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Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

22 Wednesday May 2013

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or is coaching overrated?  The argument can be made that players play and coaches coach-and it is the players playing that affects the outcome of games.  How many coaches have hit that walk-off home run, or made that winning basket, or caught that winning touchdown pass? None!!!!!  Yes, I know coaches usually call the play, and either directly or indirectly take credit for the execution of  a successful play, but the truth be told players do what they want on the floor.  Many times the play the coach called or diagrammed doesn’t even closely resemble what was run.  Is it the athleticism of the players, or a bad defensive play, or just dumb luck that allows the play to succeed.  Coach Z calls play ABC, the players hear play LMN, and they run XYZ.  It happens all the time.

The NBA is in the middle of their semifinal playoffs and the only big name coach still around is Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.  The other three coaches are as far from household names as you can get, Vogel- Indiana Pacers, Spoelstra- Miami Heat, and Hollins- Memphis Grizzles.  NBA coach of the George Karl, Denver Nuggets, went out in the first round!  Vinnie Del Negro was fired from his position as coach of the L.A. Clippers, NBA  All he did this year was win his division.  But he lost in the first round of the playoffs and the players grumbled.  So much for great coaching!

All of the above said, Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees, major league baseball, probably respectfully disagrees with me.  As of Tuesday the Yankees were in first place, No big deal you say, because the Yankees are usually in first place. But this year they have played most, if not all of the season, without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texiera, Curtis Granderson, and Kevin Youkillis.

Girardi seems to be the exception to the Coach is useless rule.  He has managed a bunch of no-name players, along with Robinson Cano and Mariano Rivera to first play.  He appears to be doing it effortlessly and has pulled all the right strings.  Say it ain’t so Joe-the coach is making a difference.

Regardless of which side you line up on, the truth is the coach/manager is hired to be fired.  When a coach signs a new contract the only thing missing in the new deal is the termination date.  Look at Donnie ‘Baseball’ Mattingly out in Los Angeles.  Don, a great Yankee player, and a knowledgeable baseball manager is in danger of losing his job because the Dodgers are under achieving and you can’t fire all of the players, so who do you let go in order to inspire the team-The Coach.  Is it fair-NO!  But you are only as good as your last win.

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

NBA teams are adjusting their rosters and preparing for the upcoming draft.  Please follow this link for the latest information on your team:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/teams/?eref=sinav

Edited by D. Pride.

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Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

15 Wednesday May 2013

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or are the playoffs the time for teams to show their true grit?  The playoffs are in full bloom for the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association, and they are pretty exciting.

Hockey, coming off a locked-out shortened season, showcased two first round game sevens, winner take all Monday night.  Game one featured the New York Rangers versus the Washington Capitals, with Alex Ovechkin, the great 8.  Ranger goalie H. Lundqvist “pitched” a shutout and defeated the favorite Capitals 5-0.  Ovechkin, who is reportedly a star in the league, had a miserable playoff and did nothing in the later games against the Rangers, we must really question his superstar status.  You make your name in the regular season, and your fame in the playoffs, Ovechkin is just a name on a jersey.  Whereas, Lundqvist has proven to be a real star for the Rangers.

Game 2 featured the Boston Bruins versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, two of the original six NHL teams.  The Bruins spotted the Maple Leafs a three goal lead and had to rally from behind to defeat them 5-4 in an overtime thriller.  This was a feel good win for the city of Boston, and much deserved.  Boston is the first team to rally in a game seven from three goals behind.  A real team effort by the Bruins.

The Bruins must now face the Rangers in round two.  The Rangers are also an original six team and it doesn’t get any better for the purist,  Boston versus New York.

The undermanned Chicago Bulls, NBA, are discovering just how good the Heat really is.  The Bulls trail the Heat 3-1 in the series and face almost certain elimination this week.  Chicago has tried to manhandle Miami, but LeBron has showed that he is the man and has answered every challenge.  (I am not a big fan of James, but he is the best out there and deserved the MVP award.)

Who has not answered the challenge is Derrick Rose, of the Bulls!  Derrick is still milking his ACL injury and has not played this year.  Well the year is about to end soon for the Bulls, and Derrick’s inactivity Derrick has a lot to do with the Bulls departure.  Shame on him, nearly every one of his teammates is playing hurt or tired.

The Grizzlies, out in the west hold a 3-1 lead over the Thunder.  Kevin Durant, of the Thunder, has stepped up and played his heart out,  but he needs help.  The Thunder who were favorite, really miss Westbrook (knee injury) and face elimination.

