What has gotten into the Colorado Rockies?

A little under three weeks ago, the Colorado Rockies were 13 games under .500 with no consideration of being a contender this season. Since then, the Rockies have won 16 of the past 17 putting themselves back into the playoff mix.

The last time we were talking about the Rockies it was 2007. They had just made their way to the 07 World Series in improbable fashion. Winning 11 of 12 to end the season, the Rockies took the NL Wildcard, leading us on a crazy ride all the way to the World Series. Although they would lose to the Red Sox, they still showed that when a team gets hot anything is possible.

With the Dodgers currently standing at 44-26, still with a 9.5 game lead on the Rockies, the division will be hard to take. However, if the Rockies can keep this streak alive until the all-star break the division could be right back in sight again.

One of the biggest differences in the Rockies this season is center field. Matt Holliday was
traded away to the Oakland A's in the off-season. Holliday is most remembered for his slide home, giving the Rockies the winning run over the San Diego Padres on the last day of the season, giving them the wildcard. He was also arguably the best hitter they had.

This year without Holiday, it's been unlikely hero's that have brought the Rockies back into contention. The Rockies line-up has been hitting very well, especially as of late, something any team needs to go on a win-streak.

The ageing Told Helton has been a pleasant surprise, batting .316 this season, with 48 rbi's and 40 runs. Clean-up hitter Brad Hawpe is currently ranked 3rd in the NL with a .338 average, along with 50 rbi's and 39 runs. Troy Tulowitzki, who struggled mightily earlier this season, is batting .306 with 5 homers in the month of June. To top it all off, the most unlikely of hero's has to be Ian Stewart. A projected back-up at the start of the season now is batting .317 with 6 homers for the month of June. Clint Barmes has also emerged, batting .342 with 16 rbi's this month.

The starters have also really picked it up for this team. In the months of April and May, they were averaging 5.8 innings pitched, and over a 4.5 era. In the month of June they are averaging 6.6 innings pitched, a 3.4 era and 2.5 k's-balls ratio. Much of this can be credited to ace Aaron Cook. In April, Cook finished 1-1, with a 7.11 era and a .409 OBA. Since then Cook has went 5-2 with a 2.97 era, and a .283 OBA.

Closer Huston Street has been huge also. He has yet to blow a save since the winning streak started. He has had seven in the month of June, totaling 15 for the season.

Jim Tracy should take much of the credit for the Rockies recent success. Before firing Clint Hurdle, the Rockies were 18-28. Since then as Jim Tracy took over, the Rockies have gone an incredible 18-5. Whatever Tracy's doing it's working.

All in all, the Rockies should ride this streak for all it's worth. Everything is going right for this team right. Although, they don't have a lot of big names, everyone is working together to make this team succeed.

Marshall wants out of Denver

What started as a rumor, has now been confirmed by Brandon Marshall's agent. The disgruntled pro-bowl wide receiver wants out of Denver.

"Yes there was a meeting between Brandon, and (Broncos owner) Mr. (Pat) Bowlen," Marshall's agent, Kennard McGuire told FOX31 in Denver. "There was a request for a trade. Mr. Bowlen has said that ownership will do everything in its power to accommodate his wishes."

News of Marshall's wishes came just days after he skipped Broncos mandatory mini-camp.

While Marshall's main issue with the team is primarily about money, he also has stated he has a lack of trust in Denver's medical staff. The staff decided not to rehab at team headquarters following what he has called a misdiagnosis of his hip injury last year.

Marshall made $1.5 million in each of his first three seasons, before making the Pro Bowl last year which brought his 2009 pay to $2.2 million.

Marshall would be the second pro-bowler lost this off-season, the Broncos already lost the Chicago-bound Jay Cutler, who demanded a trade after being initially involved in trade talks by new head coach Josh McDaniels. The Broncos received two first round picks, and quarterback Kyle Orton in return for Cutler.

While the loss would be another huge hit, the Broncos would be better off getting rid of the troubled receiver, instead 0f trying to accommodate his wishes. Marshall has always had the I before team attitude, which all organizations dread.

He has also had some anger issues in the past, including charges of domestic assault on his girlfriend in 2008, which lead to a three game suspension by Roger Godell.

