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SUPER BOWL XLIV COLTS 31- SAINTS 21

                                                                   

 
                                                    vs   

 

                           Indianapolis Colts will beat the New Orleans Saints 31- 21. Peyton Manning will throw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Drew Brees will have a decent day throwing the ball (even better if Colts’ Dwight Freeney plays sparingly).The Colts have better players all around especially on defense. The Colts have tight end Dallas Clark, wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie, and running back Joseph Addai to catch Manning’s passes. The Saints have Marques Coltson, Jeremy Shockey, and Reggie Bush. I’ll take the Colts’ skill players everyday of the week over the Saints’.

The Colts’ defensive front will be able to pressure Drew Brees into throwing a few interceptions and taking 3 sacks. Conversely, the Saints defensive liability is in their defensive line. They have not been able to pressure opponents’ QBs consistently this season. That leaves their secondary to cover wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs longer. If you give Peyton Manning more than 3 seconds to find a target to throw to he will pick your defense apart. The Colts’ offensive line is one of the best in the NFL and protects Manning very well. They are not very efficient running the ball, but Manning calls the plays and they don’t have to run the ball very often.

The game will be competitive for most of the game but the Colts will pull away in the fourth quarter. Bourbon street will not get the post game celebration party it hopes for and this will be their last opportunity for the next several years to root for a Super Bowl contender. The Dallas Cowboys will be in the mix the next several years starting next year.

In other news it was a bad week for current and former Dallas Cowboys. Earlier in the week former Cowboy tight end Jay Novacek’s wife allegedly committed suicide;FB Deon “Cricket” Anderson was arrested for threatening a valet employee at a Dallas establishment with an unregistered hand gun; a FT. Lauderdale woman accusing of Michael Irvin for raping her in July of 2007 but only pursuing charges 2 ½ years later. 

Pacquiao Defeats Cotto ,Wins historic 7th Title

             Manny Pacquiao solidified the claim on the title of being "Pound for Pound the Best Fighter on the Planet" by dominating one of the best welterweights, Miguel Cotto through much of the fight. Pacquiao and Cotto staged what  could have been one of the best fights of the decade for the first 3 rounds of the fight. Cotto opened the fight hitting Pacquiao squarely with a jab to Manny's face in the 1st round that made him realize he was in for a long fight. The first 3 rounds resembled a street brawl with both fighters looking to gain the upper hand. Those first opening rounds were filled with non stop boxing, and the crowd (half Filipinos and half Puerto Ricans) really got into the fight urging the fighters to continue boxing relentlessly.

             In the third round, Pacquiao caught Cotto off balance and connected with a right hook that brought Cotto to his knees and was ruled as a knock down. Some viewers considered it only as Cotto slipping. Pacquiao asserted himself in the 4th round with a jab/hook combination that really rocked Cotto down to the canvas. Cotto was really saved by the bell since he did not appear completely recovered after the knock down. After that, you could see the determination in Pacquiao's eyes he was going to win the fight. Cotto was supposed to be the bigger and stronger fighter who had the edge with his power punches. He did connect on several punches to Manny's head and body up through the middle rounds, but Manny never seemed to be really hurt by them. In fact, Pacquiao got angry and was relentless going after Cotto from the 6th round to the end of the fight. Cotto's corner wanted to end the fight at the end of the 9th round since Pacman had bloodied Cotto's face badly. To his credit Cotto wanted to continue but to no avail. The referee finally ended the fight 55 seconds into the 12th round seeing Cotto was having a difficult time defending himself from Manny's punches.

             Pacquiao gets better whenever his opponent lands a good punch. He smacks his gloves to say "O.K. you got me with a good punch there, but is that all you got ?" Watching Pacquiao's last 3 fights against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto, he has improved his overall strength, hand, body, and foot speed. He is known for how fast he gets inside a fighter's defenses and unleashes a barrage of punches that hurt his opponent's body and psyche. His trainer, Freddie Roach, deserves a lot of credit getting Pacquiao ready for fights. Together, PacMan and Roach have won a historic 7 titles in 7 different weight classes. Normally when a fighter gains weight to reach another weight class he is bound to lose some of his speed. Not Manny, and he only continues to get better with each fight. So far his record is 50 wins (38 by Knock out) 3 losses, and 2 draws. 

          The next logical opponent is the undefeated Floyd Mayweather. He retired as welterweight champ and has a record of 40-0. This is the fight the world wants to see. It could be one for the ages if both sides can agree on a fight date and how much each fighter will earn. Both fighters are in their prime. It would be great fun if somehow the fight could be fought in Manila, but most likely it will have to be in Las Vegas again. Mayweather has as fast hands as Pacquiao, but Manny has shown he has stronger power punches and a steel chin. Either way my money is on Pacquiao to beat Mayweather with Floyd  end up looking like Cotto at the end of the fight.                