The Knicks are down 3-1 and bickering amongst themselves.  Not a good sign for a team fighting to survive.  The Pacers are too big for the Knicks.  Spike Lee offered a Pacer fan $40,000 for courtside seats, the fan turned him down.  Does he know the game is on television?

My surprise team is the Golden State Warriors who are tied with the Spurs , 2-2, going into last night’s game.  The Warriors are young, and are coached by a first year coach, Mark Jackson.  There is no way the Warriors should be competing with San Antonio…but that is why we play the games.

You gotta love the playoffs.

Is it me…

Or is all right with the universe again?

Tiger, Serena and Floyd all won recently, despite questions about their careers.  Can you give the full name and sport of the aforementioned athletes?

.NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

  Please follow this link for the latest information on your NBA team

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/?eref=sinav&sct=hp_nv_a:

Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or is the NBA still trying to settle in as they hit midseason?  There is a cliché in sports that says on any given night anything can happen.  This describes the NBA perfectly, so far.  Teams are playing so many games in this compressed schedule that nothing is guaranteed. There are no more easy wins available.  Yes, some teams are horrible, but given the schedule, a bad team with fresh legs is a good bet against a good team with tired legs.

Talking about legs, what is up with San Antonio?  They are an older team and they are hanging with the kids.  The Spurs have been a real surprise given the age on their roster, and the injuries to Ginobli, probably their best player.  They have the second best record in the western conference, trailing Oklahoma City, a very young team.  Go figure.

Watch the Lakers, as they are about to explode.

Their front office is a mess, as reported by Ken Berger. “ The Lakers’ front office is an uncommunicative, rudderless fiasco, and the unrest and paranoia that have been festering for years threaten to derail the team’s plans to ride Bryant to his sixth NBA title while they still can. And much of it can be traced to the growing influence of executive vice president Jim Buss, the owner’s bon vivant son, who has helped transform a great franchise into a steaming pool of nepotism and nincompoops. “

“ Longtime associates of former coach Phil Jackson were let go as the Lakers tried to “wash off anything that had touched” the decorated coach, a person with ties to the front office said. Brian Shaw, Bryant’s preference to succeed Jackson, was interviewed for the job but came away with the clear impression that any efforts to associate himself with Jackson would “hurt him, not help him,” a coaching industry source said.

None of the people, who formed what a longtime NBA executive called one of the best front office staffs in the league, was given the courtesy of knowing whether they would be brought back after the lockout ended. Some are still waiting for that phone call”-Ken Berger

Kobe has begun to express his frustrations with the Lakers, with more to come.

Do you think Phil Jackson is excited about the prospect of coaching Jeremy Lin?  Linsanity has only temporarily saved D’Antoni’s job.  The Knicks are drooling at the idea of Jackson becoming the head coach.

Rondo of the Celtics threw a no look pass-unfortunately it was the ref who wasn’t looking.  It will cost Rondo two games-suspension.

Who’s Hot:

 

New York

Chicago

Detroit

Miami

Orlando

San Antonio

Dallas

Oklahoma City

Who’s Not:

New Jersey

Toronto

Atlanta

Washington

Charlotte

New Orleans

Utah

Latest NBA power ratings:

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/

NBA teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NBA transactions can be found at:

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2011_12/

Is it me…

Or does the hard salary cap in the NFL make it difficult to repeat as champions?  The cap, the amount you can spend on player’s salaries, forces teams to make decisions regarding personnel based upon monetary restraints.  Players are cut because they make too much money, regardless of their athletic ability.  It levels the playing field, but makes it hard to build a dynasty.

Every day we hear a new team is interested in Peyton Manning, and/or we hear from the Colts, who claim they want to keep Peyton.  I am not sure where Peyton will be next year, but if he is having additional surgery on his neck, as rumored, he needs to be on his couch, retired and watching the NFL.  Peyton your health is nothing to play with.

Both T.O. and Randy Moss are looking for jobs in the NFL.  Neither played last year and chances are slim they will picked up next year.  It appears that they both have some gas left in the tank, but no team wants to put up with the extra baggage they bring with them. They are not worth the trouble on the back end of their careers.

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or is it still a pinch early to start filling out your March Madness Brackets?  The sports’ shows are already predicting college basketball’s number one seeds, the last four teams to make the  tournament, and the four teams who just miss the cut.  It’s too early for this!  There are still games to be played, in addition to conference tournaments.  So much can and will happen between now and selection Sunday.  We need to relax …That said MY four top seeds are:

Kentucky

Syracuse

Duke

Michigan State

We can’t help it, it’s what we do!