He also had a incident in 2008, which to this day is still surrounded by skepticism. He severed an artery and a vein, damaged a nerve in his right forearm and cut tendons to five muscles, when his hand went through a television screen. He needed surgery to have his tendons and artery sutured back together, which took 3 months recovery time. It was reported that Marshall claimed to be wrestling with a family member when the incident happened. The accident happened during the off-season, so he did not miss any of the 2008 season.

One thing you cannot deny about him is his athletic talent, which is why the Broncos should be able to get a decent value for him.

Marshall is an elite receiver, but at times he seems to not have his head on straight. Many have nick-named him T.O. number two, for both his athletic ability and off the field antics.

When your dealing with a player who wants to be traded, it seems as if it never ends good if the player is not granted his wish. Instead of dealing with all the distractions that would surround the team, the Broncos might as well start on a clean slate, and get rid of the receiver.

Some teams of interest could be, the Buccaneers, the Jets, a reunification with Cutler on the Bears, the Vikings and the Eagles. I would list the Giants as a team of interest but I cant see them taking a player with any character issues, especially after what happened with Plaxico.

Buck got what he payed for

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, check out Artie Lang on the Joe Buck Live show. (It has been taken off of YouTube by HBO, so bare with the video it's all I could find).

http://www.tiricosuave.com/2009/06/15/artie-lange-ruins-joe-buck-live-in-a-most-excellent-way/

Artie Lang's appearance on Joe Buck Live was suppose to give viewers some laughs and add a comical aspect to the show, but Lang had other intentions.

The recovering heroine addict and right-hand man of Howard Stern, was brought onto a segment with Actor Paul Rudd and SNL's Jason Sudeikis, took the show out of control on it's debut.

He took Buck out of his comfort zone on the uncensored HBO, reaching a level that HBO did not appreciate.

When Buck, a well-known sportscaster, announced that celebrity gossip site TMZ was his favorite website, Lange stated "Joe, TMZ is your favorite website? What's your second, suckingcock.com?"

Lange then followed and said, "I'm on TMZ constantly, did you see what Angelina was wearing today? What the fuck, how about going to a sports website for Christ's sake?"

Lange, with his feet on the table in front of him, then went on to admit he was homophobic, along with some more offensive remarks.

"As a Giants fan, and a well-known homophobic, it's like a white trash gift from god that the fucking Cowboys have a quarterback whose last name rhymes with homo, Lang said."

Lange then moved to Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's girlfriend, Jessica Simpson.

"And he's dating a fat chick!" he said. "Jessica Simpson started out looking like Jessica Simpson, now she looks like Chris Farley from those Gap sketches."

Buck then tried taking control of the situation by moving the discussion forward, moments later Lange took a shot at Buck's hosting abilities.

"Good segue," Lange said, mocking Buck's attempt to move discussion forward. "You're a regular Bob Costas."

"I wanna be working construction by next Thursday, I hate show business," Lange said.

"You're on your way," Buck replied.

"So are you!" Lange shot back.

Later, as Buck attempted to rush Lang through a story about Buck's father, Lange said, "sorry to ruin your fucking great show."

"I appreciate the apology, because you have," Buck said.

Near the end of the segment, Lange takes out a cigarette and Buck yelled at him not to light it.

"If you do that, sir! Sir, you cannot do that," Buck shouted.

"I won't light it," Lange said.

"You think I care about you smoking a cigarette after what you just laid out here?" Buck said, so Lange said, "Fuck it, let's do it bro" and light up. "No, don't, please!" Buck said.

"Say what you mean," Lange said back.

HBO has already done everything they could to take the video off the web. The rumor now is Lang has a permanent ban off HBO. My question is what were they expecting when bringing in a train wreck like Artie Lang?

First off, the show is on HBO, if you tune into the same channel just a few hours later you can watch Cat House (Pornography). What Lang did was offensive, but he did not go to a level HBO has not been at before.

While at points it almost gets uncomfortable to watch, I still laughed throughout the whole segment. It really made great television.

Buck has always been a great color commentator, but he has never been a good host. Joe Buck Live with the exception of Lang was boring, it probably wont make it more then one season. Lang if anything just helped boost it's ratings. Buck is a professional and should be have been prepared for this.