             

Lakers Win 2009 NBA Championship, Barfalicious!

Good thing I don't bet. I predicted the Orlando Magic would beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. At least I got the number of games correct. I used to be a huge Lakers fan. Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Rambis teams. That team will forever be remembered as "Showtime". They were fun to watch and were the Boston Celtic's bane of existence. Needless to say, I hated Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parrish, et al. But those classic NBA finals between the Lakers and Celtics are indelibly etched in my memory. 

Now I find myself rooting against the Lakers with as much gusto as I did for the Celtics. I was beside myself during the " 3- Peat " Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O"neal pulled off earlier this decade . I just could not cheer for Kobe or Shaq, but I enjoyed their  weird off court relationship that played out in the media. Back in those days I was and still am a huge fan of the San Antonio Spurs and NY Knicks. 

I hate to admit Kobe has finally solidified himself as one of the greatest players ever to play the game. He still doesn't come close to what Michael Jordan did or was. Kobe doesn't have MJ's charisma or game, but he  is the closest player to reach his level. It will be interesting to see if the rumors are true about the Cleveland Cavaliers considering a trade for Shaq to pair with Lebron. Even with Shaq in the twilight of his career, I would enjoy seeing Shaq face Kobe in next year's NBA finals, but it would be even better if Shaq signed with the Spurs. Shaq could call himself " The Big Sombrero. "

Here are my top five NBA players I have ever seen :

1. Michael Jordan

2. Magic Johnson

3. Larry Bird

4. Tim Duncan

5. Shaquille O'neal

2009 NBA Finals Prediction- Magic over Lakers 4 -1

                                                                 

 The NBA Finals are once again upon us. Both conference finals were quite entertaining. Who'd have thought the Orlando Magic were capable of beating the league's MVP in Lebron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA? They also swept both Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.  Heck, who even picked them to beat the Kevin Garnett-less Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi finals? Ahem, I did actually. As expected, the L.A. Lakers stumbled and bumbled their way in the finals. They did not dominate their opponents in the same manner Cleveland did in the first and conference semi- finals of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant and his Lakers teammates had a devil of a time ousting the Houston Rockets, a much smaller team after Dikembe Mutombo's broken leg and  Yao Ming's injury. 

The NBA probably is happy at least Kobe lead the Lakers to the Western Conference championship so television ratings will be comparable to last years. I admit I would have really enjoyed seeing Kobe and Lebron go at each other for seven games. Yes, if the NBA "gods" had their way a Cleveland vs Los Angeles Finals would have gone seven games. On the other hand, I am thankful we might not have to watch those idiotic Kobe and Lebron puppet commercials much. The Orlando Magic most likely are approaching the Finals as the cliched "us against the world" mentality to spur them on. That mantra has been played to death for the past 3 years or so by various underdog teams. The Orlando Magic do have something to prove and that their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was not a fluke. Orlando has emerge as a contender during this year's playoffs for years to come with Dwight Howard leading the way.

Orlando won both meetings earlier this season although the final score was 106-103 and 109-103. I am looking forward to an exciting series with the Magic prevailing 4 games to 1. Here is my breakdown of the individual match ups.

          Andrew Bynum vs. Dwight Howard 

Center Match up :

Andrew Bynum is still very raw and very green but has a good upside. He lacks the drive and intensity Howard has. Bynum still not very adept at guarding big men and has a penchant for committing dumb fouls. Howard in one word- beast. He can guard big men while owning the boards  and is  good offensively too. He is capable of scoring 25 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. He just might be named 2009 Finals MVP. The one thing that Howard needs to worry about keeping  his temper in check he has already accrued 5 technical fouls and if he gets seven, he gets suspended for one game. To his credit he has improved his foul shooting lately.

Edge : Orlando

  Derek Fisher vs Rafer Alston 

Point Guard Match up:

Laker's guard Derek Fisher has all the finals experience a head coach would want in a point guard. Troubling though Fisher's strongest asset is also his weakest. Simply put Derek Fisher is old, perhaps this should be his last season in the NBA. He doesn't have the quickness to stay with Rafer Alston, much less Jameer Nelson (rumor has it Orlando testing him to see if he is fit enough to play). If Jameer Nelson plays, either Kobe or Trevor Ariza will have to guard Nelson. Rafer runs the Magic's offense well, and while he might not be a real general on the floor, he shoots the 3 ball very well. 

Edge : Orlando

 Kobe  Bryant vs. Courtney Lee 

Shooting guard match up :

The disparity in the size of the pictures says it all. Courtney Lee will continue to get better this is his rookie year. Kobe - been there done that. 

