Where will the King make his court?

This article is Part 1 of a 2-part series about the impending NBA free agency.  This posts deals with the possible destination of the biggest free agent in NBA (and probably sports) history, Lebron James.  Part 2 will be my predictions for where the top free agents will end up.   Without further ado, here is my analysis of where the King will go next (it works towards the most likely, meaning the Knicks are the least likely possible winner of the Lebron sweepstakes):

6) New York Knicks - They have been planning on acquiring Lebron for over two years, but it does not make any sense for him to end up in NYC.  In order to have the cap room to sign Lebron and another top player, the Knicks have gutted their roster to the point where they are basically an expansion team.  Even with Lebron and a hypothetical Chris Bosh, this team won't be able to compete for the NBA title because there won't be another above-average player on the team.  Plus, in today's global economy, New York's marketing advantage over other cities isn't nearly as big as it once was.  And the city already has the greatest baseball team in the history of the world, it doesn't need the best basketball player in the world too.

5) Cleveland Cavaliers - It pains me to rank the home team in this competition so low.  Especially, when you take into account how much the city of Cleveland has suffered when it comes to sports.  But it would be an awful basketball decision for Lebron to return to the Cleve.  Like New York, this team does not have the talent to win an NBA title.  Mo Williams has got to be the worst shooter in NBA history and Antwan Jamison isn't getting any younger or any taller.  While the Cavs can offer Lebron $30 million more than any other team, this amount shouldn't sway his decision.  The King could make over $1 billion in his life.  He shouldn't sacrifice his legacy and many, many titles for $30 million.

4)  LA Clippers - Most writers have the Clippers rated lower than this.  But if you actually look at the talent on this team, it is very good.  With Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Aminu Al-Farouq, Blake Griffin, and Chris Kaman, the Clippers have a great starting 5.  Throw in the King and they have one of the best 6-deep lineups in the league.  Plus, LA has the same big city appeal as NYC.  And Lebron could beat Kobe in Kobe's town.  However, Clippers' owner Donald Sterling is one of the worst owners in American sports.  And the Clippers are cursed.  If Lebron signed in LA, he would probably break every bone in his body.

3) New Jersey Nets - This is another team that most writers have rated lower than this.  The Nets also have a good core with Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and Brook Lopez.  Add Lebron and this team becomes way better than the 12 wins they got last year.  Plus they have a super Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov.  And they are moving to Brooklyn in 2 years.  And Lebron's good friend Jay-Z is also a part owner.  And the Nets give Lebron access to all of the perks of NYC without having to deal with the awfulness that is the Knicks.  Still the Nets have to play 2 more years in Newark, and NO ONE wants to go to New Jersey.  Plus, the Nets are close enough to the Yankees that they probably can't handle anymore awesomeness.

2)  Miami Heat - The Heat were much lower on this list until word came out about the free-agent pow-wow that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Lebron had where they all decided to go to Miami.  If Lebron has already made this decision, its his business, but it would be a terribly career move.  A team with 3 superstars and 3 alpha dogs is inherently unstable.  Even if they could win one or two titles (and I don't think they would) this team would break up before they could cement their legacy as one of the best ever.  Plus, if Lebron wins all of his titles with Wade, he can never claim to be an all-time great.  Part of being a basketball legend is winning when you are "the man" on your team.  Magic won as the alpha-dog.  Michael won as the alpha-dog.  Kareem won as the alpha-dog.  Kobe thinks he won as the alpha-dog.  Finally, this team would not be as good as it first appears.  With 3 guys under near max contracts, they would barely be able to sign enough scrubs to fill out a roster.  And 3 superstars and 7 scrubs are not going to beat a great team.  Lebron doesn't need to surround himself with the best talent.  He has more than enough talent to win.  He needs to join a good team.  A good team like:

1) Chicago Bulls - The Bulls can offer Lebron everything he has ever wanted, and more.  They have a great foundation in place and with him, they would instantly become the best team in the league.  Their hypothetical starting line-up is Derrick Rose, Lebron, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, and Joakim Noah with Taj Gibson as the 6th man. Plus Chicago is big enough to offer a lot of the perks of NYC or LA while still having the smaller town feel of Cleveland.  And it isn't that far away from Lebron's boyhood home of Akron, OH.  But the best reason for Lebron to go to Chi-town is one that no one is talking about.  Unlike Kobe, Lebron is all about honoring Michael Jordan's greatness.  What better way to honor Jordan than to rebuild the dynasty in his city and lift the Bulls franchise to a level almost on-par with the Lakers and Celtics.  If the Bulls can keep their core of Rose, Lebron, Bosh, and Noah together for the next 8 to 10 years, then they should win 8 to 10 titles. 

