampa Bay Rays were hurting more and it could have played a factor in this series. Not to take away anything from the Phillies, they deserved to win this series. They were clearly the better team, but MLB Commissioner Bud Selig needs to do a better job of finding the best umpires that can call the World Series because what I seen was pathetic.

MLB Extras:

Will the Tampa Bay Rays turn into this year's Colorado Rockies next season?

It could happen, but I like the young talent on this squad. If they can keep the chemistry rolling, this team will be fine. It will be interesting to see if David Price can blossom into one of the best starters in the league. Here is one problem though, they don't have the money like Boston and New York to grab some more pieces and continue to compete in the A.L. East. Next year will be even tougher for this small-market ball club. As for Joe Maddon, he needs to make better decisions in the postseason. His decision making was questionable the whole playoff run. He definitely got lucky for the most part.

Is Ken Griffey Jr. done?

He will not be back with the Chicago White Sox because he costs too much for his age and production lately. I hope this guy doesn't retire just yet. I think he still has some game left. it would be really sad to see him go at age 38 because he sure doesn't look old. He's in a 28-year old's body, he can still hit home runs, the question is, will he be a liability in the outfield now? His outfielding has declined since the multiple injuries suffered in Cincinnati. I think the Royals could use him, but we have a bad history of signing players that are at the peak of their career. EX: Reggie Sanders, Kevin Appier, Juan Gonzalez, etc.

Speaking of the Kansas City Royals, they acquired Mike Jacobs from the Florida Marlins in exchange for Leo Nunez, who was one of our best relievers last season. Mike Jacobs brings power to lineup, but will he be a one-hit wonder arriving in KC? Jacobs batted .247, 32 HRs, and 93 RBIs. Not bad numbers for guy who just quietly burst on the scene playing with Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla in Florida. This move can either make or break the Royals. I hope this guy can repeat those numbers next season, but I have the scary feeling that he could be a flop. Dayton Moore this is all on you man. I hope you were taking notes on how Tampa went from worst to almost first. Let's see if you can help this ballclub improve on 4th place in the A.L. Central. At least, 3rd place next season would be nice.

Best Wishes and Prayers to Jennifer Hudson

What happened on Friday, October 24 in Chicago, Illinois had to be probably the worst moment that anybody could face. As everyone knows, Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson lost her mother, brother and nephew on the same day. If you have not sent out your condolences to Jennifer, please do. I know it would be hard for me to go through a tragedy like this. The guy who killed part of Hudson's family was her sister's husband William Balfour. He was currently taken into custody. He faces up to 30 years in prison. My condolences, prayers, and best wishes go out to you Jennifer Hudson and your family. I hope you find a way to read this. :.(

Link to the whole story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-jennifer-hudson-new-1029,0,4386209.story

Alter Egos and Name Changes

Before you people start getting on me about the horrible Beyonce' picture you have just seen, I have a reason why I put this up. She's still a beautiful woman, don't get it twisted! lol What do these three celebs have in common? They all have "alter egos"! What is the deal with these celebrities today? The alter egos and the name changes have gone too far! Why can't you just be happy with who you are? There's no need for an alter ego or a crazy name change. The most recent incident as some of you show know is Beyonce' Knowles, who is arguably the #1 R&B singer in the country, wants to called Sasha Fierce for now on. Her album I am.....Sasha Fierce is set to hit stores November 18. She even has a myspace page already set up. http://www.myspace.com/sashafierce Anyone who visits the website has a chance of winning a $500 gift package and receive a voicemail from the R&B singer. Beyonce says that this alter ego appears when she is working in the studio or on stage performing and shows who she really is. Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side. Really now? I thought this was you the whole time? Hmmm......

Some of these celebrities really need help when it comes to this type of behavior. Cincinnati Bengals NFL Wide Receiver Chad Johnson tried to pull this stunt off by changing his full name Chad Javon Johnson to Chad Javon "Ocho Cinco." It almost worked, but there was one problem. In order for him to have the name, he would have had to pay $4 million dollars worth of his jerseys that were already out on the market. Last week, Chad decided not to pay the amount and decided to stick with "C. Johnson" for the rest of the season. Now if he decides to stick with this next season and if he gets traded, will he have the rights to #85 somewhere else? Think about that. He really thinks he has the copyrights to this particular number. If he gets traded to a team that already has a player wearing #85 and a player decides to not give up the number to him, there will be a big conflict and Chad would be looking stupid as he would have to wear a different number with "OCHO CINCO" on the back of it. That would be a interesting jersey to put out on the market. For the record, Chad get your Spanish together. "Ocho Cinco" means eight, five. "Ochenta y Cinco" is eighty-five. You should know this man.

