Justin Verlander Wins Cy Young Award

Justin Verlander throws really fast

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander won the 2011 Cy Young award after an incredible season. Verlander posted a 49-0 record, with a 0.00 ERA. Verlander didn't walk a single batter he faced, in fact only threw 3 balls over the course of the season.

"I just went out there and tried to throw a perfect game each time." Verlander said after throwing back to back perfect games to finish off the season, "I would just go out and throw a bunch of fast balls and hope it was in the strike zone." Verlander shattered the fastest pitch record by throwing 120+ MPH curve balls routinely. He also racked up a record 21 perfect games. At one point, Verlander struck out 94 consecutive batters.

"What he did this season was unreal." said Twins slugger Joe Mauer, "It felt like you came up to bat with an 0-2 count, it was crazy." Well Mauer was kind of right. Verlander would often throw a pitch so dirty, it counted as two strikes. Umpires were so amazed with his warm up pitches, they would credit him a strike before the batter even got into the batters box.

Sadly, Verlander did not play well in the post season, since every time he started the game was delayed by rain... Many believe that God himself is the only one that is able to stop Justin.

MLB Playoff Scenarios Too Confusing, League to Replay Second Half of The Season

Selig: "What? What is this? Just do it over again."

Notre Dame Loses to All Girls Catholic School

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team hasn't fighting much lately, just losing. After dropping their opener to some school in Florida not named Florida, Miami, or Florida State, Notre Dame lost to the obviously inferior Michigan, whose defensive scheme resembles the rules of "Smear the Queer".

Notre Dame, in order to get their confidence back, scheduled an all girls catholic school to a exhibition game but lost 24-21. 

Brian Kelly as always was irate after the first quarter when the Irish trailed 7-0.

Kelly upset after WR Michael Floyd lost a fumble

When Sally Johanson drove her troops down the field to put her powder puff team up 14-0, they knew they had a chance to win. "I felt like we were executing our plays very well, all the girls were in a good mood today and we just hit our spots at the right time." Johanson said after the exhibition. "We have a lot to work on and we made some mistakes but we came out with the win."

Johanson completed 21 of her 32 pass attempts racking up 341 yards and 3 touchdowns.

"We suck." Brian Kelly said in the post game interview. "We just flat out suck."

The Irish will pencil in another loss this weekend as they host the much better Michigan State Spartans.

Peyton Manning Accidentally Has Another Surgery

Peyton Manning was expected to comeback this season after undergoing a neck surgery on May 23rd. But the Colts signal caller accidentally had another surgery which could cause him to miss the whole season.

"Wow, I really messed up... i just got in the habit of getting neck surgeries I just went in there and got another one... turns out I might have to miss the whole season." Manning said in his press conference Thursday.

Turns out, nothing was even wrong with Manning's neck.

"He came in for another surgery, so we just kinda dinked around in there, found nothing wrong... So after a few hours we got bored and sewed him back up." Dr. John Nathan said. "I didn't realize it would have this much impact on his career."

To add insult to accidental injury, the Colts accidentally signed Kerry Collins as a back up quarterback.

Randy Moss asks for retirement checks in "Straight Cash Homie"

Moss will receive cash payments for retirement

EA Sports Realeases Madden Lock Out Game

EA Sports Gaming and the Madden NFL series got together to create the newest Madden game "Madden NFL 12: Lock Out".

Available on XBOX360, PS3, and Wii

The creators of the game wanted to make a realistic lock out experience to bring a never before seen style of game. Unlike any other Madden NFL games, there will be no football in the game. Similar it's sister game, Madden NFL Coaches 09, the player will be able to control what happens off the field to give the player a more realistic idea of how the NFL functions.

The game brings many new features including CBA negotiating, owner and NFLPA meetings, player only practices, and keeping the roster out of trouble off the field.

The game will also feature new "mini games" like "Pin the tail on the Commissioner"  and "Ride the Bull with Ochocinco"

The game will be released Friday at midnight with over 11 Million copies on back order.

2KSports is rumored to be working on a similar game for "NBA 2K12: Lock out" but no one working on the game has confirmed these rumors.

Alvin Gentry: "We Drafted The Wrong Morris Twin"

Gentry Nearly Soiled Himself When Markieff Showed up

One of the many story lines out of the 2011 NBA draft was the Morris twins being drafted back to back, 13th and 14th by Phoenix and Houston. Markieff Morris was drafted by the Suns before his brother Marcus, despite Marcus being the clearly better player, a better scorer, and the Big-12 Player of the year at Kansas.