Chicago wins!

Three Things That Can Soften the Blow of Team USA's loss

This World Cup run was an incredibly exciting time for American sports.  Unfortunately, it came to what feels like a premature end.  However, we should be nothing but proud of our boys for the accomplishments they did make and the excitement they did cause.  Still, like any big loss, the one versus Ghana hurts.  Here is my list of things that can happen to soften the blow:

1)  England gets knocked out by Germany - It would be great for USA soccer if we could consider this Cup an overall win over England.  After Mexico, England is probably the team we associate with the most and there is no denying that they have always looked down on us for our lack of a top soccer team.  But we have already beaten them in group play.  Admittedly the win came on overall goals scored, but if FIFA says it counts it counts.  If they also lose in the Round of 16 (they are currently down 3-1), then we can safely say that USA soccer beat English soccer in 2010 and that is a huge success for us.

2)  Ghana continues to do well - As Americans, we love underdogs.  In fact, that is one of the reasons Team USA was SO popular during their run.  Well now Ghana is the underdog we can get behind.  Plus, it always takes some of the sting out of a loss if the team that beats you does well.  It means that you can argue that your team is better than it's finish shows.  Finally, in an African World Cup it would be awesome to see an African side to well.  No continent has suffered more and this tournament is an opportunity for one billion African's to come together and be united behind a common goal.

3) An elite soccer team wins the Cup - I know I just said it would be good to see an underdog do well, but ultimately the results of the Cup will be easier to swallow if one of soccer's elites (Brazil, Argentina, Germany) wins the tournament.  That way, our loss won't feel so much like a missed opportunity for something amazing.  Everyone knows we could have beaten Uruaguay next round.  But if we had faced Brazil in the Final Four or Argentina in the championship game, we would have been HUGE underdogs.  If one of those teams does emerge victorious, the Cup won't feel so much a missed opportunity.

Ultimately, the pain from this loss will go away when Team USA wins the 2014 Cup (you heard it here first!).  Be sure to vote in my poll to the right on whether you will continue to watch the World Cup now that we are eliminated. 

How far can the US go?

After a brief hiatus post about the NBA, I am back to talking about soccer, America's new favorite sport.  All I can say about the last USA game is WOW!  Those last couple of minutes will go down as one of the greatest moments in American sports history.  It wasn't quite Miracle on Ice epic, but it was epic none the loss.  But the real question for all us new USA soccer fans is can we make it further?  Or is our run of awesomeness doomed to end on Saturday?  Here is how I see the American draw going from here on out:

Round of 16 - USA vs. Ghana - I really wish we didn't have to play Ghana so soon.  I really wanted the USA to do well and an African team to do well.  Obviously those ideas are now mutually exclusive.  This game is very winnable for us.  Ghana is a very good, very steady defensive team.  We, on the other hand,  are a good team that shows flashes of brilliance.  If we can play this game with same energy we have during the second halves of our last two games, this win should be ours.  Ghana is a better version of Algeria in that they play very solid defense and have trouble scoring.  If we can catch lightning in a bottle and score just once, this win could be ours.  But if we get lax on defense and let them score first, they could lock us down, put everyone behind the ball, and the game could be over.  Prediction: USA over Ghana 1-0

Round of 8 (Elite Eight) - USA vs. Uruguay or South Korea - A quarterfinals match up between either one of these teams would have been a surprising pick to anyone before the Cup began.  Both of these teams are very attack oriented so our game plan shouldn't be that different regardless of opponent.  That being said, I think Uruguay will beat South Korea and advance.  Based on their showing versus Mexico, I would say that they have a talent level similar to ours.  I think we will advance for three reasons: 1) We have a better goalkeeper, which should be key in what could be a higher scoring game, 2) I think our team's underdog status and exciting play is going to win us a whole lot of fans, giving us the de-facto home field advantage, and 3) I really believe our cardiac kids can make it to soccer's Final Four.  Prediction: USA over Uruguay 2-1

Round of 4 (Final Four) - USA vs. the Netherlands, Slovakia, Brazil, Spain, Switzerland, or Chile - While our opponent could be anyone of those teams above, our most likely opponent is Brazil.  Unfortunately, this is where I think our amazing run will come to an end.  Our team was up 2-0 on Brazil at halftime of the Confederations Cup final and many fans think we could have won that game had Michael Bradley been playing.  But the second half of that game is the reason I don't think we can win.  When America is playing at our very best, we are an elite team  The problem is our very best is the same quality of play that Brazil shows all of the time.  Even if we can start out hot, the Confederation's Cup final shows that Brazil has the ability to do whatever it takes to win.  Plus, Brazil negates our team's best advantage.  Our keeper, Tim Howard, is one of the best goalies in the world.  The problem is Brazil's keeper, Julio Cesar, is the best goalie in the world.  That being said, if we can somehow come out super hot and post a goalie or two on Brazil, then maybe we can get them to press too hard and make some mistakes.  Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen.  Prediction: Brazil over USA 2-1