Sean "Diddy" Combs has to be the most arrogant, annoying, zen master of this subject. When he first started his music career, he was Biggie's sidekick. It was the Batman & Robin of Hip-Hop back in the 90's. He was known as Puff Daddy. A few years later, he wanted to change his name to Puffy. Then, P. Diddy and now it's just plain old Diddy. Two months ago, it was rumored that he would change his name back to Puff Daddy. My reaction was, "I wish this guy would please STOP! Stick to one name and keep it moving" He's worse than a parrot! On TRL, when he changed his name to Diddy he said that somebody else already had P.Diddy so he had to change it again. When he was asked, "Why do you change your name so much?" His reply was basically with a "because I can do that" answer. Nobody don't want to keep hearing about you getting your name changed all the time. That sh*t gets annoying!

Those are just a few of the examples of this foolishness and I would like to say that these people are complete idiots for coming up this idea. For the record, I'm happy with who I am. I don't need a name change to start a trend or get myself out there. Here's a classic advice for everybody: "Just be yourself and live your life. It's not that hard."

Crime Scene in the Kansas City Chiefs Organization

On Sunday vs. The New York Jets, the Kansas City Chiefs finally showed some actual effort and no quit out there as they played their best football since beating Denver in Week 4. Unforunately, in typical Chiefs fashion, they can't pull off a close game or in this case, Brett Favre throws the game-winning TD pass against the Chiefs for the second year in a row. I knew the Chiefs were going to lose at the end because when is the last time we actually won a close game? (Week 7 @ Oakland last year) Despite Tyler Thigpen looking like an actual NFL QB completing 25/36 for 280 yards and 2 TDs, Dwyane Bowe having 6 receptions for 102 yards, Tony Gonzalez having 6 receptions for 79 yards and a TD, and Brandon Flowers 2 interceptions (one for a TD), the Chiefs just can't get the job done. The Chiefs had enough turnovers on defense to give the offense an opportunity to put the game away. It was looking good near the end, but you don't want to give Brett Favre enough time to manage a game-winning drive and that's exactly what happened. Brett Favre has had 39 come from behind 4th Quarter victories in his career so the Chiefs should learn by now that if you want to beat this guy late in the ball game, do not leave him enough time to break your heart. The Chiefs are now 1-6 and are still contention for the #1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Coaching Staff:

The whole coaching staff pretty much needs to go with the exception of Gunther Cunningham and a few others. Mainly, Herm Edwards and Chan Gailey need to go. Late in the game I noticed that the Chiefs stopped running the spread offense. What was up with that? Why fix something that is not broken? After the game, the Chiefs had a press conference of course. Chan Gailey said that it was clearly his decision to stop running the spread offense and adjust at the end to win the ball game. Then he said Herm Edwards could have overruled his decision. It makes wonder, "Who's really coaching the ball club?" Is it Herm or Chan? That is exactly why both of these guys need to go. Herm has completely lost control of his team by letting the players and coaching staff run the team rather than him taking charge in most of the decision making when it comes to game-planning and trying to win ball games. Chan Gailey still thinks he's at Georgia Tech. He was not making these bonehead decisions when he was coaching the Dallas Cowboys. The guy is completely terrible as an offensive coordinator. The final straw was way back in Week 2 when he was calling Option plays with Marques Hagans as the QB. I could not believe what I was watching! He thinks he's Kordell Stewart, Vince Young or this is a College Football game. I felt embarrassed and pissed off to the point that I wanted to throw the remote at the television screen. Marques Hagans got cut a few weeks later. So much for that experiment. In the offseason, try to get Bill Cowher to leave CBS or bring "Marty Ball" back! At least he was winning while he coached the Chiefs even though he choked in the playoffs.

Tony Gonzalez:

He was a bit frustrated that he did not get traded, but he's still producing out on the field. I just want to thank him for being a loyal teammate and person to the Chiefs organization. It is most likely that he won't be in Kansas City next year, but I wish him the best. He deserves to go to a Super Bowl contender and try to get a Super Bowl ring. He's 32 and he sure won't get a ring in KC, so let him go if he wants out. By the time his career is over, he will be the best TE in NFL History. The records and stats for a TE don't lie.

Larry Johnson:

He was my boy until these recent club incidents. The most recent was at Club Blonde when he got charged for spitting his drink at a 26-year old female after threatening to kill her boyfriend. When he was escorted out of the club, he tried to do it three more times! I mean, come on man you seriously need to grow up. Just because you got a nice new contract last year, does not mean you're the boss all of a sudden! This guy has completely lost it and I think it is time for him to leave KC and go to another team. Plus, he made a rap last season dissing the Chiefs organization, wanting to go to another team and Carl Peterson anyway. After this season, my LJ jersey will either be in shreds or in flames. Which jersey should I get next? (Hmmm....Dwyane Bowe?)