After Markieff showed up to the Suns facilities Monday, Suns coach Alvin Gentry almost had a heart attack.

"Holy crap... We drafted the wrong guy... I totally thought he was Marcus, I couldn't tell them apart." Gentry said. "The time was ticking and I got their names mixed up and... wow... we screwed up again..."

This isn't the Suns first time screwing up with NBA brothers... The Suns acquired Big man Jarron Collins thinking he was his Superior twin Jason, they drafted Robin Lopez, after mixing him up with his brother Brook, and they drafted Blake Griffin's older brother, Taylor, which was quite possibly the most embarrassing mix up yet.

Yankees to start a second American League Franchise

"Yankees 2 will be refreshing for MLB"

Many are asking which National League team will make the jump to the American League. Look no more as the New York Yankees announced they buy out the Houston Astros, and make a second Yankees franchise to fill in the void in the AL.

"We felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to expand." Hal Steinbrenner expressed today. "After looking at our books, we can afford another team. So when the MLB announced they are mulling a realignment we felt this was the best time to buy another team, and create the Yankees 2."

The Yankee's 2 will move from Houston and move into New York, and join the AL West.

"Geographically, this makes no sense, but since the Yankees are picking up the tab... We don't care." Commissioner Bud Selig said after unveiling the Yankees 2. "But I think the Yankees 2 will be refreshing for the MLB."

"Yankees? Yankees who? I'm all about the Yankees 2 baby!" Said a tacky New York Fan sporting his new Yankees 2 hat and T-shirt, "I just can't wait for a Yankees vs Yankees 2 ALCS."

 No one can say for sure, but this could be one of the best things for baseball. It also gives players whose dream was to play for the Yankees, to play for the Yankees 2.

New Facebook Poll Shows 70% Of NBA Slept With Pau Gasol's Girlfriend

After the Lakers were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, a stir was caused after Pau Gasol stated a teammate disrupted his relationship with his girlfriend, and that was the root of his awful play in the post season.

Later that week Gasol's teammate Shannon Brown had this to say on his Twitter page:

The tweet gained immediate media recognition, and from there the hunt was on. Who slept with Pau Gasol's girlfriend?



Many Laker fans were outraged, if someone wasn't sleeping with his girlfriend, he would have played like someone who had a spine, and  the Lakers wouldn't have been swept.

A distressed Kobe Bryant tried putting an end to the question by putting a simple poll on Facebook, the results were shocking.

"I just thought by asking the question, we could find out who slept with his girlfriend, and solve the problem from there." Kobe said Monday. "But I didn't know the result would come to this."

Minutes after posting the question, over 25,000 people responded:

The poll showed over 70% of the NBA has slept with Pau Gasol's girlfriend, including Chris Kaman, Joakim Noah, and his own brother Marc Gasol.

"Look, the guy plays like a 7 foot flower girl prancing down the lane." Said Marc Gasol minutes after the poll came out "No wonder why he freaked out and couldn't play when he found out his girl was cheating on him... the guy is a joke." 

Lakers President Jerry Buss released a statement to the NBA that stated "Please do not sleep with Pau's girlfriend any more. He is a very sensitive man and can't handle outside issues very well. Pau is getting older and has that weird European look, and odds are he wont be able to find another girlfriend before he dies."

Pau tweeted briefly "I really liked her..." but then immediately deleted the tweet.

NBA, MLB to Move to NFL Model

Stern and Selig are just glad they don't run the NHL

Monday Night Baseball? You know it. Week 82 Basketball? You betcha. The MLB and NBA will switch to the NFL format of scheduling one game a week in hopes for more profits.

“Both the NBA and NFL are currently working on a new CBA, when I saw the NFL’s $9 Billion dollar pie, I said ‘gee wiz I sure would like that’, then it dawned on me… if we play one game a week we could have that too.” Said NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Both leagues will change the format to have each team play one game every week. Most games will be played Sunday and each week a select game will be played Sunday Night, and the premier game that week will be played on Monday night. Each franchise will be given a bye week, which will put the NBA season just under a year and 8 months, while the MLB will be extended to just over 3 years.

“The NFL makes a ton of money, even the NFL fantasy leagues make more money than some of our franchises.” Said MLB commissioner Bud Selig. “And we figured the main difference between leagues is the scheduling… If we play one game a week, then everyone can come on a Sunday, instead of 40,000 empty seats in Tampa on a Tuesday.”

Both Leagues benefit greatly from the format change. No more grueling back to back games. No more “road trips” when the team has a week to go home in between. It also gives coaches an entire week to prepare their teams for the upcoming game. These are all things that really hurt both the MLB and NBA ticket sales.