The latest rankings in Men’s Basketball are as follows:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25

Is it me…

Or was the best shot landed by Dereck Chisora the slap to Viali Klitschko’s face following the weigh-in?

In addition to slapping Vitali Klitschko, Chisora spit water in Vladamir Klitschko (Vitali’s brother) face, and was involved in post-fight brawl with another fighter.  Dereck’s best fight was outside the ring, with the police as he was being arrested…

Granted Chisora tried to take the fight to Vitali, but was frustrated and kept at bay by huge right hand bombs from Vitali, who hurt his left hand and was unable to jab effective after the fourth round. Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion, handily won a unanimous decision over Chisora.  Chisora reluctantly admitted that Klitschko had got the job done.

Is it me …

Or was the force with Amanda Lucas?   Lucas, the daughter of legendary Star Wars visionary George Lucas, defeated pro-wrestling star Yumiko Motta (5-4) with a submission hold two minutes and 16 seconds into the third round. Lucas improved her record to 4-1, earning her third submission victory in a row.

Lucas, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt who began fighting professionally in 2008, attempted numerous submissions and softened Motta with head and body shots throughout the three rounds. Motta applied a guillotine choke during a third-round rally, but Lucas defended and found the fight-ending shoulder-lock submission shortly after.  Lucas is quietly becoming a ‘star war-rior”

Is it me …

Or is it with great sadness we note the death of “The Kid”?   Hall of fame catcher Gary “The Kid” Carter lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away last Thursday.  He was 57 years old.

Known affectionately as “The Kid”,  because of his unbridled enthusiasm for playing baseball, and his constant smile.  He often referred to his career in major league baseball as being a kid in the candy store.

Carter was an 11-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner. His bottom-of-the-10th single in Game 6 of the 1986 Series helped the Mets mount a charge against the Boston Red Sox and eventually beat them.  Carter played nearly two decades with the Mets, Montreal, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the Expos to their only playoff berth and was the first player enshrined in Cooperstown wearing an Expos cap.

R.I.P. Kid.

Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me …

Or is Jeremy Lin the Victor Cruz of the NBA?  Lin of the New York Knicks has taken the basketball world by storm this past week.  Averaging 26.8 points and eight assists in his first five games of significant NBA action has set Lin and the Knicks on fire, with five straight wins. Lin-sanity is officially here.

You have to wonder what were the scouts and recruiters looking at when they watched this kid.  He played high school ball in California and wasn’t offered a scholarship.   He went to Harvard, where there are no athletic scholarships, and played four years there.  He wasn’t drafted out of college.  ‘Played’ for  Golden State Warriors 2010-2011 but rarely left the bench, was sent down to the d-league during the lockout and was cut by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets early this season.  Signed with the Knicks and sent back to the d-league, where he had a triple double, which must have opened some eyes.  Jeremy was then brought back to the Knicks where he sat for seven games before he made history.  So much for judging talent.

The Knicks for once are catching a break, they are playing some very beatable teams over the next couple of days and this will allow Lin to do his thing.  Additionally, they will be able to figure out howto integrate Carmelo and Amar’e back in to the lineup without losing Lin’s positive impact.  Lin is the perfect guard for Coach D’Antoni’s  system, sees the court, plays pick and roll, runs well, and is energetic.  If D’Antoni figures this out the Knicks may just become contenders again.  And Coach D. will save his job.  (Or does this make the Knicks even more attractive to the coach in waiting, Phil Jackson?)

Just think the NBA season is nearly 40% over and teams are still trying to find themselves.  And injuries continue to mount, as players are pushing their bodies.

Who’s Hot:

 

Philadelphia

Boston

New York

Chicago

Miami

San Antonio

Dallas

Oklahoma City

L.A. Clippers

Who’s Not:

Toronto

Cleveland

Detroit

Charlotte

Washington

New Orleans

New Jersey

Latest NBA power ratings:

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/

NBA teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NBA transactions can be found at:

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2011_12/

Is it me…

Or is Floyd Mayweather determined to pick a fight with a person of Asian descent?  Mayweather rarely hesitates to air racially charged opinions, either in person or on twitter.

Mayweather posted on Monday: “Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

He has repeatedly insulted boxing rival Manny Pacquiao, including an online video in 2010 in which he used racial and homophobic slurs against the Filipino congressman.

Floyd would probably agree to fight Lin without blood testing.