Third Place Game - USA vs. Germany, England, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Chile, or Switzerland - Once again, our opponent could be any one of these teams but I am picking Chile.  What an incredible exciting game this would be!  Both teams would be really proud to be in this game and would definitely play as if it were the final.  Chile is a non-stop, attack focused team.  They would test our defense in a way that not even Brazil will.  However, our attack isn't so bad itself.  As the goal for versus Algeria showed, we can be especially good on the counter-attack.  In the end, I think our superior goal keeping will be the difference here as well.  Prediction: USA over Chile 3-2

Final - Brazil vs. Argentina - I might as well go ahead and pick this game really quickly.  While I would love to see the USA make the final, a match-up between these two teams would make great soccer.  There are so many ways to view this game.  They are clearly the two best teams in South America, both now and historically.  Brazil is the world's best team and Argentina has the world's best player (Lionel Messi).  Brazil's manager, Dunga, is as steady as can be and Argentina's manager, Diego Maradona, is possibly the biggest loose cannon in this tournament, player or coach.  In the end, I think the steady team will emerge victorious.  Prediction: Brazil over Argentina 2-2 in PKs (Really that is just what I want to see, but think for a second about how awesome of a finish this would make)

How do you think Team USA will do the rest of the way?  Can our boys make it to the Final Four or possibly even further?  Leave a comment below and lets talk it out.  Also, be sure to vote in the poll to the right.

The 10 Greatest NBA Players of all Time

The motivations behind writing this post are twofold.  First of all, I have been blogging about the World Cup for the past couple posts and will continue to in the next couple posts so it is nice to take a break from Soccer (Good luck Team USA!).  Second, with the Kobe winning his 5th title, a popular sports debate has been whether he is now in contention for the title of greatest player of all time.  Here is my list of the 10 greatest NBA players of all time (feel free to comment with your own list):

10) Kobe Bryant - Kobe is not the greatest player of all time and there is really nothing he can do to change that fact.  Yes he has 5 titles, which is more than most other guys on this list.  But all 5 of those titles came with an all time great coach (Phil Jackson) and a dominant big man (Shaq and Gasol).  In the years where Kobe did not have another elite talent to share the load with, his team wasn't nearly as good. Besides, he played terribly in the biggest game of his life, Game 7 of this year's finals.

9b) Tim Duncan - When I first wrote this list, Timmy wasn't on it.  Which makes perfect sense because he is the most forgotten great player of this generation.  Tim Duncan has won 4 NBA titles with a good, but certainly not great, supporting cast.  That is something very few guys on this list can claim.  He is easily the most consistent player in the post-Jordan NBA.  And he is a much more likable figure than Kobe so he finishes ahead of him.  

9a)  Shaq - I didn't feel that it was right to separate Shaq and Duncan because they have the same number of NBA titles (4) and it is impossible to pick just one of them as the great big man of this era.  Like Kobe, Shaq has always had a great teammate (Kobe and Dwayne Wade).  However, on their first title team, Shaq was easily the superstar and Kobe was merrily the sidekick.  And more importantly, when he was on, there wasn't a player in the NBA who could stop the Big Diesel.  He is possibly the most dominant big man since Wilt.  Plus he has a plethora of really awesome nicknames!

8)  Julius Erving - Dr. J is on this list as much for his contributions to basketball as he is for his accomplishments.  Dr. J did win 3 ABA and NBA titles.  More importantly, his popularity was key to the NBA/ABA merger.  And Dr. J turned the slam dunk from a bring shot that only big men did to a spectacular shot that anyone can do.  And, he invented the cross-over dribble.  Think about how many slam dunks and cross-over dribbles happen during a basketball game.  That is why Dr. J is number 8.

7)  Larry Bird - While not overly athletic, Larry Bird was immensely talented and one of the most fundamentally strong players in NBA history.  He did not have a weakness in his game.  Larry Legend won 3 NBA titles and together with Magic Johnson helped to bring the NBA back into the public limelight.  