In the MLB, this schedule would eliminate the need for #2,3,4, and 5 starters. It also allows teams to cut down on the size of the bullpen, which saves teams mass amounts of money. This will also free up those coveted “#1b” starters, and give teams like Arizona a chance to have a real pitcher.

The same applies for the playoffs, which would tack on another 4-8 months of action in the playoffs alone. Both Leagues will be switching to the new format and will look forward to crowning the 2012-2013-2014 Champions. When asked if either league will implement a "Thursday night game" both commissioners laughed and said "that's a stupid idea."

College Player Leaves Over Contract Disputes

USC Will buy out Sullingers $6 Mil. Contract

Ohio State star forward Jared Sullinger announced he will leave Ohio State after Ohio State could not give him the contract he wanted. Sullinger's agent made a statement early this week "Look, my client is one of the best amateur athlete's in the game, I believe he should be the highest paid college player."

Sullinger averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds a game last season for the #1 Buckeyes. "I went in with the AD, asked for a new contract, they wouldn't budge so I am transferring to USC." Said Sullinger, "They told me they would give me more than Ohio State... So I am taking my talents to So-Cal." 

Some speculate USC's contract offer will make Jared Sullinger the highest paid amateur basketball player. Add in jersey sales, and endorsements and Sullinger will sign the biggest contract in college sports ever.

"Most colleges won't sign their players to multi-million dollar contracts as a sophomore, but this kid is that good." said an Jeff Ross, Assistant AD at USC. "But with this years recruiting class, and bringing in Jared USC becomes an instant contender."

Down 3-0, Phil Jackson Used Life Alert

After falling down 3 games to none, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, 65, used his Life Alert in the post game interview.

Jackson briefly forgot where he was after the game.

Half way through the press conference, Jackson began to breath heavily, and fell off his chair when asked if he thinks the Lakers are done. Minutes later, two EMT's arrived to help the ailing Jackson. "I'm OK... I just...It was just a spill... I..." He then mumbled something under his breath before getting back on his chair.

Many were concerned with Jackson after dropping game 1 at home. After falling down again in game 2, and forgetting to play more than 9 players his family got concerned. "His health is really going down hill." Jeanie Buss, Jackson's girlfriend expressed. "Ever since the 11th title, he just kind of let go."

Jackson was advised to do as little as possible for the rest of the season, which includes making substitutions, calling plays, and motivating players.

Baltimore Ravens: "We lost our pick."

Oher was afraid he ate the pick

The Baltimore Ravens had the 26th overall pick going into the first round Friday, but when they were put on the clock, they couldn't find their pick. "We were ready to turn in our pick, then we realized we lost it." Said head coach John Harbaugh "We started turning over chairs, asking if the Steelers took it, and looking in the trash can."

There was mass confusion in the draft room as the Ravens clock hit 0:00 allowing the Chiefs to draft 26th. "We will probably buy the Ravens a drink or something, send them a nice gift because that was nice of them to let us move up the board for free." Said Chiefs head coach Todd Haley.

At one point running back Ray Rice was crawling under tables looking for the pick. By the time the Chiefs made there selection, Harbaugh found the pick under Michael Oher's half eaten sandwich.

Another NFL Player Arrested For Doing Something Stupid

Backups Gone Wild

Yet another NFL player was arrested yesterday for doing something really stupid in the off season. This is the 34th NFL player to get in trouble with the law in the month of April. Agent Drew Rosenhaus spoke to media this morning representing his client. "My client did something really stupid, and got arrested... I'm not going to say what he did or who else he was with, which were also all my clients, but it was really stupid. Next question."



Albert Haynesworth hasn't done anything since 2008 



NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a written statement about the level of crime rates among NFL players. "I am very displeased with all the dumb things these professionals do in the off season but we can't control what they do in their personal lives, no matter how boneheaded it may be. Currently we are working on a new discipline system in the new CBA to control these players during the off season. I think if we rewarded the players for behaving they would stop, maybe a bonus check for a clean record for a year or a trip to Dairy Queen for the rookies."

In the last 3 weeks alone, there have been twice as many arrest than usual. Many experts say the increase in arrest is due to the boredom the NFL work stoppage has created. Just last week Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely was arrested for loitering in front of University of Phoenix Stadium. "I just didn't know what to do with myself..." Jay said after leaving the police station. "I wanted to go into work but they didn't let me... so I got bored."