Is it me…

Or did the NFL have a great season?  Congrats to the champions-The New York Giants.  Pay Cruz!!!!!!!!!! (enough said.)

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or is men’s college basketball a victim of its own success?  March Madness looms over the entire basketball season.  Every game is an attempt by coaches to place their teams in a better position for the NCAA tournament –MARCH MADNESS.  We often criticize teachers who ‘teach for the test’.  But what about coaches who coach for the tournament, and are focused on very little else?  Even rivalry week matchups were all viewed with an eye to how this helps or hurts teams in the tournament.

Don’t get me wrong, I think March Madness is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  But it really does diminish the value of the regular season.  One and done in the tournament makes for pure excitement, but it doesn’t guarantee that the best team is crowned the champion.  The team that gets hot at the right time is the horse you want to ride.  For example, Kentucky is the best college team I have seen play this year and I would bet the house on them in a best of seven series.  But in a one game matchup anything can happen and usually does.  Let the games begin!!!

The latest rankings in Men’s Basketball are as follows:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25

Is it me …

Or do the Passaic County Boys Basketball coaches need to take off their hoods and robes so they can see what is best for the kids?  Every year the Passaic County Coaches seed (rank the teams) the boys’ basketball program so the schools from Paterson or Passaic (Passaic, Eastside, and Kennedy) or the school with a large population of Patersonians (Passaic County Technical Inst.) meet each other early in the county tournament to assure that they don’t dominate the tournament.  The seeding ALWAYS has these schools knocking each other out early and not letting the best teams get in to the semi-finals and finals.  The kids deserve better.  If they are one of the best teams they have a right to play for the championship and not be victims of unconscious or conscious racism.

Is it me…

Or is with great sadness we note the death of Whitney Houston?  Houston is dead at 48 years old.  She was found and pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday afternoon; thus far, no cause of death has been revealed. In recent years, she struggled with drug abuse.

Whitney’s rendition of the national anthem paid tribute to America at more sporting events than we can possibly count.  It was the perfect song to demonstrate her range and vocal talent, and she did just that, causing goose bumps on all.

  R.I.P  Whitney

Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

04 Wednesday Jan 2012

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me …

Or has the NBA stumbled onto something with the delayed start and shortened season?   With the exception of New Jersey, Memphis, and Washington, the NBA seems fairly balanced and competitive as the season begins.

 Granted, there have been some lopsided games, but for the most part the games have been interesting.  The Celtics started out 0-3 and everyone was panicking except the Celtics, who are now back in the mix as are the Lakers.  Miami seems to have found a groove and is playing well, also.  The prevailing opinion is that the younger teams with depth will do well, because of the number of back to back and back to back to back games; but the good coaches will find ways to rest the ‘older’ players and have them ready.

It is officially time to start the Phil Jackson watch in New York.  The Knicks, mostly due to injuries have started poorly, would love to bring in a high profile coach.  D’Antoni, the Knicks coach, is in an extremely tough spot and needs to win if he expects to be around next season.

NBA teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NBA transactions can be found at:

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2011_12/

Is it me…

 Or does the NFL need to look at its playoff seeding?   If you win your conference you get to host a playoff game in the first round.  Unfortunately, a couple of conferences were very weak and the conference champion has a worse record than the wild card team it is hosting, e.g., the Falcons are 10-6 and must travel to play the Giants , who are 9-7; the Steelers are 12-4 and are going to Denver to play the 8-8, Broncos.  It doesn’t seem fair to reward the conference champion with a home game if they don’t have a better record than their opponent.  Let the  teams with the better record host the game.  Reward success, instead of mediocrity and a weak conference.

 

The rest of the playoffs shape up as follows:

Cincinnati at Houston, with New England and Baltimore getting byes;

Detroit at New Orleans, with Green Bay and San Francisco getting byes;

In the first round, we like the Falcons, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, as our upset pick.  Let the games begin!

 

Note to Rex Ryan, coach  of the NY Jets:  don’t eliminate the captain’s position on the Jets next year, select better captains.  Santonio Holmes was a poor choice for the captaincy from day one.

His behavior during the final game, which resulted in his benching, was a surprise to no one except you.

Congrats to Tom Coughlin coach of the NY Giants who steadied and quietly led the  Giants to a playoff berth.  I am not sure if he did enough to save his job, he may have to win a playoff  game or two, but he demonstrated true professionalism throughout a tough season.