6)  Jerry West - I don't know too much about Jerry West's career, but I do know the discussion for greatest Laker of all-time comes down Jerry, Kobe, or Magic.  Plus, Jerry is usually mentioned in lists like this one.  He only won 1 NBA title, but he did lose to Bill Russell's Celtics in the title game 8 times!  Plus he averaged 27.0 points for his career despite playing before the addition of the 3-point line.

5)  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Kareem has more titles than any of the guys he finishes ahead of with 6.  Plus his skyhook is the most unstoppable offensive weapon in the history of the NBA.  And he is the NBA's all-time scoring leader.  Kareem would be higher on this list if not for the amazing quality of guys in front of him.

4) Oscar Robertson - I don't know to much about Oscar Robertson's career, but I do know that he is mentioned on every list like this one.  He also averaged a triple double for the first five years of his career, which is simply amazing! (For comparison, Lebron's best single season has left him 1.5 assists and 2 rebounds per game short of approaching this feat.)

3)  Bill Russell - Bill Russell could make it on this list simply by the fact that he won 11 NBA titles!  But he is also the greatest defensive player and co-greatest rebounder in NBA history.  He averaged 20 rebounds for a season 10 times! (For comparison, Dwight Howards best single season average is 14.2 rebounds.)  However, Russell was never the focal point of his team's offense, so he can't be higher on this list, despite all those NBA titles.

2b) Michael Jordan - Everyone knows that His Airness is the greatest player of all-time.  And if you read on you will see my logic for placing him not at the top.  But as to why Michael is where he is, Jordan won 6 NBA titles in his career (and would have won more had he not decided to try baseball).  He is the greatest shooting guard in the history of the game and probably the most clutch player as well.  Plus, he is the most popular player of all-time and every great player in today's game is thought of in terms of how they compare to Michael.

2a) Magic Johnson - Make no mistake about it, Magic Johnson deserves to be right here with Michael Jordan (and actually slightly ahead of him).  Michael Jordan was a dominant shooting guard; Magic Johnson was a dominant player at every position on the floor. He is the only player in NBA history who can make that claim.  Despite being a point guard, Magic Johnson started Game 6 of the NBA Finals his rookie year at center and had the incredible stat line 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assist, and 3 steals.  It is difficult to compare Magic's all-time numbers because his career was cut short at the age of 32 due to his testing positive for HIV.  Still, in his shortened career, Magic won 5 NBA titles.  I have no doubt that had he continued playing Magic's Lakers would have challenged Michael's Bulls for the NBA title every year and probably won a few.

1) Wilt Chamberlain - I was all set to make Michael and Magic co-greatest players of all-time until I did some further research into Wilt.  Rather than make arguments about why Wilt is the greatest player of all-time, I am going to let his numbers speak for themselves.  Wilt averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds for his career!  He once scored 100 points in a game!  He once grabbed 55 rebounds in a game!   He once averaged 50 points for a season!  He average 40 points in a different season!  Those overwhelming number (and many more) are the reason Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest NBA player of all-time, despite winning only 2 NBA titles.

Incomplete) Lebron James - I have Lebron here as an anticpatory pick.  Although his accomplishments don't merit his inclusion yet, Lebron will most certainly be on this list one day.  He is the closest thing the NBA has seen to Magic since Magic.  And he will undoubtatly win his share of NBA titles like everyone else on this list.  Michael Jordan didn't win his first title until his 7th season in the league and he was known in the late 80's as a great player who couldn't win a the big one.  The reason I have chosen to put Lebron's Incomplete ahead of everyone else on this list is that I believe if he plays as well as he can, the King will retire as the greatest NBA player of all-time.

The Amazing Drogba

I was going to write this blog as a celebration of an amazing upset.  But alas, a great team is greater than a great player, and Brazil defeated Ivory Coast 3-1.   Like I said in an earlier blog, Didier Drogba is my favorite soccer player.  The reason why has very little to do with soccer.  Drogba is a phenomenal player. He is one of the greatest African players of all time and probably the best active player from that continent.  He is a star on a very good Chelsea team.  And today he became the first African player ever to score a goal against Brazil in a World Cup.  But like I said, I don't like Drogba because of soccer.  I like Drogba because he is quite possibly the most amazing humanitarian playing the game.  In 2006, Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast soccer team stopped a civil war in their country.  That is right, they stopped a war!  Ivory Coast had been embroiled in a civil war since 2002.  There was a peace settlement in 2004, but by 2006 conditions had once again turned for the worst.  And then Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.  Drogba and his teammates pleaded with both sides to stop the violence so the nation could enjoy the tournament in peace.  And they did!  Because of their pleas, both sides in the war returned to peace talks.  And then in 2008, Drogba was instrumental in having an African Cup game played in the rebel stronghold of Bouake.  This game marked the first time that both armies in the war had engaged in a non-violent activity together.  Incredibly, Drogba does more for humanity than just stop wars.  In 2007, Drogba was appointed by the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador due to his charity work and devotion to improving the African continent.  In 2009, he received 3 million British pounds for doing a Pepsi comercial.  He donated this entire fee to build a hospital in his hometown in Ivory Coast.  And he convinced his soccer team, Chelsea, to donate their portion of his fee too!  We spend so much of our time as sports fan hearing stories about the bad guys in sports, the Tiger Woods and Ben Rothlisbergers of the world.  It is nice to know that there are also athletes who have used their fame and fortune to make the world a better place.  Didier Drogba is my favorite player because he is an incredible individual and a role model for us all.