Buck himself, according to his Joe Buck Live twitter, does not seem to be that upset about the incident.

"Artie did what he thought we wanted. A bit too far? Sure. But its LIVE. And fun!! Glad I am at HBO!!"

Did Lang go over the top, yes, is HBO blowing it out of proportion, definitely. When you bring in a guy like Lang you have to be expecting anything.

ALL QUOTES DURING THE SEGMENT ARE COURTESY OF THE HUFFINGTON POST

Brian Who?

The Yankees Brian Bruney, had some words for Francisco Rodriguez after the Mets loss Friday night.

Bruney spoke of Rodriguez's celebrations after he gets a save, and about blowing his first of the season on Friday night.

"Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like that. I have, but in high school," Bruney told reporters in Trenton. "It couldn't happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act."

As anyone who knows K-Rod would expect, he put Bruney right in his place. According to the New York Post, K-Rod had a few words to give back to Bruney.

"I don't even know who that guy is. Somewhere in Double-A? I believe he hasn't even pitched one full season. He's always been on the DL. That's all I know right now. He better keep his mouth shut and do his job and not worry about somebody else."

The issue escalated today before the game, when K-Rod approached Bruney and got in his face. K-Rod did most of the talking before the Yankees Jose Vera broke up the escapade.

Out of everyone on the Mets, K-Rod is the last player you want to mess with. He is a gamer, and plays with a lot of heart and emotion. His celebrations are just his way of showing the emotion he plays with.

Bruney had no business saying anything about K-Rod. I don't even understand why the guy was being interviewed about the situation in the first place. He deserves everything that comes to him from this. Good for K-Rod for confronting him. When Bruney breaks K-Rod's save record then maybe someone will care about his opinion.

I just wonder if Bruney put any thought into opening his mouth before he did. Where did he feel that he had any right to criticize K-Rod? Bruney, who has never even been able to make it through a full season, is trying to critique the singled season record holder for saves? It's pathetic and just gives Bruney a bad name.

Instead of blabbing his mouth, Bruney should work on getting off the disabled list, he has thrown just one inning for the Yankees since April 21st.

The only explanation I can possibly see for Bruney is just that he is jealous. He will more than likely never be even close to the level that K-Rod is at.

He should of just shut up and been happy with the Yanks win they were handed by the Mets on Friday.

Congrats to Kobe and the Lakers on winning the championship.

After blogging about the finals for the last week, the Lakers have taken home the championship.

The Kobe critics were out more then ever after the Lakers were crushed by the Celtics last year in the finals, stating he could not win a championship without Shaq.

Even if your not a Kobe Bryant fan, you have to give the man some credit. He has finally put his critics to rest, proving to truly be one of the best players of this generation. I personally am not a huge Kobe fan, but the man has skill. Once he retires he will go down as one of the best guards the game of basketball has ever seen.

This team is built to win a lot of games the next few seasons, as long as everyone stays healthy and a Laker, you could see a dynasty in the making. The young talent in Bynam and Ariza, combined with the veteran leadership of Bryant, Fisher, Odom and Gasol give the Lakers a team that could be good for many years to come.

They outplayed the Magic in every aspect, the Lakers were truly the best team this season and deserved the championship.

Professional Chokers

As Alex Rodriguez popped up to seemingly end game 1 of the subway series, the Mets thought nothing could go wrong.

The ball looked to be a routine catch for Luis Castillo. Rodriquez slammed his bat to the ground and Yankee fans were getting ready to head for the exits at the new Yankee Stadium.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Castillo dropped the ball, bringing home Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira (already on base at the time) giving the Yankees a 9-8 win.

This was just another pitiful chapter for Mets, who have found ways to break fans hearts the past three seasons.

Blowing a seven game lead with just 17 games to go in 2007, the New York Mets orchestrated one of the biggest collapses in major league baseball history.

Then in 2008, the Mets collapsed again, losing the division and wildcard births on the last day at Shea Stadium, in front of a sold out crowd.

This year has brought Mets fans much of the same misery. When Ryan Church missed third base as the winning run, which instead resulted in a loss earlier this season, fans thought nothing could match that.