The Monday following the end of the regular NFL season is referred to as Black Monday because of the expected firings of coaches.  This week was no exception.  There was little surprise  that the Rams‘ Steve Spagnuolo and the Bucs‘ Raheem Morris were the first two head coaches fired on the NFL’s Black Monday, given that their fate had appeared determined for at least a couple weeks now.  The Bears and the Colts also fired several football related administrators.

 NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

 Is it me…

Or is Victor Cruz due a new contract?  It can be argued that Victor Cruz, wide receiver for the NY Giants, carried them on his back in the two most important games of this past season for the Giants.  Cruz, a graduate of school #21, in Paterson NJ,  ( a shameless plug J )  made game breaking catches against the Jets and the Cowboys in the final two games of the season to help thrust the Giants in to the playoffs.  Cruz who was not drafted, has become a real playmaker and is a nightmare for defensive coordinators throughout the league.  He has rewritten the Giants record-book and is the darling of the media and fans alike. And he can Salsa!!!!!!  Show him the MONEY!

 Is it me …

Or is time to take a quick peek at college basketball?  Unfortunately, or fortunately, March Madness is just the perfect sporting event that the regular season in college hoops doesn’t mean too much.  However, it is nice to look and see what the boys are doing.

Syracuse is No. 1 in The Associated Press’ Top 25 for a fourth straight week and Pittsburgh is out of the poll for the first time since the middle of 2009-10.

 The Orange received 60 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. Kentucky, which moved up one spot to second, got the other five.

North Carolina, Baylor and Duke all jumped two places to third through fifth. Ohio State dropped from second to sixth after losing at Indiana.  The Indiana Hoosiers have two major wins this season, the other being against Kentucky.  They may be a surprise pick to win the big ten this year and do well in the tournament.  Good job Coach Crean.   We will keep our eye on them as the season progresses. Missouri, Connecticut, Georgetown and Michigan State round out the top 10.

Louisville, which lost to Georgetown and Kentucky, dropped from fourth to 11th.

No. 23 Kansas State and No. 25 Gonzaga enter the rankings on six-game winning streaks. Creighton fell out from 21st. Pittsburgh, losers of three straight, dropped out from 22nd.

Note to the University of Florida Men’s Basketball.  Nice job hiring Norm Roberts. Norm is a nice guy, great coach, and recruiter.  He will bring a lot to your program.  Go Gators.

Is it me…

Or is Floyd Mayweather really trying to avoid fighting Pacquiao?   Just like boxing to get us all excited about the possibility of Mayweather versus Pacquiao only to see it taken away again.  Floyd was sentenced to 90 days in jail as part of a plea deal in an assault case.

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan.

But his courtroom streak came to an end when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges.

 The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while two of their children watched in September 2010.

 We will assume that Floyd was the hair-puller.

 Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me …

Or was it about time Chris Paul be traded, somewhere? Paul was finally traded to the Los Angeles Clippers last week.  There he  will team up with Blake Griffin to form the nucleus of a young and upcoming  team.

The NBA, i.e., David Stern had voided the original Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, because it supposedly did not benefit Paul, the New Orleans Hornets or the league.  Stern wanted the league owned Hornets to receive draft picks and younger players  to make the Lakers-Hornets deal work.  It is still  questionable if the Hornets received true value for Chris Paul from the Clippers.  Paul led the Clippers to a victory  over the Lakers Monday night.

The Knicks picked up Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, and re-signed Jared Jeffries.  They also signed Tyson Chandler.  Chandler gives them exactly what they need at center, for a reasonable price considering he’s coming off winning the Finals as a difference maker starter and compliments Amar’e Stoudemire well. This could wind up as a disaster, for pursuing defense over offense and size over speed.  Hopefully, D’ Antoni has been reading defensive manuals and will install some type of defensive scheme.   As we know, offense sells a lot of tickets, but defense buys a lot of rings, as in championships.

The Miami Heat picked up Eddie Curry, formerly of the Knicks; guess what, he is having conditioning issues.  What was the Heat thinking?  Curry couldn’t get in shape in NY and was a joke, a beached whale.  Did the Heat think they were getting Flipper, or Curry would show up in shape so he could sunbathe nude on South beach?

Note to the Orlando Magic:  Giving Jason Richardson and Glen Davis mid-size contracts is not the way to keep Dwight Howard, I don’t care how good a friend he is with them.  They can’t win with  these guys and Howard knows this.

Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have filed for divorce, irreconcilable differences.  Vanessa was a trooper and stood by Kobe when he needed her (sexual assault trial) but has had enough.  It appears they did not sign a prenuptial, therefore Vanessa is entitled to a lot of money, in addition to the huge ring he gave her during his trial, her championship ring.