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A Great 24 Hours of Sports (and the bad officiating that went with it)

Thursday night and Friday morning were what being a sports fan is all about.  Two huge games that were battled to the very end by teams that left everything they had on the court (or pitch).  Since it came first, lets talk about the NBA Finals Game 7 first.  I haven't written about this series at all, so let me go ahead and say I desperately wanted the Celtics to win.  Not because I really like the Celtics, but because I just really don't like the Lakers.  But regardless, this game was exactly what defensive basketball is all about.   That is why it pained me as a sports fan to see the horrendous officiating in the 4th quarter.  The Celtics couldn't help but foul the Lakers with the way the refs were calling the game.  Towards the end there was a possession where Garnett "fouled" Gasol even though he had his hands tucked into his chest to avoid fouling at all costs. And this was far from an isolated incident.  I'm not saying the Lakers didn't deserve the title, I'm just not happy with the way it happened.  I've got a couple other observations from the game as well.  Even though he played well, the Celtics did the smart thing by putting the ball is Artest's hands in the 4th quarter.  If you watch him for any length of time, it becomes clear that he is not fundamentally good at the game of basketball.  Yes, he is a great defender and very athletic, but when it comes to shooting, passing, and dribbling, Artest is a gamble every time he touches the ball.  Also, even though he is an awful shooter, Rondo's 3-pointer at the very end of the game was absolutely incredible.  He got the rebound about halfway between the basket and the 3-point line, dribbled out, and immediately turned around and drilled a huge shot without really squaring himself up.  If he can ever develop a jump shot, he could entire the Lebron-Kobe-Wade level of superstardom

I was going to make this post all about the NBA Finals, but then I watched the USA soccer game today.  That game serves as a perfect example of how our team operates.  We always play to the level of our opponent.  And we can only play well when no one believes in us.  During the first half, when we were supposed to be doing well, our team was just short of terrible.  Slovenia easily had the game in hand.  But in the second half, with the game already out of reach, we came out and absolutely dominated.  That was a second half for the ages.  Donovan's goal was exactly the type of performance we need from our best player if we are going to be serious contenders.  And Altidore's header to Bradley's foot for the second score was one of the prettiest goals I've seen since I started really watching soccer.  And then there was the third goal.  The goal that was going to cap off one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history.  The goal that would have propelled us into the knockout rounds.  The goal that got absolutely robbed from our boys.  I totally agree with the referee that there was holding on that play (I really don't think play is the right term, so if someone know better, please let me know).  And it was on Slovenia.  Bob Bradley says he saw three separate US players being held by Slovenian players.  I don't know enough about soccer to recognize that many, but I know what the Slovenian player was doing to Michael Bradley stopped just short of assault.  And much like in football where holding happens on every block during every player, in soccer holding happens on every player during every set piece.  The rule for the refs is you only make the call if the penalty is blatant.  And there is no blatant USA holding on that play.  Regardless of the fact that it should of been a win, we should still be proud of our team's comeback in the second half.  We are still in a great position to advance and make it to the knockout rounds, where anything can happen.  Go USA!

Best and Worst of the World Cup So Far

This year's Cup has more up and down then most cups. So naturally, there have been a lot of high and low points.  Here are a few:

Best- South Africa scoring the first goal of the Cup- Since they are probably the weakest host country in Cup history, everyone was very concerned with how the Bafana Bafana would fare. They quieted their critics by jumping out to a lead versus Mexico.

Worst- South Africa losing 3-0 to Uruguay: It seems as if their critics were right after all, as Bafana Bafana got rocked in today's and will need a miracle to have any shot at making it out of group play.