Dwight Howard: "I like to play Army Men with all my awards"

Stan Van Gundy sometimes plays with Dwight on weekends

In Mondays press conference Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard was awarded his third consecutive Defensive Player Of The Year Award. Howard Announced he was grateful for the award and glad his work paid off. "I'm glad I got this... 'Cuz i like to play Army Men with all my awards," Howard said as he clanked his 2010 award against his 2011 award "I line them up and they do missions and stuff....pew pew....pew kabooooom!"

Dwight names all his trophies

Howard has an entire room devoted to trophies he has acquired over his career, with over 100 total trophies, most of which have little men in some basketball pose at the top. Howard has broken off most of the figurines and has them scattered over the floor.

"Um... My favorite one? I don't know... I like them all, actually." Howard told the press as he pulled out a bronze basketball figurine with a missing leg. "This one got his leg blowed off... But he can fly so I like him." He said ramming the figure into the badly scratched 2009 Defensive Player Of The Year award.

When asked if he wanted to add the NBA Finals Larry O'Brien Trophy to his collection, Howard muttered something in what seemed like German, tipped over the microphone with his 8th grade MVP trophy, then got up and asked if he could go potty.

Typical Cincinatti Police Line Up Circa 2006

Was it number 88...76...33...68...

Todd McShay has Todd McShay #1 in Mock Draft 6.0

In his newest mock draft board, ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay picked himself to go #1 to the Carolina Panthers. McShay played as a backup at Richmond from 1995-97, before a back injury ended his college career.

McShay's knowledge of the NFL draft will help his status

"I was a really good backup in college, I knew the plays and tried really hard in practice--I just never got my chance." McShay said Thursday "I decided while filling out my new draft board, that I could probably be better than some of the other quarterbacks in this draft."

McShay does have some intangibles that can help him at the quarterback position. McShay is currently ranked #1 in ESPN's Top NFL Draft Analyst Power Rankings. McShay, 34, is also a lot older than the other kids in the draft which shows he can handle himself emotionally on and off the field.


Mel Kiper Jr. has McShay going 5th, to the Arizona Cardinals.

Brett Favre Retires From Retiring

I'm serious guys, this is the last time. I swear.

Little Leaguers and Parents Brace for Lockout

After the NFL Lockout, and the looming work stoppage in the NBA, Little League Baseball is soon to follow. Reports say the players union and parents have much to work on before the Little League World Series, and if it isn't taken care of, there will be no Little League Baseball.

"One of the things is the players want more rides to and from practice, and they want better snacks after the games-" said proud parent of 12 year old short stop Nick Fouts. "We just can't give these kids all the rides they want, and we need to make sure they eat healthy after a game."

"I don't know what a union is, but I want a higher allowance... look, I'm the one out there hitting the home runs, and what do I get in return? No respect from the parents, thats what." Added 12 year old Trenton Martin, who played on last years Pearland Texas team that reached the consolation game.

Most little leaguers think money grows on tree's, this proves why

One of the main arguments the players are making against the parents is they are making too much money, and not passing on the revenue generated in the household onto the players. In 2010, Parents of Little Leaguers made an average of $62,000... The Players of these parents were given an average total of $240 in allowances, only .00387% of the annual salary brought in by the parents. Some say this is giving too much to the parents, too much power and control of these 11 and 12 year old kids. Looking at the NFL model, the owners and players are trying to split a $9 Billion dollar pie, while the Little Leaguers Players Association  and parents are arguing over a couple hundred dollars. Not even a starving African would be happy about a slice of the pie that small.

"Not only do we deserve a higher allowance, we want better snacks after the game. We spend most of our week in school, working on homework so one day I can go to college, get a degree and support my mom after my slacker father left her when I was 9... We already practice twice a week, what else do they want from us?" Said outfielder Mikey Dunn from South Bend, IN. "We are all winners, stop spending all the money on cheap trophies for the last place team and spend it on better snacks, this is ridiculous."

With no Little League, the Hopkinton Royals might end a 5 year run as city champs

The Little League Players Union and the parents have until August 1st, the same day that school registration ends, to come up with a new CBA. Most Fans are outraged by the possibilities of there being no Little League World Series.

"I have season tickets to our local league, but I also already bought my tickets for the World Series, if they don't have one this year where will my refund come from?" Said Jenna Munds, 46, from Williamsport, PA. "I just can't imagine what this could lead to, first this, then what? They boycott school?"

CEO and President of Little League Steve Keener made this statement Wednesday. "Right now our first goal is to get the regular season under way, but as far as I can see the Players Association and Parents Union have a lot to figure out. If there is no season we will try our hardest to get the World Series under way in August."

