We were supposed to catch up on sports last night but things came up. Have you fallen off like I have? If you’re reading this then probably so. There was a day when I could name every coach and assistant coach of each team in the NBA. I could name pretty much every starting 5 and most bench players. I knew who was leading baseball in home runs and RBI. I knew what Tom Brady was doing to keep from getting injured. Those days, my friends, are long gone. Myself and a friend were discussing a few weeks ago about how we’ve lost touch completely with sports. We’re becoming those two dreadful words – “casual fans”.
You know the type. Catch an occasional game or two, might not even watch it in it’s entirety. Find out about trades months after they happened. Only aware of the major stories like Gilbert Arenas‘ gun toting and Tiger’s infidelity. It’s a sad way to live life when you think back to your wonder years. The days when you could win a million dollars if Regis only asked sports questions. Before bills, before spouses, before children, and everything else that gets in the way of our sports fanaticism.
Let’s get down to business and see if we can get up to speed on what’s going on.
NFL
The NFL season is coming to a close. The Super Bowl is slated for this weekend and both teams (New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts) are in Miami practicing as well as handling media obligations. The Colts being the more experienced team, have a quarterback in Peyton Manning who seems unshakable. He’s won every way you can fathom and he’s been on this big stage before. So has his brother (Eli) and his father (Archie) who ironically played for the Saints for 10 seasons. Note: Archie Manning never made it to a Super Bowl but did have a respectable career including NFC Player Of The Year honors in 1978.
The Colts and their experience face a talented and hungry opponent in the New Orleans Saints. This will be the first ever Super Bowl appearance for the city and with Hurricane Katrina still in the minds of most, a victory would be one of the best things to ever hit Bourbon Street. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey and the rest of the black and gold are confident that they belong. They’re so confident that head coach Sean Payton is encouraging his troops to be loose and enjoy the experience. This was proven when they showed up in Miami “wearing bellhop uniforms” according to NFL.com, helping fans carry bags and generally taking the lighthearted approach to Super Bowl preparation.
The big game, the pre-game video with Jay-Z, and the $3 million dollar commercials all commence this Sunday, February 7th at 6pm on CBS.
Other NFL headlines:
After 12 years, three Super Bowl appearances, one championship, several injuries, quarterback Kurt Warner retired from the National Football League. He leaves the Arizona Cardinals in the hands of QB Matt Leinart from USC.
Speaking of left handed QB’s, the Philadelphia Eagles plan on retaining Michael Vick for the upcoming season. Skeptics believe Vick will be traded due to the $1.5 million bonus he will be owed next month but the team insists it has no plans on letting Vick go. Vick himself still believes he’s still in the Top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL and is open to any team that will allow him to prove that next season. His TV Show, The Michael Vick Project airs Tuesdays at 10pm on BET.
NBA
The association is going strong this year. It’s season has been overshadowed thus far by the NFL as well as it’s own self inflicted wounds (the Washington Wizards Javaris Crittenton and Gilbert Arenas’ season long suspensions).
Standings:
The Los Angeles Lakers (37-12) have maintained the top spot in the Western Conference while the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-11) have surpassed the Celtics and Magic to claim the East’s number one spot. The two teams squared off twice this year with Cleveland coming up victorious both times.
As the league approaches it’s All-Star game next weekend, the playoff picture looks to welcome two newcomers – The Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Bobcats are currently in 6th place in their respective conferences. This would be the first time in the playoffs for both young franchises.
Players:
Kobe Bryant surpassed Jerry West as the Lakers all-time leading scorer during a 44-point effort against the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant was the leading vote getter for this years All-Star game as he continues to fight through a broken finger and ankle injury.
Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are currently neck and neck for the scoring title – both averaging 29.7 points per game. Side-note: Durant’s uncle told me two months before the season started that KD would lead the league in scoring and so far his prediction is holding up.
Atlanta’s Josh Smith recently became the youngest player to reach 1000 blocks for his career. Smith is currently tied for second in blocks per game on the season.
Trade Talk:
The big blockbuster trade that is expected is the Phoenix Sun’s to move Amare Stoudemire. The question is where? With the February 18th deadline vastly approaching the All-Star power forward has been rumored to be going to as many as six different teams. Stoudemire’s stance is that he’s deserving of a maximum contract while the teams and experts question his commitment to defense as well as overall team leadership.
The Washington Wizards are also actively looking to trade players after a very disappointing first half of the season to say the least. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler are the names being mentioned inside Washington as possible trades. After the loss of Gilbert Arenas, the team is considering rebuilding from scratch and going with a younger roster. Jamison is thought of as the locker room leader of the team so his chances of being shipped out seem unlikely.
That’s all for now. In Part 2, we will discuss the NBA All-Star Weekend, College Basketball’s exciting season so far, and MLB off season news.
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