Best - Drogba coming into the game for Ivory Coast in the 65th minute- This is easily my favorite moment so far. When Drogba came on the pitch, it wasn't just Ivory Coast who was picked up. It was like he was carrying the hopes of an entire continent.  The noise level of the vuvuzelas was simply incredible.  He represents their best chance at earning a title and I really hope he can fulfill this goal.  Plus, Drogba is an absolutely incredible human being and my favorite soccer player (and I have a small man-crush on him).

Worst- Cristiano Ronaldo flopping-  As much as I like Drogba, I dislike Cristiano Ronaldo.  He is easily the most gifted player in the world and yet he resorts to blatant flopping to try and draw calls.  He reminds me of a young A-Rod, supremely talented but too immature to handle competing as the best in the world.  I just wish Drogba could have been at full strength so he could have led Ivory Coast to the win over Portugal.

Best- USA soccer being for real-   If you remove the whole African hosting story from the Cup, then the biggest story is that this is the time when America is really giving soccer a chance.  And if this Cup doesn't succeed in securing America's interest, it will probably be quite some time before soccer has another opportunity.  Our play versus England went a long way towards securing soccer's status as a mainstream sport in America.  I only hope this trend can continue.

Worst- Robert Green's flubbed save- As great as it was that the USA tied England, this blown save is still the worst on the field moment this tournament.  There are very moments in sports where we as normal people know that we really could have done better than the athlete.  This is one of those moments.  Robert Green is a better goalie than any of my readers or myself (all 4 of you) could dream of being.  But on this play, we could have all made the save that he could not.

Best- The vuvuzelas-  There has been an incredible amount of complaining about these African trumpet-like instruments.  But let me say as an uneducated soccer fan (read: average American) I love them!  Instruments like the vuvuzela are exactly what home field advantage is all about.  Worried about ear damage?  Then don't go to the game!  80,000 screaming African fans will still be there.  When we signed on for an African World Cup, we got all of Africa, not just the parts we like.  

Worst - The strike that almost stopped the Brazil - North Korea match- I'm not sure how many people have heard this story, but apparently some of the stadium workers refused to work because they were paid less than they were promised.  I'm not offering an opinion about whether the workers or management were wrong. All I am saying is get the damn issue worked out behind the scenes.  The entire globe is focused on South Africa right now and a story like this one is just stupid.

And since the World Cup is awesome, I will include one more Best (with no Worst to go with it):

Best- North Korea holding its own versus Brazil- I know they are our enemy, but the Boise State (and Butler bandwagon) fan in me has to cheer for the little guy.  And there is no guy littler in this Cup than North Korea.  Plus, by avoiding a blowout, we can feel comfortable knowing that no North Korean players or their families are going to be punished in anyway.  And finally, since North Korea didn't provide them with much of a budget, they had to train in a public gym in South Africa (http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/06/kim-jong-il-and-the-north-korean-world-cup-squad/58171/).  This team can't help but warm your heart to one of the great evils of our world.

And the dust settles on the NCAA

It appears that the Big 12 apocalypse has passed and the conference will survive. At least that is what Andy Staples and SI are reporting (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/06/14/texas.big.12.ap/index.html?eref=sihp). Let me start out by saying how truly surprised I am by this result. When I wrote my blog Friday night about how I expected this all to play out, I didn't expect things to work out exactly as I said. But I expected that the Pac-16 would happen. It appears that political pressure in Texas and some last minute deal making by Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe saved the day. The real question is: what does this latest development mean for the rest of the conference realignment game? First and most obvious, the Pac-16 is not going to happen (which means the era of the superconference is not upon us yet). However, the Pac-10 currently has 11 members. They can stay at this number [and even still call themselves the Pac-10, I am looking at you Big 10] or they can bring in one more team and gain the all powerful (read: $$) conference title game. They will almost certainly bring in one more team since 11 is a size with no real benefit. And this team will almost certainly be Utah. The Utes are the best pick for a whole host of reasons and would jump at this opportunity in an instant. The second change from tonight's news is now the Big 10 will most likely hold strong at 12 members [maybe they could trade names with the now 10 member Big 12]. The only exception to this is if Notre Dame suddenly changes its mind and decides to join the Big 10. However, this won't happen because the Big East is somehow going to live to fight another die again! [Big East = the Little Conference that Could] The reason the Big East will survive is that Texas A&M has also decided to stay in the Big 12. Therefore the SEC has no need to steal from the ACC, meaning the ACC has no reason to steal from the Big East. [Wow this stuff is complicated!] So in effect, after all this talk, all that has really happened is Colorado and Utah (most likely) have moved to the Pac-10, Boise State has replaced Utah in the MWC, and Nebraska has defected to the Big 10. Surprising, but definitely not the ground breaking change we were expecting all weekend. And unless Notre Dame decides to shock the world, what has happened so far is likely to be the end result of this round of conference realignment.