Blowing two straight games in late innings to the Phillies and Castillo's error last night, gave Church his match.

As a Mets fan, I find it hard to even sit through a game right now. For the past three seasons the Mets have lacked the consistency of being able to put games away. Even with the addition of Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets have still lost nine games when tied or winning going into the 8th inning this season, despite K-Rod being 16 for 16 in save situations before last night.

The lack of fundamentals on this team is something I've never seen before. Whether it's missing bases, dropping routine plays, misplaying balls or balks, their fundamentals look more like a little league team then a professional.

It's not time to start blaming Jerry Manuel, but something needs to change.

Omar Minaya has tried to establish a winning ball club, but instead hes built a team of mostly Latinos that lack the edge to win a championship. He has built a team that looks good on paper, but just doesn't win. They are missing the "killer instinct". With the exception of a few stand outs (K-Rod, Johan), I don't really see much of a competitive ego on this team. Even David Wright and Jose Reyes, seem to falter when the Mets need them most. In order for this team to do anything this season, Jerry needs to find a way to "fire up the troops".

Injuries have been rough on the Mets this year, giving the team some optimism, if they can keep themselves in the division hunt till August. By that time, they will have a healthy Carlos Delgado, J.J. Putz, Billy Wanger, and if all goes right an improved Oliver Perez. This will solve not only the home run problems (the Mets are currently ranked 29 in dingers), but will give them arguably the best 7th,8th,9th inning combination in baseball. The Mets are not a bad team, they have the talent, it's just a matter of if they can play with a competitive edge.

I think mentally, ever since they collapsed two seasons ago, they have lacked the confidence to win games.

The Mets have been given the reputation by the rest of the league as chokers, publicly by rival pitcher Cole Hamels. After all the things that have happened the past three seasons, I think it's fair to say the Mets are the biggest chokers in any professional sport.

Back to the game, a few things really bothered me.

For one, the Yankees reaction was ridiculous. For them to come out and commend A-Rod like he actually did something was foolish. If anyone, Tex should of been commended for hustling even when the game looked to be over.

Two, what was Ryan Church doing? Church, was coming in full charge at a ball that was all Castillo's. I am not here to try and play the blame game, Castillo blew it, but Church running in could definitely cause a distraction.

Lastly, why did Castillo throw to second? What good is going to happen from throwing the ball to second? Even if A-Rod turns first, Tex would have scored before the tag anyway. It made no sense at all.

For Mets fans everywhere, we can enjoy being the laughing stock of baseball until we figure out how to win games. For now, we can only hope things turn around for what should have been a promising season.

Magic is running out

The Magic watched another one slip away, as Derek Fisher drained two key three pointers to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead.

It was the 34-year-old Fisher, 0-5 to that point from 3-point range, who may have taken away any hope the Magic had to bringing home their first championship.

With a chance to give the Magic a two-possession lead with just under 12 seconds left, Dwight Howard missed two free throws, giving the Lakers a chance to tie the game.

Fisher did just that hitting a three with 4.6 seconds left and forcing overtime. He then drilled another key three with 31.3 seconds left overtime, as the Lakers beat the Magic 99-91.

Now Kobe Bryant, who finished with 32 points, is one game away from winning a championship without Shaq, something many thought he was not capable of.

It was Bryant who made Fisher's three possible, when he fouled Dwight Howard with just 11.1 seconds to go. Bryant somehow got superman to the ground as he was going up for an easy two points.

To Howard's credit, he was magnificent everywhere but at the free-throw line. He had 16 points, 21 rebounds and a finals-record nine blocks. But he made just 6 of 14 foul shots, and it was his two crucial misses that ultimately lost the Magic the game .

The Magic missed 15 foul shots in total, and blew a 12 point half-time lead. The confidence that they had in game 4 seemed to be non-existent in game 5.

Jameer Nelson virtually played the entire second half, and was responsible for marking Derek Fisher on the game tying 3-pointer. Nelson played off of Fisher, preparing for him to drive to the basket, but with just 4 seconds left it would seem as if a drive to the basket is exactly what the Magic wanted. Instead without hesitation, Fisher lined up for a wide open three, leaving Nelson in disbelief.

He shouldn't of been, in NBA finals history, only two players have made more 3s than Fisher's.