The parents are starting a movement to get the little leaguers to fold on their demands. Jason Dane, head of the Parents Union is getting most of the parents on board with a plan to get the kids to budge. "They won't back down from this, they are tough little kids and are asking for a lot, but push come to shove the parents are ready to give the kids a time out, or a spanking if they don't stop whining."

If Little League does lock out, it will be the first time in history that a major sport, and a youth sport have locked out in the same year.

From Bubble Team to Bracket Busters

VCU outscored opponents by 60 on their way to the Final Four

VCU is this years Cinderella with-out a doubt, even though many argue that Butler is also a Cinderella, I argue back that a team that made it to the Championship the year before is not a Cinderella, no matter what seed they are.

The big question now is, who will win the championship? So far what we have learned in this sports year is nothing goes according to plan. Ever since LeBron made his "Decision" the entire sports world has been thrown off its axis. After that nothing has been right. The Giants won the World Series after getting into the playoffs by a couple games, thanks to a Padres meltdown. What was supposed to happen? The Yankee's run through the playoffs and repeat as champs... That worked out well as the Rangers mollywhomped the Yankee's. (Mollywhomp, verb; To dominate, throttle, or embarrass mercilessly with millions of people watching.)

The Packers won it all as a Wild Card

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV as a 6 seed, after winning 5 straight elimination games. What was supposed to happen? The Pats were going to route every team on their way to yet another Super Bowl... That ended quickly as Rex Ryan literally talked his way to the AFC Championship. Even in the Super Bowl, you have a proven two time SB QB in Big Ben who had made countless 4th quarter game winning drives, what does he do? He chokes as Green Bay brings home the Lombardi Trophy.

In the NBA- we will see what WILL happen, but right now, a team that made no off season moves (Spurs) has the best record in the NBA... After an entire year of big trades and huge free agents, the teams that sat tight are looking pretty good. My guess is the teams that aren't supposed to win it all, will... (Thunder)

My Point? This year is one of the craziest sports year, and no matter how you try to spin it, who you think will win won't and the team you count out will take it all... So throw out all reasoning, stats, numbers, and Logic, the VCU Rams with an 11 seed could very well win the 2011 NCAA Tournament... Rock on Shaka Smart and welcome to March Madness.

8 Simple rules to the new NFL season

The NFL owners voted in new rules that will go into effect into the next NFL season (when ever that is). So lets go over the rules that every one is talking about.

Rule #1-Teams are now allowed to challenge the coin toss.

Rule #2- Coaches can only prove the ref's wrong 3 times during a game.

Rule #3- The Quarterback is considered "a defenseless player" at all times.

Rule #4- Each team's highest paid player will now be given a penalty flag of their own to throw during the game.

Rule #5- Kickers are given a mulligan each game.

Rule #6- Players that make helmet-to-helmet hits will serve a 5 minute time-out during the game.

Rule #7- Smiling after a touchdown is considered excessive celebration.

Rule #8- The Quarterback will wear flags around his waist.

Top 10 Reasons: Why the NCAA Tournament is the best thing in sports

Nothing can come close to March Madness. Literally nothing in life compares to the big dance. Yeah, your wedding and birth of your child are great and all, but do you call it Wedding-Madness? Or Baby-Madness? No, those are just special days, not entire months. Not only that, but its so amazing, that March itself cannot even contain it's madness, so it spills into April.

In honor of the greatest month and 4 days of 2011, here are 10 reasons why March Madness is the greatest thing sports has to offer.

10: Alex Rodriguez does not participate in March Madness.

9: LeBron got an hour to make his selection, March Madness gets an entire Sunday.

8: March Madness took something good in the NIT, sabotaged the entire thing, and claimed it as its own. Just like America did 250 years ago.

7: The Dallas Cowboys L.A. Lakers, and New York Yankees will never win.

6: TCU and Boise State can't get screwed over by March Madness.

5: The estimated $1.8 Billion in unproductive wages during March Madness.

4: Sales of paper, sharpies, and white out triple during March Madness.

3: There is no BCS in March Madness.

2: Jim Valvano.

1: Grown men putting on the proverbial glass slipper.

I can promise there is nothing better in sports than the big dance. If you can show me something that is better than the NCAA Tournament, I will show you a college football playoff system. May your bracket be accurate, may the upsets be plenty. Enjoy March Madness.

Referee's not at fault

Wednesday night St. Johns University and Rutgers went head to head in a Big East tournament battle that went down to the wire, before St. Johns advanced after the 65-63 win. Many are talking about the controversial ending as St. Johns' Justin Brownlee clearly stepped out of bounds, and threw the ball into the stands with nearly 2 seconds left on the clock.

