Sports June 27, 2010

The knockout round of the FIFA world cup is underway, and not without contraversy. The referees have made some vital calls that have cost some teams the entire tournament. This is not a first either, as several calls were blown in group play as well. I remember last world cup where the referees were given extra money for giving cards. So they gave out more cards, many times without reason. You might say they're only people, but why not use technology and have instant replay. It doesn't really slow down the game either. The NFL challenge system has been around for a long time, and has become pretty efficient. Why can't FIFA use something like that? Its not that far fetched, we get the replay on our TVs at home.

The year of the pitcher continues with another no-hitter, this time from Edwin Jackson against his former team the Rays. Thats 3 out of the last 5 no-hitters against the Rays, and the other two were perfect games. This is ridiculous. The Rays aren't that bad a team either as they have the fifth best record in the league. They just seem to come up empty way too often. Edwin Jackson also threw 149 pitches to get it. I remember earlier in the year when the Yankees were going to pull C.C. Sabathia in a game he had a no-hitter in. Fortunately for Joe Girardi, C.C. gave up a hit, letting him escape a painful decision. Ironically, that was against the Rays...

The NBA draft also went down this week, all two rounds of it. True the NBA draft can't be too long, as the maximum roster size is 12 players. However, some of the rebuilding teams can use more rounds so they have a chance to win. Take the Nets for example. They are way more than one player away from the playoffs. By the time they can get a good roster full of players through the draft, the players they had first drafted will be gone to free agency, dooming them for long periods of time. True they can always acquire a player through free agency, as they are banking on right now, but it makes the Cinderella effect harder, something fans like to see.

Despite being down 13 points in the second half, the Lakers came back to win Game 7 and take the NBA Finals away from the Celtics. This series had been between the NBA's two most storied franchises. They are 1 and 2 in total NBA titles. In the last 3 seasons, the only other team to make the NBA finals is the Orlando Magic. It cements Kobe's fate as one of the greatest players of all time. You can talk all you want about how good Lebron James is, but he has never won, and might never win an NBA title. Sure we call Dan Marino one of the greatest QB's of all time and he never won a Super Bowl, but he put up statistics that were unrivaled in the league. He also shattered the touchdown record. Dan Marino was a far better player than Lebron.

The Washington Redskins acquired former first round pick Jammal Brown from the Saints for a conditional pick, in either the third or fourth round. This might seem trivial, but Brown was a solid O-lineman before getting hurt last season. It also shows how the Redskins consistantly acquire good veterans in the offseason at the expense of the draft. They also seem can't seem to keep the ones they have in line. Albert Haynesworth is demanding a trade, yet that wont't happen because of all the money they gave him. All that for finishing last in the division. They did acquire Donovan McNabb, but he is yet another player known to fall short of a championship. I think the Redskins will fall short again, only to get setback a year or two because they won't have as many draft picks.

Sports June 13, 2010

This has been a classic NBA finals. Two age- old enemies duking it out with the best players in the game. The best part is that I haven't even heard Lebron's name since it started. Finally, some news to keep the press off of this offseason. I started to get the feel that the prize this offseason was Lebron James, not the NBA finals. I think the drama of this finals has been just what we needed to take the attention away from the Cavs. Remember, just because you have Lebron, it does not mean you're going to win the finals. Basketball is a team game, not just one person. We remember Michael Jordon as the greatest player of all time, but he still had Scottie Pippen.

What about Stephen Starsbourg? He completely blew past the Pirates. I know its the Pirates and they're a struggling team, but that was quite a show he put on. You might think he would have jitters pitching in the big leagues for the first time. But he struck out 14 and walked none. Thats something veterans have trouble doing. I also thought the Nationals would pull him earlier than they did, but he did get good innings in. The Nationals are only 6 games out in the East, so Strasbourg can become a valuable stopper for them.

So much for the Red Sox. This has become a tight race in the AL East between the Rays and Yankees. With a big win over the Astros, the Yankees have tied the Rays for the best record in the league. The Yankees over the last few seasons have been a much better second half team, so they could cruise to 100 victories. The Rays have the potential to do so as well. It also hogs up the wildcard spot, it makes other AL teams need to win the division, or go home.