Van Gundy left many including myself shaking my head, as he left Nelson in the game for most of the second half. After Alston's marvelous performance in game 4, you would think Van Gundy would make sure he got his playing time.

Now one game away from elimination, Orlando's magic seems to be running out. Even with a win in game 5, they would have to travel back to Los Angeles and beat the Lakers twice.

The Magic may be able to force a game 6, but beyond that the Lakers should be able to wrap up their 15th NBA championship at home, if needed.

Excuse me security there's an idiot on the court

For those of you who don't watch SportsCenter, here is the video of Rodger Federer being "greeted" by a fan, before he won the French Open on Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brLbQ5cRuIY&feature=related

While this is amusing to watch now, at the time it was happening everyone was holding there breath as the fan inched closer to Federer.

First off, I must commend Federer for not losing his focus, and taking home the French Open championship. Of all the things Federer has accomplished in the sport of tennis, he never won a French Open.

Now back to the idiot. Sure he was prancing around and looked the least bit like a threat, but French security should of still been waiting for him the second he jumped onto the court. It shouldn't matter if the guy is 3-years-old he should of never been able to get that close to Federer.

As I watched this video, I couldn't believe how long it took security to get a hold of this psycho. You never know what your going to get with a crazed fan. Who knows what he could have been carrying in his pocket, or what his feelings were on Federer.

While I do commend Federer for keeping his cool, it's really surprising to me that he didn't use any type of physical force on the guy. I don't think anyone would of blamed him if he did, I mean the guy was literally right in his face. Can you imagine if that was John Mcenroe out there? That guy would of been knocked so hard, security would have to carry him out in a stretcher.

According to Federer, via SportsCenter, he said the guy was not a threat so he saw no need to protect himself.

When you watch this it brings back the horrid memories of Monica Seles's. For those of you who are not familiar with her, she was stabbed in the back when she was 19-years-old. It happened during a quarter final tennis match, when she was considered by many to be the best female tennis player in the world. Apparently the motivation was her Serbian roots. While she did survive the attack, she never fully recovered from the injury, physically or mentally.

The French Security should take this in as a valuable lesson, and think what could of happened. Even though no one saw him as a real threat, he still should have never been that close to Federer. If something like this ever happens again, you can bet that security will be a lot more on top of things.

Fantasy Football is back!

So last Saturday my league did our annual offline draft at my house. Let me tell you just like every year it was a blast. Everyone brought food and we drafted for a solid 3 hours at the least. This year we made the league a money league, first place walks away with $110 then second place gets $30 and 3rd gets $10.

This is how my league is set up, its rather big (14 teams) which is why it took so long.

QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
WR
TE
K
DEF
D
DB
DB
LB
LB
DL
10 bench spots

So before I list my team, I made a trade during the draft, unhappy with my receiving core, I dealt Knowshon Moreno, Willis Mcgahee and Deion Branch for J.Addai and Braylon Edwards. I like the deal on both ends. Moreno was tough to give up I see a lot of potential in the kid, however I like what I'm getting in return. Edwards is on a contract year and he is really all they have now without Kellen, I think he could easily regain his form from two years ago. If not well that's why you take the risks. As for Addai, as you will see I only need him to preform the first three weeks, if he wants to get injured after that, then so be it. When he's healthy I still see him as a viable fantasy option.

This is what my team looks like after the trade.

QB- Brees
RB- T.Jones
RB- J.Addai (Look at my bench for my real starter)
WR-Edwards
WR- S.Moss
WR- J.Cotchery
TE- K.Winslow
K-Tynes
Def-San Diego
D-Vilma
DB-Weddle
DB- N.Collins
DL- Shaun Rodgers
LB- Paul Poz
LB- D'Qwell Jackson

BENCH
Marshawn Lynch (Not active for first three weeks)
I.Bruce
J.Maclin
D.Heyward-Bey
A. Fasano
J. Campbell
J. Fargas
Shonn Greene
Juaquin Igelesias

Ok, let's start with my big gun. Yes, I took a quarterback with my first pick, I know I didn't go traditional RB,RB, but how could I pass up on a guy who was just 15 yards short of breaking Dan Marino's single season passing record. The NFL is turning pretty pass heavy especially from a fantasy aspect, with most teams going for the two-back system. In my league alone last year Brees had 3o more point then any other player at any position. The thing I like about Brees is how sure thing of a pick he is, look at the team he has around him. With weapons like Colston, Moore, Henderson, Meachem and even Shockey, he has a chance to go after that record again. He fell to me at the 9th pick and I just couldn't resist.