But the Big East referee's are not at fault, they really didn't see anything at all.

The three officials -- Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton, didn't even see the final play of the game.

Jim Burr said in an interview Thursday "I missed the whole thing, I was actually telling (Steve) Lavin how good he looked during the game, and congratulating him on the win."

"Huh? What play?" Higgins said "We blew the whistle a lot, they all kinda seem to blur together in my head." Higgins said when asked about the final play of the game. "We were really tired, but it was such a good game though, right?"

Burr, who has worked 16 Final Fours in his career, felt bad after watching the replay. "Man I
feel bad, I really missed that one, oh well" Burr said before taking a bite of his hot dog "I
mean a lot of ref's would have missed it too, but no biggie."

Earl Walton was on the sideline where the final play took place "I mean yeah, he was on the sideline a little bit, but it was like half his shoe though. If I would have seen that in the first place I would not make a ticky-tack call to change the game with 2 seconds left."

The three referee's walked out immediately after the buzzer sounded, not realizing what had happened. The clock operator James Cardon tried to tell the officials to review the play "...But they pointed to the expired clock and mentioned something about dinner getting cold."

"Look, relax guys" John Adams, the NCAA's national coordinator of men's basketball officiating said "they made a mistake, but that's a tough one to call. Will we suspend them? Sure, but not until next season. It's too late now so it's not like we can do anything."

Steve Lavin quickly ran across the court to shake hands with Rutgers head coach Mike Rice. Lavin was also seen with the referee's in the parking lot after the game, laughing and joking. Before they went home, Lavin gave Higgins a small envelope, shook hands and left. Lavin declined to comment on the parking lot meeting.

Tears aside, El Heat aren't finished... Yet.

After another loss for the Miami Heat (4 in a row) who lost to the Chicago Bulls 87-86, people are starting to worry about LeBron and Co. The Bulls finished a 3 game regular season sweep of the Heat in an interesting fashion, Luol Deng hit 3 of 4 free throws in the matter of about 2 seconds. Then came along the NBA's worst team when it comes to hitting game tying or winning shots with 10 seconds or less. (1-16 on the year) James and Wade each had a chance to win the game and couldn't get the job done despite rocking "El Heat" Jerseys on Latino Night.

I understand that the Heat have been awful against the NBA's best teams, which right now that doesn't bode well for the Heat in the playoffs. But there are a few things people forget about this team that will give them an advantage in the post season.

In order to advance, you have to beat the Heat 4 times... Beating them once is one thing, beating them 3 times during the season is another, but beating them 4 out of 7 is a whole different animal. People forget that in a series there is an ebb and flow, and playing LeBron and Dwayne 7 times takes a massive toll on teams.

With Wade and James, you have two players that have proven they can take over an entire series. Remember when LeBron went off for 40+ against the Pistons way back when both the Cavs and Pistons were good? Then he busted up the Bad Boys 2.0 again to take over the series and eventually go to the finals? Remember when Wade couldn't be stopped in Marquette, and in Miami even when his team was notably worse then the opponents and he still got them to the next round? Something about their killer instinct kicks in during the post season and they take over... Maybe they are just like Charlie Sheen and have Tiger Blood. I don't know what it is but both of these guys step it up in the post season. Lets just hope they don't have to take a game winner in game 7.

I'm not saying they will go and sweep through the playoffs and win the title, but I'm not ready to write them off just yet. Until they actually are knocked out of the playoffs they are still a very dangerous team with two guys that can take over an entire series. Just remember this Heat team is losing to top teams by 1, 2, 3 points, not getting blown out by 30 points in the 2nd quarter (cough cough, Spurs, cough). Until then, let the mocking begin for the crying in the locker room after the loss.

NBA lockout looming? No basketball, no problem.

With the NFL close to locking out the 2011 season, and the NBA no where near coming to terms with a new CBA, we very well could have the MLB be the only (relevant) pro sport on TV this next year. But for the NBA, this might not be the worst of things.

The NBA had a half season lockout in the 1998-99 season, it lasted 204 days and the season was shortened to 50 games. This hurt the NBA's ratings, ticket sales, and interest for the seasons after that. But lets be honest, even if there was no lockout that year, those same things would have happened any way because of the (2nd) retirement of Michael Jordan.

