June 10, 2012

The NBA finals are right around the corner, and as much as I dislike certain aspects of the NBA, I do enjoy watching the playoffs and the finals in particular. I think this series, between the Thunder and the Heat, will be more contested than last year (ironically, neither of these teams' names ends in an "s"). I think the Thunder will win it in 6 games, all of them relatively close. Call this guess more of a hunch, but the Heat are cursed and doomed to lose more than 4 consecutive championships and become the new Buffalo Bills. While I do feel slightly bad for LeBron and how he has yet to win, this curse is by far more amusing. I also think the Thunder are not as top heavy as the Heat, which might give them an advantage. Ultimately, I think the Thunder will pull out a close one.

Every time I see a ticker that indicates which league has won more interleague games, a small part of me dies on the inside. What I mean is, this will be the last year of interleague play and the sacred format of baseball divisions as we know it. While it might be more fair that the divisions and leagues are evening out, it will take getting used to. I dislike the idea of the Astros moving to the AL. I would be okay with it if there ended up being an even number of teams in both leagues, but there won't be. This would mean interleague play everyday. This means not stretch of interleague games in June to help spice it up. It also means special series like the Subway Series and the Bay Series that stand out as some of the few interleague series played every single year. I really hope the MLB expands soon, so the league can return to normal.

It's about time I donated my opinion on Peyton Manning. I think he will be fine. I say this because Manning's two greatest strengths as a quarterback still exist. Manning has always been known for his amazing arm and his decision making. The neck injury he suffered has no impact on either of those two. Yes, a  hit might jar him more than normal, but realistically, the refs will give him preferential treatment, just like they gave Tom Brady after he went down. This will make opposing defenses back off. If this were a Michael Vick or a Cam Newton or another quarterback noted for their ability to make plays on the run, I would be worried. However, Peyton Manning makes his plays inside the pocket. Manning will never put his head down and try to run over a guy. He will keep his head up, look downfield, and make a pass. For this reason, a neck injury should be little to worry about.