Now onto my running backs, I made a few interesting picks here. For one, I don't understand why everyone is hating on the pro-bowler of last year, Thomas Jones. Leon Washington is a versatile player, but he cant handle the workload, which is why Jones should get plenty of touches again this season. The biggest reason why Jones is a fantasy gem, is he gets the goal-line touches, which is a fantasy players dream. As for Marshawn Lynch, the guy is a top 10 running back when he plays. He was just sitting there calling my name in the 4th round. I originally took Moreno in the 3rd planning on getting some insurance for the weeks Lynch is suspended, but I now have that covered with Addai. Lynch will produce like he always does after he returns, I think he was a steal in the 4th round. The signing of T.O. will take even less focus off the young Lynch, which I am excited to see.

My receiving core, got a whole lot better after I brought in Edwards. I hated starting Deion Branch, and I never had any intention to. I love Cotchery this year, I mean who else do the Jets really have to throw to. Keller, may steal some touchdowns but Cotchery will be Dirty Sanchez's go to guy. Santana Moss consistently puts up good, not great numbers. At this point, I see him as my number three. Moss should give me a healthy 1,000 yards and 7 t.d.'s this season.

Kellen Winslow is always so underrated, I got right around the middle of the pack for tight ends. I am really excited to see what he can do in a Tampa Bay offense that has always been big on the tight end. If you look at Alex Smith's numbers they were always consistanly in the top 10 for tight ends. As long as Winslow can stay healthy he will be an undervalued player for me this year.

At the kicker position, I might say I am a homer going with my New York boy. If you know anything about me, you know I love New York Sports. Giants, Mets, Knicks and S.U. are my diehards. So go Tynes!!

I love the San Diego Defense. I think as long as everyone can stay healthy, they can play in the form they did in the playoffs last season. I think they have one of the most undervalued secondaries in the league, lead by the young Antonio Cromartie, one of my favorite corners. I drafted Eric Weddle as one of my DB's, the San Diego Safety surprisingly ranked 3rd in points of all defensive backs last season, I hope to see more big tackles and interceptions from him this season. They also got the roid user in Merriman who will be sure to rack me in some sacks, and how can you not love the big men Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams plugging up that D-line. I expect game changing plays from them this year and big points (hopefully not against them).

My defensive players really have one thing in common. With the exception of Shaun Rodgers and Nick Collins they all get a lot of tackles. My defensive point system is big on three things tackles, interceptions and sacks. I built my team around all three of those. Vilma, Jackson and Weddle all had at least 95 solo tackles last year not to mention at least 20 assisted. Poz, was close to the same. I just love the young kids (Poz) potential, if he can stay heathly he can get me some big points this season. Rodgers is my sack guy, he got 5 last year, not a whole heck of a lot but give me his 75 tackles on top of that and I like what I have. Add in Collins with 7 interceptions and we have hit every category.

Some highlights of my bench....
Well for one you can see I always start out with an all offensive bench. You can always get defensive players or kickers or defensive teams on free agency. I like to draft guys with potential and if they don't work out, I drop them and grab a defensive player.

As you can tell I love my rookies, especially the WR's. I just love Maclin's potential, Mcnabb and Jackson really played well together last season, and Mcnabb loves his rookies. I could see Maclin potentially putting up the same kind of numbers Jackson did last season. Heyward-bey to be honest I think will be a bust. I got him in the second to last round and hes listed as the number one receiver for now, I think it was a terrible choice especially at seven in the draft, but maybe Al Davis knows something we don't (doubt it). For those of you who don't know who Juaquin Iglesias is, I suggest you look him up. This guy was a standout in college at Oklahoma. He's very fast running a 40 time of 4.4, at the combine. He has great hands and speed and reminds me a bit of Eddie Royal with Cutler last season. I think he could fill Royal's role or even exceed it with Cutler and the Bears, I'm expecting great things from him. Bruce and Fasano will both be good off the bench, nothing flashy but if Kellen, or one of my receivers go down, I know I have a temporary fill with both of them. My other rookie Greene, I simply picked up just in case something happens to Jones, as long as things are going smooth with Jones, he wont last on my team that long. I was hoping to get Washington, but he was drafted too early. Last but not least the QB's. I'm worried ab. Sage, not because of what he can do on the field, hes a great guy to have, but im worried about Favre coming in and stealing the starting role. Campbell is just an emergency option but he may turn into my back-up, if Favre decides to come back. I guess we will have to wait and see.