But if you think about it, the whole premise for these pro sports lockouts is a battle of millions, and even billions of dollars. Side A, the owners, want x-amount of their share of the billion dollar pie. Side B, the players also want their share of the billion dollar pie. Well since the Players are the one's selling the tickets, bringing fans in, they do deserve their "share". But how much is too much? in the NFL, the players union wants 50%. If I went to my boss today, asked for 50% of the revenue we bring in on our sports show, he would laugh, and point me to the door.

For the fans, you have to side with the owners. It does you no good to have your super star make $5 million more each season. If LeBron made $5 million extra, he gets to throw more parties, and buy more cars, which translates to a whopping whole-lotta-nothing on the basketball court. If your teams owner gets more money, it means he will be more willing to spend the money to go out and get your city a super star. Example A-Phoenix spent the $20 million that Amare wanted, and threw it at He-don't-wanna-play Turkoglu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick. That played itself out real well, Hedu-gone, Childress keeps the bench warm when he never plays, and Warrick is the only guy that is worth his contract. If they had the extra cash in a new CBA, the Suns would have gone out to get a Carmelo, Amare type talent to keep the suns relevant in the west.

So if the NBA does have a work stoppage next year, it could be a healthy rebuilding period for the L. We watched the NHL completely skip a season a few years back, but they came back revamped and ready to go, but with hockey being the red-headed step child of the four major sports, it took a harder hit than the NFL or NBA would if there was no season. Say the NBA condenses to 50 games after another 200 days work stoppage, or an entire season, we could see the NBA go through a metamorphosis that would forever change the game. With a shorter season, many teams in the NBA would fail to make a profit and could possibly go under. So you lose the Hornets, T-Wolves, Bucks, and Pacers. At this point you have 4 less teams, you have to redo the conferences, and divisions, which would be a good thing for the NBA.

With a lockout we could see a few (positive) things-

1. Shorter NBA season
2. A few less teams in the NBA
3. Reform for the game, small rule changes, contracts aren't so massive (no more T-Macs)
4. New found love for the game (how many people would be chomping at the bit to see LeBron after a year of work stoppage) Besides, man can't live on baseball alone.
5. New draft rules-possibly changing the 1 and done rule

If I am David Stern, my first priority is playing a full season next year, but if we see a lockout, its not the end of the world. Handling this in the right way could pay big dividends down the road for the NBA. Right now the NBA, along with the MLB, is slipping far behind the NFL, so revamping the format wouldn't be a half bad attempt to get back to the glory days. 

At the end of the day, 3 simple equations can sum up the current state of the NBA.

• 82 game season + 4 rounds of best of 7 playoff series = 70% of the season is meaningless
• Bobcats + Wizards x 4 meetings a year = 60,000 empty seats
• $891,000,000 - $249,000,000 = Work Stoppage

 I would love to know the difference between making  $19-million dollars, and $21-million dollars a year. But since I'm not 6'9" 240 lbs with a 40 inch vertical and an impeccable jumper I will never get that pleasure.


To wrap it up, the NBA is in danger of a lot more than just missing part of a season, if the NBA doesn't change with the times, we will leave it behind. Change is needed in the league and a lockout might be the best thing to bring that on. The NFL is the new standard and the NBA is falling far below. A new look league would bring back old fans and get interest from new ones. Here we are on the cusp of a sporting revolution and we have millionaires arguing over millions- really?

As a sports fan, please NBA, please don't screw this up.

10 things Carmelo should have done before going to New York

After watching the Melodrama come to an end on Monday, we can finally stop jabbering about where Carmelo Anthony might end up. With 'Melo landing in his home state New York, we can talk about what that means for the city, and franchise.

This whole thing got me thinking, what should Carmelo have done through this ordeal?

10- Wait until the end of the year, and let the Knicks pick him up without giving up so much, giving him a better surrounding cast.

9- Meet with 6 other teams, just to screw with people.

8- Tweet something vague everyday about a different team to make people speculate- "Are the Summers nice in New Jersey?"

7- Tell the Cavs he would sign with them for really cheap, then when they aren't looking go to the Knicks.

6- Make a "What should I do?" commercial.

5- Pull a Carson Palmer and threaten to retire if not traded. 

4- Ask Tim Tebow for advice.

3- Leak photo shoots of himself wearing a Lakers uniform, just to screw with people.

2- Take his talents to south beach.

1- Hold a 1-hour prime time press conference called "The Choice", have about 30 elementary kids sit in the background and crush their hearts as you tell them and the world you wont be coming back to the team that threw 30 games just to get you in the draft, meanwhile effectively wasting 59 minutes and 48 seconds of our time.

But now none of this matters, instead of wasting an hour of our time, he wasted a solid 3 weeks. Did he handle this whole thing right? No. Did he do it wrong? No. But it's nice to have the Knickerbockers relevant again...