The QB situation:

I told Chiefs fans that Brodie Croyle was not the answer at quarterback. He's out for the season with a leg injury. Even when he set those school records at Alabama, he missed numerous games due to injury. It wasn't hard to break those records anyway (John Parker Wilson owns the record books now) because back in the Bear Bryant days, Alabama didn't throw the ball much. Staubach, Namath, and Stabler just handed the rock to the running backs most of the time. They later became Super Bowl Champions, but I knew this Alabama quarterback was nothing special. The commentators were all over his arm. EX: "WOW! This kid has a great arm!" "He has a good quick release!" "This kid is a nice talent, just give him time to develop!" etc, etc, etc. I said, "You have got to be kidding me right now." Brodie Croyle should have his name on the back of his jersey that says "FRAGILE: Handle with Care" attached to it because that's been his nickname since college. Injured 4 times in 8 games with an 0-8 record as the starter. Just terrible. The Chiefs drafted a high school QB to turn this franchise around. Unbelievable. Even with his strong arm, when he was under pressure, it was a total disaster to watch. When he threw the ball, he had one of those terrified looks off of the SAW movies! (Insert sound effect "AAAHHH! BOOGIE MAN!" *here*)

Damon Huard is out for the season as well with a hand injury. This may be the last stop for him. I finally figured him out too. He looks good when he barely gets touched, but if the defense gets one good lick on him, he's rattled the rest of the game. The past two seasons, I said, "Did this guy forget who he was all of a sudden?" I figured it out during the game vs. the Carolina Panthers when Julius Peppers got a good lick on him early in the game due to the big fat idiot himself, Damion McIntosh. I'm going to get him later though. After the big hit, Huard was a completely different quarterback. Making bad decision, after bad decision. He had one good year, but is pretty much all for nothing now that he is injured and out for the year. His career could be over.

Tyler Thigpen. Despite his performance on Sunday vs. the Jets does not mean I have a second opinion about this guy. He's still not ready to be a starter in the NFL. The only thing I like about him is his mobility, but other than that, his decision making is terrible, and his accuracy is barely below average. In recent games, most of his passes were intercepted or close to being intercepted. He almost killed Dwyane Bowe against Atlanta a few times in Week 3 throwing across the middle on a quick slant route! As a QB, you can not throw passes to receivers that are in risk of getting hurt or killed! He showed some progress on Sunday, but that doesn't mean anything. Quinn Gray is going to get the starting job in possibly two weeks.

The Daunte Culpepper situation. Earlier today, reports were saying that Daunte was supposed to come to KC tomorrow to discuss possibly signing a two-year, $10 million dollar deal with the Chiefs, but I just heard that the visits are cancelled and Daunte basically blew of the Chiefs. He says he wants to sing with a contender. I'm like, "Can this guy make up his mind?" First he says he wants to be a starter somewhere. Now he wants to sign with a playoff contender and possibly see playing time. Daunte could have had some weapons to throw to in Kansas City for this season and next. This guy could have maybe turned around this franchise, but forget him. He asks for too much anyway.

The offensive line:

Get Damion McIntosh out of here! Why is he even playing in the NFL? He has to be the dumbest O-Lineman in the league! He has bluffed on 3 plays in which he didn't make contact with the defender. As a result the running back has either been stopped or the QB gets sacked. He was one of the reasons why Brodie got hurt against Tennessee. As for the rest of the offensive line, it's going to take time for these guys to get it together. Some of these guys will get replaced eventually. These guys just got to keep playing and show some confidence.

The Chiefs Organization:

I'm just going to pick on GM Carl Peterson. This guy guaranteed that he had the perfect plan to get us to the Super Bowl, but has he kept his promise, NO! A few years ago, we had one of the Top offenses in the league with Trent Green and Priest Holmes, but our defense sucked and that's what prevented us from winning in the playoffs against the Colts. After the 2005 season, Carl starts working on the defense by singing Ty Law and Patrick Surtain. Jared Allen bursts on the scene as one of the top defensive ends in the league. Here's a few problems that occurred. Willie Roaf abruptly retired, Priest Holmes was not healthy, and the Chiefs could not resign Tony Richardson. The departure of T-Rich really pissed me off. This guy throughout his whole careers has helped Marcus Allen, Priest, LJ, and Adrian Peterson have 1,000 yard rushing seasons. The Chiefs had enough money to re-sign him to a new contract, but no Peterson is an idiot and lets him go. During the 2006 season, we made the playoffs, but our offense has looked mediocre all of a sudden. It definitely showed in the playoffs vs. the Colts once again. 22-8 was the final score. The defense played hard, but the offense was just plain terrible. LJ did nothing, and Trent Green was a totally different QB. Guess coming back from that concussion was a bad idea. When I was watching the game, the cameras were on Damon Huard who had an outstanding year replacing Trent, wondering if he will ever get in, but no Herm decides to keep him on the bench. Since then, this team has been a complete mess. I like our draft picks this year, but there are still a lot of holes to fill. They have been all created due to one man......Carl Peterson. He should have been gone years ago! If he doesn't leave the Chiefs organization after this season, I don't know if I'm ever going to watch a Chiefs game again.

This wraps up what has happened during the crime scene at Arrowhead this season. I bet by the time I turn 30, this team will start winning again. Clark Hunt needs to step his foot in and take charge of this team. Kansas City just needs a miracle right now. Our sports teams have sucked for a while, the crime rates have gone up each year, and our market sucks as well. This city needs a miracle if they want to get lifted up again. Who knows when the year will come when we get back to the promise land?