Edge : Los Angeles

 Pau Gasol vs Hedo Turkoglu  

Power Forward match up :

Neither players are true power forwards. Both like to shoot jump shots with Turkoglu being the more efficient 3 point shooter. Gasol has the edge in the post up game. Neither is very athletic or defensive minded as well. Both are decent rebounders and help defenders. This could be a stalemate.

Edge : Tie

 Trevor Ariza vs Rashard Lewis  

Small Forward match up :

This is a similar match up as Fisher vs. Alston. Ariza is just in his 4th season while Lewis has been in the league for 10 years. Both are athletic slashing scorers but Lewis has the edge being a veteran and being  a better 3 point shooter. Lewis can post up ariza all day long.

Edge : Orlando

 Phil Jackson vs. Stan Van Gundy 

Head coach match up :

We all know what Phil Jackson is about. When the Lakers lose for the 2nd consecutive NBA Finals will Phil ask Michael Jordan to come out of retirement and lead the Lakers next year? Ha ha. I think he might retire again. I believe Stan Van Gundy has the hunger to coach his team to victory. Say what you will about his physical appearance but the man can coach. Ultimately, his brother Jeff Van Gundy is the better coach between the two. 

Edge : Orlando

Lakers bench vs. Magic Bench

Orlando's Mikael Pietrus outscored Cleveland's bench on occasion by himself. He is an excellent sixth man. He shoots the 3 well, can slash to the hoop, and is a very good defender. He does it on both ends of the court. Lakers' Lamar Odom can do some damage as the Laker's sixth man but does not play consistently enough. He's a big man who prefers to play outside and doesn't post up much. Orlando's bench clearly proved they can hold a lead as they repeatedly outscored their opponent's bench in the playoffs.

Edge : Orlando 

LPGA Hotties : 5 Reasons to watch

 With the NBA Finals almost upon us, sports fans normally dred the next few months before NFL training camps begin in. Sure die hard hockey fans will be entertained by the quest for the Stanley Cup, but how exciting can that be when NBC bumps the NHL's championship series  for a reality game show called " Get me out of here I'm a celebrity!" In the next 6 weeks sports nuts will have next to nothing to get really excited about.

The French Open and Wimbledon are at best middle of the road entertainment for sports enthusiasts. On the women's side, I personally only care to watch a woman's match only if Anna Ivanovic is playing. On the men's side I am hoping for another 5 set all time great Rafal Nadal and Roger Federer final. I only watch baseball if I feel like taking a nap. I don't "play the ponies" so I have no real interest in the Kentucky Derby either. But I recently watched a sporting event I have never paid much interest to... it was the LPGA ! 

There are quite a few of attractive female golfers playing on the LPGA tour. I know most of us consider female golfers to appear tomboyish, but this new generation is very intriguing and feminine. Perhaps they will pave the way for more men to watch someone else besides Tiger Woods. Here are 5 reasons to watch the next LPGA tourney just to see these female golfers play:

Natalie Gulbis

Kim Hall

Anna Rawson

Jeehae Lee

Blair O' neal

2009 NBA Playoffs Bring the Pain

"I love this game ! " used to be the NBA's slogan. Up until these current playoffs I recently only liked watching NBA games, but thanks to players' playoff intensity and physicality, I love watching the games now. I was a big fan of the physically intimidating Patrick Ewing -led New York Knicks back in the early to mid 1990's. Patrick Ewing, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason were a scary quartet who punished opposing players who attempted driving to the basket against them. Back in the day, those fouls were known just as "a hard foul." In these uber sensitive times, the same fouls are now categorized as a flagrant 1 or flagrant 2 foul. 

Those Knicks were built to compete against the Detroit Pistons, the "Original Bad Boys" who had won 2 NBA Titles. Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, and even at times the cherubic Isaiah Thomas were not afraid to gouge some one's eye out or jab another player in the ribs. Best thing about them too was they knew they were thugs and were proud of it too. They didn't shy away from the moniker either. Blue collar players in a blue collar town. I must admit I hated the Pistons though. I couldn't stand their thuggish nature. But I also admit I am a hypocrite. I loved seeing the Knicks copy the Pistons style of play. It seemed ok being a New York Knicks fan. 

I miss those days and that style of play. Thank goodness though for the physical play this year. There's been some near fisticuffs amongst teams this year. I enjoyed watching Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics toss Chicago Bulls' Kirk Heinrich into the scorer's table in their first round series. I also somewhat enjoyed seeing L.A. Laker's guard Derek Fisher elbow Houston's Luiz Scola in the chest right before Scola was about to screen Fisher. I relished the confrontation between Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant after Bryant threw an elbow into Artest's throat after grabbing a rebound. I was hoping Artest would K.O. Kobe, a la Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton. I bet I am not in the minority hoping there will be  some fights or at least some punches will be thrown in the near future. I also look forward to bench clearing brawl as well. So bring the pain and hope we see another scene like this...