One Cavs fan's sign responsible for win against Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a 55-point loss to the Lakers earlier this season by beating the defending champs at home 104-99. It wasn't the Cavs hard work, dedication, and hustle that pushed them to the win, but one die hard fan's sign.
Sara Campbell knew when she wrote the sign, she could help her favorite team out, but she didn't know it would be responsible for the big win.

"I just thought it was a nice thing to do," said Sara after the Wednesday upset "but I didn't think that it would help them that much, it's just nice to see them get 10 wins this season."

Cavs back up Raymond Sessions scored 32 points off the bench, was a big factor in the win, but not as big as Sara's sign.

"I looked up in the second quarter and saw the sign, and it really inspired me personally." Sessions said grinning ear to ear. "My killer instinct just took over, and I dropped a season high 32"

The sign not only inspired the Cavs to play better, but it intimidated the Lakers as well.

"When I saw the sign, I knew we weren't going to win." Said Lakers forward Ron Artest. "Anytime the fans hold up big time signs like that, it's hard to compete with, I was just distracted all night." Artest was held to 1 point on the night.

Even Lakers star Kobe Bryant was baffled by the power of the sign "I just couldn't handle it, so I started hucking up bad shots left and right." Bryant made 8 of his 24 shots on the night, for a below average 17 points. "I just wish our fans would make signs like that."

The Cavs will spend the entire All-Star weekend partying, since no one on their roster will be participating in the All-Star festivities.

The win gave the Cavs 10 wins, 1 more than the all-time worst 1972-73 76ers, who finished 9-73.

5 ways to make the NBA good again

As football season wrapped up, we had a great NFL and College football season. So whats next? The NBA and College basketball season can officially start. The problem is their season's started back in November. So after thinking about how basketball takes a back seat (like third row of your dad's station wagon, back seat) to football during fall and winter, I figure that I could figure a few ways to make the NBA more fan-friendly.

Well what are you talking about? The NBA is so fun, and games are so fun to go to. Thats right, they are, but they still don't matter until after the All-Star Weekend. So lets see how we can make the NBA fan-friendly for the ENTIRE season.

1. Get rid of 82 games- There is no reason on God's green earth why we would need 82 NBA regular season games. We know these guys don't want to play until February anyway. So why play those games? Cut the NBA to 52 games, this way, each win means more, and losses matter A LOT more. Too many games are irrelevant, therefore teams can take a night off which is no fun for anybody.
(The one problem with this is it changes records and how they are set, but the NBA did that with 3-seconds, the shot clock, and the 3-point line, so it's been done before.)

2. Stop playing every team twice- No one wants to see the Timberwolves and Bobcats twice a year, not only would this cut out games between awful teams from the Eastern and Western conferences, but it brings relevance to Division games- Quick! Name the Teams in the Pacific Division... uh.... Suns... Lakers... Uh... Clippers? With only 52 games, and these teams battling it out in more meaningful games every season, division games bring rivalries back to life. (Of course you keep Lakers-Celtics, things like that are sacred in sports.)

3. Use a ranking system like college basketball- If you had a 3 or a 13 or a 16 next to your teams name in the regular season, it gives you pride. Cavs and Wizards fans wouldn't know anything about this but it's something they can look forward to. Rank the top 16 teams, those teams make the playoffs. No more of the above .500 teams in the West missing the playoffs when they would be the 5th seed in the East.

4. Get rid of 4 NBA teams- Sorry Cleveland, Sorry Memphis, Charlotte, and Minnesota, you don't get a team any more... with 4 less teams the talent pool shrinks, and guys like Jared Dudley are 9th on the bench, bringing a much better product to the table. Half the teams aren't making money, so in 5-10 years I wont be surprised if those teams aren't around any more.

5. Change the playoffs- 16 wins to win a title? the NFL has 16 games. We don't need to watch 4 best-of-seven series for almost two months, it takes way too long, and half the teams don't belong any way. I know it makes everyone money to play more games, but there is no reason to start the playoffs mid-April, and end them mid-June. 40 games in 40 nights? get rid of that too, as a passionate fan of basketball, I don't even want to see that. have a best of 5 for the first two rounds, best of 7 for the conference finals and finals. Problem solved.

These are just a few ways we could make the NBA a better place, will it be? Probably not, oh well. In the mean time basketball is the yearly break we get from Joe Buck's football commentary and...well Joe Buck's baseball commentary. So lets enjoy the rest of this season before we have to worry about another lock-out.