All in all, I really love my team this year. I am projected to have the second most points behind our leagues dynasty (hes won 3 of 4 years, I won the other), Matt Goodwin. After looking over his team, I must say he is one of my biggest competitions as he always is, but I feel I have the team to beat this year.

If anyone is reading this, let me know what you think.

Magic down but not out

Yes, they are down 2-0, yes it will be hard to make a comeback, but with three straight home games the Magic have a chance to take advantage.

After Courtney Lee missed what would of been the game winning shot in game two, it seemed like all the air was sucked out the Magic's hopeful dreams of being champions.

But, just before the Lakers begin to rehearse for the trophy celebration, they have to put away game three. If the Magic fail to win game three they might as well forget about an NBA Championship. I don't see anyway of the Magic taking two away from the Lakers at home.

With a win in game three however, we have a series again.

It wont be easy for a team who has never won a finals game in franchise history, but the solution is simple, play with confidence, and hit the three.

One way the Lakers can be vulnerable is at the 3-point line. With so much attention focused on Dwight Howard, it should leave other Magic players wide open for the 3-point shot, something they have yet to really take advantage of.

In the Lakers 100-75 stomp over the Magic, Orlando looked over-whelmed. Howard who appeared to be outmatched by the likes of Gasol and Bynam, timid of the big stage, seemed to play with almost no confidence whatsoever. Not to mention Turkoglu, Alstons and Lee's dismal performances, which in Alstons case can somewhat be attributed to trying to push Jameer Nelson back into the lineup.

On the other side, for Kobe, this is what he lives for. All he wants is to prove to the world he can win a championship without Shaq. Something to this point in the finals, he has proven to be true. Kobe has shown the confidence that is needed to win a championship.

Kobe thrives on this stage. The Lakers have the perfectly built team from top to bottom to win a championship. If the Magic cannot make a comeback, it will be a well deserving championship for Kobe and crew.

This is not to say they are unbeatable, after all, nothing brings out a teams best side then having 20,000 screaming fans cheering for you at the Staples Center.

The series now heads to Orlando, and going away from home,, is exactly where the Magic want to be. Before we claim the Lakers as the champions of 2009, lets see how their confidence is once they have to go into Orlando's house.

If Howard and crew can come out with the same aggressiveness and confidence that they had against Cleveland, I would not hand over the trophy just yet.


EDIT AFTER GAME 3:

Well they sure looked confident last night, Van Gundy should really keep Nelson on the bench as much as possible. The team he has out there right now works, and it's worked throughout the playoffs. I am not saying Nelson is a bad player because he's not, but when your winning, why change anything? Alston looked great last night racking up 20 points, he gets much more comfortable as the game goes on, his 3:1 ratio in minutes played vs. Nelson is a perfect one. You could tell last night especially on the one play where Alston drives to the basket from the 3-point line, that the Magic was really focusing on getting other players besides Howard involved. Just look at the point spread Turk had 18 not to mention six rebounds and seven assists, Lewis had 21, and Pietrus finally showed up with 18. The Lakers are so focused on Dwight, and while Lewis did go 3-6 at the 3-point line, they still need to take more advantage of it. All in all, this is exactly what the Magic needed to do and the exact kind of confidence you get from being at home.

On the other side of the ball, The Lakers should not hang their heads after this one. They could of basically just taken the night off if they wanted to. As Kobe scored 17 points in the first quarter, I thought they were going to run the Magic right off the court. I give a lot credit to the Magic for taking Kobe out of the game after that, limiting him to only 14 points the rest of the game. I see this match-up being a lot more even then most people do, and I think on both sides the finals will be one with not just a lone player or two, but a full team. On the other side of things the Lakers are still incredible at home, and even if the Magic take a three game sweep here I still think the Lakers would have the upper-edge.