Welcome to My Blog!

After a month of writing to just myself, I have finally decided today is the day to take my blog public. Let me start off by saying welcome. I have a very specific model planned for this blog and I only hope I can fulfill it. The internet is full of sports blogs that simply report the news and sports blogs that simply give opinions on the news. This blog is neither of those things [although it is kind of both of them]. Rather this blog should read like a sports conversation/ debate among friends [although I get to do all of the talking unless you comment back]. It will be some information, some opinion, and a whole lot of personal bias. But hopefully it will also be fun to read and attract at least a couple followers. I'll save writing about my biases for another so for now just know that they exist. I have never written a blog before so let me know if you have any advice. Check out the posts I have written up to this point. Two of my favorites are my post yesterday (June 11) about the madness that is conference realignment and my post from last Sunday (June 6th) predicting the first round of the World Cup. So please check out some of my old posts, stay tuned for the new ones, and comment on any and everything you like. Welcome to The Reason They Play the Game [TRTPtG?]!

One other note: In my realignment post, I only put 15 teams in the new Pac-16. Therefore, Utah will jump to the Pac-16 and the Big Mountain East will fill their spot with any of the other leftover teams from the Mountain West (possibly Colorado State).

A Total Different NCAA

I have been postponing writing about the crazy stuff going on in college football, but since the dominoes have started to fall now is the time. Before I go into my predictions of how the whole system will shake out, lt me say a quick word about the status quo. Obviously the teams could care less, but the conferences are nearly perfect as they are. Granted, they were small changes that needed to be made. Boise State moving to the Mountain West was a move that needed to be made. But overall, the system was good as it stood. Without further ado, here are my predictions for the new conferences when the dust settles (Note: These predictions are neither what I expect to happen nor what I want to happen. Rather, they are a combination of both of these things. )

The New Pac-10 [Pac-16]

Arizona

Arizona State

Cal

Oregon

Oregon State

Stanford

UCLA

USC

Washington

Washington State

Texas

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

Colorado

This conference set-up is almost a forgone conclusion. Unless something crazy happens in Texas this weekend, come Tuesday the Pac-10 will become the Pac-16 [Can they really call themselves Pac if they stretch all the way to Texas?].

The New Big 10 [Big 16]

Ohio State

Iowa

Penn State

Michigan

Michigan State

Northwestern

Nebraska

Wisconsin

Purdue

Minnesota

Illinois

Indiana

Missouri

Notre Dame

Syracuse

Rutgers

The first part of the new Big 10 is also already decided. Nebraska joined today and even though they haven't been offered yet, Missouri can't be far behind. With Nebraska on board, the Big 10 then has two main goals left, capture Notre Dame and the New York City market. The NYC problem comes first and will help bring in Notre Dame. By bringing on Rutgers and Syracuse (both of which are AAU schools), the Big 10 gets Gotham and brings down the Big East simaltaneously. And Notre Dame has said they will remain independent as long as the Big East is viable. However, with the Big East failing, Notre Dame will be forced to align itself with the Big 10 [which may very well keep the name Big 10 post-expansion since they have actually have had 11 members for 20 years].

The New SEC

Alabama

Arkansas

Auburn

Florida

Georgia

Kentucky

LSU

Ole Miss

Mississippi State

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vanderbilt

Texas A&M

Florida State

Miami

Clempsun [Clemson]

This is the first of my really speculative picks. It seems fairly likely that Texas A&M will join the SEC, leaving the conference at 13 members. Since conferences work better with even numbers and the Big 10 and Pac-10 will have 16 members, the SEC will forced to expand as well. And with the exception of the North Carolina schools, they will have their pick of the ACC. I picked FSU, Miami, and Clemson to go because they have a larger national audience and are more SEC -like than Georgia Tech.

The New ACC

Boston College

Duke

Georgia Tech

Maryland

North Carolina

NC State

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Connecticut

Pittsburgh

South Florida

Poor, poor ACC. Under this scenario, they've had three of their flagship programs robbed. Luckily, the dead Big East had some members available for the taking. Connecticut is the best fit because they have a great basketball team and even though the ACC is a second rate football conference, no amount of expansion will kill their dominance of basketball. Pitt and South Florida round out the ACC because they are a better fit than any of the other Big East teams. Plus, USF makes up for some of the Florida market the ACC lost when FSU and Miami bolted for greener (as in $) pastures.