NBA teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NBA transactions can be found at:

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2011_12/

Is it me…

Or was this a week of firsts in the NFL?   The Green Bay Packers lost their first game of the season, to the Kansas City Chiefs, who were horrible last week (against the Jets) and  had fired their coach.  The Indianapolis Colts won their first game of the season against the Tennessee Titans.  There will be no perfect( or imperfect) seasons in the NFL this year.

    Tim Tebow ran in to a bump in the road, the New England Patriots and was handed a loss;

  • San Diego Chargers maul the Baltimore  Ravens to stay in playoff hunt;
  • Detroit  Lions rallied from 13 down to beat the Oakland Raiders;
  • New Orleans Saints roll;
  • Carolina Panthers behind Cam Newton cooled  the Houston Texans, hurting the Texans chances of a top seed;
  • Seattle Seahawks “Knox”  the bears  out and rolled to a win.  Chicago Bear’s receiver Johnny Knox  was injured during the game and is out for the rest of the season;
  • NY Giants fall out of first after losing to the Washington Redskins (we really have to do something about Washington’s name;  it is racist.);
  • The dream team, Philadelphia Eagles,  showed up and routed the NY Jets. LeSean McCoy set two team records for the Eagles;
  • Arizona Cardinals rallied to defeat the Cleveland Brown;
  • Reggie Bush rushed for 203 yards leading the Miami Dolphins over the Buffalo Bills;

The playoff picture as of today:

AFC

New England, Pittsburgh, Jets, Houston, Baltimore and Denver.

NFC

Green Bay, New Orleans, Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Dallas.

We said it last week, but it is worth repeating,  the NFL did a wonderful job scheduling the Jets –Giants game.  The game will have an impact on the playoffs, as it may determine if either team get in.

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or did the Baylor Women’s Basketball team send a message  this past weekend?    Britteny Griner led Baylor to a come from behind win against perennial favorite, the Uconn Huskies.  In a matchup of the number one rated Baylor versus the number two rated Huskies, no punches were pulled.  The two teams went at one another with all they had and produced a great basketball game.

Not many teams can go in to Waco, Texas and go up by eleven points against Baylor, as Uconn did.  But then again not many teams can erase an eleven point deficit against the Huskies, as the Bears did.  Baylor proved they are an elite team deserving of their number one ranking.

You have to tip your hat to women’s college basketball, they are not afraid to play each other. They routinely schedule tough games throughout the season, making it exciting from beginning to end.  Let’s hope these two great teams meet again in the tournament.

Is it me …

Or did Barry Bonds get away with one?  Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants , was sentenced to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and 30 days of home confinement.  Bonds was convicted of purposely misleading a jury during his steroid trial .

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella called the sentence a “slap on the wrist” and the fine “almost laughable” for a superstar athlete who made more than $192 million for playing baseball.

It is widely believed in the baseball world that Bonds knowingly took performance enhancing drugs.  Mrs. L. A. pointed out that Bonds’ head has gotten smaller since leaving baseball, proof positive he was taking something while playing.

Bonds has stated that he will appeal the sentence.  It will take time to determine whether he serves any of his sentence.  His appellate specialist, Dennis Riordan, estimated it would take nearly a year and a half for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule.

Note to Bonds:  By the time your appeal is heard and decided you could have this behind you.  30 days of confinement in your house is not exactly hard time.  I am sure you have cable!

Is it me…

Or do the colleges have the athletes over a barrel?  Todd O’Brien graduated from St. Joe’s in Philadelphia with a year of eligibility left.  He decided he wanted to go to the University of Alabama-Birmingham for graduate school.  He also wanted to play Basketball for another year.  St.  Joe’s refused to “release” him and is not allowing Todd to play for UAB.

This is hypocrisy at the highest level.  The school is allowed to prevent an athlete from moving on for whatever reason, but a coach can resign and start a new job tomorrow; or a school can jump conferences as they wish.  But Todd O’Brien is held captive out of vindictiveness.  Mind you, under the current rules, Todd’s scholarship is for one year only and is renewable, so the college could have taken away his scholarship at the end of any of the previous years and left him high and dry. But Todd can’t transfer to another school without the blessing of St Joe’s.  Go figure!

Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

23 Wednesday Nov 2011

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me …

Or is the BCS spelled SEC?  The top three college football teams in the BCS are LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas, all from the Southeastern Conference (SEC).  It is the first time in the fourteen year history of the BCS that three teams from the same conference have been in the top  three spots.  The likelihood of a rematch of a regular season game for the national championship is a real possibility.