The Favre Saga Continues

The NFL offseason is an exciting time for every team and fan. It's a time to revamp, a time to work on improving from last season, and for the last two years it's been a time to talk about Brett Favre's fickleness.

It's a storyline that has made these past offseasons full of excitement, giving team's the hope of maybe landing a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Sure, he's formally announced his retirement twice. But as he put it, he will always feel the "itch".

When the "itch" got him last season, things did not go the way Favre planned. Expecting to waltz back into Packers training camp, because after all he is Brett Favre, the Packers were not having any of it.

After already committing to new starter Aaron Rodgers, Ted Thompson had to make the decision of letting the legendary Packer, take a seat to Rodgers. Thompson reportedly offered Favre 20 million dollars to stay retired, but Favre wasn't negotiating, he wanted to play.

Well Favre got his wish, he left his short-termed retirement. This time however, it was for a new team, The New York Jets. The Packers had traded him for a conditional draft pick.

A disgruntled Favre joined the Jets, very confused on how the team he had done so much for could treat him the way they did.

Favre is at it once again this season, but this time it seems to be more for redemption, then for his own desire to play.

After announcing his retirement once again this season, new rumors surrounded Favre. This time it was with the Packer's biggest rival, the Minnesota Vikings.

Favre has never been able to forgive the Packers for the way they treated him when he attempted to come back, and this seems like the perfect way to get them back.

Favre then went for surgery to fix his shoulder, which in a way indicated he was trying to make a comeback. After all, why else have the surgery if it is not necessary?

After rumors came out this week of Favre's family booking rooms at the Midway Motor Lodge near Lambeau, at the time the Packers play the Vikings in the season opener, people began to become even more skeptical of the "retired" Favre.

We have now learned that Favre has a deadline of the end of this week, to decide if he wants to come back or not.

So as we all get caught up in another year of Brett Favre drama, is it really worth him making another comeback. Can he bring the Vikings to the next level? Will be able to ride off into the sunset, stabbing his former beloved team in the back.

None of these questions can be answered at this moment. I will say this, Favre coming back is what makes this sport entertaining. What would be better then to watch Favre try to get back at his old team? The team he won his Championship with, but the same team that turned their back's when he wanted to come back.

For one, we all know Favre is old, and with age comes deteriorated player. We all watched old man Favre break down and fall apart, as the Jets missed the playoffs last season.

I am not saying this wont happen with the Vikings, but he has a player in Adrian Peterson that will take the load of him. He will not be throwing nearly as much with the Vikings, as he was with the Jets or the Packers. The Vikings have always had a run-style offense, and behind big guard Steve Hutchinson things will be much easier. With Sage Rosenfels currently running the reigns it seems like Favre is exactly what the Vikings need to potentially get to the next level, they both need each other.

All in all, Favre coming back will do nothing negative for the sport. It will give America, a chance to watch a football great give it all he has, for whatever motivation it might be.

UPDATE:
Minnesota head coach Brad Childress, stated in a public announcement that there is not a deadline for Favre.


This is via rotoworld.com
"Absolutely not," Childress said. "Maybe by Deanna [Favre] or somebody like that, but certainly not from me. Not even close. [I] don’t know where that dropped out of the sky from ... I don’t know how you guys in that industry go about your sourcing. 'A source that a source said.’ I don’t know. It’s questionable. Very questionable." The door remains wide open for Favre to join the Vikings in July.

Welcome to my blog!!

My name is Mike Nolan, I am going into my sophomore year at the University at Albany. My goal is to go into the field of sports writing. I am a huge New York sports fan, I'm a diehard Giants, Mets, Knicks and Syracuse basketball fan, I also love the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Already well on my way, I am a Journalism and Business major and currently have an internship with my local weekly paper. On top of that I also write for the campus newspaper call the Albany Student Press. This summer I will also be working an internship at Giants Summer Training Camp, in which I hope to blog from. The intention of this blog is to get my name out there and hopefully gain more experience in the field.