The New Big 12/ Mountain West/ Big East [The Big Mountain East Conference]

Baylor

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Cincinnati

Louisville

West Virginia

TCU

BYU

Utah

Memphis

Boise State

Of all my picks, this conference is the least likely. There is no unifying geographical area or type of school. In fact, the only thing these schools have in common is they are the losers of the conference realignment [except for Memphis who will sieze this opportunity to jump into the BCS]. Still, all of these teams joining forces is the surest way to guarantee they all stay athletically relevant. If they don't, some of these teams will surely end up on the outside looking in.

Obviously, the BCS will need to evolve to accomodate these conference changes [The best part of the move to 16 team conferences is that they make a playoff that much easier]. Since one automatic bid over 16 teams is too little, the new BCS will feature 2 automatic bids for the SEC, Pac-16, and Big-16. Because they are smaller (and weaker), the ACC and Big Mountain East will have 1 automatic bid. The other two bids will be decided through the same rules currently employed by the BCS.

Its a great week in sports!

A couple times a year their is a sports week that makes us all happy to be fans. Usually, these weeks happen during the fall or winter and revolve around college and pro football. But this week is one of those weeks! The World Cup is beginning. The baseball draft is going on. The College World Series is mid-swing. The most classic NBA finals is happening. Baseball is reaching its pre-All Star break height. And as an added bonus, their is a massive re-alignment going on the college conference landscape [more on this topic coming soon]. But the biggest story of the week (and possibly history) happened tonight. Super-ultra-mega phenom Stephen Strasburg made his major league debut. And he exceed expectations! With 14 strikeouts in 7 inning (including his last 7 batters faced) Strasburg showed he is every bit as good as advertised. As a Yankees fan I only have one more comment to make about Stephen. I can not wait to see him dominate Game 1 of the World Series in a couple years, in pinstripes of course!

So Excited for the World Cup!

What a week! The reason I haven't posted in over a week is I have been moving to DC for my summer internship. I figure since I have yet to have a follower its not that big of a deal. Going forward I'll try and be more consistent.

Even though I played soccer growing (or at least until the 3rd grade) like most Americans I have never really followed the game. However, my admiration for the game has been steadily growing lately (largely due my watching the masterpiece that was the Argentina-Germany match from the 06 Cup). With that being said, here are my totally uneducated picks for who will make the Round of 16 (Sweet Sixteen?) in South Africa.

Group A- France, South Africa- Both these picks will probably turn out to be wrong, still I love picking against the grain (that is why I am awful at picking NCAA brackets). France is going to be driven by a desire to prove that they, and not Ireland, belong in South Africa. Plus, I really like Thierry Henry. And South Africa is going to ride the home crowd to upsets of Mexico and Uruguay (Probably not, but its a fun pick to make).

Group B- Argentina, Nigeria- Despite their struggles in qualifying, Argentina should dominate this group based on superior talent alone. Plus they have mega-star Lionel Messi to carry them over the top. I'm picking Nigeria over South Korea or Greece for no real reason other than that I really would like to see the African teams do well.

Group C- USA, England- This pick was pretty easy as both of these teams should make the Round of 16 fairly easily. However, my shocker is that I'm picking America to upset England in the opening game. Why? England has a lot of in-house problems and it would be awesome to see us win that game.

Group D- Germany, Ghana- Germany always make the Round of 16, so that pick was easy. Beyond that, it was a toss-up between Ghana and Serbia. I'm picking Ghana because they are African and they won the U-20 Cup in 2009. I always like young teams in the NCAA tourney, so I might as well do it in the Cup too.

Group E- Netherlands, Cameroon- There is no reason for either of these picks, so I just went with my gut. It just seems logical that the Netherlands would have a good team. And Cameroon is African, so I might as well go with them. Plus, I can't imagine Japan being very good at soccer.

Group F- Italy, Slovakia- Italy is the defending champs and are better than any of their other group mates, so they should advance without too much trouble. Sports Illustrated says Slovakia should also make it out of their group, so thats why I picked them.

Group G- Brazil, Portugal- Even though this is the Group of Death, Brazil should make it through fairly easily. With the other pick, I was going to pick Ivory Coast (I was considering picking them to win overall) until they lost Drogba. If he plays, I still think they will advance. If he doesn't, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo should lead Portugal to the next round. Poor North Korea, if I didn't no better I would say they ended up in this group by conspiracy.

Group H- Spain, Switzerland- Spain has only last once since the last World Cup (America, F*** Yeah!) and they shouldn't start now. I have no real reason for picking Switzerland over Chile or Honduras, but its just a feeling.