 This brings us back to the need for a playoff.  The top eight teams in college football play a tournament with each of the top bowl sites getting a game.  You can still use the BCS to rank the teams, but the best team would have to win it on the field.  It works for college basketball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Is it me…

 Or did the Chicago Bears catch a bad break?   Jay Cutler, the starting quarterback for the Bears broke his thumb Sunday in the game and may miss the remainder of the season.  He is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the fracture.  He was injured making a tackle after an interception in the fourth quarter.  The Bears are in a ‘dogfight’ with the Lions , as both teams are 7-3 and chasing the undefeated Packers.  The Lions  get the Packers on Thanksgiving Day, a return to old school scheduling.  (The Packers and the Lions use to play every Thanksgiving; but the Lions would get so hyped and play so hard in the game that Packers backed away from it for several years.)

 It appears that Tom Coughlin, the coach of the New York Giants (who play in New Jersey) knows where to direct his anger after a disappointing loss-at the players.  Unlike Rex Ryan, the coach of the New York Jets (who also play in New Jersey) Coughlin let his players know how disappointed he was in their performance against the Eagles.  Rex on the other hand took his frustrations out on a fan as the Jets were losing to the Patriots.    Rex is now $75,000 lighter in  the pocket because of a fine levied against him by the NFL for this incident..

If the NFL playoffs started today both the Jets and the Giants  would be playing golf.  The Christmas Eve game between the Jets and the Giants may be huge and have playoff ramifications for both teams.  Another great scheduling job by the NFL.

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or has the NBA dropped off the face of the planet?  Does anyone have any idea what’s going on between the players and the owners?  They have reached a point where they are no longer in the news.  More and more players are opting for jobs overseas; owners are cancelling additional games; players are looking to dissolve the union.  Basically it is a mess, with millionaires and billionaires playing Russian roulette with pro basketball in the United States.  They are going to lose their fan base, and will have a difficult time recapturing it.

Note to NBA Players who are playing overseas: J. R. Smith injured his knee during his first game in China.  The extent of the injury was not known at press time.  Smith refused treatment from the team and sort outside medical assistance.  This did not go over well with the local team.  Good to see that J.R. is a knucklehead on any continent.

With the rewards of playing overseas comes the risk.  How will this affect his NBA contract and status, assuming we eventually get an NBA?

Is it me…

Or did Tiger Woods justify his selection as a member of  the United States team playing in the President’s Cup tournament?  It was only fitting that Tiger Woods clinched the cup for the U.S. Captain Fred Couples was criticized for selecting Woods, who had been out with an injury most of the summer and had not won a tournament since his personal life crumbled two years ago. Woods played well all week, even if he didn’t always get rewarded with a point. In his singles match against Aaron Baddeley, he was never seriously challenged.

 Could the “old” Tiger be ready to reappear on the tournament circuit?

Is it me…

Or is with great sadness we note the death of Oklahoma States Women’s Basketball Coach, Kurt Budke, and his assistant Miranda Serna?  They died Thursday afternoon when their single-engine plane crashed in rugged terrain in Central Arkansas. Also killed were former Oklahoma State Senator Olin Branstetter, 82, and his wife, Paula Branstetter. Both were pilots.

In 2001, ten people involved with the men’s basketball program at Oklahoma State were killed in a plane crash.  It is the school’s worst nightmare.  The University had implemented a policy requiring all travel by teams in planes be done in aircraft with at least two engines.  However, this policy did not apply to coaches traveling alone, or without athletes.

  Budke, 50, was extremely popular. In his seventh season in Oklahoma State, he had elevated the program, taking the Cowgirls to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16. Serna, 36, had been on his staff for seven years.

Edited by D. Pride.

Random Sports Thoughts By L.A. Pride

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

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L.A. Pride is a true sports enthusiast.  A former youth, and division II assistant basketball coach, who studied the martial arts, he enjoys and follows all sports, even hockey.  His quick wit and insight brings a fresh view to the world of sports. You may not always agree with him, but you will enjoy his highly opinionated thoughts.

Is it me…

Or are we finally ready to play the World Series?  The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League pennant.  The Cardinals meet the Texas Rangers, who beat the Detroit Tigers,  for the championship.

The Cardinals, a wild card team, have  home field advantage because the National League won this year’s all-star  game.  The most important series of the baseball season has home field decided by an exhibition game.  Maybe the NBA will decide home court for their finals (if they play this season) by the winner of the slam dunk contest?

Is it me…

Or does  it look like the NBA may not happen this year?  Despite both sides agreeing to mediation, it appears  they are still far apart.  The commissioner has already cancelled the first two weeks of the season and has expressed his concern over the Christmas day games.

Both sides sat down with a federal mediator yesterday with the hope of saving the season.  (We went to press before the meeting was over.)   The owners appear to be united and in it for the long haul.  If this is in fact the case, the season may be lost.

The good news is the college basketball season is just around the corner and  will readily fill the NBA void.

Is it me…

Or do we need to eliminate the post game handshake in the NFL?  Don’t get me wrong, I am all for sportsmanship but the coaches of the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions needed a timeout after their game Sunday.  Harbaugh, the San Francisco coach, came running across the field and gave his Detroit counterpart an exuberant handshake and then a slap on the back. Schwartz took exception and chased Harbaugh back toward the tunnel, but the two were kept separated. Players gathered and appeared to restore order.  (Detroit suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of the 49ers.)  Harbaugh took responsibility for the incident but did not apologize for his enthusiasm. Neither coach was fined because no punches were thrown.

Detroit’s loss leaves Green Bay as the only undefeated team in the NFL  Note to the Packers:  The reason they call those old uniforms throwbacks is because they are so ugly they need to be thrown back into storage and left there.

The NFL continues to surprise each week;  The Bengal are 4-2 after losing, or letting go Quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receivers T.O. and Ochocinco.  The 49ers and Lions are 5-1, suiting up basically the same personnel from last season.  And who had the Raiders or Bills at 4-2 at this point?  (The Raiders traded with the Bengals couple of draft picks for Carson Palmer)

The Vikings, Falcons, Eagles, Jets and the Cowboys have played beneath their potential.  Every year I hype the Cowboys and they just don’t cut it.  They hold the Patriots to twenty points, but still manage to lose.  I know Romo tends to implode at the end of games but the Cowboys played the Patriots game trying not to lose instead of trying to win it.  They were sooooooooooooooooo conservative and it cost them.

The Patriots remain steady and true.  Brady and Belichick are amazing; they are one of the best combo of quarterback and coach of all times.  Brady’s drive down the field Sunday, against the Cowboys was like watching a skilled surgeon at work.  He cut them up, with precision and calm.  You never doubted for a second he would lead them to a score.  Kudos to the Patriots from a Jets’ fan L  Speaking of the Jets, they defeated the Dolphins and ended a three game slide and kept “Flipper” winless.

NFL teams continue to adjust and shape their rosters;

A list of current NFL transactions can be found at:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/transactions/

Is it me…

Or did the WNBA finish their season?  When did the WNBA play its championship series?  I am told the Minnesota Lynx are the champions, but did anyone see the series?  Congrats to the Lynx.  Sorry we missed it.

Is it me…

Or did a MMA match break out at the Hopkins –Dawson fight?  Chad Dawson won a controversial TKO decision against Bernard Hopkins Saturday night.  Toward the end of the second round Dawson lifted Hopkins up with his shoulder and back, Hopkins was leaning over Dawson, and slammed him to the canvas.  Hopkins clutched his shoulder and seemed to be in a lot of pain.  Although Hopkins offered to continue, one armed, the officials overruled him and declared him unable to fight.  The referee, Pat Russell, had not called a foul, therefore Dawson was ruled the new light heavyweight champ via a TKO.

Hopkins claims he was fouled and should be the winner via a disqualification and Dawson claims Hopkins quit and is a coward.  Only in professional boxing would a boxing match be decided by a non-boxing technique.

Tell me it’s not true that Oscar D. the Golden Boy , is planning a comeback?  That is fool’s gold you are chasing Oscar,  you’re finished, stay out of the ring!

Is it me…

Or is it with great sadness we note the passing of Dan Wheldon?   Defending Indy 500 champ ,  Dan Wheldon was killed Sunday in a massive fiery 15 car wreck at a season-ending race in Las Vegas.  His car went airborne and landed upside down on a fence, where Wheldon’s helmet struck a wall causing an unsurvivable head injury.  The crashed occurred on lap eleven and forced the cancellation of the race.

Several drivers had complained that the track was too fast and wide.  It allowed, and tempted poorer drivers to take chances that were unnecessary at speeds up 225 miles per hour.  Additionally, there were 34 cars on the track, too many for an oval track which is just slightly over 1.5 miles.

Wheldon is survived by his wife and two young sons.

Edited by D. Pride.

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